Sports Metaphor

Nate Longshore prepares to pass -- Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
Have always been sort of amused by how grown men still daydream; they often fantasize about physical endowments and superhuman qualities (e.g. Superman, Iron Man). Tony Stark as Iron Man is particularly intriguing -- he’s an ordinary man who acquires super powers when he dons an iron suit. Grown men have to admit (however reluctantly, deep down in their souls) that there is no Batman, Superman or Iron Man. The fantasy is replaced by a worship of sports heroes -- virile, agile, he-men who exemplify bravery, certitude and quick thinking.

I would venture to say that America’s top sports are football, basketball and baseball. Whenever there is a playoff game, America virtually comes to halt as fans glue themselves to a TV somewhere, anywhere to get the latest score. Draft picks, coaching choices and plays are endlessly discussed in bars and barber chairs across the nation. People like me, who don’t follow sports, may find themselves on the outside looking in.

What strikes me about the “everyman” hero worship is that in point of fact sports heroes are very atypical men. The average height and weight of an NFL linebacker is 6’3” and 290 pounds. A full back is comparatively svelte at an average 6’2” and 240 pounds. The average NBA basketball player is 6’7” in height -- hardly a general height standard. Baseball players don’t reach such extremes although competitive pressure has compelled many of them to artificially strengthen their arms with steroids. What exactly are we celebrating here? These physical extremes are no sign of character -- they are primarily inherited traits that are exploited as sports-worthy by coaches and parents.

Is athletic skill acquired or is it innate? I maintain that a pro athlete “acquires” his skill about the same way that a dolphin learns to swim or a horse learns to run. I think it’s a great likelihood that all the eye-hand coordination and flexibility involved is very innate -- not something that’s given by any coach, practice session or parent (in any way other than parental contribution of DNA). Winning streaks may indicate that a team is “on fire” or indicate nothing at all -- as when A beats B, B beats C and C beats A. Records are tenuous and it’s highly questionable what the ultimate significance is for this heavyweight championship or that football trophy while it’s held, much less after it’s toppled.

Finally, athletic prowess isn’t any predictor of character or moral strength -- think just briefly about the many heroes brought down by gambling, drugs, steroids, marital infidelity and even murder charges. I personally don’t need a sports hero of any sort, least of all a felon. I admire strength of character and bravery but I think it can show up in a young woman who writes incendiary poetry or an 85 year old man who stands his legal ground against City Hall. Strength that matters is in the spinal chord and not the forearm; an ox or a gorilla can show us tendon muscle anytime.

I shouldn't discount bravery or all physicality -- we'd be in a bad way without the brave soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are genuine heroes and even sometimes the "Iron Man" who has great character as well as iron abs. Guess I'm wishing that sports adulation was less cult-like, but that's asking an awful lot. I'll even watch a game here and there myself -- I can't escape from the sports mania that surrounds me. But I doubt that I'll ever be profiled on 60 Minutes as the "ultimate Cowboy Fan" -- life is too short for that.

© 2010 blogSpotter

Remembering the Dream Machine

1956 DeSoto Firedome -- Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter

Let me preface this by saying that I love cars from a standpoint of style and culture -- I have absolutely no mechanical knowledge of cars. I know zip about pistons or transmissions. Nevertheless, some of these observations still stand. Pictured above is a 1956 DeSoto Firedome, one of the finest-looking cars ever made in my view. You could get it with A/C and power windows; it also came in 55 color combinations. The sweeping sheet metal, size and stature made the car almost have the eminence of a sculpture or a work of art.

The 1960’s brought a lot of heightened awareness about safety, ecology, fuel efficiency and such. Much of the critique was justified. In fact by the late 60’s and early 70’s we had rallied to the cause with better designed cars that still had style to spare (e.g., Ford LTD and Pontiac Grand Prix).

What happened after that is hard to describe, and differs from your vantage point. Stylistically we started making pimp-mobiles throughout the 1970’s -- ghastly creations with faux Rolls Royce grills and opera windows. We became status-aware and quality ignorant. Cars made it to show rooms with loose molding, runny paint jobs and engines poorly assembled. You’d like to say it was the low point but maybe not.

