Contemplative Thought # 11

"The superior man when he has found success in the world abandons it and moves to the country"

 -Lao Tzu

        

The Homecoming

I was eagerly looking forward to seeing the revival of Harold Pinter's play, The Homecoming at the Cort Theatre. We had excellent seats located in the fourth row and even though I was suffering from a bout of the flu, could not believe my good fortune when the smallest old lady in the world sat directly in front of my wife and I. The British actor, Ian McShane, plays the patriarch of this very disfunctional family that included McShane, his brother, and two grown sons who get a surprise visit from their professor brother and his very provocative wife. If any of you remember the HBO drama Deadwood, you'll remember McShane as the foul mouthed owner of a saloon/whorehouse. He really is an impressive actor in full command of his craft. The play was beautifully acted but the play itself is a dismal commentary on a bleak bunch of unhappy misfits and the strange happenings that occur in the second act of the play. Outside the theatre was a banner proclaiming Pinter's play as "an erotic masterpiece". It very well may have been one in 1964 when it first appeared on Broadway, but now it seemed drab and sad. The men hatch a plan to use their brother's wife for profit and their own lustful desires with the full blessing of the woman's husband.  It was a very weird play and I heard some older theatre goers describe the play as "brutal".  I usually like to identify with a sympathetic character when seeing a play. There was none on stage. I guess I should've stayed home and nurse myself back to health.

How I Define The Word Coward

Good Ole Webster defines the word coward as "a person who shows a shameful lack of courage or fortitude". Not a very good definition is it. I have a better one. David Shuster, the tight lipped,  soft looking, talking head  on NBC News. The other day Shuster was "temporarily suspended" from NBC due to a comment he made concerning of all people, Chelsea Clinton. Shuster "took on" the 27 year old daughter of Hillary and Bill by saying that she was being "Pimped Out" by her parents to drum up the support of Superdelegates for her mom. This soft looking, poor excuse of a man, has the audacity to attack a decent young woman by using a term that often describes the selling of a woman for unlawful sexual activities. I don't think the likes of Shuster would dare to describe Oprah's volunteer work for Obama as "Pimping Out" do you? Can you imagine the uproar that would create? I dare say that Shuster would receive a harsher treatment from his fellow cowards at NBC than a temporary suspension. 

Contemplative Thought # 10

When elephants fight it is the grass that suffers.

-Kikuyu Proverb

The Giants Triumphant Parade!

Yesterday, I decided on a whim to travel into Manhattan to view the "Parade of Giants". I had never been to a ticker-tape parade before and there is a desire to be a part of history. To say years hence, "Hey, ya know, I was there". It's a little disconcerting to be among a crowd of strangers who are pushing and shoving to get a better view. And if you consider the fact that 95% of them were younger, much younger than I, and add the fact that at least 50% were intoxicated, you'll appreciate my discomfort. I found myself herded with about 20,000 other souls across the street from city hall. A funny thing happened while awaiting the "Heroes". There was a parked car in the street that was a perfect object for at least 10 young drunken fans to stand on to get a better view. They didn't just stand on it however but jumped up and down on it to the beat of the fans cheering, "Let's Go Giant's!" Unbeknown to the young rowdies, the car belonged to the NYPD, and as soon as the cops saw this, they came as fast as they could to apprehend the miscreants. They couldn't get there that fast because of the crowd, so about 9 of the kids managed to escape. One kid was caught by the arm and was shaken vigorously by a cop before being dragged away. You should have seen the top of the car. It was the shape of a soup turreen. The crowd of course,  booed the cops. Then many of the remaining kids who knew this boy started chanting, "Negron Got Arrested, Negron Got Arrested!" Soon the entire crowd picked up the chant with a thousand more joining in, "Negron Got Arrested, Negron Got Arrested". I did manage to get a glimpse of the Giants, but all I could think of was the roof of that car and a phone call to some New Jersey mom, "Hello Mrs. Negron, This is Sergeant Mulvaney of the NYPD......your son is in police custody due to the fact.........".

An Average Man's Book Review- The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer died last November.  He was a gifted author and the quintessential New Yorker.  I recall he actually ran for Mayor in the late 60's.  Mailer was always making the rounds of the talk shows, and you could always catch a glimpse of him on shows like David Susskind, Dick Cavett and the like.

One of the last works Mailer published before his death was a novel entitled, The Castle in the Forest.  Mailer weaves a story about Adolf Hitler's family and sordid upbringing with the help and guidance of a disciple of Satan, who is dispatched to look after the little guy.  It's a dark and weird story about the struggle between good and evil.  I found it interesting but it won't leave you in a good mood. 

In 1980 Mailer won his second Pulitzer Prize for The Executioner's Song. The story is about Gary Gilmore, who could have been a poster child for everything wrong with the juvenile justice system in place at the time. Gilmore was in his mid thirties when he was released from prison after serving a stint for armed robbery. A petty thief and criminal, Gilmore  spent almost half his life in prison and reform school.  Upon Gilmore's release from prison, Mailer discusses his poor, almost non-existent attempt at putting his life in order. He never does, and we see him continue to make  wrong decisions time and time again.

We are introduced to Gilmore's extended family of uncles, aunts and cousins who try to help him, but are ill-equipped to do so. Gilmore meets the love of his life, Nicole Barrett, a married woman who is living alone while hubby is out hustling drugs. We see Nicole trying  to raise her two small children, and doing a terrible job of it while juggling a menial job, her new man, and drug and alcohol usage.

In a fit of anger and rage, Gilmore kills two young innocent family men and is arrested promptly due to his ineptitude at covering up his crimes. He goes to trial, is found guilty, and is sentenced to die by firing squad.  Gilmore throws the Utah justice system a curve ball by refusing any appeals at saving his life. The system is ill-equipped to deal with this unexpected turn of events.

Mailer creates a circus - like atmosphere of lawyers supporting his execution, versus those trying to save his life.  Into the stew are thrown the myriad press and media nabobs bumping into one another in order to get the rights to Gilmore's story and their fortunes. 

It is a long tale, written in a jounalistic style that I really love. It reminds me of Capote's In Cold Blood, but is much more complex. Being a long book (1050 pages), it's a great read for a long winter!