The Wisdom of Gore Vidal-1/4

[Z3sty367]

"Thats a good title" XD

[NixonisLord]

Drool bucket. Vegetable. He and Bush deserve each other.

[BeholdZeus]

Perhaps the greatest American intellectual since Jefferson.

[NoGoodBoyo1000]

Vidal: stupidity, arrogance, senility.

[Alexdurrant7]

@NoGoodBoyo1000 Still a damn eloquent writer, but of course you wouldn't mention that.

[MultiSmartass1]

Gore is correct when he assails the state of education in this country.

People have little to no real foothold in American History or world history for that matter.

To correct Vidal: there is no real literary or artistic culture in the US not so much culture in general.

The culture of America is a commercial one, a business culture depending on overwhelming consumerism.

[theGhoulman]

Interesting comments from Mr. Gore about Al and how the Supreme Court betrayed the process. The separation of power. But hey, a few appointed judges (who are, let's face it, batshit crazy. I won't name names *cough*Scalia!*cough*Thomas*co­ugh*) can make things happen. To think in the 90s that was just conspiracy x-files crap! ;p

[Rico8458]

he is the last of his kind. his intellectual thought was of a prior era, but still stands today as good advice.

[Rico8458]

good explanation here. FDR was saved by the war. imagine no war? how would he have done?

[MMDC2001]

Vidal has that aristocratic decadent luxurious self-indulgent tone of the Olympians.

[MMDC2001]

Gore Vidal is cynical (in the philosophical sense), and his discoruse is always contradictory. He says the american people is ignorant and minutes later he says he is a very popular writer.

Besides he is profundly arrogant and like to judge everyone as if he was a superior enlighted being in a kind of Olympus.

He reminds me the Frankfurtians, like Adorno, Horkheimer and Marcuse, with their corrosive and destructive thinking. They hated the Evil without loving the Good.

[jhop9898]

@MMDC2001 I noticed the same contradiction. His statements that he is popular (with Americans) and Americans are ignorant imply that he is ignorant.

Also, you're exactly right that he hates evil without loving good. I never consciously realized that about him but its incredibly apt.

[MMDC2001]

@jhop9898

Thanks for your comment.

[SUpersaiyajinjerkbag]

@MMDC2001

I thought the philosophical cynics lived on the streets and lived like dogs

[loggats]

@SUpersaiyajinjerkbag he's wearing the barrel round his thighs

[Xephon212]

Oh snap! 4:40

[Rico8458]

it is not easy to pin him down. liberal? conservative? neo somthing? or old fashion american intellectual? he hates wilson but loves FDR, love hate for lincoln, what i do love his is sense of wits about him and that great sense of humor.

[SUpersaiyajinjerkbag]

@Rico8458

If he loves FDR he's a liberal. FDR was an ingenious but statist-liberal president

[trollfinger]

@Rico8458

I love how unapologetic he is in his views.

[Strefanash]

I get the impression he is irritated by the stupid questions the interviewer asks him. The trouble is America is so ignorant that he has to be asked to tell them things they should already know, like "what is magna carta?" "what do you mean by a coup?"

I do have the highest respect for Gore Vidal, however, and am pleased that there are some americans of conscience in the world. but whether there are enough of them is another question

[jmad627]

This guy is nothing but a nasty old cocksucker that is what his legend is and where is will remain.

[Bix12]

Gore Vidal is one of very few voices out there that speaks the truth, no matter whose ass it might chap. I respect him immensely. Kurt Vonnegut was in that same league as Mr. Vidal, imo. They both know (& knew) that America is going down the tubes & has been since the 50's, with it really picking up steam in the 70's (ala Nixon).

[SUpersaiyajinjerkbag]

@Bix12

Nixon wasnt simply a shill; othrwise he would have had more friends. beat around it all you want; it was Reagan (and his retarded veneration) that is blah blah blh

[mintoo2cool]

the thing that i find so impressive and respectable about mr.vidal is the fact that inspite of being having such brilliant command on the english language , he speaks direct ... no euphemisms no analogies no implications no indirection... expressing what he thinks directly

[fidobarks]

his wisdom dazzles the soul.

[septip123]

W. was president because of one man = "justice" Scalia

[jmad627]

@septip123 NO jerk off he was voted in as President. Learn some arithmetic asshole.

[septip123]

@jmad627 Oh, plenty of grammar mistakes you made. Let’s see...

No, jerk off.

Note: You have to add a comma after your interjection word "no."

He was voted...

Note: Make sure to capitalize the first word of the sentence, sweetheart.

Learn some arithmetic, asshole.

Note: Don't forget that pesky comma again.

Brush up on your grammar, sweetheart. Kisses...xoxoxo

[molly336]

here is vidal talking about the lack of history knowledge of the american people and she just illustrated very well by not knowing what Magna Carta is.Sad.

[zootsoot2006]

@molly336; I'm sure she does but her viewers might not. I agree that that's sad. But I imagine everyone has learnt of these historic events in school but usually what goes on in school stays in school. Not all of us are lucky enough to have a senator grandfather.

[molly336]

@ zootsoot2006; If she knows what Magna Carta was and her viewers don't why didn't she explain it herself? if she a good reporter, she sure would know how to handle this interview. "Not all of us being lucky enough to have a senator grandfather", i didn't know that that is what it took to be knowledgable of one owns history! I thought it was reading history books, and learning it well, (believe me it is possible!) that made people well read. No offense but your comment just prove his point!!!