In the 1980’s we transitioned to square-looking Fairmonts and K cars -- then to jelly bean creations like the 1986 Ford Taurus (copying Audi style but not necessarily quality or engineering) . From the 1990’s thru the current period, cars could aptly be described as “competent boxes”. We improved on quality out of absolute necessity -- Japan was kicking American butt. But the awe-inspiring beauty of a DeSoto never returned. Whether you’re looking at a boxy Ford SUV or a Nissan sedan, you’re looking at a pleasant square carton, blandly painted in a 21st century non-color -- black, white, silver, gray or gold if you want to be daring.

Now it appears with Toyota’s recent recalls, that Japan may have taken exactly the wrong page out of the American auto experience. They've made a sacrifice of quality for sales volume, and still never displayed the pulse or the energy that once made cars (sold or built in America) so great as American cars in the Golden Era. Europe and Asia never glommed on to American style, but at least they inspired us with quality. Let’s hope that someday the twin virtues of beauty and reliability come back to us. It can be as a Dodge or a Toyota as long as it actually is.

If you look at where we're headed, the prospect is dimming for the 50's Dream Machine experience. Mass transit is coming more and more popular and that brings the impersonal presence of light rail cars. Bitsy smart cars and tiny hybrids are also becoming more le mode. It's not at all hard to envision a future where cars are autopiloted and don't even come with a steering wheel. In days to come (admittedly safer and less polluting days) we may fondly look back to a time when we actually commanded our own travel machines, and damn pretty machines they were.

CATCHING UP ON OTHER TOPICS ...

I’m a little behind again on my blogging, so will catch up on a few topics here at the close. All of these merit more than a catch-up sentence, but we do what we can do.

Aloha, Macbook -- When I updated my 2008 MacBook to Snow Leopard OS last October, I thought I was doing a good thing. I’ve been an early adaptor before, and never been bitten like this. The Airport function quit working and I lost my wireless internet connection. Mind you, everything else in my house using wi-fi continues to work fine -- two HP’s, an old mac mini as well as my iPod Touch. I searched the support groups to see an answer to “Invalid IP address” or “Self-assigned IP address”. I got a lot of bum feedback about needing a new router. I have a fairly new 2Wire router and I’m disinclined to throw it out because of one device upgrade gone bad. Hate to say, but after 6 weeks of messing with it I’ve boxed up the MacBook -- life is too short. It was a toy, more than anything else so it won’t be missed a great deal. It will go the way of eBay or be a donation to a relative.

I am Conando! -- I’m very sorry to see the big brouhaha with Conan, Leno and NBC. Sorry to see Conan leave; I knew that his conceptual humor might be a hard sell for early evening, general audiences. He may very well go to FOX (home of The Simpsons and The Cleveland Show), so he should be able to cut loose and really be NC-17 Conan again.

Scott Brown and Massachusetts -- Have to agree with Froma Harrop on this one. Brown’s election is not so much an indictment of Obama or an over-reaching Congress. It is indicative that these New England voters, who already have state health care, were afraid that they’d be double-charged on national health care. Congress should still carry on as they were, and try to hatch out a program for the rest of the nation. I do think that Obama has exhibited a weak, overly cautious leaderhip style that has been off-putting to many of his original supporters. Won't be surprised myself if he's a one-term President.

Samsung no longer the blues -- I was able to get the wireless “dongle” (suppress urge to giggle) even though it’s in short supply -- Samsung didn’t even have it at their warehouse. Best Buy did have a new shipment. I put one on hold and bought it. Have to say that Blockbuster and Pandora are great -- they will give Apple some competition and maybe merit another blog.

OK, all caught up! This is what happens when weather and work take me away from blogging.

