Distant Dowd
Maureen Dowd pays homage to her mother who recently passed away. I hope God will forgive me for saying this but I find it frighteningly distant and lacking in a true depth of feeling. To me, anyone who ponders whether "Tim Russert" is playing a part in her mother's last moments on earth seems to be lacking in a certain understanding of a loving life ended, the magnitude of salvation, and the longing emergence of everlasting life in peace with God.
Again, perhaps it is insensitive of me to say such things but, if this is the voice of our generational grace, I find it rather cold.
Again, perhaps it is insensitive of me to say such things but, if this is the voice of our generational grace, I find it rather cold.
posted by Wonderdog | 8:10 PM | Permalink
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8 comments
8 Comments:
I can see why you'd say that, but the problem is, when Dowd goes for depth of feeling, she sounds for all the world like a raving loon. In a way, I think it's a nice tribute to her mom that for once, she uses her intellect rather than her impulses. I'm also glad she didn't speculate too broadly on the meaning of her mother's life; she may not yet understand its meaning, so in a newspaper column it's more dignified of her not to try.
It's interesting to read Maureen Dowd minus her wild affectations. If she wrote more columns that were this simple and factual, she might not be as famous, nor as successful, but she'd probably be much more respected.
I'm not sure that Ms. Dowd has ever displayed a depth of feeling for anything, Jeff. To me, she's always relegated herself to fits of adolescent pique. I suppose you're right in labeling it her "impulses."
However you label it, though, I've always found her sentiments to be distilled with a sort of detached and cold, caustic soullessness. She's never displayed the human heart to me and I guess when I saw a link to an article she'd written on the passing of her mother I was hoping to at last see some genuine emotion from her. I was hoping to be moved and was left empty. I suppose it's not my place to be moved by her mother's passing but hers. But that was my point. I guess I didn't get the impression that she was much moved by it at all. Alas, I found the same distant and cold Dowd.
Yeah, I agree it seems a bit distant, but I also agree that perhaps it is insensitive to critique it. Comment on how people express their grief or pay homage to a deceased loved one is probably out of bounds unless it's favorable comment - as her mother might have said: "If you can't say something nice , don't say anything at all".
"If you can't say something nice , don't say anything at all."
-- But, oh, how boring the blogosphere would be if people really followed that rule.
I actually kind of liked Dowd's column, too -- maybe because I like moments where I can feel a bond -- with people whose worldveiw is so different from mine -- based on experiences that are common to all humanity. Or maybe that's just my grandiose way of saying the column humanized MoDo for me -- not that I'm going to make it a habit to read her regular columns.
I will say that any time one decides to write about the death of a loved one, there's a certain measure of detachment required. The act of writing -- unless you're a ninth grade devotee of free verse -- requires giving a shape to the chaos of feelings and impulses which seek form and expression. Striking a "balance," especially when you're writing about something so personal, is -- I would imagine -- a very tricky thing. As someone who has (sometimes) a fear of sentimentality, I'm less put off by the "cold" tone of the column than others might be.
Yeah, Anon, I knew I was treading on thin ice making those comments. But I felt compelled to say something and I said it. I try not to pull my punches here. She's entitled to her grief and I certainly don't begrudge her that.
Perhaps I was motivated by the elitist accolades the piece is receiving in the media. It's a nice enough article but I think its praise has come from the fact that it was Dowd who wrote it rather than any profoundness in what it actually said. I guess it just irritated me a little.
And yes, I still find it a bit chilly.
"It's a nice enough article but I think its praise has come from the fact that it was Dowd who wrote it rather than any profoundness in what it actually said."
-- I'm in complete agreement with you there, bro.
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I also agree that the fact that the article is earning accolades is a bit odd. I guess what moved me was the extent to which Dowd's bag of writerly tricks proved to be utterly insufficient for the task at hand. That made me feel for her (which I never have before), and I hope she learns from the experience; those are the sorts of moments when one grows as a writer, if one is inclined to grow at all.
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