First, let's get the fun stuff out of the way. Jay's football team has won two in a row, defeating Westmister 13-0 yesterday. It was a good game. Both teams were pretty evenly matched, but Catonsville, admittedly, got lucky when their running back ran 80 yards (!) for a touchdown. The defense also had an interception that they ran in for a touchdown. Without those two, it probably would have been a 0-0 tie. Our offensive line needs a lot of work, as they couldn't protect the quarterback or running backs long enough for them to get anything more than 2 yards. The defense looked great.
So, I've finished the Age of American Unreason and The Great Derangement, both books that examine the state of our current culture. I highly recommend both. The Great Derangement gives one of the most accurate pictures of what goes on in fundamentalist churches and some of the downright weird stuff that they do. If you don't know, I spent some time as a born-again Christian, so I have first-hand experience with the scenes described in the book. So, if you are curious about what the "Evangelical" and/or "Fundamentalist" thing is all about, I recommend checking it out.
However, it does go beyond a simple "behind closed doors" look. Matt Taibbi attempts to frame the fundamentalists and, as an opposing view, 9/11 truth conspiracy theorists as reactions to our disfunctional and unresponsive government. He makes a pretty good case that these are groups, though just a few among many, that are creating their own reality to cope with what they see as an outside force (whatever that may be to them - Satan for the fundamentalists, corrupt and shadowy goverment agents for the 9/11 truthers) manipulating what they think the world should be.
Interspersed among the accounts of his interactions with the two groups, Taibbi also has interludes describing the workings of Congress. This is, admittedly, the most depressing part ofthe book. Taibbi gives accounts of Congressman from both parties on the take from lobbyists and how real legislation is done in the middle of the night, with little involvement from interested groups.
I found The Age of American Unreason a fascinating read. I did not agree with every conclusion, but I definitely recommend it for anyone who wonders how we went from leaders like Jefferson and Adams, who completely embraced Enlightenment ideals and Intellectualism, to those like George W Bush and John McCain, who show open disdain for those same ideals. And, it's not limited to leaders, but to average people as well.
Susan Jacoby, begins with an overview of our current state, complete with the most rediculous examples of disdain and ridicule of rational thought. She then begins to lay out a history, describing the high place ascribed to learning and intellectualism by the founding fathers through the early years of the nation, to its decline through our history brought about by its own proponents as well as opponents.
I found the historical review most iteresting. There were many things that I didn't know, such as the popularity of lectures in the 19th century among all levels of the population. The only part of the history that lost my interest was the period in the 30's during which many intellectuals embraced communist ideals. I couldn't say why, because it was relevant to author's discussion, but it seemed to drag.
One of the most timely aspects of this book is Jacoby's exploration of the anti-Elitism. Anyone who watched the Republican National Convention saw that this is turning into one of their main selling points. In fact, as I heard what was being said at the convention, I remarked that it sounds as if it is coming straight out of Jacoby's book. Jacoby rightfully points out that the Neo Conservatives and Republican party higher-ups are as "elite" as their Democratic and Liberal counterpoints. They have just been more successful and keeping themselves out of the spotlight.
Now for some movies. Charlie Wilson's War was an entertaining film. The performances were excellent, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film details one congressman's efforts to provide weapons and support for the Afghan mujahadeen to fight against the Soviet invasion. It's a pretty basic film with no deeper meaning or covert message. Thankfully, however, it didn't end with the triumphant ending of the rebels over the Soviets, instead choosing to show how our government turned off the support for the rebels to rebuild their country, opening the way for the Taliban and other radical groups to gain power.
We also watched Dark City. This film is from 1998. I think it is primarily worth watching for it's visuals. Also, it features the beautiful Jennifer Connolly, who is always worth seeing. One thing I noticed was that there is a lot in this movie that, one could say, was appropriated by the Wachowski's for The Matrix, which came out a year later.
Last night, Lacey and I went to see Burn After Reading. This was a decent effort from the Coen Brothers. Not one of their best, but far from their worst. It was mildly amusing with the Brad Pitt, Francis McDormand and John Malkovich putting in great character work.
However, what I would like to rant about are some of the comments overheard from the exiting crowd. It was obvious to me that most of the people were unfamiliar with other Coen Brothers movies and simply consuming the latest product from some big names (Clooney, Pitt). Why can't people educate themselves before they buy? I overheard two gentleman complaining about the efforts to make comedy out of such things as adultery and murder and aghast over the frequent use of the f-word. Had they never seen a Coen Brother's movie before? Did they have no idea what they could expect? Why do people do this? If you're so concerned about the f-word or adultery, there are web sites that exist solely to point out this type of content in movies. Don't just blindly spend your money, then complain about it. In fact, one of the gentleman's response to the other's complaints was "Well, that's what sells." So, if that's what "They" are selling, then why do you buy it unthinkingly?
Ugh.
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i had a really great post written but AOL made me change my password when I went to post it and my work was PFFFFFFT.....
It was like this or something: I like Matt Taibbi and I read an excerpt of his adventures with the Funda(mental)ists. My wife and I are fans of his. But he often goes down the road of Al Franken and Michael Moore where HE becomes the story.
Watched a very moving show on PBS last night called "Objects and Memories" that dealt with the items and objects that people leave at the sites where the 9/11 attacks occurred.
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