Who Didn’t Get Dickens’ Memo?
As a former radio broadcaster who’s thoroughly disgusted with the current state of FM radio, I usually listen to self-made CD mixes while in the car. However, this often proves to be silly when making a short in-town trip. In those cases I generally just listen to WGN-AM out of Chicago, even though in less than one year dipstick owner Sam Zell has turned a once-great radio giant into a faint glimmer of its previous sparkling excellence – in much the same way he ran the Tribune newspaper empire into bankruptcy and his absentee ownership helped sink the 2009 Cubs.
As a former radio broadcaster who’s thoroughly disgusted with the current state of FM radio, I usually listen to self-made CD mixes while in the car.
However, this often proves to be silly when making a short in-town trip. In those cases I generally just listen to WGN-AM out of Chicago, even though in less than one year dipstick owner Sam Zell has turned a once-great radio giant into a faint glimmer of its previous sparkling excellence – in much the same way he ran the Tribune newspaper empire into bankruptcy and his absentee ownership helped sink the 2009 Cubs.
The other evening, I got into the car just in time to hear a caller rant and rave about how only people with jobs are useful members of society who should be allowed to have health insurance.
As he spewed his obvious ignorance of social issues and blatant bigotry steeped in hatred over the 50,000-watt powerhouse (at night WGN can be heard across virtually all of North Aerica), the host attempted to infuse some reasonableness into the guy’s tirade.
That effort was to no avail, as the caller repeatedly referred to those without health coverage as “lazy bums” who sponge off of his hard work.
Now, this was about 8:30 or so on a Sunday evening, and I was only tuning in because we were on our way home from a local movie theatre. But, it made me wonder, “With all the modern communication devices available to us, what kind of anger must be festering inside of someone whose life is so sad and unfulfilled he cannot find anything better to do on Sunday evening than listen to, and call into, an AM radio program?”
I doubt he was so pissed off because the Bears had lost by 20 points that afternoon.
It was after the man underscored his true frame of mind with a reference to “Government cheese” that the host finally cut him off in revulsion; his insular point of view made clear the reasons for an apparent lack of direct contact with, or compassion for, fellow humans.
It’s a sad commentary when we realize that there are still malcontents and haters among us who live in the netherworld of those decades-old biases and intolerance.
A couple of days later we went to see the latest filmization of Charles Dickens’ superb work, “A Christmas Carol.” (We don’t get to a lot of movies, but it seems release of good ones are bunched together.)
Director Robert Zemeckis (who also wrote the screenplay) was as faithful to the original source material as possible; I recognized practically every line as coming right out of Dickens’ inkwell and off his quill, flowing onto the parchment.
Myriad versions of this morality tale have been put on theatre and television screens by a plethora of filmmakers, actors and animators. Still, its basic message – that caring about humanity and sharing with others are positive undertakings — cannot be misconstrued.
Just because it’s set at Christmastime doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be benevolent at all times.
It’s a powerful message, one that has made this story live on for generation after generation after generation.
You need not be a Christian to be generous, or even nice, to someone else.
Unfortunately, far too many folks who call themselves “Christians” ignore the root message espoused by Jesus Christ – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – being the essential thrust of his philosophy.
It’s rather unsettling that, in the 21st Century, many within our own society refuse to take note of the lesson put forth by a mid-19th Century author.
As to the newest version of “A Christmas Carol” itself, I found it to be a ton o’fun. Undoubtedly good moviemaking on its own terms, the 3-D version is a real eye-popping treat.
After seeing so many different versions, I was afraid that this would be little more than another rehash. But director Zemeckis and star Jim Carrey (in at least six different roles) have created an exciting, fabulous world.
Of all the variations on this theme that I have seen, Zemeckis’ vision runs a strong second to the 1951 film (aka “Scrooge”) starring Alistair Sim as the personification of greed, old skinflint Ebenezer; the Disney animated featurette, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” (1983), despite its somewhat pared down story, moves to third on my list of favorite retellings.
By all means, go see it – in 3-D, if you can. However, don’t bring your pre-school children. Dickens wrote for adults, and there are elements of the story and its presentation that will serve to confuse youngsters, if not frighten the bejesus out of them.
FYI: While “Bah” is pretty much self-explanatory, “Humbug” is defined (according to my 1963 Merriam-Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary) as a noun, 1) a. something designed to deceive and mislead, b. a person who passes himself off as something that he is not; 2) an attitude or spirit of pretense and deception; 3) drivel, nonsense. It can also be used as a verb, “to engage in humbug.”
Please enjoy a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!
Shalom.
(Erstwhile Philosopher and former Educator Jerry Tenuto is a veteran who survived, somewhat emotionally intact, seven years in the U.S. Army. Despite a penchant for late-night revelry, he managed to earn BS and MA Degrees in Communications from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. On advice from a therapist, he continues to bang out his weekly “Out Of The Blue” feature in The Lone Star Iconoclast — providing much-needed catharsis. Jerry is also licensed to perform marriage ceremonies in 45 states.)
