Despair is one of the great obstacles imposed on us by our culture. It is a hallmark of evangelical and fundamentalist Christians, and it has cast a pall over the American psyche. These religionists see no way forward for humanity—apart from a savior, see no hope of ending war—apart from a savior, see no end to poverty—apart from a savior, and dare not trust their own senses—for want of a savior.

We have empowered these people. We are preached their counsel from the halls of Congress. We hear their beliefs echoed by the military. We pay for their paranoia through the war machine. We are pulled by the philosophical undercurrent on the editorial pages. And we see the manifestation of their beliefs in the destruction of the environment, of societal bonds and of a decent hope for human progress.

This sort of despair (a word that has other meanings, to be sure) is subtle yet pervasive and colors the thought of too many—even those who think of themselves as "progressive." It truly sets 21st century Americans apart—not just from the West but from the East, not just from Africa but from Latin America. The worst of it is that it is self-reinforcing. How did we go so collectively mad?

In any case, despair comes in many forms but sometimes—

DESPAIR IS SEATED UPON A BENCH

In a square on a bench
There's a man who calls when you pass.
He wears spectacles and an old gray suit
He smokes a little cigar. He is seated
And calls you when you pass
Or he simply motions to you.
You must not look at him
You must not listen to him
You must pass by.
Act as if you didn't see him
As if you didn't hear him.
You must pass on and quicken your step.
If you look at him
If you listen to him
He will motion to you and nothing and no one
Can keep you from going to sit by him.
Then he will look at you and smile
And you will suffer grievously
And the man will continue to smile
And you will smile the very same smile
Exactly
The more you smile the more you'll suffer
Grievously
The more you suffer the more you'll smile
Irremediably
And you stay there
Seated, fixed
Smiling on the bench.
Children play right by you
Passers-by pass
Quietly
Birds fly away
Leaving one tree
For another
And you stay there
On the bench
And you know—you know
that never again will you play
Like these children
You know that never again will you pass
Quietly
Like these passers-by
That never again will you fly away
Leaving one tree for another
Like these birds.

     —Jacques Prévert, Paroles

A Simply Appalling translation of—

LE DÉSESPOIR EST ASSIS SUR UN BANC

Dans un square sur un banc
Il y a un homme qui vous appelle quand on passe
Il a des binocles un vieux costume gris
Il fume un petit ninas il est assis
Et il vous appelle quand on passe
Ou simplement il vous fait signe
Il ne faut pas le regarder
Il ne faut pas l'écouter
Il faut passer
Faire comme si on ne le voyait pas
Comme si on ne l'entendait pas
Il faut passer et presser le pas
Si vous le regardez
Si vous l'écoutez
Il vous fait signe et rien personne
Ne peut vous empêcher d'aller vous asseoir près de lui
Alors il vous regarde et sourit
Et vous souffrez atrocement
Et l'homme continue de sourire
Et vous souriez du même sourire
Exactement
Plus vous souriez plus vous souffrez
Atrocement
Plus vous souffrez plus vous souriez
Irrémédiablement
Et vous restez là
Assis figé
Souriant sur le banc
Des enfants jouent tout près de vous
Des passants passent
Tranquillement
Des oiseaux s'envolent
Quittant un arbre
Pour un autre
Et vous restez là
Sur le banc
Et vous savez vous savez
Que jamais plus vous ne jouerez
Comme ces enfants
Vous savez que jamais plus vous ne passerez
Tranquillement
Comme ces passants
Que jamais plus vous ne vous envolerez
Quittant un arbre pour un autre
Comme ces oiseaux.

There are a number of good readings on YouTube. My preference is here.

Related post
Poem of the Day (5/6/07)

Labels: English translation, Jacques Prévert, pessimism, Poem of the Day, religion, religious fundamentalism

A young Cuban immigrant has accused Frederick "the Rev. Ike" Eikerenkoetter, a Christian evangelist nationally known for his fleet of multicolored Rolls-Royce autos, of sexually abusing him while he worked as the minister's personal assistant at his luxury Bal Harbour, Fla., condominium.

Augusto Medina's lawsuit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court alleges that the Rev. Ike, as he's commonly known, forced Medina to fondle him on several occasions and to perform oral sex on him. The allegations of the suit are similar to those in a 1995 sexual harassment suit against the Rev. Ike that was filed by his former personal assistant in New York.
....

Medina, who was in his mid-20s when he was hired by the Rev. Ike, came to Miami from Cuba on a raft about 10 years ago. According to attorney Jennifer Ator, ... the young man spent several months at the Krome Detention Center after his arrival, and later struggled to learn English and make a living.

The suit says Medina was hired by the Rev. Ike in 2001 as the minister's personal assistant. He was paid $10 an hour in cash. His duties included driving the evangelist, manicuring his nails, dressing him and giving him massages....

Initially, Medina was delighted with the job, Ator said. But in August 2002, after Medina had been working for the Rev. Ike for about a year, the minister began to pressure the assistant for oral sex, Ator said in an interview. Medina refused and was fired, only to be rehired in 2003, she said.

It was during his second stint as the Rev. Ike's assistant that the alleged sexual contact occurred. According to the lawsuit, Medina was giving the Rev. Ike a massage, when the minister lifted up his towel and placed Medina's hand on his penis. Medina alleges that that was the first of at least half a dozen instances of unwanted sexual contacts between himself and the evangelist.

"Rev. Ike told Medina that if he did not perform sexual acts on Rev. Ike that he would be fired," the complaint says. "Medina -- afraid that he would lose his job -- performed sex acts on Rev. Ike."

Rev. Ike couldn't wait for his heavenly reward—

Preaching prosperity through Jesus, the Rev. Ike rejected the idea of waiting for riches in heaven. Instead, the minister urged his followers to bask in material wealth in the here and now.

The pompadour-topped, flamboyantly dressed evangelist brought his sermons to the radio and TV evangelism circuit, rising to popularity in the 1970s. In addition to founding the Boston-based evangelistic association, he started the Palace Cathedral, an opulent New York City church, replete with antique Louis XV and XVI furniture and a seven-story-high organ.

That is a remarkable organ.

Labels: Christian preachers, prosperity gospel, religion, sexual harassment, television evangelists, workplace harassment