Burning Bridges
Glenda from NYC sent me this link (thanks Glenda)– which reminded me of the whole burning bridges issue.
One thing I learned from Hunter — that I still have a hard time remembering — is that some bridges are meant to be burned, particularly if it’s a bridge to nowhere.
Most of my life, I tried to be liked by everybody. I failed of course, but spent years trying nonetheless. DUMB! First, it’s impossible to be liked by everybody, second, what I didn’t realize all those years is that it’s a badge of honor to be loathed by certain people. Although Hunter was a master at it, to try it myself only occurred to me after Hunter died.
Until I was 33 yrs old, I was one of those, yes… people pleasers. Ugh. Looking back, what a colossal waste of time! Hunter would tell me, but maybe I was just too young? Who knows. Hunter learned the value of being disliked by a select group of people at a very early age. But then again, he was a genius. Me, two decades older than he was, I’m only just starting to get the hang of it. But I do recommend it!
Anyway, I’m at the library again studying for my last exams — to be followed by the Convention! As Nikita Krushchev famously said, "Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge where there is no river." Thus, some bridges should be burned for the greater good.
From Hunter’s intro to Campaign trail, which is quoted in the review:
Unlike most other correspondents, I could afford to burn all my bridges behind me — because I was only there for a year, and the last thing I cared about was establishing long-term connections on Capitol Hill. I went there for two reasons: (1) to learn as much as possible about the mechanics and realities of a presidential campaign, and (2) to write about it in the same way I’d write about anything else — as close to the bone as I could get, and to hell with the consequences.— Hunter S. Thompson, Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail ’72
Glenda:
In 2003, British novelist A.L. Kennedy named Hunter S. Thompson’s 1972 campaign book one of the 10 most offensive books in history — on a list that also included Lolita, Wuthering Heights , and Don Quixote. This week on the Barnes & Noble Review (www.bn.com/review), Cameron Martin considers Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72, in light of the current presidential campaign.
“Next week’s Democratic Convention is in Denver, Colorado, just 220 miles from Thompson’s former home in Aspen. The creator of Gonzo Journalism won’t be there in person, but his addictive spirit will certainly make an appearance,” writes Martin.
Martin explores the impact that covering the 1972 elections had on Thompson’s life, including fanning the flames of his lifelong fascination with politics and solidifying his place as a venomous opponent to both “liberal elitists” and “conservative stalwarts.”
Okay. Until next time, your friend, building and burning bridges,
Anita Thompson
P.S.
Here’s a link to Robert Stacy McCain’s analysis re: Obama VP, and a little McGovern history (or debacle) from Frank Mankiewicz (thanks Stacy) Nice to read a TIME interview from 1972!
