Running for Your Life: High Cultural Pluralism – A Few Words

When it comes to writing and publishing, I recently dug out a terrific essay by author Elif Batuman in a September 2010 issue of London Review of Books about the state of the writing academy in the US, called “Get A Real Degree.”

Two gems:

The term to best describe current American literature – high cultural pluralism. (To which I would add, when it comes to high cultural pluralism as it relates to “literature,” the liberal mainstream celebrates the nihilistic hipster and the Upper West nostalgist to the exclusive of just about every else.)

And this, “There is a genuine problem when young people are taught to believe that they can be writers only in the presence of real or invented socio-political grievances.”

An essay that precipitated many letters, including this stirring one:

“[Donald Barthelme’s] fiction, with its multiple references and allusions to the histories of literature, art, philosophy, architecture and politics, certainly bears the traces of his own study of the history of everything, as a ‘melancholy recognition’ [my quotation marks] of how useful the study might ultimately prove to be; asked why he wrote the way he did, he liked to reply: “Because Samuel Beckett always writes the way he does.”

Alex Johnston, Nov. 4, 2010

Next: Running for Your Life: Treetop Tips

Running for Your Life: WTF? Part Two

At best, Tim O’Reilly in the first half of “WTF?” lays out evidence on the current social implications of the tech revolution and then embarks on a Moby Dick-like voyage to rid the tech poobahs of any and all blame, seeing their actions as the essence of purity.

He is a disciple and, alas, America is prone to believe in disciples as proof that despite our flaws we are a godly nation and those who’ve been chosen as prophets to the American Way are indeed haloed and their work should be elevated as divine.

Musk. Bezos. Page. Cook. Four horsemen of the AI-calypse as perceived by the incredibly shrinking world of free thinkers. Words that will by their nature never slip the algorithms and go viral, words that can make a difference only on paper and in the private burrow of those who would debunk them. All of whom are seen as losers, of course. Except where it counts: in the head and in the heart.

How do you spell backlash?

We are secure only in our techno-tribes. Would that a legitimate power, a true mystic leader, take us by the hand and, as disciples to this more righteous cause, escort us all to the promised land.

Next: Running for Your Life: High Cultural Pluralism – A Few Words

Running for Your Life: WTF? Part One

Some reading passages rise up and slap you in the face – and you say, OK, this deserves a platform, as the kids are saying these days.

Such is the case in this chunk of the “Media in the Age of Algorithms” chapter in the book, “WTF?” by tech thinker Tim O’Reilly:

“Virtually every consumer-facing Internet service uses constant experiments to make their service more addictive, to make content go viral, to increase its ad revenue or its e-commerce sales. Manipulation to make more money is taken for granted, its techniques even taught and celebrated.

But try to understand whether or not the posts that are shown influence people’s emotional state? A disgraceful breach of research ethics!

There is a master algorithm that rules our society, and  … it is not some powerful new approach to machine learning. It is a rule that was encoded into modern business decades ago, and has largely gone unchallenged since.

It is the algorithm that led CBS Chairman Les Moonves to say in March 2016 that Trump’s campaign ‘may not be good for America, but it is damn good for CBS.’

You must please the algorithm if you want your business to thrive.”

Next: Running for Your Life: WTF? Part Two

Running for Your Life: Vegas, Baby!

Among hockey purists, I may find myself on my own, but …

I’m all in with the Vegas Golden Knights.

An expansion  team in the Stanley Cup Finals? Unheard of!

Yeah, but have you seen this team play hockey?

These guys are castoffs, notably better on paper than what say, the Penguins in 1967, or the Blue Jackets in 2000, were able to net. Still, these athletes were viewed during the expansion draft last year as expendable by their respective pro teams.

(There’s a not small consideration about a $500 million entry fee that Vegas ponied up which figures in the math here but …)

Underdogs. Who among the true sports fan doesn’t get pumped up about the underdog? (Over there at the NBA Finals, we have, ta-da: the Cavs vs. the Warriors…. Yawn!)

The underdog is in a battle against the team led by the most prolific scorer and suddenly fierce competitor (Are you paying attention Sidney Crosby?) Putin pal Alex Ovechkin.

Oh, and speaking of my beloved Penguins, Vegas, baby, will pit Ovechkin against Washington Capital-killer goalie Marc Andre Fleury, the biggest game goalie in the league.

One of these two guys is going to win the Conn Smythe trophy, awarded to the Stanley Cup Final MVP.

Let it be the Flower!

Next: Running for Your Life: WTF?

Running for Your Life: Enter “The Gateway” Part Two

It’s summer – in Canada, the start (May 21) of the much-awaited season, Victoria Day (yes, Canada, still honours the crown, with some rising at dawn to watch royal weddings) – and past time to make your list for beach and lakeside reading.

Top of the list, I most humbly suggest, “Gateway to the Moon,” the latest novel by Mary Morris.

Set aside the disclaimer (I am married to the author).  This novel is killing it in reviews, lists, word of mouth. It’s the World Wide Web, they tell me, so here’s a trailer for you:

http://bit.ly/2x3o7Yw  

I’ve written about the book before in this space, so I'm not going to go on about character, plot, setting.

Rather, let me say that if there is one thing I think we can all use is a great read – that rejects the impulse to add your cry to the partisan sinkhole that now defines so much of American publishing.

Now’s the time to read important books. Not the latest screed, ripped-from-the-headlines political tract. But an honest to God work of art that will thrill you, make you cry and keep you amazed from the time you pick it up to the time you regretfully put it down.

That’s “Gateway to the Moon.” Buy the book and enter summer bliss reading space.

Next: Running for Your Life: Vegas, Baby !