I understand that writing, whether it be comedy or commentary, must often be a lonely and underappreciated craft. You have hinted at harboring feelings of futility.
I know you get some feedback here, but we deeply appreciate your writings. In fact, the is no one else on line at the moment whose thoughts I would rather read. It is intellectually deeply rewarding and is a reflection of a world of words that has all but disappeared. That previous smorgasbord of ideas that previous generations took for granted is now down to the fixe pris portion of the menu.
Now I know that this doesn't pay the bills and a "Thanks for suffering for your art so we can enjoy it" sounds decidedly cheap. I don't mean it to. The way you pursue thoughts is a treat for us (My wife is now a reader as well).
I am sure your days are packed and we don't wish to make claims on your time, but please do know that you do outstanding work and it is very much appreciated. Thank you.
Neal, thank you so much for this. I do struggle with terrible feelings of futility, as what I love and am best at has turned from a profession to a hobby, the world of comedy has atomized and become a lottery for standups and TikTokers, and my personal weirdness of not-quite-an-academic/not-quite-a-pure-jokester has really limited my options in both fields. As I have said recently, the severity of my illness from 21-42 prevented me from establishing the security one must draw upon in middle age; and after 30 years of free work with the students, Mother Yale remains utterly resistant to my charms. But my biggest fear is that all these weird skills I have accrued so painstakingly will die with me. My cerebral palsy is worsening, which is increasing the likelihood of my demise from choking or a fall, and makes me feel like I’m on a clock. And so even though my circumstances are so difficult right now, I try in every way possible to say what must be said. Last week on a car trip I dictated a good portion of a book on editing. Issue #29 is coming together, and I am in talks with an angel to fund it. I am gently guiding several book projects forward, and am doing some paid consulting. I am writing when I can, and staying out East for long periods to connect with dear friends and colleagues. All this is to say that your comment is so so appreciated, and gives me heart that everything from my life’s work to this little weird post has not been a waste of time and talent. I will persevere, and think of your words. THANK YOU.
Always a topic that enthralls those of us who were kids in the 1960s. I'm sure you may have read Covert Action Quarterly (published from the late 70s to 2005) which did an excellent job at exposing the nefarious dealings of the CIA and other spooks. If you didn't, I have a whole box of issues in my garage for your enjoyment, or paranoia, depending on one's world view. And if you need to further wig out on Kennedy assassination info similar to what Spycast riffs on, I can toss you the 800 page "Ultimate Sacrifice" by Lamarr Waldron.
At this point, looking back at JFK's killing ironically seems like such small potatoes compared to what our country has been manipulated and pulled into since then. However it led to that cascade of events: Vietnam, Iran Contra, 9/11, a 25 year long phony "War on Terror", and now insane billionaires colluding with evangelical loonies and far-right federalist society schmucks who look to make our democracy into some kind of autocratic nightmare, and that's just a few of the highlights (or would that be lowlights?) over the years.
To quote Billie Joel, "We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it."
Ed, I happen to believe that the proper way to view the murders of the 60s is in the context of a permanent oligarch-backed Fascist movement in the US, which erupts into violence whenever it feels seriously threatened. Sometimes--as in the Business Plot of 1933--it is thwarted, and the naturally progressive politics of the US are allowed to flourish (in that case, the New Deal). Sometimes, as in the 60s, it is successful, and the course of our country is wrenched profoundly rightward for a time…only to eventually drift back in a progressive direction. Whereupon they take action again; sometimes via laws/judges, other times via scandals, still other times via guns.
The real issue here isn't that we have lunatic billionaires who think fluoride is a Commie plot, or even that people at CIA or within the military are occasionally bloodthirsty maniacs. It's that we never actually punish these folks as if they were just ordinary citizens like the rest of us. All the things you said--from the murders of the 60s to Iran-Contra, to the War on Terror, and on and on--would stop if the people behind them would simply feel the consequences, one time.
The CIA's concerns about security issues in the JFK case, 60 years after the fact, are patently absurd when you think of the boxes of classified documents in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom.
I whole heartedly agree. You should check out a podcast called The Master Plan. It spells out all the governmental "fiddling" by right wing autocratic groups, like the Federalist Society, have been doing for the last 50 years. I think you find it enlightening as well as tying into that core belief of fascist always hampering any real attempts at true democracy.
Listen to the Dave Emory podcast on WFMU radio and Apple. For decades, he’s been following the growth, and continuation since WW2, of global fascism. He is not a conspiracy theorist. His research is based on fact-checking, and fully annotated and referenced.
Michael—why does “American Bystander…” and SUBSTACK continue to debit my bank account each month? I cancelled my subscriotion on August 29, 2024. Please update your records and stop debiting my bank account each month since August 29th.
Joyce, that’s a setting on your subscription internal to your account with either Substack or Patreon, however you’ve subscribed. Just go in and unsubscribe and the charges will cease. Email me at publisher@americanbystander.org if you need me to get on the phone and walk you through it.
Michael,
I understand that writing, whether it be comedy or commentary, must often be a lonely and underappreciated craft. You have hinted at harboring feelings of futility.
