Jeff—Saturday
As you may have heard, something big happened in the US this week...on Tuesday to be precise. It led me to see what I'd written about a similar occurrence in 2016. Below is what I wrote back then...with clarifying UPDATES marked as such and set off in [Brackets]:
I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming. I mean, I was in Greece for all three of the populist SYRIZA party’s successful elections, in Europe for the populist Brexit victory, and born and raised in western Pennsylvania amid the down-to-earth families making up the heart of America’s steel and coal country. Think Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter,” and you get the picture. In fact, I played football against the high school team from the Monongahela River mill town of Clairton where much of the movie was filmed.
I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming. I mean, I was in Greece for all three of the populist SYRIZA party’s successful elections, in Europe for the populist Brexit victory, and born and raised in western Pennsylvania amid the down-to-earth families making up the heart of America’s steel and coal country. Think Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter,” and you get the picture. In fact, I played football against the high school team from the Monongahela River mill town of Clairton where much of the movie was filmed.
 |
| My father's friend owned the tractor featured in this opening scene of The Deer Hunter |
I also realized from the moment I first set foot in New York
City in 1969 that New York City—whoops make that Manhattan—thinks nothing like
the rest of the country, until you hit LA, Washington D.C., or a few spots
around Chicago.
Yet, the same as practically everyone else in NYC, I drank
the media’s and odds-makers’ Kool-Aid and never saw it coming [UPDATE-This time the odds makers got it right].
Yes, folks, the populist Cubs actually won the World Series! [UPDATE-In 2016 over Cleveland] Who would have thunk it?
[UPDATE-In 2024 the New York Yankees got whooped by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series--but Trump whipped both New York and California in the who gets to seriously govern the world competition.]
Cleveland rooters are understandably disheartened. So close,
but yet so far. At least there is solace
to be taken in knowing that, “Better luck next year” is far more optimistic a
rallying cry than say, “Better luck in four.” [UPDATE-though the latter form of rallying cry worked for Trump after losing in 2020]
And speaking of Pittsburgh (where the Monongahela and
Allegheny Rivers meet to form the Ohio), I returned for a fundraiser Thursday
night, and a book event Friday night at Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont,
Pennsylvania (under new owners, Natalie Sacco and Trevor Thomas [UPDATE-Now owned by Kristy Bodnar and Tara Goldberg-DeLeo]—a town rather
far up the Allegheny River from where I grew up.
 |
| Mystery Lovers second from left |
And with its legendary Oakmont Country Club, known for
hosting US Open Golf Championships, a much different community from The Deer Hunter’s Clairton.
 |
| Oakmont |
 |
| Clairton |
Both nights’ events were grand times packed with folks,
food, and adult beverages, but I want to mention something about the first…the
second is old news.
 |
| Wynton Marsalis headlined the non-booksigning event |
The event on Thursday night brought together 1100 supporters
of The Pittsburgh Promise, a charitable
organization offering all students of Pittsburgh Public High Schools, resident
in Pittsburgh and in its schools since 9th grade, who graduate with at
least a 2.5 grade average and 90% attendance record, scholarships of $7,500 per
year for four years toward accredited post secondary education, be it college
or technical schools in Pennsylvania.
Since its creation a decade [UPDATE-and a half] ago, The Pittsburgh Promise has
raised $194 million toward its funding goal of $250 million, awarded over 6800
scholarships [UPDATE 12,266] totaling more than $89 million [UPDATE $179 million], and seen college-going rates
increase from 58% to 68% among graduates of Pittsburgh Public Schools.
The motto of The Pittsburgh Promise is, “Dream Big, Work Hard,
Give Back.”
I’d say that’s a solid motto for us all to grab onto in these
times. [UPDATE-AMEN]
As for those Cleveland fans out there [UPDATE- and millions of others] still down in the
dumps, allow me to pass along a bit of anecdotal advice. Someone I hold very dear spent a solid two weeks
at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center working twenty-hour days
as one of those in charge of organizing the victory celebration for Hillary.
Trust me, it doesn’t get much harder on the soul than what
happened that night. [UPDATE-though it did, for in 2024 that same soul was charged with organizing the victory celebration for Kamala]
Yet, by today, my friend is back on track, putting the
disappointment behind, and doing what one must to go on.
That’s consistent with what my pappy always said, “The only
ones who lose in life are those who give up when they’re down.”
So, listen up all you Chief Wahoo fans, hang in there for
this, too, shall pass. “Go Indians”…unless, of course, you happen to be playing
the Pirates in the Series. [UPDATE-There was a pitched battle between those who saw it offensive and those who saw it as tradition for the Cleveland (Ohio) baseball team to continue calling itself the Indians and use "Chief Wahoo" in its branding. In 2021, after one-hundred and six years as the Indians, the team renamed itself the Cleveland Guardians.]
Chins up. [UPDATE-the times are changin' whether we want them to or not.]
—Jeff
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment