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2006-10-04 Home Front: Culture Wars
Tom Wolfe discovers NASCAR, the NRA and prayin'
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Posted by lotp 2006-10-04 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11128 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 If we lose Tom Wolfe, well, we lose Tom Wolfe. Next
Posted by Captain America 2006-10-04 01:39||   2006-10-04 01:39|| Front Page Top

#2  in the name of Thy Only Son, Christ Jesus." Writes Wolfe: "Anyone who introduced an event that way in San Francisco or New York would risk arrest for a hate crime. New York writers really must cross the Hudson River, and writers in Los Angeles really must go as far as the San Joaquin Valley. Most of the meaning of America lies in between the coasts, I'm afraid."

you tell um Tom!

/no, not gonna buy it.
Posted by RD 2006-10-04 02:33||   2006-10-04 02:33|| Front Page Top

#3 Wolfe has been saying the same thing for the last 20 years or more. Why was this news item posted?! And "lotp" obviously doesn't know Tom Wolfe's work. Wolfe loves most Americana, especially NASCAR, although he treats all its subcultures with an almost clinical and foreign perspective. He is the ultimate 'intellectual, aspiring literati' and yet he detests the literary world and mocks the elitist insularity and distain for middle America
Posted by Monsieur Moonbat 2006-10-04 03:14||   2006-10-04 03:14|| Front Page Top

#4 It was posted because this is election season and Wolfe is influential in certain circles.

"Hate crime" is one of the stronger claims I've seen made for public prayer of that sort -- which I agree is sometimes insensitive at best, but which doesn't rise to the level of any crime IMO.

Wolfe appeared to me to be overtly setting the stage for a direct equivalence between that prayer and, say, public execution in Islamic countries of those who are apostate.

(And yes, I've read most of Wolfe's works. It's not his views that are new here -- it's the language he chose to use and the fact that his language encourages journalists and others to adopt a very dangerous theme.)
Posted by lotp 2006-10-04 05:25||   2006-10-04 05:25|| Front Page Top

#5 "Wolfe loves most Americana, especially NASCAR, although he treats all its subcultures with an almost clinical and foreign perspective"

Yeah, that's the problem. He looks at it as 'Americana', rather than Americanism. "Oh, look at the cute little rednecks! How quaint. Aren't they adorable?"
Posted by mcsegeek1 2006-10-04 10:44||   2006-10-04 10:44|| Front Page Top

#6 Well, guys, at least he isn't penning plays calling for the assassination of the President.
Posted by Dreadnought 2006-10-04 10:47||   2006-10-04 10:47|| Front Page Top

#7 
Anyone who introduced an event that way in San Francisco or New York would risk arrest for a hate crime.

Wolfe appeared to me to be overtly setting the stage for a direct equivalence between that prayer and, say, public execution in Islamic countries of those who are apostate.

Well, I haven't read any Wolfe, but are you sure that's not hyperbole? That he's not getting in a dig at SF and NY?
Posted by Angie Schultz 2006-10-04 13:23||   2006-10-04 13:23|| Front Page Top

#8 When I read it it sounded like he was making fun of SF and NY not Nascar, but I don't read alot of his work tho , so I could be wrong about him.
Posted by djohn66 2006-10-04 13:28||   2006-10-04 13:28|| Front Page Top

#9 He is indeed getting a dig in vs SF and NY, and no, he does not exaggerate.

Thats Wolfes style, at his best he is a virtuouso architect of complex structures of ironies and hypocrisies; the best part is that these are all "found" art, observed from life, not made up. We do live in a very strange world.
Rantburg would be a wonderful source of material for Wolfe.
Posted by buwaya 2006-10-04 14:51||   2006-10-04 14:51|| Front Page Top

#10 We do live in a very strange world.
Rantburg would be a wonderful source of material for Wolfe.

Yeah, good material for Look Homeward NASCAR.

/the other original one
Posted by Shipman 2006-10-04 17:57||   2006-10-04 17:57|| Front Page Top

#11 Hey, Ship - welcome back!

-calhoun
Posted by .com 2006-10-04 18:01||   2006-10-04 18:01|| Front Page Top

#12 Glad to be here PD.
Good always to read 'ya!
Posted by Shipman 2006-10-04 18:08||   2006-10-04 18:08|| Front Page Top

#13 Back atcha, heh.
Posted by .com 2006-10-04 18:09||   2006-10-04 18:09|| Front Page Top

#14 Hey Ship, long time no hear. How ya doin?

-the artist formerly known as Jarhead
Posted by Broadhead6 2006-10-04 20:35||   2006-10-04 20:35|| Front Page Top

#15 SHIPMAN??!

Jeebus! More bridge failure pics...and some are not even my projects
Posted by Frank G">Frank G  2006-10-04 21:04||   2006-10-04 21:04|| Front Page Top

#16 Like the others before me, welcome back, SHIP!
Posted by BA 2006-10-04 21:46||   2006-10-04 21:46|| Front Page Top

19:54 Fred
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