Hermes is Trump... Hermes is the second youngest of the Greek gods. Dionysos, god of wine and partying, is the youngest. Donald Trump is a teetotaler. Doesn't seem like a party animal. Not a Dionysian, Trump is Hermes.
Hermes is considered a god of transitions and boundaries. He is described as quick and cunning, moving freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine. "He is an emissary and messenger of the gods, an intercessor between mortals and the divine, and conductor of souls into the after-life."
Trump has become an intercessor between physical reality and electronic or virtual reality. He has turned facts and truth into a game. His wild ravings change direction constantly and twitter rantings create a universe of their own. He alone manages that electronic universe from atop his Trump Tower. He works with only a small phone in his hand, texting out unsettling versions of reality while the media, his followers, and his enemies, hang on every tweet. Trump is the master of rhetoric and crosser of boundaries.
"In some myths, Hermes is a trickster and outwits other gods for his own satisfaction or for the sake of humankind."
Trump has proven himself to be the master trickster, portraying himself as a patriot while paying no taxes, calls himself a friend to the little man, but steals money from the little man through gambling casinos, phony Trump University, etc.. Trump lacks real friends. He prefers not to have physical contact with other people, certainly not the hoi polloi, the common people. Watch how awkward his physical movements become when he stands in close proximity to anybody, other than his wife and children.
Hermes' attributes and symbols include the herms, the herms is a statue of just the head and genitals... Trump brags about his genitals... the rooster, Trump strives to be the rooster in the henhouse, the tortoise (Trump is a hard-skinned animal), satchel or pouch and Trump carries a money bag with his constant references to his wealth, winged sandals (Trump prefers wingtips, the shoes of the businessman), and winged cap. Trump wears a crazy wig of orange hair with wings flying off in every direction.
"Hermes has been viewed as the protector and patron of herdsmen, thieves, oratory and wit, literature and poetry, athletics and sports, invention and trade roads, boundaries and travelers."
Trump has a fondness for thieves and conmen-- a rogues gallery of characters like Rudy Guiliani and Chris Christie, the vainglorious David Petraeus, etc.. As for sports, Trump has been involved with boxing, at his failed casinos, and the United States Football League (USFL). Trump has an undeniable talent for oratory-- he used words to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes-- tripping up the likes of Jeb Bush... low energy.... Ted Cruz... Lying' Ted.... and Hillary Clinton... Crooked Hillary with his witty and effective use of language.
Hermes is called Mercury in the Roman pantheon. Have you seen the elusive movement of mercury, a substance neither solid nor liquid, shifting constantly, impossible to grab, dissipating and re-forming but always impossible to grasp. Trump is Mercury.
The Hymn to Hermes invokes him as the one "of many shifts (polytropos), blandly cunning, a robber, a cattle driver, a bringer of dreams, a watcher by night, a thief at the gates, one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds among the deathless gods."
Trump is the shape shifter supreme.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Roiling Electorate: is @realDonaldTrump all that real?
The Presidential election sends people into spasms of pain, or delight, depending on whether they fear Trump or embrace him. The powerful reaction of people has more mystery than the political issues. Nobody knows what to expect, Trump included, from a man who rode gambling casinos into bankruptcy. Gambling is an addiction! If you cannot succeed playing to people's addictions, wow, you've got a problem. That's like failing with a liquor store. Hardly ever happens.
I understand Trump turned his failed casinos into a profit-maker, for him, but that's another story. I have none of the information on how you turn failure into profit. You've got to be big-time player to pull off that kind of ruse. And now Trump is the biggest of all players!
Why does hucksterism work so well in the new media environment-- the electronic universe we all occupy in the present day. Trump mastered Twitter. Everybody constantly studies the phone in their hand. Marshall McLuhan warned us that the digital environment would be grafted directly to our brain and nervous system. Trump, give him credit, figured this out and circumvented Jeb Bush and his hundred millions of dollars. Trump did the same to Hillary. He went directly to the spinal chord of the people via their telephones.
Will Donald Trump use electronic communications to run the country? He spoke grandly of manufacturing and other dreams of restoring the past. That mechanical, industrial stuff is not the thing 21st century dreams are made of. Obama kept saying that the less fortunate needed to learn the digital skills that enable a worker to flourish as a present-day worker. That gets down to learning to program computers, or at least function in the digital environment, beyond the ability to study your phone. Trump promises factory jobs. That seems like sentimentality. But he sold it brilliantly.
The people hired a businessman, a guy with an aversion to paying taxes. He wants to punish the high tech moguls for keeping their billions offshore. Well, takes on to know one, as they say...
Celebrity Apprentice prepared Trump for his present mission. Only now he is the celebrity apprentice, trying to learn the job of President of the United States. Could be something of a challenge-- and not sure Twitter works as well when you're behind the wheel of the country. Not as easy to lob Twitter grenades when suddenly you find yourself as the establishment. And Trump is now the main guy, no longer the gadfly.
I understand Trump turned his failed casinos into a profit-maker, for him, but that's another story. I have none of the information on how you turn failure into profit. You've got to be big-time player to pull off that kind of ruse. And now Trump is the biggest of all players!
Why does hucksterism work so well in the new media environment-- the electronic universe we all occupy in the present day. Trump mastered Twitter. Everybody constantly studies the phone in their hand. Marshall McLuhan warned us that the digital environment would be grafted directly to our brain and nervous system. Trump, give him credit, figured this out and circumvented Jeb Bush and his hundred millions of dollars. Trump did the same to Hillary. He went directly to the spinal chord of the people via their telephones.
Will Donald Trump use electronic communications to run the country? He spoke grandly of manufacturing and other dreams of restoring the past. That mechanical, industrial stuff is not the thing 21st century dreams are made of. Obama kept saying that the less fortunate needed to learn the digital skills that enable a worker to flourish as a present-day worker. That gets down to learning to program computers, or at least function in the digital environment, beyond the ability to study your phone. Trump promises factory jobs. That seems like sentimentality. But he sold it brilliantly.
