Okay, I admit it. When it comes to politics, I am somewhat naive. I expect even politicians running for the highest office in the land to stick to facts and the truth, not make it up as they go along. When I was a child, just getting interested in politics, I remember Adlai Stevenson and Dwight D. Eisenhower. They had some very strong opposing views, but both had the respect of Americans as decent, honest men who told the truth--even when it wasn't politically convenient. Sixty years later, what a difference.
It isn't so much that they lied a lot at this week's Republican National Convention, but rather that they did it with big smiles on their faces, and with lies that could easily be discovered. It used to be that lying and other indiscretions--like taking money to do things the person giving you the money wants you to do--were frowned upon in American political life. Now they seem to be celebrated.
When the candidate for the second highest office, Paul Ryan, looks America straight in the eye and tells a huge whopper about President Obama promising a GM plant in Ryan's hometown that it would be around for a hundred years, only to have it close the following year, it sounds like a fair-minded counter-argument to Obama's taking credit for saving the auto industry. But even the most basic fact-checking turns up the information that the plant was closed while George W. Bush was still president, so Obama could never have made such a promise. The decision was made, the workers let go, before he was even sworn in.
How could Paul Ryan, whose very reputation is built on the idea that he tells the hard truth and is a detail guy, make this mistake? The only conclusion is that it is not a mistake at all, but a deliberate effort to convince the American electorate of something that isn't true. In a deeply condescending way, he has to think most of us are idiots who won't even check out what he is saying in this era of instant fact-checking via Google and such organizations as Politifact and FactCheck.org. Or maybe he just thinks we don't care. Some have suggested that conservatives hate Obama so much that they will vote for anyone who opposes him no matter what their qualifications or level of integrity.
I thought Mitt Romney might elevate his discourse, but then he chose Clint Eastwood to take up a quarter of the prime-time hour he got to introduce himself to the American people.
However, I remain a cockeyed optimist. I believe we may hear truth told at the Democratic convention in Charlotte. So I may still be naive, though also a realist--so I won't be betting on it.
Jerry
Check out my prosperity blog at: http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
FEMALE COMEDY GODMOTHER IS GONE
Gone but certainly not forgotten by those of us who remember her raspy guffaw and hilarious one-liners. Phyllis Diller deservedly lived a long life and died at ninety-five. She was the first mainstream female comic to make it big on TV and in movies, often co-starring with Bob Hope, and headlining in nightclubs for decades. A sample of her work from the 1970s:
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/da82b4ef3c/phyllis-diller-fat-jokes-from-classicstandupfan
Phyllis focused a lot of her comedy on her fictional husband, Fang, and so did I when writing gags for her back in the early 1970s. She bought a lot of gags from a lot of writers. She paid $100 for a page of ten gags, whether she used them all or not. I only wrote a few pages for her before moving on to writing books.
I met her again when she was a panelist on a Chuck Barris-produced precursor to The View called, Leave It To The Women, hosted by Stephanie Edwards, and with one of the other panelists being actress Bess Armstrong. I was there to promote my 1981 book, Psychological Immortality, and Phyllis was fascinated by my assertion that our attitude about aging can impact our lifespan. I autographed a copy to her, and would like to think she read it and it contributed to her own long and vital life. I had interviewed my friend and mentor Norman Cousins for that book, and Phyllis told me she was also a friend of Norman's, often meeting him for lunch. She was brilliant and very well-read, and far from a silly woman despite her raucous material.
If you watch Phyllis perform and then watch Joan Rivers, you can see why she was so proud of Joan as "my protégé."
The only joke I remember writing for Phyllis, and I'm not even sure she ever used it, though she paid me $100 for it and nine others on a single page, was:
"You know old age is creeping up on you when you miss a lunch date because you're 'out to lunch.'"
Alas, I can't recall any of my "Fang" gags. But I remember Phyllis Diller herself very well indeed--smart, sassy, funny, and a genuine class act.
Jerry
Check out my other blog on prosperity: http://MoneyloveBlog.com
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/da82b4ef3c/phyllis-diller-fat-jokes-from-classicstandupfan
Phyllis focused a lot of her comedy on her fictional husband, Fang, and so did I when writing gags for her back in the early 1970s. She bought a lot of gags from a lot of writers. She paid $100 for a page of ten gags, whether she used them all or not. I only wrote a few pages for her before moving on to writing books.
