22 Dec Words to Ponder #13
Today’s Words to Ponder are spoken by Sir Malcolm Muckerex, the pompous and erudite narrator in Fred Newman’s play, “Life Upon the Wicked Stage.” The play was first performed live at the American Psychological Association Convention in 1997; you can watch a video performance of it here.
The world is a wicked stage upon which we all perform our lives. The paradox of people trying to perform decent lives on a wicked stage sometimes becomes overwhelming. So with modernism, which in the early years of this century generated achievements of almost unbelievable magnificence, even as the stage for the remainder of the century was being built—a set for 50 years of devastating warfare. But although the stage is wicked it does not follow that life is wicked.
warren iebesman
Posted at 17:18h, 22 DecemberWhat a gorgeous picture of Fred Newman, who was such a gorgeous man. I love it.
Life Upon the Wicked Stage — Totalitarian Institutions
— from an interview with Noam Chomsky by Wallace Shawn [in Shawn’s book Essays], Sept.17, 2004
NOAM CHOMSKY: Every single day, 8,000 children are dying in southern Africa from easily treatable diseases. Are we doing anything about it? i mean, that’s Rwanda-level killing, just children, just Southern Africa, every day — not a hundred days [as in Rwanda] but all the time. It doesn’t take military intervention. We don’t need to worry about who’s going to protect our forces. What it takes is bribing totalitarian institutions to produce drugs. It costs pennies. Do we think about it? Do we do it? Do we ask what kind of a civilization is it where we have to bribe totalitarian institutions in order to get them to produce drugs to stop Rwanda-level killing every day? It’s just easier not to think about it.
WALLACE SHAWN: Totalitarian institutions — you mean the drug companies?
CHOMSKY: What are they? The drug companies are just totalitarian institutions which are subsidized; it’s legally required for them to produce lifestyle drugs for rich Westerners to get rid of wrinkles, instead of malaria treatments for dying children in Africa. It’s required. It’s legally required.