Friday, July 8, 2016
I had a surprising amount of energy today and caught up on several little tasks while at work. I also re-read another few chapters from this investment book that has given me some diversification ideas to consider. I had coffee with Lillian in the morning and lunch with Alice at a Thai place on Spear Street. In the evening, I finished parts 4 and 5 of the 5-part documentary OJ: Made in America. I had no desire to watch this documentary, having lived through all the hoopla and coverage so many years ago, but I'd heard it was something of a masterpiece and riveting television, so I started streaming the episodes online on Tuesday. It is riveting and masterfully told, connecting race, the LAPD, Rodney King, and the alternate realities of life in America based on skin color to the OJ verdict. This is textbook documentary filmmaking, told extremely well and perfectly paced, even though it's over seven hours long. Watching those old clips of OJ running down the field reminded me how extraordinary he was, but by part 5 it's clear that he's an empty shell, a profound sociopath, very charming but fully capable of the murders he committed. Oh, and he committed them. The evidence is beyond overwhelming, but the documentary is really about race in LA and America in general. With the shootings of five police officers in Dallas last night and another unsettling, senseless murder in St. Paul of an innocent black male by a white police officer, it seems our total failure at addressing our legacy of racism and hatred in America has come to a head...again. I'm not sure what it'll take to get our national house in order. The denial is so thick. The refusal to act, discuss and address the shameful unfairness and inequality in this country is staggering. This is a national failure of epic proportions. I'm not sure what the answer is, what it'll take to bring any kind of healing to us. The documentary I finished watching tonight gave context to things that were never clear to me. More of this is a good thing.
I had a surprising amount of energy today and caught up on several little tasks while at work. I also re-read another few chapters from this investment book that has given me some diversification ideas to consider. I had coffee with Lillian in the morning and lunch with Alice at a Thai place on Spear Street. In the evening, I finished parts 4 and 5 of the 5-part documentary OJ: Made in America. I had no desire to watch this documentary, having lived through all the hoopla and coverage so many years ago, but I'd heard it was something of a masterpiece and riveting television, so I started streaming the episodes online on Tuesday. It is riveting and masterfully told, connecting race, the LAPD, Rodney King, and the alternate realities of life in America based on skin color to the OJ verdict. This is textbook documentary filmmaking, told extremely well and perfectly paced, even though it's over seven hours long. Watching those old clips of OJ running down the field reminded me how extraordinary he was, but by part 5 it's clear that he's an empty shell, a profound sociopath, very charming but fully capable of the murders he committed. Oh, and he committed them. The evidence is beyond overwhelming, but the documentary is really about race in LA and America in general. With the shootings of five police officers in Dallas last night and another unsettling, senseless murder in St. Paul of an innocent black male by a white police officer, it seems our total failure at addressing our legacy of racism and hatred in America has come to a head...again. I'm not sure what it'll take to get our national house in order. The denial is so thick. The refusal to act, discuss and address the shameful unfairness and inequality in this country is staggering. This is a national failure of epic proportions. I'm not sure what the answer is, what it'll take to bring any kind of healing to us. The documentary I finished watching tonight gave context to things that were never clear to me. More of this is a good thing.
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