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Ornaments?
North Miami Beach, FL 12-25-2000 Aaron H.
Schectman
THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then, Opinions pro or con are welcome.
ORNAMENTS?
As a serious reader of the New York Times I get many ideas for writing my
essays from its pages - particularly on the page opposite the editorials.
On this Christmas Day I was startled to note that a list of ten "Precious
Moments" were graphically displayed as ornaments for a Christmas Tree. I
was startled because they were not happy moments but events to contemplate
seriously.
Just a list will not do them justice but it is a start. 1. "West Nile
Summer". 2. "Survivor" (the television 'show'). 3. "Tire Problems". 4.
"Miami Story" (the travails of Elian). 5. "Harmony in Space" (What is that
doing in this list?). 6. "Dot Coms". 7. "Chads" (enough said). 8.
"Gotham Games" (whatever that means). 9. "Whipping the Wildfires". 10.
"Human Genome."
Of course the New York Times is free to cobble up a list of "custom-made
ornaments for the year 2000". The editor put it another way "How fleeting
are the memories of a year gone by". Fleeting yes, but gone by I'm not so
sure. I predict that we will continue to be followed around by these ghosts
of the millennial year.
For some the story of the West Nile Virus will seem unusual and jarring.
But we have had HIV everywhere and Ebola in Africa. Somehow, Mother Nature
keeps reminding us of her power and presence. Once Hollywood or TV
producers find a winner we get sequels or II's and III's. Survivor and Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire will transpose into the next copycat "show" sort
of like the mad people who are set off when a particularly gruesome murder
occurs.
Recalls of tires or malfunctioning airbags are just the tip of our need for
watchful waiters for mistakes to be made by manufacturers. Can this be a
bad thing? Our relations with Cuba will not change until Castro dies I am
afraid. The handling of that unfortunate/fortunate boy will continue to
spook us. Despite its costs and dubious benefits we are now working closely
with other countries in Space. One good thing will be the super wealthy
tourists who will get to pay the cost of the space program by being rocketed
up to the moon and the space station - presaging, perhaps, the science
fiction picturing of such way stations to the stars. Dot coms are the poster
children for the inexcusable greedy quest for instant success. As in
centuries past Tulip mania, new gambling opportunities will be seized upon
to get rich - impossibly rich, quickly. Florida's AND OTHER STATE'S chads
will not go away soon. Gotham's games, (Carol says they are the NY Subway
Series), will go on for we love to watch - not participate. The western
wildfires will continue to frighten but the solution that is to not mess
with Mother Nature will continue to be ignored.
And, while talking about our generous Mother we will try to do what she does
and mess with the way plants, animals and one day human genomes are
constructed. And so it goes. What are your picks for the best ornaments
for the year 2000?
The Times was not particularly gloomy. This media gift to us this holiday
season peeked under the pages of the past year and declined to look forward.
I just did that and apologize for seeming gloomy. I am not in the least
gloomy. Just think of all the coming opportunities for me to write essays!
Carol's Evaluation: 9 (because it is much too long and wordy) out of 10.
Carol also says: "Lucky readers. Look what you can look forward to!"
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