On a Sunday afternoon - listening to G&S's MIKKADO, ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA, LEON REDBONE, and 'flamenco guitar' solos by an acquaintamce...

After listening to G&S's MIKKADO; I came to the realization how much our 'perceptions' erroneous or not have been influenced/coerced by pop culture. We largely regarded JAPANESE as small, little, creatures until PEARL HARBOR and the transistorized 1950's and now the TOYOTAIZED 2000's as the economic force and 'genius' they contribute to the world - because of GILBERT&SULLIVANS 'light opera'.Same could be said in the way the 'Western World' regarded CHINESE through the eyes of CHARLIE CHAN in books/movies 'NUMBER ONE SON' CHARLIE always 'played' by Occidental actors portraying 'CHINESE/ORIENTAL' inscrutability and cunning that is until we 'NOW' find ourselves 'buying' goods largely made in China and fearing their ‘nookier’ (JIMMY’afraid-of-wabbits-i-am’CARTER spelling/pronounciation). But it didn't/doesn't stop there - 'our' WESTERN WAY of denigrating/depicting INDIAN PEOPLES probably achieved its apeothis with movies like GUNGA DIN where the 'INDIAN FANATIC/NATIONALIST was played by SAM JAFFEE opposite handsome/erudite ERROL FLYNN, CARY GRANT, DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS JR., and VICTOR McLAGLEN as BRITT soldiers and of course there was 'THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE' (my first exposure to poetry not in children's books) with ERROL FLYNN again playing the 'good' BRITT soldier in his unrequited lovequest for OLIVIA DeHAVILLAND with the 'evil' SURAT KHAN being the 'badguy'(played deliciously by C. HENRY GORDON) [with supporting roles played by NIGEL BRUCE, SPRING BYINGTON,and little ROBERT BLAKE as ‘Prina’ son of LEO G. CARROL} INDIAN and thoroughly untrustworthy/despicable not like the inoffensive 'BABU' of the modern day SIMPSONS or the 'movie creations' for the masses of the INDIAN SUBCONTINENT pumped out in productions by 'BOLLYWOOD'...And I can't help but wonder how different would have been thought of JEWS in general if not for MASTER SHAKESPEARE's 'MERCHANT OF VENICE' with his characterization of SHYLOCK outdoing CHRIS MARLOWE's 'THE JEW OF MALTA' and all its perverse bigotry and offensive stereotypes that lead us today to regard JEWS as the 'other'...Which leads me to thoughts of the AMERICAN/WORLD CLASSIC 'UNCLE TOM'S CABIN' and the war ABE LINCOLN said "...the little woman who created this epic - started" still cringing at sobriquets like "UNCLE TOM" taken to mean exactly the opposite of the kind BLACKMAN that helped 'LITTLE LIZA'...What of CHARLES DICKENS and his story THE CHRISTMAS CAROL creating 'myths' of CHRISTMAS...Which lands me at the present wondering if J.K.ROWLING's 'HARRY POTTER BOOKS MOVIES' will change/augment our feeling about magic/'muggles' or will pop icons like BRITNEY or PARIS or ANGELINA(ANGEINA as the heart/throb of all boys/girls as the erotic/forceful Lara Croft ‘TOMB RAIDER’) somehow influence future generations with their 'out-of-control' rants and showing their 'kooze' to attract without thongs/panties notoriety or will JOHHNY DEPP his suaveness and 'throw-away witty asides' as CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW influence our regard for pirates as benevolent rogues as much as WALLACE BEERY/ROBERT NEWTON did in the original LONG JOHN SILVER TREASUE ISLAND remakes...Who and What will influence the world's way of looking-considering at things in this age of world-wide internet connection...What images/creations will set our ‘notions’ what will it be??? and I thrill to the changes of CARMINA BURANA and enjoy the idle music of ramblings as LEON REDBONE SOUTHERN-STYLE ‘blues singer/hipster’ from N.J. takes me back to a simpler time and lose myself in **** ****** mastery on a single guitar as the notes carry me away...far away...AND FINALLY I AM AT REST THIS SLEAZY SERENE SUNDAY AFTERNOON.