Recessional, David Mamet, author; Jim Frangione, narrator
Mamet has written a very readable and interesting series of essays on our society today. I am quite sure that some will really dislike this book and not even read it because it surely swings far to the right. From the very beginning, the reader is aware of the author’s political leanings which may cause them to dismiss the meaningful content of his writing simply because of their political leaning which is opposite his. Often the left is unable to be open to other points of view and prefers to ignore or completely shut them down. Hopefully, now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter, their politics and left wing “wokeism” that has turned them into snowflakes who need safe spaces, will be tempered, and as the woke flee to a different venue, perhaps reality and diverse opinions, as well as people, will become popular again.
Some readers may not be familiar with Mamet’s background, or the places and stories he cites, which will leave them adrift, at times. On the positive side, although they won’t like his politics at all, since the worm may be turning, his ideas may be embraced by some and not dismissed by all. It would be good if we could all begin to have conversations again, without one side canceling out the other for frivolous and immature reasons.
The book is short and speaks to what is on the minds of many of us, even if some of what he writes pushes the envelope a bit. His Jewish background is front and center as he often quotes from their books, their culture, their rich and famous, their witticisms and their admonitions. He attacks every aspect of our current life, and he gives it a point of view that comes from that Jewish background with its related concerns, as well as from the history of his business experience.
Education, immigration, socialism, racism, bigotry and more are explored with a light wit and carefree mood, even when the subject is serious. He will make you go aha or hmmm, asking yourself if he is sure he wants to go there? His ideas about King Kong are a bit unusual, as he relates the movie to sex and race. Although he often shreds the liberal point of view, he always makes fairly cogent arguments to back up his ideas. The critics of the book have chosen one or another trifling comment to trash it, seemingly to simply deny his voice, and are demanding a safe space because of the discomfort his remarks bring to them. How weak our future leaders have become. They are a far cry from “our greatest generation”. How ironic that they demand the very safe space they have been denying others. The diversity police, the author refers to, are demanding only some aspects of diversity, those of which they approve, and they are controlling the use of our English language, regarding pronouns and other words like mother, birth and female, and are stifling the creative extrapolation and exchange of ideas.
Mamet has expertly used the English language to his benefit, and it is a joy to read whether or not you agree with his precepts or those of others. He uses lyrics, quotes, books, documents and words from all sorts of references that the reader will surely recognize. In short, however, Mamet’s essays question health and disease, Sanger and Eugenics, indoctrination and insurrection, the ACLU and protests (riots?), the canceling of the speech of some and the redesign of education away from the 3 R’s in favor of turning out agitators rather than scholars, gender vs sex, allowing the weak to bully the strong instead of eliminating bullying once and for all, allowing riots and looting while disallowing protests against a government busy accusing others of its own sins, declaring war on a legally elected President with false accusations, the Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, Covid, lockdowns, the Jewish G-d and the Covenant, Socialism and Communism, earnings vs handouts, shareholders vs stakeholders, systemic racism vs social justice, the man without a country vs the man who gave his life for his country, equality vs equity, and every other imaginable topic worth considering but not always open to debate. He covers them all, and he covers them masterfully, if one will only stop and think before they judge the words and find them wanting. The left is allowing micro-aggressions to control policy and practice. We are descending into chaos. Mamet clearly paints that picture, and hopefully, it will force us to paint a prettier more inclusive one.