I met her again when she was a panelist on a Chuck Barris-produced precursor to The View called, Leave It To The Women, hosted by Stephanie Edwards, and with one of the other panelists being actress Bess Armstrong. I was there to promote my 1981 book, Psychological Immortality, and Phyllis was fascinated by my assertion that our attitude about aging can impact our lifespan. I autographed a copy to her, and would like to think she read it and it contributed to her own long and vital life. I had interviewed my friend and mentor Norman Cousins for that book, and Phyllis told me she was also a friend of Norman's, often meeting him for lunch. She was brilliant and very well-read, and far from a silly woman despite her raucous material.
If you watch Phyllis perform and then watch Joan Rivers, you can see why she was so proud of Joan as "my protégé."
The only joke I remember writing for Phyllis, and I'm not even sure she ever used it, though she paid me $100 for it and nine others on a single page, was:
"You know old age is creeping up on you when you miss a lunch date because you're 'out to lunch.'"
Alas, I can't recall any of my "Fang" gags. But I remember Phyllis Diller herself very well indeed--smart, sassy, funny, and a genuine class act.
Jerry
Check out my other blog on prosperity: http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Monday, August 6, 2012
HOW GREAT I AM!
I know shouting out our own acknowledgements to ourselves goes against the grain for many people. But it is also true that no one else knows you as well as you know yourself, and therefore no one else can truly assess how great you are.
In my 12 years in prison, I became more and more self-appreciative. Primarily it was my brain and how it worked, how my creative mind kept me out of the horrible external environment I found myself in, so that I could go inside my own head and do the work I needed and excelled at doing. And please understand this, it wasn't that I thought I was greater or better at this self-awareness than anyone else, in or out of prison. It's simply that I had the time and therefore the focused energy to put my attention into that inner work. More time with a lot less distraction than most other people.
Throughout my life, I have found my subconscious mind is my strongest ally in all things. Admittedly, I forgot this for a few years, which is why I ended up in prison. Fortunately, I came to my senses--mostly my sense of myself as a creative being capable of manifesting my own reality, and thus directly impacting the world and people around me. I talk in Moneylove about one driving force behind much human endeavor is the desire to leave a thumbprint on the world. But before any of us accomplishes this, we must leave a thumbprint on ourselves.
In addition to my own thoughts on success, prosperity, and living life well which provide the bulk of the material on my monthly audios, I have also interviewed some great teachers and mentors on these subjects. Recently, these interviewees have all been women, who are now in the forefront of the worldwide entrepreneurial spirit. When I was in prison, one of the things that kept me motivated and sane was to have imaginary conversations inside my head with successful people. These were dialogues, in which I saw myself as equal to anyone I talked to, no matter how much richer or more famous they were, no matter that I was in prison and they were not.
These imaginary dialogues allowed me to start out at a higher level of communication when I talk to other prosperity teachers out here in the non-imaginary reality of my world.
Jerry
Check out the prosperity truths on my other blog:
http:MoneyloveBlog.com
In my 12 years in prison, I became more and more self-appreciative. Primarily it was my brain and how it worked, how my creative mind kept me out of the horrible external environment I found myself in, so that I could go inside my own head and do the work I needed and excelled at doing. And please understand this, it wasn't that I thought I was greater or better at this self-awareness than anyone else, in or out of prison. It's simply that I had the time and therefore the focused energy to put my attention into that inner work. More time with a lot less distraction than most other people.
Throughout my life, I have found my subconscious mind is my strongest ally in all things. Admittedly, I forgot this for a few years, which is why I ended up in prison. Fortunately, I came to my senses--mostly my sense of myself as a creative being capable of manifesting my own reality, and thus directly impacting the world and people around me. I talk in Moneylove about one driving force behind much human endeavor is the desire to leave a thumbprint on the world. But before any of us accomplishes this, we must leave a thumbprint on ourselves.
In addition to my own thoughts on success, prosperity, and living life well which provide the bulk of the material on my monthly audios, I have also interviewed some great teachers and mentors on these subjects. Recently, these interviewees have all been women, who are now in the forefront of the worldwide entrepreneurial spirit. When I was in prison, one of the things that kept me motivated and sane was to have imaginary conversations inside my head with successful people. These were dialogues, in which I saw myself as equal to anyone I talked to, no matter how much richer or more famous they were, no matter that I was in prison and they were not.
