David Foster Wallace’s autopsy has been released. He apparently left a suicide note.
Author Archives: Tin Man
Write to Marry Day
Today is Write to Marry Day.
I’ve already written about Prop 8 in California, and how important it is for Californians to vote “No” in order to protect the right of same-sex couples to get married.
Two big fears of the anti-marriage crowd right now appear to be that (1) same-sex marriage violates freedom of religion, and (2) teachers will be required to teach little kids about gay people.
Regarding the point about freedom of religion: Andy convincingly shows why this argument is wrong.
I would add that religious groups in this country have always had to deal with secular laws that might discriminate against them. This is not a new thing. “[R]eligious entities have no right under the First Amendment’s Religion Clauses to avoid neutral, generally-applicable anti-discrimination laws,” according to this commentary. These things have a way of being worked out in courts and legislatures. Yes, a religious organization might be sued, but the threat of a lawsuit in and of itself does not mean that your rights are being denied.
Regarding the second point, about children: I will never understand the fears about children being exposed to the concept of homosexuality. When little kids learn about Prince Charming and Cinderella, do they hop into bed and start fucking each other? No. Do Disney movies or fairy tales about couples living “happily ever after” teach them about penises and vaginas? No.
Anyway, kids tend to be curious about penises and vaginas on their own, since every kid has one or the other. Kids want to know about their equipment. It’s the parents who are afraid to talk about it.
Certain ignorant people think that homosexuality is contagious. That’s ridiculous. I didn’t “learn to be gay” from gay people. I didn’t even know any gay people growing up. Almost every gay person grows up with straight parents and is surrounded by straight couples, and yet still turns out to be gay.
Why don’t they look at the Massachusetts education system and see what’s happening there, instead of just tossing around fear and hysteria?
Aw, enough. I’m preaching to the choir. Just get out and vote “No” on Prop 8 on Tuesday if you’re a Californian, and donate money if you haven’t already, whether you’re a Californian or not.
John Adams
Over the weekend I finished watching John Adams, the seven-part HBO miniseries that won a ton of Emmys this year (and got nominated for several more). The big networks never show anything like this anymore; when was the last time a major network (ABC, CBS, NBC) showed even a single two-hour made-for-TV movie? Thank goodness for HBO.
If you’re an American history buff, you’ll love this. Because it’s about eight hours long, the series takes its time with John Adams’s life, lingering over his time in Paris and Amsterdam and London as well as in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington. The amount of period detail is wonderful — you can smell and taste the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Dirt, sweat, smallpox, scratchy colonial wigs. The Founders seem so elegant and elite to us, but we live in luxury compared to them. Imagine having to take a break from writing the Constitution to go use the outhouse. Imagine having to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe when you’ve spent your whole life in the northeastern American colonies, and being completely cut off from your family. (I read a biography of Adams last year, and that was the idea that amazed me most.)
Paul Giamatti and (especially) Laura Linney, as John and Abigail Adams, are terrific. We watch them grow old together (and sometimes apart).
During the episode where the Continental Congress debates whether or not declare independence, Matt asked me when they would start singing.
Okay, maybe I made that part up.
Anyway, this is a great series and I highly recommend it.