High expectations werent nurtured in my neck of nowhere back then – children werent fawned over from an early age as gifted and groomed for a prizewinning future self-esteem was considered something you had to pick from the garden yourself. – James Wolcott
Used to be, conservatives revered the Average American, that Norman Rockwell oil painting of diner food, humble faith, honest toil, and Capraesque virtue. – James Wolcott
Who elected Larry King Americas grief counselor? We, the viewing public, did, by driving up his ratings whenever somebody famous passes. – James Wolcott
A lost election can have the jolt of a drop through the gallows door, leading to a dark night of the soul in which the future presses down like a cloud that will never lift. – James Wolcott
Our scientific age demands that we provide definitions, measurements, and statistics in order to be taken seriously. Yet most of the important things in life cannot be precisely defined or measured. Can we define or measure love, beauty, friendship, or decency, for example? – Dennis Prager