What else is the American dream if not the theory and practice of self-invention? How otherwise define the American way of life if not as a ceaseless effort to boost performance, hype the message, enhance the product? Deny an aging outfielder the right to inject himself with human-growth hormone, and what does one say to the elderly philanthropist who steps out of an evening with a penile implant and a flower in his lapel?
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Monday, March 10, 2008
Lapham on 'Roids
I have to say, Lewis Lapham is not the first name that springs to mind when I seek baseball coverage, but his "Notebook" in last month's Harper's about the steroid scandal was entertaining (even if his fall-of-the-Roman-Empire tone wasn't perfectly suited to the subject). He claimed government’s threats of meddling in the game are "un-American and behind the times." The last line of this excerpt was my favorite:
One might say that the elderly philanthropist, until very very recently, would have made do with just the flower in his lapel, trusting only in his money and whatever charm he could scrounge up to land a lady.
ReplyDeleteOne might say the same thing to both aging players: deal with it. You're human, and you will, sooner or later, falter.
This has been a message from the Humorless Feminist, who, unlike Stanley Fish, only speaks when she is moved.