A political cartoon published this week by the New Yorker seems to be playing well with those who oppose the rise of populism in American politics, but the editorial's message misses the mark.
The cartoon shows a man standing in the aisle of a passenger airliner, one hand raised angrily.
From this week's @NewYorkerpic.twitter.com/4EPsd4Eb1M— Ben Taub (@bentaub91) January 2, 2017
"These smug pilots have lost touch with regular passengers like us. Who thinks I should fly the plane?" the caption reads.
Look, dissecting cartoons is the sort of thing that makes a person reconsider his life choices, but this editorial really begs for some comment.
First, the obvious criticism is that the cartoon wrongly compares a profession defined by measurable achievements and certifications to a fuzzy discipline in which supposed experts and outright rookies often work side-by-side, and there is rarely any discernible difference between the two.
Airline pilots spend years earning their spot in the cockpit. Political "elites" can be anyone, so long as they have the right connections, and few have earned anything in the sense that they've put in time and effort and have a proven track record of success.
Also, on the note of failure: There's no room for error when flying a plane. One miscalculation, and it's usually the pilot's last. Now compare that to how often consultants and career politicos move on from one failed campaign to the next. In aviation, there can only be success. In politics, success and failure often coexist, and the latter is sometimes even rewarded.
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A political cartoon published
A political cartoon published this week by the New Yorker seems to be playing well with those who oppose the rise of populism in American politics, but the editorial's message misses the mark.
The cartoon shows a man standing in the aisle of a passenger airliner, one hand raised angrily.
From this week's @NewYorkerpic.twitter.com/4EPsd4Eb1M— Ben Taub (@bentaub91) January 2, 2017
"These smug pilots have lost touch with regular passengers like us. Who thinks I should fly the plane?" the caption reads.
Look, dissecting cartoons is the sort of thing that makes a person reconsider his life choices, but this editorial really begs for some comment.
First, the obvious criticism is that the cartoon wrongly compares a profession defined by measurable achievements and certifications to a fuzzy discipline in which supposed experts and outright rookies often work side-by-side, and there is rarely any discernible difference between the two.
Airline pilots spend years earning their spot in the cockpit. Political "elites" can be anyone, so long as they have the right connections, and few have earned anything in the sense that they've put in time and effort and have a proven track record of success.
Also, on the note of failure: There's no room for error when flying a plane. One miscalculation, and it's usually the pilot's last. Now compare that to how often consultants and career politicos move on from one failed campaign to the next. In aviation, there can only be success. In politics, success and failure often coexist, and the latter is sometimes even rewarded.
So — yeah.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/this-anti-populism-cartoon-misses-the-...
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