The October 1974 edition of The National Lampoon opened its “New on the March” page:
They've Fired the Sh$%
Heard Round the World
NIXON QUITS
Granting Cole Porter’s observation in “Anything Goes” that
“Good authors too who once
knew better words
Now only use four-letter words
Writing prose
Anything goes”
No headline could better describe Jackson’s cashiering of its recent mayor, in a landslide, reflecting biracial consensus suggested to be unlikely today.
Our former mayor promised the most radical city on the planet. He delivered to a degree inconceivable when he shared that vision:
If radical meant an absence of potable water, deterioration of city streets seemingly incapable of becoming an iota worse, and no garbage collection, the mayor delivered on his commitment to create the most radical city on the planet.
Politicians craft imagery through smoke and mirrors, projecting aptitude unconvincing to constituents possessing inside knowledge: What people assess elsewhere is infrequently that which those with insight appreciate (which is why I always pursue what citizens of presidential candidates’ home states say about individuals whose campaign advertisements assert an ability to walk on water.
Can we please cease treating elections as football games — emulating the enthusiasm of cheerleaders — without insight that every candidate, every human being, is flawed in conspicuous ways?).
I was in disbelief whenever the mayor was quoted in print or featured in a radio or television interview, nationally and internationally, wondering what people pursuing quotation were thinking: “Don’t they understand that Jackson’s municipal water system, city streets, and garbage collection are in free fall?”
The opening words of “Anything Goes” allow that
“Times have changed
And we’ve often rewound the clock
Since the Puritans got a shock
When they landed
on Plymouth Rock. If today
Any shock they should try to stem
‘Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock would land on them.”
It was shocking — “anything goes” — to suggest that someone was an oracle — admirable and wise — who appeared oblivious to the fundamentals of good government, turned a blind eye or was callously indifferent to the building blocks of successful cities.
Back to “Anything Goes:”
“The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today
And black’s white today
And day’s night today
And that gent today
You gave a cent today
Once had several chateaux”
What was experienced was diametrically opposed to what was expected. Enablers share culpability, including news media outlets acting as if there was competence and expertise when the reality was arguably akin to the emptiness of Mother Hubbard’s cupboard.
Digressing from Cole Porter, words from Joni Mitchell’s 1971 song “The Last Time I Saw Richard” come to mind:
“You like roses and kisses
and pretty men to tell you
All those pretty lies, pretty lies
When you gonna realize
they’re only pretty lies
Only pretty lies, just pretty lies”
The title of the 2016 documentary film “All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone” posits what everyone must remember: Politicians primarily promote their self-interest and that of their contributors and, should you believe that they default to truth and honesty, “I have a bridge to sell you:”:Campaign rhetoric is often “Only pretty lies, just pretty lies.”
Again “Anything Goes:”
“Just think of those shocks you’ve got
And those knocks you’ve got
And those blues you’ve got
From that news you’ve got
And those pains you’ve got
If any brains you’ve got”
Jacksonians showed brains — a willingness to move beyond shocks, knocks, blues, and pains. One hopes that the capital city commences a renaissance. There is cause to believe that change is achievable. The new mayor says the right things. Progress is required, rather than slogans and sound bites, before a bottle of champagne can be uncorked, given a history of disappointment by promising mayors.
My fervent desire is for the success of the city, not one officeholder. It is premature to celebrate until results are realized.
Jay Wiener is a Northsider