The people hired a businessman, a guy with an aversion to paying taxes. He wants to punish the high tech moguls for keeping their billions offshore. Well, takes on to know one, as they say...
Celebrity Apprentice prepared Trump for his present mission. Only now he is the celebrity apprentice, trying to learn the job of President of the United States. Could be something of a challenge-- and not sure Twitter works as well when you're behind the wheel of the country. Not as easy to lob Twitter grenades when suddenly you find yourself as the establishment. And Trump is now the main guy, no longer the gadfly.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Life is Shortz (New York Times)
NY Times crossword, Tues, Nov 2, 2016
Life is Shortz, no doubt
about it. Will Shortz shared some wisdom in his crossword puzzle on this day: amidst all the blockgame scenery,
fake and feint foolery, word and parry parody.
The clue—Down 23--What kindness and graceful aging reveal…
La respuesta, the answer … Inner beauty, sounds like the
supercilious, surefire meaning to existence
Will said it best and moved
on ahead most beautifiously to Down 24—Quibbles. And the answer to Quibbles? Nit…
And so goes life you move from inner beauty to nitpicking in a heartbeat, a
nanosecond a blink of the eye. Cause that’s how Will rolls… the man has cojones
like Yemens
Lemons, he’s no slave to space and time. Well, actually he’s pretty
particular about his spaces. And he likes his rhymes.
Way down upon the Swanee
River, far far away. In Ancient Central America, Juliet found her Romeo amidst
the Ebola, the Togoslogos and the Allosaurus. Or was that Al O’Saurus, the
Irishman from Pleistocene.
Rolling Stones lack it—. Moss. A
rolling stone gathers no moss, fools
us does Mr. Will Shortz the harlequin, and even adds a television reference, a “Wheel of Fortune” buy— an e.
You’re a funny guy Big Willie.
Bonnie and Clyde went on a
crime spree, he reminds, and Theseus slew the Minotaur on Crete. Don’t know if
Bonnie and Clyde made it to Peoria but I know they never hit Lesotho. But like
Sondheim said… It takes two. And that’s Across 59-- a duet. Just do it!
And Mr. Shortz does do it,
roaming down and across the cosmos like an Allosaurus from pre-history to Wheel of Fortune… across the map and all
over history, myth and legend. Across 61, To
be, in Toulouse, that’s c’est and with Will it’s either c’est la vie or not
to be—you just never know.
Just gotta see if it
fits.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Donald Trump: Most Redeeming Quality
Donald Trump has taken over the global electronic marketplace. He is on every screen, his name constantly uttered by media pundits, talking heads, friends, enemies, sycophants, and, most importantly, the man on the global street. Will all this attention get him elected? I think not. He is down in the polls and the subject of much criticism, especially of late, for his crude techniques for meeting women. Some describe the encounters as assaulting women. Like everything else Trump does, his methods for introducing himself is heavy-handed, self-absorbed, crass, blunt and direct. He moves forward until pushed back-- in business, in sex and on the campaign trail. It's often not a pretty picture.
In Hillary Clinton v. Donald Trump, Debate #2-- the town hall-style meeting, with citizens asking questions-- the final question was directed to both candidates. It went something like.... What is one trait you find admirable in your opponent?
Donald Trump answered the final question more successfully than Hillary Clinton. He described her tenacity, persistence and ability to keep moving forward under the most difficult circumstances. That compliment might be double-edged, implying Hillary is something of a plodder, going forward despite all the odds. But she does have the ability to fight with great intensity in the most grueling circumstances-- a key personality trait to achieving the lofty goals she has set for herself.
Hillary struggled to find a single positive thing about Donald. She settled on saying she admired his family. Trump's family is not really a personality trait. Having a good family reflects well on one's character and priorities. But it's almost the equivalent of saying you admire their car or their house. She was reducing her commitment to finding a specific trait she found admirable in Donald Trump and offering faint praise by shifting the subject to his children. Her daughter Chelsea Clinton is friends with Ivana Trump, Donald's daughter.
Though I'm a lifelong Democrat and self-declared liberal, I will find a trait in Donald Trump that is admirable-- and something we could all benefit from-- he does not sweat the small stuff.
I can hear the roars of anger rising from the throats of Trump haters. He doesn't fret over anything, including the prospect of pushing a button to start a nuclear war. Okay, that's a flaw. But most impressive to me is the way he has moved through life without a fear of committing a faux pas.
Most of us cower at the thought of offending any single person, never mind an entire ethnic group or President of the United States. And he knew the birther claim about Barack Obama was a flat-out lie. But, by contrast, the vast majority of people are light years away from the Donald Trump approach to life. We tiptoe through our lives, jumping away nervously if a butterfly alights on our shoulder.
So, the Trump trait I admire is a willingness to not Be-Perfect. The fruitless attempt to Be-Perfect is a neurotic drive in most of us. We limit our embrace of life, or should I say... I have limited my embrace of life and all of its challenges-- by a huge timidity. Most of us, or maybe it's just me... get intimidated by the thought of not doing something perfectly well.
Trump cannot apologize under any circumstances-- but most of us fail at the other extreme-- we do not take life on with the vigor it deserves and miss out on many experiences as a result.
I was hesitant to write this piece-- knowing that the Trump name and behavior sparks a firestorm of reaction. But I decided to throw Be-Perfect to the winds and plunge ahead. For once!
In Hillary Clinton v. Donald Trump, Debate #2-- the town hall-style meeting, with citizens asking questions-- the final question was directed to both candidates. It went something like.... What is one trait you find admirable in your opponent?
Donald Trump answered the final question more successfully than Hillary Clinton. He described her tenacity, persistence and ability to keep moving forward under the most difficult circumstances. That compliment might be double-edged, implying Hillary is something of a plodder, going forward despite all the odds. But she does have the ability to fight with great intensity in the most grueling circumstances-- a key personality trait to achieving the lofty goals she has set for herself.
