Heard this story on NPR today and thought it was a pretty moving piece.
"In 2000, when George W. Bush accepted the GOP presidential nomination, he told the story of juvenile delinquent Johnny Demon to highlight the need for "compassionate conservatism." Now 21, Demon has no job, no permanent home and no idea he was used in Bush's speech. Reporter Robert Draper follows up on Demon's fate in the latest issue of GQ. Draper talks with NPR's Robert Siegel."
I think I'll grab a copy of GQ so I can read the whole piece - I was struck by Draper's technique, using the story to highlight the disconnect between political officers and the people they try to serve, who often lead lives that politicians can hardly imagine. Stories like this always lead me back to the factory in Florida my college roomate and I worked at part time one summer, calling in sick together once a week and dreaming of our sophomore year. We were far removed from the other workers, trying to eke out existences for themselves and their families at $4.20/hr., doing tedious, mind-numbing chores over and over for 8 hours straight.
How can you make someone else understand, really?
Posted by zippy at April 29, 2004 11:30 PM