These imaginary dialogues allowed me to start out at a higher level of communication when I talk to other prosperity teachers out here in the non-imaginary reality of my world.
Jerry
Check out the prosperity truths on my other blog:
http:MoneyloveBlog.com
Thursday, August 2, 2012
THE MIND OF A NOVELIST
I've been a fan of the writings of Anna Quindlen for a number of years. I felt a sort of connection as we were both born in Philadelphia. I also admire tremendously those rare writers who are brilliant both in fiction and nonfiction. Gore Vidal, whom we just lost, was one of those, as is another of my favorites, Anne Lamott.
I have talked and written about my strong belief that we have much to learn from novelists, as they may be the most keen observers of the human experience. I have known people who never read fiction, but consider themselves well-read. Personally, I think this is impossible and an example of self delusion.
What brought Anna Quindlen to mind was a quote of hers that writer Barbara Winter used in a blog post. I just interviewed Barbara for one of the prosperity audios I send out to Moneylove Club subscribers each month. She is the author of Making A Living Without a Job, and we think alike in many areas. The Anna Quindlen quote she used was:
Jerry
Check out my other blog on prosperity:
http://MoneyloveBlog.com
I have talked and written about my strong belief that we have much to learn from novelists, as they may be the most keen observers of the human experience. I have known people who never read fiction, but consider themselves well-read. Personally, I think this is impossible and an example of self delusion.
What brought Anna Quindlen to mind was a quote of hers that writer Barbara Winter used in a blog post. I just interviewed Barbara for one of the prosperity audios I send out to Moneylove Club subscribers each month. She is the author of Making A Living Without a Job, and we think alike in many areas. The Anna Quindlen quote she used was:
All of us want to do well. But if we do not do good, too, then doing well will never be enough.How's that for a mission statement?
Jerry
Check out my other blog on prosperity:
http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Saturday, July 21, 2012
MY THEORY ON CONSPIRACY THEORIES
This post is certain to piss some people off, but since those who believe in conspiracy theories are usually pissed off anyway, I don't suppose it matters.
It is amazing to me that in this high tech, instant communication world we now inhabit, millions of undereducated, ignorant, and naive individuals believe in far-fetched conspiracy theories and plots. The massacre at the Batman screening in Aurora, Colorado is just the latest to provide fodder for these lizard-brained, monkey mind folks (Am I being offensive enough?).
What is most shocking is that the lone gunman involved, by all accounts, seemed a rational human being. But just as shocking are the theories being proposed and promoted by seemingly rational bloggers and others. That the U.S. government is behind it all, that the FBI has been enlisted to cause this mass shooting to influence the coming UN debate on small arms control. Or that it is part of the non-American President Obama's plan to take all guns away from private citizens before installing sharia law nationwide.
One of my comments that really upset the conspiracy aficionados was my suggestion that the paranoia exhibited by the "Washington is going to take away my 2nd Amendment right to bear assault rifles." crowd should disqualify those folks from being able to buy guns just on mental stability grounds.
Here's my difficulty accepting almost all conspiracy theories, as a former journalist and investigative reporter, and especially in today's 24/7 news cycle. It has been my experience that once a secret is shared by more than one person, it is almost impossible for it to remain a secret. JFK was not killed by Lee Harvey Oswald alone? Do you realize how many people would have had to keep that secret now for almost fifty years? To resist selling their story for potentially millions of dollars? Even cults like Scientology don't enjoy that kind of 100% loyalty. It isn't that I don't believe conspiracies are possible, just unsustainable because of human nature.
Then there's the politics of it all. Do you really believe all FBI agents are Democrats (or Republicans or even Independents)? So if there was a plot carried out by the FBI under orders from the current Administration, surely one Republican agent would leak the true facts. And surely the NRA, with its many millions it uses to wage anti-gun control campaigns, would pay millions to any individual who could provide proof that this was all a government plot aimed at eliminating private gun ownership.
