Ah, I know I may have beat this dead horse to death… But I find very few things more relaxing then a glass of wine and sitting down in front of the boob tube and listening to Hawkeye banter on like some moron and experiencing both ends of the human emotional range. To be honest, I’ve often thought about why this old, dead sitcom appeals to me. Well, the only thing I can come up with is Pablo Neruda…
Now the two may not seem to have any similarities, but on the other hand… Well let me explain. In Neruda’s autobiographical book, Confieso he vivido, he talks in detail about being outside of his “patria.” This theme, once you’ve identified it tends to run deep throughout his work. His encyclopedic book, El Canto General, was written while we was being pursued through his own country and then while in exile. And I love both books.
MASH, in the same tone, is about a group of people stuck outside of their own land against their own will. And that is why I love it. The sense of trying to fit in where you don’t. Of not understanding the language, of seeing life from a completely absurd, out of the box point of view. It reminds me of those moments when deep inside myself I learned 100 percent from a surrounding that was opaque and at the same time beautiful. It’s about being the outsider and loving every minute of it.
So I watch MASH. Deal with it.
And if you can understand any of that ramble, you’re half way there.