Posted by Carmody
(here)
Peter sellers, Sept 8th, 1925. Virgo. British, but ethnically Jewish. I Should have known he was Jewish.....Was my favorite actor. Always a problem that, my favorites always die. To the last person. So I decided, just in case, to never have any favorites again.
as for the known part, it was an episode of William Shatner's show 'Raw Nerve' that illustrated this point to me. Something another friend had said to me earlier. That Jewish actors or in many cases, people, period, have the gift of caricature, if one where to consider it a gift. Gene Simmons, of the group Kiss, was his guest. I realized that all of William's guests I had seen on it, were Jewish. As was he, which I never even thought about. Gene Simmons said that it seems to have been a derivation from the constant moving about of the tribe. Where to 'fit in', they tended to become the societal norm they were immersed in, but as a caricature, one that was and is 'over the top'. The gift of acting, as hollywood portrays it, due to it's roots.
Gene said that when, for example, if one were to go to New Jersey, and run into a bunch of typical kids from Jersey....there might be one in the crowd that was so 'jersey' that they seem like they epitomize the poster child for the world's idea of a 'kid from joisey'. The accent, the behavior, the dress, etc. a cardboard cut out of extreme signals and character. He said that if you find out the kid's name, they'll turn out to be Jewish.
Thus Peter's gift for the howlingly funny portrayal of comedic extremes that he was capable of. Gene's point was that this is what the group kiss was all about. that Kiss, was and is a purposeful extreme caricature...and that he never mistook it for anything else and he never meant it to be anything else. He said that everything about that group was systematic and thought out. People's mistake, was the indication, that they ever mistook it for anything else than a caricature. from day one...I saw the fascination with Kiss as very puzzling, to say the least. I found them to be an embarrassment to humanity.
this is why some prefer European or other films, over that of Hollywood, or 'north American' film sensibilities, overall, as group indicators are normed. Hollywood is, for the most part, about caricature, and try not to mistake it for anything else. euro film are more about the portrayal of human realities, as film. (real workouts/portrayals of real issues) Which is why 'The Oscars' as a concept and reality...are over the top by such a great amount, as it is this 'caricature award system'.
Whereas Cannes film festival is about FILM. About people and the feeling and portrayal of such.
A massive difference between the two.
As I aged and grew into an adult, I found that my film tastes moved solely into the Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, etc film festival awards as being indicators of the kinds of films I would prefer. As I became a human being over that of the emulating caricature of youth; ie I 'grew up' and stopped looking at things I felt I had to incorporate to be an 'adult'... that I gravitated toward real portrayals over that of the Hollywood system.
This is a large part of the ongoing disturbance of American culture that is perpetrated and centered on this overall complex issue in front of us -today. A system that is hooked on maintaining a level of deep childishness in the overall gestalt of the entire continent.
To be sure, there is massive differentials and proliferation of differences in individuals in western society... and very many centered and grounded adults abound in western society, but there is an overall cast of childishness and lack of growing up --in the overall unconscious connection in the public acts, and connections of the entire continent, and anything connected to 'western society'.
For.. .at this time (and slowly evolving into over the past 200+ years)..western society and culture/civilization...is now connected irredeemably in the minds of most... to the idea of North American culture/civilization (an oxymoron at it's worst example). Which in my opinion, is a shameful hodge-podge of immaturity centered around wrongheaded ideas on spirituality and human relation.
The problem comes when the society is so debased along these lines that no path is available for even the thinking searcher within the system. In Asian or other cultures, the path remains. The 'shingle' as one might say (shingle hung, meaning: advertisement) is firmly hung out the and capable of being seen. One can find a doorway to proper human growth.
And that which is seemingly a problem in this world, seems hellbent on removing any capacity for individuals who are born into 'western' culture to find these higher paths, by erasing and eradicating the remaining pockets of illumination and correctness in spiritual matters and thus, removing paths for ultimate maturity for the given incarnate being. Thus the great convoluted aspect of 'hidden in plain sight' western cultural immaturity. Too many are immature and cannot see it. Living too much in childish learning mode of reflection. Not enough thought by the involved. And even the capacity for that is being removed. A downward spiral of the worst kind.
Thus the basic deep insult and wrongheadedness of what is going on in the world but is so epitomized by and through... and well... the contrived caricature of western actions and behavior.
Thus the line from Gandhi.. when asked about his thoughts on western civilization: "
What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea."
Re: Here and Now...What's Happening?
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