Three More Days To Go
Last night I attended a production of The Addams Family musical play at the Vernon Hills High School auditorium. The play was a clever, contemporary rendition of the old Addams family ABC sitcom which I barely remember seeing in the 1960s. The concept of a dysfunctional typical American family was created by cartoonist Charles Addams in the 1930s. The cartoons first appeared in the New Yorker. Here is a quotation from Charles Addams:
Gomez and Pugsley are enthusiastic. Morticia is even in disposition, muted, witty, sometimes deadly. Grandma Frump is foolishly good-natured. Wednesday is her mother’s daughter. A closely knit family, the real head being Morticia—although each of the others is a definite character—except for Grandma, who is easily led. Many of the troubles they have as a family are due to Grandma’s fumbling, weak character. The house is a wreck, of course, but this is a house-proud family just the same and every trap door is in good repair. Money is no problem.—Charles Addams
Are we a dysfunctional American family? Certainly. Human beings, and all of their works, especially culture are extremely fragile, delicate, fraught with unforeseen outcomes. Let’s hold onto our sense of humor. Laughter is life, saving us from absorption by the mob, allowing enough existential room for ethical consideration. When the laughter ceases, things may take a deadly turn. We Americans are not exempt, and do not have a “get out of jail free” card.
