Passing the baton – but to whom?

Andy Rooney will be delivering his last commentary piece for 60 Minutes this coming Sunday.

I’ve always enjoyed watching and listening to Mr. Rooney. I don’t always agree with him, although I do more often than not. But I do always respect his position.

Mr. Rooney is a charter member of the Greatest Generation, having flown as a correspondent on the first Allied bombing raid into Germany. He’s been there and done that in more ways than most other reporters can imagine. For that matter, more than most other people of any stripe.

He’s always been gentlemanly and his English is a joy to listen to. His wealth of cultural and historical knowledge gives his writing a depth and richness that has seldom been matched and never surpassed.

It’s a tragedy in this democracy that there are no Andy Rooneys being made anymore. Listening to or reading the output of younger “journalists” will convince anyone that the majesty of language is being lost to under-education and over-stimulation.

Reporters these days have barely enough time to record, and nowhere near enough time to notice. Forget sober reflection. Its all about the quick, shocking headline, and there’s no poetry underneath. Wit has given way to dimwit.

I know this is a harsh thing to say. Probably too harsh for a piece in which Mr. Rooney is highlighted. But you see, it’s not that he has been more courageous or smarter or even more artistic than the folks coming after him.

The thing is, Andy Rooney, if he graduated from college today, would never become Andy Rooney. The kids just don’t have the luxury of time. Everything is too immediate.

Andy Rooney is a great wordsmith but that’s not really what’s made him great. It’s sober reflection that set him apart. And these days, that’s an activity few of us take the time for.