I’ve referenced Norman Borlaug twice in the last few weeks. I was going to write a long diatribe on how no one knows who this great American is, but Easterbrook, damn him, beat me to it.

Borlaug is 93 and I hope he’s with us until he’s 193. I’ve heard him on television and his wit and intelligence is as vibrant as ever. But when goes, his tombstone could be inscribed, “one billion saved” as that’s the conservative estimate of how many lives he’s saved worldwide.

And you probably know more about Brittany Spears’ underwear or lack thereof.

Pathetic.

One of Glenn Reynolds’ readers adds:

Gregg Easterbrook has it half right about why Norman Borlaug is ignored by the press. It’s not because he spent his life serving the poor, per se. Press accounts are filled with stories about those who serve the poor. It’s that Mr. Borlaug didn’t serve the poor by giving away other people’s money, or by demanding that other people give away their money. He served the poor by DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY, which in the view of the press is just as evil as making money, if for no other reason than someone makes money from the developed technology.

You won’t see any accolades afforded all the brilliant researchers at GE Medical Systems, Pfizer, Merck, Glaxo, Medtronic, or you name it, for precisely the same reason.

This is an excellent point. Contrast the attention given to people like Bono or Princess Di to Borlaug. It’s amazing.