Category Archives: The Zeitgeist

TEVYE TODAY (Or, Fiddler On The Roof 2)

Culture, Judaism & Jews, Left-Liberalism And Progressivisim, The Zeitgeist

Fiddler On The Roof 2 – The Sequel

By Myron Pauli, who, by day, is a physicist and a father to one girl*

“Fiddler on the Roof” (the original) is coming near my home in early June. I was thinking that the original, however quaint, is far outdated and perhaps it is time for a sequel.

Fiddler on the Roof 2 takes place in current America. Tevye is now a Reform Jew with several daughters ready for marriage:

Deborah: Daddy, I am going to get married to Sol. Sol
is a complete atheist and insists that we do not expose our children to any religion.

Tevye: But does he give money to Common Cause and Handgun Control and Peace Now and all the right charities?

Deborah: Of course, Daddy.

Tevye: And he’s Jewish! You have my blessing.

Rebekkah: Daddy, I want to get married. I am going to marry a Rabbi.

Tevye: A rabbi – what an honor!

Rebekkah: Her name is Rachel, you will love her.

Tevye: I hope she’s reform and not conservative!

Rebekkah: What kind of a girl did you raise? Of course!

Miriam: Daddy, I am going to marry David. He’s a practicing Reform Jew and a great husband.

Tevye: You mean you THINK he’ll make a great husband.

Miriam: No, daddy, his six other wives tell me he is a wonderful husband and father.

Tevye: Well, you have my blessing.

Sarah: Daddy, I’m in love – and he’s Jewish. He is a little different, however. He works at the kiddie farm and he loves children. I hope you are tolerant and approve of diversity.

Tevye: Can I meet him? What’s his name.

Sarah: His name is Mr. Ed. He’s right outside.

Tevye: Mr. Ed is a horse.

Sarah: Daddy, don’t be a stick-in-the-mud. I met Mr. Ed at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals rally. Ask him a few questions.

Tevye: Mr. Ed, do you keep kosher.

Ed: Nay

Tevye: Mr. Ed, do you refuse to work on Saturday?

Ed: Nay

Tevye: Do you contribute to any right-wing causes?

Ed: Nay nay nay

Tevye: You have my blessing.

Bella: Daddy, I want you to meet a great guy whom I met at the Greenpeace rally. His name is Sven.

Tevye: Oi, a goy!

Bella: He’s willing to convert to Reform Judaism. He’s studied all the principles of Reform Judaism. Go quiz him.

Tevye: Ok, Sven. What is the greatest choice a woman can make?

Sven: To have an abortion. A late term, partial-birth abortion is the highest calling possible.

Tevye: How about this one – what does the Bible say about homosexuality?

Sven: The Bible teaches us that we must tolerate diversity and condemn those heathens who promote heterosexuality, monogamy, and other perversions.

Tevye: Well, you do sound learned. But I will ask you one more question because I have to be careful. What is absolutely forbidden according to our sacred scrolls?

Sven: Bork!

Tevye: Gotchaa! I just had a ham and cheese this morning.

Sven: Not pork, I said Bork! Robert Bork, that right-wing judge who would make women have coathanger abortions and enslave all black people.

Tevye: Of course, Sven. You are truly a mensch and a true believer. Enjoy your life with Bella.

Hanna: Daddy, I’m going to marry Moshe.

Tevye: What’s that silly round thing on his head?

Hanna: It’s a kippa.

Tevye: What – he’s keeping his bald spot hidden?

Hanna: No, it’s a yarmulke. Moshe is Orthodox.

Tevye: Oi vey!

Hanna: We’re going to set up a kosher home in Hebron in Judea and keep all 613 mitzvot [commandments].

Tevye: No No NO NO NO!!!! He’s Orthodox!! He’s going to be an imperialist obstruction to the Peace Process – a settler! A right-winger! Oi! Oi! Kosher! Oi! Sabbath – oh, no! An atheist – OK. A lesbian – OK. A polygamist – OK. A horse – OK. A goy – OK. But Orthodox! Young lady, you have gone too far! Have you forgotten how you were raised?

I have no daughter! OUT OF MY HOUSE!

******
* Barely a Blog (BAB) contributor Myron Pauli grew up in Sunnyside Queens, went off to college in Cleveland and then spent time in a mental institution in Cambridge MA (MIT) with Benjamin Netanyahu (did not know him), and others until he was released with the “hostages” and Jimmy Carter on January 20, 1981, having defended his dissertation in nuclear physics. Most of the time since, he has worked on infrared sensors, mainly at Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC. He was NOT named after Ron Paul but is distantly related to physicist Wolftgang Pauli; unfortunately, only the “good looks” were handed down and not the brains. He writes assorted song lyrics and essays reflecting his cynicism and classical liberalism. Click on the “BAB’s A List” category to access the Pauli archive.

