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    CASSANDRA'S CURSE

    Writings No One Wants To Read

    by BARRY J. DROGIN

    Copyright (C) 1993,1996,2009,2011,2016,2017,2018 by Barry Drogin

    "Some have written a book for money; I have not. Some for fame; I have not. Some for love; I have not. Some for kindlings; I have not. I have not written a book for any of these reasons or for all of them together. In fact, gentle borrower, I have not written a book at all --- I have merely cleaned house." --- Charles Ives, 114 Songs

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    INTRODUCTION

    After some consideration, I've decided that the world doesn't reward the intelligent, the stupid, the victim, the oppressor, the meek, the powerful, and so on. I think the world rewards the conformist.

    I can't explain why, in my personal value system, I find the conformist to be so contemptible. A conformist is one who acts not for moral, rational, emotional or religious reasons, but because others act that way. This might seem justification enough for contempt, especially in those cases where the actions are immoral, irrational, emotionally damaging or blasphemous, but I must confess to a special distaste for the unconsidered action and opinion.

    It's not that, looking over this collection, I believe that every opinion of mine is completely and exhaustively considered. I welcome engagement and debate. But I feel this collection is devoted to fighting assumptions, including those of the proper use of vocabulary itself.

    It is the curse of my intelligence, I suppose, that allows me to see through the assumptions. But I could keep my mouth shut, or decide it's not that important.

    Was Cassandra's curse, then, that she saw the truth, or that she spoke of it? No, Cassandra's curse was that no one would listen, and that is my curse, too. Certainly, it would be wonderful to be intelligent, to observe an incorrect assumption, to correct the originator and inform the public (set the record straight), and be heeded. There would be no problem, then, no curse.

    But the conformist, perhaps, knows that he or she has soldout, or purposely ignored the truth, and doesn't want to be reminded of it, does not want the record corrected. To violate this is to be arrogant, or obnoxious, or offensive, or elitist, or inhuman.

    If to be human is to be a conformist, then I am eternally damned, for I have never been able to be a conformist. It's not that I don't want to be a conformist. I just can't do it.

    In some ways, perhaps, I admire the conformists. I sometimes think they must be happier than I am. I might be wrong. Maybe the conformists are even more miserable than I am, and if they paid more attention to the truth, both they and I would be much happier.

    Ah, the truth. Has it ever done anyone any good? Perhaps not. Perhaps we should have a society and a culture built on lies. Perhaps we already do, and we malcontents should just shut up, or be killed, or sacrificed, or scapegoated, or...

    Well, maybe not.

    PART ONE: THE "RATIONAL" MIND
    I. ENGINEERING AND ETHICS

  • FINANCIAL CRISIS 2011 - The Alumni Pioneer
  • ENVIRONMENTALISM - First Time
  • FASTER COMPUTERS - To The Editor
  • PERSONAL GAIN - To The Editor
  • EDUCATION - 4 Myths
  • REGULATION - To The Editor
  • SHODDY WORK - To The Editor
  • CASH MACHINES - To the Editor
  • BLINDERS - To the Editor
  • UNIONS - To the Editor
  • II. SCIENCE AND MORALITY

  • PHYSICS & THEOLOGY - God Throws Dice
  • THERAPY - The Psychoterrorists
  • THERAPY II - The Psychoterrorists Revisited
  • OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY - Recommended Reading
  • FLECK - To the Editor
  • SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS - A recreation
  • III. THE REAL CITY

  • QUARANTINE - Typhoid Mary
  • TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK - To The Editor
  • GENTRIFICATION AND ARSON - To The Editor
  • CLASS - Is Manhattan Only For the Rich?
  • DEVELOPMENT - The Price of Living
  • STREET LIFE - Smart Cities, Dumb New Yorkers
  • CRIME - Meditation
  • DISEASE - A parable
  • WELFARE MOTHER - To the Editor
  • LONELINESS - An Orthodox Jew Walks the High Line
  • ATTITUDE - I'm Walkin' Here!
  • PART TWO: THE "HUMAN" BEING
    I. ARTS THEORIES

  • NEED FOR ART - To The Editor
  • ELECTRONIC MUSIC - To The Editor
  • FILM SCORING - Film + Music = Zombie-ism?
  • ORCHESTRA - "Moderns" Performers Get Scrutinized
  • HIGH SCHOOL - No Life During "High School"
  • EXPEDIENCE - Don't Trust Anyone Over Thirty
  • CRITICISM - An Exhortation
  • COMPETITION - The Audition
  • COMPETITION GUIDELINES - A Composer's View
  • PRAISE - 3 reviews
  • MINIMALISM - To the Editor
  • ABSTRACT - Is Music Political?
  • OPERA - The Ghosts of Versailles
  • HORIZONS 84 - A Broader View
  • NEW MUSIC - To the Editor
  • AMERICAN DREAM - To the Editor
  • II. THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH

  • TRUMPISM - Two-Party Thinking
  • NEWSPAPERS - Politics and Press in the Us Decade
  • FRIENDSHIPS - "Psychoterrorists" duet
  • COMMUNICATION - Strong Opinions
  • THE SQUID AND THE WHALE - Divorce Blows
  • INTERNET DATING I - Personal Ad Don'ts (for women over 45)
  • INTERNET DATING II - The Seven Stages of Internet Dating
  • PAIN WATCH - A Michael Lerner Collection
  • JOHN ADAMS - A fan letter
  • NOT FOR PROFIT - comments
  • III. PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