But the attraction of these harebrained theories will persist, simply because it is hard to convince those holding them of their silliness--even hard facts get lumped in as part of the whole evil plot. I suspect that people who today believe in many of the most delusional conspiracy theories were absolutely convinced monsters lived under their childhood beds.
As to guns, I believe they should all be destroyed and we should return to a more organic, natural way to settle disputes and threats. Bring back clubs and spears and slingshots. If they were good enough for biblical times, they are good enough for me!
It is amazing to me that in this high tech, instant communication world we now inhabit, millions of undereducated, ignorant, and naive individuals believe in far-fetched conspiracy theories and plots. The massacre at the Batman screening in Aurora, Colorado is just the latest to provide fodder for these lizard-brained, monkey mind folks (Am I being offensive enough?).
What is most shocking is that the lone gunman involved, by all accounts, seemed a rational human being. But just as shocking are the theories being proposed and promoted by seemingly rational bloggers and others. That the U.S. government is behind it all, that the FBI has been enlisted to cause this mass shooting to influence the coming UN debate on small arms control. Or that it is part of the non-American President Obama's plan to take all guns away from private citizens before installing sharia law nationwide.
One of my comments that really upset the conspiracy aficionados was my suggestion that the paranoia exhibited by the "Washington is going to take away my 2nd Amendment right to bear assault rifles." crowd should disqualify those folks from being able to buy guns just on mental stability grounds.
Here's my difficulty accepting almost all conspiracy theories, as a former journalist and investigative reporter, and especially in today's 24/7 news cycle. It has been my experience that once a secret is shared by more than one person, it is almost impossible for it to remain a secret. JFK was not killed by Lee Harvey Oswald alone? Do you realize how many people would have had to keep that secret now for almost fifty years? To resist selling their story for potentially millions of dollars? Even cults like Scientology don't enjoy that kind of 100% loyalty. It isn't that I don't believe conspiracies are possible, just unsustainable because of human nature.
Then there's the politics of it all. Do you really believe all FBI agents are Democrats (or Republicans or even Independents)? So if there was a plot carried out by the FBI under orders from the current Administration, surely one Republican agent would leak the true facts. And surely the NRA, with its many millions it uses to wage anti-gun control campaigns, would pay millions to any individual who could provide proof that this was all a government plot aimed at eliminating private gun ownership.
But the attraction of these harebrained theories will persist, simply because it is hard to convince those holding them of their silliness--even hard facts get lumped in as part of the whole evil plot. I suspect that people who today believe in many of the most delusional conspiracy theories were absolutely convinced monsters lived under their childhood beds.
As to guns, I believe they should all be destroyed and we should return to a more organic, natural way to settle disputes and threats. Bring back clubs and spears and slingshots. If they were good enough for biblical times, they are good enough for me!
Jerry
Check out my prosperity blog at:
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
When I was sitting in my prison cell, I often thought I should come up with a tougher first name than Jerry. But I didn't want a nickname so tough that people would want to take me on, like Fist, or Brute, or Killer. In the end, I kept my own name. I haven't used the first name on my birth certificate, Gerald, in a long, long time.
My driver's license was always Jerry, as was my passport. But after 9/11, the rules changed, and when I sought a California identity card at the DMV after my parole, they insisted my name match my birth certificate, so it and now my CA driver's license and my new passport all say Gerald. I don't think that would have done quite as well for me at Folsom as Jerry did.
People are more accepting of unusual names now, ethnic names and such, than they were just a few decades ago. Look at the names, for instance, usually provided by agents or the big studios, for some of the most glamorous movie stars. Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe. Now we have Renée Zellwegger and Angelina Jolie.
In my neighborhood in South Philadelphia, much was made of the match between a Jewish girl and Italian boy who got married and thus gave her the unforgettable name of Yetta Benadetta. And there was Carol Crumb, whom I dated when I worked at a radio station and lived in Dover, Delaware. She was a lovely blonde, smart and sweet, but I have to confess than whenever I introduced her to friends or family, I mumbled her last name out of embarrassment. Ironically, it became famous a few years later when her strange and talented brother, Robert, became the world renown cartoonist, R. Crumb.
As part of the shift toward self-identification, more and more people have decided to change their names since the 1970s. Two former relationship partners I am still close to, Bonnie and Barbara, now are known as Rupa and Maggie.
