i can hear everyone saying 'who? who?' i'm only familiar with mamet 'cause of fifty years actively involved in theater. he's worshipped in drama classes for his 'true sounding, natural dialogue' and a play about two petty thieves, 'glengarry glenn ross.' frankly, i wouldn't consent to giving him the notoriety of the man voted the most evil in america i don't know how many times, if it didn't involve something larger, the trashing of a vague outline called the liberal. mamet's recent book, 'the secret knowledge', in this glowing present day tradition.
i must confess, i simply don't know what this word liberal means. according to webster:
1.
broad-minded: tolerant of different views and standards of behavior in others
2.
progressive politically or socially: favoring gradual reform, especially political reforms that extend democracy, distribute wealth more evenly, and protect the personal freedom of the individual
3.
generous: freely giving money, time, or some other asset
"My great-aunt was liberal in her bequests."
4.
generous in quantity: large in size or amount
"a liberal helping"
5.
not literal: not limited to the literal meaning in translation or interpretation
"a liberal interpretation of the rules"
6.
culturally oriented: concerned with general cultural matters and broadening of the mind rather than professional or technical study
"a liberal education"
7.
of political liberalism: relating to a political ideology of liberalism
so, the people practising these things being lambasted on the covers of book after book? i mean, the new tome table loaded with them. hmm, this seems like a list of christian virtues. how have they become the undermining practices of the government in america?
i have to shake my head at the duplicity. conservative to most of its members means 'no taxes and no quarter.' like david mamet, if i can't make it, it's my fault, i deserve no sympathy or public assistance. in a society without the above, it becomes the will of the strongest, cynicism without insights. ah, i'm letting my inner goat baaah!.
yes, my goat's been gotten. nothing new. the myth of ronald reagan will forever turn my stomach, though his recently published notes reveal a sense of humor. alas, was it baudelaire who said, 'comedy depends upon a belief in one's own superiority?' maybe it was bergson. anyway, most of these guys standup comics. it's easier to make fun of people than to have compassion.
good gravy, how do i get off my soapbox? i'm bored by diatribes and suspicious of them. let's cut to the chase, i'm conservative as anybody, with a liberal twist. i believe in a general education 'cause it changed my behaviour. exposed to the arts, history, anthropology, i discovered my desire to be a person of the world.
oddly, i believe in commerce. corporations don't bother me in that they don't want to disturb international trade with wars that are too big. i believe cities bring freedom. only in them can you be safely outrageous. small towns mean mean spirits. and the family. i love the extolling of family values. for example, most murders happen in the home, child abuse, alcoholism, wife-beating.
it's a troubling world, to say the least.
continuing to delve into the android underground:
www.pbase.com/wwp/android
