Human Gemstones

 

gemstones - noun - a precious or semi-precious stone, especially one cut, polished and used in a piece of jewelry.

In the past 24 hours, I have been reminded that although there are quite a few manufactured newcomers to celebrity who perhaps don't exactly qualify as feed for jewelry, there were and still are the polished few gemstones from the past that dare to shine on like "crazy diamonds." (Thank you, Pink Floyd.)

In the a.m. of September 16th, I awoke to my daughter's esoteric text that read, "Sorry for your loss." As I was completely unaware that I was missing anything or anyone, I followed through with "What loss?" Her response was "Just look on the internet. Mind you, it's a heavy loss." And she was right. Upon learning of the death of Hollywood's iconic matinee idol, indie film's grandfather, and Utah's environmental savior Robert Redford, my emotional blood pressure dropped to zero. Okay, I know. He was 89 and had lived a rich, successful life by anyone's standards, even Emerson's lofty ones, but a loss is still a loss no matter the age of the deceased. And what a loss.

Clearly, Redford was more than a movie star. To me, on the silver screen, he was male beauty and sartorial elegance personified, but he was also someone whose film characters got me through adolescence sans committing suicide, fratricide, or parricide. His movies allowed for escape from a tough reality happening via the 24-7 news cycle, or in the case of some of his more dramatic films (like Ordinary People or All the President's Men), he offered a connection to the difficult elements, which enlightened us teens in his heyday and led us to evaluate closely the world spinning around us.

On a more personal note, Redford's Sundance General Store, a modest gift shop nestled in a cabin on his ski resort of the same name, carried my naive art in the form of Torey the Turkey Goes Skiing, a thin, meagerly crafted children's picture book, when no one wanted to take a chance on it due to its rudimentary simplicity. I thank him for that albeit it is possible that he might not have had knowledge of the purchase. (I'm hoping that is not true.)

Another diamond albeit in the rough is the very much alive Neil Young. Last night, Bond and I said an unofficial goodbye to the summer by attending the classic musician's concert at the Hollywood Bowl, a venue the artist admitted that he had not played since 1966. Like so many of his musical contemporaries who thrived during the tumultuous 1960s, Neil's tunes are political, far left, but with an ironic bent, a sense of humor. Which so many in the political realm no longer possess. At 79, he may just have another ten years left in him, especially if he loses some weight. Yet his voice is as lucid and limber as when he performed at Woodstock with his band mates, Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The soprano notes of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" in particular soared through the air like a dove carrying an olive branch. Neil's emotionally genuine performance of the song brought me to tears. Offhand, I can't think of one recording artist under the age of sixty who can do the same for me.

Like ageless gemstones, our pop culture icons from the past–whether dead or alive–linger on indefinitely through their artistic legacies. Although there has been much vitriol thrown at the internet lately, there is still much good, the aforementioned men's work preserved on YouTube, for example, an easy escape for a disillusioned society.  

#blog, #blogger, #society, #Robert Redford, #Neil Young, #personal essay 

Greed by Gender and Genes?

 

larceny - noun - unlawful taking and carrying away of of personal property with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it permanently (Merriam-Webster)

On the list of the Seven Deadly Sins, greed comes in second only after pride, which is said to beget greed as well as the other five that follow. But is greed a learned behavior (environmental in origin) or is it ingrained (a product of genetics)? Based on my own observations (years of teaching multiple grade levels), I believe that the greedy (more males than females) are born with the propensity to desire more than their share and will go an unlawful distance (commit larceny) in order to obtain it.

Case in point: Yesterday, I had the privilege to be one of over a hundred children's book authors (mainly self-published) at the third annual LA Kids Book Festival in West Hollywood. Due to the stiff competition, to attract interest in the wares I was selling, I decided to offer Halloween candy in advance of the holiday to those children who participated in my contest involving guessing the number of Tootsie Rolls in a large canister. In other words, in order to receive the trophy (a piece of candy), they had to do something to earn it (a new concept, I know). Naturally because of sloth (number seven on the list of sins), most of the kids just wanted to dig their fingers into the basket and take as much as possible without so much as nominal conjecture. The younger the child, the more he felt he deserved. I say "he" because most of the culprits were boys. Hmm. Toward the end of the day, a male youngster of ten who looked very familiar approached me with the correct number of treats in the can. After he had left with a free book, I remembered that he was present at the time that one of the dads guessed correctly and won, meaning he "stole" the correct answer to win. Clearly greed and deception are related. 

