The Medal of Freedom is supposed to be the American version of the Nobel Prize. But in the hands of presidents over the years, it’s often been given to popular figures instead of true heroes.
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Before I begin, I should note this is not a response to Rush Limbaugh getting a Presidential Medal of Freedom. I disagree with him getting one, for reasons I’ll get into in a minute, but this is an opinion I’ve had for a while. I wish him nothing but the best and hope he gets a speedy recovery from stage four lung cancer.
However, the reaction the left has had to Rush getting one during the recent State Of The Union has caused me to think, maybe this medal doesn’t mean all that much.
Here, I’ll prove it. What has been the number one defense of Trump? The first defense Trump supporters always have is that Obama did it. Again, the only difference between Obama and Trump to these people is that Trump is good and Obama is bad.
In this case, it is ridiculous that Obama gave a Presidential Medal Of Freedom to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. But this actually proves my point. If we’ve gotten to the point where you can call hypocrisy regarding how unimportant a high honor is, maybe it isn’t much of a high honor.
Basically, yes it was ridiculous for Obama to give one to Ellen. As it was when George W. Bush gave one to Rita Moreno, when Bill Clinton gave one to Arthur Ashe, when George H. W. Bush gave one to I. M. Pei, when Ronald Reagan gave one to George Balanchine, and so on.
This is not me saying these men don’t deserve some form of recognition, but the president is simply not the person to do it. Balanchine was a ballet choreographer, it just seems like President Reagan had better things to do.
In theory, the Presidential Medal Of Freedom is suppose to be the American version of the Nobel Prize. However, if that’s the case, surely it should only go to the highest of the high in our society, not the most popular. Too often, it’s the second and not the first that creates this deciding factor.
Compare the treatment Rush Limbaugh got to the treatment Roger Scruton. He was also a well-known conservative, although only among more intellectual circles while Rush is closer to a household name. When he died earlier this year there was no medal, there was no mention during the State Of The Union? And so on.
It does not take a dislike of Limbaugh to say that Scruton is more deserving of a Nobel Prize than him. Yet, the American version of this Prize has gone to household name over the intellectual.
And what about the people with questionable character? For instance, in 1980 Jimmy Carter gave a posthumous medal to actor John Wayne. Here is what Mr. Wayne said on the subject of race:
“With a lot of blacks, there’s quite a bit of resentment along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so. But we can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks. I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.”
This is not to insult Wayne as an actor, from that perspective he was fine. However, good acting should be honored at the academe awards, not by the President.
This also does not mean I believe Jimmy Carter of all people is a racist. That’s beyond absurd. However, if we are going to give a man the highest award in the country we must make sure he represents us in every way possible. What Wayne said does not represent the United States, no matter how good of a cowboy he was.
While I am not against honoring American heroes, the current way we go about it is clearly too loose. The award was started by President Truman as a way to honor those who fought against Hitler during the second World War. If we must keep it expanded to any and all men on this planet, we must make sure they embody the concept of freedom in all ways. We must make sure these people are not just popular culture icons but are instead people who are worth celebrating all the way around.
In that respect, the medal is nearly worthless.
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Ephrom Josine is a libertarian political blogger/commentator, and a frequent contributor to The Liberty Hawk. In 2019, he published his first book Ramblings Of A Mad Man: Life As An Anarchist. You can find him on Twitter @EphromJosine1, writing near-daily on Medium @ephromjosine or weekly on Freedom First Blog.
Editor’s note: While nothing can excuse such words as John Wayne was quoted to say in this article, I often find its best to put such things in a historical and cultural context. I remember when I studied history at Southern Utah University, I would often find myself frustrated with the way the past was so hastily judged, as if we sit on the modern throne of fully achieved morality and can mete out absolute judgment as we see fit.
Again, I’m not seeking to excuse John Wayne’s horrible comments. I’m only saying we should be sure to consider the full stature of historical figures, and not let the moments when they succumbed to the prejudices of their day define them. John Wayne is one of my heroes and, in my estimation, a great man. -Justin
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