Posted On: Monday - May 1st 2023 7:56PM MST
In Topics:   Political Correctness  Race/Genetics
... and Res.
NOTE: Commenter E.H. Hail has put up a brand-new post on his Hail to You site. I haven't read it yet, but I'm absolutely certain he's got more details than we do. In this case, he comes at the story from the interest in the OSF board Asian members, which leads to a wider question. (Do they care really care about Shakespeare and Western culture, and then, how different are they from Westerners?): On the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) board and the role of Asians in the USA. BTW, I'm not being inconsistent with this - I wrote "Asian", as one of the 4 women's name sounds • Indian, while the other 3 are Oriental.
It's not Peak Stupidity's thing to spend hours diving down into these kinds of stories. Sometimes an independent blogger can really do some good journalism, uncovering stories that would have never been, such as Steve Sailer and the UVA rape hoax, etc. Maybe we'll chance upon something like that some time, but our job in general is to point out the stupidity and leave it at that.
The story about the ruination of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland, OR) by Wokeness is just something that Peak Stupidity came upon recently in comment threads and one that others have covered well anyway. This includes comment by the Steve Sailer commenter Wilkey, as discussed in the previous post.
Wilkey kindly provided some more information in response to my questions of pushback at the audience level. Here is the comment in its entirety:
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Most normal fans just won’t bother buying tickets. Ticket sales are down about 50%. Most former OSF attendees will read the play descriptions and realize what a crock of shit the OSF has become. That’s probably where all the alleged “death threats” and “hate mail” have come from.
People do walk out of plays. My wife and I have while the actors were on stage – once. More commonly, people just leave at intermission. That has to be pretty jarring for the actors to come back after intermission, night after night, and see 25% or more of the audience has left. It’s happened.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has already paid dearly for hiring Nataki Garrett. They handed over $7 million from their endowment to keep it running. The remaining $28 million is bound by donor restrictions on how it can be spent. They’re still short on funds. They’ve asked their supporters for $2.5 million. The state of Oregon, which has a $300 million budget surplus, may yet give them $5 million. But that won’t solve the ongoing reduction in ticket sales caused by Garrett’s shitty productions. Garrett is a blatant racist who hires almost entirely black directors and lead actors. She might as well rename it the Ashland African American Fringe Festival, because that’s basically what it is now. They’ve just hijacked the name and assets of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
And the OSF board is as Woke as you’d probably expect. Of its 24 members, only 9 actually live in Oregon. The chairman, a Chinese woman, lives in New York. Of the 24, 11 are white, 5 are black, 4 are Hispanic, and 4 are Asian. And many of the whites, of course, are hardcore lefties. So whites who have any interest in preserving English/European culture as embodied by Shakespeare are a distinct minority on the board, if there are even any of those left at all. One board member even supports a project to “modernize” Shakespeare’s language – which eliminates about 70% of the reason for even watching or reading his plays. So they will have to be pushed to the extreme before they will fire Garrett.
The death of the OSF under this regime might just be the best of all possible outcomes, from a conservative viewpoint. It might put the rest of the theatre world on notice about just how unpopular this shit really is. Let it die, so that every other Shakespeare festival in America can realize what it needs to do to live.
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I'd assumed that most people attending had already put a bunch of money down way ahead and were committed. That may be right, but yes, many normally repeat customers will want nothing more to do with this travesty.
Then, commenter Res also gave more information, this time on some corruption involved in this new OSF Administrative Piece of Work. It involves Director Nataki Garrett's husband getting paid some $43,000 for "CONTRACTED SERVICES". (Glad they itemized that out for the accountants!)
Between, and I'd assume this order in descending magnitude, the withdrawing of sponsorship, the loss of ticket sales, and the all-too-usual Black! corruption, the choosing of this diverse Director by the Woke group that Wilkey mentioned is really doing a number on the OSF budget and general future. We can hope this will drive home the "Get Woke, Go Broke" lesson for the rest of the industry. It looks like they'll have to kill the theater in order to save it.
PS: Correction here for the last post. Obviously, arithmetic suggests there was a $35 million endowment, not $30 million, key word being "WAS".
PPS: Thank you, Wilkey and Res, for all the good information on this story.