Hillary struggled to find a single positive thing about Donald. She settled on saying she admired his family. Trump's family is not really a personality trait. Having a good family reflects well on one's character and priorities. But it's almost the equivalent of saying you admire their car or their house. She was reducing her commitment to finding a specific trait she found admirable in Donald Trump and offering faint praise by shifting the subject to his children. Her daughter Chelsea Clinton is friends with Ivana Trump, Donald's daughter.
Though I'm a lifelong Democrat and self-declared liberal, I will find a trait in Donald Trump that is admirable-- and something we could all benefit from-- he does not sweat the small stuff.
I can hear the roars of anger rising from the throats of Trump haters. He doesn't fret over anything, including the prospect of pushing a button to start a nuclear war. Okay, that's a flaw. But most impressive to me is the way he has moved through life without a fear of committing a faux pas.
Most of us cower at the thought of offending any single person, never mind an entire ethnic group or President of the United States. And he knew the birther claim about Barack Obama was a flat-out lie. But, by contrast, the vast majority of people are light years away from the Donald Trump approach to life. We tiptoe through our lives, jumping away nervously if a butterfly alights on our shoulder.
So, the Trump trait I admire is a willingness to not Be-Perfect. The fruitless attempt to Be-Perfect is a neurotic drive in most of us. We limit our embrace of life, or should I say... I have limited my embrace of life and all of its challenges-- by a huge timidity. Most of us, or maybe it's just me... get intimidated by the thought of not doing something perfectly well.
Trump cannot apologize under any circumstances-- but most of us fail at the other extreme-- we do not take life on with the vigor it deserves and miss out on many experiences as a result.
I was hesitant to write this piece-- knowing that the Trump name and behavior sparks a firestorm of reaction. But I decided to throw Be-Perfect to the winds and plunge ahead. For once!
Monday, September 26, 2016
Debate Tickets: getting a front row seat
The Clinton-Trump debate starts in a few hours. Two New Yorkers go at it. Donald Trump, a native born New Yorker, moved from Queens to Manhattan as soon as he could get there. Hillary, a naturalized New Yorker, born in the Midwest, moved to New York as soon as she could get out of Arkansas. Both want to move to Washington, D.C.. To the Oval Office baby!
The debate, 1 1/2 hours of must see-TV, might include more than the usual dose of mudslinging, innuendo, gossip, and insults. Certain pressure points exist-- Hillary's health and Donald's demeanor. And this is where the psy-ops, psychological operations, come in. The Psy-Ops, psychological operations warfare, even concern the seating plan for the front row of the debate.
Hillary has saved a seat for Mark Cuban, just to rattle the opponent. Cuban, a feisty billionaire, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, star of Shark Tank, a fondness for the glare of the spotlight is actually a recent arrival to Hillary Camp. He even considered signing up for Trump's vice presidential candidate. But that was months ago. And months ago feels like aeons in Infotainment World, our present home.
Trump countered strongly with suggestions he would bring in Gennifer Flowers, Bill Clinton's mistress for a dozen years.
This tactic recalls Godfather II-- where Frankie Pantangeli is about to testify in front of a Washington grand jury and name names. The Corleone family places an old school mafioso from Sicily in the back of the hearing room and Frankie quickly reverts to "I don't know nothing." Frankie later takes his own life, the honorable route, rather than rat out his brothers. Clinton and Trump don't strike me as the fall on your sword type of individuals.
Cuban likes to be in the national discussion, whether baiting the refs at his team's NBA games or starring on a reality TV competition show. Who does that remind you of?
Gennifer spells her name with a "G"-- and is called a showgirl. Gennifer Flowers, we learn, has not actually been invited by Trump. Trump may see a downside to going too far with the adultery card. So she may not even be there. Too bad.
Ironically, the studio audience at Hofstra will be completely out of view. The audience is literally in the dark. Trump may not be able to see Cuban, unless Cuban charges the stage a la Kanye West.
The whole front row seating thing reminds me of the motley assemblage of celebrities reminds me of the Beatles high moment, and their memorable cover for the Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. I always liked the image of Sonny Liston. Where's Sonny when you need him?
The only image that matters will be the body language of the contestants, er, the candidates. If we've learned anything it is that how you comport yourself and how you feel on stage with 80-100 million watching is what really matters. The camera is an X-ray machine and the audience sees the candidates to the core of their being. That clarity seals the deal.
The debate, 1 1/2 hours of must see-TV, might include more than the usual dose of mudslinging, innuendo, gossip, and insults. Certain pressure points exist-- Hillary's health and Donald's demeanor. And this is where the psy-ops, psychological operations, come in. The Psy-Ops, psychological operations warfare, even concern the seating plan for the front row of the debate.
Hillary has saved a seat for Mark Cuban, just to rattle the opponent. Cuban, a feisty billionaire, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, star of Shark Tank, a fondness for the glare of the spotlight is actually a recent arrival to Hillary Camp. He even considered signing up for Trump's vice presidential candidate. But that was months ago. And months ago feels like aeons in Infotainment World, our present home.
Trump countered strongly with suggestions he would bring in Gennifer Flowers, Bill Clinton's mistress for a dozen years.
This tactic recalls Godfather II-- where Frankie Pantangeli is about to testify in front of a Washington grand jury and name names. The Corleone family places an old school mafioso from Sicily in the back of the hearing room and Frankie quickly reverts to "I don't know nothing." Frankie later takes his own life, the honorable route, rather than rat out his brothers. Clinton and Trump don't strike me as the fall on your sword type of individuals.
Cuban likes to be in the national discussion, whether baiting the refs at his team's NBA games or starring on a reality TV competition show. Who does that remind you of?
Gennifer spells her name with a "G"-- and is called a showgirl. Gennifer Flowers, we learn, has not actually been invited by Trump. Trump may see a downside to going too far with the adultery card. So she may not even be there. Too bad.
