- "No one who can isn't cashing in. Why be here otherwise?" 267 Does that go for everywhere, in America? Does this attitude say something about our national character?
- "What causes places to be awful"? I read a post this morning from a recent transplant to Tennessee saying they found the place awful, mostly (it seems) because of what they perceive as the mean-spirited and narrow-minded politics. Is the quality of "leadership" what matters most, in determining the quality of a place? Or of the people at large? Or what?
- "Never let your son decide things." 268 Good parenting advice?
- "Why do Americans believe in Democracy?" Do they? And a related question: What do you say to people who claim that America is the greatest country in the world? What do you think of Will McAvoy's soliloquy on that? [script]
- Is it weird that some people draw an "unexpected connection" between Valentine's Day and those four dead presidents on the mountain? 269
- "You don't watch enough television." 272 Is Paul serious? Do Americans watch too much television? Do they know enough facts? Where do you get your facts?
- Are you "wary of people who decorate their vehicles with their beliefs"? 272 (Confession: I do.*)
- "There is nothing I can really deceive my son about now. Though I would." 279 Would you ever deceive your child, even your adult child, about their terminal illness? Is it okay to do so, if motivated by love?
- "Nothing is enough" is one of Paul's epitaph choices. What's yours? 281
- Is temporary forgetfulness ever "a kind of reprieve" for humans in general? 282
- What do you feel when you "look toward deepest space"? Is its incomprehensibility "freeing" (as for Frank) or terrifying, as for Pascal: "What then is man in the midst of these two infinities? Nothing in comparison with the universe, infinite in comparison with the atomic. Since he is infinitely removed from comprehending the extremes, he is equally incapable of knowing the beginning and the end of things… When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in an eternity before and after, the little space I fill engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces whereof I know nothing, and which know nothing of me, I am terrified. The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me…" --Pensees
- Why does Frank see Krista's face when he hears Betty's voice? 284
- Do you regret or worry about "hard conversations" not had with departed loved ones? 286
- Have you ever suffered a "lost word" as Frank does with couscous? Is that a harbinger of death only for older people? Should it be?
- What does Frank mean about "ocean-y ease..."? 289
- "I've never been skilled at [knowing what's good]." 293 Is Frank being too hard on himself? Do you think you know what's good? How do you know?
- Why do you think so many Americans are apparently okay with "the Trump-certified climate hoax"? 294
- What do you think of Frank's remarks on "Southernness"? 295 Is he a self-loathing former southerner ("Do I hear south in my voice? I hope not." 303)
- [No wonder I couldn't find this last week: it's from this section of the book.] Do most southern women really think they can "read other people" etc.? Is Frank being ungenerous towards Patti? 303-4
- Would it annoy you, if you were dying of a terminal disease, to be told that you were battling courageously and could beat it? (It did annoy the late Barbara Ehrenreich: “There is a vast difference between positive thinking and existential courage... The failure to think positively can weigh on a cancer patient like a second disease.”)
- Do you agree with Frank's assessment of the American style of conversation? 298
- If courage is not the word to describe Paul's experience, what is? 304 And why does Frank have no word ("bon mot") for Patti? And NOTE, in The Story Behind the Scenery: "No words are needed to appreciate it." 314
- COMMENT?: More on the "alloy" of happiness, in the quote from "old Trollope" 306.. Anthony Trollope said something else I find inspiring: “A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules.”
