“The Atlantic Monthly” just added to the history of useless lists with its new “Brave Thinkers” list, published in the latest issue of the magazine.
“Twenty-seven people with courageous ideas … that are shaping our future” reads the tagline for this brave innovation. The list is also subject of its own page on the magazine’s website.
Apparently a lot of work went into the production of the list. Yet the bulk of the entries reads like yesterday–Arthur Sulzberger Jr. (this is a guy who runs a family-owned newspaper that is struggling with the internet age), Ralph Nader (c’mon), and the creators of South Park (the series is a relic of the early 2000s)–or pop up on every other magazine list, which questions the point of the whole think.
Okay, so did any Africans make it, you want to know?
Yes, Morgan Tsvangirai, the Zimbabwean Prime Minister and Opposition leader: “He stood his ground against Robert Mugabe and is now bringing some normalcy back to the country.” [Yes, that image was used to illustrate the entry.]
I know, I like Tsvangirai, but what “normalcy” is there in Zimbabwe? Are they aware of the extrajudicial killings, attacks on opposition supporters and their prosecution on trumped-up charges continuing. This was also written before Tsvangirai–in frustration–withdrew last week from the unity government with Mugabe.
There’s one thing they don’t like about him, though: “Tsvangirai is no saint: he’s … made oblique threats of popular violence.“
The Atlantic likes its heroes to be non-violent always.
Link.