The whole front row seating thing reminds me of the motley assemblage of celebrities reminds me of the Beatles high moment, and their memorable cover for the Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. I always liked the image of Sonny Liston. Where's Sonny when you need him?
The only image that matters will be the body language of the contestants, er, the candidates. If we've learned anything it is that how you comport yourself and how you feel on stage with 80-100 million watching is what really matters. The camera is an X-ray machine and the audience sees the candidates to the core of their being. That clarity seals the deal.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Top 5 Donald Trump stand-ins (for Debate Practice)
Hillary Clinton searches for a good Donald Trump stand-in as she prepares for the debate. Some top candidates could be...
1) Zach Galifianakis-- a true surrealist, with an unbridled id, like Trump. Hillary appeared on his cable show "Between Two Ferns" and appeared pretty flummoxed by Zach's line of questioning. Maybe they should work together some more.
2) Alec Baldwin-- narcissistic like Trump and self-important. Baldwin, from Long Island, understands the New York attitude.
3) Mark Cuban-- Alec Baldwin with more money. Trump is sensitive to Cuban's accusations that the Trump is not a real billionaire.
4) Stephen Colbert-- Colbert has the right-wing persona down pat. He stared down Bill O'Reilly and never flinched. Apparently, Stephen Colbert unearthed the actually role-player, a Hillary aide named Philippe Reines, (see below)
5) Chris Rock-- not sure why, but Rock might get Hillary to smile and she needs to do that. He could prod Hillary on the subject of racism and Hillary could use that same technique on the Donald.
Ah, what the hell-- let's take a reach and add #6.
6) Nancy Grace (in drag)-- Nancy is no-holds barred, no slave to objectivity. She could just move her healthy head of hair around to capture the Trump orange-hued chignon.
"Philippe Reines, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton and one of the most astute observers of her personal and political vulnerabilities, is playing Donald J. Trump in her mock debate sessions, according to people familiar with Mr. Reines’s involvement." (New York Times, Sept. 23)
Reines may be an expert on Hillary's vulnerabilities but already he sounds way too smart and bookish. He's been on Hillary's payroll. Employees defer to their bosses, understandably, and hopefully this does not inhibit Reines during their mock debates.
Trump claims not to be preparing-- but who would he pick as a stand-in for Hillary Clinton? She's a bit schoolmarmish, maybe more like the school principal. He could look to Melissa McCarthy, actually she's got the id for a Trump stand-in. Elizabeth Warren has potential but wouldn't take the job. Rosie O'Donnell? Fuhgedaboutit...
1) Zach Galifianakis-- a true surrealist, with an unbridled id, like Trump. Hillary appeared on his cable show "Between Two Ferns" and appeared pretty flummoxed by Zach's line of questioning. Maybe they should work together some more.
2) Alec Baldwin-- narcissistic like Trump and self-important. Baldwin, from Long Island, understands the New York attitude.
3) Mark Cuban-- Alec Baldwin with more money. Trump is sensitive to Cuban's accusations that the Trump is not a real billionaire.
4) Stephen Colbert-- Colbert has the right-wing persona down pat. He stared down Bill O'Reilly and never flinched. Apparently, Stephen Colbert unearthed the actually role-player, a Hillary aide named Philippe Reines, (see below)
5) Chris Rock-- not sure why, but Rock might get Hillary to smile and she needs to do that. He could prod Hillary on the subject of racism and Hillary could use that same technique on the Donald.
Ah, what the hell-- let's take a reach and add #6.
6) Nancy Grace (in drag)-- Nancy is no-holds barred, no slave to objectivity. She could just move her healthy head of hair around to capture the Trump orange-hued chignon.
"Philippe Reines, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton and one of the most astute observers of her personal and political vulnerabilities, is playing Donald J. Trump in her mock debate sessions, according to people familiar with Mr. Reines’s involvement." (New York Times, Sept. 23)
Reines may be an expert on Hillary's vulnerabilities but already he sounds way too smart and bookish. He's been on Hillary's payroll. Employees defer to their bosses, understandably, and hopefully this does not inhibit Reines during their mock debates.
Trump claims not to be preparing-- but who would he pick as a stand-in for Hillary Clinton? She's a bit schoolmarmish, maybe more like the school principal. He could look to Melissa McCarthy, actually she's got the id for a Trump stand-in. Elizabeth Warren has potential but wouldn't take the job. Rosie O'Donnell? Fuhgedaboutit...
Friday, September 9, 2016
Climate Change Initiatives-- building an Ark in the 21st Century
Dear Friend,
Thanks for the link to New York Magazine article on rising waters. I like the insights about people's resistance to imagining the unpleasant. I've noticed how much we deny the obvious in these matters.
I mentioned to you that FEMA gave home owners on Long Island with waterfront property lots of money to lift their houses after the destruction caused by Super Storm Sandy. Some homeowners raised their homes to weird heights-- and then found some difficulty in reselling their houses. I'm sure it was a boon to the construction industry to fix up and build new houses along the shoreline and on the canals.
And in Manhattan I notice that the apartment on West End Ave is in close proximity to the Hudson River on the west. The east-west thoroughfare, West 79th St, takes a big rise as the land moves from Riverside Park up into central Manhattan. So I guess Riverside Park would be underwater before West End Ave. Maybe we would have riverfront property-- though our apartment faces away from the river.
I've never really been able to get my head around the rise in ocean levels. I'm a big believer in the validity of most climate change warnings. I guess water level rise is something we can actually do something about-- move further inland.
The stuff that I wonder most about it are the changes in rainfall, temperature etc. that I experience more directly. Just watched a video clip on NY Times website, an interview of Obama. He points out that Chinese leaders were most motivated to cooperate on Climate Change Initiatives-- due to their concerns about the political stability of their nation. If it gets much harder to breath in Beijing you could have a riot on your hands-- or something along those lines is how I pictured it. Maybe I'm way off base-- and their afraid of food riots or something else?
