Interview with Philip Roth (Part 2)

[pkniffin]

I usually don't comment ever on this website because I realize that no one cares about what you say and all this cyberspace exchange and dialogue seems to me, very ironically passive.

But I think its funny that these "literary" videos are practically the only type of video that gets so much of this silly, adolescent banter and shit talk. I am a young person myself and find literature to be very interesting and complicated, but I try not to pretend to know what I'm talking about.

[Mdriver1981]

Roth claims to be a proud Jew, but cares nothing about halting the obsessive Muslim anti-semetic worldwide conspiracy. No, he just hates America.

[detectivesyme]

What a fool Roth is, equating Bush with Ahmadinejad. He loves Gore, meanwhile Gore has been a hawk on Iraq for 15 years. How dumb he looks now that Obama has truly destroyed the country.

[nicolibri]

@detectivesyme You might note he said that in his letter to Bush, Ahmadinejad "had some some points to make" and that he thought this was "a catastrophe". Much obliged.

[detectivesyme]

@nicolibri The assertion that Ahmadinejad "had some points to make" is itself an outrage. What points, pray tell?

[drewsyboy24]

yeah, what he said

[dennisoneill4]

Brilliant writer, but not much of a political thinker nor one with a sense of morality. It is astounding to have a Jewish person draw a moral equivalence of sorts between Bush and the insane criminal of Iran who wants to incinerate Israel. What is it about the psyche of self-loathing, American-hating liberals, especially Jewish ones like Roth and Chomsky, that I don't understand???

[pakarpis]

People like you need to travel.

You need to look outside of america.

You have been radicalized.

[molloyx]

What you fail to understand is explicit in much of what Roth has produced in the past 40 years. He is, very often, an unashamedly 'political' intelligence [ see, The Plot Against America and the Prague Orgy for openers] and so to simultaneously describe him as a brilliant writer trapped inside the body of an amoral political nitwit is to explicate only your cursory acquaintance with his body of work. Roth, like most liberals, does not hate America, he hates ignorance and depravity.

[StoutHaus]

Roth said the president of Iran has some points with which he is in agreement, and is astounded that this is so. In fact, it's part of the "catastrophe" he enumerates here. You misunderstand Roth and twist his clear words to suit your purpose.

You call this brilliant man a poor political thinker even as you demonstrate publicly your own impoverished intellect.

[somor98]

Fuckin authors thinks they know about politics.

[schrire39]

yeah, when you know so much more... man, if only you were in charge, then you'd show 'em, huh? right? am I right??

[somor98]

No, I do not open my mouth on matters I do not understand.

Besides, being in charge doesn't mean you can do what you want.

[schrire39]

not sure you have made a logical leap there. firstly you say Roth "thinks he knows about politics" implying that only certain people are entitled to have political opinions. then you say "being in charge doesn't mean you can do what you want" well, who is allowed speak out against those "in charge"? unless you think Roth is "in charge" in which case, he's entitlted to an opinion. too many contradictions- you have anger, but no real opinion.

[somor98]

No, there is no logical leap. Saying that they 'think they know' does not imply that only certain people should be entitled to speak their minds on politics.

Who is allowed to speak against those in charge? Well, the courts and the media of course.

I have no anger. But you have no knowledge of neither logic nor politics. Check these books and then come back: Forbes: Modern Logic. David Held: Models of Demcracy. Obviously, you also like to shoot your mouth on things you don't understand.

[schrire39]

ah, the old "if you disagree with me you clearly don't have a grasp of my brilliance" line...

[somor98]

No, its the old "if your arguments are utterly onw-sided and only caters to the populus in order to sell more books, then you probably do not know what you are talking about".

[koreankayagum]

I read your comment. Uh....is that some kind of joke? You cant' do what you want? That's hilarious, and let's take a good, hard look at Bush/Rove's doings while in office.

[alsmalley]

I absolutely adhore Roth's work. I fear after Kurt vonnegut's death that Roth is one of the few "great" writers alive.

I've read Portnoy's Complaint, The Breast, and most of the Zuckerman novels. And I love his writing style.

