Now it makes sense

When I was a senior in high school, we had elections for class president. My class, being somewhat rebellious, decided to elect one of the kids from the special ed class as president. His name was Roy Roberts, I think. This was not done as a kind and thoughtful gesture, throwing a kid with little else going for him a bone. We did it because we thought it would be funny, and probably because we thought it would make a statement about our attitude toward the student government, and government in general. After all, it was 1973 when he was elected. Mostly, though, we did it to be funny in that mean-spirited sort of way only teenagers and Asian students at Virginia Tech can manage.

What got me thinking about that was the continuing coverage of that Sanjaya guy on American Idol. I have never watched that show, nor do I care to, but even I know who he is. He's the guy with the homohawk haircut who apparently doesn't sing very well but keeps getting voted forward. I've come to realize that Sanjaya is America's Roy Roberts. He's that special ed kid everyone keeps voting for because it's funny to do.

Of course, there is another theory that the rival networks are paying people to vote for him on the assumption that if he wins it will bring the #1 show in American TV crashing down. (How pathetic is that, by the way? An updated version of your middle school's variety show is #1?) I suppose it's a possibility but that's just cynical.

I prefer to think of it in more positive terms. America is simply voting for the retarded kid so we can all point and laugh. And that's what makes this country great.