Forgiveness

David Blight, writing about Frederick Douglass meeting his former enslaver: “In much of Christian tradition—in which Douglass had learned to think and write—the forgiver often forgives for his own sake, not to excuse the oppressor.”

I’m not firmly a Christian these days, by but I think about these concepts a lot. I’m not sure why I still aspire to this kind of moral attitude. I certainly cannot expect it of others, least of all somebody as badly wronged as Douglass has been. I barely practice this level of grace myself. And yet I suspect it is what my goal should be. 

Movie Night: THE SECRET GARDEN (1949)

 You can find the synopsis of THE SECRET GARDEN right here.

No movie is the same as the book that inspired it, of course. I like some of what this movie does that's different than the book -- it leans into a haunted house vibe more heavily (it feels a bit like Alfred Hitchcock's REBECCA), which is aided by the appearance of Elsa Manchester (THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) laughing endlessly just a little too much. But: It makes villains out of characters who were anything but villainous in the book, and it more strongly hints at a love connection between Dickon and Mary. (Given that the actor playing Dickon was nearly 20 when the movie was made, it's good they didn't take it further.)

There is some first-rate child tantruming in this movie. But the real star is, of course, Margaret O'Brien as Mary. She has a charismatic presence, and it's easy to see how she became a (child) star during this era. Overall this movie is a pleasant enough way to spend an afternoon, but it's not essential.

THE SECRET GARDEN is currently streaming at Criterion Channel.

Movie Night: LENNY

 

This is a story about an artist who comes up in the industry starting out at strip clubs, is abusive to women, and does a lot of drugs. Bob Fosse went on to make ALL THAT JAZZ, which is considered his autobiographical film, but if he hadn't made that, LENNY would probably suffice. Yeah, it's about Lenny Bruce. But if you're familiar with Fosse's biography, you know that this movie isn't just about Lenny Bruce.

Valerie Perrine won an award at Cannes for her role here, and I've got to say that this is a great performance from her as Bruce's stripper wife, Honey. Dustin Hoffman buries himself in the role. But something feels like it's missing from this movie -- a sense, perhaps, of why Bruce might've been compelling beyond mere shock value. Or maybe that's all there was.

LENNY is playing now on the Criterion Channel.

9/11

I've probably said enough about 9/11 over the years. Long story short: My first-ever visit to New York City was a few weeks after the attacks. There was still smoke rising from the bowels of the World Trade Center. The makeshift memorials -- on fences around the perimeter, in subway stations -- were still fresh and full of living pain. 

Also: The city was still, unmistakably alive and vibrant.

I drove across country to get to New York that week, stopping in Shanksville along the way. It was the first time I'd driven so far by myself. I realized how big this country is. And how much New York differed from the world I'd grown up in. And I loved it. 

9/11 made me back away from the pacifism I'd grown up with, and in retrospect I think I was wrong to make that choice. The wars that grew out of the attacks have not created much safety, but they have increased the total amount of misery in the world. What a shame.

Time passes faster than you think. I was still young when 9/11 happened. I'm not now. That day is history. Before too long, it'll be ancient history. But it still feels like current events to me. Except for this part: Between 9/11, the Great Recession and now, this is the third time in my adult life where I've wondered if the world is coming to an end.

One of these days, I might be right.

How Trump's lies make us less safe, vaccine edition

We already know that Donald Trump lied to Americans about the dangerousness of the pandemic. Trump's lies are designed to be self-serving, but they have a real affect on our safety.

There is a lot of skepticism out there, for example, about the possibility of a vaccine arriving just in time for election day. There is good reason for that skepticism -- even crash vaccine efforts usually take years to come to fruition. Doing on a timeline of months is pretty much unheard of. But the other reason people are skeptical of the vaccine is because Donald Trump is promising us it is on the way and will make everything alright. And because we Americans know Donald Trump is such a huge liar, this makes us understandably skittish that such a vaccine, if and when it arrives, will provide us with as much protection as a broken condom. Which means, inevitably, that fewer people will line up to take the vaccine when it becomes available -- which, if it is effective, means that a number of people will forgo the protection, and that they in turn will deny us collective immunity.

Health and drug company officials understand the problem, which is why you've seen them out in public the last few days, telling us they would never, ever put out an ineffective or unsafe vaccine for political reasons. But Trump's lies, and his willingness to bend the bureaucracy to his will for political reasons, means we can't really trust those promises. It's possible that we're going to have a snake oil salesman whose snake oil really works, but whose reputation for cons and selling quack cures means many of us pass on the good stuff. That would be tragic. But we're talking about Trump here. It's just as likely the snake oil salesman's product won't actually work, and we'll be stuck with the consequences of his selfishness.

Perhaps we can replace the State of Liberty's torch with an extended middle finger

Vox:

The Trump administration is reportedly considering allowing even fewer refugees — or even none at all — into the US next year, another potential blow to the US’s already decimated refugee program.

Reuters reported Thursday, citing a senior administration official, that officials are weighing several options: delaying some or all refugee admissions until a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order curbing refugee resettlement is resolved, deepening cuts to refugee admissions, or both.

@TheWeek: "Lol nothing matters"

I found myself moved by Damon Linker's column this morning about these awful times: "Maybe we can love the world, mourn our losses, and recognize the awfulness of so much of what swirls around us while also striving to place it in a perspective that makes some space for wry smiles. In dark times, a little irony can go a long way — transforming a tragedy not so much into a comedy as into a chapter with a mixture of darkness and light and an indeterminate end that leaves a little room for hope."