The Odyssey

I have read the book (the Fagles translation). I have not seen the film. The reason for the latter is an increasing disinterest. I’ll see it eventually; I’m just not in a big hurry.

Part of the thing that has contributed to my increasing indifference is all the controversy and silliness surrounding the film. This is admittedly unfair of me. The rightwing (“conservative”?) trolls bellyaching about the film being “woke” and “historically inaccurate” are mind-numbing.

The trolls are few in number. They are representative of nothing. The box office has spoken for itself; people love the film and are not upset by Helen being portrayed by an African woman (who was born in Mexico). Now I am to understand that some people are doubting the box office receipts and suspect Universal Pictures is buying up tickets to inflate sales. 🙄

Again, this is not representative of anything. Disappointment in Nolan’s casting Lupita Nyong’o as Helen assumes some people possess a grasp of Homer’s artistic intent. As something I said to a friend recently: “The number of people on Planet Earth who are familiar with Homer’s artistic intentions is zero.” Translator Emily Watson says the concept of pursuing a “real Homer” is “historically nonsense.”

And this brings me to another point: I intensely dislike filmmakers. I guess it’s a prejudice. But where racists do not have legitimate reasons for their bigotry, I have very specific reasons for holding filmmakers in disfavor. And one is when they interpret books, the assumption is “I’ve got this.” Nolan did not bring scholars and translators (namely, Emily Watson) into the project and consult them.

Watson is very kind about the film. She says it’s “a good time at the movies.” But she has a number of criticisms that Nolan could have easily improved in his film.

Homer was writing in the 700s BC. When he did so, he was rendering into text stories that had existed as oral tradition for five hundred years. So, we’re talking about events—if indeed they happened—that occurred in 1200 BC. And people want to argue about historical accuracy?? This is not a film about the Civil War. Our knowledge of the world in that area at that time is pretty thin—closer to nonexistent.

Did the Trojan Wars take place? No one knows. Significant archaeological digs have taken place in the area of Turkey where archaeologists think Troy was (in the west). Some spears and shields have been found. Is this evidence? Nope. It is not.

People are talking, and they seem excited about a work of ancient poetry. I think this is truly great. Folks are talking about Homer! This is astounding. But it does not make people scholars of Greek antiquity.

Philosophy Joke

I love this:

https://youtube.com/shorts/iYtm0SBKf8w?si=-o212zpH049QfFXk

Team Nyong'o

 

Universal Healthcare

 

I am always negotiating the American healthcare system. It is infuriating. Now I am helping Leah with medical issues, trying to get her into a cardiologist. I called Northwestern in Chicago. First available: January.

Americans get angry about gas prices, but not this. That’s like obsessing over a leaky faucet while a tornado hits your house.

Ten points about universal healthcare:

1. Universal healthcare systems commonly do make you wait in some non-emergency situations. Oh … and where they also make you wait is called the United States.

2. An MRI in the US costs around $1,200. In Japan it costs $95. And chances are your MRI machine was made in Japan (or Germany).

3. Universal healthcare is not socialism. Children riding the bus to school is socialism? Nope. Germany and France (and a long list of countries that have universal healthcare—see point 5) are market economies. Are Medicare and the VA socialism?

4. Government is inefficient? One of the contributing factors to healthcare costing the United States 19 percent of GDP is corporate inefficiency. The United States has a GDP of $20 trillion. France has a GDP of around $3 trillion and spends about 11 percent of GDP on healthcare. As for corporate efficiency, called customer service lately?

5. These countries have universal healthcare: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and the UK.

6. Canadians love their healthcare; approval among Canadians is well into the 80s. Do a few come here? Yes, many for cosmetic purposes.

7. According to a Yale study, universal healthcare would annually save $450 billion and prevent nearly 70,000 deaths a year.

8. We are not broke. We have a Treasury Department and the world’s largest economy (see point 4). I don’t feel like explaining this one. It’s stupid with two O’s.

