Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Two Kinds of Humor: The One That Brings Together and the One That Separates

If Elena Kagan is praised for anything, from non-liberals in any case, it is for her wit and for her sense of humor. But the philosopher Hugh Prather used to say that there are two kinds of humor in this life — the humor that brings together and the humor that separates.

Which kind is that of Barack Obama's candidate for the Supreme Court? It seems clear to me that her humor is the one that says: "I am part of the élite, and the opposition has no more right to question my credentials than has the common American citizen. And if they should so try, I will ignore, I will castigate, and/or I will ridicule their concerns relentlessly."

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