I know you get some feedback here, but we deeply appreciate your writings. In fact, the is no one else on line at the moment whose thoughts I would rather read. It is intellectually deeply rewarding and is a reflection of a world of words that has all but disappeared. That previous smorgasbord of ideas that previous generations took for granted is now down to the fixe pris portion of the menu.
Now I know that this doesn't pay the bills and a "Thanks for suffering for your art so we can enjoy it" sounds decidedly cheap. I don't mean it to. The way you pursue thoughts is a treat for us (My wife is now a reader as well).
I am sure your days are packed and we don't wish to make claims on your time, but please do know that you do outstanding work and it is very much appreciated. Thank you.
Neal, thank you so much for this. I do struggle with terrible feelings of futility, as what I love and am best at has turned from a profession to a hobby, the world of comedy has atomized and become a lottery for standups and TikTokers, and my personal weirdness of not-quite-an-academic/not-quite-a-pure-jokester has really limited my options in both fields. As I have said recently, the severity of my illness from 21-42 prevented me from establishing the security one must draw upon in middle age; and after 30 years of free work with the students, Mother Yale remains utterly resistant to my charms. But my biggest fear is that all these weird skills I have accrued so painstakingly will die with me. My cerebral palsy is worsening, which is increasing the likelihood of my demise from choking or a fall, and makes me feel like I’m on a clock. And so even though my circumstances are so difficult right now, I try in every way possible to say what must be said. Last week on a car trip I dictated a good portion of a book on editing. Issue #29 is coming together, and I am in talks with an angel to fund it. I am gently guiding several book projects forward, and am doing some paid consulting. I am writing when I can, and staying out East for long periods to connect with dear friends and colleagues. All this is to say that your comment is so so appreciated, and gives me heart that everything from my life’s work to this little weird post has not been a waste of time and talent. I will persevere, and think of your words. THANK YOU.
Politics is unreal nowadays, true, but MUCH more extreme, obsessive, and psychologically twisted than Bigfoot or ETs could ever be.
Always a topic that enthralls those of us who were kids in the 1960s. I'm sure you may have read Covert Action Quarterly (published from the late 70s to 2005) which did an excellent job at exposing the nefarious dealings of the CIA and other spooks. If you didn't, I have a whole box of issues in my garage for your enjoyment, or paranoia, depending on one's world view. And if you need to further wig out on Kennedy assassination info similar to what Spycast riffs on, I can toss you the 800 page "Ultimate Sacrifice" by Lamarr Waldron.
At this point, looking back at JFK's killing ironically seems like such small potatoes compared to what our country has been manipulated and pulled into since then. However it led to that cascade of events: Vietnam, Iran Contra, 9/11, a 25 year long phony "War on Terror", and now insane billionaires colluding with evangelical loonies and far-right federalist society schmucks who look to make our democracy into some kind of autocratic nightmare, and that's just a few of the highlights (or would that be lowlights?) over the years.
To quote Billie Joel, "We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it."
I kinda wish we fought it just a bit harder.
Ed, I happen to believe that the proper way to view the murders of the 60s is in the context of a permanent oligarch-backed Fascist movement in the US, which erupts into violence whenever it feels seriously threatened. Sometimes--as in the Business Plot of 1933--it is thwarted, and the naturally progressive politics of the US are allowed to flourish (in that case, the New Deal). Sometimes, as in the 60s, it is successful, and the course of our country is wrenched profoundly rightward for a time…only to eventually drift back in a progressive direction. Whereupon they take action again; sometimes via laws/judges, other times via scandals, still other times via guns.
The real issue here isn't that we have lunatic billionaires who think fluoride is a Commie plot, or even that people at CIA or within the military are occasionally bloodthirsty maniacs. It's that we never actually punish these folks as if they were just ordinary citizens like the rest of us. All the things you said--from the murders of the 60s to Iran-Contra, to the War on Terror, and on and on--would stop if the people behind them would simply feel the consequences, one time.
The CIA's concerns about security issues in the JFK case, 60 years after the fact, are patently absurd when you think of the boxes of classified documents in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom.
I whole heartedly agree. You should check out a podcast called The Master Plan. It spells out all the governmental "fiddling" by right wing autocratic groups, like the Federalist Society, have been doing for the last 50 years. I think you find it enlightening as well as tying into that core belief of fascist always hampering any real attempts at true democracy.
Listen to the Dave Emory podcast on WFMU radio and Apple. For decades, he’s been following the growth, and continuation since WW2, of global fascism. He is not a conspiracy theorist. His research is based on fact-checking, and fully annotated and referenced.
Roy, I think I listened to Dave Emory at some point; sounds like Mae Brussell territory -- are you familiar with her?
Well said.
Michael—why does “American Bystander…” and SUBSTACK continue to debit my bank account each month? I cancelled my subscriotion on August 29, 2024. Please update your records and stop debiting my bank account each month since August 29th.
—Joyce McCart
Joyce, that’s a setting on your subscription internal to your account with either Substack or Patreon, however you’ve subscribed. Just go in and unsubscribe and the charges will cease. Email me at publisher@americanbystander.org if you need me to get on the phone and walk you through it.