ELIZABETH AND THE DRAMATICAL WORLD - THE ROBERT W. WHITAKER ARCHIVE

ELIZABETH AND THE DRAMATICAL WORLD | 2006-07-27

Elizabeth says,

"NO SPAM

I've noticed a profound difference between myself and most of the

people in my age bracket: because neither of my parents were

adults or even teenagers during World War II, I didn't get

conditioned from birth with the same assumptions they

were — the ones about the sanctity of Israel, the

greatness of the U.N., and so forth.

While most of my elementary and high school classmates'

parents were "making the world safe for democracy,"

my parents were learning their multiplication tables

and how to use long division

Comment by Elizabeth"

MY REPLY:

Elizabeth keeps talking about how bad her parens were, but here she praises them. There is, for what my opinion is worth, no contradiction here. My father was a disaster. But he had an understanding of reality I stand by to this day.

There is nothing more understandable than for a human being to concentrate entirely on what was done TO THEM. Nothing is more understandable, nothing is more forgivable. If your interest is only what is understandable and forgiveable, analysis ends right there.

Elizabeth is not satisfied by that. I am not satisfied by that.

Gosh, isn't it wonderful that someone can suffer endlessly from the failures of one's parents and still understand some solid virtues that they had?

Well, if your final goal is to be "objective" the answer is "YES, you are a paragon of impartiality!"

And if your final goal in life is to praised as a paragon of impartiality, you have achieved Nirvana.

Can you really imagine that Bob or Elizabeth would consider this paragon of impartiality to MATTER?

Get serious!

I think this is the reason actors are leftists. They believe that reality is drama. Like the Greatest Generation they say, "You haven't EXPERIENCED that!" Reality to them is something called Real Pain or Real Combat.

To Elizabeth and me, reality if simply what IS. Most of reality is NOT dramatic. To Elizabeth and me, however much we may state what hurt us, it is INSULTING to say that what hurt us is our REALITY. Our experiences of being hurt may be something others do not credit sufficiently. They may need to understand it.

But does that mean that we, like Hollywood actors, think that pain is the same thing as truth?

No way.

COMMENTS (4)

#1 Dave | 2006-07-27 22:27

NOT SPAM

The nature of the world doesn't change. Some generations are just luckier than others, but this old world remains the same.

WWII generation parents who treated me splendidly brought me up and I was conditioned to attitudes of privilege, attitudes I still possess.

But as I have gotten older something has happened to me that never happened to my parents: I have gradually become angrier and angrier at the insult that nonwhites are told they can address me as an equal.

My parents never suffered from such anger. It was never an issue with them.

I really believe the Bob Whitaker is one of the most intelligent people in America today. He is very competently calling a change in trend that nobody else is seeing. I am part of that change in trend. Otherwise, why am I angry?

People with Bob's kind of talent make you rich in the markets and don't think that this blog is not extraordinary. It has the best thinking of any blog on the Internet.

#2 Dave | 2006-07-27 23:26

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Elizabeth and the Dramatical World

One day I was down on Skid Road (1st and Yesler on the waterfront) in Seattle. A bum came by and asked me for money. I said: "I am not going to give you any money, but I will give you this advice: Take your sorry ass out to the end of the pier and jump off it. It will only take about 15 minutes for you to die".

I have never seen another human being look at me with such hurt in his eyes. He said: "Do you have any idea of what it means to be in my circumstances? Do you know what it means to be homeless? Can you not imagine the sorrow, suffering, hardship, and bitterness that are the reality of my life? Can you even contemplate the loneliness that I endure?"

I relied: "The only thing that concerns me is that world deserves to be rid of your ugliness and dereliction and that is why I encourage to find a way to die."

He retorted: "I can see that you are rich and think that you are knighted. But I can tell you this: I have suffered greatly and my suffering has brought me knowledge of God. You, in contrast, know nothing of God and I wouldn't trade places with your kind even if it meant that I gained release from an eternity of suffering."

I thought to myself "Aren't losers consistent?" as I told him: "You right. If there is anything I am certain of it is this: I know nothing of God. Nevertheless, I prefer you dead and I would kill you here and now if it were not for the damn police."

There is nothing worse in this world than a bum telling you to get a conscience and that is what Respectable Conservatives and Liberals really are: Bums lecturing you to get a conscience.

#3 Shari | 2006-07-28 09:53

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I think it was John Cleese who wrote a book [ which I never read, just liked the title] called FAMILIES AND HOW TO SURVIVE THEM. Ha! I think that's good. But this is another difficulty with trying to find what is simply true. I saw that I was passing along hurts, but here I was thrashing all over and trying not to bleed too much on my children at the same time. If it had not been for Jesus Christ and the patience of my husband, it would have been a disaster.

#4 Shari | 2006-07-28 12:25

NOT SPAM

Liberals and respectables ARE bums. You have to have some racket going these days or your hands are too full just trying to mind your own business while carrying the load.