Innovations in the Arts - Newark Academy

from the
Archives
by Blackie Parlin
I am a very fortunate columnist, because my editors
never put any parameters on the subject of my column.
This column has no direct relation to Newark Academy,
although it has the aura of the past which may seem
vaguely archival.
Many years ago I drove a van-load of teenagers across
New England to climb Mt. Washington. I was a forced
listener to more teenage talk than I wanted to hear, but
at one point the conversation became fascinating. The
students in that van came from New Jersey, New York,
Florida and Michigan, four different school systems.
They got to talking about literature – books they had
read, plots they knew, fictional characters they found
memorable. I was amazed at how much cultural heritage
they shared. And, more amazing, was how much of that
culture I shared with them. There clearly was a time
when great literature created a bond across geography
and age. I wonder whether modern trends to “make it
relevant,” “make it global,” (trends with great merit),
are not having the effect of weakening the cultural
bonds of the past. A modern van-load of teenagers
would share a TV and internet culture, but I would
definitely not share it; the “culture,” in other words,
would not embrace generations.
Here is another vignette from my past. After two years
in graduate school and following my marriage, it seemed
good to seek a job. I was not certain that the world had
a good job for me. I didn’t want to sell anything, had no
skills to make anything, and farming was out because of
the distance from the New York Public Library on 42nd
Street. Teaching and journalism were my only options.
SHARED CULTURES
One of the considerations which led me to teaching was
the strong feeling that I wanted always to have dinner
with my wife and children. Despite the passage of fifty
years, I still consider this one of the most important
decisions of my life.
A few months ago I saw a report of a study that found
that when children and parents have dinner together, and
this implies conversation, the children on average do
better in school and have lower rates of dysfunctional
behavior. Sadly, the report was that fewer families are
eating and conversing together.
I like to think that Joan and I, or Joan with some support
from me, were excellent parents. I think I’m most proud
of the efforts we made to engage our young children in
talk. I make no jokes about getting to a point where I
wished for them to keep quiet. Still most precious to me
are the times spent talking with children and grandchildren.
Now, points one and two converge here. I am worried
that two trends are weakening us – one is that we are
losing a common shared culture, and two is that we are
losing the art and opportunity for good conversation.
A final observation about shared culture. I can hear some
zenophobic voice ranting about foreigners, forgetting
that all of us except the American Indians were once
foreigners. My feeling is that the more multi-ethnic we
are, the greater is the need for a shared culture. We can
build this by teaching the presentation of profound
themes by great artists and seeking shared themes in
our shared immigrant experience.
NA NEWS spring 2008
29