“Obama’s Palestinian friend laments…”

One reason I can offer for these insights is that involvement in the creative act, living the creative life, does this. It puts enough of a distance and perspective into play and a sort of neutrality. I guess this means also the certain knowledge that we are one and connected.

When Barenboim “free-associates” I hear it as the result of what he has internalized from his experiences and encounters. This is plus reflection and mixed with deep emotion about his own identity and the need to reach beyond it- even to Wagner enough to compartmentalize and rationalize Wagner’s anti-Semitism. Many jews will not listen to Wagner. ( My mother is not one of them). Barenboim speaks a wisdom and ( like Khalidi) a lament about the way things are, seem to be going, and seem not likely to change without much more suffering.

For direction- or maybe just solace, we should look to art and artists.

The sound is restored, and it’s really, really good. Sorry about the interruption.

Chris Lydon

Wassup?

The discussion’s intermezzo sounds to me like an improvisation in uncharted territory when Barenboim free-associates on the relationships between Palestinians and Jews…but a nice change in tone that recognizes the similar resentments and desires we might have in common with other people as a way to make the case for mediation between rather than compartmentalization of people and societies. Without facing the historical differences, and the questions of historical interpretation that they bring, we might again look to magical economic or post-political solutions that if anything take us further and further away from disentangling conflicts that are embedded in the history of the world’s cultures.

To rewind the tapes a bit – and make argument for listening to other voices in working through political challenges – compare the conversations with Anna Deveare Smith and Kanan Makiya. While the ideas of divine-speaking “experts” really did crash hard, some of the less legislatively powerful but more compelling (on this earth) voices seem to make a bit more sense. In this NEW moment, when we seem to be again entrusting so much power in a small group of “great men” and possibly some women from the ancien neo-liberal regieme, much needed different notes and voices seem to coming through the ROS box…it’s my therapy for the same loops on tv and in print..and it suggests that there is a possibility to make a difference through different practices of mediation.

Olmert of course was right- but only AFTER- when he could not do anything anymore that made a difference. Sharon had his epiphany of sorts too, too late.

It’s painful.