9. Universal healthcare has mainstream support. According to Pew: “Most Americans (66 percent) say the federal government has a responsibility to make sure all Americans have health care coverage.”

10. Number of Americans who declare bankruptcy a year due to medical bills: 700,000. Number of people in Germany and Japan who declare bankruptcy a year due to medical bills: zero.

PHOTO: The Greek god of medicine Asclepius and his ... um, rod.

Cemeteries

“They’re a waste of real estate.” How many times have you heard people say this? I’ve heard it quite a few times.

I cannot recall if I have written about this in the past, so I apologize if this is a repeat.

What’s curious about the comment made by the coldly practical is the fact that it never includes other uses of real estate. It just focuses on cemeteries for some reason.

The sober and sensible people who make this comment never—ever—include golf courses, shopping malls, car dealerships, and McDonalds (which owns 50,000 acres). Why do these never get mentioned as wastes of real estate? Why is it where we bury our dead gets chalked up as a waste?

Humans were burying their dead over 100,000 years ago. We have talked to our dead, made sacrifices to them, dug up their remains and placed their skulls on display. After the Agricultural Revolution (12,000 years ago) began the process of viewing these spirits as gods, resulting in the broadly held view that there exists a singular deity.

Many love to announce that the oldest profession in the world is prostitution. (When you hear something reflexively blurted out like that, it’s usually wrong. Statements about the Middle East, the Bible, Adolf Hitler—they’re commonly inaccurate.) At any rate, prostitution is probably not the oldest profession in the world; the oldest profession in the world is likely a witch doctor. This shaman’s job was to make contact with the spirit world, which is where it was assumed we all went when we died.

So, honoring the dead, talking to the dead, and visiting the dead is part of who we are. It lies at the center of human cultural life. And I’m not even sure it’s cultural; we might just do it naturally.

Cemeteries have poetic value. They are meditative spaces. They are reflective. They are calming. They are places for quiet contemplation.

As for those who dismiss cemeteries as a “waste of real estate,” maybe they just don’t know enough people who permanently reside in them. I suspect that once enough time passes, they will change their tune.

Luxury has a funny way of producing ugliness in people.

…

PHOTO: I took this photo about 25 years ago. It is where my brother, Jason, is buried. I have sat there many times, thinking about him, crying, and in the past having a cigarette (or two) with him. We consumed and poured whiskey on the ground for his twenty-first birthday. (This is all a waste?)

His dates are May 23, 1974 – Feb., 4 1995

On his headstone is a prayer by W. E. B. Du Bois:

Lord of the springtime, Father of flower, field and fruit, smile on us in these earnest days when the work is heavy and the toil wearisome; lift up our hearts, O God, to the things worthwhile-sunshine and night, the dripping rain, the song of the birds, books and music, and the voices of our friends. Lift up our hearts to these this night and grant us Thy peace. Amen.

Three Dog Night

I have made my thoughts clear on rock-n-roll. At age 54, I find it tiresome and sometimes comical. It is an art form that has lost the 20-somethings and many of the 30-somethings. It is kaput. Don’t get me wrong, it had a good run. From Fats Domino to Radiohead? Extraordinary. But now, the image of a bunch of middle-aged folks—or seniors—rockin’ out? It’s become an occasion for sadness, if not hilarity. When classic-rock FM finally disappears, the world will be a better place.

That said, I occasionally post something from the world of the rock-n-roll. And I would like to do that again here. The American band Three Dog Night in 1974 released an album entitled Hard Labor. It’s a wonderful collection of songs.

The cover art both weirded me out and fascinated me when I was a kid. (Those feet! That creepy mask!) At the time (1982?) there was a huge Band-Aid graphic covering the “birth” of the warped record. At the time of release, the cover was actually deemed controversial, and the album came in a manila sleeve obscuring most of the cover art.

My favorite tracks are “I’d Be So Happy” and “Play Something Sweet.” But the rest of the album is also a joy.

Forget about what you usually listen to and give this a try. Good stuff. It might just put a smile on your face.

Problem