Thanks for sending the New York Magazine article-- better to discuss it than put our heads back in the sand.
Thanks,
John
Thanks for the link to New York Magazine article on rising waters. I like the insights about people's resistance to imagining the unpleasant. I've noticed how much we deny the obvious in these matters.
I mentioned to you that FEMA gave home owners on Long Island with waterfront property lots of money to lift their houses after the destruction caused by Super Storm Sandy. Some homeowners raised their homes to weird heights-- and then found some difficulty in reselling their houses. I'm sure it was a boon to the construction industry to fix up and build new houses along the shoreline and on the canals.
And in Manhattan I notice that the apartment on West End Ave is in close proximity to the Hudson River on the west. The east-west thoroughfare, West 79th St, takes a big rise as the land moves from Riverside Park up into central Manhattan. So I guess Riverside Park would be underwater before West End Ave. Maybe we would have riverfront property-- though our apartment faces away from the river.
I've never really been able to get my head around the rise in ocean levels. I'm a big believer in the validity of most climate change warnings. I guess water level rise is something we can actually do something about-- move further inland.
The stuff that I wonder most about it are the changes in rainfall, temperature etc. that I experience more directly. Just watched a video clip on NY Times website, an interview of Obama. He points out that Chinese leaders were most motivated to cooperate on Climate Change Initiatives-- due to their concerns about the political stability of their nation. If it gets much harder to breath in Beijing you could have a riot on your hands-- or something along those lines is how I pictured it. Maybe I'm way off base-- and their afraid of food riots or something else?
Thanks for sending the New York Magazine article-- better to discuss it than put our heads back in the sand.
Thanks,
John
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Texas Football Fervor and the Pigskin Shrine
A friend of mine taught me some of the fundamentals of American football, the kind with tackling and blocking. American football is played with an oblong ball made of pigskin. The game was designed for cool weather, a fall or autumn sport. Texas has almost no fall or autumn weather and games are often played in 90-100 degree heat, especially in the first half of the season from Sept-Oct.
Most mysterious is the cult-like fascination with the sport. People in Texas or should I say... many Texans love the game. And Americans from coast-to-coast love the game.
Interestingly, football is such a violent game most people prefer watching the game, talking about the game, analyzing the game, its players and coaches and strategies, far more than they like playing the game. Football, most would agree, hurts to play. Playing and getting hurt or injured are not two activities we usually place side-by-side. Injury reports are a big part of football. They talk about players recovering or "getting healthy" but these are young men in their physical prime. They were already "healthy" until they played in a football game. They don't miss games because of illness-- a cold, flu, or pneumonia. They miss games because of orthopedic injury-- serious blows to the head, limbs, knees, neck, shoulders, etc. etc. So why do people love the game so much?
Perhaps there is the primitive appeal of big, strong man running into each other with unbelievable force? That is probably an over-simplification. The intellectual side of football is significant. Coaches, like good CEOs, must assemble a large number of players, at least 22 athletes getting starting roles in the game-- and many more than that when you add special teams players-- like kickers, receivers, etc.. The coaches use complicated plays to add to their teams effectiveness. The game has moved to a lightning pace-- and teams communicate plays from the sidelines in a matter of seconds. The slower team is often the losing team.
Marshall McLuhan, my favorite media philosopher, correctly predicted football would supersede baseball as the national pastime. McLuhan recognized that football had multiple activities occurring simultaneously-- and all of them could be nicely sorted out by the television cameras. The plays are slowed down and analyzed during instant replays. The replay for the national viewing audience involves the audience in the game for a great, in-depth experience. Baseball, McLuhan said, was too linear-- the game moves forward only based on the batter hitting the ball and does not reflect the all-at-onceness of modern communications.
Do we love football for its multi-tasking intensity? For its photogenic nature on the moving images of the TV screen? Those going to the stadium celebrate with tailgating-- cooking big slabs of meat, like ancient tribesmen celebrating the kill of an animal by the tribe's hunters. The sweet smells of cooked meat waft from the parking lots and open areas as you approach the stadium. You cannot help but feel the primal appeal. The crowd's emotions surge forward and rise from the stadium-- a roar of excitement like nothing you've ever heard before. And it all happens in the fall days, the summer harvest has passed, the crops collected, and celebration is in order.
Most mysterious is the cult-like fascination with the sport. People in Texas or should I say... many Texans love the game. And Americans from coast-to-coast love the game.
Interestingly, football is such a violent game most people prefer watching the game, talking about the game, analyzing the game, its players and coaches and strategies, far more than they like playing the game. Football, most would agree, hurts to play. Playing and getting hurt or injured are not two activities we usually place side-by-side. Injury reports are a big part of football. They talk about players recovering or "getting healthy" but these are young men in their physical prime. They were already "healthy" until they played in a football game. They don't miss games because of illness-- a cold, flu, or pneumonia. They miss games because of orthopedic injury-- serious blows to the head, limbs, knees, neck, shoulders, etc. etc. So why do people love the game so much?
Perhaps there is the primitive appeal of big, strong man running into each other with unbelievable force? That is probably an over-simplification. The intellectual side of football is significant. Coaches, like good CEOs, must assemble a large number of players, at least 22 athletes getting starting roles in the game-- and many more than that when you add special teams players-- like kickers, receivers, etc.. The coaches use complicated plays to add to their teams effectiveness. The game has moved to a lightning pace-- and teams communicate plays from the sidelines in a matter of seconds. The slower team is often the losing team.
Marshall McLuhan, my favorite media philosopher, correctly predicted football would supersede baseball as the national pastime. McLuhan recognized that football had multiple activities occurring simultaneously-- and all of them could be nicely sorted out by the television cameras. The plays are slowed down and analyzed during instant replays. The replay for the national viewing audience involves the audience in the game for a great, in-depth experience. Baseball, McLuhan said, was too linear-- the game moves forward only based on the batter hitting the ball and does not reflect the all-at-onceness of modern communications.
