Pretty much summed up by this quote “I am from Chicago, and, so, having been disillusioned with politics at an early age I do not become involved. The only reason I vote is because they pay me.” (Mamet, huffingtonpost, 2008). As mentioned in the other blogs, Mamet’s work generally critiques American Society and that (he) is deeply pessimistic about the dreadful state of economic, social and human relationships’ (Klinkowitz, Wallace pg. 3042). Especially about his political views, in fact he is an avid blogger for the Huffington Post where he scans and posts political satire cartoons much like the one included here…
When asked about how he feels about our government, Mamet explains…“The Constitution, written by men with some experience of actual government, assumes that the chief executive will work to be king, the Parliament will scheme to sell off the silverware, and the judiciary will consider itself Olympian and do everything it can to much improve (destroy) the work of the other two branches. So the Constitution pits them against each other, in the attempt not to achieve stasis, but rather to allow for the constant corrections necessary to prevent one branch from getting too much power for too long” (Mamet, essay 2008).
And why he is no longer a “brain dead liberal”…“I was writing my play about a president, corrupt, venal, cunning, and vengeful (as I assume all of them are), and two turkeys. And I gave this fictional president a speechwriter who, in his view, is a "brain-dead liberal," much like my earlier self; and in the course of the play, they have to work it out. And they eventually do come to a human understanding of the political process. As I believe I am trying to do, and in which I believe I may be succeeding,…” (Mamet, essay 2008).
And finally, why America is a great place to live… “The good news is it’s a spectacular country. We’ve been around for 230 years in spite of human nature, because that’s what the Constitution is all about. It’s saying, of course everyone’s gonna try and take control. Of course they’re gonna subvert every law that’s supposed to keep them in line. Of course the president is gonna want to be imperial, of course Congress is gonna want to become obstructionist, of course the judges are gonna be activist. Duh. They figured this out in 1787 and drew up a few sheets of paper that have kept the country in line. It’s a great place to live” (Mamet, Kachka, 2008)
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=david-mamet
Klinkowitz, Wallace, The Norton anthology American Literature, pg. 3042).
Mamet, David, David Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal’
An election-season essay, Mar 11, 2008,
Kachka, Boris, David Mamet’s Election Season, The playwright on Hillary, corruption, and our democracy’s saving grace, Published Jan 10, 2008
Picture Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-mamet/political-makeovers_b_49250.html
No comments:
Post a Comment