American Reality

Downtown LA v2

I read this recently in the Hudson Review (Spring 2007) and found it rather intriguing. It is by Bert Cardullo:

Only in America could reality become a trend. But, then, only in America do we take time out for a “reality check,” as if anyone so far gone as to lose his sense of reality would actually now what to check in order to get it back. I mean, get real. Of course, only in America could the admonishment “get real” be a reproach, and “unreality” be a sin. And now that we’re on the subject, only in America do we say “I mean” before we say what we mean, as if it were an acceptable convention for people to go around saying what they didn’t mean, and it had become another convention to make the distinction, before saying anything of consequence, between meaning and not meaning what you are about to say.

Leave a Reply

Latest Posts

A Historic Year of Protests
This past year saw a huge groundswell of support for protests, most notably for Black Lives Matter. Protests for Palestine, Artsakh, and Pride were also some of the other campaigns …
The T**** Presidential Library
(2021) My only question is if hardcore MAGA supporters would hurl themselves into the hole at a certain age, like something out of Logan's Run (1976), as a sign of …
My First Therapist
I took this photograph while leaving my first therapist's office. It was my last appointment. I went to her for 11 years. The first stretch lasted six years, then I …