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[UPDATED 05/03:] Added top note with reference to the new Hail to You post.
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Comments:
Moderator
Wednesday - May 3rd 2023 5:52PM MST
PS: Dieter, you probably have gone to sleep by now, but for tomorrow, I wanted to ask you if you've ever seen the movie "Night Train to Lisbon" - produced in Germany.
Dieter Kief
Wednesday - May 3rd 2023 1:37PM MST
PS
William Shakespeare (or Friedrich von Schiller - - - Wordswoth about Daffodils or - - J. A. Baker about- - - The Peregrine) - - - are important in that they allow members of th English or German speaking world, to come to grips - - or to reflect abouth things, that they would not have thought about his distinctly and differentiated without the Bard and his companions.
What is a bit of a myth to me is, that the tradition is given away so unreflectedly - - - but also, that it does not matter much, because not much use is made of these traditions anyway. culture does survive in its institutions, but - it has to be made use of to be able to make sense.
No use is the same than a crooked (woke) use.
Thes are just a few fragments.
William Shakespeare (or Friedrich von Schiller - - - Wordswoth about Daffodils or - - J. A. Baker about- - - The Peregrine) - - - are important in that they allow members of th English or German speaking world, to come to grips - - or to reflect abouth things, that they would not have thought about his distinctly and differentiated without the Bard and his companions.
What is a bit of a myth to me is, that the tradition is given away so unreflectedly - - - but also, that it does not matter much, because not much use is made of these traditions anyway. culture does survive in its institutions, but - it has to be made use of to be able to make sense.
No use is the same than a crooked (woke) use.
Thes are just a few fragments.
Moderator
Wednesday - May 3rd 2023 10:42AM MST
PS: Adam, even the link itself was not safe for work! Haha, glad I'm not in a cube. But, that was history - I'm glad someone is keeping it alive - the actual opinion of someone at the time, unblemished by a century and 6 decades of revisionism. Thanks.
Hail
Wednesday - May 3rd 2023 7:33AM MST
PS
I see you've already seen it and added a line or two on it. Thanks!--to you an Wilkey.
https://hailtoyou.wordpress.com/2023/05/03/on-the-oregon-shakespeare-festival-osf-board-and-the-role-of-asians-in-the-usa/
I see you've already seen it and added a line or two on it. Thanks!--to you an Wilkey.
https://hailtoyou.wordpress.com/2023/05/03/on-the-oregon-shakespeare-festival-osf-board-and-the-role-of-asians-in-the-usa/
Hail
Wednesday - May 3rd 2023 7:28AM MST
PS
I posted an expanded version of the comment about the OSF board to HailToYou.wordpress.com
I posted an expanded version of the comment about the OSF board to HailToYou.wordpress.com
Adam Smith
Tuesday - May 2nd 2023 12:53PM MST
PS: Good afternoon, everyone
I do suppose After Hours is a little less unrelated than I realized. Thanks, Dieter!
Here's an interesting link that's also kinda off topic...
https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/sixteen-months-to-sumter/newspaper-index/new-york-herald/nigger-worship-and-its-consequences
☮
I do suppose After Hours is a little less unrelated than I realized. Thanks, Dieter!
Here's an interesting link that's also kinda off topic...
https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/sixteen-months-to-sumter/newspaper-index/new-york-herald/nigger-worship-and-its-consequences
☮
MBlanc46
Tuesday - May 2nd 2023 9:20AM MST
PS The Negroes and other non-whites are the sharp end of the spear, but it’s whites who are the shaft. Western civilization is dying because many whites no longer care about it, and more are actively trying to destroy it.
Moderator
Tuesday - May 2nd 2023 8:13AM MST
PS: We'll be back to check, Mr. Hail.
Moderatorq
Tuesday - May 2nd 2023 8:12AM MST
PS: Regarding the Chinese lady board member, with extrapolation, of course, I think all women like to have that status of being a big shot in the "arts community" - there's some power there too. However, your average White lady may care a whole lot more about the culture that's supposed to being promoted/preserved here. The Chinese lady likely couldn't care less, but who knows, a lot of the Oriental people play Classical music.
Is it that they appreciate that music as much as Europeans (some of them)? I don't know - it's also a step up and status thing, having their children playing in the school orchestra. Keeping up with the Joneses, errr, Wangs, is part of it too.