The Mindless, Mirthless Millennial

Celebrity, Free Speech, Intellectualism, Pop-Culture, The Zeitgeist

Millennials likely don’t know what mirthless means. Most of them are pig-ignorant even when “educated” or “well-traveled.” As I continue to discover in my own interactions, Millennials are diversity hating, unless “diversity” is defined as skin color or some other overt, exotic, cultural, culinary or sexual display. Minds that are different Millenials cannot and will not abide. Conformity is their thing.

Similar findings are being reported by some of our smarter, and certainly iconic, comedians—satirists, really.

As was noted in “Race And The American Millennial’s Brain Rot,” “comedian Chris Rock recently confessed that he avoids doing his stand-up routine in front of millennial audiences. ‘You can’t say ‘the black kid over there.’ No, it’s ‘the guy with the red shoes.’ You can’t even be offensive on your way to being inoffensive.”

Now Jerry Seinfeld says he “avoids doing shows on college campuses. … College kids today are too politically correct.” His own daughter has been brainwashed into drone-like sanctimony. Via Entertainment Weekly:

“I hear that all the time,” Seinfeld said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “I don’t play colleges, but I hear a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t go near colleges. They’re so PC.’”

Seinfeld says teens and college-aged kids don’t understand what it means to throw around certain politically-correct terms. “They just want to use these words: ‘That’s racist;’ ‘That’s sexist;’ ‘That’s prejudice,’” he said. “They don’t know what the f­—k they’re talking about.”

The funnyman went on to recount a conversation he and his wife had with their 14-year-old daughter, which he believes proved his point.

“My wife says to her, ‘Well, you know, in the next couple years, I think maybe you’re going to want to be hanging around the city more on the weekends, so you can see boys,’” Seinfeld recalled. “You know what my daughter says? She says, ‘That’s sexist.’”

MORE.

UPDATED: Bruce Jenner And Chris Kyle: Is Either A Hero? (Or Ho?)

Ethics, Pop-Culture, Sex, The State, The Zeitgeist

“Bruce Jenner And Chris Kyle: Is Either A Hero?” is the current column on hedonism vs. heroism. An excerpt:

“True bravery is shown by performing without witness what one might be capable of doing before all the world,” said a wise man named La Rochefoucauld, centuries ago. That man’s definition excludes most of America’s contemporary heroes.

La Rochefoucauld’s understanding of courage certainly rules out most black community leaders. In Baltimore, a city devastated by anti-police, race rioters, these “leaders” made sure they were seen calling for calm following the orgy of destruction. Away from the cameras, their lives have been given over to causing chaos by preaching racial grievance against white America.

The same imperative of privacy and consistency precludes Bruce Jenner. …

… The famous Olympian athlete turned TV personality has come out very publicly as a transsexual, who is in the process of transitioning to full womanhood; Jenner already has the psyche of a woman. For providing 17 million ABC viewers with a glimpse into his very real inner struggle with sexual identity, Jenner has been hailed as an American hero.

… This is not to diminish Jenner’s excruciatingly difficult journey. However, a stoic Olympian battling his demons in private would have more closely approximated the qualities of a hero.

.. Still, Jenner is more of an American hero than the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle …

Read the complete column. “Bruce Jenner And Chris Kyle: Is Either A Hero?” is now on WND.

UPDATE (5/1): Heroes or Hos? The MailOnline pictorial, referred to in the column:

The Hideousness Of Humorlessness

Critique, English, Intelligence, The Zeitgeist

On the facts, “The Worst Crimes Against Humanity, Ever” were those of Communism. While being humorless does not come in a close second or even third—it’s still pretty hideous.

In response to the column “The Worst Crimes … “ WND reader “krowbro” (10 hours ago) proved himself a scold and a sourpuss. He quotes this line from my column disapprovingly:

This month, Kim Kardashian and Pope Francis, in order of importance …

The gets that big fat finger of his wagging:

Does this add anything to what would otherwise be a rather insightful commentary? I get the point, Ms. Mercer thinks Pope Francis is inconsequential, but what the heck does that have to do with crimes against humanity? Including snarky snippets like this in one’s commentary detracts from the message and makes one appear sophomoric.

My reply:

No, you don’t get the point of, “This month, Kim Kardashian and Pope Francis, in order of importance …”: This is called humor; cynicism; it’s a quip about a culture in which more people value KK than value the Pontiff. Wit should not need explanation, nor warrant a scolding. Even worse than the importance of KK to our corrupt culture is the inability to “get” an underhanded dig.

What’s so elusive about my sense of humor? Humor is the reason I like Ann Coulter and think she’s immensely talented (even though I disagree with most of her position): She’s witty.