Short Writing

Dachau, Berlin, and Why I Must Resist

four teenagers stand in front of the Berlin Wall, with the Brandenburg Gate visible behind it
~ Eric ~ Leave a comment

My heritage is German.

On my father’s side, my family is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, as one of a number of families that can be traced back to early settler migrations from central Pennsylvania, and ultimately from southern Germany. But that’s not the really German side.

The really German side is my mother’s. She was born in Germany in 1948 and came to the United States in the 50s, which makes me second generation German-American. (As such, I am also acutely aware of the inherent racism and prejudice that was built into the 20th century quota system, and the privilege my family had in coming from a country that was prioritized over others. However, that is not the focus of this particular post.)

In 1987, I took my first (and so far only) trip to Germany. The main focus of that trip was visiting some of the many relatives we had over there, but we also saw a variety of important landmarks and scenic spots. Obviously some of these were the touristy spots: Köln Cathedral, Rothenburg, Neuschwanstein, and so on. But some were important for other reasons.

Continue reading →

Yes, This Is Art

~ Eric ~ Leave a comment

Every once in a while when I’m hanging around my social media feeds, I see someone who I normally think of as educated, open to new ideas, etc., posting another meme or complaint about “modern art.” Sometimes it’s abstract, sometimes an installation piece, sometimes pop art, but inevitably the question becomes “how is this art?” (Sometimes the conversation focuses on “why is this worth so much?” which is a different but related question.)

Because I always try to hit the same points when I’m replying to these discussions, it was kind of inevitable that this would end up a blog post that I can just link to in the future. So here we are – a discussion of modern and contemporary art and why it is indeed art. Yes, even that banana.

Continue reading →

A Great Story Told Poorly

~ Eric ~ 2 Comments

Many of my friends know me to have strange tastes in media – often eclectic, sometimes contrarian – and they know that I am always happy to explain my tastes. In discussing things I do and don’t like, I have long been interested in why I differ from other people who I consider to have perfectly valid viewpoints.

Some of that certainly speaks to differences of experience – my life experiences have affected me in particular ways that I recognize are not always the norm – but I also like looking for common threads. (For instance, I have an extended theory of comedy that explains why I don’t care for Seinfeld or the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest.) One of the things that I like to say to people is that I would rather have a great story told poorly than a poor story told excellently. And while that sounds simple enough, and I know what I mean, it needs a bit of explanation.

Continue reading →