Hello,
Here is an excerpt from a 1990 interview Bradbury gave to a certain Couteau in Paris. Does anyone know whether Ray's views have changed?


"...
Couteau: I worked in a program in New York that was involved with trying to find housing and jobs for homeless mentally ill people. It was one of the few programs set up to solve that problem. And I did encounter many people who barely got by, who had a home but couldn�t afford a telephone or couldn�t afford clothing or other things that we all take for granted.
And what I�m getting at, what I�m leading to is � you�re talking a lot about the Soviet Union. I�m wondering about your feelings about totalitarian strains within the United States.

Bradbury: There are none.

Couteau: You don�t feel there are any?

Bradbury: No. Of course not. Never have been. We�re a free society; we�ve got television. We have radio. We have newspapers. We have the videocassette, which is coming into play. These are new freedoms.
..."
Taken from: http://members.tripod.com/more_couteau/bradbury.htm

I've seen nothing to indicate that Ray's views might have changed.

Are you surprised by this?

Yes. I figured with all the censorship and governmental misstatement of facts that Ray might have changed his views of America. Any reason why he keeps to his old views?
Cheers,
Translator

What governmental misstatements of fact and censorship are you talking about? Specifics, please.

Pete

Isn't there a new book of essays coming out this year? Maybe that will clear things up though I'm not sure what the theme of it will be.

quote:

Originally posted by Translator:
Yes. I figured with all the censorship and governmental misstatement of facts that Ray might have changed his views of America. Any reason why he keeps to his old views?
Cheers,
Translator

What precise lies are you talking about? Iraq? WMD? Denial of global warming? Haiti? Forest destruction? I mean...the list is long and grows daily.

Mr. Smith,

Since you've only addressed alleged lies, I'll consider the matter of government censorship closed for now.

Bush didn't lie about Iraq, WMD, global warming, Haiti (Haiti?), forest destruction.

Normally we'd exchange URLs to various sites which would support our claims. Let's say we did and still haven't been able to convince each other.

Saves a lot of time, doesn't it?

Surely you'd agree, though, that Bush has no bigger policy about mis-leading the public than other presidents. What I'm saying is, of course you think Bush lies. You don't like him, don't like his views, won't ever support him. I'm the opposite. It's called politics and, believe it or not, it's not a government sanctioned plan to brainwash the public.

Pete

Apparently, Pterran hasn't heard anything about Haiti, how the US government funded and supported yet another political coup overthrowing Haiti's democratically elected president. Just shows the blind ignorance of the average conservative American.

The fact is, Bradbury is about as wacko a right-wing fanatic as you can get. He buys into all the nationalist claptrap. As far as I know, he always has, and a lot of his early fiction showcases his view of America as 'all-good and incorruptible' - an America that never existed (unless it somehow existed alongside the lynchings, racial intolerance and McCarthyite psychosis of the early 20th century. The trick is to read and enjoy Bradbury's books, and ignore his wacky philosophy, which, like his books, is based in fantasy. Fortunately for Ray, and for us, novels based in fantasy can work, but fantasy as political philosophy cannot.

[This message has been edited by Beery (edited 04-13-2004).]

Beery:

Shame on YOU for your insulting talk about Ray Bradbury.

pterran...
...Your mentioning URLS exchange... here's something that may be appropriate here...

Scroll d-o-w-n to my post earlier today...
http://www.raybradbury.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000167.html



[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 04-13-2004).]

I must have missed the continuation to my thread somehow...
Pterran, are you really sure about the "allegedness" of the alleged lies? WMD's? Iraq? Haiti? Global Warming? All of those things were proven time and again to be baseless lies. WMD's were admitted by the Bush administration (Rumsfeld and Chaney both said so) to be the motivating blanket theme used to get the public going...Each of the allegedly alleged lies is like that...Dandelion, should we move this conversation to Ruled Paper?
Cheers, Translator

Why can't we have a discussion without name-calling? "Right-wing fanatic"? "Lies?" Believe it or not, it is possible to disagree without name calling. In law they talk about things that are in conflict and say, "It is something about which reasonable men can disagree". We could all learn from that. I don't mind the differing views. . . it is all the name-calling and accusations that I think belong on other boards -- boards driven by arrogance, testoterone-driven rants and name-calling. Let's not let this site be corrupted by petty and childish assertions and arguments. Love of country is not always maniacal nationalism. Bad foreign policy is driven by issues far more complex than simplistic name-calling can cover. Bradbury is worthy of better than this.



[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 04-13-2004).]

why cant everyone just get along and stop arguing? no name calling, nothing! just sit down and enjoy the short life you have in peace............... every once in a while i like to argue but then i realize theres no reason to.... i know you love to argue, but sometimes just dont. its bad for your blood pressure.

Silly people disagree and never win, then wonder why they can't get past my door.

-John Lennon, from The Sgt. Pepper Album.

Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise?
-David, from the Psalm 94 Song Album

The assessment of Bradbury's political views is simplistic and one-sided and if I wanted to take a lot of time looking up, typing, and posting, I could produce the quotes to prove it.

1950s racism and lynchings: see "Way in the Middle of the Air" and "The Other Foot."

McCarthyism: see "Fahrenheit 451."

Lack of concern for and destruction of the environment: see "Here There Be Tygers." That and "The Off Season," from Sam Parkhill's little hot dog stand in the Martian desert to the wholesale destruction of the earth, pretty well point out what's wrong with the attitudes of a large segment of the American population.

Third world views of U. S. policy and attitudes: See "The Highway" and "And the Rock Cried Out."

The stories may be fantasy, but they are based in discerning views of both the good and bad of the real world.