Category Archives: Commentary

Opinion or analysis concerning whatever’s on my mind.

Get the ‘Lead’ Out

Posted on November 5, 2019 by JMN

She has lead the way, but all the candidates need to come clean about their health care proposals. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, “Elizabeth Warren Throws Down the Gauntlet,” NYTimes, 11-4-19) The error in the NYTimes subheading is more exciting than usual. It … Continue reading →

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A Descendant of Ralph the Wrecker

Posted on November 5, 2019 by JMN

A mighty union that had lasted hundreds of years, running from the Orkneys to Cornwall, from Belfast to Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll, would have been torn asunder…. (Nicholas Kristof, “Will Great Britain Become Little England?” NYTimes, 11-2-19) I would like to visit … Continue reading →

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George Condo

Posted on November 3, 2019 by JMN

Mr. Condo, 61, is best known for his bold figurative paintings that blend old master techniques and cartoonish characters, capturing a range of emotions from many perspectives in a method he calls “psychological Cubism.” “In the early days of Cubism, … Continue reading →

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Meaning vs. Making

Posted on November 2, 2019 by JMN

I do wish [the show’s curators] had enforced a bit more critical distance. Mr. Haacke, as each gallery proudly proclaims, has written every single wall label himself — which offers helpful context, but turns the show into an uncomfortable act … Continue reading →

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“We live without a future”

Posted on November 1, 2019 by JMN

Virginia Woolf’s house was destroyed by bombings in the Second World War. One of the last entries in her journals before her suicide has imagery that lacerates. She sounds almost bemused by the despair she conveys, as if observing it … Continue reading →

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Can a Lie Be “Unintentional”?

Posted on October 30, 2019 by JMN

I propose as a reflection on semantics that a lie, strictly speaking, cannot be “unintentional.” A lie must know itself to be such in the mind of the liar. Consider the following quotation: “I am unquestionably, undoubtedly, the greatest human … Continue reading →

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Sequelae

Posted on October 29, 2019 by JMN

[“The existing Hollywood order, the current pop-cultural regime,”] is built, to an extent that would have been unfathomable even 20 years ago, on the commercial exploitation of what was once called “genre” entertainment — the comic-book movie especially, the Marvel … Continue reading →

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I’m Like: Whoa

Posted on October 25, 2019 by JMN

All bets are off when a subject finds the interviewer’s question “very interesting.” There’s a likelihood that the answer will go its own way. I find that to be the case in this exchange between Jori Finkel, a contributor to … Continue reading →

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Tofu vs. Jerky

Posted on October 23, 2019 by JMN

Cheryl Thompson has a salutary take on bromides about the “strength of diversity” that are jawboned from various bully pulpits. Diversity is also tough, challenging and sometimes outright frustrating because it requires listening, being open to what you don’t know, … Continue reading →

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Drawing in Jail

Posted on October 22, 2019 by JMN

Hilarie M. Sheets writes an article about how people have coped with incarceration by drawing (“For the Incarcerated, Drawing Is a Lifeline,” NYTimes, 9-20-19). What interests me on the margins of this interesting article is the innocent tell favoring depiction … Continue reading →

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