All ten votes for Malcolm X!
Jeez, already it’s tough!
Lucille Ball
Henry Bergh
Daniel Bliss
James Branch Cabell
John Coltrane
Jimi Hendrix
Walt Kelly
Jack Kirby
Shel Silverstein
Babe Zaharias
My vote for Silverstein is, in part, for his scary book-jacket picture on the back of The Giving Tree.
OK, not really.
At some point the ambiguity of “Great” will bite us. I imagine those voting against Malcolm X and Henry Ford are eliminating because of these men’s significance not in spite of it. (Looking up “great” in Webster’s I see “great bloodshed” used as an example, suggesting that Hitler might be considered one of the “greatest” Germans!)
I regard Henry Ford as clearly belonging in the Top 30, and am disappointed to see he might disappear in the first round! For how many rounds will such multiple votes be allowed?
I’m sorry my name got associated with this voting method, which I mentioned once:
My suggestion clearly dealt with supporting votes (John Brown was my own nominee), not (necessarily) elimination votes.
The following votes are chosen solely for the purpose of protecting Henry Ford this round.
Lucille Ball - 2 votes
Jimi Hendrix - 2 votes
Daniel Bliss - 2 votes
Carl Sagan - 2 votes
Robert Heinlein - 2 votes
(Sorry if this seems to be “gamesmanship.” I’m generally opposed to such, but feel explicit rules are the way to go.)
Sorry I misunderstood your suggestion. We’ll see how the first round goes.
First those that were actually bad people:
Henry Ford - 4 votes (Jew hating Nazi loving bastard)
Malcolm X - 6 votes
All 10 votes for Nazi-decorated Charles Lindbergh
A teacher at my high school was fond of “shocking” her students by proclaiming Hitler was a great man, then explaining what she meant. However, the impact of the apparently pro-Nazi statement was lessened once the kids started letting their friends in the incoming classes in on the attempt to spark controversy.
Of course, this could have led to a very small second-round field if just about everyone had gone with the “usual suspects” right away. As I stated in the setup thread, the members of my actual “Quintessential Quintet” were all nominated by the time I posted, so I just threw an additional five names into the discussion. Although a few of them appear headed for earlier exits than I had hoped for, I didn’t expect any to make the Top Ten, with the possible exception of Eisenhower.
Current standings (as of BobbyLibDem’s vote):
1 Malcolm X 23
2 James Branch Cabell 11
2 Charles “a dingo ate my baby” Lindbergh 11
4 Henry Ford 9
5 Robert Heinlein 7
5 Jack Kirby 7
7 Lucille Ball 6
7 Jimi Hendrix 6
7 Shel Silverstein 6
10 Daniel Bliss 5
10 Walt Kelly 5
10 H. P. Lovecraft 5
10 Carl Sagan 5
Babe Zaharias 4
Bruce Catton 3
Marilyn Monroe 3
Ambrose Bierce 2
Willis Carrier 2
Joshua Chamberlain 2
John Coltrane 2
Jim Henson 2
J.P. Morgan 2
And one vote each:
PT Barnum
Harry Bergh
Richard Feynman
Robert Frost
Kurt Godel
Audie Murphy
Elvis Presley
John D. Rockefeller
Babe Ruth
Nikola Tesla
John von Neumann
Daniel Webster
This should not be a final count - I caught at least one omission (Kirby) and fixed it, but I might have missed something else.
Incidentally, the question of tie-breakers hasn’t been opened yet. For the initial knock-out-many rounds, I propose that we get rid of everyone who is tied for the last eliminated place (so 13 would go out with the current voting, including 3 of mine).
Thank you, Tom Scud, for tallying the votes so far - I’d be glad to let you keep doing it, if you’re willing.
I haven’t decided yet on tie-breakers. What you say might work. Any other suggestions by our other players?
I don’t mind, as long as tied-for-last > 1 vote (maybe even >2). Otherwise you could end up with a huge cut, depending on how the vote spread goes.
Ten people I feel were more famous than important
Lucille Ball
George Gershwin
Jimi Hendrix
Jim Henson
Walt Kelly
Jack Kirby
H.P. Lovecraft
Marilyn Monroe
Babe Ruth
Shel Silverstein
Bliss - 1 vote
Henson - 3 votes
Marilyn Monroe - 2 votes
Ruth - 2 votes
Zaharias - 2 votes
Tough - for the first round, I picked the ones who I thought had the most negative effect on America. I’ll leave the “not very important” votes for later.
Single vote
Walt Disney: Animator, entrepreneur, icon (His pre-war pro-nazi attitudes put him here)
Charles Lindbergh: Aviator, American hero (Ditto)
Eli Whitney: Inventor, cotton gin (Good intentioned, but his invention strengthened the cotton market, and thus, slavery)
Three votes against
Douglas MacArthur: WWII general (His self-centered arrogance weakened his government and killed soldiers in Korea)
Douglas MacArthur: WWII general (His self-centered arrogance weakened his government and killed soldiers in Korea)
Douglas MacArthur: WWII general (His self-centered arrogance weakened his government and killed soldiers in Korea)
Four Votes Against
Malcolm X: Civil rights leader (The anti-MLK, his militancy, which is what he is best known for, is still setting back civil rights)
Malcolm X: Civil rights leader (The anti-MLK, his militancy, which is what he is best known for, is still setting back civil rights)
Malcolm X: Civil rights leader (The anti-MLK, his militancy, which is what he is best known for, is still setting back civil rights)
Malcolm X: Civil rights leader (The anti-MLK, his militancy, which is what he is best known for, is still setting back civil rights)
One vote each please…
Harriet Tubman
Carrie Chapman Catt
Walt Disney
Helen Keller
H.P. Lovecraft
Eleanor Roosevelt
Carl Sagan
Margaret Sanger
Mark Twain
Martin Luther King Jr.
Ambrose Bierce: Author, journalist, satirist, critic
Ambrose Bierce: Author, journalist, satirist, critic
Ambrose Bierce: Author, journalist, satirist, critic
Bruce Catton: Civil War historian
John Coltrane: Musician, composer
Aaron Copland: Composer, musician
Shel Silverstein: Author, humorist
Shel Silverstein: Author, humorist
H.P. Lovecraft: Horror writer
Babe Zaharias: Greatest female athlete
I agree with Tom Scud about too many writers, including several that are not particularly accomplished. I voted extra times against Bierce because his entry exceeds the three word limit and he should be eliminated for that reason alone – but also he is not in the same league with many similar U.S. writers and thinkers who are not even on the list. Same with Shel Silverstein–how is he on this list when Dr. Suess is not?
If not for the rule about U.S. Presidents getting a free pass, my list would look like this:
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Richard Nixon: sleazy incompetent crook
Too many people on that list are simply famous because they were entertainers. I see nothing “great” about starring in a sitcom or movies.
5 votes off each:
Lucille Ball
Marilyn Monroe
Henry Bergh: Saved children, animals
Willis Carrier: Air conditioning pioneer
Henry Ford
Will Rogers: Humorist, social commentator
Marilyn Monroe
Put Two Votes on each of these guys for me.
He wasn’t really a Nazi-just a misguided idealist. Henry Ford was the really pro-Nazi one and even he was mostly misguided.
They were the right wing equivalent of Jane Fonda. Stupid celebrities who let themselves be led by the nose and used as propaganda tools.