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We are all part and parcel of a way of life
that puts trust in the almighty dollar —
so much so that we feel ourselves slipping
when we hear that on the international market the
West German mark inspires more confidence.
Food, one assumes, provides
nourishment; but Americans eat it fully
aware that small amounts of poison have been
added to improve its appearance and delay
its putrefaction. None of us wants
cancer or skin diseases, but there are
those who tell us that’s how we get them.
It’s hard to tell, come December,
whether we’re celebrating the birth of
Christ or whether American business has simply
pulled the wool over our eyes. When
I hear that an artist whose work I admire
gets $7000 for a painting whereas another
whose work I don’t admire gets twice as
much, do I then change my mind?
Ten years ago the New York
painters were for the most part poor as
church mice. Did they then or do
they now have a place in American society?
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