Posted on 05/28/2011 1:53:45 PM PDT by annalex
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Mr. Mamet has written a book-length, raucous coming-out party: "The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture." (If only the Voice editors had been around to supply a snappier title.)
Hear him take on the left's sacred cows. Diversity is a "commodity." College is nothing more than "Socialist Camp." Liberalism is like roulette addiction. Toyota's Prius, he tells me, is an "anti-chick magnet" and "ugly as a dogcatcher's butt." Hollywood liberals—his former crowd—once embraced Communism "because they hadn't invented Pilates yet." Oh, and good radio isn't NPR ("National Palestinian Radio") but Dennis Prager, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt.
The book is blunt, at times funny, and often over the top.
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(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Yes. Which is paradoxical. When a farmer plows a field he has exercized more power than any of us accomplishes on a treadmill. But it is not the power a con man craves. What he wants is the power to thwart justice: sin without judgement.
“I never questioned my tribal assumption that Capitalism was bad,” he writes now, “although I, simultaneously, never acted upon these feelings.” He was always happy to cash a royalty check and made sure to insist on a licensing fee. “I supported myself, as do all those not on the government dole, through the operation of the Free Market.”He saw he was Talking Left and Living Right, a condition common among American liberals, particularly the wealthy among them, who can, for instance, want to impose diversity requirements on private companies while living in monochromatic neighborhoods, or vote against school vouchers while sending their kids to prep school, or shelter their income while advocating higher tax rates. The widening gap between liberal politics and liberal life became real to him when, paradoxically enough, he decided at last to write a political play, or rather a play about politics. It was the first time he thought about partisan politics for any sustained period.
The Powerline guys have written some good stuff about Mamet's conversion:
BTW, how is it that a mega-liberal congregation accepted such a conservative rabbi? I’m amazed they tolerated him.
I watch this clip at least once a month, and have for years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AXTx4PcKI
True enough. As I've pointed out in my essay, Killers Without Conscience, The power to harm others – and to harm others without consequence - is irresistible to a profoundly evil subset of humanity.
Because anyone with ANY experience in film whatsoever - much less an Orson - knows about the line of action. Just as anyone knows that Prager, Medved, and Hewitt (if any of them are on in LA, which I doubt) have only one thing in common, which is that they are third-rate bookends for more talented, famous, and successful hosts.
Anyone who saw “Oleanna” or his latest, the hilarious play “November” starring Nathan Lane, knew that this man was NO LIBERAL. He’s been conservative for years - mostly because of Israel but, now, maybe because of American cultural values. Good playwright!
I love House of Games - so intricate! Also, he adapted the Winslow Boy and did a great job with it. Excellent movie.
He’s a very difficult essayist. He can be a very dificult playwright (try Cryptogram!!!)
My favorite essays of his are contained in “The Cabin.” His childhood - a middle class upbringing - was painfully cruel. His parents were psychos!
I’m sure they are on in L.A. - they’re here in NYC where I sometimes listen to them. They’re not my favorites but they can be very interesting at times. After so many years with NPR, maybe Mamet prefers the quieter conservatives (as opposed to Mark Levin, lol!)
Can you explain the line of action? I’m not in film so I’m lost here. Thanks!
Sure!
Wikipedia has a decent article on it, with a diagram.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/180_degree_rule
Actually, yes. Since I’m a Sentinel author, I received an advance copy :)
Thanks!
Good essay. See a post coming up there.
This is Ed Asner’s temple, that’s how liberal it is. There are more liberal ones in West LA and Santa Monica. This one is in Bel Air.
The answer to your question is that Rabbi Finley doesn’t do what the liberal rabbis do. While they confuse Judaism with socialism and the green movement, and denigrate Republicans, Rabbi Finley (gasp) teaches Judaism. Judaism is inherently compatible with conservative values, which makes sense considering the Torah is a book of laws, and is the basis of modern jurisprudence.
That’s why it drives me crazy, as it must with Catholics too, that our congregants and clergy have turned so far left-wing, and subjects the whole religion to scorn by conservatives who think “Jew = Socialist”.
I get that frustration and I feel it too. I have never felt more removed from my religion than I do now.
There are many theories why Jews tend to be very liberal and the subject has been covered well by Dennis Prager and Irving Kristol but it comes down to this:
1. Most Jews immigrated from Europe, where they were subjected to second class status and church-sanctioned harassment. The seeds of collectivism were quite strong by the time they emigrated to America.
2.Because of this history, Jews are susceptible to group think, regardless of their education or native intelligence. (Look at all the wealthy and famous Jews who were taken by that Democrat fund raiser, Bernie Madoff)
3. Jews were also discriminated in America, as were other ethnic groups, and became very involved in organized labor. If the Democrats welcomed them into the party, they became the recipients of Jewish loyalty, even though some of the most vile, antisemitic sentiment came from the left-wing, IE Father Coughlin.
Jonathan Shite is one of the stupidest liberal guilt yuppies writers I've ever had the misfortune to read.
Well, whatever works. Nationalism is a healthy instinct, Jewish or otherwise. I wish more Americans developed American nationalism though.
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