Obscenity: You'll Know if When You See It

Never have I thought of an automobile as obscene. Until now. The Automobile Section for the August 29, 2010 Sunday edition of The New York Times contains a review of the 2010 Mercedes Benz E63 AMG. This car is nothing less than offensive. The $100,000 price tag isn't shocking. However, the car "burns $1 in gas every three or four miles" which translates to 9.5 miles per gallon. Is the Mercedes-Benz marketing team living in a cave?

I am not necessarily an ardent environmentalist, but I can't imagine what prompted development of this obscene machine. The market, high end included, clearly is interested in using less fuel, not more. Production of the E63 is absurd in the current climate. I can't imagine what the folks at Mercedes-Benz had in mind. I would imagine that some potential customers might think twice about purchasing a Mercedes-Benz at all. It definitely will impact my decision, and I happen to be in the market for a car.

In Jacobelis v. Ohio, 378 U.S.184 (1964), Justice Potter Stewart wrote a minority decision in a case deciding whether a particular film was "hardcore pornography." Justice Stewart stated that he could not intelligibly define hardcore pornography, but he would 'know it when he saw it.' There probably won't be many E63s on the road. However, if you happen to see one, think of Justice Stewart's statement.

Accepting Limitations

For most of my life, I suffered recurring, horrific colds and respiratory infections. My first bout of strep occurred when I was in the second grade. I missed most of the winter of grades 4 through 7 because of pneumonia. My mother would sit up with me nights while I experienced coughing fits. Eventually, I figured out how to function while ill. I remember driving from Manhattan to Hartford for a business meeting accompanied by a box of tissues, a bottle of seltzer and a box of Hall's cough drops. Finally, at the age of 48, I was diagnosed with an immune deficiency and immediately felt different in my own skin.

A friend recently discovered that she and her son lack a sufficient amount of a component in their blood called Von Willebrand factor. Von Willebrand factor enables blood to clot. This woman gave birth to two children and miscarried a third. Her son bruised easily in contact sports. It never occurred to anyone that there was a problem until the son had oral surgery recently. His failure to clot properly resulted in a diagnosis. All of the sudden, my friend and her son found themselves confronting the reality that they were, in fact, living with a flawed.


It feels slightly creepy to learn that you really have any type of non-visible disability. There is a sudden, yet invisible change. You are not who you thought you were; you deceived yourself. Instead of being a strong, healthy person, you are a person with a problem and the problem has a name. Those are two very different identities, and ours is a society in which weakness is not a positive. As always, self-acceptance remains a challenge.

Fall Fashion Economic Indicator

It's back to school time and I am busily refreshing the wardrobes of two teenaged girls. This is challenging, when style is comatose and the color palate is absolutely dead. I have been scouring malls and boutiques for the past two weeks, from high end to low end. There is absolutely nothing new or exciting on the racks. Literally. Palates are limited to grey and black, with a one muted color thrown in, depending on the line. J. Crew"s offerings followed the trend, with two mustard yellow pieces and a few pale heather pieces. The lines reflected design paralysis and depression. Even the attempt at infusing a lift through the use magenta by Anne Taylor Loft fell flat. Only the use of a lovely plum served to entice interest in a suit I saw in Lord & Taylor at the Westchester Mall.

Another noticeable trend was limited inventory. Vendors seem to be anticipating a market of unwilling buyers who will purchase only items that are absolutely needed. Interestingly, the shoe inventory seems to differ. The Aeresoles store was chock full of new designs and an array of fall colors. Thank heaven; we'll need a lift from drab grey. My survey has been entirely unscientific, but my impression is that retailers do not look forward to a successful season and are cutting their losses. If the tenor of the retail fashion market is correct, we are in for a bleak winter. Hopefully, we will see more positive signs in the spring.

Intolerance

Have you noticed that society is increasingly intolerant? A disturbing article in the August 6, 2010 New York Times reported on the campaign by the Dutch political leader, Geert Wilders to ban the Koran and impose a tax on head scarves. Does this remind anyone else of a certain dismal periods of history?

Americans interred Japanese residents. Germany rounded up Jews like cattle. Genocide was committed by the Tutsis against the Hutus in Rwanda. Scores of Muslims were killed by Serbs in Bosnia. The Shiites hate the Sunni. Now, we have all Westerners, both European and American, against all Muslims. Let's all get on the hate bandwagon!

There is a psychological comfort in the "us" versus "them" attitude. Viewing the world through the us/them lens makes for easy identity of the enemy. Trying to determine those individuals in the 'them' group who don't threaten the goals of 'us' is too hard. Directing vitriol toward an entire group is easy, yet so very dangerous. It lends credence to complaints of oppression and may entice some of 'them,' in this case Muslims, to return intolerance with intolerance, perhaps expressed through violence.

There is an undeniable basis for the conflicts among the Muslim and the Judeo Christian world. Indeed, the campaign of fundamentalist Islam is against Western Civilization. It brutalizes women and children. Peace with Israel is not even in the fundamentalist Muslim playbook. Wilders recognizes that Israel is the victim of fundamentalist Muslim brutality, because Israel serves as an easily bullied symbol of everything Western. However, the mistake lies in failing to understand that being Muslim and acceptance of a Judeo-Christian ethic are not mutually exclusive. Lumping all Muslims together in one big category of evil is overly simplistic and plain wrong. Distinguishing between fundamentalist, radical Islam and the more tolerant among the Muslim community is crucial. There are many peaceful, kind Muslims, even among observant Muslims and they need to come forward so that they can get well-deserved recognition and support.

Society needs to avoid the low road of hatred. Any tax or ban of religious garb, and certainly the ban of the Koran or bible in any country is absolutely unacceptable. Equally unacceptable are any violent attacks against anyone who criticizes either the Western or Muslim communities. As we tell children, use words, not fists, remembering always that words can be a source of healing. Wisdom often comes from the mouths of the simple and Rodney King, the robber who was caught and beaten by Los Angeles Police after a high speed chase, said it best when he posed the question: "Why can't we all just get along?" Even Anne Frank, in her diary, stated her belief that "...all people are basically good."

The Parent Trap

Parents constantly make decisions for their children. Making choices that affect someone else's future can be a frightening and intimidating responsibility. One wonders how and whether the choice will effect the child in the long term. Though life experience and educated advisors are helpful guides, it remains burdonsome to resolve murky areas for another person. The right path is often uncertain.

Some decisions are easily made, like providing food, shelter, clothes, medical care and an education. That's easy. The debatable issues, where one decision could be as right or wrong as another, invariably result in frustrating debates. Consider, for example, the decision to put a child on medication for ADHD. Medications carry risks, both known and unknown, but they also hold the promise of permitting a child to function optimally. On the other hand, the drugs don't always make a difference. It is one thing to make a choice for oneself, but quite another to make a decision for another person.

No one has all the answers. Circular debates must eventually yield a decision, and whatever decision is reached has to be accepted as the definitively right answer. Like any good corporate or government leader, being a parent requires inner resolve. In truth, though, the most any parent can do is make a best guess and assume an appearance confidence.