Category Archives: Americana

Juan Williams, NPR, and the risk of telling the truth

Americana, Current Affairs, Psychological Musings

There is something about the public psyche of the united States – and probably every where else too – that loves an obvious, agreed upon, lie.  And punishes anybody who has the nerve – or momentary lapse of caution – to not tell it. I notice this all the time and now – unfortunately – I can't recall very many examples. Jimmy Carter saying he had lusted in his heart was one. Juan Williams saying when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried is another.

  Fulla-doll

Who doesn't.

When Michele and I flew back from Italy just after 9/11, we were waiting for the flight with a group of Orthodox Jews wearing – if that is the right word – Tefillin (Hebrew: תפילין‎) (shown here on Barbie[s]).

Tefillin_barbies

Just as they started to load the plane, the Orthodox guy next to us, dressed completely in black,    wrapped a leather strap around his arm and started praying in Hebrew while rocking back and forth. Michele leaned over and said Now, this really creeps me out. Me, too, it was very disconcerting. 

I'm not saying that either one of us was proud of our reaction but I am totally certain that we were not the only ones. And Juan Williams is far from the only one nervous when a Muslim in full regalia – or, for that matter, in mufti – gets on a plane. That is just reality. It's not logical, duh! But why do we have to pretend it isn't true?       

The New Canon.

Americana, Current Affairs, Film, Psychological Musings

Blade_runner_movie_image_joanna_cassidy

In the comments section on my post on being in the Oakland Museum  – and the New York Times – Tracy Grubbs wrote Your layout reminds me of that scene in Blade Runner. If you keep zooming in you'll find those fake snake scales on her sweater, really. About two weeks ago, an economist from the Obama Whitehouse referenced the Matrix.

Both comments sort of surprised me. And neither one should have. Blade Runner and Matrix are part of the New Canon.  They have become larger than they were when they were just movies. They are part of our culture, like Casablanca or Anne Hall. They somehow exemplify the new zeitgeist.

 

Why isn’t this photo on the front page of the papers ?

Americana, Current Affairs, Psychological Musings, Religion, ,

Prayer
 

Three weeks ago, eight prominent American imams went to Dachau to pray for and commemorate the six million Jewish dead.   It was obviously done, at least partially, for publicity – that isn't bad just like Obama making a speech at a green factory isn't bad – but almost nobody seemed to pay any attention.

One thing we hear over and over again is the meme Why don't moderate Muslims protest extremist Muslims? It turns out that they do, but it just doesn't get reported in very much.

Right after 9-11, a prominent Muslim cleric said Attacking innocent people is not courageous, it is stupid and will be punished on the day of judgment. Another one said Terrorists are not Muslims. And there has been a steady and continuous litany of Muslims condemning violence. But we don't hear much about it.

I don't think it is a conspiracy or laziness. The heading of this post is a real question. I just don't understand why.


Two apologies….using the term loosely

Americana, Politics, What's a man?

Last week – maybe two weeks ago – Marty Peretz, who is alleged to be a deep thinker, but is really just a racist jerk, and was honored at Harvard this week said among other racist things – and I am not paraphrasing here – Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims. On the eve of Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, by way of atoning, Peretz said  I allowed emotion to run way ahead of reason, and feelings to trample arguments. For this I am sorry.

That's not apologizing or atoning. That is just a cheap cop out. No, I was wrong. Just a I am sorry I allowed emotion to run way ahead of reason. Shame on you, Peretz, you are a jerk. I was glad to see they protested him when he showed up to accept his prize.



This spring Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell made a proclamation that started out

WHEREAS,  April is the month in which the people of Virginia joined the Confederate States of America in a four year war between the states for independence that concluded at Appomattox Courthouse; 

At the time, I went on a rant about it and I still feel the same way.

But, now, McDonnell has made a heartfelt apology that started out My major and unacceptable omission of slavery disappointed and hurt a lot of people–myself included,  he went on to say 

Until the Civil War, the founding principle that all people are created equal and endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights was dishonored by slavery. Slavery was an evil and inhumane practice which degraded people to property, defied the eternal truth that all people are created in the image and likeness of God, and left a stain on the soul of this state and nation. For this to be truly one nation under God required the abolition of slavery from our soil.

Now that is a proper apology, Way to go Governor.

Plant Sale

Americana, Cactus & Succulents, California, Psychological Musings

As a preamble – When I was in highschool, I was part Jewish – by heritage – in a world that was almost completely WASP and at a time when Jews were still considered second class. (I went out with a girl and later found out that her father beat her because she had sullied the family name by going out with me.). Our family was desperately trying to be middle class – we liked to think upper middle class – trying to follow a set of arcane rules we didn't quite understand.

By the time I got to highschool, I wanted to be cool. I suspect this is pretty much a universal impulse, and  – at the time and for years after – it was my major motivator. I pretty much pulled it off. I played football – not because I liked playing football – to be one one of the cool kids. I got in fights. I dressed like the cool kids, etc, etc. I didn't get very good grades.

I was a nerd: but I was a closet nerd.

In my mid-30's, I discovered the San Jose Cactus and Succulent Society – here were nerds who liked being nerds, who were willing to let their nerdieness enrich their lives – and it changed my life. End preamble.

Sunday was the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley Fall Plant Sale. I hadn't been to a plant sale at a Botanical Garden in about 30 years and Michele had never been so we were a little unprepared for how great and tempting it would be.

It was a beautiful late summer day and plant people were out in force.

Plant Sale-0273

What makes plant sales fun – whether it is the Rhoddy Club, the Cactus and Succulent Society, or UC Botanical – is that the people involved are so into the plants they are hawking. Putting up for adoption is probably a better term.

Plant Sale-0276

At the cactus area – where I always go first – I got into a discussion on watering in which the seller? docent? salesperson? plant sitter? promoted watering some plants every six days and others – in the same greenhouse – every seven days. And he did this with a straight face. Now I am a little nutty on watering myself – being willing to hand water, with water that has a tablespoon of vinegar added to five gallons of the tap water, to bring the acidity up – but this seemed extreme.

Michele got hijacked at the shade plant table where the seller exposed her to the joys of a Podophyllum hybred – Asian Mayapple to us less informed – seen here on the left of the table.

Plant Sale-0281

Everywhere there were interesting plants.

Plant Sale-0285

Plant Sale-0291

And interesting people buying them. It was fun and going to an event like this and seeing young, hip, kids buying plants is very exciting.