Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

[<Robert_Pauley AT oxy.com>]

Title: Message

I agree with Jim P and find the show insufferable. Bartlett's performance in the press conference was a classic bit of rigged liberal dramaturgy, the wet-dream dressing down worked up by the smart-ass editor of the Berkeley Univ. rag in his shabby office after a long night successfully killing all opposing-view submissions. Or Aaron Sorkin -- not that much different. The scene is also a total distortion of reality, of how something like that might really play out. I think Percy would have had a ball taking potshots at this new wave of liberals, the Sorkins, Robbins, Penns, their putative humanism and yet near contempt for a person who doesn't agree with them.  

 

Best, RP

-----Original Message-----
From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Patrick P. Lynch
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 11:19 PM
To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
Subject: Re: [percy-l] The West Wing's comment on Biblical contradictions

In context of this particular show it needs to be recognized that she was the only reporter not standing in a group that were, by protocol to the office of the President, supposed to stand. She was doing so to make a political statement. His issue is not about her personally but about respect for the office itself, as I see it.

Patrick

Hey Larry,

 

Did you read Karey's clip from the West wing?   The Bartlett character is my idea of a smug, self satisfied prick  -- "in this bldg when the president stands nobody sits..."  Gimme a break  -- an abuse of power.  Plain and simple.  It's one thing to challenge authority from a position of weakness (however juvenile); but to weild power smugly is --  well, it's not something that pleases me.  Nobody needs a smart ass rebuke about "respect" from the most powerful man in the world.  Just the opposite is called for -- some show of humility and restraint.  That's my take.  But obviously others see the Bartlett character differently.  That's what makes this discussion so much fun for me.  Steve and Karey seem to both like this Bartlett character but disagree about about his theology  -- I tend to agree more with Karey's theology than with Steve's (though both know a whole lot more about the Bible than I do) but I disagree with both of them about this Bartlett fellow.  

 

Jim Piat 

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Patrick Lynch (padraig AT well.com and padrai6 AT comcast.net)
"Is it the water or the wave?"  John Fowles, -The Magus-