Keep in mind that Wilkey says plenty of the (almost) 50% White people on the board are Woke too. That's somewhat of a different mentality. They may appreciate Euro. culture, and probably don't REALLY care for any of the blackety-black crap they are pushing., However, they strongly want to fit in. Fitting in now means going along with this shit and even pushing it, so there's no chance anyone will bully you, errr, call you names.
Is it that they appreciate that music as much as Europeans (some of them)? I don't know - it's also a step up and status thing, having their children playing in the school orchestra. Keeping up with the Joneses, errr, Wangs, is part of it too.
Keep in mind that Wilkey says plenty of the (almost) 50% White people on the board are Woke too. That's somewhat of a different mentality. They may appreciate Euro. culture, and probably don't REALLY care for any of the blackety-black crap they are pushing., However, they strongly want to fit in. Fitting in now means going along with this shit and even pushing it, so there's no chance anyone will bully you, errr, call you names.
Moderator
Tuesday - May 2nd 2023 8:05AM MST
PS: Never heard that Velvet Underground song before - pretty catchy and very simple.
For most of the Arts, Dieter, Conservatives don't seem to be involved or interested so much - not enough time on their hands and maybe a different personality perhaps. I've never had very much interest, music being the exception. However, I see more in the value of art than I used to.
Politically, when it comes to this destruction of the culture - I would write "replacement", but is that really culture at all that they're replacing Shakespeare with?
For most of the Arts, Dieter, Conservatives don't seem to be involved or interested so much - not enough time on their hands and maybe a different personality perhaps. I've never had very much interest, music being the exception. However, I see more in the value of art than I used to.
Politically, when it comes to this destruction of the culture - I would write "replacement", but is that really culture at all that they're replacing Shakespeare with?
Hail
Tuesday - May 2nd 2023 6:54AM MST
PS
-- Notice to Comment-Readers! --
Don't give up on this thread;
I will post here this evening (around +12 hrs from this comment) results of an investigation into origins of the OSF Board that may be of interest.
Now partially complete but without time to complete the task.
Thank you.
(...end of Notice to Comment-Readers.)
-- Notice to Comment-Readers! --
Don't give up on this thread;
I will post here this evening (around +12 hrs from this comment) results of an investigation into origins of the OSF Board that may be of interest.
Now partially complete but without time to complete the task.
Thank you.
(...end of Notice to Comment-Readers.)
Hail
Tuesday - May 2nd 2023 5:56AM MST
PS
Dieter Kief says the Chinese woman who is "chairman" of the Oregon Theater Co. "is clearly is not in this stuff for the arts, but for status."
This explains a lot of what East Asians "do" in the USA, and more-so Canada. And South Asians in a different way.
(Some of the Sailer-commenters seem to hate South Asians, but miss the nuance that what they hate are specific aggressive diasporic subgroups of them. With East Asians, the phenomenon tends to be broader.)
Since East Asians usually have a completely different approach to life to us, adding them into a White-Western society will end up with results like this, visible in a thousand little ways --- to the detriment of the whole in a thousand small ways. Such ambition, unethical behavior, runaway status-seeking, and the other things that come with East Asian presence, they get balanced-out in their own societies. There is much less effective mechanism for it in a Western society to begin with, and under Wokeness the gate is wide open.
Dieter Kief says the Chinese woman who is "chairman" of the Oregon Theater Co. "is clearly is not in this stuff for the arts, but for status."
This explains a lot of what East Asians "do" in the USA, and more-so Canada. And South Asians in a different way.
(Some of the Sailer-commenters seem to hate South Asians, but miss the nuance that what they hate are specific aggressive diasporic subgroups of them. With East Asians, the phenomenon tends to be broader.)
Since East Asians usually have a completely different approach to life to us, adding them into a White-Western society will end up with results like this, visible in a thousand little ways --- to the detriment of the whole in a thousand small ways. Such ambition, unethical behavior, runaway status-seeking, and the other things that come with East Asian presence, they get balanced-out in their own societies. There is much less effective mechanism for it in a Western society to begin with, and under Wokeness the gate is wide open.
