Music is a mystery for people who play it, write it, listen to it, and write about it. The only thing I can really do when I try to say something about music is assume.
Tuesday, November 02, 2021
All politics is no longer local
Tip O'Neill is known for having said, back in the later part of the twentieth century, "All politics is local." In the twenty-first century it now looks like all politics is now national.
3 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Elaine --
Visiting from Orange Crate Art.
Having lived in the DC area for 17 years, we used to say "national news is local news." A work friend for a federal agency told me they used to watch the news just in case they got a call about something on the 6 pm news.
All politics was local? O'Neill was wrong, and wrongly believed. Given the US being involved in two land wars in Europe in the 20th century, several in Asia and even Africa, the belief that O'Neill thought his observation something more than wittily apt is missing. What he probably meant was that voters become energized as politics from everywhere else washes over the locally. As Mussolini observed, "The Fascist conception of life stresses the importance of the State and accepts the individual only in so far as his interests coincide with the State. It is opposed to classical liberalism that denied the State in the name of the individual; Fascism reasserts the rights of the State." After being drafted into Johnson's war in Viet Nam, a long time ago, I never believed that particular O'Neill-ism. The State (I capitalize as did the translation of Mussolini's quote) was far too interested in me decades ago, and the State (of both parties) is still too interested in me. My interest as an oldster these days is to avoid it as much as possible. Consider that your marvelous, mostly musical blog also becomes interested in politics beyond the borders of music. Having been inducted and spat upon later for my unavoidable and unwilling “service” to the State, I find politics pursues, because we allow it to. Da capo.
I am active as a composer, a violist, a violinist, a recorder player, and as a teacher. I have been keeping this space in the blogosphere alive with assumptions about music (and assorted other things) since 2005.
3 comments:
Elaine --
Visiting from Orange Crate Art.
Having lived in the DC area for 17 years, we used to say "national news is local news." A work friend for a federal agency told me they used to watch the news just in case they got a call about something on the 6 pm news.
Kirsten
All politics was local? O'Neill was wrong, and wrongly believed. Given the US being involved in two land wars in Europe in the 20th century, several in Asia and even Africa, the belief that O'Neill thought his observation something more than wittily apt is missing. What he probably meant was that voters become energized as politics from everywhere else washes over the locally. As Mussolini observed, "The Fascist conception of life stresses the importance of the State and accepts the individual only in so far as his interests coincide with the State. It is opposed to classical liberalism that denied the State in the name of the individual; Fascism reasserts the rights of the State." After being drafted into Johnson's war in Viet Nam, a long time ago, I never believed that particular O'Neill-ism. The State (I capitalize as did the translation of Mussolini's quote) was far too interested in me decades ago, and the State (of both parties) is still too interested in me. My interest as an oldster these days is to avoid it as much as possible. Consider that your marvelous, mostly musical blog also becomes interested in politics beyond the borders of music. Having been inducted and spat upon later for my unavoidable and unwilling “service” to the State, I find politics pursues, because we allow it to. Da capo.
Thank goodness music has kept flowing in spite of who has power over whom. Thank you!
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