Just Plain Folks

"The Western world today wants the opposite of both facade and mystery, destroying them as soon as the suspicion of either arises. We speak of the imnportance of "image" and the kind desired is one of anti-facade. It must dispel, not create, the aura of grandeur and power and even dignity. Heads of state insist on being Tony or Jimmy; they grow in popularity when they are inarticulate. The plain man with the boyish, rather helpless look is the figure congenial to a democratic society."
-Jacques Barzun, From Dawn to Decadence