- Does the Kubler-Ross scale need more levels? Should it include escape? 307
- Have you ever been frustrated by your inability "to experience the same thing the same way" as a friend, partner, or family member? 307 Do words sometimes help to overcome such gaps in our experience? Are our human situations generally not "congruent"? And are humans "largely impenetrable"? 323
- COMMENT?: "I trust dumb instinct, then fill in reasons. Like everybody else." 308 Frank may have gotten this from William James**
- Is it the thought that counts? Or its expression? 309
- How would you fill in the blank?: "What doesn't kill you makes you ____." 310
- Can you relate to Frank's "path" up the mountain, or to his regret at not discovering it sooner? 312
- Despite everything humanly objectionable and tasteless about Mt. Rushmore, is there still something to the idea that it "struggles withe hostile human nature" and is an "inspiration"? 314 Or is it really just another "Ozymandian way" of showing the folly of human conceits? 340
- "He means this and doesn't mean it": that's not really "the best of all modalities," is it? 317
- Why do many Americans prefer virtual Mt. Rushmores? 319
- Do you feel uneasy in public spaces? Or think about the possibility of random gun violence when there? Is the feeling of impotence in the face of such possibilities a peculiar "earmark of old age" or is it universal in America now? 320
- Could Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln really not get elected now? Even post-Trump? 321
- What do you think Frank thinks all religions are hiding?
- Is there something measly about Nashville's Parthenon? 321 (I like it, myself.)
- COMMENT?: "Any trip can be perilous once you commit to the destination..." 323 (This might be why skeptics refuse to commit to beliefs.)
- "[Augustine said] good is the absence of bad... happiness the absence of unhappiness." And pleasure is the absence of pain, said Epicurus. But is there nothing more positive to be said for good, happiness, and pleasure?
- What do you think it is about Mt. Rushmore that so delights Paul? Is it just that it's "completely pointless and ridiculous"? 324
- COMMENT?: Paul "died fundamentally unchanged, dedicated to being himself, and giving life its full due--skeptical-seeming but not skeptical..." 331
- COMMENT?: "Blake believed good was only good in specifics--which is what we had experienced together and enjoyed on our trip." 331 So was it a good trip? A good good-bye?
- COMMENT?: "I do not believe I have an essential self, though if I have one it is always on display... the most important thing about life is that it will end..." 333
- Is Paul's legacy to Frank a good one? 334
- Any thoughts on Frank's remarks about his daughter? 335
- How often do you ask yourself "What is my project now? What am I actually doing?" 337
- What do you think of Frank's view of the "brilliant" young writers he's been reading, and of his view that we read literature hoping to gain "a practical understanding of true happiness"? 338
- Final thoughts on "the old Nazi Heidegger" and why Frank has stopped reading him? 339
- COMMENT?: "We can look too closely at life... [Death] doesn't have to be all that hard." 340-1
- Who do you think is speaking to Frank at the end? And though Richard doesn't want us to ask this: what do you think will be Frank's next (last?) chapter, the "something different" he's ready for? Does his latest episode of global amnesia portend trouble? 342
- Post your thoughts about the concluding sections, and about the book and author in general.
*
**The history of philosophy is to a great extent that of a certain clash of human temperaments. Undignified as such a treatment may seem to some of my colleagues, I shall have to take account of this clash and explain a good many of the divergencies of philosophers by it. Of whatever temperament a professional philosopher is, he tries when philosophizing to sink the fact of his temperament. Temperament is no conventionally recognized reason, so he urges impersonal reasons only for his conclusions. Yet his temperament really gives him a stronger bias than any of his more strictly objective premises. It loads the evidence for him one way or the other, making for a more sentimental or a more hard-hearted view of the universe, just as this fact or that principle would. He trusts his temperament. Wanting a universe that suits it, he believes in any representation of the universe that does suit it. He feels men of opposite temper to be out of key with the world's character, and in his heart considers them incompetent and 'not in it,' in the philosophic business, even tho they may far excel him in dialectical ability. Pragmatism Lec.1
1. "No one who can isn't cashing in. Why be here otherwise?" 267 Does that go for everywhere, in America? Does this attitude say something about our national character?
