Well Rounded Readers and Watchers

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I was partaking of my New York Times last Friday, when I came across the op-ed "The Inequality Map" by, op-ed columnist, David Brooks. The column attempted to define which types of inequality people can legitimately feel superior about (fitness, Ivy League education, technological prowess, etc...) and types which are unacceptable to brag about (religious differences, ancestors' accomplishments, mass spending...).

About half way through the piece, I came across the passage, "Cultural inequality is unacceptable. If you are the sort of person who attends opera or enjoys Ibsen plays, it is not acceptable to believe that you have a more refined sensibility than people who like Lady Gaga, Ke$ha or graffiti."

The simply stated idea gave me pause, because it's an issue I find myself wrestling with, not so much with music as with movies and books. When it comes to movies, I sometimes find myself frustrated by friends who seek out, what I consider to be, high school caliber comedies such as Superbad and The School of Rock, but who are bored by The Godfather, The Bridge Over The River Kwai, and Casablanca. I snobbishly look at these people and think, "when will you grow up?"

Yet, I find I'm exactly the opposite when it comes to books. This year, I gave myself the goal to read one book from an "important author" each month. I've done so, because I feel it's important to expose myself to schools of thought which have shaped our world. While I've enjoyed; A Tale of Two Cities, In The Garden of Beasts, and a few others; I must confess that I'd rather read an exciting genre piece from Robert B. Parker than a story about the religious feast of Epiphany, at the home of Julia and Kate Morkan (James Joyce's "The Dead").

According to, literary critic, Maureen Corrigan, the newest notable literary work, Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner, is a work of "spinning-one's-wheels-in-the-sand fiction," without a plot and, "too ironic and intellectual to be the kind of novel that really moves readers." While she was able to appreciate, "the fluidity of Lerner's words and the wit of his musings," I need a plot to hold my interest.

Truth be told, just as I favor genre novels to serious literature, I have to admit to a level of hypocrisy regarding my movie snobbery. While I got a lot out of The Weather Man, and I really want to see J. Edgar, I also own every 007 movie and I'm the first one in the theater when a new comic book or Star Trek movie comes out.

I think Brooks' original statement holds up, but only partially. There's nothing particularly low-brow about enjoying genre fiction or seeing blockbusters. However, limiting yourself to ONLY those offerings is analogous to limiting oneself to a diet of desserts. For example, Parker's most frequently penned hero, Spenser, often spouts the quote, "Death is the mother of beauty." Unless a reader is motivated to partake of offerings other than the currently popular ones, the reader isn't going to know the quote comes from Wallace Stevens' "Sunday Morning, and won't understand what's being said.

Of course, limiting oneself to ONLY "important works," is also a form of limiting oneself. Personally, I don't find much value in watching a ninety minute depiction of teeny boppers trying to score beer and get laid. Nevertheless, I find people who can discuss Shakespeare, and who know the origin of, "Live long and prosper," to be much more well rounded than those are well versed in ONLY one style of fiction OR the other.
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Occupy Stand Off - Micro Blog

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As I watch the stand off between occupiers & police, on 3rd & Main, I can hear the following West Side Story-esc back & forth going on in my head.
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Occupiers: The occupiers are gonna have their day, Tonight. The occupiers are gonna have their way, Tonight. The city officials grumble, 'obey us,' but if they start to move in, we'll put up a fuss.

Cops: We're gonna hand'em a surprise, Tonight. We're gonna cut'em down to size, Tonight. We said 'OK no rumpus, no tricks,' but just in case they jump us, we're ready to mix, Tonight.

Occupiers: We're gonna rock it tonight. We're gonna jazz it up, and have us a ball.

Cops: They're gonna get it tonight. The more they turn it on, the harder they'll fall.

Occupiers: Well they began it.

Cops: Well they began it.

Occupiers & Cops: And we're the ones to stop'em once and for all, Tonight.
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Whether, or not, the movement will disband peacefully, remains to be seen.

The End Approaches

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First of all, it's nice to be back home and back online. Living in a motel, which reeked of tobacco smoke and Lord knows what else, as part of my house was being remodeled, was an exhausting experience. Returning home, after a week of; fast food take-out, nukable meals, mystery odors from Hell, limited TV, nausea, and no internet (I use a desktop PC); only to discover 1/3 of my computer's keys no longer functioned was positively disheartening. Two weeks after the slay ride began, I'm pleased to say I have a new bathroom, complete with a heated floor; I'm adjusting to a new keyboard, I'm consistently holding food down, and I'm ready to write again.
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If you've ever stayed in a motel, you've found the laminated card which tells the occupant which TV channels are received and where they are on the "dial." I found the card quickly enough, but it in no way reflected reality. As I spent the week hunting and pecking, with a remote that had no battery cover, I found 4 local channels, TBS, and Encore. That's it, pbbbth... Thus, I watched more than my usual helping of local news. Of course, local broadcasts were ripe with stories of Occupy Portland.

I didn't mind the domination in coverage, since I find the movement to be of major interest and significance. Think about it. In the beginning, tens of thousands of average people put their lives on hold to try to change society for the better. The fact that change didn't occur is sad, but in my mind it's largely irrelevant. What's significant is the fact that so many people made an attempt beyond merely clicking to sign an online petition.

The beginning of the inevitable end occurred as I watched reports on the motel's low-definition TV. A police officer being pushed against a moving bus during an unruly march over Hawthorne Bridge inspired original movement organizers, AKA “The Real Occupy Portland and the 99%” to distance themselves from the actions of current campers, many of whom don't share the non-violent values the movement was originally based on. Founding members distanced themselves even further from occupiers after a branch of Chase Bank was vandalized on Saturday.

In light of the founders' statement, it became clear that Occupy Portland had become a homeless camp, and had ceased being a legitimate protest demonstration. This realization, coupled with threats made the park's maintenance workers, led Mayor Adams to order the park's restrooms to be locked on Monday. Yet, he didn't set a deadline for the camp's removal until David J. Hodson threw a Molotov cocktail at the Portland Trade Center on Tuesday.

The deadline for occupiers to be out of the park has been set for 12:01 AM Sunday morning. Police Chief Mike Reese has promised to enforce the mayor's order and arrest anyone who remains after the deadline. While some protesters have packed their bags, a determined core has vowed stay past the deadline. As promos for the stage production of West Side Story are being broadcast on Portland's airwaves, both occupiers and police are practically singing a countdown to a confrontation nobody wants, but which neither side seems willing to back away from.

For a little over a month, Occupy Portland existed as a micro-society right smack in the middle of the city. During that time, we got to see people come together, form a self governing body, write and post laws, create an infrastructure in the form of; a medical center, a soup line, a library, an economic system (via PayPal),and a website; thrive briefly, become corrupt, and now we're seeing its collapse.
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