Going Inkless

Up to now, Fox Lake's claim to fame was that it was a favourite vacation spot for some of Al Capone's gang who spent a lot of time drinking and gambling at the Mineola Hotel.  Otherwise, it's a generally quiet place with some pretty scenery.  Working class families live here.  Neighbors might have weekend barbecues, and you have to take it slow on the side streets because it's not unusual to encounter packs of kids playing ball or riding bikes.  There's been a different tone since Tuesday. I say "here" not in the just-passing-through way you may have heard reporters use on the news lately.  No, "here" is where I live.  Fox Lake has been my home for around 20 years now.  That abandoned cement plant they referenced in the early reports of this crisis is the very same I posted about here (though it's now devoid of its cheerful graffiti.)  I passed by it on my way to work only about 10 minutes before the crime that day.  While I did not know L...

     Over the years, I have observed a kind of snobbery relating to forms of entertainment.  It is assumed that the only true or worthy art is in books and that classic literature is the height of that.  Modern works are, of course, less valuable than older ones because we've lost so much intellect, grace and elegance since those golden days. There are those who proudly announce at every opportunity that they don't watch television or that the only movies they see are documentaries.  The conclusion is that everything else is worthless tripe that could only be enjoyed by those of lesser intelligence than the snob.      The prejudice even extends to those who guiltily enjoy movies rather than "cinema", non-educational television, or "lesser" literature like comic books or science fiction.  Often, they seem almost apologetic or ashamed when they judge their choices as the candy of artistic offerings rather than the vegetables. ...

Purity is overrated. Through the ages, society has prized the absolutes: the whitest of white steeds, the perfect purebred dog, the matching set of dishes, or the untainted noble lineage. We aim for the flawless lawn, as evidenced by the number of dandelion killers on the market. Superlatives and homogeneity are the ideals. This narrow scope, the concentration of acceptable qualities, means perfection, and society always clings to the purity of what is "ours". It is an ancient prejudice, this preference for "us" and mistrust of the "other". Anything less than 100% makes people uneasy. Even here in the United States, home to immigrants from all over the world, there are still groups that squabble over the validity of a lineage, branding only those who came over at the start, and on the right boats, the truest of Americans. BUT Nature loves diversity. Variety and adaptation are the rules. They are the keys to survival and progress. Even the most bor...