Dieter Kief
Tuesday - May 2nd 2023 12:24AM MST
PS
The Chinese women is - as so often, the cherry on the mudcake - - - She clearly is not in this stuff for the arts, but for status. And if hiring incompetent ideaologues brings more stautus - - its a no brainer for her.
If all goes down, she'll change horses and go for other status-opportunities. No problem for her either, since she's only in it for the social gains.
And something else: Conservatives do not engage in this kind of thing. I dunno, but that seems to be a bit of a mistake.
This fits Adams Close the Door Maureen-Tucker-metaphor of the Velet Underground - - - which makes these things an even more mixed bag - - - and less unrelated than you suggested, Adam. It is a nice & tender song, thx. for posting it!
The Chinese women is - as so often, the cherry on the mudcake - - - She clearly is not in this stuff for the arts, but for status. And if hiring incompetent ideaologues brings more stautus - - its a no brainer for her.
If all goes down, she'll change horses and go for other status-opportunities. No problem for her either, since she's only in it for the social gains.
And something else: Conservatives do not engage in this kind of thing. I dunno, but that seems to be a bit of a mistake.
This fits Adams Close the Door Maureen-Tucker-metaphor of the Velet Underground - - - which makes these things an even more mixed bag - - - and less unrelated than you suggested, Adam. It is a nice & tender song, thx. for posting it!
Adam Smith
Monday - May 1st 2023 10:32PM MST
PS: Completely & totally off topic...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B7rim_MObk
If you close the door, the night could last forever,
Leave the sunshine out and say hello to never...
All the people are dancing, and they're having such fun
I wish it could happen to me...
But if you close the door,
I'd never have to see the day again!
☮
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B7rim_MObk
If you close the door, the night could last forever,
Leave the sunshine out and say hello to never...
All the people are dancing, and they're having such fun
I wish it could happen to me...
But if you close the door,
I'd never have to see the day again!
☮
PS
PS
Mod. - I - - have not. I know some of the philosophical books/ideas of Peter Bieri, who wrote the novel the book Nighttrain to Lissabon is based on. But I have not read this novel either, which he published under the alias Pascal Mercier = the Grateful* Pascal - Pascal being one of the towering figures of mathematics, logic, philosophy, theology etc. - in France, and in Europe and - - -he made it into Charles Murray's Human Accomplishment - - -high up there*****. A top accomplisher even from the global perspective. Thankful Pascal - because - - dealing with the more or less godless modern world, you can be hard hit to find an address for your gratefulness. - A feeling which might be very strong. It was easy to deal with this feeling for a religious person - - - but for the agnostic, the atheist the metaphysically ignorant - - -
To make this super-short: I tend to hold that the profoundly grateful and - a Christian or a Buddhist let's say, share more than what divides them. The profoundly grateful is a NINO - - - a non-theist in name only, hehe.
*****Murray on p. 233: "The credit of inventing probability theory (=to in fact .q.u.a.n.t.i.f.y. it, DK), goes to Pascal and Fermat." - - -Let that sink in - - -
btw. - Murray writes, that, as so often, the Chinese had done that before, but - as so often, "did not follow up" on their insights (Mr. Hail, this one is a reference to German national economics too).
Ok - short morning this morning: This here is Joseph Henrich** territory: Why on earth did the Europeans follow-up on so many insights that were about to lay the foundations of progress? - Btw. - - - Murray too thinks that he can bypass Arno Borsts Computus book (and Arno Borst, of course) by claiming that the dark ages, Mod. - were scientifically irrelevant - which the PS book-clubbers know that: No. Untrue. Iow: Untrue that christian medieval times were - - - dark.
A last shortcut: But writing as he did, Murray followed an ages old - presumably archaic rhetorical imperative, and that is that of contrasting your basic tale - of whatever. We love it, when tales are dark and bright, black and white, high and low, inside and out etc. pp.
Very short last thought of my meta-theory (this is the meta-theoretical morning, heheh) - this structure has cognitive reasons and the cognitive reasons have to do with what you wrote mod. in your question above: That lots of tale swere (and are still) told in the dark - - - see: It is true: I am super short here, heheh..
**The WEIRDEST People in the World - How the west became rich and - - - -well: Weird & W.E.I.R.D.- - -
*the Grateful Dead sail these waters too, of course.