[AustralianConservative]

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/converting-mamet_561048.html

[Amberdawn]

Honesty and clarity-Isn’t it refreshing?

[Borges]

If anyone hasn’t seen the 1992 film version of Mamet’s ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ please do. It’s breathtaking.

[jessduntno]

Fantastic article. Thanks for finding this and putting it up.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I’ve been a fan of Mamet for a long time.

His writing is Shakespearean. I thought that Atlas Shrugged would have benefited by having him do the screenplay. (Maybe he’s ready now?)

House of Games is a wonderful film.

This feels like the Michael Crichton essay on environmentalism as a religion:
http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/environmentalism-as-religion

We enjoyed seeing Mamet’s latest work on Broadway (first night of previews - Patrick Stewart in “A Life in the Theater” - fun from the front row center, closed in a few weeks).

It’s a joy to see people growing up, one by one!

[okie01]

Fascinating article.

Fascinating man.

Thanks for posting.

[Atlas Sneezed]

WOW!

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE!!!

[woofie]

Thanks so much ....Id read a bit about this a while back and I find this inspiring

[fhayek]

It is interesting to see what happens when an intelligent liberal actually takes the time to actually think about his political positions - he becomes a conservative.

[Auntie Mame]

Fabulous article. Thanks.

I just ordered his book. It’s available for pre-ordering from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Knowledge-Dismantling-American-Culture/dp/1595230769/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305430730&sr=8-1

[comps4spice]

This is a very good read. Well worth the time.

[fightinJAG]

bookmark - and the thread looks interesting, too.

Thanks!

[DeltaZulu]

This was an excellent and encouraging article. My head exploded when he mentioned Trotter’s observation that sheep vomit to ward off wolves. This is how group-think liberals communicate to one another what is considered inappropriate thinking or behavior; finger in mouth. It’s no more intellectual than what the sheep does.

[Tex-Con-Man]

I'm with everyone else...READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE!!!!!!

Mamet tries to convert his Bush voting Republican Rabbi by sending him “What's the Matter with Kansas”, but his Rabbi counters with “A Conflict of Visions”, by Thomas Sowell, which starts to open Mamet’s eyes.

This article is a great telling of a transformation.

[MarkL]

The thing is that liberalism sounds really wonderful, if you don't really think about it too much. I mean, don't we all want everyone to succeed in life? Like a line from Star Trek (paraphrased) "we've transcended need, and now we can concentrate on becoming the best we can be." That's all well and good, until you realize that not all people are willing to work to become the best they can be. Some people are more motivated than others. Some are naturally lazy (like myself), who need to constantly remind themselves that they need to get off their great, fat asses and work... But then after just a few days away from work, I find myself getting "stir crazy" and looking forward to getting back to work. But some people are more than happy to sit around and live off of others.

A big part of this (IMHO) comes from upbringing... I got a lot of support and encouragement from my mother. She would praise my accomplishments, and tell me where I was falling short. But she only praised me when I deserved it. I had to do something that was worthy of her praise, and she'd remind me that if I wasn't doing my best, I was only cheating myself. I didn't always listen to the later. But it made me proud of what I had accomplished, and made me wonder how far I could go.

Marxist philosophy of collectivism actually works quite well in may societies... Ant and bee colonies are two examples. But then you don't have any individuals, and those who aren't part of the collective are disposed of (for instance, the drones in a bee hive are driven out of the hive to live or die on their own after the queen has been fertilized, since they're no longer of any use, and would be a drain on the hive's resources.) Collectivism is the enemy of the individual, which is something that has always confused me about artists. I mean, don't most artists want to create something unique? You would think that they would appreciate individuality above almost everything else. But in society it seems that nearly every "artist" is a leftist.

Mark

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

Great article! Thanks for posting it. I re-posted this on Facebook for my theater and film friends to read. This might make their heads spin around! LOL!

Mamet’s conversion reminds me of Hitchens’ (though Hitch has backslid in recent years, I think). I have great sympathy for used-to-be-Libs who discover Conservatism, being one of those myself.

[Nevadan]

Thanks for posting. Very interesting article. I have a liberal family member whose favorite playwright is Mamet. Gives me hope that maybe some day he might see the light too.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

When I first saw this film I thought ...."the screenwriter has to be conservative". That's before I ever heard of Mamet.

Screenplay by Mamet

[denydenydeny]

Magnificent article that everyone should read. I can't resist quoting two paragraphs:

One of Mamet’s favorite books has been Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War, published during the First World War by the British social psychologist Wilfred Trotter, inventor of the term “herd instinct.”

“Trotter says the herd instinct in an animal is stronger even than the preservation of life,” Mamet said. “So I was watching the [2008] debates. My liberal friends would spit at the mention of Sarah Palin’s name. Or they would literally mime the act of vomiting. We’re watching the debates and one of my friends pretends to vomit and says, ‘I have to leave the room.’ I thought, oh my god, this is Trotter! This is the reaction of the herd instinct. When a sheep discovers a wolf in the fold, it vomits to ward off the attacker. It’s a sign that their position in the herd is threatened.”

[Zionist Conspirator]

Whatever one thinks of The Weekly Standard, this is a very good article.

[BradyLS]

Great. Another limousine liberal who finally sees the light. Now that he has his millions after proverbially kicking honest folks in the teeth, he can bear leaving his old lib-pals and hob-nob with new ones.

It’d be something if a he wrote screenplay that skewered the Left and became something of a hit.

Until then, keep swimming, David!