Why is so much importance placed on the lives of these people who mean nothing to 99.9% of the worlds population. Joe hardhat driving a rivet into an I-beam on a skyscraper has added 1000 times more to society than Sontags worthless babble (in my humble opinion).
FYI..on a lighter note..I caught the last 5 minutes of Crossfire a little while ago..their last segment was about "Is the US cheap about giving aid to the tsunami hit region?" Saying, of course, yes we're cheap....was Bianca Jagger...teh Crossfire crowd is always wildly liberal...but she got a one hand clapping recetion..tepid is waaay to kind..
The idea that the humanities aren't important is the sort of thing that disuades conservatives from getting a decent voice in academia. As for your popularity contest criteria, more people know about Paris Hilton then William F Buckley.