  • IDEALISM - Idealism As A Dirty Word
  • OFFENSIVENESS - The New Morality
  • EXISTENCE - There Are Many Reasons
  • CONVERSION - To A Friend
  • CHANUKAH - Eight Days of Chanukah
  • PASSOVER - The Haggadah
  • DEATH - I'm Hahmahlehch Hahmahveht
  • SUCCESS - Love and Idols
  • FOREMAN - Jewish artists
  • JUDAISM & AIDS - A position paper
  • JUDAISM & HOMOSEXUALITY - A missed opportunity
  • FLEXIDOX - Cross Dressing
  • JEWISH THEATRE - To the Editor
  • LENNY - Bernstein's Jewish Music
  • SARCASM - The Super Bowl
  • Here is the same Table of Contents sorted by type:

    POETRY

  • ENVIRONMENTALISM - First Time
  • CRIME - Meditation
  • IDEALISM - Idealism As A Dirty Word
  • OFFENSIVENESS - The New Morality
  • SONG LYRICS

  • THERAPY - The Psychoterrorists
  • CRITICISM - An Exhortation
  • FRIENDSHIPS - "Psychoterrorists" duet
  • EXISTENCE - There Are Many Reasons
  • DEATH - I'm Hahmahlehch Hahmahveht
  • SUCCESS - Love and Idols
  • LETTERS TO PUBLICATIONS

  • FASTER COMPUTERS - To The Editor
  • PERSONAL GAIN - To The Editor
  • REGULATION - To The Editor
  • SHODDY WORK - To The Editor
  • CASH MACHINES - To the Editor
  • BLINDERS - To the Editor
  • UNIONS - To the Editor
  • FLECK - To the Editor
  • TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK - To The Editor
  • GENTRIFICATION AND ARSON - To The Editor
  • WELFARE MOTHER - To the Editor
  • NEED FOR ART - To The Editor
  • ELECTRONIC MUSIC - To The Editor
  • MINIMALISM - To the Editor
  • FOREMAN - Jewish artists
  • JEWISH THEATRE - To the Editor
  • NEW MUSIC - To the Editor
  • AMERICAN DREAM - To the Editor
  • PAIN WATCH - A Michael Lerner Collection
  • LETTERS TO ACQUAINTANCES

  • OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY - Recommended Reading
  • ABSTRACT - Is Music Political?
  • COMMUNICATION - Strong Opinions
  • JOHN ADAMS - A fan letter
  • NOT FOR PROFIT - comments
  • CONVERSION - To A Friend
  • REVIEWS

  • FILM SCORING - Film + Music = Zombie-ism?
  • ORCHESTRA - "Moderns" Performers Get Scrutinized
  • HIGH SCHOOL - No Life During "High School"
  • EXPEDIENCE - Don't Trust Anyone Over Thirty
  • PRAISE - 3 reviews
  • OPERA - The Ghosts of Versailles
  • HORIZONS 84 - A Broader View
  • PASSOVER - The Haggadah
  • THE SQUID AND THE WHALE - Divorce Blows
  • SHORT ESSAYS

  • EDUCATION - 4 Myths
  • QUARANTINE - Typhoid Mary
  • CLASS - Is Manhattan Only For the Rich?
  • LONELINESS - An Orthodox Jew Walks the High Line
  • INTERNET DATING I - Personal Ad Don'ts (for women over 45)
  • INTERNET DATING II - The Seven Stages of Internet Dating
  • CHANUKAH - Eight Days of Chanukah
  • LONGER ESSAYS

  • TRUMPISM - Two-Party Thinking
  • FINANCIAL CRISIS 2011 - The Alumni Pioneer
  • PHYSICS & THEOLOGY - God Throws Dice
  • DEVELOPMENT - The Price of Living
  • STREET LIFE - Smart Cities, Dumb New Yorkers
  • ATTITUDE - I'm Walkin' Here!
  • COMPETITION GUIDELINES - A Composer's View
  • NEWSPAPERS - Politics and Press in the Us Decade
  • JUDAISM & AIDS - A position paper
  • JUDAISM & HOMOSEXUALITY - A missed opportunity
  • FLEXIDOX - Cross Dressing
  • LENNY - Bernstein's Jewish Music
  • THERAPY II - The Psychoterrorists Revisited
  • CREATIVE WRITING

  • SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS - A recreation
  • DISEASE - A parable
  • COMPETITION - The Audition
  • SARCASM - The Super Bowl
  • Response options: (unless you give permission, all responses will be confidential)

  • Send e-mail to barry@notnicemusic.com.
  • Send snail mail to Barry Drogin, 720 Greenwich Street #5T, NY, NY 10014 USA
  • This page © 1996-2019 Barry Drogin - All Rights Reserved

    keywords: electrical engineering education ATM psychiatry psychiatrist psychology psychotherapist Tikkun Merrily We Roll Along Stephen Sondheim Elizabeth Swados John Corigliano Lukas Foss Meet the Moderns Leonard Bernstein Richard Foreman I've Got the Shakes John Zorn Gary Lucas Coen Brothers BAM Brooklyn Academy of Music Theatre Company Randolph Coleman The Crowns of Nineveh William Finn March of the Falsettos
    Last Updated: September 28, 2019