Sartre to Snookie: Celebrity Degrees of Separation

Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. Everything has been figured out except how to live.  Sartre                    

Life is tough enough. Might as well do the easy stuff to make yourself feel better. Snookie

Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.  Sartre

I feel like I’m gonna be like a tornado. I’m just gonna go from place to place like destroying it. Snookie

There are two kinds of existentialists…What they have in common is that they think that existence precedes essence, or, if you prefer, that subjectivity must be the turning point. Sartre

I’m the asshole in the bathroom that can’t get the motion censored water and soap to come out and waving my hand for five minutes. Snookie

Jean-Paul Sartre – General George C. Marshall – Dwight D. Eisenhower – Shah of Iran –Shirley Temple – Liza Minnelli – Mayor Michael Bloomberg – Snookie

On March 13, 1946, the famed Marxist existentialist philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre(with spectacle, standing at right)  joined other French scribes to meet with U.S. Army General George C. Marshall at his Washington, D.C. Pentagon office, as he oversaw the rebuilding of Europe following World War II.

On June 3, 1943, while serving as Chief of Staff at Allied Headquarters, General Marshall met with his colleague, General Dwigfh D. Eisenhower, then the  Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces of the North African Theater of Operations.

On December 13, 1954, Dwight Eisenhower, by then serving as the U.S. President, met with the Shah of Iran in the White House. He made a state visit to Iran in December 1959.

On October 23, 1969, the Shah of Iran attended a gala in Washington, D.C. where then-Vice President Spiro Agnew introduced him to the former cutesy curly-haired child actress Shirley Temple, then serving as was a member of the United States Delegation to the United Nations.

On October 9, 1988, Shirley Temple met performer Liza Minnelli at a tribute to the late actor Cary Grant, in Beverly Hills, California.

On March 13, 2006, Liza Minnelli was joined by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (the 12th richest person in the U.S.) at a party celebrating the DVD release of  her 1972 television special Liza With a Z.

On March 27, 2010, Mayor Bloomberg met Nicole Elizabeth “Snooki” Polizzi, the reality television personality of the popular show Jersey Shore which had begun a year earlier. The event was the Inner Circle Show, an annual fundraiser in which incumbent New York City mayors have traditionally donned a costume and performed in the staged skits.

Sartre to General George Marshall to President Dwight Eisenhower to The Shah of Iran to Shirley Temple to Liza Minnelli to new York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Snookie


Categories: Celebrity Degrees of Separation, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Facebook of the Famous

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10 replies »

  1. I can recall, back in the 1970’s; living in L.A.; how Sartre & Existentialism were the darlings of American Psychiatry. Once upon a time, and again, today, being in psychotherapy was/is not a polite thing to talk about. BUT, in California of 1970’s, from LA – SanFrancisco & North to Big Sur, being in therapy & having a “fasionable” therapist was the “in” thing to do. Everybody at the Watercooler bragged & obsessed about their weekly sessions.

    The neo-freudian of yesteryear, loved the concept of telliing the patient, like a Parrot on Meth, “You Alone are responsible for everything you do”. Of course, there was still lots of ‘primal screaming’ about mistakes of parents and perceived lack of nurturing. Shrinks back then seemed to take no responsibility for curing their patients with this existential code in place, As I recall my own intro
    to “existentialism”, I wonder if the heavy load it placed upon humans, did any good at all. Who can be happy feeling guilt all the time for every sad thing our lives encounter?

    • Sorry for the delayed response. Well, I’ve always found more credence in Carl Jung’s theories of symbols and dreams. Then again, when you come down to it, all of these guys are just humans and all of their theories are just ideas. Nobody and their ideas – including me and mine – are infallible.

      • Hi Carl:

        Jungian analysis is a fascinating area, there is a mystical spirituality connected with it, that most
        neo-freudian & existential humanist lack. I once tried to find a Jungian-oriented therapist, but
        was unable to hook up. Yes, research in mental health has unfortunately shown that too many
        forms of therapy are indeed fallable, In terms of “outcomes”; they simply did not deliver enough
        positive change in a client to make the cost worth it.

