David Michael Bruno

The End of Remorse: Is This Crisis Going to Change America?

This is part one of a planned two-part response.

I ran across Kurt Andersen’s Time article, “The End of Excess: Is This Crisis Good for America?” over at Rob Walker’s Murketing blog. Thanks for the heads up.

As you know by now if you read my blog, even though I’m third-generation Italian and by now mostly easygoing, I still possess a fresh-off-the-boat ability to let my temper boil. This post could be viewed as rooted in my more emotional heritage. I only ask that you give it chance, and a bit of time -- I admit it’s long. My snarky satire aside, this is serious business. The national problem of consumerism isn’t just the silly excess of boomers and A.I.G. executives. I work at Christian liberal arts university. I ask students -- students who mostly have their minds and hearts and actions focused on heavenly vocations: Is consumerism a problem on campus? “Yes,” they all reply. “It is one of the problems.” So does Kurt Andersen have the answers for those sorely misguided Christian youth, and all the rest of us?

It is possible I would have written about Andersen’s article. Like the shiver I got reading Robert J. Samuelson’s Newsweek piece, “A Darker Future For Us,” Andersen’s prescription for America made me quiver. But I can chill.

Until after a small exchange on Walker’s Murketing blog, that is. Mostly it was the kind of blog-fun exchange you get with online comments. Until Andersen chimed in with, “I don’t think we need to repent. I don’t think we need to do anything religious -- just the opposite, in fact. I think we need to be more reality-based.” It’s like we’re kindred spirits, he and I. Andersen knows how to be irksome, and I know how to be irked.

So Moved by Maira Kalman

Maira Kalman will be posting at her New York Times blog, So Moved, on the last Friday of every month. She is illustrating a series, "And the Pursuit of Happiness," that will explore American democracy.

Random blogging thoughts after some time away

It is way risky to write a blog post because "I haven't written much recently." Never turns out well. I'm going for it anyway. Here are a few random topics I have not written about in the last couple weeks, but that have been on my mind.

Why I don't like  the new Facebook design. Take the new feature that allows me to more efficiently manage and keep up with my friends by creating lists and then view news feeds by groupings. That is perfect Web 2.0 efficiency. A great new feature. This should be a great feature for someone like myself, an aspiring author, who has many Facebook friends who are fans of my blog. I can herd them into one list. And then I can easily and efficiently scan those who follow me, perhaps even make adjustments based on these "data." Is that Facebook? TechCrunch and Mashable think so, and love the new redesign. Two more reasons to question it. I prefer friends, not efficiency or intuitiveness.

Why I cannot understand how the United States government is solvent. Because there is no reason for me to believe it is. Shouldn't the country be considered bankrupt? I guess if there's any value in being the sole remaining super power it is this: Even when your government isn't solvent, your government can keep on operating as if it sort of is.

Why I am frightened about writing a book, but plan to press on like I can actually do it. I recently read a book, praised by many, and it was the most confusing, rambling, unhelpful jumble of words. Well, not the most. But it was really hard to follow. I think I'm confusing and rambling and often unhelpful. But not that much. If I don't pipe up, someone else will. And I think I have a few good things to say.

Why my stomach is making unconscionable noises. I have had four days of post-nasal drip. It ain't pretty folks. Sorry wife.

Why I want to move to a ranch in Montana or Colorado. Because I always want to move to a ranch in Montana or Colorado. And because I feel guilty that I don't have time to get out into wild open spaces with my dog. If I lived on a wild open space, I wouldn't feel guilty about this.

Sniffle

I managed to come down with the flu. Though I had some posts lined up, my brain will in no way function at an editorial level. Back some day...

Perhaps Another Show

I am not sure I should be writing this. But you know, what good is having a blog and writing about my book writing experience and the interest in the 100 Thing Challenge, if I do not share the crazy twists and turns that come about throughout the process?

So The Oprah Winfrey Show contacted me last week. The person who vetted me was super nice and we had a great conversation about the 100 Thing Challenge. She was kind to show so much interest in my project. And after asking me to send pictures of myself and my family (I am assuming to make sure I would look respectable on camera), she went out of her way to email me back and say that I have a beautiful family, which I thought was really sweet.

Originally, I was told that they were hunting for guests to appear on a show about "interesting" lifestyles. As we got to talking, I mentioned that the 100 Thing Challenge has not really turned out to be an odd lifestyle. Daily life with only one hundred personal possessions is not that different than daily life with thousands of things, except that it is not so much of a waste. (Incidentally, this is one of the reasons, I think, that living aneco -friendly lifestyle is so dull in our entertainment-centric culture. It is just not that spectacular.) Neither is the 100 Thing Challenge. I often tell people that the subtitle of my book will not be something like, "And How to Make Millions" or "For A Better Sex Life" or "To Get What You Want From People."

As we talked, it came to pass that this particular episode of Oprah was actually going to be about "unusual" lifestyles. The 100 Thing Challenge, we decided, is "interesting" but not really "unusual" since anyone who ran into on the street would never notice anything odd or different or peculiar about me. She was nice about it, and said that she would file me away for consideration on another show. Who knows? Maybe the possibility is still alive.

While it is a little disappointing to miss out on an author's greatest opportunity in America -- The Oprah Winfrey Show -- honestly I am pretty happy for the reason they passed. Despite my 100 Thing Challenge, I am too usual. Just an average guy named Dave. Oh how I hope to always be mostly just me, even though I have all sorts of spectacular aspirations. Maybe at its core, the 100 Thing Challenge is about being content being an average every-day human being, and not reaching for the stars, which are out of our grasp and really don't belong to us anyway.