Quote of the Week...from Judy Garland

 Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else.             

                                                                               ---Judy Garland

Judy Garland, best known for her portrayal of Dorothy in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, was both an accomplished singer and actress, with a string of popular and critically acclaimed albums and movies before her tragic death in 1969 at age 47.  Instead of focusing on Judy's personal life, today I'd rather look at this quote of hers.  Nowadays there's a popular acronym, GOAT, which on the surface might imply something derogatory, but actually means "greatest of all time".  So endless sports discussions take place where fans argue about who is the GOAT in whatever sport they're discussing.  You can take it to any field: music, science, art, writing, presidents, whatever.  In each setting, though, the context is externally based.  As individuals our entire lives constitute the context, and none of us should feel obliged to try to box our efforts into one of the categories others have provided for us, nor should we necessarily compare ourselves to those who have achieved greatness in this area or that.  My life is a tapestry of my myriad experiences and relationships, truly something unique and precious.  I do want to better myself but taking on the persona of another to do it according to their standards or those of others will only make me a dissatisfied, cheap copy. There is something like eight billion people in the world today...seems like getting super good at being my individual self in the face of pressure for mass conformity is the way to go, just saying...    

Great Old TV Episodes: A Change of Mind...from The Prisoner

A CHANGE OF MIND is from the 1967-68 British spy/sci-fi series The Prisoner starring Patrick McGoohan as a British secret agent kidnapped to a mysterious resort village that serves as his prison while the "wardens" plot to trick him into revealing why he resigned.  In this episode Number 6, as the Prisoner is designated, faces charges of antisocial behavior toward the Village and its people, the consequences for which may ultimately lead to a lobotomy for him by ultrasonic beam.  At the early hearing, the preceding inmate...also charged with similar infractions...finishes and steps up to the podium, emphatically repeating after the prompts provided for him "They're right, of course. Quite right. I'm inadequate. Inadequate! Disharmonius! I'm truly grateful! Believe me!  BELIEVE ME!!!"...and then robotically walks off. The whole scene reminded me of those old forced reeducation camps under communistic regimes like China and Cambodia in which the "students" were ordinary people forced to "confess" their supposed counterrevolutionary crimes before others...or the forced public confessions of those purged in the Stalinist trials of the Soviet Union in the 1930s.  But this sort of pressure to get folks to admit to unwarranted accusations and flounder in self-flagellating guilt in front of others isn't just confined to totalitarian dictatorships. A disturbing trend on the progressive side of society calls for gatherings in different work or educational settings in which the attendees feel compelled...to preserve their employment or educational status and hopes...to admit to unfair privilege and past slights against victimized groups.  I am a strong advocate for researching past injustices and not sugarcoating or whitewashing history to create a fantasy narrative.  But putting unwilling individuals in situations where their livelihoods and status depend on saying what the leaders of these "necessary conversations" want to hear is counterproductive and will only render the very causes being promoted less successful in the long run while providing fuel for fascist movements...

I also like A Change of Mind because it has a neat little twist at the end...and the idea of the individual being able to overcome the manipulations and pressures placed upon him from others has always appealed to me.  Maybe it's for this that The Prisoner has long been one of my very favorite television series.  If you have Roku you can watch all the episodes, including the one I just discussed, on Tubi...