blatham wrote:First of all, a sad but thankful tip of the hat to Molly Ivins, one of the great American political humorists and writers who died two days ago. On Pat Buchanan's 1992 Republican Convention speech where he insisted that America was in the midst of and threatened by a great "culture war", Ivins said, "It sounded better in the original German."
Quote:Well, I know many more people who are familiar with Joyce than are fans of wrestling shows on TV. It wouldn't surprise me if the same applied to you.
At the same time it must be noted that there are fads and "popularity" issues among the pursuits of the so-called intelligentsia as well. J.P. Sartre was once considered as the epitome of contemporary wisdom and right understanding. Now he is easily recognized as a neurotic, misguided (and rather vindictive) manipulator of the public fashion in "new ideas".
I don't think that watchers of TV "wrestling" shows really believe they are indulging in a substitute for thoughtful or intellectual activity. Coarse, overdrawn entertainments have a certain public appeal today as they did in Rome two millenia ago.
I am more skeptical of elitism than I am of public vulgarity.
Of course, YOU know more people who are familiar with Joyce than with wrestling.
Good god, george. What "group" do you think you "belong" to?! This is really more than a bit like George Bush pretending that he's just a truck-drivin' ranch guy. You've got a doctorate, you've served at the highest levels of the US military, you've supped with the boys who presently run the US government, you've read more Joyce and Hardy and Tolstoy not to mention history than all but a handful of the people here, your own family has a tradition at the highest level of US politics, and I'd guess it likely you could pop down and pick up a new Jag without much of a second thought. And you are prepared to speak derogations about "elitism"?
On my way through this thread, but I can't help stopping here.
Blatham, you have quite a limited circle of associates if you know more people that are familiar with Joyce than with professional wrestling.
Good for you if this is the case, but it hardly makes you representative of anything approaching the average person.
Personally, I detest professional wrestling, but only because it has squandered its fundamental iconic allure for soap operatic drama.
On top of this, how many of your Joyce loving associates have actually read Joyce?
I would argue that it takes a mind open to the essence of professional wrestling to find the initiative to take on Finnegan's Wake.
Do you really believe that all that can be defined as low culture is without value or profundity?
