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213 Road Signs, etc.

10/20/2021

I had to renew my Nebraska Driver’s License this fall, so I had to spend a bit of time reviewing the Driver’s Manual to accomplish this.  (I confess that I felt a little like I’d been put back in Driver’s Ed. class in High School, but, if I wish to keep driving [I do], I had to put up with it.) Anyway, I passed, so I’m good for another five years, but that’s not the topic of this post.

My study of road signs in the manual reminded me that my brother-in-law recently took a trip to Alaska where he took pictures of a number of unique(?) traffic signs in Denali National Park.  To the best of my knowledge, they are all real, actual signs of the category “Warning” signs, which is denoted by their diamond shape and, usual yellow color.  I assume that all of the common, standard types of signs were also present, but there were some which I had not previously encountered, and which struck me as interesting, especially as they were NOT in the Nebraska Driver’s Manual.

For example, this one isn’t in the manual, although I believe that I have seen it before.  However, the circumstances shown here made its presence in this context seem a bit unusual, although certainly reasonable.

I think I’ve seen something like this next sign before, but not with this exact wording which I found made it seem a bit confusing. It does seem a bit hard to figure out.

Now I have certainly seen this next sign near airports many times. Seeing it on what appears to be the side of a mountain and with what appears to be airplane wreckage on the hillside just behind it gave me pause however….

Now I realize that the “political/administrative” class doesn’t seem to have a particularly high opinion of the intelligence of the general public (which DOES at times seem justified, if one pays much attention to the news), but I have to wonder if THIS sign is really necessary?

On the other hand, while I entirely approve of reasonable speed limits and adequate enforcement, I am forced to wonder if THIS isn’t taking things to an extreme a good way beyond “reasonable?”

What interested me even more than the previously shown signs, however, were some which I had NOT encountered as approved, standard, warning signs in any of the states in which I have had a driver’s license. Take this one, for example.

While I have certainly heard of trolls in relation to bridges, I have not previously encountered official recognition of the need for warning the public of the existence of a troll in relation to a highway bridge. On the other hand, I’ve never been to Alaska, so what do I know?

This, next, sign made me wonder if all of the stories which I have heard regarding the size and ferocity of mosquitoes in Alaska were really true, as opposed to being exaggerated. Now, if someone had said they had seen this sign in Florida, it might have been quite different.

The purpose of “Warning” signs such as these, of course is to warn drivers of potentially hazardous conditions which they are approaching. One common variety is the warning sign which attempts to depict an approaching intersection, so a driver can be prepared for oncoming and cross traffic. I defy anyone, however, to make sense of THIS sign!

I suppose that this IS a possible intersection configuration, but I suspect that trying to figure it out as one drives by it would be so distracting as to make it more hazardous than the actual intersection.

Possibly my favorite sign of the entire bunch, though, was this one.

I can’t even attempt to comment on it, or why it exists. If anyone can figure it out, please let me know.

If you will excuse my channeling my inner Steve Jobs, there IS “just one more thing,” however.

Yes, real road sign, real road. You figure it out.

LLAP,

Dr. B

See you next time!

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212 “Sunday Morning” Got Me Thinking…

10/6/2021

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One of the relatively few constants in the life Bonnie and I have shared for most of the past 55 years is that we watch CBS’s “Sunday Morning” every week unless there is some reason which makes that exceptionally difficult. We started when the program began back in the days of Charles Kuralt (1979-1994), continued through Charles Osgood (1994-2016), and continue to do so since Jane Pauley took over the reins (2016-present). We do miss an episode every so often, when we are on a trip, or otherwise find it difficult to camp in front of a TV for 90 minutes on a Sunday morning, but those occasions have been rather few, and we both feel that it is time well spent away from the hurley-burley of fast breaking political nonsense, accidents, and violence.

In any case, while watching the September 26th episode, they did several stories about the reopening of the Broadway theatres and the “special” that CBS was going to show that evening which would include some of the Tony awards for the 2019-2020 theatre season. Part of that coverage was an opinion piece by the musician David Byrne which mentioned the ideas of Emile Durkheim relating to “collective efflorescence.” Byrne put it this way.

Now, I’m certainly glad that we seem to have COVID under control well enough that Broadway can reopen after eighteen months and that we seem to be returning to sporting events, live performances of many types, and a sense that it may be possible to participate in social activities generally a bit more fully than has been the recent case.  But, if Durkheim (or Byrne) meant to imply that this communal experience was exclusively, or even primarily, a “religious” phenomenon, I must disagree.   I believe that this experience is the essence of THEATRE and that, if religious activities partake of it, it is because of their essentially theatrical nature.

You don’t have to explore the history of at least European theatre very far to discover that what we call theatre was invented as a part of an ancient Greek religious festival and was a part of the worship of the (lesser) God, Dionysus.  We scholars probably haven’t emphasized it enough, but it seems pretty obvious that those old Greeks intended it to be at least a “spiritual” (or dare I say “religious”?) experience.