Do we love football for its multi-tasking intensity? For its photogenic nature on the moving images of the TV screen? Those going to the stadium celebrate with tailgating-- cooking big slabs of meat, like ancient tribesmen celebrating the kill of an animal by the tribe's hunters. The sweet smells of cooked meat waft from the parking lots and open areas as you approach the stadium. You cannot help but feel the primal appeal. The crowd's emotions surge forward and rise from the stadium-- a roar of excitement like nothing you've ever heard before. And it all happens in the fall days, the summer harvest has passed, the crops collected, and celebration is in order.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Wayne Dyer and and the Sunny Side of the Street
"Pollyanna is a best-selling 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that is now considered a classic of children's literature, with the title character's name becoming a popular term for someone with the same very optimistic outlook." A Pollyanna is "characterised by irrepressible optimism evident in the face of even the most adverse or discouraging of circumstances. It is sometimes used pejoratively, referring to someone whose optimism is excessive to the point of naïveté."
(Took these quotes from Wikipedia.)
My father described me as a Pollyanna when I was a kid. I admit he had me pegged correctly.I have the personality traits of a Pollyanna especially in group situations where I can easily become a cheerleader for the success of others. When it comes to my own pursuits, I can get lost in depression, sink down, lose focus and give up the struggle.
Wayne Dyer, the self-help guru, had Pollyanna-style personality traits. I listened to one of Dyer's video presentations and he described his experiences growing up in an orphanage. He was the kid that helped the other children deal with the challenges of being in an orphanage. He welcomed the new arrivals to the orphanage, assuring the new kids it was a great place to be.
Dyer passed away in 2015, at 75 years of age. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009. His health issues suggest the Pollyanna personality may conceal a great sadness beneath the cheerful veneer. Did Wayne Dyer cover his pain with an elaborate system of defenses?
Wayne Dyer used a Pollyanna-like optimism to deal with a very difficult set of circumstances early in life. He generously contributed to the happiness of others with his ideas and insights-- always eager to assist the newbies. We can only imagine what darkness he wrestled with in his youth as he struggled to stay on the sunny side of the street.
On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(Louis Armstrong recorded the song in 1933)
Grab your hat and get your coat
Leave your worries on the doorstep
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street
(Took these quotes from Wikipedia.)
My father described me as a Pollyanna when I was a kid. I admit he had me pegged correctly.I have the personality traits of a Pollyanna especially in group situations where I can easily become a cheerleader for the success of others. When it comes to my own pursuits, I can get lost in depression, sink down, lose focus and give up the struggle.
Wayne Dyer, the self-help guru, had Pollyanna-style personality traits. I listened to one of Dyer's video presentations and he described his experiences growing up in an orphanage. He was the kid that helped the other children deal with the challenges of being in an orphanage. He welcomed the new arrivals to the orphanage, assuring the new kids it was a great place to be.
Dyer passed away in 2015, at 75 years of age. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009. His health issues suggest the Pollyanna personality may conceal a great sadness beneath the cheerful veneer. Did Wayne Dyer cover his pain with an elaborate system of defenses?
Wayne Dyer used a Pollyanna-like optimism to deal with a very difficult set of circumstances early in life. He generously contributed to the happiness of others with his ideas and insights-- always eager to assist the newbies. We can only imagine what darkness he wrestled with in his youth as he struggled to stay on the sunny side of the street.
On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(Louis Armstrong recorded the song in 1933)
Grab your hat and get your coat
Leave your worries on the doorstep
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
LeBron James: America's Bravest Politician
LeBron James, 31 years old, a 6 ft 8 in basketball superstar for the Cleveland Cavaliers, may just be the bravest politician on the American landscape.
LeBron James began his career as a Cleveland Cavalier but departed the team with the goal of increasing his chances of winning a NBA championship. He famously conspired with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to sign with the Miami Heat. LeBron James, Wade and Bosh won several NBA titles (2011-2013) with the Miami Heat but the success never completely silenced the critics.
LeBron James then made a gutsy, selfless decision-- he would return to Cleveland with the goal to win a NBA championship for a city that had not seen a championship since the Cleveland Browns won the NFL championship in 1964. Seems like James wanted to bring a measure of joy and pride back to his home state of Ohio!
LeBron paid a price for his quixotic goal. The pressure he felt surfaced when tears rolled down his face a few nights ago, the 7th game won and the championship earned.
How many politicians have put their career on the line to achieve such an daring goal-- one with stakes so high and chances for success so unlikely? Don't underestimate the odds against success. Just a few weeks ago... the Golden State Warriors seemed to be a dynasty, a juggernaut of superstar players. The Warriors had just completed a record-breaking season of 73 wins.
LeBron James made an audacious choice when be bet on himself and the city of Cleveland. Those of us of a certain age.... recall quarterback Joe Willie Namath's guarantee of a Super Bowl victory for the New York Jets of the upstart American Football League. LeBron never guaranteed a NBA title-- because such a guarantee would have been shaky at best. His achievement surpasses Namath and the Jets-- bringing to an underdog city, not just an underdog team.
Here's to King James or maybe President James or Senator James... a political leader in an era when sports/entertainment/politics all blend to a single entity. A politician is supposed to represent and support a geo-political entity-- like the state of Ohio. LeBron James raised the morale of a city and entire state. Sure he achieved his goal by using basketball talent and willpower but he achieved something akin to a political victory for his constituents.
Kanye West, a music talent, joked about a plan on running for president-- but when did Kanye do something for somebody else? LeBron James should be the one to consider politics as his Plan B career.
LeBron James began his career as a Cleveland Cavalier but departed the team with the goal of increasing his chances of winning a NBA championship. He famously conspired with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to sign with the Miami Heat. LeBron James, Wade and Bosh won several NBA titles (2011-2013) with the Miami Heat but the success never completely silenced the critics.
