Gore Vidal comes to CMC
Benjamin Forster
Last Updated: 12/3/07 Section: News
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Novelist and essayist Gore Vidal made a much-anticipated appearance at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum this month. Vidal, a contemporary political critic and internationally renowned author of a number of books on American culture, lent his renowned liberal skepticism for a broadly ranged discussion facilitated by CMC Professor James Morrison.
Vidal's discussion covered topics ranging from contemporary politics to personal views on modern society.
Morrison led off the night's discussion by asking why Vidal had stopped writing his once-popular State of the Union addresses, his annual opinion pieces mimicking the president's State of the Union address.
"I stopped doing the State of the Union because it's so obvious," Vidal remarked, referring to the current state of affairs under the Bush Administration. With these opening remarks, Vidal's audacity seemed to catch the audience off guard, so much so that Morrison butted in to give a brief synopsis of Vidal's über liberal political background to the audience.
Vidal also offered his thoughts about gay marriage as well. "You can't address anyone by sexual preference," he said.
However, most of Vidal's highly pessimistic criticism was directed toward American culture and politics. "I thought I'd live long enough for us to develop a civilization, and I haven't seen it yet," Vidal said. "I am not thrilled to live in such a place."
According to Vidal, one of America's biggest problems is that "nobody knows anything about the history of the country." He did not, however, elaborate on what precise historical knowledge he believed Americans lacked.
Instead, during an open microphone question and answer session, Vidal attributed America's demise to "our pursuance of deranged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"During World War II we were admired," Vidal explained, "now we are showing our teeth."
Not even Abraham Lincoln was spared the criticism of Gore Vidal. Vidal is the author of the Lincoln, a historical fiction novel about the Civil War and the men close to Lincoln at the time. "He was a great man, a dicey character," Vidal said.
As to his thoughts about secession, Vidal quipped, "we can't bear two countries, one is quite enough."
Vidal's discussion covered topics ranging from contemporary politics to personal views on modern society.
Morrison led off the night's discussion by asking why Vidal had stopped writing his once-popular State of the Union addresses, his annual opinion pieces mimicking the president's State of the Union address.
"I stopped doing the State of the Union because it's so obvious," Vidal remarked, referring to the current state of affairs under the Bush Administration. With these opening remarks, Vidal's audacity seemed to catch the audience off guard, so much so that Morrison butted in to give a brief synopsis of Vidal's über liberal political background to the audience.
Vidal also offered his thoughts about gay marriage as well. "You can't address anyone by sexual preference," he said.
However, most of Vidal's highly pessimistic criticism was directed toward American culture and politics. "I thought I'd live long enough for us to develop a civilization, and I haven't seen it yet," Vidal said. "I am not thrilled to live in such a place."
According to Vidal, one of America's biggest problems is that "nobody knows anything about the history of the country." He did not, however, elaborate on what precise historical knowledge he believed Americans lacked.
Instead, during an open microphone question and answer session, Vidal attributed America's demise to "our pursuance of deranged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"During World War II we were admired," Vidal explained, "now we are showing our teeth."
Not even Abraham Lincoln was spared the criticism of Gore Vidal. Vidal is the author of the Lincoln, a historical fiction novel about the Civil War and the men close to Lincoln at the time. "He was a great man, a dicey character," Vidal said.
As to his thoughts about secession, Vidal quipped, "we can't bear two countries, one is quite enough."
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