But I would suggest that it is perfectly possible to have a “religious” experience in the privacy of one’s own room without the intercession of priest, minister or even any other person.  What I believe regarding the experience which Durkheim called “collective efflorescence” is that he is describing the experiencing of a relationship between and among those gathered in a specific place, at a specific time for a specific purpose; and that purpose involves the sharing of a common experience.  Certainly, that shared experience can involve religious ideas, but that certainly does not appear to be required.  I would go so far as to suggest that theatre (and other “live” performances) can (and should) be shared experiences of exactly this nature.

Let me explain, if theatre (and other performed arts) is/are merely entertainment, then I feel obliged to inquire “Why do people still want to attend performances?”  Let’s be honest.  Attending a performance is a real pain.  You have to go to the performance place at a certain time (not necessarily of your own choosing), spend a fair amount of money, fight traffic and other people, and put up with the many annoyances of all of these.  Buying a cd of a musical performance, or a DVD or video of a play, musical, or concert is SO much more convenient.  The only possible reason why we still go to “live” performances has to have something to do with the difference between the “live“ performance experience and a recorded one.

I would suggest that that difference relates to Durkheim’s ideas, but may be easier to understand if we consider Nietzsche’s discussion of Apollonian and Dionysian.  In Greek mythology, Apollo and Dionysus are both sons of Zeus. Apollo is the god of the sun, of rational thinking and order, and he appeals to logic, prudence and purity.  Dionysus is the god of wine and dance, of irrationality and chaos, and appeals to emotions and instincts.  Nietzsche discusses both of these concepts in relation to religion.  Apollo is the rational, logical, ordered side of religion, the side which deals with morality, justice, etc.  The Dionysian aspect of religion is the wild, ecstatic, chaotic frenzy which relates to the emotional side of the “religious” experience.  To simplify my point, I would ask, “Why don’t we have the same response to recordings that we get from the “live” performance?”  I have many recorded performances and have enjoyed them a great deal.  Still, I have NOT had the same kind of experience as a listener/viewer of a recorded performance that I have had during a “live” one.  I would suggest that it is because the recorded performance may appeal to the Apollonian side of us, but the live one has greater appeal to the Dionysian.

Let’s be honest, live performances are fraught with perils.  Anyone who has ever been a part of one (as performer [I include technicians] or audience) will (if he/she is honest) tell you that there has probably never been a “perfect” performance, and there probably never will be.  I think that’s why we appreciate recorded performances.  They allow the artist(s) to distribute a performance which has been refined to the point of being “as good as we can make it” and it will be identical every time it’s played.  Why is that it is never quite as exciting, moving, even emotionally satisfying as the “live” experience of the same material by the same performers?  I would argue that it’s simply because IT’S NOT THE SAME AS A “LIVE” PERFORMANCE!  AND THAT’S THE POINT!

So, what could possibly make this inevitably less perfect performance better?  I would suggest that it’s the collective efflorescence which Durkheim was writing about a hundred years ago.  It’s the sense that “I was there, I was a part of this event, I may not be able to describe exactly what happened, but something did, and it affected me!”

Not long ago, I wrote a post which discussed something about how The Fantasticks has impacted my life.  I was first exposed to it when one of my college roommates drove me crazy playing the original Off-Broadway Cast Album repeatedly after he had seen the show.  I even got to the point where I didn’t care for it, and I only went to see it, when I was in NYC with some friends, because they wanted to see it.  I was sick of those songs.

Obviously, something happened which changed my mind.  I think I know what it was.  I’m completely convinced that what happened was that I was changed by my experience sitting in the tiny Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village that April evening in 1963 or ‛64.  I can’t explain it, but something happened to me that night which not only changed my mind about that show, but, I think, changed me as a person.

This is what live theatre (and other live performances from symphonic to “pop” and folk concerts, to ballets, to operas and, certainly, musicals have given me time after time from at least that day to the present.  Even when the performance may not have met what I would consider to be the highest standards of quality, there has almost always been some sort of communal experience which was exciting to be a part of.

I have had a similar sort of experience on other occasions, during ceremonies ranging from commencements to patriotic occasions, and including religious gatherings, as well.   In all cases, I would suggest that the experience is, at least similar.  I would suggest that the commonality of such experiences is due to the fact that we have structured all of these sorts of events to have features in common, which are intended to create the same sort of shared experience.  This is not to suggest that any of these experiences is better, or worse,  than another.  No, I would suggest that they are, in many ways, the same thing.

Perhaps this lyric from Wicked sums it up better than I could:

The only changes I would make to the idea expressed here is to point out that it was written to discuss a relationship between two individuals, where I’m talking about a relationship with a “thing,” a concept, the Theatre. Theatre has been a part of my life at least since I was about twelve. I believe that it has changed me for good. And, I think, for the better.

I’d like to think that maybe I have helped change a few others, as well. Hopefully, for the better.

LLAP,

Dr. B

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213 Road Signs, etc.

212 “Sunday Morning” Got Me Thinking…

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