And then I found myself asking this question: Are boys just more prone to beg, borrow, or steal than girls? Let's go with "steal." According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, 94% of individuals sentenced for robbery recently were men, and the average age was 33. I do think that environmental factors contribute to the high figure, but I also think testosterone and genetics play a role. For instance, a close male friend of mine just happens to be the descendant of British pirates. Recently, he admitted to me that when he was in his twenties, he would "borrow cars," meaning he would break into them, start them up, drive them around town, and then leave them unharmed a few miles from where he had entered them. Although he was never arrested and charged with theft, he definitely entered someone else's property illegally (sans permission). This action he claimed fell into a "gray area." I disagreed. He had the earmarkings of a car jacker despite the fact that he didn't wind up selling the cars for parts. A rose by any other name is still a rose; albeit not quite full throttle, he is as much of a pirate as his ancestors. And get this. His biological brothers were cat burglars who also were never apprehended. I rest my case. Toss the coin. Heads, environment. Tails, genes. Genes it is. 

It comes down to this. Parents beware. Teach your children well, particularly if you have boys. Human nature tends to creep up on them more vehemently than it does on girls. Although some feel that girls are harder to raise than boys, in this case, I'd argue that the opposite is true. 

Just sayin'.

Remembering 9/11 with peace, hope, and love for all of those who sustained losses.

#blog, #blogger, #greed, #human nature, #genetics, #social commentary, #personal essay 

Ubiquitous Grunge

 

ubiquitous - adjective - ever present

grunge - noun - a style of rock music featuring raucous guitar and lazy vocal delivery. In fashion, it features loose clothing and ripped jeans. 

Sometimes I think I'm Oscar Wilde regenerated as I ascribe to his philosophy of Aestheticism: One should reflect art. Beauty should exist for the sake of beauty. Gosh, I'm dating myself by over a hundred years. If the actual Oscar were to come back to life for one day and attend a Broadway show where it is not unusual to see young audience members in shorts and flip flops, he would be astonished. 

The ubiquitous grunge that dominated fashion in the 1990s is still ubiquitous. It is said that Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander McQueen introduced grunge into the realm in the 1990s, and suddenly, "ugly" (baggy pants, dirty T's, ripped jeans and plaid flannel) became trendy. Groundbreaking (?). Yes, some thirty years ago, grunge entered stage left. And suddenly, anything remotely attractive, melodic, inspiring artistically exited stage right. 

Grunge was and is all about tasteless dressing down. Tasteful dressing up takes effort. Growing up, Gen X and Millennials received trophies for zero effort. Why wouldn't their clothes reflect their lackadaisical state of mind? Much to my dismay, because Gen X is now just the right age to stand on center stage and command the spotlight, the comfort and ease of ugliness and/or mediocrity will stick around for awhile. Millennials don't seem to have a problem with it,  probably because they were old enough to participate in the movement to an extent. (Remember Gothic? I do.) 

Personally, I am hoping the kids of Gen Alpha will push out ubiquitous grunge in their own journey to the center if only as a form of rebellion. Sadly, I may be dead by the time genuine beauty and stunning, artistic excellence make a comeback, and I pray that AI has nothing to do with it. Perhaps in thirty years, a futuristic version of Jessica Daves will stumble upon an antique suitcase in the last remaining Victorian home and open it to uncover a copy of Vogue from the 1950s. She'll want to share it with fashion designers and poof! The effort of elegance will be in style again.

As for music, I am still seeing young folks playing in jazz bands and genuinely enjoying the melodies known to occupy the American Songbook. A short while ago, I actually met a twenty-three-year-old male who told me just how much he loves Sinatra. So there is hope that quality will make a comeback. 

Okay. I'm allowed to dream. Aren't I? 

"Never, never, never give up." 

Thanks, Winston. 

#social commentary, #blog, #blogger, #personal essay, #writer , #grunge, #art, #fashion