The Remaining Bastards (Muses, that is.

 Thinking of Professor Brooks and relevance today:   The true muses have definitely been retired. (Just ask George Will.) So the bastard muses have been  more than ready to take over:

  The muse named Pornography is ultra evident, so much so  that even scholar Brooks could probably not have foreseen the degree. The definition, legal and societal, of what constitutes pornography has broadened so that few formerly apt definitions now apply. Child pornography exploitation seems more prevalent, but that is pure criminality.  Brooks alluded to the ability of pornography to distort the human dimension by its focus on a powerful human drive at the expense of the human dimension. Enough said.

   In  contrast to Propaganda and Pornography the bastard muse of Sentimentality seems benign, but it may pose the most widespread  threat of all to the debasement and distortion of the values for which many have laid down their lives. Sentimentality devalues the human dimension by working up emotional responses unwarranted by the occasion. We as a nation are committed to the love of animals, in general,  and especially for dogs, and more especially for young dogs, puppies. Even older dogs are referred to as puppies. If a canine of any age gets lost or injured  in any way, facebook reports the many prayers that are offered up for its safe return or recovery.  When humans and dogs are at risk because of accidents or crimes, attention is more likely to be focused on the animal involved. I can relate because I loved my childhood dog more than life itself, but even at ten years of age, I realized its place in the world we lived in. The term "calf" has been transmuted into baby cow. The sight of a noted chef choosing a lamb to be led to slaughter causes outrage. We are subjected to the horrors of life and death in the Ukraine but are inured to the devastation by the sight of a young girl selling lemonade or such to help those poor children---get them a toy or maybe a book. Praying for a lost puppy and supporting a fundraiser for lost children are simple and gracious ways to help. But such virtue signaling should not substitute for the understanding of the human condition  and the events that can lead to its dissolution. Like the other two bastard muses, that of  Sentimentality offers only a partial account of life in its fullness, which is not nourishing but debilitating. I would speculate that the epitome of the  sad state of America's  learning could be the coinage of the word "furbaby."