Hot
Threads
In "The International
Scene" this week, a Jakarta-based fraygrant kept the Fray informed of
breaking news in Indonesia. Following the announcement that B.J. Habibie would
be the new president, was offered by the American based there. Fraygrants
analyzed the Western media's take on events in Jakarta; the consensus: The
media deserve a failing grade.
Even when something new
breaks on the Clinton-scandal front, it takes on a familiar sound in "Clinton and the
Media." The regular Clinton-bashers the president's imminent downfall now
that he has been revealed as a "traitor" by selling satellite technology to
China. Clinton defenders suggested that their opponents hold off on the hanging
party until all the facts are in--and predicted that this scandal, too, would
soon blow over.
New
Threads
The
Slate
dialogue on "McCarthyism" inspired a new thread, which this
week drew parallels with multiculturalism and . One fraygrant recounted the
case of Washington state's Canwell Committee red hunt and its victim, Melvin
Rader; and Albert Canwell's later attacks on John and Sally Goldmark, which
eventually led to the 1985 murders of the Goldmarks' son David and his family.
McCarthyism was seen in Ken Starr's investigation of Bill Clinton. A fraygrant
even quoted Yogi Berra's "It's déjà vu all over again." But two
fraygrants maintained that it is the charges against Starr that smack of
McCarthyism: "You don't think Starr is being smeared. Many disagree."
Herbert Stein's
Slate
article on Aldous Huxley's Brave New World led to
discussion in the corresponding thread. While most fraygrants felt Stein's conclusions left
something to be desired, the specific points were debated. One fraygrant
wondered what was so wrong with the society in Brave New World and
materialism, but others took exception to such a pessimistic view of life: "We
needn't assume the worst."
The recent death of Frank
Sinatra and
Slate
's article "Jazz Democracy" prompted the
return of the "Music" thread. It began with a request for participants to list
their favorite rock or world music albums of the past five years. Discussions
covered the merits of dance as a social and recreational activity ("facile" or
"spiritual"?), and of rhythm in music ("fascist"?), as well as commentary on
pop star Tori Amos and avant-garde composer Mauricio Kagel.
Fray
Feuds
The "Bubble Economy" thread
began with a discussion of IQ and merit, which set the tone for the remainder
of the week. From challenges to just how meritocratic the U.S. economy is to
rewarding people for ability and outcomes, fraygrants laid out the various
economic and philosophical arguments supporting rewards for results vs. rewards
for hard work and effort. One fraygrant fought against the tide and argued that
innate ability and inherited wealth should not be determinants of future
economic opportunity. The week ended with a discussion of the economic
rationale for employers paying people for both effort and performance
(outcomes) in an environment of imperfect information and joint production.
The Fray's reputation as a
home for hostile, rude, and mean-spirited exchanges suffered a severe beating
at the hands of the "Reading" thread, which was so civilized that participants
suggested taking insulin shots afterward. The discussion of Faulkner's The
Sound and the Fury wrapped up with a lively exchange about Faulkner's
continuing relevance--particularly regarding race. This week, the introduction
of a new Reading topic: Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct .
