The Man Who Fell to Earth

02021-01-08 | Uncategorized | 6 comments

Newton talks to Bryce in a hotel in Chicago and admits to being an alien. There are less than 300 Antheans left and they have food and fuel to survive fifty years. Should they be brought to Earth, Newton wonders, when they might have less time to live here, because Antheans calculated that the earth will be destroyed by nuclear war within thirty years. The book was published in 1963 and America was in the middle of the cold war.

Newton and Bryce talk about bombs and art, with Bryce pointing out that the paintings were created by humans, too. Newton replies, but only a few humans make such beautiful things.

It can take years for an artist to create one painting and yet an arsonist can destroy it in moments.

It takes a long time to create a democracy and yet it takes very little time to destroy it.

Here is a collection of art that might put a smile on your face.

6 Comments

  1. JaneParhamKatz

    I believe it also takes a long time and enormous effort to destroy a 326-million strong democracy. In the USA, we still have not created a full democracy, given that blacks could not vote freely until 1966, given the existing gerrymandering and voter suppression, given the electoral college (that some scholars say was created to protect slavery), all of which stand in the way of democratic majority rule, given that blacks, women, and people of low wealth have to continue to fight for human rights happily bestowed on white males. In school, I was not taught the truth about the founding of the nation, treatment of Native Americans, other POCs, and women. It has taken the current attempt to install tyranny here to drive me to dig for the truth and be horrified by it, yet also to be encouraged by it.

    BUT, the US democracy IS worth defending and improving. It has withstood many a challenge worse than the “fire” at the Capitol on Wednesday with some Congressmen supporting the insurrection – the War of 1812, Civil War, assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy, McCarthyism, the cold war, the 9/11/2001 attack, WWI, WWII. I need to look at a timeline to list all, but I won’t attempt that. The 2020 election has rejected the autocrat and given control of House, Senate and White House to the Democrats, who propose an agenda to correct the unjust decisions of the last 4 years.

    Further, during all these disasters, science, art, music, literature, all that makes humans great, have continued to thrive, perhaps to thrive even more poignantly. This is true in Europe as well. I can’t speak for Asia and Africa.

    The other thing is: if we had not continued slavery in the US for so many years, and then on to Jim Crow, and early on had in effect recognized all people as equal (as written in our founding documents) perhaps we would not still be grappling with this right-wing white supremacy, which is the crux of the whole matter. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine summed it up: these folks are unwilling to accept being governed by anyone that does not look like them. And they resist falling into a white minority status. It’s not policy or ideology; it’s just plain racism. I believe the US has a real chance now to finally push beyond racist rule. We’ll see, right?

    Reply
  2. Will

    I agree with some of your statements but a blanket statement such as “push beyond racist rule” is false and part of the problem with America/divisiveness. I believe we had an African American president for 8 years, was he racist? I personally know George W. and know for a fact he isn’t racist. President Clinton fought for many causes for those who rightfully deserved it and don’t believe him to be a racist.

    As a side note, I do believe and know racism is alive and well. But to discredit the strides America had made in terms of equality and blanket it all as “racist rule” is to reverse and discredit all that has been done.

    Finally, we have a Female African American Vice President coming into office. I think the American people have spoken what they think about equality and race.

    Reply
  3. JaneParhamKatz

    Hi, Will. I like your points, and we should value American progress toward equality. I was not referring to the Presidency as the “racist rule.” In fact, our recent Presidents have more often than not advocated for justice and equality. I think it is more a number of recent Congressmen and their donors that have bogged down progress.

    Reply
  4. Will

    Agreed…I think all Congressional and Senate positions should have the same term limits as the Presidential seat. Politics should not be a career but a volunteer position for 4-8 years. Do the best you can for the American people and tag someone else in.

    Reply
    • JaneParhamKatz

      Yeah!

      Reply

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