My Impromptus today is headed “The wisdom of Arnold, &c.” Would that be Matthew Arnold? Arnold Palmer? No, in this case, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The music-minded may be interested in a review from me — of Fatma Said, the young Egyptian soprano. She sang a recital in New York last night, along with a Spanish guitarist, Rafael Aguirre.
Let’s have some mail. My Impromptus today touches on conspiracy theories (at least one). A reader writes,
My wife and I know a woman who has been our good friend for over 40 years. Not only would she do anything for us, she would also do anything for anyone. She is kind. Devout. On a personal level, she is tolerant and accepting of those with whom she differs. She is one of the smartest individuals — as in raw intelligence — I know. Valedictorian of her college class, to cite one bit of evidence.
But — she is a QAnon-er! Can’t get any crazier than that! My wife and I have spent much time trying to figure it out, but can’t.
Yes. The world of conspiracy theories is a rich and complicated subject. Has probably been so since caveman days.
A different reader responds to an Impromptus from last week:
Hi, Jay,
. . . You got me going on memories when you mentioned baseball. Who was your favorite Detroit Tiger when you were young? Willie Mays was (and still is) my favorite San Francisco Giant. I still hate the Pittsburgh Pirates somewhat because they knocked my beloved Giants out of the 1971 N.L. playoffs. . . .
We had a show-and-tell session in fourth grade, so I brought in my 1970 Willie Mays 3-D baseball card that had come in my box of Kellogg’s Raisin Bran the day before. I showed it in class and said that Mays was my favorite player and that I wish I could play baseball like him.
Later on that day, during lunch, one of the other students said to me, “Do you know that Willie Mays is black?” I was dumbfounded. I blurted out that I didn’t care whether he was purple with green dots, he was my favorite player.
Well done. And my favorite player, since the reader asked? I think of two Mickeys: Lolich (pitcher) and Stanley (center field).
One more note:
Jay, I don’t know whether you know this, but there are some sick commenters out there. . . . I am an outdoorsman and a hunter, and none of these trolls would take a look at me and tell me to my face that I’m an effete Jay Nordlinger lover. They are pathetic.
Ha. “Effete” was the label applied constantly — constantly — to Bill Buckley. His boorish critics and enemies called him “effete” and worse. So our reader is in good company — the best, really.
My thanks to all readers and correspondents.