Old friends like Judy and Rachel and Jane now have daughters named Ashley, Courtney, and Taylor. While I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking with Jerry, there is one thing I hope is true--that people will think my name is the most ordinary thing about me.
My driver's license was always Jerry, as was my passport. But after 9/11, the rules changed, and when I sought a California identity card at the DMV after my parole, they insisted my name match my birth certificate, so it and now my CA driver's license and my new passport all say Gerald. I don't think that would have done quite as well for me at Folsom as Jerry did.
People are more accepting of unusual names now, ethnic names and such, than they were just a few decades ago. Look at the names, for instance, usually provided by agents or the big studios, for some of the most glamorous movie stars. Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe. Now we have Renée Zellwegger and Angelina Jolie.
In my neighborhood in South Philadelphia, much was made of the match between a Jewish girl and Italian boy who got married and thus gave her the unforgettable name of Yetta Benadetta. And there was Carol Crumb, whom I dated when I worked at a radio station and lived in Dover, Delaware. She was a lovely blonde, smart and sweet, but I have to confess than whenever I introduced her to friends or family, I mumbled her last name out of embarrassment. Ironically, it became famous a few years later when her strange and talented brother, Robert, became the world renown cartoonist, R. Crumb.
As part of the shift toward self-identification, more and more people have decided to change their names since the 1970s. Two former relationship partners I am still close to, Bonnie and Barbara, now are known as Rupa and Maggie.
Old friends like Judy and Rachel and Jane now have daughters named Ashley, Courtney, and Taylor. While I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking with Jerry, there is one thing I hope is true--that people will think my name is the most ordinary thing about me.
Jerry
A blog by any other name on the subject of prosperity:
Friday, July 6, 2012
KEEP THE CHANGE
A lot of people seem to want to stop the one immutable force of life--change. When I say, "Keep the change...," I mean stop avoiding, denying and trying to do away with change in your life. Often we first hear those horrible words from our parents, "Settle down," which is usually accompanied by, "and grow up," as if adulthood means a time when we settle into our lives, make our final choices, and learn to live with them. Thank you, but I'd rather keep the change, keep it coming, keep having as something to embrace and look forward to.
Look back on your life, and you might very well find that some of your happiest times were filled with all sorts of changes--new places, new adventures, new people, new opportunities, discovering new skills and talents you possess. Maturing as a human being doesn't mean getting rid of change, but rather of learning how to use it well, how to take advantage of all the changes that keep occurring for all of us, even when we try to eliminate or slow them down.
One big secret of success is learning to maintain a calm sense of stability and strength in the midst of change. In my own life, I am excited about what could be the biggest series of changes in my life. I am starting my new career as a stand-up comedian and I am seriously considering exploring living in another country. I may be able to do both in Panama, and will be visiting there in the Fall to explore these possibilities. The fact that I have a good friend there who has many contacts and connections, especially with the English-speaking ex-pat community will make it easier. And the Internet helps a lot in terms of me physically leaving without breaking my connections with many of the people I care most about.
For decades, one of my favorite affirmations has been:
Look back on your life, and you might very well find that some of your happiest times were filled with all sorts of changes--new places, new adventures, new people, new opportunities, discovering new skills and talents you possess. Maturing as a human being doesn't mean getting rid of change, but rather of learning how to use it well, how to take advantage of all the changes that keep occurring for all of us, even when we try to eliminate or slow them down.
One big secret of success is learning to maintain a calm sense of stability and strength in the midst of change. In my own life, I am excited about what could be the biggest series of changes in my life. I am starting my new career as a stand-up comedian and I am seriously considering exploring living in another country. I may be able to do both in Panama, and will be visiting there in the Fall to explore these possibilities. The fact that I have a good friend there who has many contacts and connections, especially with the English-speaking ex-pat community will make it easier. And the Internet helps a lot in terms of me physically leaving without breaking my connections with many of the people I care most about.
For decades, one of my favorite affirmations has been:
I WELCOME AND ENJOY CHANGE IN MY LIFE
Might I suggest you try this on for size? I strongly believe that our individual perspective and position on change dictates a lot of what happens to us in life. And if you do accept and welcome change, keep it only as long as it keeps working for you.
Jerry
Check out my blog on prosperity. http://MoneyloveBlog.com
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