[zootsoot2006]

Always love to read sentences that start saying one thing and then completely contradict themselves. Why do some people feel the need to put other people down just to make themselves feel OK about themselves? I was trying to explain why the situation might be the way it is rather than casting aspersions just to make myself feel superior to others. This is supposed to be the mentality of a liberal, which I assume you claim to be, since you're watching Vidal.

[molly336]

You're assuming things... i am liberal because i watch this, in this case i should assume you are one also... you are sure the reporter knows what Magna Carta is even when she asks vidal what it is.lol.Most comments hereare in agreement with mine and are actually more critical,if i were like you i would assume you were picking on me to make yourself feel ok! lol but no I one trying to put YOU down to make MYSELF feel better,GEZZ i should assume to be talking to very emotional psychic...lol

[jcomd]

What a wimp of an interview. "Do you know what Magna Carta is?" She obviously didn't. But, he gave her a pass. And it wasn't a gray area like the "bush doctrine". Which is still not clearly defined, except in the NYT. I guess it was pre-emption..but under what circumstances? Or maybe it was a policy to attack when defense was impossible. A good chess move.

[Neanderthalcouzin]

Yeah, the interviewer needs some oomph as my folks would say.

[beckyholt]

School child questions to one of the most insightful political commentator's of the century.

[MCKRUSH]

"Go back to Little Italy"

LOL

[bofors7715]

Gore Vidal is my new here, but I continue to dislike Amy Goodman (or anyone who should know that 9/11 was an Inside Job but looks the other way).

Who is Amy Goodman really working for?

[Axl207]

word

[bloodcell9]

WHAT A BAD (and I mean really awful) interviewer. I mean look at her eyes, she looks like a fanatic! And those questions she asks...are so stupid (just hearing and looking at her, makes me feel that she is one of those type of characters who are passive aggressive in life). And it looks...like even poor old Gore Vidal is feeling it.

[PSmithFortyTwo]

cell9 - Never hear about keeping silent and being thought a fool, rather than opening your mouth and removing all doubt?

[MvNPTI]

Bad interviewing unfortunately. At 4:00 "what does the word amnesia mean to you?" If you're going to be interviewing Gore Vidal you need to step up your questioning.

[arcieantonio]

VIVA VIDAL!!!!

[goldentomcat]

gore vidal rules but amy's retarded

[ericclaptonismygod31]

Pass me the joint when you are done smoking. This stuff is crap, but I support their right to spread lies!

[MGibsonian]

My hero. I put a pic link on my myspace page so people will CLICK AND LEARN LISTEN

[myjuliaisacutie]

Tell everyone you know about this video please. only 6000 views is a travesty

[sedecim]

ok I will put it on Facebook.

[Taramriel]

Gore Vidal has the most beautiful mind I have yet to encounter or read about.

[zzzxxyy]

Gore Vidal is one of the greatest, if not, one of the last great philosophers of our time. Thank you for posting.

[RJY4356]

OK so the Supreme Court justices are crooks for having to rule on a case that was brought to them that they didn't ask for at all on the federal vs. state issues in the Florida election laws, 9/11 was a coup d'etat, we're fighting "jungle wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan where there isn't much jungle at all in fact it's desert, and Bush knows nothigg about anything. What a littany of crap! With age he's becoming more loony.

[RJY4356]

Who the hell put this unattractive inarticulate, boring woman on any program as an anchor? Only these damn websites could manage that. Gore Vidal is partially nuts.

[spits32]

go watch katie couric if that's what you want, or you could read amy goodman's bio and find out what's she's really about

[hillarymary]

"he's like a crazed terrier". as my momma says.. chose your battles.

[currentlybraindead]

"people would forget to defeat it" lol

[shawbrit]

Very interesting. Always thrilled to hear Gore Vidal.

I believe he erred in linking magna carta to due process of law - he probably meant habeous corpus. Magna carta was more directed at limiting royal authority in midieval England while habeous corpus refers to the right of every citizen to challenge their detention by the government in an open court. I belive this has been diluted somewhat by the US patriot act.

[Idontlikemovies]

Smarmy son of a bitch!

Brilliant, absolutely fucking brilliant, but one hell of a smart ass. Gore is damn good and he knows it, and oh, how it makes wanna kick him.

"I thought it was a good title"

you cheecky bastard, you.

[wwwPNACATTACKcom]

THANKS - In USA there are still good humans, individuals -not brainswashed by gov. or their hipocrate parents or other relatives etc...

[RomeoMD25]

Iran is a country whose defense spending is less than 1% of our own; spends less on its military than countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden; has never invaded another country in modern history, and could not possibly threaten us

[HimmuraTube]

I'm reading "Imperial America" at the moment...He's absolutely brilliant and wise. Can't wait to read all his other books.

[AiresQX4]

I had no idea he was Gay!

[onguy3n]

I think he's bisexual

[SiloDoor]

he says he's "ecumenical" :-)

[gl1tchm0d3]

no he lived with a man for a very long time but never did anything with the man they just lived together

[FA8T]

He's a Homosexualist. His term.

[tarnopol]

where is 2 of 4?

[KobyBrandt]

Part 2:

w ww.youtube.c om/watch?v=1wPgmtTXEe4

Part 3:

w ww.youtube.c om/watch?v=BggGL7UFVGQ

Part 4:

w ww.youtube.c om/watch?v=zL5g2Z7tX7U

[frankdesica]

Amy should have asked him about his cameo appearance on Family Guy.

[JuliusGray]

yes he is. I love Gore Vidal.

[hisunand]

lol he is just brilliant

[historywillabsolve]

i love this guy, he is so witty and smart.