[FILbabaganoosh]

why do all my friends call me a slut? :\

im so silly xv

[buzz05232000]

Terrible questions.

[timeforfuntime]

I think he's over-exaggerating a bit about the dire situation that this country is in.

[fghi76]

Id rather hear him talk about books

[sd2742]

"Same old stuff" from Roth is always great stuff.

[jewfizzle]

damn...i knew nothing about Roth's views on current politics...now i love him even more!

[john86009532]

i accidentally hit the thumbs down, but I wanted to put thumbs up because I had the exact same reaction. Anne from austin

[dinnerbucket9]

The moral equivalence position is shaky at best and I am surprised that Roth, who is a decidely serious person, so ove-reached. That said, what Bush and his Vulcans have wrought is a far reaching catastrophe. Blood everywhere. Corruption everywhere. Arrongance at every turn. Monstrous, in fact.

[vergeharget]

moral equivalence between the two "monsters" is an absurdity.

itzik basman

[leafinthehouse]

The only thing that is absurd is your comment sir. There is a great ignorance in this country that is being passed off as objective truth, and most of the country has fallen into that state of what could only be called blindness. Those who stand by Bush are not only oblivious to what's been happening in this country, but are aslo completely lacking a basic perseption of...gasp...reality.

[vergeharget]

I can't remember what I was commenting on: was it a moral equivalence between Bush and Hussein? I have a vague recollection of that; and that is an absurdity. If you disagree: care to step outside--in cyberspace terms--and fight about it?

Itzik Basman

[koreankayagum]

Well, according to your thinking, then, an evil jerk can NEVER have a good idea? Sorry, but that just doesn't follow logically.

[vergeharget]

I don't remember my "thinking " or what I was saying. But I'd never want to be heard to say that an "evil jerk" can't have a good idea.

Itzik Basman

[koreankayagum]

Well, then, it sounds like you're a petty-minded individual. Let's say you discover some anonymous writings and you agree with many of the ideas in them. Then one day you find out that they were written by an "evil jerk". You would suddenly say they weren't good ideas? If so, that's absurd. Ideas are just ideas, and if they are good ones, it doesn't matter where they come from.

[vergeharget]

yo yo!

read what I jusy wrote you.

 I agreed with you.

Itzik Basman

[koreankayagum]

True, and I apologize.

[vergeharget]

No problem.

Itzik Basman

[vergeharget]

Bush can take it.

Itzik Basman

[vergeharget]

Ah the ravages of age and illness: Roth was an intensely handsome and vital man.

What time hath wrought.

Itzik Basman

[dinnerbucket9]

Inane and unserious to invoke the 'raveges of age and illness'. Roth is Americas finest novelist and its most courageous, having produced more great fiction in the last ten years than anyone I can name, and by light years. Name anyone who more bluntly takes on the age and illness?

[vergeharget]

Dinnerbucket9:

1. Why is it inane and unserious to lament what time's passing has done to Roth? What does that lament have to do with his indisputable greatness as a novelist?

2. Bush is a decidely mixed blessing. But there is I maintain greatness in him to some extent. I say that as a Canadian liberal-centrist who hold no brief for the man.

3. Happy New Year.

Itzik Basman

[CosmicEuphoria]

Excellent take on Dubyuh. Looking for a President as terrible as him requires looking at other countries as 'Merca has never produced one this bad. Hitler and Pol Pot are obvious ones but Dubyuh could be headed into a league of his own.

[kerabug]

I actually think that history will be good to Bush as time goes on, as ludicrous as this sounds right now. As things unravel in the Middle East, I think we will see this. Putting Bush even close to the likes of Hitler is quite an overshot.

[FOUADMKHAN]

"let the child speak", "the other monster has some points to make"... i love Roth... he's a genius.

[somamesoma]

Part 2 seems even more interesting than Part 1. And the dubbing is OK, this time.

[jersey16]

My favorite writer...by why support Gore? Barack Obama is a better choice.

[eligit]

he was not a prominent candidate at the time....and gore looked more likely to run....at the time.