Democracy According to Mailer Essay - 3483 Words

Democracy According to Mailer Re-reading the bulk of my work in the course of a spring and summer, one theme came to predominate-it was apparent that most of my writing was about America. How much I loved our country-that was evident-and how much I didnt love it at all! -Norman Mailer, foreword to Time of Our Time The first time I read anything written by Norman Mailer-it was an excerpt from the Vietnam-era Armies of the Night-I remember two things coming to my mind. The first thing that popped into my head: what an arrogant, self-righteous jerk this Mailer guy is! What kind of egotistical writer places himself in his own novel? What new-age Narcissus finds the tragic flaw of every individual he encounters? What brand of†¦show more content†¦His writings offer an invaluable historical memoir of sorts, the piercing thoughts of a man involved in the essence of what America has been for most of the 20th century. A Harvard graduate who served in World War II, co-founded The Village Voice, ran for political office, and provided a major voice for the anti-Vietnam movement, Mailers been there, done that point of view gives readers a vital perspective on what America truly is, underneath the red, white, and blue facade every small town, big city, and baby-kissing politician bears (Mailer 1305 ). Mailer set himself the goal of offering some hint at a societal and cultural history over these last 50 years, and by creating such a body of work, Mailer gives America a rare opportunity, the chance to look itself in the mirror, accept the good and bad of what exists, and decide to improve upon what it can for the generations of Americans yet to be born (xi). He knew that our democracy was riddled with anti-Enlightenment contradictions, trumpeting the virtues of liberty and equality while over half the American population remained legally inferior for more than 170 years. In a country that prides itself on every citizen having an active voice in the realm of lawmaking, he saw the tight-knit relationship between government and corporate corruption bind itself to theShow MoreRelated Internet Security Essay1911 Words   |  8 PagesInternet is recorded somewhere (Boyan, Codel, and Parekh 3). An individuals personal security is the major issue surrounding the Internet. If a person cannot be secure and have privacy on the Internet, the whole system will fail. According to the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), any web site can find out whose server and the location of the server a person used to get on the Internet, whether his computer is Windows or DOS based, and also the Internet browser that was used. This is theRead More The Environmental Lobby and Voting Trends in the United States5545 Words   |  23 Pagesconsider increased GOTV efforts among the young. Local vs. National Assessments An individual’s assessment of his/her local environmental quality is an important determinant of his/her likelihood to support increased environmental spending. According to the 1995 NES pilot study report, people who approve of their local air quality are less likely to support increased federal expenditures on behalf of the environment than people with negative assessments. Evaluations of national air quality haveRead MoreJasper Jones Study Guide6848 Words   |  28 Pagescritical acclaim and was selected as the ‘one book’ by the Perth International Arts Festival in 2005. It has sold more than 18,000 copies to date. Silvey released an illustrated book telling the story of Warren, the guide dog from Rhubarb, in The World According to Warren. Jasper Jones has been longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and won the Indie Book Award in 2009. Silvey is currently adapting the story for a script. For interviews with Silvey regarding Jasper Jones see: http://blog.book topia.com.Read MoreInfrastructure for Knowledge Management42738 Words   |  171 Pageswhen all the government’s departmental CEO’s and CFO’s were replaced with â€Å"politically friendly† CEO’s and CFO’s. Suddenly, overnight, the tides of power had changed and of course everything the previous CEO’s and CFO’s had done was horribly wrong according to the new regime. It wasn’t long after when the contracts started drying up and funding was cut or redirected elsewhere. 28 Now I had a problem. I had to go out into the real world to make a living now. I was packing an excellent reputationRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesfor scoring skill assessments and updated the comparison data for each assessment. †¢ Updated the research supporting key points in each chapter. †¢ Added a Resource Locator table at the beginning of each chapter in the Instructors Manual, organized according to a chapter’s learning objectives. †¢ Added new video clips and exercise recommendations in the Instructors Manual. †¢ Enhanced the test bank by adding more application questions. †¢ Revised the PowerPoint slides. A MESSAGE TO STUDENTS: Why Focus