ReplyDelete"Much in town is given over to Rushmore branding (the mountain and monument are a quick twenty-five miles down Route 16). Rushmore Gastroenterology. Rushmore Dialysis. Rushmore Optical. Rushmore Stump Grinding. Rushmore Waste. Rushmore Ford, Chevy, Hyundai. No one who can isn't cashing in. Why be here otherwise?" (Ford, 267)
As the author, Ford highlights how America has branded patriotism in subtle ways. "No one who can isn't cashing in" implies that people who have the privilege and the opportunity to profit from a situation are actively doing so. "Why be here otherwise?" implies the bandwagon mentality, in other words, "Why not cash in? Everybody else is doing it." This attitude does reflect on how most Americans have a vigorous, self-serving support towards a country that is historically self-serving in equal parts bad and good.
6. "You don't watch enough television." 272 Is Paul serious? Do Americans watch too much television? Do they know enough facts? Where do you get your facts?
"'It's a coyote,' Paul says. Otto's blue wall-eyes do not blink. He's happy for Paul to do all the talking. 'Coyotes kill more people in New Jersey than brown recluse spiders. I knew you didn't know. You lack fact-based knowledge. You don't watch enough television" (Ford 272).
There seems to be a level of sarcasm in Paul's statement.
American television is saturated with plenty of news as well as mind-warping content; some people find it hard to tell what's real and what isn't.
Regarding whether or not Americans know enough facts is a valid critique, especially considering most modern news is conveyed through social media, where, oftentimes, the "average person" has the ability to manipulate the narrative. This can create social media cliques, unnecessary conspiracies, and cultivate a "they aren't informing us properly" or an "I told you so" narrative. Meanwhile, these people lack internet etiquette and journalistic integrity involving news and taking things at face value.
Nonetheless, Paul's "You lack fact-based knowledge. You don't watch enough television", comes off as lighthearted. It more so reflects the moment while the plot gradually unpacks who Paul is as a person.
As for myself, I think fact-checking is quite easy. The second something looks off-putting, that should be an indication to better inform myself.
It does come off as light-hearted and sarcastic. And yet, Paul doesn't seem to be much of a reader either (preferring USA Today to the NYTimes). Frank is a reader, Paul seems more of a reactor to surface appearances (though he is also more "complicated" than meets the surface, as most people probably are).
DeleteI agree, fact-checking is easier than people think. Seems like most just don't want to take the time. But it's much easier for generally-well-informed people who do not take the bulk of their news and information from social media and television.
Question #2 – I see it as a combination of both the leadership and the local communities that influence how a place is. The local community groups do their best to make their city and area a good place to live but the state leadership has a great impact on everything. Looking at Tennessee specifically, when our local leaders and lawmakers are continuously working to implement laws that target and harm minorities and women within the state, it does make the place awful to live in. They are not working to make actual improvements for those living here. Instead, they want to expand ICE operations across the state, control women’s bodies, strip away queer rights, and attack academic freedom. This all negatively impacts the quality of living in Tennessee for everyone. Local communities are coming together to help those in need and create safe spaces. It’s still hard and can’t fully erase the effects of narrow-minded politics, but judging a place solely on its politics erases the individual experiences of those living there and what is being done to counter it.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #21 – I agree with Frank when he said, “We are now doing what Americans do – holding conversation that is not a true conversation,” because this is a quite common occurrence, particularly in the South, which Ford would be very familiar with. This is indeed a very American thing to do as my Irish partner is often confused by it. People will strike up small talk conversations about nothing while waiting in line somewhere to pass the time. I don’t necessarily see it as always managing to “forge a connection,” at least, not all the time. Is it truly a connection when you’re only having a one-off conversation with a stranger and discussing something that is inconsequential? For me, a connection takes more than that. A conversation like this can be impactful for one or all involved, but I think a true connection requires a little more substance and time.
Agreed! --"judging a place solely on its politics erases the individual experiences of those living there and what is being done to counter it."
DeleteThe American way of casual gab does give non-Americans a sense of us as shallow airheads, doesn't it? But a cold aversion to small-talk does risk making us seem unfriendly and distant. It's kind of a dilemma.
I agree with your view on #2. A place itself can be influenced heavily by its leadership, although the attractions may still be appealing. For example, Florida’s pullback on children’s immunizations can impact how travelers view Florida as a state, even though it hosts popular places like Disney.
