A Penny for Your Thoughts

I picked up Susan Jacoby's book, The Age of American Unreason, for a pence, and so far that's about how much I think this book is worth. Jacoby tries (so far in vain) to describe the anti-intellectualism that has grown out of all proportion in America. She starts by chastising politicians for the use of "folks," which she sees as a dumbing down of the electorate. She claims this term was rarely if ever used before Reagan in addressing the people of the United States, but since 1980 has become a favorite term. Surprisingly, she does make an effort to equate folk with German "volk," which Hitler used widely. Instead, she takes the tone of a schoolmarm in questioning other terms, such as "troop," which is now used widely in the place of "soldier."

But, her biggest peave is the refusal to accept evolution and other scientific theories by a large cross-section of Americans, which she blames on the rise of "Fundamentalism" in America. She cites the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, where Clarence Darrow may have won the battle, but William Jennings Bryan won the war, as states continue to make it difficult to teach evolution in the classroom, and several states have tried to introduce "intelligent design" as an alternate "theory." She says this refusal to accept basic scientific theories puts us behind the learning curve of other developed countries and impedes our ability as a nation to come to terms with the technological society we live in.

But, scientists themselves can be held to blame, as Randy Olson engagingly pointed out in Flock of Dodos. They haven't made much effort to make science accessible to a broader cross section of the country. Alan Alda has made it his task to push scientists to cut out the jargon and find better ways of explaining complex theories and processes so that a greater percentage of Americans can understand them. Scientists could take a few pointers from Larry Gonick.

Jacoby fails to mention that many of those who do accept Darwin's theory of natural selection do so largely on faith, as few have made the effort to read his seminal The Origin of Species, much less the other more accessible books that have been published over the years on Evolution. Science has become an increasingly complex subject that has broken off into a myriad of disciplines. It is a far cry from the study of Naturalism prevalent during Darwin's day. We marvel at the breakthroughs, often viewing them as miracles because it simply takes too much effort to understand them.

Instead, Jacoby vents her anger on religion, claiming it has stultified the American mind and made society increasingly crass and unreasonable. She also doesn't have very much positive to say about the media, which has played into debates like the evolution v. intelligent design debate in an effort to create stories rather than provide necessary background information. I guess it depends largely on what you watch.

O Pioneers!

It is hard not to think of Nebraska without thinking of its greatest writer. Here is a marvelous piece by Capote, Remembering Willa Cather . I remember seeing a stage production of O Pioneers! and being deeply moved by its raw emotions. I had read My Antonia before, and soon found myself hooked, like Capote was by the simple elegance of her prose and the way she was able to evoke so many feelings through her characters. Much of it came from the fact that she had lived those experiences herself. Her father dragged the family from Virginia to Nebraska in 1883, when it was still a young state, settling in the town of Red Cloud. named after one of the great Oglala chiefs. Red Cloud was still alive at the time, living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, in the aftermath of the "Great Sioux Wars" of 1876-77. I don't know whether Cather took any interest in the famous chief, although it is hard to imagine not. Upon his death in 1909, he was eulogi

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Welcome to this month's reading group selection. David Von Drehle mentions The Melting Pot , a play by Israel Zangwill, that premiered on Broadway in 1908. At that time theater was accessible to a broad section of the public, not the exclusive domain it has become over the decades. Zangwill carried a hopeful message that America was a place where old hatreds and prejudices were pointless, and that in this new country immigrants would find a more open society. I suppose the reference was more an ironic one for Von Drehle, as he notes the racial and ethnic hatreds were on display everywhere, and at best Zangwill's play helped persons forget for a moment how deep these divides ran. Nevertheless, "the melting pot" made its way into the American lexicon, even if New York could best be describing as a boiling cauldron in the early twentieth century. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America takes a broad view of events that led up the notorious fire, noting the gro

Colonel

Now with Colonel Roosevelt , the magnum opus is complete. And it deserves to stand as the definitive study of its restless, mutable, ever-boyish, erudite and tirelessly energetic subject. Mr. Morris has addressed the toughest and most frustrating part of Roosevelt’s life with the same care and precision that he brought to the two earlier installments. And if this story of a lifetime is his own life’s work, he has reason to be immensely proud. -- Janet Maslin -- NY Times . Let the discussion begin!

Dispatches from Vilnius

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