Comments (18)

The article by Rockwells studio model was a wonderful gift from the post for the Thanksgiving week thought. Perhaps I am too old to be as full of the practiced stupidity that is the lifeblood of many respondents to this relatively good and well meant column , I am pleased that a paper that is often confused in its reportage of what America has always, and still certainly does mean. I do not recognise my country which I gladly serve ,in many of the previous articles attached to this column . I will go to my prayers by the edge of the western sea and pray for these really unhappy creatures, and for the people in the whitehouse that are held up to us as the personification of evil, even though I and a great many fellow Americans voted to place them there.And now the disenchanted will howl and roar some more. Pacem En Terris!

What are the values of today?:

I've been here on earth a while. From my personal experience one thing that seems constant from generation to generation is the older generation saying the younger one is leading us to hell. I expect that's been going on for a very long time. The older generation is yesterday's younger one that simply changes sides in the debate.

Edward:

I've been associated with folks from foreign lands and one in particular sums your attitude up well I think with, "only in America." He was talking about starting a business with almost zero interference from government.

There is a danger and always is one. Maybe this will help understand it. The day Hitler committed suicide there were people trying to get in to see him hoping for a promotion. The day Germany surrendered there were soldiers still brown nosing their way to higher rank. The danger they obviously didn't see that we may ourselves not be willing to admit is the fact that all things come to an end. Are we at the end of our role as the dominant force in the world? Could be.

As 'i'm timmaaay' said there seems to be a bit of fraying around the edges of the freedoms we claim to enjoy. Let's hope "only in America" keeps the meaning my new immigrant business associate so eagerly applauded. "Only in Nazi Germany" were people condemned to hell by the government. So I, and I seem to be mostly alone here wonder if the notion that "freedom of religion" hasn't been expanded to gobble up the other freedoms. Is the ministry not taking control of the government? Has the ministry already taken control of the government? Do we have an 'official" national cathedral? Do ministers enjoying tax breaks of all kinds endorse candidates for office? Did Mr Bush do "pay backs" for those who endorsed him using tax dollars? I could go on.

"Only in America" were the agendas of the ministry pushed aside in favor of those of the common man. Only the common man can keep it that way and in turn insure his rights by holding religion at bay. He cannot make a wise decision when he does not have the facts, when that which he will be allowed to know is limited to the words of those who have a vested interest in the lie. Where the lie is the 'official' word of God freedoms vanish.

Kudos to the WP writer for bringing this memorable artist's work to light along with its characters--

The Runaway--has made an indelible impression on me.
Yes like the cynical bitter ones who have spoken against the times we too had troubles --But Norman Rockwell and his characters sure didn't abuse anyone--
Spare the rod and spoil the child was a Baptist Southern learned thing from which many fled to northern cities to grovel-leaving behind their kindreds who owned farms or worked for a living--

And yes there was good and bad times then-- I too had religious issues with Godders--
But then I recognized them as my own family deprivations that I worked not to impose on others for demanded collective hand outs- I succeeded!

And so nice to read about Norman's Characters in first person on human values--Made me think of Ron Howard/ Tom Hank's Movie De Vinci Code in which Hanks asks at the end of the movie of the St Clair David descendant of Magdalen's
"Question, If you know Faith/belief etc is false, do you expose it or embrace it?

That of course is a distortion of what was actually said but its essence is understood---

Thanks America in the 50s and 60s who gave Olive Tree Foundation and civil rights for the abused--

Without kindreds of those times who seeded the hateful youngers would have no parents and elders and musicians to hate-under veil of rule over others philosophy

The truth is that values are dictated by a select group that operate out of the White House.

- Deception (Amongst the highest value): Do and say anything to meet ones goal.

- Fear: Present day America thrives on this value. If you doubt this, try and take away the fear element from dominating conservative mindset. This mindset that touches every American's life, and has destroyed many lives abroad.

- Selfish-Centeredness: The media, since the Reagan years, have played 'the liberal is irrelevant and communist' card so often, many people don't believe they deserve to live in a country the cares enough to help those citizens that need healthcare. The elderly, the children, the less fortunate, and even those with insurance coverage are seen as sad victims. The United States politicians should have taken care of their people better.

there's more but... I do have a life... my balance of sorts

The truth is that values are dictated by a select group that operate out of the White House.

- Deception (Amongst the highest value): Do and say anything to meet ones goal.

- Fear: Present day America thrives on this value. If you doubt this, try and take away the fear element from dominating conservative mindset. This mindset that touches every American's life, and has destroyed many lives abroad.

- Selfish-Centeredness: The media, since the Reagan years, have played 'the liberal is irrelevant and communist' card so often, many people don't believe they deserve to live in a country the cares enough to help those citizens that need healthcare. The elderly, the children, the less fortunate, and even those with insurance coverage are seen as sad victims. The United States politicians should have taken care of their people better.

there's more but... I do have a life... my balance of sorts

Is not christianity the very personification of the Cult of Personality fostered by mass media? Live from New York, it's Saturday Night with Howard Cosell; our featured act you all know from the cover of Time (and, I suppose Newsweek too) is the Bay City Rollers! They would have saved AM radio for manufactured PoP and spared us from the present plague of ranting right radio personalities had they only performed on roller skates with wireless mikes attached to the instruments they pretended to play while lip-synching to their first hit and wearing Mork-type outfits with rugby stripes and the numerals of great then-current athletes.
No one but nobody reads the Saturday Evening Post on a _SATURDAY NIGHT_

I was brought up far from the US, but the images I held of your wonderful country were, to a great degree, etched by Norman Rockwell. When I finally moved for a number of years to the Midwest I found that the images Rockwell transmitted were essentially true, the majority of Americans are good, honest and kind.

