CSotD: Birth, Death and Infinity
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That iconic opening challenged viewers — and presumably Dr. Zorba's medical students — a great deal more than anything that followed on "Ben Casey."
I thought of it yesterday as the Stephen Hawking tribute cartoons poured in, mostly because of its combination of simplicity and depth.
Which Kevin Siers mastered to a chalk drop. One syndicated cartoonist, seeing it on social media, simply responded "I guess I won't do one."
More of them probably should have followed suit. This has not been the best 24 hours in the history of the medium.
When the news of Hawking's death broke, two cartoonists immediately noted on social media that he was an avowed atheist and wondered aloud how many of their colleagues would, nonetheless, depict him at the Pearly Gates.
Macleodcartoons simply amplified that question.
However, there were several "lazy bastards" who did just that, including some who took the occasion to argue with Hawking's beliefs and depict him unexpectedly appearing before a bearded deity.
They are, of course, free to say that, if that's their opinion, but we generally reserve the direct insults for the deaths of people like Charles Manson, don't we?
A less obvious stumbling point was showing Hawking freed from his wheelchair, which immediately drew rebukes from people who use them, because of its implication that his life was any the less because of his mobility issues.
This is an understandable, unintentional blunder, but, still, ironic in that Lou Gehrig was equally reluctant to feel betrayed by fate, famously declaring
Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. … I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for.
Hawking echoed Gehrig's attitude:
I am quite often asked "How do you feel about having ALS?" The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many.
Several cartoonists followed the dictum that sometimes a hug is better than a speech and there were many cartoons depicting a starlit sky with variations on his place in it, which is not a bad way to handle the matter.
Africartoons compiled a large collection of Hawking cartoons, some rather good, some more than cringeworthy.
Meanwhile, at the "birth" rather than the "death" point in Dr. Zorba's lecture, Pat Bagley took the simple route in commenting on yesterday's school walkouts.
I'm impressed with how he picked up on the quiet fury of these kids and the fact that they aren't shouting or screaming: They're just there, refusing to be ignored or pushed aside or patted on the head by their elders, or led away into off-topic grievances by their contemporaries.
And while there are bumperstickers that say, "I'm the NRA and I vote," many of these kids are of voting age and they are also working to turn out the vote in 2018 and 2020 and for as long as it takes.
As I noted yesterday, one of my granddaughters was involved and, in fact, she led the walkout at her middle school. She told me how she had negotiated with the administration, making, first, the point that kids were going to walk out anyway and they'd have more control over the situation if they cooperated rather than resisting, and then, when they cited safety concerns, pointed out to them that kids go outside at dismissal and recess and it seems to work out.
I'm proud of her, of course, but the point is that her experience was replicated at schools across the nation.
Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command; your old road is rapidly aging.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Margulies answers those who want to solve the problem by arming teachers and fitting schools with bulletproof glass and such.
Pay attention: The kids aren't asking for safer schools. They're asking for a safer world.
And they are already shaking your windows and rattling your walls, and preparing to hurt he who has stalled.
Juxtaposition of the Day
Matson and Wilkinson comment on the results of Tuesday's special election in Pennsylvania, while Darrin Bell had to file his commentary before the votes were in, though his sardonic point pairs well with their panels.
Matson plays upon the GOP spin, which is that they would have lost by a lot more if Trump hadn't stepped in, but that the vote was as much against Trump as it was for Lamb, because, while Wilkinson is correct to suggest that Trump has gotten one helluva scare out of it, Lamb is not everyone's idea of a "moderate Democrat."
Well, except for being moderate enough to meet his constituents halfway, taking a sort of classic liberal Mario Cuomo position on abortion — personally opposed but unwilling to impose his beliefs on others — while adopting several conservative positions on other matters.
"Moderate" is the opposite of, well, obviously, "immoderate," but also of "doctrinaire," and yesterday saw a burst of anger from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren over Senate changes to Dodd-Frank.
But the list of Democrats who crossed over to support it sent me off to research the bill, and it seems a collection of fixes that were promised back when the law was first passed, most of which are for the benefit of the smaller banks, though a few will also help the major corporate behemoths.
Which squabbling brings us to Rudy Park and the caution that there is no advantage which can't be squandered.
Do you like the part you're playing?
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