HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-10-06, Page 5International Scene
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1993. PAGE 5.
Performing art
for people.
What a concept!
I don't know about your situation, but my
take-home pay is definitely not keeping up
with the times.
We live, after all, in an age when an
amiable young thug by the name of Wendell
Clark makes a million bucks a year as
captain of a gang of shinny players called
the Maple Leafs.
That's more than I make.
We live in an age when a pigskin-toter by
the name of Rocket (The Dud) Ishmail
scammed approximately 10 million bucks
from his employers in return for not playing
all that well for less than three season.
That's a lot more than I make.
We live in an age when a journeyman ham
like Bruce Willis can command — and get —
12 million dollars to star in a movie. And
this is after a string of cinematic duds from
which with the faithful moviegoing public
stayed away in droves.
That too, is a lot more than I make.
We live in an age when Michael Jackson,
a squeaky-voiced androgynous wuss who
likes to dress up in bellhops' uniforms and
have his hair ironed and his skin bleached —
gets $65 million dollars from Sony
Corporation to make a tour of Japan.
Mind control
or religion
or both
During my lifetime a number of religious
sects have targeted me for conversion to
their cause. Strangely enough it happened
hardly at all when I was young and trying to
grope with the concept of a spiritual life. It
was only after I had come to grips with the
matter that one sect after another zeroed in
on me. I'm not sure that I looked that easy a
target; perhaps it was simply that converts
were more likely to be made in my age
group.
It became obvious that most of these sects
originated in the United States. I recall
sitting on a park bench in St. Gall,
Switzerland one warm day, watching two
well dressed young men playing with a
frisbee. When they got closer, I realized that
they were speaking American English; their
southern accent gave them away. When they
were finished they came and sat beside me
on the bench and attempted to engage me in
conversation in German. It was obvious that
their command of that language was
fragmentary at best and, to save them the
trouble of drowning in a sea of confusing
German word order, I replied that I could
speak English. If they wanted to talk to me,
they could use that language.
Out of the conversation came the fact that
they had been sent to Switzerland to
proselytize; there were simply not enough
German speaking Swiss as yet who
understood their faith well enough to explain
it. Both young men were very pleasant but it
soon became evident that what they were
preaching they considered to be the true
faith. All others were wallowing in sin and
doctrinal error. I assured them that they were
That's more than the GNP of several Third
World countries.
I'm not complaining, mind you. I make
enough to keep shingles over my head and
shoe leather between my bunions and the
sidewalk.
As a matter of fact, I probably make just
about all the dough I can comfortably
handle. It may be failure of imagination on
my part, but I'm not sure how good I'd be if
somebody suddenly dumped $65 million or
$12 million or even a measly million bucks
in my lap.
Such numbers are nuts! Nobody needs that
much money. What's Bruce Willis going to
do with another $12 million — get a face lift
for his smirk?
And Michael Jackson needs another $65
million? For what — to buy more Ferris
Wheels and Merry Go Rounds for his 2700-
acre kiddies' ranch in California?
We've got our money priorities 'way out of
whack — and not just the greedheads at the
top of the pyramid either. Let's face it — the
money I make may be chump change to
MIchael Jackson or Bruce Willis or Wendell
Clark — but I'd qualify for aristocracy in
Bosnia, Ethiopia or Haiti.
And then there's Theodore Major. Chances
are extremely good that you've never heard
of Theodore. He's a wizened little gnome of
a man, 85 years old, who lives in a shabby
brownstone house in Wigan, England.
Theodore Major's health is failing, and that's
too bad because last month he found himself
in trouble with the law.
wasting their time on me; I was far more
liberal in my approach in that I did not
believe that only members of my church
were destined to be saved.
At the risk of providing erroneous
information I cannot remember the name of
their sect. The first one I can remember also
came from the United States and went by the
name of Moral Rearmament. If my memory
serves me correctly, this had come out of
something in Great Britain called the Oxford
Movement, led by Frank Buchman. Their
faith was actually quite simple; you lived by
four absolutes, two of which were truth and
purity. The word "mind control" came into
my mind since it seemed that there were
constant meetings at which you confessed
your sins etc. and were set straight by the
more knowledgeable members. I don't think
that it was an overwhelming control but it
was there and I felt uncomfortable the entire
time I was present at the meetings.
Dealing as I do with hundreds of young
people each year both at the university and
college level, I am concerned that those
whose faith, if present at all, is still in the
embryonic stage, might fall under the spell
of some of the more aggressive sects. These,
too, tend to come from the United States; the
one that has caught my attention recently is
called the Toronto Church of Christ (also
called Christian Advance) which is an
outgrowth of the Boston Church of Christ
but was expelled from the latter about a
decade ago because of its deviant teachings.
The TCC has concentrated its efforts at the
university level. Many young people come
to a post secondary institution away from
home for the first time in their life and are
understandably lonely. If they have any
religious beliefs at all, they are probably
quite simplistic and they are, therefore, fair
game for any group that comes along with a
smooth pitch.
