The Keating Files: April 2021

For about 20 years, Ray Keating wrote a weekly column - a short time with the New York City Tribune, more than 11 years with Newsday, another seven years with Long Island Business News, plus another year-and-a-half with RealClearMarkets.com. As an economist, Keating also pens an assortment of analyses each week. With the Keating Files, he decided to expand his efforts with regular commentary touching on a broad range of issues, written by himself and an assortment of talented contributors and columnists. So, here goes...

Friday, April 23, 2021

An Actor’s Take on Shakespeare’s Prolific and Influential Works

by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

The Keating Files – April 23, 2021

Today is the 405th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, arguably THE greatest writer in the history of the English language.

How great?

Shakespeare was so influential that his works introduced hundreds of every day words and phrases into our lives. His imaginary slang and expressions became accepted as common.

His prolific work has also been adapted and copied for centuries. Shakespeare’s name appears as co-writer or “story by” in over 2,000 films and TV shows.

There’s not a person alive who isn’t in some way familiar with one of Shakespeare’s plots, invented words, unique phrases or characters.

As both a writer and an actor, I owe a great debt to The Bard of Avon.

When I was six my grandmother gave me a children’s adaptation of some of his great stories, and she continued to give me Shakespeare books each birthday, culminating in his full folio bound in leather when I was 16.

I’d spend hours in my room reading and performing those scenes and sonnets to nobody in particular, which improved my vocabulary, diction and timing.

Professionally, I’ve only done two of his shows on stage. I played Touchstone in “As You Like It” and also King Lear’s Fool (a part I was born to play.) My goal was Hamlet one day, but I never did get to that, and now my age and waist line puts me more in the Falstaffian range.

On my bucket list still is performing Shakespeare in Central Park and being in the groundlings pit watching one of his classics performed live at the Globe Theater in England.

Thank you, Master Shakespeare, for inspiring generations with the reminder that “To be a well favored person is a gift of fortune, but to write and read is a gift of nature.”

__________

Chris Lucas is an actor, writer, something of a cultural historian, and the author ofTop Disney: 100 Top Ten Lists of the Best of Disney, from the Man to the Mouse and Beyond.

On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy Ray’s discussion with Chris Lucas about his career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here!

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Presidents and Their Hobbies

by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

The Keating Files – April 22, 2021

Former President George W. Bush has published a book of portraits he created of immigrants to the United States, called Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants.

It’s Bush’s second book of such portraits. Many are surprised to see his aptitude for painting, which - along with long distance running - is his hobby.

Presidents are just like everyone else and enjoy a variety of unique hobbies to blow off steam from the pressures of the job. Many of the presidents have even had the White House and Camp David modified to allow them easy access to pursuing their hobbies during downtime.

President Biden, whose father ran an automobile dealership when he was a boy, is an avid vintage car enthusiast and collector.

Biden still has the first car he ever owned, a 1967 green Chevy Corvette, which sits in his garage at his home in Delaware. When he’s there, President Biden can often be found either working on the 1967 car or driving it around (though his route is more limited now.)

The four presidents whose faces are on Mount Rushmore also had hobbies that distinguished them.

George Washington was a skilled ballroom dancer.

Thomas Jefferson collected rare French wines.

Abraham Lincoln wrestled to relax, and out of hundreds of recorded bouts only lost one time.

And Teddy Roosevelt was an avid boxer who held matches at the White House. In one of those fights, the president’s opponent in the ring - a professional pugilist - connected with Roosevelt’s head and detached his retina, permanently blinding him in one eye.

Teddy’s cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, chose a tamer White House hobby. FDR was a philatelist, with an impressive stamp collection that he would go over every night when time permitted. He also consulted with his Postmaster General on the designs for new stamps during his 13 years as president.

Here are some of the main hobbies of the presidents since FDR:

Harry Truman - piano playing

Dwight Eisenhower - golfing, painting

John F. Kennedy - sailing, golfing

Lyndon B. Johnson - horseback riding

Richard Nixon - bowling, piano playing

Gerald R. Ford - tennis, golfing

Jimmy Carter - fishing

Ronald Reagan - horseback riding

George H. W. Bush - horseback riding, playing horseshoes

Bill Clinton - saxophone playing, crossword puzzles

George W. Bush - running, painting

Barack Obama - comic book collecting, golfing

Donald Trump – golfing

What are your favorite hobbies?

__________

Chris Lucas is a writer, something of a cultural historian, actor, and the author of Top Disney: 100 Top Ten Lists of the Best of Disney, from the Man to the Mouse and Beyond.

On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy Ray’s recent discussion with Chris Lucas about his career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here!

Saturday, April 17, 2021

Disney on How NOT To Do Diversity

by Ray Keating

The Keating Files – April 17, 2021

(This column originally ran at DisneyBizJournal.com.)

The statement kind of hits like a cold bucket of water over the head: “I will tell you for the first time we received some incredibly well-written scripts that did not satisfy our standards in terms of inclusion, and we passed on them.”

As noted by the Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney Television chairman of entertainment Dana Walden made this declaration recently during a panel discussion. And it’s the direct result of a set of inclusion standards – i.e., actual percentage breakdowns of “groups” populating on-screen presentation, creative teams and behind the scenes – set up in the fall 2020 by ABC/Disney.

Before pondering possible implications, and given the political powder-keg that such declarations can ignite, there are a few quick things that need saying. First, there are those on the Right who mistakenly believe that racism and prejudice simply don’t exist. Second, many on the Left see racism and prejudice everywhere, and believe that racism is as bad as it has ever been in this country. Disagreements in this area often rank as the most strident and ugly in our public life, and feed an increasing tribalism – that is, I have my group, you have yours, and we are not together in any true sense. So much for the U.S. motto of E Pluribus Unum. The reality is that racism and prejudice very much exist, much work still needs to be done in healing our divisions, but also so very much already has been accomplished. Anyone who cannot see all of this is ignoring history for the sake of playing divisive politics.

