I try to be amused…
When troubles arise, better people have a line of poetry to soothe the moment. Primitive that I am, I often find myself remembering, “I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused.”
It’s the intro to “White Shoes,” a long-forgotten Elvis Costello song about a bad break-up. He considers ending it all. But instead he tries, not altogether convincingly to be amused.
Profound? No. Poetic? Helpful? Not really. But when it comes to public affairs and rank culture, it can help.
Babe Ruth’s World War I Draft Registration
Despite the hoarding habits of certain federal officials, the National Archives still has a big inventory. Military history stuff. And baseball stuff. It marked the start of spring training, for example, by publishing Babe…
I try to be amused…
When troubles arise, better people have a meaningful line of poetry at the ready to soothe the moment. Primitive that I am, here’s what I often resort to: ”I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused.“
It’s the first line of a long-forgotten Elvis Costello song. It’s about a bad break-up. The singer considers ending it all. Instead he tries, not altogether successfully, to be amused.
Profound? No. Poetic? Solve anything? Not really.
If you’re lucky, it doesn’t make you smart or at peace. Just somewhat amused.