Comments on: More Van Gogh

By: MikeH

MikeH — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 16:48:50 +0000

I think the main reason that the Hollywoodista’s aren’t very quick to condemn the islamo-fascists is simple fear. They know if they criticize the US Government, in the often bellicose ways that they do, it is not likely anyone will actually get around to stomping on them – regardless of their rants of “censorship” and “climate of fear.” However, if you criticize the islamo-fascists, like Mr. Van Gogh did, there is a real possibility that some jihadist might actually come for you. There’s a reason why Rushdie has to keep a low profile. For all their bluster, the hollywoodista’s are not about real courage. Look to our men and women in the service of their country for that.

By: rastajenk

rastajenk — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 12:33:23 +0000

Killing a big rat running around your apartment is a metaphor, or a mental-image-maker, that just doesn’t register with me, I’m quite happy to say. Even when I was a poor college student, I was able to avoid said living arrangements.

The Starbucks references continue to amaze and confuse me. I know it’s a frequent target of the anti-globies, and it gets lumped in with McDougal’s as icons of western civilization and its hegemony, but man, every time I go to one (and I go frequently, I’m a sucka for overly-priced lattes), it’s inhabited by nothing but limo libs and people wearing the uniforms of the counterculture; not to mention the pierced and tattooed young clones that work there. I guess it follows Dennis Prager’s suggestion that liberals see the world as haves vs. have-nots, and that once a have-not becomes a successful have, it can become a target, regardless of the method of success (see: Condi Rice.)

But then how does that explain Hollywood?

By: HA

HA — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 11:02:37 +0000

Roger,

Don’t discount the factor that empathy with the killer may play in this. Just as many Hollywood leftists empathize with Palestinian terrorists, they may empathize with Van Gogh’s killer.

In the leftist view, Arabs/Muslims are marginalized and oppressed in the dominant racist, xenophobic, Islamaphobic, white, Christian European society. This is the “root cause” of Islamic terrorism in their view. Van Gogh is a may be a victim, but so was his killer. And maybe Van Gogh brought it on himself.

By: Lola

Lola — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 10:31:42 +0000

Kyda Sylvester

In his acceptance speech at the Oscars, Adrien Brody said that if working on The Pianist had taught him anything at all it was that war is never the answer (it was 2003 and the invasion of Iraq was soon to begin).

Gee. Whiz. I guess it’s never occured to him that had the war continued, he might very well not be alive to make this movie for which he won the Oscar. It’s truly amazing how short-sighted people who are thought to be intelligent can be.

By: greeneyeshade

greeneyeshade — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 07:33:04 +0000

for what it’s worth, wallace shawn (you did get his name right, kevin p) is the son of william shawn, the new yorker editor who printed works like ‘the greening of america’ and ‘the fate of the earth’ (remember?) that was an apple that didn’t fall far from the tree. wally did a good job as the voice of the dinosaur in the ‘toy story’ movies, though.

By: ahem

ahem — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 03:26:54 +0000

Oh, come on, don’t be too hard on Wallace Shawn! He was so good in ‘The Princess Bride”.

And, beside, his endorsement of Kerry is worth its weight in gold:

“…for me it’s humiliating to vote for Kerry, because I don’t respect him; but I would — I will — it’s unpleasant, it’s like killing a big rat that is running around your apartment. It must be done. But you’re not proud of it. But you have to do it. So, we have to tell other people, I think, that, you know, we didn’t approve.”

(Interview with Democracy Now!, October 21, 2004)

By: Kyda Sylvester

Kyda Sylvester — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 02:47:52 +0000

In his acceptance speech at the Oscars, Adrien Brody said that if working on The Pianist had taught him anything at all it was that war is never the answer (it was 2003 and the invasion of Iraq was soon to begin). The Pianist, based on a true story, is about a Polish Jew whose family perishes in the death camps and who survives the war (barely) by hiding in the rubble of Warsaw after escaping from a labor camp. But war is never the answer. Mr. Brody, by virtue of his performance and his acceptance speech, demonstrates that being sublimely talented is perfectly compatible with being as dumb as a stump. Hollywood in a nutshell.

By: Roberts

Roberts — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 02:45:55 +0000

Not only is Pat Sajak of the "Wheel of Fortune" fame, but he also used to be director or President if memory serves of the Claremont Institute where he is still on the board of advisors. He's a more thoughtful person than most might expect.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 00:58:13 +0000

Human beings seem to have a need to believe in something greater than themselves. For some people, it is called religion, while for others it is a secular world-view. They then view everything that happens through the prism of this world-view, while conveniently ignoring facts that don’t fit into the template. Getting people to confront facts that would necessitate a new or modified world view is often next to impossible.

Another part of the problem is that the truth is too terrible for some people to face. By this calculation: (1) You can be safe, fat and happy while ignoring the world; or (2) you can confront that which is terrible and suffer pain and risk of injury or death. Many of the celebrity left appear to prefer option 1, while ridiculing those (e.g., Pat Tillman) who choose option 2.

By: goldsmith

goldsmith — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 23:39:01 +0000

Is this the “Wheel of Fortune” Pat Sajak?