Joan Juliet Buck | 04/03/2009 11:00 am
Joan Juliet Buck: Who Does Bernard Madoff Remind You Of?
© AP
I have been wondering who Bernard Madoff reminds me of. Because, for all his evil deeds, there was something weirdly attractive and reassuring about his demeanor.
I wondered what it was. The flyaway gray hair, the tight line of the mouth — who did he look like? What was this strange, almost historic elegance? Why did his face — dear God! — reassure me? Why did the face of this criminal stranger look so intensely familiar, as if I had seen it every single day?
Oh my God …
Madoff/Dollar Bill © AP/Wikipedia
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Dear Margo: When Dad/Gramps Just Ain't Interested
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I am also Jewish (and I lost a packet to Madoff!) and I thought that your comment was unwise. Shakespeare may or may not have been an antisemite (scholars make both arguments) but Shylock has frequently been used as an icon by antisemites. Moreover, since we don’t know what Shylock looked like (he is a fictitious character, of course), it seemed particularly inappropriate to invoke his name in this thread. Furthermore, a trip to the dictionary reveals that "shylock" (with a small "s") is also a noun:
a shylock: a moneylender who charges extremely high rates of interest.
Madoff, if anything, was, initially, the anti-shylock, giving investors a high rate of return. He was revealed to be nothing more than a thief. But Shylock was not a thief and no suggestion is ever made, in "The Merchant of Venice," that he is a thief. The play centers around his trying to get what was rightfully his, according to a contract made with Antonio who defaulted on repayment of the loan that Shylock made to him.
Margo, I agree.
He reminds me of the worst ass ever.
As I noted above, while Madoff is a thief, Shylock was not a thief and no suggestion is ever made, in "The Merchant of Venice," that he is a thief. The play centers around his trying to get what was rightfully his, according to a contract made with Antonio who defaulted on repayment of the loan that Shylock made to him.
No way should Madoff be compared to Shylock!
Alrighty, Sam. Do you think the "do" is intentional? Could be a marketing ploy….. I still think we need to make him part his hair down the middle and wear red lipstick as part of his punishment (for those of you who don’t know the reference, it was from a "fashion donts for those over 40" or something article posted here at wowOwow a bit back)….
I’m thinking a nice combover would really be nice…thoughts on this!? (PS: happy weekend to you!)
ok: LMAO! I have this image of the two of them in a penthouse in Manhattan, in the bathroom of the master bedroom, her trimming his hair, saying, " You know Bernie, every penny counts. If we watch the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves."
My guess is that Ruthie said, "I won’t give you a short back and sides until they throw us out on the street:" http://traumwerk.stanford.edu/philolog/2006/02/andrea_mantegnas_samson_and_de.html