Is it about the increasing chasm between rich and poor in this country? No.
Is it gay marriage? Well, even though the cover looks like it could be about gay marriage, the answer is still no.
It is even more important than any of those. Newsweek finally stepped up to address the Lincoln-Darwin question. The question of who matters more.
Hmm. Um. What?
Thank god they waited until a special double issue to put this one on the cover. And good thing Newsweek isn't inadvertently proving that the print media is becoming increasingly irrelevant and that weekly magazines can still appeal to young people.
Yeah, kids, try to find an article about Lincoln and Darwin on those Internets. Just try it.
1 comment:
I have not read the Newsweek thingy either, but while the Interwebs may have ignored Lincoln/Darwin comparisons, Historian David R. Contosta has churned out 365 pages of comparative biography on the outmoded BOOK platform. Perhaps the magazine article was based on this book? I have not read the book either, but it is called "Rebel Giants."
I think the desire to compare is based on the fact that the two were born on the same date, February 12, 1809.
They have been compared before, but the Newsweek cover is the first indication I have ever seen of competition between them, or between their legacies. But we all know that magazine cover illustrations are always well-considered and factually authoritative.
Comparative biography is a respected historical genre, though. For instance, I understand that Charles Darwin could be unpleasant and a tad gassy. Abraham Lincoln was tall, and had a son nick-named Tad. Both wore beards at some point in their lives.
I'd actually be excited to know what Newsweek thought of these two giants, but since I would have to purchase a copy, I guess I'll just have to get used to not knowing.
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