The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
In the New Yorker...
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: serious crayons on January 17, 2017, 08:27:26 pm ---Tell you what, it's become a whole lot easier to toss any pre-November "duty" articles involving politics.
--- End quote ---
I can't remember anything specific now, but I found it kind of interesting to read the pre-election articles after the election.
Front-Ranger:
Possibly, it would be interesting to read one or two articles with the benefit of hindsight. But I still maintain that most everything went according to plan and Secy. Clinton received plenty of votes to win. . .more votes than any presidential candidate in history. . .except for certain strategic and mysterious losses of just a few percentage points in a handful of early-call states. She did nothing wrong and was an exemplary candidate, in my book.
Meanwhile I'm getting through the latest issues at a faster clip, since issues I once cared about I now just shrug at, since we're going to hell in a handbasket. I thought George Packer's "Parting Words" about Obama's successes and (mostly) failures was too harsh. Surprisingly, I did enjoy Jesse Eisenberg's "You Never Really Know" although he didn't win me over until the last couple of paragraphs. I read all of John Seabrook's "My Father's Cellar" and then at the end wondered why I had. Same with "Good Behavior". I'm mildly interested in Emily Nussbaum's "Tragedy Plus Time" about how "jokes won the election" but I don't really buy the premise (see the paragraph above). But the art, music, performance and books critiques leave me cold, because, why, now that Armageddon draws near? :-\
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on January 17, 2017, 11:05:12 pm ---I can't remember anything specific now, but I found it kind of interesting to read the pre-election articles after the election.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on January 19, 2017, 08:32:34 pm ---Possibly, it would be interesting to read one or two articles with the benefit of hindsight.
--- End quote ---
If you're dealing with probably a three- or four-foot stack of unfinished magazines, it's a relief to recycle articles about how Hillary is sure to win. The "on the campaign trail with Trump" articles, I'm sure, would still be instructive.
--- Quote ---I thought George Packer's "Parting Words" about Obama's successes and (mostly) failures was too harsh. Surprisingly, I did enjoy Jesse Eisenberg's "You Never Really Know" although he didn't win me over until the last couple of paragraphs. I read all of John Seabrook's "My Father's Cellar" and then at the end wondered why I had.
--- End quote ---
That was my fear about the Packer -- haven't read it yet. I thought Jesse Eisenberg kept getting things published because he's a celebrity but I'll take your word for it and give him another chance to wow me beyond what I could ever imagine in any random pick from the slush pile. I read "My Father's Cellar" and thought there was a big chunk missing. (SPOILER ALERT: My father was so obsessive about wine and other liquor that he collected far more of the finest products than he could ever drink or serve in a lifetime. But he never drank a drop more than responsible. Yet his son became an alcoholic, but is in recovery now, so yay! I think there were some connective strings missing, perhaps because the recovery part is too new to address them (April 2016)? It needed something that at least hinted at more of a point -- the dad was so obsessive about alcohol, so maybe the son started drinking to become what the dad valued? Who knows. The guy has written for the New Yorker for years, so maybe they cut him some slack.)
I'm really looking forward to the Atul Gawande article! I love almost everything by him and was actually going through the George Packer first to save it. I'm half tempted to buy Being Mortal. Has anyone here read it?
--- Quote ---I'm mildly interested in Emily Nussbaum's "Tragedy Plus Time" about how "jokes won the election" but I don't really buy the premise (see the paragraph above
--- End quote ---
I read that online and agree, but it was an original idea and she gave it a good shot.
--- Quote ---But the art, music, performance and books critiques leave me cold, because, why, now that Armageddon draws near? :-\
--- End quote ---
Maybe that's all we'll have left :-\
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: serious crayons on January 19, 2017, 11:45:28 pm ---If you're dealing with probably a three- or four-foot stack of unfinished magazines, it's a relief to recycle articles about how Hillary is sure to win. The "on the campaign trail with Trump" articles, I'm sure, would still be instructive.
--- End quote ---
They certainly were coming forward, instructive and frightening, which is why I've been frightened since Election Day.
But mainly I guess I think those articles would still be interesting because I think they show how The New Yorker, like all the rest of the liberal media, misjudged the country.
--- Quote ---I'm really looking forward to the Atul Gawande article!
--- End quote ---
I'm reading that now, so no Spoilers.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on January 19, 2017, 08:32:34 pm ---I read all of John Seabrook's "My Father's Cellar" and then at the end wondered why I had.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: serious crayons on January 19, 2017, 11:45:28 pm ---I read "My Father's Cellar" and thought there was a big chunk missing. (SPOILER ALERT: My father was so obsessive about wine and other liquor that he collected far more of the finest products than he could ever drink or serve in a lifetime. But he never drank a drop more than responsible. Yet his son became an alcoholic, but is in recovery now, so yay! I think there were some connective strings missing, perhaps because the recovery part is too new to address them (April 2016)? It needed something that at least hinted at more of a point -- the dad was so obsessive about alcohol, so maybe the son started drinking to become what the dad valued? Who knows. The guy has written for the New Yorker for years, so maybe they cut him some slack.)
--- End quote ---
I'm reading the Seabrook article now, and at the point where I am in the text, I'm quite enjoying it because Seabrook grew up in my region of the country. All those things he mentions, Seabrook Farms, the Devon Horse Show, Brandywine Creek, are familiar to me. It's like reading a Longmire novel where the action occurs some place in Wyoming that I have visited.
I'm also interested in what I'm learning about Seabrook himself. He's a year younger than me. He "comes from money," which doesn't surprise me in someone who ends up writing for The New Yorker.
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