I try to be amused…

When troubles arise, better people have a line of poetry to soothe the moment. Primitive that I am, I default to: “I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused.”

It’s the intro to “Red 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.

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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.

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