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Wednesday, August 15, 2012
A Poisonous Situation
A news headline today described the current U.S. election campaign as 'poisonous.' Do any of us want to live in that kind of toxicity? The film 'Coriolanus' featuring Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave stirs the soul with Shakespeare's genius presented in a contemporary setting. The disdain that Coriolanus has for the people resembles not only the class divisions of society but the cultural wars. He is a self-made hero dependent on no one, neither their praise or condemnation will defeat him. His oversimplified warrior mentality is only challenged by his devotion to his ambitious mother. The crowds are fickle and win no sympathy either. They have no solutions, only a desire to vent their frustration. Their support depends primarily on emotion and their victimization. When we cannot relate to our situation in any creative way, we poison our lives. It raises the question of our representative democracy. Are we in this together or do we all only desire things on our own terms? Our political races are about far more than electing the candidate who pleases us the most. Is that the 'Heart of the Matter?'
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