Well, there were 4 of us in attendance, 2 of whom had not previously been to any meetings.
We spoke about a variety of issues including (but not limited to) the effect that Prager has had on our lives, Jewish ethics, liberal mentality, education, Thomas Sowell, Milton Friedman, the consequences of being in college these days, Prager's phenomenal ability to articulate issues in such a way that he can change minds, and a variety of "Pragerisms."
Another question we pondered is how would one describe Dennis Prager to someone who doesn't know who he is.
All of us plan to attend Prager's presentation in Cherry Hill on February 7th.
Once again, it was great to be able to sit down and have stimulating conversations with like-minded people.
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7 comments:
Well, I'm glad that it went nicely for you in NJ.
I drove to Willow Grove, which isn't around the corner, and sat there by myself until after 8:00 p.m. When I finished my tea, I left. I didn't recognize anyone, and I didn't see anyone who might even have been there for a meeting. Rather than being quiet and empty, the small cafe was packed with college students home for the holidays, with their books and laptops. I had to wait to even get a table. It was awful, and I don't think I'll be doing this again.
Lynda,
I think the only reason that any meetings might have taken place tonight is because of the emails that Randy circulated.
There has been no direction "from the top" about any of this. I was hoping that a site like this might serve to help members in various parts of this region to organize and better coordinate things. Perhaps when and if more people make use of it, all of us will be able to know in advance when the best time and place for meetings would be, and how many will be in attendance.
Am I remembering correctly that you once indicated that you attended a meeting in Jenkintown? I'm assuming that Jenkintown wasn't on Randy's list since you drove all the way to Willow Grove.
Anyway, I truly believe that these "meetups" are a work in progress, and I hope you reconsider your inclination to bail out.
You're right, Jenkintown wasn't on the list, and the closest store to my area was the one in Willow Grove.
As far as I'm concerned, the idea of going to an open, public place that's filled with people, trying to identify complete strangers, is just plain ridiculous. I felt like an idiot, sitting there alone, not knowing who I was supposed to be looking for. From now on, unless I know in advance who I'm supposed to be meeting, and we've discussed how we will identify each other, I'm not going.
After the first meeting I attended, I wrote to Randy, telling him what happened--the crowded cafe, the discomfort of not having a clue who you were supposed to meet, etc. I also suggested that it might be better to meet in a library meeting room or in the meeting room that some of the Barnes & Nobles have. He really should take Dennis Prager's advice about not taking everything personally! He sent me nasty post in response, essentially saying, "The people who came were at fault. Don't blame ME."
For some reason, he and unnamed others are really committed to the Barnes & Noble cafe idea, an idea with which I disagree. I've tried it twice, and I don't like it at all.
Oh, yes, he was critical of the three of us who stayed at the first meeting, because I told him that the conversation was wide-ranging and largely unfocused. He smugly reminded me that he had, in his written suggestions, said that, if no coordinator arrived, one of the group should assume the leader/moderator role. If nobody took his advice, then it wasn't HIS fault...honestly, that's what he said!
Lynda, he is only 1 of at least 7 organizers (I sort of regret not having signed up to be an organizer).
Prager and his staff have absolutely nothing to do with what's happening with these "meetup" or discussion groups.
It's really up to us to figure out how to proceed.
I am not a "groupie" kind of guy. I detest self-help groups, for example, and I have never before in my entire life joined any "group."
But Prager has made such a difference in my thinking that for this one exception I changed my ways.
It really has been comforting to me to be able to meet real live people who share my concerns and perspectives - many of which have been shaped by Dennis Prager.
Over the past 2 years, I must have sent him at least 20 emails; he never responded to even one. I don't care. I don't even care if when he read my emails, he thought to himself, "What a shmuck!"
Whatever he thinks of me personally would not affect my admiration for him.
Earlier tonight at the meeting, we were talking about the experience of sort of having gut feelings about certain matters - and how wonderful it was when we heard Prager articulating in such a common sense sort of way what we were intuitively feeling. We all commented on the experience of saying to ourselves, "Hey, I've never thought about it that way before."
At the first meeting I attended, I learned that there was a female member who lives in Wynnewood and who was unable to attend that particular evening - had offered to host a meeting at her house.
There are so many possibilities, but there hasn't been any sort of forum to accommodate them. That was my primary motivation for putting up this blog site.
So, I guess I'm asking you to be more patient, and to just wait and see whether or not something constructive might evolve.
Even if nothing else comes of it, I enjoy communicating with you.
Oh, I never thought that Dennis Prager or his staff had anything to do with any of this.
I'm not giving up, I'll just wait for better arrangements. I'm disappointed because I would also enjoy meeting people in real life, who share my concerns and want to talk about things that I believe are important.
There was an upside to the waste of time last night--it got me out of attending a boring committee meeting I really didn't want to attend anyway.
Lynda:
That's too bad about the Willow Grove meetup!
I think the Barnes & Noble idea is popular because it has a sit-down area where you will not be bothered by a waitress, won't be asked to leave if you stay for a significant period of time, and it's a public store so you do not have to worry about giving out your address.
I know a serious problem for me is I cannot attend any meetings that are not on Tuesday nights - it is the only night I can get out of the house without the children. I seriously doubt you would want to meet a toddler and an infant after their bedtime on a weeknight!
And alas, I won't be able to attend the Prager presentation in February. Not only is it on a Tuesday night, but I literally cannot afford the $36 and the auto fuel to drive there at this time, due to several extremely large bills that have been dumped in my lap - today, actually.
Hopefully we'll be able to meet some time in 2008, if the butterflies in China turn just so, and the jetstream stays far enough north, and... :-)
Rach
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