The TCC is certainly warm and friendly as
The problem is the house right next to
Theodore's. Theodore bought it 16 years
ago, and uses it to display his paintings, free
of charge to anyone who cares to come in
and look at them.
Theodore Major is a painter, you see. As a
matter of fact, according to John Berger, a
respected art critic, Theodore Major is
"among the best English painters of our
time."
He's also a bit of curmudgeon. When the
local town council ordered Theodore to pay
a poll tax of nearly $4,000 on the house of
paintings, Theodore told the town council to
go jump in the canal. The town council sued
to have Theodore committed to prison.
At the trial, it was revealed that Theodore
Major was living on a state pension of $150
a week.
But, the magistrate rumbled, surely as one
of the country's best painters, Mister Major
had merely to sell off one or two of his
canvasses, pay the fine and retire on the
profits.
Theodore Major drew himself up and
replied "Not to the people who want them,
the rich people. I painted these pictures for
ordinary people to see, and they do come. I
never paint for money — I never have. I am
an artist and I paint for people."
The magistrate was so impressed that he
ordered the charges dropped and came down
from the bench to shake Theodore Major's
hand and wish him good health.
Amen, Milord. An artist who performs for
the people. What a concept.
they search for members but once a student
accepts them as true friends, the mind
control aspect becomes more apparent. They
are frequently asked to donate 10 - 20 per
cent of their income to the Church, as well
as dedicate 20 hours a week to recruiting and
worship. They can date only within the
group and if one member is asked out by
another, they are encouraged to accept. The
most likely outcome of all this is that so
much time and energy is being put on TCC
activities that marks suffer, often very badly.
Few people will argue that religious
intolerance is an issue here; rather it is the
way in which the organization goes about its
recruiting techniques. At any rate both York
and Ryerson Universities in Toronto got to
the point where they banned all activities of
the TCC from the campus.
Once you are in the organization, trying to
get out has been described by one ex-
member as "pure hell." Members are told
that they have to put God before friends and
family and, in a crunch, you have to choose
God. For a young person that is a horrible
decision to have to make since God's will is,
of course, interpreted by the organization.
I'm not sure that I agree with the banning
of the TCC's activities but it is certainly
worth realizing, if you are setting out for
college or university, that temptation comes
in all forms.
Got a beef?
Write a
letter to the
editor
The
Short
of it
By Bonnie Gropp
First place really
shouldn't come
in second
It's really nice to be rewarded for your
efforts, to have your hard work get
recognition or better yet, pay off.
Most of us, at one time or another, have
had someone say thanks for a job well done.
Many people have earned accolades or even
won awards for their perseverance,
dedication and winning ways.
But isn't victory a little less sweet,
achievement a little less satisfactory when
there is question regarding whether or not
you are actually deserving of the
acknowledgment?
For example, several years ago, I was
presented with an "of the Year" type of
award from a group to which I belonged.
Though I've never gotten as hyped as some
about kudos such as this, realizing that while
one person can be a leader it takes many to
make something a success, I must admit it
still felt pretty good that some thought my
contributions stood out.
It was a little deflating to know my mother
had sat on the selection committee, however.
Even though she assurred me she did declare
conflict of interest and took no part
whatsoever in the discussion, it bothered me
that not everyone would know that.
To me, you see, a sense of accom-
plishment fades if doubt is cast on its worth.
That's what I found so puzzling about the
Kristen Babb-Sprague/Sylvie Frechette
situation at the 1992 Olympics.
The Canadian born Ms Frechette was the
one to watch in the synchronized swimming
event. Having proven herself a notable
competitor many times in previous events,
which included copping Olympic gold, her
achievements were lauded through the media
and she was even the subject of a TV
special.
You'd have had to be living underwater to
not know the rest of the story, when in 1992
an admitted mistake by the Brazilian judge
(Pushed the wrong button!) resulted in the
gold being taken out of Ms Frechette's grasp
and tossed to the U.S. swimmer, Ms Babb-
Sprague.
Ms Frechette accepted the ruling with
aplomb, showing more class than most could
muster by saying simply that she knew she
had done well and had competed to the best
of her ability.
When it comes down to it that is what's
really important.
But, I've never been able to understand
why Ms Babb-Sprague would want such a
dubious win. The taste of that particular
victory can't be very sweet, because whether
or not she has the gold medal can't really
mean much, knowing that a judge's goof
made the difference.
And the dark side of me gets a bitter taste
in my mouth each time I ask myself what
would have happened had it been the
American cheated of the gold. I can't help
feeling it would have been corrected.
That's why I, and many others I'm sure,
were pleased to hear this past week that
RNA has applied to the Olympic committee
asking that Ms Frechette also receive the
gold.
After all we may not always get what we
deserve, but the first place performance
really shouldn't come in second.
Arthur Black j