[TravelerKai]

(06-18-2018 05:49 AM)Richard Turpin Wrote:  

^^^
Teddy (he hated that nickname!) is an interesting one. I've read a few books about (and by) him. Including his 'Winning of the West' series (he didn't have a high opinion of Native Americans!), 'Through the Brazilian Wilderness' (he was far too old and unfit to be hacking his way through the Amazon! No wonder it nearly killed him and ultimately hastened him towards an early exit) and a couple of biographies.

He was undoubtedly inspirational and seemed to live enough for five people; Author, Adventurer, Politician, Soldier (he really wanted this!), Academic. Pugilist (cost him an eye!), Judoka, marksman (though not a good shot), read several books a day, got shot but ignored his wound to finish his speech, tracked & captured robbers etc. How much of it all is spin and how much was legit?

I once read that Christopher Nolan based his Batman on TR ie; what would someone with unlimited money be able to achieve?

On the downside, his detractors portray him as being a violence loving gore-hound trying to live up to an idealized image of his father. Actually, I'd be interested to know what negative opinions people have about him? I always try to get a rounded picture of historic characters and I can't find a lot of bad things about him. And the 'bad things' other people see, I tend to view as positive anyway! RVF'ers in the US might have a better perspective on him than I have. Was he a globalist for example?

In terms of being an ideal political leader, I'd say he passes the Taleb test of having 'skin in the game'; volunteered and fought in the Spanish American War (although I did once read that he was alleged to have shot a man in the back (rather than the more heroic story he re-told himself. But I couldn't find confirmation of this anywhere). Volunteered to fight in WW1 even though he was too old. Actually lost his son in WW1.

Also, anyone who has a whole category on Wikipedia entitled 'Persona and Masculinity' can't be too bad a choice!

Haven't checked if there's already a thread on TR, but if there isn't it would make for good reading.

Teddy was something special. He was a man's man. Extremely masculine, intelligent, and was smooth when he needed to be too. Invited Booker T. Washington to dinner at the White House! Then instead of apologizing, said he'd do it again!

Teddy a Globalist? Nah. In some ways he was imperialist, expansionist, and isolationist. Being a globalist is something later on the timeline of human history in my opinion. While a big topic on it's own, I do not think you can call anyone that until you get closer to the advent of Globalism itself.

Too many good things can be said about him. There is a reason why his face is on Mount Rushmore when the others on it are much older in the past than he was.