DeleteComment – Throughout this book, I have thought it was a weird choice to have Frank’s lesbian daughter be a Republican. While there are LGBT individuals who are Republicans, for reasons I cannot understand, it was still odd to see when the majority of queer individuals are left leaning. At first, I thought it was just an easy way for Ford to make the conflict between Frank and Clarissa as this comes up frequently for characters Frank doesn’t get along with. It seems to be a narrative shorthand for Ford. But these last couple of sections we’ve read have comments in them about Clarissa’s lesbianism that don’t quite sit right with me (who is a lesbian). There was Paul’s joke to Frank back on page 239 when he finished talking to her that, “She promised not to be a lesbian anymore.” It rubbed me the wrong way as the notion of “not being a lesbian anymore” is a choice a woman makes, and a lesbian can just simply stop being one. It is a sentiment that the lesbian community continuously has to deal with. Plus, it’s just homophobic. I ignored it some at first because Paul has shitty things to say about a lot of people who aren’t white men.
ReplyDeleteBut I started thinking about it again when Frank mentions Clarissa is part of the Log Cabin Republicans, an organization of LGBT Republicans who work for more inclusion in the overall party, and he said, “what could be worse for a father?” For Frank, I’m assuming his emphasis is on the Republican part of it, but this sentiment still comes off as homophobic after he specifies that she part of the Log Cabin. To me, it reads as Frank’s worst thought as a father is to have a daughter that is a Republican *and* a lesbian. A lot of queer people deal with their parents thinking it’s the worst thing for their child to be gay. Now, I don’t like Clarissa from what we’ve seen of her in this book, and I also don’t like LGBT people who are right leaning in anyway because it is counterintuitive to be part of the group that is most actively working to take away LGBT rights and protections. But going back to these two comments about Clarissa, I don’t like how Ford chose to have Frank and Paul think/talk about her.
(Semi-related, I really don’t like how Frank describes Paul on page 318. “In his chair, in his coat, Paul looks smaller, slightly womanish – not like his mother, more like a woman who has recently become a man.” There could have been another way to describe Paul’s declining physical health appearance than saying “like a woman who has recently become a man,” which is transphobic rhetoric.)
I do think (or hope) Frank's objection to his daughter's lifestyle is mostly about her politics. But Frank, we've already noted, is flawed in the same way a great many of his generation are with respect to human diversity. For a reflective guy, these blind spots are glaring. How conscious is Richard, of Frank's flaws? Good question.
Delete7. I think it depends on what the message on their car says. For example, if it shows family members in a character format or a “Baby on Board” sign, I would not be as wary as I would be of something that says “Let’s Go Brandon.” or “Trump 2028.” I think there may be bias on my part.
ReplyDelete17. I think many Americans prefer virtual Mount Rushmore because its location is out of reach for many people. I also think many Americans are not especially impressed to see it in person. As Frank mentions, all we can do is look at it, unlike the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower, and Niagara Falls, which involve more physical engagement.
49. I think what is new is his daughter, Clarissa. Especially to Catherine. With Ralph and Paul gone, I think it is time for him to make amends with his daughter. Perhaps he will travel to the strangely named towns Paul dreamed about to honor him, while making one last stop at the cemetery in Haddam to reunite with his mother and brother. Perhaps on Easter.
7. We all have our biases. I put the stickers on my car because I want to provoke my fellow Tennesseans into thinking about what's happening in our country, and not conclude that a silent bumper signifies assent or indifference. As one of my stickers says, tyranny triumphs when good people stay silent.
Delete17. I get it, that many would not wish to make the trek to South Dakota. I'm content to see photos myself. But I think Frank's making a point about how we've allowed the line between reality and virtuality to blur. Robert Nozick's Experience Machine thought experiment might be relevant here. https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil3160/Nozick1.pdf
49. That would be a nice sequel, if Richard wants to write it. But I'm left wondering if Frank is entirely compos mentis, based on his latest amnesiac event. And so far, Richard's not saying.
