Back in 1968 I was "Clean for Gene."
Clean for Gene meant I had short hair and no beard. I attempted to have a general appearance that would not irritate people my parents' age, i.e. voters.
Eugene McCarthy was an anti-war politician running against Lyndon Johnson. I liked him. I did not want my appearance to cost him votes when I said something good about him or bad about the Vietnam War. I was only 18 but I had already figured out that the appearance and body language of political messengers dramatically affected their message. I wanted to look like a "good, normal, clean-cut guy." Some people said I had sold out to the establishment. It was a fair point.
I did not know Tony Farrell during our college years. After college he had big jobs in brand management at The Gap, The Sharper Image, and The Nature Company. His friends remind him that he handled the Trump Steaks account. He finished his career at the most demanding marketing venue, direct-to-consumer sales, i.e. infomercials.
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| Robbie the Robot and Tony Farrell at The Sharper Image |
Guest Post by Tony Farrell
When Peter and I were at Harvard College a half-century ago, there was a sullen cadre of classmates who sported Maoist enthusiasms; activist Red Diaper Babies whom later Woody Allen loved to mock. Their signature attribute was a deep humorlessness, and their ilk still walks among us. This is unfortunate because it is humor that may save us.
Today, the extremism of grim wokeness is disheartening (and not only because it gives free ammo to Republicans). Fortunately, Bill Maher’s “Cajones Awards” is so brilliantly funny and true that it may signal a corner has been turned on our way out of the bleak wilderness of correctness. Particularly gratifying is his recognition of Cornell’s no-nonsense president; Cornell the university that suffered an armed student takeover, spring of 1969, when my Harvard leftist classmates also seized an administration building. (Cornell expelled not a single student; in fact, a leader of that armed takeover was put on their board!)
Check out Maher’s show.
Parental Advisory. This is R-rated and may not be suitable for all viewers.
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4 comments:
“Woke” was originally used by Blacks to mean being alert, especially to the dangers posed by prejudice and discrimination. Now the far-White have seized on it as their latest pejorative term for “progressive,” and on the left it’s equivalent to politically correct. Both sides can be overzealous, but there’s simply no question that the right-wing is far more out of control. They’re so disoriented, most of them can’t even name the president.
I can’t tell you how tiresome it is to hear privileged White guys whining about how oppressed they are and spreading bullshit like the Great Replacement Theory. Would that more people were more informed, educated and conscious of social justice and racial inequality, or woke.
Maher is the poster boy for the "incremental" approach to social justice. Blacks, gays, women...don't be so insistent on demanding your rights, don't make a lot of noise, "your call is important to us, thank you for your patience"...
He used to be funny and insightful. Not any more. Ugh!
What Rick said, in Spades, doubled.
I like that Maher warns about the dangers of religion.
I find him obnoxious and uninformed on so many issues. He gets over his skis when discussing policy.
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