Rockwell saw the essence, which is stronger than the quirks, and which I'm sure still predominates.

Over and over in these "On Faith" forums, and on conservative and liberal political blogs that I read daily, I get the impression that today's overwhelming "value" is cynicism.

A generation of people has grown up in this country whose main approach to talking about values is simply to engage in ad hominem attacks, which any highschool debate student knows is fallacious.

Norman Rockwell painted the change he wanted to see in the world, to paraphrase Mohandas K. Gandhi's famous prounouncement.

It speaks poorly of my generation that so few people on this forum are interested in talking about his influential vision, and that the majority of us would much prefer to leap habitually into attacking one another and disparaging Rockwell's work based on the fact that 1950s America had problems of its own (well, duh--Rockwell himself tried to highlight them).

I am sure it was no easy deed to hold onto the demons of the Fitzpatrick family. It is understandable that he would reach for something to sooth the tortured soul.

Shame knows no limits.

This Norman Rockwell rememberance inspired me to think of the great works of a man of conscience...

The Four Freedoms series:

- Freedom of Speech

- Freedom of Worship

- Freedom of Fear

- Freedom from Want

Mr. Rockwell would cry to see that there is but a glimmer of one of the four still alive after the turning of the year 2000.

~ That and the 1963 painting of 'The War on Poverty'

i'm timmaaay!!!:

This, "I wonder if former Congressman Fitzpatrick is still kicking, probably not. He spent the latter years on a drunken coma." made me think of something.

I can't directly quote the Bible but it goes something like this, "an evil spirit entered the body of Saul..." - why David was anointed king of Israel while Saul was still alive. The hoax buster fellow identified that evil spirit to be alcohol, the curse of the working class so I've heard. Or was that, "work is the curse of the drinking class."

In case you care, http://www.hoax-buster.org page 2, proof the Bible is a hoax. It's been going on for a very long time, "work being the curse of the drinking class." Kings don't do no stinkin' work do they? But alcohol doesn't discriminate.

The Fitzpatrick's were/are some sort of nobility, a dynasty of sorts? Figures.

Very Interesting,

The Rockwell Museum is one of the few good things that the Fitzpatrick family has done.

I wonder if former Congressman Fitzpatrick is still kicking, probably not. He spent the latter years on a drunken coma.

Mrs. Fitzpatrick ran the Red Lion Inn like a Nazi commander. If I had a dime for everytime she accused the help of throwing away the silverwear.

Ms. Williams, do you describe the painting of Stockbridge during the winter holidays? Well, allow me to explain. Norman Rockwell despised the Fitzpatricks. Every building in the painting has lights lit in the windows, but not the Red Lion Inn's windows. It is rumored to have been meant to represent the darkness in the soul of the owners of the hotel restuarant.

Merry Holidays... thanks for the not so fond memories of yester-year.

Rockwell's self ortrait shows the image of the painter with details in the eyes, but the actual image shown in the mirror shows his eye without detail. What are the details of American life that Rockwell's eyes missed?

Right on Patrick. Rock and roll was an infant, 1954. Elvis was still driving a truck and 'acid rock' had yet to be conceived. And rap? That was what happened when they caught a thief. Now rock and roll is almost dead along with all the beautiful music that had lasted thousands of years.

You don't suppose there is a connection? Oh yeah, drugs was something that had to be forced down the sick child's throat. Didn't Norman Rockwell do a picture of that? Time to make a new picture of kids and drugs?

Those were the days my friend and they have come to an end. They tell me I have a hearing problem. Odd how I have no trouble hearing every word spoken is old movies. The ones with plots that were made before the background music set the theme and drowned out the actors. They probably don't have anything to say worth hearing anyhow.

Regards.

Ah the good ole days, when in 1954 there was segregation and inequality in America!

I rememebr when Blacks where not allowed to socialize with White American's including swimming, eating, etc..

Those good ole Normal Rockwell Days!

Patrick

I too wonder what are the values of most people today? I so long for the simpler times of Norman Rockwell.

Norman Rockwell's values are certainly America's best. His critics should view his later civil-rights-inspired paintings of the 1960s. They are powerful and surprising and reveal the man to be much more than just an "illustrator" and instead a truly important artist. The Rockwell show at the Corcoran in about 2000 sealed the deal for me. The power of his work will surprise most people if they take a serious look. The Post's David Maraniss did a great piece back then on Rockwell. Rockwell's religion was American values, absent any dogma or ideology. Find a contemporary artist today who respects Rockwell. You can't. The reason? Art today is about nihilism and ideology and trendy theory. About a rigid, self-enforcing orthodoxy, that means getting in line and never, ever stepping out of it. In other words, plenty of "religion." I'll take Rockwell's religion of unapologetic American-ness any day.

We of the older generation can appreciate, “All the values that I feel are in the paintings. You don’t have to look very hard to find them, I feel. My values anyway,” she said, then paused. “I wonder what the values are that people have today.”

There seems to be a lot of people who intend at least to force their values on everyone. What is the value of a family? Only the minister knows for sure for it is he that passes the plate. Sounds like Norman Rockwell's value went to zero, "Rockwell was raised Episcopalian, served as an altar boy, but didn’t attend church in later years."

Wonderful article. Wonderful subject. Priceless last paragraph. Let's hear it for New England values.

My wife and I burst out laughing and bought the young couple applying for a marriage certificate because it could well have been us and the same scene but, in fact, in Rustburg, Virginia. We proudly hang it in our home. He painted it in 1954 and we "did" the same scene less than a year later.