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My Reading of the Newspaper
Elberon, NJ May 24, 2000
Aaron H. Schectman
THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then. Opinions pro or con are welcome.
MY READING OF THE NEWSPAPER
Carol often points out that I read erratically. She means I miss a lot of
what is printed. Well, that is true. I skim a lot. I find headlines tell
me more than the mass of words that follow. I also look at pictures.
These, of course, are worth thousands of words. I look for the meat of the
article because the writer had a specific point in mind when writing.
As a sometimes writer I find I often have a number of specific points in
mind even when I write on a single topic. This drives Carol up the wall
because she thinks that the subject should be singular rather than plural.
It is rule, she says, if you make a point, stick to it and then simply
elaborate on it. I think that a lot of points point to the general idea (s)
that I try to get across.
For instance: the news today featured the differences between the needs of
the labor unions and their purported hero, Albert Gore, who happens to also
be the Vice President of an administration seeking goals not supported by
the unions. That is a lot of points to sum up and it isn't easy. The China
policy of the United States some times gets a lot of people upset - yet the
intricacies of its sino-osities must be explained if you are looking to make
sense. And, after dealing with the layers of the various topics involved
you aren't likely to come up with a sensible story. I confess I know
nothing about China and its politics.
However, back to making a point. I think that Al Gore should not be
chastised by the press for having to deal with uncomfortable positions
vis-a-vis the Chinese conundrum. I just looked up "conundrum" and find it
means a puzzle that often involves a pun. One should avoid punning with the
most populous nation in the world. If there is a puzzle, must there be a
solution to it? Some puzzles, like why men and women are different, should
not be solved but enjoyed (if this is possible).
My reading of the newspaper shows a number of puzzles to which there may
not be answers. The puzzles may just be a human condition. Carol's
Evaluation: 10 out of 10
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