© 2010 blogSpotter

The Big Lewinsky

What blue dress? -- Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
I was a naïve 40 year old Democrat in 1997, when the first whispers of “Monicagate” hit the political airwaves. There was a lot of rumor and innuendo, but no proof that President Bill Clinton, serving his 2nd term, was having an affair with anyone at all. I was a Clinton supporter, and couldn’t imagine that the rumors had any credibility. Clinton was already confronting the Paula Jones accusations; in a Jones deposition he denied any rumors about the 22 year old intern, Monica Lewinski. That Clinton was willing to settle out of court with Paula for $850,000 should’ve clued me in. That’s a nice chunk of change even for a sitting president and ex-lawyer. To friends and anyone who would listen I’d say, “These accusations are ridiculous! There are cameras and people all around!”. I figured that Paula was just a gold-digger. And diehard Clinton-haters were behind Monica rumors and all the rest of it.

I was surprised and concerned when the Drudge report broke the story on January 17, 1998. Everyone in my Supply Chain class huddled around the TV in the lounge that afternoon, as the story played out on CNN. This was only Day One, and already the snarky jokes had begun. It seems that Monica Lewinsky, a college intern from an affluent California family, had “inappropriate relations” with Clinton from 1995 thru 1996. Lewinsky’s superiors, well aware of the situation, decided to place her at the Pentagon – well away from the President. There, the love-struck girl became friends with the (still) serpentine, evil Linda Tripp – a motherly, middle-aged confidante with book royalties and political intrigue coiled up in her heart. Lewinsky confessed all to Tripp, who dutifully recorded the conversations and handed them over to Ken Starr, the Independent Counsel investigating Paula Jones. Starr gave Lewinsky “transactional immunity” if she would spill the beans on Clinton. Very reluctantly, Monica did just that – otherwise she could’ve been prosecuted for perjury. She even turned over the infamous “blue dress” (kept at Tripp’s suggestion) to help seal the deal.

The blue dress became the watershed evidence – no longer was there any he-said-she-said. Clinton had to come clean (so to speak) and at the very least admit an “improper relationship”. The rabid Republicans in both houses of Congress were champing at the bit for any reason to take the rascally, popular president down. Imagine their delight when it looked like there was just cause. The House voted to issue Articles of Impeachment, and a 21-day trial ensued in the Senate. Clinton was acquitted of all charges and remained in office. His Arkansas law license was suspended from his earlier false testimony to Starr, but that was his only punitive consequence.

AFTERMATH OF A SCANDAL

Monicagate very nearly became the orbital center of our pop culture for the two years that it played out. Moralists decried the fall of American values. Comedians mined it heavily for a mother lode of jokes which produces gems to this day. Middle aged matrons wagged fingers at Monica – “That filthy tramp!” – without pausing to think that the 50-something Leader of the Free World might have had some control over his own situation. Tripp was easily vilified as the ultimate betrayer and portrayed by John Goodman on SNL. Republicans used Monicagate for “Holier Than Thou” posturing until Larry Flynt came calling, bringing down GOP Congressman Robert Livingston, aspiring Speaker of the House, as the sacrifice that comes of hypocrisy. The scandal produced catch-phrases that resonate to this day:

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”
“This vast right-wing conspiracy has been conspiring against my husband since he announced for Predident…”
“It depends on what the definition of the word is is”.

Clinton later attributed his indiscretions to stress and pressure. “I cracked, I just cracked”. He since has rebounded admirably as political operative and husband to Hillary who herself has soared as NY Senator and then Secretary of State under Obama. As for Monica, she had a short-lived stint as a C-List celeb after Monicagate, publishing a bio, and attempting a purse line. She has since finished a Masters degree in Psychology from the London School of Economics and otherwise keeps a low profile, away from the glare of publicity. If she never does another noteworthy thing, her contribution to our historical and cultural lore will be inestimable.

ADDENDUM (Feb. 13, 2010)
I'd me remiss not to mention a possibly huge consequence of Monicagate -- the Year 2000 Election. In that election, Al Gore distanced himself from Clinton; Gore even nominated a Democrat running mate, Joe Leiberman, whose main claim to fame was voting to impeach Clinton. Gore ran a pallid, poor campaign by most measures and he delibrately refused any Clinton coat tails because of the "moral turpitude" involved. Clinton made note of this and said he pesonally could've delivered two states to Gore if he'd been allowed on the campaign trail. When one considers the awful travesty of the two W. Bush terms that followed, the seemingly shallow sexual antics of Monicagate had huge consequences indeed.

© 2010 blogSpotter