Words may fail me but seem never to have failed that master polemicist, Gore Vidal.
It’s difficult to consider oneself a writer whenever one reads a titan such as he. It does, however, give one a truer perspective.
In light of our relative literary strengths, I will rely for the greater part of this small tribute on the words of the master. However difficult it may be for me to command the background, here it is appropriate.
Being covered by the press most of his life, he wasn’t thrilled by those responsible.
A writer must always tell the truth (unless he’s a journalist).
The American press exists for one purpose only, and that is to convince Americans that they are living in the greatest and most envied country in the history of the world. The Press tells the American people how awful every other country is and how wonderful the United States is and how evil communism is and how happy they should be to have freedom to buy seven different sorts of detergent.
The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity – much less dissent.
His opinion of politicians also was not the highest, though he unsuccessfully tried twice to join them.
Today’s public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books, and there is some evidence that they can’t read them either.
Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically by definition be disqualified from ever doing so.
There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party . . . and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt — until recently . . . and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties.
But remember the Republican Party is not a political party. It’s a mindset, like Hitler Youth. It’s full of hatred.
The following is evidence of his perception keeping him ahead of the crowd.
The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return.
Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the host dies, or the virus dies, or both die.
Of Ronald Reagan:
He is not clear about the difference between Medici and Gucci. He knows Nancy wears one of them.
He once called George W. Bush the dumbest man in America but was somewhat evenhanded.
[Obama’s] incompetent. He will be defeated for re-election. It’s a pity because he’s the first intellectual president we’ve had in many years, but he can’t hack it. He’s not up to it. He’s overwhelmed.
The more money an American accumulates, the less interesting he becomes. That could serve as a reference to Willard Romney.
It is “the land of the dull and the home of the literal.” Quite a few politicians fit that description.
One need not be in politics to earn a description by Gore.
Andy Warhol is the only genius I’ve ever known with an I.Q. of 60.
His disdain for Norman Mailer was an enduring leitmotif. His loathing of William F. Buckley, Jr. was epic. Truman Capote was hardly a favorite of his. The plenitude of quotes devoted to those three would fill a bookshelf and make even a minister blush.
Gore apparently owned no pair of ‘rose-colored glasses’ when assessing any subject.
We should stop going around babbling about how we’re the greatest democracy on earth, when we’re not even a democracy. We are a sort of militarised republic.
Monotheism is easily the greatest disaster to befall the human race.
As unkind, and truthful, as his barbs aimed at others may be, he didn’t spare himself.
I never miss a chance to have sex or appear on television.
Some writers take to drink, others take to audiences.
It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.
A narcissist is someone better looking than you are.
Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little.
There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise.
He left a large legacy of words, thoughtful and thought-provoking. He was and remains an inspiration.
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