SCRABBLE: Majority Rules
I remember the annual art contest at Noble School in Detroit. The kids were requested to drop a ballot for their favorite art project on display. At times it was a close vote someone’s favorite came in 2nd Place instead of 1st Place. Then some little 3rd grader, who was happier about his pick winning, than the quality of the work of art, would prance around the room shouting, “Majority Rules, majority rules.”
I remember playing sandlot baseball in grade school, with my friends during gym class. At times there would be arguments about whether the batter was ‘safe’ or ‘out’ at first. One of the gym teachers normally served as the umpire, be it from behind the catcher. The teacher didn’t always have the best view of the play, but the teacher’s ruling was final. Even when the teacher was in the ‘minority’, the ruling was final and the game proceeded.
Sometimes, small town democracy, where everyone casts a vote, might be the best way to run things in a small town. It would be totally impractical in a larger city. Most people would never be able to make all the meetings to vote on the questions. Maybe with the invent of instant communication on our iPhones, we could agree that everyday at 12 Noon we would all vote on the ‘question of the day’. But, soon there would be 2 questions, then 3 . . . you see what I’m saying.
I’m not even sure that I always want the majority to rule. Frequently the majority has no more than a 6th Grade reading level, even though they may have finished high school. I’m certain that most people vote based upon the lies and misrepresentations in the media. Very few do any research on their own. Some pick out a name that they like or one that blends with their own ethnicity. The folks who write all those propositions have become more clever over time. Most of the time when you are voting ‘YES’, the wording is so convoluted that you are actually voting ‘NO’.
I wish we had some very smart people in leadership positions in this country. What if Warren Buffet were in charge of the economy and ran it as if it was his personal portfolio. What if Geoffrey Canada was the Secretary of Education and was given a free hand to reproduce ‘The Harlem School Project’ in avery community across the country. What if the guillotine was re-instituted as a punishment to all child molesters and murderers on their first offense, within 6 month of being convicted? (Goodbye national debt.)
And then there’s the matter of the bickering among the members in our little national scrabble community. Everyone has something to say about ratings and rules and dictionary entries; everyone thinks that their personal opinion is better than that of the next guy; too many people want change (as though change is better than the status quo). I’ve always wanted to have a second QUEEN when I’m playing chess; so what. If it ain’t broken, leave it alone already.
In my opinion there should be a scrabble Tzar (like the way that the NSA ran things for years). I wasn’t always happy with the way things were run, but the buck stopped there. It is my opinion that the jealousy and posturing that is taking place at the national level, in the scrabble community, is counter productive.
It is my experience that once ‘the majority’ rules, most of the majority go back to doing their personal lives and a very small few remain to do the drudgery and clean up. Many don’t even hang around to put the tiles back into the bag after a game.
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