Expanding Out By Dumbing Down

Expanding Out By Dumbing Down

NBC Universal is changing the name of its SciFi Channel to SyFy based on a myriad of considerations including everything but proper use of the English language.  In order to offer a “broader range of content,” and have trademark control of the brand, NBC Universal will make it easier for people to forget the proper origins of its (granted, abbreviated) name.  Just as doughnuts became donuts and drive throughs became drive thrus, sci-fi will only bear a scant trace of its original foundations, science and fiction. Soon enough, SyFy will enter the lexicon of blogs, texting, and likely find its own dictionary entry.  Make no mistake, this is entirely due to corporate policy, i.e. greed; the need for a brand to be “own-able, portable, extendable.”  And I have to say that I agree that it makes perfect business sense, you should be able to control your own brand.  But I have a problem with the collateral result of empowering a bunch of idiots who will have even further difficulty being able to spell properly.

I am not a fan of text-speak, questions beginning with contractions, or dumbed down abbreviations.  Moreover, I don’t find corporate creations legitimate additions to the language.  You will not ever see me describe something as gr8 when it is, in fact, great. Language is beautiful and sacred.  It is organic and evolving.  Lexicon changes based on oral expression, and further feed written language.  This is why we, mercifully for the sake of time, no longer express ourselves like Geoffrey Chaucer.  Just as “on the morrow” is replaced by the more direct “tomorrow”, slang terms like “trainspotting” and “hook-up” rightfully find their space in official dictionaries.  But corporate constructs and laziness do not represent linguistic evolution.  They serve to further devolve the language.  Though the trend will continue and be inconsequential to most, I will be happy to voice my opposition.

http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE52F34W20090316

Closed? No, We Didn’t Mean It

It turns out the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University will not be closed after all.  After heated public outcry, and impassioned letters by Brandeis faculty and Rose Museum staff, University President Jehuda Reinharz is pulling back on the decision to close the museum.  Clarifying his position, Reinharz offers contrition for the expedition and miscommunication caused by the board decision to sell of the Rose’s art collection, and is now stating that the museum will remain open.  Though certain pieces may still be put up for sale, the “crisis of confidence” caused by the board’s actions has led to a new path.
President Reinharz’s letter is available below:

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/2009/02/brandeis_presid.html?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed3

Sheltered

How depressing is this?  An article on joblessness imposing hibernation on singles, who cannot afford to date.

(Story, Can’t Buy Me Love http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/relationships/articles/2009/01/24/cant_buy_me_love/)

Yes, dating is expensive.  And I will not make light of someone who watches each and every dollar and chooses to refrain from going out.  But I do not like the psychology within the article that suggests an unemployed person is unworthy.  That is a distorted and unnecessary view.  Certainly I can understand the frustration of unemployment, I have been there and, who knows, perhaps soon I will be there again.  But we are supposed to know who we are.  Our job is not our identity.  Very few people in this world love their jobs, those who do are blessed and in the minority.  A loss of income and occupation can certainly institute a lack of purpose, but we need to rise above that and be who we are beyond our occupations.  If you exercise, perhaps you go to a gym or attend fitness classes, you can meet people there.  If you are a reader you may go to a library, you can meet people there.  If you drink coffee you may go to a coffee shop, you can meet people there.  If you want to meet someone and don’t have money, get involved with a cause and volunteer.  We need to be open to meeting people at any time. It is difficult, daunting, and overwhelming, but we need to try to rise above that.  We cannot be consumed by worthlessness, and being without a job does not make you less of person.  Certainly it may feel that way, and some may treat you that way, but those who do are worthless themselves.  Be true to yourself and understand that your job does not define you.  A lack of income may limit your lifestyle, but does not limit your value.  Open your mind and embrace the world, there is no cost for imagination.

Money is not an indicator of value.  Yes, we all want more money, I do too. But look at the greed that is taking our country down into a death spiral.  People like John Thain, Jeffrey Skilling, Dennis Kozlowski, Bernie Madoff, who have choked the incomes of millions by pursuing their own relentless avarice.  For each one of those deplorable men, there are hundreds arround them, approving their salaries and bonuses, or working for them and straining to reach their level.  That is why our industries are drying up, because they infected with a staggering gluttony of greed that has permeated all levels of our society.  This corruption has become our corruptor.  We need to set ourselves free.

