Just Desserts

Monday, November 16, 2020

(Saturday) 27 Across - Lane hugger? 

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Karl Marx recognized the power of capitalism, the unchecked movement of the market throughout society.  "Constant revolutionising of production, uninterrupted disturbance of all social conditions, everlasting uncertainty and agitation distinguish the bourgeois epoch from all earlier ones. All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify." 

Marx believed that this will eventually lead to capitalism's destruction, replaced by a more humane communism.  So far, he is only partly right - the crushing power of the market is evident.  I found a persuasive example in an advertisement for credit cards popping up in an on-line display and in a full  page printed in the New York Times.  "[W]e’re giving our transgender and non-binary customers the choice to have account profiles and credit cards that match who they are."

Gender fluidity has to be one of the most controversial issues in the US today and one beyond consideration in many other countries.  Certainly, many of our domestic media channels might not even carry that ad copy.  But, here it is on Sunday morning, displayed to and printed for countless thousands of consumers, produced by the world's largest credit card issuer.  

Our friends on the right fear government intrusion to the degree that they risk the lives of themselves and those around them by refusing to wear masks during a pandemic, but ignore how their world and its options are constantly being reshaped by unrelenting market forces.

Law-abiding civilians are immune from relocation by our government except possibly when facing a disaster.  However, large corporations move personnel around at will as a regular part of resource management.  More than a half century ago, I heard IBM defined as "I've Been Moved."

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

It's not quite as exciting as news of a successful coronavirus vaccine, but we members of the 11th Lost Tribe of Israel on the Upper West Side are delighted at the appearance of this heart-warming sign on West 72nd Street, with the promise of heartburn in the near future. 

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Speaking of our favorite pandemic, there are two different docs in a box immediately across from Palazzo di Gotthelf, each with lines of people out the door waiting for Covid-19 tests.  This is, of course, encouraging, but there seems to be a greater need for reading comprehension tests given the large numbers of people putting themselves and the rest of us at risk by misunderstanding or disregarding the dramatic rise in cases throughout the country.

I know that one suggested cause of disaffection among typical Trump voters, many overlapping with coronavirus deniers, is the condescension they experience from teachers, doctors, lawyers, social workers, and politicians.  Would it make a difference if we "talk their language," peppering our conversation with crudity, hyperbole and hostility?

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Like a moth to a flame, I buzzed right into a Zoom conversation this morning about anti-Semitism in France, featuring Dr. Pierre Birnbaum, professor of political science at the Sorbonne.  He described himself as "scared and pessimistic" about the future of Jews in France, because, in 2019, 60% of the hate crimes in France were committed against Jews, 1% of the population.   https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/frances-tiny-jewish-minority-targeted-in-majority-of-racist-incidents-in-2019

Yet, he pointed out that France is the only European country that has a greater Jewish population now than before WWII.  Additionally, he found some ironic cause for pride in the Dreyfus Affair, claiming that in no other Western country would a Jew be allowed to rise as high in the military as Major Alfred Dreyfus did for decades to come. 

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

The soon-to-be-ex-president* often flaunted long-recognized customs and rituals of American political life and civilization generally, actually an attraction for many of his supporters.  I'm pleased to report, however, that he will respect one non-partisan, classic American tradition - sparing the life of a Thanksgiving turkey.  Of course, as with so much that is associated with the White House, there are some twists and turns.  In order to temporarily distract him from his petulant tweeting about the election results, top aides told him that the turkey to be pardoned is named Trump. 

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Republican politicians in Pennsylvania have been objecting to declaring Joe Biden the winner of their state's electoral votes, citing “a litany of inconsistencies.”  It seems that only their grip on reality is suffering a litany of inconsistencies. 

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Lil Wayne, a successful rapper, has had two things that have been denied me.  Just prior to the election, he had a meeting with the president to endorse his re-election bid and, for Father’s Day, he received a gold-plated .45-caliber Glock handgun with a pearl grip, which resulted in his indictment on a federal gun charge.  I don’t even get a tie anymore.  

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Explaining his agreement to direct a movie musical about the development of Viagra, Spike Lee said that he had been attracted to movie musicals since boyhood, although he was primarily devoted to "Stoop Ball, Stick Ball, Punch Ball, Soft Ball, Basketball, 2 Hand Touch, Tackle Football, Coco Leevio, Johnny On Da Pony, Hot Peas And Butter, Crack Top, Down Da Sewer And Of Course-Booty’s Up. All The Great New York City Street Games That Might Be Sadly Lost Forever."    https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/18/spike-lee-to-direct-musical-about-viagra

I share Lee's sentiments and recollections, with a few reservations.  I never heard of Hot Peas and Butter and Crack Top.  Hot Peas and Butter, where a hidden belt, once found, is used to beat on other players, sounds sufficiently sadistic to fit in our Pitkin Avenue repertoire.   https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.huffpost.com/entry/hot-peas-and-butter_b_698087/amp

As a graduate student at Cornell University, raised in a New York City apartment, I was surrounded by undergraduates from the nicest settings around the country, large homes in suburban communities.  While these kids grew up with many creature comforts that I lacked, such as air conditioning and their own bedroom, they were denied two vital elements of childhood, sidewalks and curbs.  Play, therefore, had a character that inhibited the growth of a mature, integrated personality.  Most stultifying was the need for adult assistance to ferry them around from place to place.  

I recall an afternoon in front of Willard Straight Hall, at the center of the Cornell campus, leading a group of otherwise privileged students in a game of 3 Feet Over Germany, a classic street game.  As good as I was in the classroom, this may have been my greatest contribution to the education of these kids.  

By the way, Arthur Dobrin, poet, ethicist, novelist, community leader reminded me of I Declare War on Germany, another favorite on Pitkin Avenue back when we could still win a war.

Friday, November 20, 2020

If you are willing to leave the house and feel like some TLC without abandoning all caution, Time Out New York offers “11 Ridiculously Cozy Outdoor Dining Spots,” only a few of which are ridiculously expensive.   https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/11-ridiculously-cozy-outdoor-dining-spots-in-nyc-111720

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Looking back on the 2020 election, there is a strong backlash against political pollsters, because they so notably missed the mark in the presidential and congressional races.  But, forget those errors, they were just the icing on the cake.  Think about the cake.  It was over baked in places, under baked in other places, too dry, too wet, too lumpy and other flaws that you can learn from the "Great British Bake Off."  In the end, however, a strawberry shortcake emerged, not a lemon meringue pie, just not quite the strawberry shortcake that we imagined.  It's the baker and his ingredients that have to be questioned, not the kid licking the bowl.

*Harry Truman insisted that he was a former president, having left under his own power, while Herbert Hoover was an ex-president, having failed re-election.

Answer = KENT