Sors Immanis Et Inanis
July 11, 2015
G.D.O'Bradovich III
introduction
With trepidation I accepted a commission to write the following letter to the editor on a theme supplied by a certain admirer of my work. While Count Walsegg eagerly accepted the completed Requiem mass, my patron who desires to remain anonymous to the public, but unfortunately, not to me, was not pleased by my best efforts. If Mozart complained about his struggles to write a flute concerto, then my efforts were no less exasperating writing upon the alien theme of NASCAR. With a wave of his hand, my work was consigned to infamy, because it was not “simple” enough for his tastes. In my mind’s eye, I see Herr Professor berating Plato, castigating Nietzsche, and scolding Spinoza for not applying the time honored tradition of “KISS” or, as he understands it: “Keep it short and simple”.
If it seems that art reaches its culmination when the creator produces for himself; with the latent hope that others will appreciate it in due time, and not for the changing demands of others, then I offer the Gentle Reader the following unsent letter to the editor.
If it seems that art reaches its culmination when the creator produces for himself; with the latent hope that others will appreciate it in due time, and not for the changing demands of others, then I offer the Gentle Reader the following unsent letter to the editor.
the letter
I read with great interest Todd Golden’s commentary on the differences between the outspoken Indy car drivers and the reticent NASCAR drivers (July 8, 2015). The editorial was thought provoking, even if agreement and adulation, and not thinking, was the obvious intent of the article.
While no one expects people to be unbiased, or unprejudiced, some people expect that personal views, that is, personal bias to be limited, myself included, in writing. I submit that the headline could be more accurately be entitled “Indycar does no wrong; NASCAR no right”. The litany of adoration for Indycar drivers will be omitted and we will concentrate on NASCAR’s drivers shortcoming, both real and perceived. The driver’s “should be vocal”, because they are taking life threatening risks. Since the article did not expound upon the imperative “should” in the context of risks, we are uncertain as to why drivers are disparaged for not being “vocal”. The author’s bias is perhaps most keenly felt when we read that Dillon was one of “a long line of victims.”, where “victim”, although not incorrect, is more suitable for describing the tally of famous serial killers, not accidents in racing. While the author writes that drivers “rarely...go public with their disgust” and they complain “privately”, there is no evidence for this conclusion and an equally valid, but unmentioned, conclusion is that NASCAR drivers are, as a whole, content. The lack of a “clarion call from other drivers” was not explained, but could be understood as an indication that the drivers find the conditions acceptable. If the author is mystified that the “star drivers” neither complain nor want to “effect real change”, then we should not be surprised to read that he concludes they are “content to stay in their corporate bubbles”. It is only in the final paragraphs that we can understand the author’s lack of respect for NASCAR drivers: in his unfounded opinion they don’t “speak their minds”. We are forced to conclude that the author knows, or more accurately believes he knows, what is on the collective minds of the drivers regarding their security and well being. While this is the obvious conclusion the author desires, we remain unconvinced. We reach the end of the article and, based on the preceding biased writing, reach a not unexpected final verbal assault on the drivers who are collectively described as “spineless”, that is, those drivers who are not behaving as Mr. Golden believes they “should” behave in the context that he presents his opinions. We agree that “silence isn’t always golden” and Mark Twain also remarked on silence: “Better to remain silent and be thought biased than to write and to remove all doubt”. |