A Gift for y'all.

[elleng]

Please enjoy Mum, Pup and Me

Lady Bracknell: Are your parents living?
Jack: I have lost both my parents.
Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a
misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/magazine/26buckley-t.html?pagewanted=1&8dpc

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. I read that excerpt yesterday ............

I was horrified. Those two twits sounded like the absolute worst people ever. It's without doubt that he loved his parents, but I'll be damned if I could find anything very lovable about them.

Did you read the part about his college graduation? Unbelievable. Talk about self-indulgent, insensitive assholes.

Gore Vidal was right. I hope he's enjoying a great big laugh right about now........................

[MUAD_DIB]

2. What did Gore Vidal have to say?

[elleng]

5. and I don't care at all what gore vidal had to say!

.

[Baby Snooks]

7. Just as horrid...

Gore Vidal is just as horrid. And like the Buckleys, someone you invite to a dinner party. But never just for dinner.

[elleng]

9. I agree.

.

[bemildred]

8. Mr Vidal has been vigorous in his attacks on the US ruling classes.

Of which he is a member by birth and upbringing. I would speculate that that is what is being referred to.

[Baby Snooks]

10. Yes, well....

Vigorous in his attacks while putting on his own airs...

[bemildred]

11. Yeah, he does get worked about appearances.

But I was just trying to explain the comment about what he said.

[Baby Snooks]

3. "Putting on airs..."

A phrase that comes to mind about Pat and Bill Buckley. And perhaps about "Christo" as well. The Buckleys were the type of people you invited to a dinner party to make the conversation more interesting. But not the type of people you invited just to dinner.

[elleng]

4. I posted this because I enjoy his humor

and think his writing is great, NOT to read about his parents. What you said is true: Make the conversation more interesting, they would surely do that. SHE sounds horrid; HE grew over the years.

[Baby Snooks]

6. They were both horrid...

And they rubbed off on each other. Fortunately they did not rub off completely on their son. But from time to time in his writing what did rub off is apparent. And it was apparent in this.

Sticks and stones can break the bones and the words of Bill Buckley did hurt quite a few as did the words of Pat Buckley.

I suppose he intended to paint a more human portrait of his parents but he inadvertently merely pointed out the reality that there was very little about either of them that was human.