Subject: Re: bananafish-digest V1 #295
From: David L. White (d-white@nwu.edu)
Date: Fri May 16 1997 - 12:03:16 GMT
>> I submitted the message partly because it was true and partly in
>> experimentation. My hypothesis proved correct:
>> Even Salingerites, the so called "holders of truth" have the same problems
>> accepting differences in thought or language as, well, for example, the
KKK.
How very collegiate of you.
Although, as much as I hate to admit it, this does bring up something about
the list which has troubled me from time to time. Some of the discussion
becomes so harsh when discussing what is appropriate "Salinger behavior"
that it often leaves me cold. For instance: I remember someone saying
that the recent article in Esquire should never have been written, yet I
found it to be brimming with the same reverential view of Salinger that
permeates this list. And can't we all relate to Rosenbloom's (that is his
name, right?) desire to be the "one person" that JDS finally agrees to
speak to because he, alone, understands him? I found the ending of the
article to be devastating, and was glad the writer seemed to be admiting
that his actions were entirely selfish.
On another note, I remember a discussion of the movie "Pari" (based on F&Z)
in which someone called it a rip-off and said something along the lines of
"How can anyone who truly understands the work make a movie about it?" (my
poor paraphrasing) The argument did remind me of the arguements that groups
of fundamentalists made when "Last Temptation of Christ" came out. (Anyone
who really knows Christ will not accept this movie!) I'm sure "Pari"
doesn't do the book justice, but I find JDS's work to be so layered that
I'm fascinated to see how other artists view the themes within.
Granted, I don't contribute to the list as often as most of the people here
because this harsh attitude seems to turn me off, but if I wanted to
challenge the ideas discussed, I will do just that. Your contribution was
not an "experiment". And if it was, you can consider my e-mail a
dissertation. (which it most definitely is not)
And furthermore, comparing the people on this list to the KKK shows a
complete lack of understanding. No one here (to my knowledge) belongs to a
hate group that preaches against people who don't believe in the sanctity
of Salingerism, and no one here would string a non-believer up a tree and
hang him until he was dead. They are not, and never will be, the same damn
thing.
Dave
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