Some Old World Wisdom, by Rich Paschall
When thinking of blog topics, there is no shortage of subject matter. Some general areas offer a lot of topics. With a bit of extra thought, there’s an endless supply. Consider well how many areas you can pursue if you are willing to delve into sports, politics, or religion. Each is bound to set some readers ablaze. They would surely bring lots of comments. You do want lively discussion, don’t you?
How lively do you want it?
Venture into a sports bar well into the evening and you are likely to find plenty of spirited discussions regarding sports. These ideas should help you out: Will the Cubs win another pennant? Will the White Sox ever get the love the Cubs get? Will the Blackhawks win another Stanley Cup? Will the Bears get back to the Super Bowl? Will the Bulls beat the hated ____________ (fill in New York team here)? There is little reason get into crosstown rivalries. Dissing out-of-town teams works, but only locally.
We could always take off after the Bronx Bombers, the Patriots and _______ (name your alleged scandal here), or Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. But why alienate readers in New York, Boston or Dallas? Perhaps we should just write about the ridiculous BCS Bowl series or the commissioner of _________ (name your least favorite here).
A good informational, yet rather neutral article might find favor. Others might conclude that you are trying to make a point, like promoting someone’s stats for the hall of fame.
A discussion of gays in sports or an Olympic diver coming out of the closet might get you into politics so we may have to think carefully about those. Yes, we will leave the political area of sports alone.
Speaking of your politics (or mine), perhaps we can find common ground. I could write short stories with a political theme, or write about a run for office that brings victory, but no win for the candidate. Too improbable?
How about the death of democracy through campaign spending?
Imagine buying an election. Maybe this hits too close to home … or do you think it merely fiction or satire?
Political satire is sure to get people discussing or fighting, especially if you throw in climate change as the kicker. Then again, maybe no one will bother to read this stuff. Maybe not such a great idea after all?
How about hitting the topics head-on in a nice well-researched article? We can talk about Democrats, Republicans, capitalists, or socialists. On second thought, that could split the audience from the get-go. Better to look at the subjects of the debates and write a well-reasoned essay.
Where to begin?
Abortion? Immigration? Gay Rights? Civil Rights? Gun Control? Campaign reform? Welfare Reform? Any reform?
National defense?
Can we all consider any of that without alienating people? There’s always alienating the aliens. Can’t go wrong with that, right?
Well, maybe not.
If politics is too risky, how about the world’s great religions? They’re all rooted in love, are they not? We could discuss the philosophies that ignite the passions behind our beliefs and thus find common ground. Peace and harmony at last.
Except that so many people believe their god is the only one. Some believe their god is telling them to kill others — which sets religion against religion. Alas, there’s nothing new about that. Belief is supposed to bring hope and joy, not war. Yet religion has been the cause of many wars. They are all about religion or land. Check it out.
God is on every side of every war, or so they say. Who goes into battle without the blessing of their particular deity? How can I expect to have a civil discussion in such an emotionally-charged arena? I have innocently had to extract my foot from my mouth before. Maybe I should let the Dalai Lama write on this topic.
Soon, there won’t be a Dalai Lama because the Chinese won’t allow one. Oops.
The “Dodge City Peace Commission”, June 1888. (L to R) standing: W.H. Harris, Luke Short, Bat Masterson, W.F. Petillon. Seated: Charlie Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Frank McLain, and Neal Brown.
Years ago, when one of my favorite innkeepers was alive, we used to drop by his establishment. It was a great place for lively discussions. If anyone got a little over-heated, the owner walked over with a wink to say, “No sports, no politics, no religion!”
Seemingly a strange thing to say when a sports channel was almost always playing nearby, but he meant “No arguments, no heated discussions.” If arguments got out of hand, he’d say “No sports, no politics, no religion — or you’re out of here!”
That seemed a good approach to barroom politics because these were the areas of discussion that often ended with unpleasantness. Especially when dialogue was fueled by alcohol. Maybe his attitude probably short-circuited a few lively discussions, but he definitely cut off some brawls, too.
Let’s avoid them in the blog-o-sphere and cyberspace too. If Facebook is any indicator, that sounds like a plan!
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Categories: #Blogging, Politics, Religion, Rich Paschall, Sports
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Rich, I loved the bars in Manhattan and Boston.
Manhattan in the mid 60’s. I was a newbie newsie at ABC News. The kid reporter among guys who’d worked for Ed Murrow and shared tall tales about Mayor LaGuardia, Governor “Beau Jimmy” Walker, Tammany Hall grifters, speakeasies, Jazz and an era that had gone with the wind before I arrived. I was plopped in the middle of middle and old-age, usually White guys who took no notice of my skin color unless they were talking about Joe Louis, Lena Horne or Jackie Robinson. The jibes were about individuals — not marked by race, sexual preference or religion. Sometimes they laughed about “pretty boys” but it usually was about fellas who were light on work effort and heavy on appearance. The bartender, also the owner — yes, usually an Irishman who ran the local numbers game and was an off the books source of loans if you were short. He usually broke up the noise if the conversation bordered on trouble. He also nodded at me. It was an inference – “Hey, watchit. The kid is here.” Not sure if I appreciated being a greenhorn among the grizzled guys,
Lots of famous faces came in, usually tired and looking for a little respite and no hassles. I just absorbed the stories which, years later, became woven into my own tales. Funny thing, most of the chatter – although fueled by booze, was intelligent, sharp, witty and observant of the times.
A decade later, I was in the world of Boston Bars. I was a familiar face, popping up on the tube frequently every day — chasing bad weather, bad hombres and the wrath of mother nature. The conversations were animated — VERY animated if they concerned the Red Sox “Curse of the Bambino”, and another pennant lost to those damn Yankees. There were rumors about lobbyists greasing the pockets of certain pols, queries about the availibilty of “Tommy, The Torch” and his crew and whispers about “Whitey” and the latest bloodbath in territorial “hits”. Now, I knew who was who and played dumb when asked for the inside stuff. There was always a fresh drink to maybe loosen my tongue. No, not enough booze for that.
There were the lawyers in their rumpled suits, complaining about Judges they swore were in the pockets of people who went unnamed.
There was the bar, near Fenway Park which gave me the greatest joy. Baseball players, sportswriters and sports wannabees came and went leaving us with a goldmine of baseball info. Once I was “in”, I was “golden”. I loved kicking back the rounds, swapping stories with no fear of insulting anyone. Pesky “pilgrims” were quickly shown the door before they became the source of brawls. Many “tips” were turned into legit stories which solidified my notion that I was working.
It was a bar where religious leaders could bend elbows with wiseguys and, sometimes, you couldn’t tell who was who.
Those were the days, my friend.
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We thought they’d never end…but they did. I still spread a little talk of politics and sports.
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Rich, very generous of you. I wager people appreciate your civil take on those topics.
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Sometimes they do, other times…not so much.
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Much like the prophet…in his own land.
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The photo of the scene in Uncle Sam’s Senate is hilarious. Now there are some guys who take their politics seriously.
Leslie
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Much too seriously!
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I think I’ve seen that happen in a few other countries….
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My Grandpa always used to say, “Never discuss religion or politics with anyone you want to remain friends with.”
Words to live by.
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So true.
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TN — THAT advice was offered by a kindly pub owner on my first visit to Ireland in he 60’s. Never forgotten
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