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Joined: Aug 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
It seems that New York City is recovering its negatives, as well as its postitives. Extracted from the recent Chicago newspaper, whose link will soon expire.
New York Literati are Back to Normal, Dissing Us as Clods
Think of it as a sign of recovery -- a return to normalcy. New York intellectuals were back to their old, arrogant ways last week, dismissing Chicago and the rest of the nation as "the provinces" and characterizing citywide reading programs as a literary form of fast food. "They basically called us hicks," said Christine Rodrick, the assistant press secretary of the Chicago Public Library, which sponsored a highly successful reading initiative last year centered on Harper Lee's classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird."
The literary pronunciamentos came as New York was trying to catch up with Chicago and other cities. Not surprisingly, a variety of [New York] luminaries said the fuss wasn't worth all the trouble, especially for such cosmopolites as New Yorkers. The carpers included:
--Ann Douglas, author of "The Feminization of the American Culture," who said: "Chicago is different. The New Yorker disdains to be a booster, of his own city or of his own culture. That is for the provinces. As far as reading goes, we are the most important group of readers and critics in the world. I would prefer to let us go on our merry way as we have for the last hundred years, deciding what everyone else should read."
--Harold Bloom, who opined: "I don't like these mass reading bees. . . . It is rather like the idea that we are all going to pop out and eat Chicken McNuggets or something else horrid at once."
--Phillip Lopate, who said: "It's a little like a science fiction plot -- `Invasion of the Body Snatchers' or something."
Such haughty judgments didn't sit well with the primitives out in the hinterland. In Chicago, Jordan Miller acknowledged that he was peeved, while Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey counted herself amused.
"What is their problem?" Miller asked. "I was appalled by it. It's so silly. If you have to plump up your own importance by denigrating other people in this pointless, infantile way, then you must be feeling pretty insecure about yourself." And Dempsey wasn't averse to needling the New Yorkers back: "New York is the center of publishing in the United States, and it would make sense that they do a program. And it's nice to know that they think the `provinces' did such a good job that they want to do it themselves."
Even in New York, there were those who were embarrassed by the condescending remarks. "Don't these guys know what's going on?" asked Fern Jaffe, a member of New York's selection committee. ... "We are the most provincial city in the world."
Douglas was less than apologetic... She said, "It was a fun but intellectually irresponsible thing to do. I regretted it only because [with the city seeking federal aid to rebuild after the World Trade Center attacks] this is not a time for New York to be advertising its arrogant side." ... Besides, she added, "To me, it's a sign of the healthy state of America that cities should be freely insulting each other."
Gotta love them thar New Yorkers! [hic]
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
In the spirit of our Aussie/Kiwi rivalries, let me point out my home town's lead role in the matter that has New Yorkers so in a snit:
The concept of inviting all the residents of a city to read the same book was the brainchild of the Seattle Public Library, later adopted by Buffalo [Hi, Angel!] and Rochester, N.Y. But Chicago's initiative brought national and international attention to the concept. As follow-up to [last year's] "To Kill a Mockingbird," the city's shared book will be Elie Wiesel's "Night."
"Everybody's using Chicago as a role model," said Tom Jacoby, executive director of Philadelphia Reads ... Los Angeles has chosen Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" The California Council for the Humanities is asking Californians to read "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck this summer. Milwaukee has chosen "Snow Falling on Cedars," by David Guterson. In Florida, Palm Beach County is reading "Fahrenheit 451." And many cities, including Cleveland, Colorado Springs and Valparaiso, Ind., will follow Chicago's lead with "Mockingbird."
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 322
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 322 |
Not sure who said this, but it makes me wonder why there's such a rivalry:
"I think that's how Chicago got started. A bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.'"
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 96
journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Jan 2001
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".....return to a state of normalcy....."
is normalcy even a word ? sould it not be "normality"?
the Duncster
the Duncster
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Joined: Aug 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
Yep, normalcy is a word -- dr. bill subtly teased us on this a while back -- typically used in the phrase "return to normalcy". Perhaps confined to us USn's, though. The word's interesting origin is told in the link dr. bill provided. http://wordsmith.org/board/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=weeklythemes&Number=56911
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