In 1974 there was a big hit movie in which Charles Bronson suffered through an atrocious crime committed against his family. He then picked up a gun, or seven, and began shooting the bad guys on the streets of New York City. The craggy faced tough guy exemplified old-fashioned American justice. Bronson was a mean dude.
America has come a long way since the “Death Wish” movie. We are kinder. We are gentler. Even our movies have softened up over the years. For example, a movie is coming out this month in which Jodie Foster suffers through an atrocious crime committed against her family. She then picks up a gun, or seven, and begins shooting bad guys on the streets of New York City. See what I mean. We have come a long way. Now the vigilante is pretty.
The following is a bit of trivia which may only be interesting to me. In the “Death Wish” movie one of the crazed criminals who started Mr. Bronson on his reign of revenge was played by Jeff Goldblum. Mr. Goldblum has gone on to have a very successful movie career. His character in the credits was Jeff Goldblum as Freak #1. How would you like to make that phone call home?
“Hey, mom, I just got a part in a big time movie starring Charles Bronson.”
“That is so exciting, son. I always knew you’d make it in Hollywood, even if your father tried to get you to go to DeVry and learn a proper trade.”
“Gee, thanks ma.”
“So, tell me. What is your part?
“Oh, that isn’t important. I get a good paycheck and my agent says it is a wonderful opportunity.”
“That’s so exciting, but I need to tell Aunt Bernice about this. What part are you playing?”
“Gosh, ma, do you really have to tell Aunt Bernice?”
“Of course I have to tell Bernice. She is always bragging about her Simon, the top salesman at the Florsheim store for four months running.”
“Well, okay. The script lists me as Freak #1.”
“Jeffrey, my son.”
“Yeah, ma.”
“Your father tells me there is a DeVry in Sherman Oaks right next to that big mall where you used to work in the food court. Let me get you the number.”
We will now return to the main thesis of this column. I fear there is a general slippage into a meaner, less empathetic, sort of society. One of the reasons for this is the fact that the arts are getting their backsides kicked by commerce. Art is something which shows people what it means to be human. Whether it be Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, or even little Billy’s portrait of his father showing him with the head of a wooly mammoth and the torso of an amoeba drawn entirely with carnation pink and burnt sienna Crayolas, art holds up an example of what man is capable of creating and most often aims to show what man should strive for.
On the other hand commerce shows what man is capable of doing in order to get more money than the other guy and therefore have a better car. Really, who would you rather spend a day with? Yo-Yo Ma playing Prelude from Suite No. 1 in G Major for Cello and discussing the intricacies of J.S. Bach, or that Jim Cramer guy from CNBC screaming at you about mortgage rates? (Okay, I know neither one would be at the top of my list either, but Mr. Ma would be easier to ignore while watching the football game, besides, just saying his name makes me giggle.)
My brother, who is a deeper thinker than most people I know, quoted Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau on his blog. The quote was the following: In a social system animated by competition for property, the human personality was metamorphosed into a form of capital. Here it was rational to invest only in properties that would produce the highest return. Personal feeling was a handicap since it distracted the individual from calculating his best interest and might pull him along economically counterproductive paths.
My translation (which may be entirely wrong): In a world which only values money, a person becomes nothing more than walking and talking nickels and dimes. All anyone cares about is making a buck. We all have to concern ourselves with getting our share of the pie. This means caring about each other and reaching for artistic growth leaves you poor.
Do you think Mr. Rousseau knew about Donald Trump?
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2 comments:
Yep, that's a pretty good translation.
What struck me about it originally is the idea that not only our time, not only our energy, but our very personality becomes a commodity. Or rather, when developing our personality, we submit it to the same test of "usefulness" as we do everything else. And in our age, "usefulness" almost always means "useful for making money". Personality traits that help us get rich are encouraged. Those that might get in the way should be therapied away.
You once spoke about the teachers in your school who see their role as only to make the students suitable as future employees. This is almost the same thing.
PS
Happy Birthday!
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