        In my old age, Carl, I would much rather read one of your books on First Ladies/First families than “self help” help books, or psychiatric narratives. I was a huge lover of R.D. Laing & look
        at the sordid way his life ended. (basically a combo of drugs/sex/rock & roll). Yet, he had lots
        of wonderful ideas, such as housing for mentally ill and alternatives for hospitalization.

        • Well thank you, thank S…..rather read my stuff than potentially Freud….I’ll go with that! I do actually always attempt to depict real presidents and their families as human beings with an understanding of what they have experienced which may affect their policy or worldview – Although among the greatest, such as Eleanor Roosevelt. Lincoln, and I would have to add Jackie Kennedy, Eisenhower, Clinton, even good old Zachary Taylor – their perspective on human problems widened in proportion to their exposure to those with different backgrounds. More bluntly some of the less idolized or politically successful rank as high as the “great ones” when it comes to “emotional intelligence.”

          • I do apologise for continuing thread (some bloggers have rules about “thread con’t) but your reply
            was stimulating in re to lesser known 1st Ladies. It brings to mind Lou Hoover. She had quite an interest in promoting Sports for young women long before 20th Century feminism became popular. Pat Nixon also deserves more credit; she went from being a quiet HS teacher to WH, where she worked hard as 1st Lady. She traveled a great deal on behalf of her husband’s admiinistration and seemed to be very compassionate i.e. her foster grandparent’s program. Poor V.P. Dan Quale was so ridiculed, yet his wife, who appeared on TV talk shows quite a bit, appeared to be very poised & saavy. She was interested in natural disasters, like earthquakes/hurricanes & did a lot of advocacy for victims of this crisis. Pres.George W, should have appointed her to help out with “Katrina”.

            Ever since Caroline Kennedy released her mother’s tapes, I have been dying to ask you, Carl,
            how Pres. Johnson’s daughters, LindaBird & Lucy, reacted to Jackie’s remarks about their father.
            The press has not touched this subject. I would think they must feel hurt and perhaps betrayal. Jackie seemed to be very cordial to Johnson, before the tapes became public, Jackie came across as being very grateful to Pres. Johnson for his help & compassion after the assasination. I had even heard that Jackie & LadyBird were very close; that LadyBird was a frequent guest at her Red Gate estate in Martha’s Vineyard, (I will forgive you if you can’t comment on this).

            Yes, Carl, you do portray our first familys as human beings. You do this very well and without “trashing” their charactors or embellishing their weakness just to sell a few more copies.

          • Sorry for delay there…well, there’s certainly more First Ladies who go uncredited than do, but I think it also reflects the modesty factor of how women were trained to perceive themselves and that whatever they achieved as First Lady was due as credit not to them personally but their husbands’ Administrations because that was the reason they were given access and visibility to achieve what they did. Nancy Reagan was the one who initiated Foster Grandparents, by the way, a project she’d been introduced to as a Governor’s spouse – and may have been instrumental in getting federal funding for it. I’m not sure how the Johnson daughters responded to the taped remarks of Jackie Kennedy but I’m sure they understood the political minuet then going on between LBJ and Robert Kennedy. If one listens to the entire eight and a half hours of tapes, one will hear many other pleasant and appreciative remarks by Jackie Kennedy about Mrs. Johnson

  2. I’ve never seen Ms. Snookie engaged in what ever activity she engages in that has brought her to a place of prominence but – based on her photo and quotations: I’m adding her to my pantheon of goddesses. There, she will be enshrined with Ms. Tonya Harding and Ms. Pamela Smart.
    I, too, have had problems with the motion censored water and soap. Sometimes, they simply will NOT come out! I wave my hand in grateful acknowledgment of our common humanity. Thank you, Snookie!

  3. Carl:

    Once again you hit a homerun! I agree with Suzanne and would rather read one of your wonderful books than read one more self help book that tells me that everything is my fault! What a terrific burden when you are already trying to bring 100% consciousness to your own reality! To give it your all – to work and play with emotional intelligence – to see the forest through the trees and vice versa!

    You are right about the “great ones.” Who can say what any of them would have been if they had not had their problems, faced them – or not – and learned from that experience. We want to see our heros without any blemishes – but without the scars of lives lived fully, what would they have been? Your books, and most particularly to me, the Kennedy White House, put a truly human and compassionate face on presidents and first ladies. We are able to see them in their complexities – and thank you for that!

    Barbara

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