Reading and Thinking

One of life's pleasures, at least for me, is when I get my monthly issue of Harper's Magazine. No this is not an advertisement of the rag, instead it is a celebration of the act of reading and thinking.

Detroit

The last issue of Harpers had several articles of which the main one was the "End of the Road, After Detroit, the Wreck of an American Dream" by Ben Austen. It chronicles the fall of the auto industry as we knew it and compared it to the new (Toyota). I was struck by how irrelevant the public discourse of the "Bailout of Detroit" (of stimulus package), was. But then again, most of those in congress doing the talking about stimulus are "Practicing Irrelavants" and except for their sex lives, I am not sure they know what a stimulus might be

As we all understand today, the industrial revolution is over, or at least what we knew of "industrial". What we have today is people who, through no fault of their own, lost and are still losing in this "Free market". For 30 years now we have been attacking the "Safety Net" of social support for those that now struggle to maintain some semblance of dignity. It should be noted that those that are ensconced in their "white Collar" jobs that have seemed so secure over the years are now feeling the same sense of dread. This dread, for them at least, is for the most part, hidden by the creature comforts of middle class. However, in those quiet moments, that dread runs rampant but is often hidden by the miracles of psychotropic potions. It is there none the less.

Forgive me. I rant, therefore I am.

Wallace Shawn

Another article and a less depressing one is an article by Wallace Shawn. You all know Wallace Shawn, although you may have not known his name. More on point however is that, he wrote a very delightful article about sex. Titled "Is Sex Interesting?" In the article, he sets forth the problems we have with sex. It is a delightful, funny and insightful writing. In it he had the following to say

"Yes some people go through life astounded every day by the beauty of forests and animals; some are astounded more frequently by the beauty of art; and others by the beauty of other human beings. But science could one day discover that the ability to be astounded by the beauty of other human beings came first, and to me it seems implausible to imagine that these different types of astonishments or appreciation are psychologically unrelated."

So there you have some random thoughts about my latest issue of Harpers Magazine. Check it out and enjoy

Dang these sins. See you next time


Denny