LeBron James then made a gutsy, selfless decision-- he would return to Cleveland with the goal to win a NBA championship for a city that had not seen a championship since the Cleveland Browns won the NFL championship in 1964. Seems like James wanted to bring a measure of joy and pride back to his home state of Ohio!
LeBron paid a price for his quixotic goal. The pressure he felt surfaced when tears rolled down his face a few nights ago, the 7th game won and the championship earned.
How many politicians have put their career on the line to achieve such an daring goal-- one with stakes so high and chances for success so unlikely? Don't underestimate the odds against success. Just a few weeks ago... the Golden State Warriors seemed to be a dynasty, a juggernaut of superstar players. The Warriors had just completed a record-breaking season of 73 wins.
LeBron James made an audacious choice when be bet on himself and the city of Cleveland. Those of us of a certain age.... recall quarterback Joe Willie Namath's guarantee of a Super Bowl victory for the New York Jets of the upstart American Football League. LeBron never guaranteed a NBA title-- because such a guarantee would have been shaky at best. His achievement surpasses Namath and the Jets-- bringing to an underdog city, not just an underdog team.
Here's to King James or maybe President James or Senator James... a political leader in an era when sports/entertainment/politics all blend to a single entity. A politician is supposed to represent and support a geo-political entity-- like the state of Ohio. LeBron James raised the morale of a city and entire state. Sure he achieved his goal by using basketball talent and willpower but he achieved something akin to a political victory for his constituents.
Kanye West, a music talent, joked about a plan on running for president-- but when did Kanye do something for somebody else? LeBron James should be the one to consider politics as his Plan B career.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Janis Joplin and "Me and Bobby McGee"
We just watched a Netflix doc on Janis Joplin called Janis: Little Girl Blue. She was a Port Arthur resident. My wife went to high school with Janis's younger brother Mike and they were exactly 10 years younger than Janis. She died in 1970, soon after attending her 10th high school reunion in Port Arthur.
The film actually had interview footage of Janis Joplin at her 10th high school Reunion. That footage made me a bit sad. She seemed to struggle to get her ideas out, like she still felt shy even though she had fame that extended around the world. Kind of like she returned to the scene of the crime, her high school experiences, and really could not shake the feeling.
Interesting too that Paul Rothschild the producer who did "Me and Bobby McGee" with her had insights into her singing ability. He thought Janis had immense talent that maybe even she did not fully understand. I got the sense she could sing with phenomenal skill-- but the emotions were so strong they concealed her singing ability. Rothschild succeeded in opening her performance up with Bobby McGee-- and in that song there are more nuances of emotion than in her previous work. Apparently she was thrilled with the results.
The film actually had interview footage of Janis Joplin at her 10th high school Reunion. That footage made me a bit sad. She seemed to struggle to get her ideas out, like she still felt shy even though she had fame that extended around the world. Kind of like she returned to the scene of the crime, her high school experiences, and really could not shake the feeling.
Interesting too that Paul Rothschild the producer who did "Me and Bobby McGee" with her had insights into her singing ability. He thought Janis had immense talent that maybe even she did not fully understand. I got the sense she could sing with phenomenal skill-- but the emotions were so strong they concealed her singing ability. Rothschild succeeded in opening her performance up with Bobby McGee-- and in that song there are more nuances of emotion than in her previous work. Apparently she was thrilled with the results.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Summer Nights in Queens, New York (1959)
My parents told me we were moving to a "middle class housing project" in Queens. I guess they were right. The Arverne Houses, a series of 6-story red brick buildings, stood between the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay. The jets out of Idlewild Airport, later to be named JFK, flew overhead with great frequency. The noise didn't bother me. Actually it felt like freedom and power. Our family left crowded Manhattan for Far Rockaway and began a new life in these wide open spaces. The smell of sea air lingered all around.
On summer nights the kids would all gather around a grassy area, demarcated by chain link fences. Our building, 353 Beach 54th St., loomed nearby. My parent could summon me by shouting from the window of apartment 3E. The windows had steel frames. The utilitarian apartment buildings were built to last and they continue to last to the present day.
The kids, almost 90% Jewish, along with a few Catholic families and a sprinkling of African-American kids, found summer nights a good time for staging mock track meets. We had the animal strength of youth. We would circle that grassy patch, an asymmetrical oval, running and competing for stamina more than speed. Who could make the circle 10 times? 20 times? 30 times? We would walk the tops of the chain link fences like tightrope walkers, just to burn off energy and impress each other.
Ten years old and the pre-pubescent hormones had started to kick in. Who was out to impress? Myra, maybe Myrna or maybe Tina, all crushes from my sixth grade class. My best friends were three Jewish kids, Ira, the son of a bartender, and Larry, an Orthodox kid, and Joey, whose father had a tattoo signifying his survival of the concentration camps in Germany. The memory lingers, burned into my consciousness, a sold pillar of youth. Finally we would retreat back to our apartments. This was our America, red bricks, egalitarian, full of crazy kids games like Ringolevio and Johnny-On-The-Pony. One big kid named Eisenberg could not be brought down in Ringolevio-- maybe a future fullback for Far Rockaway High School?
We broke into teams for Johnny-On-The-Pony and the pony was a fire hydrant. The goal, pile as many teammates as possible on top of each other with the fire hydrant as a center of gravity to support all of us.
Feels like a Jack Kerouac vision before I knew about On The Road or had much of an inkling of west of the Mississippi. The innocence of youth, a Fifties America. I loved everything-- Mickey Mantle, the United Nations and the Disney TV show on Sunday nights. My frontier land stood just outside the apartment building.
On summer nights the kids would all gather around a grassy area, demarcated by chain link fences. Our building, 353 Beach 54th St., loomed nearby. My parent could summon me by shouting from the window of apartment 3E. The windows had steel frames. The utilitarian apartment buildings were built to last and they continue to last to the present day.
