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Ethical Experts, and Practically Wise Men |
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Willy has two men that he looks up to as role models: his brother Ben and a salesman he knew, Dave Singleman. Niether of them are ethical experts, though. |
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Willy looks up to Ben Loman because he is a success. Willy has only met Ben a few times, he didn�t grow up with him, and he really doesn�t have a good idea of Ben�s virtues. So, while Ben is a model for Willy, he is a model for the wrong reason. Willy ought to identify a role model�or ought to have identified�someone who he could understand to be virtuous. Perhaps his father would have been this person if Willy had gone to Alaska, or wherever his father was. |
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Ben Gordon may not be an old, rich, white guy, but he has NBA rookie records for scoring 31 points thrice, and is tied for most ppg by a rookie. Beat that, whitey. |
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Willy looks up to Dave Singleman for the same reason he looks up to Ben- he views him as a success. Willy follows Dave�s example more than Ben�s, though. Willy is of the opinion that his success as salesman, being able to support himself off of a few phone calls every week, and having a lot of people coming to his funeral qualifies Dave as an �Ethical Expert� or as a �Practically Wise Man.� But success is not a virtue, though, and really Willy can learn nothing from Dave, the same way he can learn nothing from Ben. |
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All Dave Singleman had to do was pick up phone and call buyers to make a living. |
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I would like to propose an ethical expert for Willy- Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy. Marv Levy was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for eleven and a half years, and established a record of 112-70, 123-78 counting playoff games. That makes him easily the winningest coach in Bills history, and one of fourteen coaches to get one hundred wins with a single team. Including his days as the head coach in KC, he�s won 143 games, which is eleventh among all NFL coaches. Levy led the Bills to six division championships, four of which were consecutive- an unmatched record in the NFL. Levy was the NFL and AFC coach of the year in 1988, and AFC coach of the year in �93 and �95. What�s most important is that Levy took the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive superbowls, and lost all four of them. Levy would be the perfect image for Willy Loman of a man who is undeniably a success, but who had failed four times to win the ultimate prize of the NFL championship. |
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The Jewish Virtual Library (jewishvirtuallibrary.org) says of Levy:
Levy was a supreme motivator, adept at bringing out the best in his players. His leadership fostered leadership in key members of his squads, who, like their coach, led not with words but with the example of hard work and scrupulous dedication to details and preparation.
Levy was often seen as the perfect coach for a team laden with large salaries and larger egos, and during his tenure, he led the Bills, who to a man respected their coach, to unforeseen heights of NFL glory. Those Bills exuded class and confidence, and the bearing of the teams originated at the top, with their coach.
Before each contest, Levy inspired his players with a question: "Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?" Those in attendance during the evening of October 14, 1998, can imagine no place, no time preferable to this ceremony inducting Marv Levy into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. [Levy was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2001.] |
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Back to Virtues |
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