# Competence vs. Constituency

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [January 7, 2008, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562 "2008-01-07T02:37:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Category5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Category5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Category5)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562/1 "2008-01-07T02:37:03Z")

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Which would you rather your child to develop, if he/she could develop only one?

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**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562/2 "2008-01-07T02:40:14Z")

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[Constituency?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constituency) 😕

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**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562/3 "2008-01-07T02:46:45Z")

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I’d like him to have a good working command of the English language 🙂

(I kid, I kid…but I’m pretty sure you have the wrong word. Consistency maybe?)

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**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562/4 "2008-01-07T03:13:10Z")

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I forget who said it but “irrational consistancy is the hobgoblin of small minds” so competance would seem to be better.

Marc

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**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562/5 "2008-01-07T03:38:52Z")

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[QUOTE=MGibson]  
I forget who said it but “irrational consistancy is the hobgoblin of small minds” so competance would seem to be better.

Marc  
[/QUOTE]

Screw that, I’d just get him a real hobgoblin

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**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562/6 "2008-01-07T04:32:20Z")

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[QUOTE=Category5]  
Which would you rather your child to develop, if he/she could develop only one?  
[/QUOTE]

I would say a constituency, and I’d use President George Bush as my proof case. Here’s a guy with absolutely no competence, but who developed a constituency large enough to make him the most powerful man in the world.

It’s a no-brainer. (Pun intended)

As long as you are surrounded by peeps, you got no need to be competent. And with enough peeps, you can gain any position you want.

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**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562/7 "2008-01-07T04:35:47Z")

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[QUOTE=MGibson]  
I forget who said it but “irrational consistancy is the hobgoblin of small minds” so competance would seem to be better.

Marc  
[/QUOTE]

Attributed to an essay on self-reliance by Emerson; practiced by Mr Bush.  
\*  
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”\*

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**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competence-vs-constituency/432562/8 "2008-01-07T04:38:42Z")

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Oh yeah; Paris Hilton too, while I’m in the mood to add valuable insight to this important question.