Man, I'm bummed. Really bummed. I got a very early text message from the baby bro about Kurt Vonnegut dying. I knew that already, I read it last night on the internet. There are many reasons that this bums me out, but mostly because we've lost another satirical, say-it-like-it-is voice. Anyone read Slaughterhouse Five? Read it. It's about prisoners of war and the bombing of Dresden (he actually was a prisoner of war). "So it goes."
It's unsettling how our rights are being surrepticiously taken away. It's no secret how I feel about Dictator Bush, so I won't insult those of you who don't hate him. Did you know that we can no longer come and go as we please? You have to have a passport now to get into Canada, for heaven's sake, the most peace loving country ever put on the map. It doesn't even matter to make Mexicans have a passport, because if they want to get in badly enough they will. Same with anyone from any country. Vonnegut was a voice for those things. He gave sound to otherwise tacit thoughts. And he was not writing as some political pundit with something to gain or lose from the publishing of his books (except for money of course, but there was no political footage to be had).
We, as a society and culture are failing to keep strong voices aloft. We are losing great authors, great musicians, poets, choreographers, artists. The list goes on and on. No one has yet to replace the great writing duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein, or George and Ira Gershwin. Nor should they be replaced, per se, but there should be someone equally as groundbreaking as the writers of Oklahoma, South Pacific, The Sound of Music (come on, is there anyone that doesn't know "doe, a dear, a female dear, ray, a drop of golden sun")? Or how about "you say tomato, and I say tomato?" EVERY ONE does. The only thing that anyone can say with certainty today is "Can you hear me now? Good." Two great musical theatre writers are out there still; Stephen Sondheim and Adam Guettel. Sondheim is in his 70's, and Adam Guettel, who wrote Light in the Piazza, is fortunately young. In his 40's. Not so coincidentally, both Sondheim and Guettel have ties to the great Rodgers and Hammerstein: Sondheim apprenticed with Hammerstein, and Guettel is the grandson of Rodgers.
This is my point: These things must be perpetuated. It is not acceptable anymore to steer kids away from art, drama, music, dancing, writing, or even the gym class. It is even more unacceptable to allow our government and our school boards to slash funds from these programs We are not being encouraged to give higher forms equal footing. We are raising test-takers. I tutor test takers, and it is not about being smart. It is about knowing how to take a test. That is not going to be an accurate evaluation of how you are going to contribute to society.
If any of you watch American Idol (guilty), you will know this poor, talentless kid Sanjaya. He is terrible. He can barely keep a pitch and has little stage presence. He is out-sung and out-performed in an embarrassing manner every week. The only thing keeping him on the show is Vote for the Worst.dot com. Anyone ever heard of it? It's a campaign to keep talent-free, completely unviable talent in the competition, and at the expense of those who have a legitimate shot at obtaining the top prize. This is what Americans are concerned with: Keeping Sanjaya on this competition. 35 million Americans voted last week for American Idol. That is more than the number that votes for President. If 35 million Americans wrote their senators about keeping arts funding, about keeping phys-ed in our schools, about rescinding the Patriotic Act, about abandoning the Kyoto Treaty, then maybe we could get something done.
Hmmm, but I guess everyone's too busy shopping at Wal-Mart.
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