As for actions being taken, private companies are free to choose to implement whatever policies they see fit to expand diversity. At the same time, that doesn’t mean that such policies should not be examined and subject to criticism.

Diversity as an objective for a business is not new and can be beneficial, such as by bringing various viewpoints and perspectives to decision-making. When done thoughtfully and constructively, it can send positive messages beyond the firm as well.

At its best, corporate efforts to improve diversity and inclusion mean opening more doors, and expanding the number of chairs at the table. The point is that business is not a zero-sum game. The right decisions mean growth and expanding opportunities, hopefully, for all.

But that is not the message behind Walden’s comment. That drips of zero-sum, us-vs.-them thinking, with diversity and inclusion efforts resulting in the exclusion of certain people. How tragically ironic.

It also clearly points to politics trumping quality. Disney is a storytelling company in the storytelling business, and that is perhaps why this statement, while not surprising in parts of the business world today, is shocking and dismaying. Disney should be welcoming to all who tell good stories. That would seem to be one of the tenets upon which Walt Disney built the company. It’s not, or should not be, a case of either diversity or quality. Why not both?

Indeed, creators should be most distressed by such declarations, along with formulas as to who effectively can and cannot create with the company. As a storyteller myself (a novelist), I create the best material I can, and work with others to bring those stories to the public. My hope is the same for other creators.

What’s nice is that technology makes statements like this from Walden, and percentage breakdowns on the “groups” that Disney will and will not work with, largely irrelevant. Technology has empowered writers and filmmakers like never before. Creators can create, and gain direct access to consumers like never before. That’s exciting for all creators, including those who have suffered due to racism and prejudice, and those who fail to align with leftist dictates from certain companies. Perhaps there is an opportunity for creators to truly unite.

_________

Ray Keating is a columnist, novelist, economist, podcaster and entrepreneur. Keating has two new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And pre-order the 15^th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story.

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York from Amazon or signed books at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know.

One of the best ways to enjoy Ray Keating’s Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries is to join the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship! For the BEST VALUE, consider the Book of the Month Club. Check it all out at https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Check out Ray Keating’s Disney news and entertainment site at www.DisneyBizJournal.com.

Saturday, April 3, 2021

On Politics: Democrat Cynicism vs. Republican Ineptitude

by Ray Keating

The Keating Files – April 3, 2021

When it comes to advancing one’s agenda via cynical political manipulation, Democrats take a back seat to no one. Certainly not to Republicans – a political party that seems bent on perfecting the self-inflicted wound.

Consider what’s going on with Georgia’s new voting law. Democrats and the Left have presented it as a Republican effort to suppress the black vote. But as a variety of sober assessments have made clear, this is largely a measure that expands early voting, and cleans up the process so that local election officials are better able to manage the process. (For example, see Henry Olsen’s Washington Post piece, and a rundown on the law by Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB).)

One can, and of course, should, debate the measure, but classifying this as some kind of Jim Crow law is simply dead wrong. President Biden actually asserted, “It’s sick … deciding that you’re going to end voting at five o’clock when working people are just getting off work.” It’s not clear who would benefit from having polls closing at 5 p.m., but I guess Biden has some ideas? However, it doesn’t matter anyway because that’s not what the law says. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, as noted by GPB: “One of the biggest changes in the bill would expand early voting access for most counties, adding an additional mandatory Saturday and formally codifying Sunday voting hours as optional. Counties can have early voting open as long as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at minimum.” (Emphasis added.) Hey, Joe, the polls don’t close at five, instead, they have to stay open until at least five.

Well, why then the widespread backlash against this law, including, for example, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announcing that the All-Star Game would be moved out of Georgia?

Most obvious, people don’t do their own research on issues; they take their cues from certain groups or voices; and then they assert their own expertise and make decisions accordingly. That is, they serve as fertile ground for political manipulation. This is increasingly the case across the political party spectrum and our nation.

Second, the Left and the Democrats have seized on an issue to work to their own advantage, from ginning up their base to pressuring individuals, groups and organizations to get in line.

Meanwhile, Republicans made it easier for Democrats to do so. How? With so many Republican politicians, officials and rank-and-file members backing Donald Trump’s lunacy and lies about a stolen election, it’s pretty easy for Democrats to raise all kinds of questions about Republican intentions when it comes to voting laws.

Never mind that Republican leaders in the state of Georgia followed state law, as opposed to what Trump pressured them to do, during this past presidential election. Democrats have decided, for their own political advantage, to paint with a broad brush, hurling baseless accusations and trying to cover all Republicans in Georgia with the taint of Trump. Republicans simply made it far easier to do so because they refuse to wash off the Trump grime and muck.

Republicans will catch on. Well, not really. They’ll probably double-down for Trump, thereby, making it even easier for Democrats to launch both legitimate and baseless attacks. And America’s divide of distrust will persist.

Republican political dimness is not a new problem, but the party seems to have sunk deeper into political ignorance. Thinking that a cranky, narrow, victim-centric, anger-driven, fear-embracing populism was, and still is, a foundation upon which to sustain a political party rates as a model of political ineptitude.

I recall a moment in time when Republicans were pretty smart, that is, when they got on board with an optimistic, freedom-loving, free-enterprise-embracing, confident conservative named Ronald Reagan, and followed him to victory and influence beyond his years. But that is not today’s GOP, and I certainly have no idea what tomorrow’s GOP will look like, or if it will even exist. Indeed, the most that the Republican Party has going for it now is that a significant chunk of Americans reject the Democrats’ ongoing journey leftward, and some are still able to spot and oppose the Left’s cynicism.