The kids, almost 90% Jewish, along with a few Catholic families and a sprinkling of African-American kids, found summer nights a good time for staging mock track meets. We had the animal strength of youth. We would circle that grassy patch, an asymmetrical oval, running and competing for stamina more than speed. Who could make the circle 10 times? 20 times? 30 times? We would walk the tops of the chain link fences like tightrope walkers, just to burn off energy and impress each other.
Ten years old and the pre-pubescent hormones had started to kick in. Who was out to impress? Myra, maybe Myrna or maybe Tina, all crushes from my sixth grade class. My best friends were three Jewish kids, Ira, the son of a bartender, and Larry, an Orthodox kid, and Joey, whose father had a tattoo signifying his survival of the concentration camps in Germany. The memory lingers, burned into my consciousness, a sold pillar of youth. Finally we would retreat back to our apartments. This was our America, red bricks, egalitarian, full of crazy kids games like Ringolevio and Johnny-On-The-Pony. One big kid named Eisenberg could not be brought down in Ringolevio-- maybe a future fullback for Far Rockaway High School?
We broke into teams for Johnny-On-The-Pony and the pony was a fire hydrant. The goal, pile as many teammates as possible on top of each other with the fire hydrant as a center of gravity to support all of us.
Feels like a Jack Kerouac vision before I knew about On The Road or had much of an inkling of west of the Mississippi. The innocence of youth, a Fifties America. I loved everything-- Mickey Mantle, the United Nations and the Disney TV show on Sunday nights. My frontier land stood just outside the apartment building.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Millennials Gotta Be Different -- Popular Girl and Boy Names
Are you a Millennial? Your parents tried to show some creativity in picking your name. The Baby Boomers had a limited group of names, making things seem bland. All of my classmates seemed to be John, Michael, Linda, or Kathy. Thing have changed. Nowadays... everybody wants their child to have a unique name!
The data below comes from the Social Security Administration and only applies to USA. The most common names are listed (top 21)-- along with the number of children receiving that name throughout the 2010s decade. Here it is:
2010s Girl Names
The data below comes from the Social Security Administration and only applies to USA. The most common names are listed (top 21)-- along with the number of children receiving that name throughout the 2010s decade. Here it is:
2010s Girl Names
|
Saturday, May 28, 2016
The Fifties-- Top 21 most common names
Are you a baby boomer? The good old Fifties... a time when everybody wanted to be normal. The beatniks had not really taken hold. People were thrilled to have survived World War II. They chose names from a limited spectrum of choices. This data comes from the Social Security Administration. The most common names are listed (top 21)-- along with the number of children receiving that name throughout the 1950s decade. Here it is:
Boys:
| Boy Name | ||
| 1 | James | 843,377 |
| 2 | Michael | 837,084 |
| 3 | Robert | 830,032 |
| 4 | John | 797,528 |
| 5 | David | 769,555 |
| 6 | William | 590,973 |
| 7 | Richard | 535,149 |
| 8 | Thomas | 454,169 |
| 9 | Mark | 382,419 |
| 10 | Charles | 360,979 |
| 11 | Steven | 333,513 |
| 12 | Gary | 329,751 |
| 13 | Joseph | 299,854 |
| 14 | Donald | 273,413 |
| 15 | Ronald | 271,011 |
| 16 | Kenneth | 262,683 |
| 17 | Paul | 253,081 |
| 18 | Larry | 245,535 |
| 19 | Daniel | 243,591 |
| 20 | Stephen | 207,171 |
| 21 | Dennis | 204,131 |
Girls:
| Girl Name | ||
| 1 | Mary | 625,532 |
| 2 | Linda | 564,261 |
| 3 | Patricia | 459,587 |
| 4 | Susan | 437,688 |
| 5 | Deborah | 430,493 |
| 6 | Barbara | 345,686 |
| 7 | Debra | 341,282 |
| 8 | Karen | 332,483 |
| 9 | Nancy | 286,757 |
| 10 | Donna | 270,310 |
| 11 | Cynthia | 263,388 |
| 12 | Sandra | 251,533 |
| 13 | Pamela | 237,367 |
| 14 | Sharon | 232,782 |
| 15 | Kathleen | 224,300 |
| 16 | Carol | 222,620 |
| 17 | Diane | 210,605 |
| 18 | Brenda | 209,226 |
| 19 | Cheryl | 171,355 |
| 20 | Janet | 167,500 |
| 21 | Elizabeth | 165,641 |
Nowadays, for the Millennial generation it's different. Everybody wants their child to have a unique name! My next post will show the most common names from the 2000s decade.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Understanding Trump-- A Struggle for Images
An election is a period of programmed violence,
because it is a quest for new images of national identity. The present election
is a “tragic” one, because the American sense of identity has been in jeopardy
from new technology for some time. Every new technology creates a new sensory
environment that rearranges the images we make of ourselves. To discover and to
elect representatives in a period of deep personal uncertainty is to be
involved in a struggle for images, not a struggle for goals.
Anyone who looks as if he wants to be
elected had best stay off TV. TV demands sophistication—that is, multi-level
perception. It is a depth medium, an X-ray form that penetrates the viewer.
But, in a deep sense, TV bypasses the ballot box as
a means of creating political “representatives.” TV is not concerned with views
or interests or issues. It is a maker and finder of images that ride over all
points of view and over all age-groups as well. The TV image ends all national
and party politics.
Why should TV demand sophistication and
insouciance? Simply because it is a depth medium for which earnestness is
fatal. Depth requires perception on many levels and, therefore, an absence of
single purpose or direction. An all-at-once world, fashioned by electric
information, demands a candidate full of puns and unexpected nuances. Such a
man is one who knows so much about the contemporary interface of all cultures
that he cannot possibly be deluded into any earnest regard for any one of them.
The new changes are not moral but technological.
(Marshall McLuhan, 1968)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)