The Parking Lot of our Discontent...
The 50% of us that completed this month's selection were well rewarded. Despite a slow start amid odd and unfamiliar twists of phrase, the diligent eventually found themselves drawn into Ethan Allen Hawley's slow but methodical descent into the deceit, dishonesty, and betrayal that marks today's successful man. "So many English papers could be written" about the themes in this book including good versus evil; to the victor go the spoils; do the ends justify the means; being beaten about the head with the cross of Biblical symbolism...
In the style of Carrie Bradshaw - "In a world where no crime is committed if you don't get caught, Do the good guys always win or do the winners declare themselves the good guys?"
A cursory glance south toward Washington D.C. sadly indicates the latter. Indeed, the bookclub noticed several parallels between Ethan Allen Hawley (the dad) with George HW Bush (the dad) and Allen Hawley (the son) with George W Bush (the son). The dads both cared about maintaining the illusion that they were on the up and up even though they were doing snakey things. The sons don't give a rat's ass and both seem to feel that they are downright entitled to behave this way. Allen passed off a bold-faced rip-off as his own with no shame or remorse, much as Bush, Jr. boldly lies to the U.S. and the world with no shame or remorse. Scream whatever you want as loudly and self-righteously as possible and it becomes the truth, don't it?
But I digress...the real moral depravity of the night was displayed by the automaton running the parking lot next door, who wouldn't accept the restaurant's parking validation in order to give us a measly $2 off a $47,374 2-hour parking fee. Now that I'll never begin to understand...
Next up: Wicked - the Wicked Witch of the West's backstory...bookclub field trip to Salem, anyone? I suggest the Witch's Brew Cafe on Derby St.
The 50% of us that completed this month's selection were well rewarded. Despite a slow start amid odd and unfamiliar twists of phrase, the diligent eventually found themselves drawn into Ethan Allen Hawley's slow but methodical descent into the deceit, dishonesty, and betrayal that marks today's successful man. "So many English papers could be written" about the themes in this book including good versus evil; to the victor go the spoils; do the ends justify the means; being beaten about the head with the cross of Biblical symbolism...
In the style of Carrie Bradshaw - "In a world where no crime is committed if you don't get caught, Do the good guys always win or do the winners declare themselves the good guys?"
A cursory glance south toward Washington D.C. sadly indicates the latter. Indeed, the bookclub noticed several parallels between Ethan Allen Hawley (the dad) with George HW Bush (the dad) and Allen Hawley (the son) with George W Bush (the son). The dads both cared about maintaining the illusion that they were on the up and up even though they were doing snakey things. The sons don't give a rat's ass and both seem to feel that they are downright entitled to behave this way. Allen passed off a bold-faced rip-off as his own with no shame or remorse, much as Bush, Jr. boldly lies to the U.S. and the world with no shame or remorse. Scream whatever you want as loudly and self-righteously as possible and it becomes the truth, don't it?
But I digress...the real moral depravity of the night was displayed by the automaton running the parking lot next door, who wouldn't accept the restaurant's parking validation in order to give us a measly $2 off a $47,374 2-hour parking fee. Now that I'll never begin to understand...
Next up: Wicked - the Wicked Witch of the West's backstory...bookclub field trip to Salem, anyone? I suggest the Witch's Brew Cafe on Derby St.
