What shone through all the clouds of ideology was my parents’ simple belief that children are an end, not a means. My parents did not have children to add more footsoldiers to the cause.
…
My liberalism would come to be a different creature, one admixed with the history that I now study, spiced with the knowledge that the world is a fallen place, not suitable for utopian schemes. That’s an easy thing to see when you’ve met some utopians.
* * *
The passages are from Mark Oppenheimer’s excellent, excellent essay, At August’s End, wherein he talks of his days spent as a boy in leftist summer camps. I admire this essay for its honesty.
I initially approached Sleepaway: Writings About Summer Camp warily – I’ve never been to summer camp, and I thought it was a boring subject for an anthology. But with contributors like Margaret Atwood, Sharon Olds, David Sedaris, and here, Oppenheimer, it appears that the book is going to be an interesting read.
Special thanks to Andrea for letting me borrow the book. Hope you’re feeling better now. :)
* * *
In other news, with Big Bang Theory and Fringe out of the way (I can’t wait for September), I am now watching – get this – a Japanese cartoon series. The introductory episode of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is absolutely insane. (“What’s with this pan-up?” “And so, to change scenes, we’ll just have a shot of the sky.”) One of the characters is a waitress from the future (don’t ask), who tries to do some Sailor Moon-like hand-and-feet choreography, but often fails because she cannot balance on one foot.
This is not what the series is about, but more po-mo anime please!
Eliza Victoria 