In a recent post, Cassandra’s Blues, I mentioned that some of my friends, relatives, and correspondents find my take on current events, and my outlook for our future, a little “dour”. (Okay, all of them do, and looking back over the last few entries here, I can see why they might feel that way.) I’ll say again, though, that I’m not a sourpuss by nature; in fact, those who know me well will attest that I am an amiable wag and a real bon vivant. I think it’s really just that I’m paying closer attention than they are, and have had all my blithe and breezy axioms shaken up and yanked out by peering a little too closely at things — especially old things and taboo things — for too long.
But if you want dour, hie thee hence and read Richard Fernandez’s latest at Belmont Club, in which he “compares and contrasts” the world we’ve got with the one we thought we were getting. (Thanks to Bill K. for the link.)
One Comment
Yeah, Fernandez is fairly based (a word WNs use for realtalkers) and I’ve enjoyed some of his columns, but these days it’s hard to care about foreign policy when my cities are off limits after dark on account of my skin color. I suspect he is one of those intelligent, introspective mestizos (many asians fit this too) who see the writing on the wall for us, but to follow his principles to their logical conclusion would invite personal disaster for the man.
Ah well, I guess the polite thing to do is to say gracias, mi amigo.