4. "Why do Americans believe in Democracy?" Do they? And a related question: What do you say to people who claim that America is the greatest country in the world? What do you think of Will McAvoy's soliloquy on that?
ReplyDeleteI think Americans believe in the *idea* of democracy—that every citizen should have the right to participate in government with their vote, and that every citizen possesses fundamental rights that shouldn’t be violated. But this idea of democracy doesn’t necessarily match up with reality. Our current administration (and the political party with which it aligns) has a worrying tendency to warp the message of “everyone’s voice matters” into “some voices matter more than others,” and worse, “some voices don’t matter at all.” This is a far-cry from what democracy should be.
I’ve noticed that many Americans who claim the US is the greatest country in the world have never travelled outside the US. Other countries have universal health care, free higher education, and paid maternity/paternity leave. The US has none of these things. People in other countries have better work/life balance because their governments care more about maintaining their citizens’ wellbeing than lining billionaires’ pockets. The US is the only country where there’s a mass shooting every day and where children are terrified to go to school for that reason. Maybe the US isn’t the worst country in the world—especially compared to other countries that criminalize LGBT+ people or don’t have freedom of the press—but it’s definitely not the best. (This is coming from someone who’s been to 12 other countries.)
I thought Will McAvoy’s soliloquy was spot-on. I loved The Newsroom (the entire show is brilliant, not just that speech!) and would highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it.
Agreed. Stay with it through the final episode and you'll see Will perform a winning rendition of the Tom T. Hall classic "How I got to Memphis"... Noticing a gap between your country's ideal aspirations and its present reality is not unpatriotic, and in fact Will declares himself a traditional Republican.
Delete11. What do you feel when you "look toward deepest space"? Is its incomprehensibility "freeing" (as for Frank) or terrifying (as for Pascal)?
ReplyDeleteWhen I look toward deepest space, the most prominent sensations I feel are curiosity and awe. I like to sit on my back porch late at night, look up at the stars and wonder about the possibility of life in other solar systems. If intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe, what does that look like? What might those lifeforms look like? Humanoid? Reptilian? Do they breathe oxygen? What do they eat (if they even eat at all)? What is life like where they reside, and how different is it to life on our Earth? I identify as Christian, so I also like to imagine that God/Jesus/the Creator observes me as I observe the cosmos. Some might find this unnerving, but for me it’s comforting to know (believe?) there’s a higher power “up there” who looks out for me and cares about my wellbeing. Admittedly, I do find the sheer vastness of space and my own insignificance in the grand scheme of the cosmos a bit scary, which is why I try not to think about it too much. I much prefer to contemplate the possibility of other intelligent life out there and wonder if we’ll ever encounter it in our lifetimes.
49. Who do you think is speaking to Frank at the end? And though Richard doesn't want us to ask this: what do you think will be Frank's next (last?) chapter, the "something different" he's ready for?
At the end of the book, I imagined Frank himself had died (gone peacefully in his sleep), and the woman’s voice he heard was that of his first wife, Ann. I don’t know why I thought this, but that was the first scenario that came to my mind. Frank mentioning that “some time has clearly passed without my knowing it” could be the moment he passes away. I’d like to think Frank is at peace, enjoying an afterlife with Paul, Ralph, Ann, and everyone else in his life who died before him.
11. Same. The stars evoke wonder and curiosity in me, not terror. Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot speaks to that, too. I've always agreed with Dr. Ellie Arroway in Sagan's fictional "Contact," that if there's NOT other intelligence in the universe it's an awful waste of space. But increasingly I'm drawn to the wonder of the possibility that we really might be it. What an astonishing and wondrous hypothesis! (But also a disappointment, for those of us who like to dream of boldly going out there and creating a Federation of Planets.)
ReplyDeleteThat's another pleasant-to-contemplate ending/sequel. I'd be surprised, given Richard's secularism. But as he'd point out, he is not Frank.