And just for measure, some personal experience.  I have had the pleasure of being dumped by my girlfriend of three years while unemployed.  At a time when I needed support, she walked out the door never to return.  I was heartbroken and devastated.  It took me a significant amount of time to rise out of that depression, but I did rise out of it; before I had another job or another girlfriend.  As the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.  In that experience, I learned more about my own value and my ex-paramour’s lack thereof.  The love I had believed in was largely an illusion.  Certainly not at the beginning but, on her end, well before my job disappeared.  Illusion, delusion.  That is something we need to learn through each and every relationship, as well as the time between.

Ultimately we need to know who we, ourselves, are.  That is the true path to happiness.  Togetherness can be an illusion.  You can be with someone without really sharing anything true.  And some may choose that over being alone, but that is more of an avoidance of self discovery and understanding.  Just as we should not define ourselves by our jobs, we should not define ourselves by being in a couple versus being single.  There are a great number of unhappy couples out there, which is easy to forget when you are not with someone.  But do not nurse your wishes, because simply finding “someone” does not create happiness.  It is finding the right one. And that cannot happen until you know who you are, which can take a lifetime.  It has for me.

A Favorite Film Revisited, A Quick Reaction

This has always been one of my favorite films.  It is still mesmerizing to me how film, like a painting or sculpture, a piece of music or a novel, can create such a profound impression and then, over time, despite the initial impact, come back and beguile you once more.  Tonight I saw this film for the first time in many years and for the first time ever on a screen, and it was a powerful experience I shall never forget.  I will remember the weather, the surroundings, my mood going in.  All of this is due to being struck by the graceful eminence of style and storytelling.  The attached review does give away too many plot points and was clearly written by someone for whom English is not their first language, but if you are so inclined and have the opportunity, see this film.  It will make an impression. 

And if you are not interested, please take the time to experience another work that shakes and inspires you.  Embrace your artforms, they are beautiful and timeless.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews7/merryx-masmrlawrence.htm

Time Out

Time Out

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Boston Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker.  Within the grandeur of the Opera House on a snowy December day, it was a transportive delight to behold.  I was so lost in the performance that when Mikko Nissinen, the Ballet’s artistic director, spoke to the crowd after the curtain call I couldn’t believe it when he thanked everyone for coming out on a cold, stormy afternoon.  Through the magic of the performance and the surroundings, I had completely forgotten that we were attending a matinee.  Instead I felt teleported into the Kingdom of the Sweets where Clara watches the dancers salute her courage. 

But sadly more arresting was the fact that, as Nissinen thanked the audience for their participation and support, countless members went rushing for the exits.  In this day and age, we have less and less time to pay attention to anyone.  Our focus stays fixed on our appointments and commitments, precluding any time for listening or reflection.  I found this affront particularly bothersome, as Nissinen was performing another act so often left out of modern times, gratitude.  Nissinen was truly grateful not only to all those in attendance, but also to the hard work of all the participants in the performance.  He carefully highlighted the dedication of the dancers, the efforts of the set designers, the skill of the musicians who were obscured by an orchestra pit still under construction.  He also took time to note the progress of the Ballet in finally securing a forthcoming residence at the Opera House after years of limbo between there, the Citi Theatre and the Majestic.  More importantly, he spoke to the beauty and importance of art.  Praising the audience for supporting such a crucial cultural aspect, which in turn enables the Ballet’s continued efforts to bring the arts into our schools and offer under-privileged children the opportunity to attend performances.  His sentiments had a resonance that equaled the beauty of Tchaikovksy’s timeless music, for it is the arts that keep beauty alive in our society. 

The Nutcracker was first performed in St. Petersburg in 1892, today it is performed annually around the world.  But as we develop greater dependence on iPods, Blackberrys, and cell phones, as we choose to Tivo, and buy DVDs to watch even in our cars, we are further distancing ourselves from art, and more tragically from ourselves.  Our economic fragility certainly provides greater strain, yet it cannot be just another excuse.  The more we run around from place to place we must ask ourselves what we are rushing to.  Hundreds of men, women, and children collaborated in that performance, one man chose to embrace the audience and remind them they were a part of it as well.  More people should have listened.  Art is a participatory event.  And should stay with us after the curtain falls.