To the editors:
As if it is his perception alone (Para 11), Valeo states “But the reasons for the food shortage are complex, and reducing them to simple greed is trite.” In fact, my Minister of Welfare (a protagonist), in nearly two pages of script (MS page 9ff), states “The reasons are complex” and then outlines three root causes: a) public taste for beef; 2) greed and profiteering; and 3) government policies that encourage the other two. Since the first and third causes are widely acknowledged, the play concentrates on the second, which is not only little-known, but denied. Valeo knowingly distorts.
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Nobody wants to be found guilty of anything–that’s human nature. But since Valeo mentions the Nazis (Para 10), it’s wise to recognize degrees of culpability, as ethics does. There were those in Nazi Germany who a) understood and acted wrongly with intent; b) understood but did nothing–abetted; c) could/should have known but chose to deny so as to justify inaction–hypocrisy; and d) those who truly had no knowledge. Only those truly without knowledge are innocent; yet the Nuremberg trials condemned only the direct perpetrators. That was pragmatic: Who can prove motives among millions? It does not change the ethic of the individual actions.
Valeo also knowingly misstates the factual content of the play when he says (Para 12) “So Triage fails to illuminate the causes of world hunger, and it fails to prescribe a viable course of action for ending it.” My President (protagonist) presents a five-point plan (MS page 29), which the Baron (antagonist) rejects on grounds he knows to be superficial–he is performing for his own video record. Among his comments is Valeo’s quotation, “Scarcity drives up prices . . . Are the poor to be immune to economic law?” These rationales are not my invention–they are specious arguments actually advanced, sans euphemisms, and the actions being taken. Unconscionable? Blame the society, not the reporter.
Valeo rejects reality when he writes (Para 9) “Finally, the baron makes a suggestion borrowed directly from Scrooge himself, who sought to reduce the ‘excess population’ by letting the poor starve to death: ‘If the starving die, there will be fewer mouths and therefore relatively more food for the survivors. If 10,000 people die each week, ultimately the problem will resolve itself.’” Valeo asserts (Para 10): “This is where Cavalier lets the moral superiority of his position slip away. Sure, world hunger is terrible, and anyone who tries to defend it is going to sound like a monster. But the reasons for the food shortage are complex, and reducing them to simple greed is trite.” As indicated, these complaints are based on Valeo’s distortions and factual errors, but they point up the central issue: Allowing people to starve when chronic starvation is preventable. The Baron’s comments are simply the rationales the apathetic prefer to leave unspoken.
Valeo also implies that histrionics are the badge of a “clash of passionately held beliefs,” (Para 5), but “passionately held” is itself a cliche, not a critical standard. I believe commitment to be the measure of the depth of belief–and my protagonists choose to commit their lives. Who needs ersatz angst? By what theatrical principle is a cool, intellectual approach unacceptable?
I believe the Reader’s readers should be told that I have previously criticized Tribune and Reader reviewers for using meaningless, isolated artistic marks (bizarre, shocking, etc.) as a measure of artistic achievement, rather than seeking coherent work consistent with established principles of theater. See the nationally-circulated September, 1988, issue of Northeastern Illinois University’s Journal of the Performing Arts for my essay on entertainment-orientation plus their Winter issue for my synthesis of contemporary principles for experimental theater.
