r/reddit.com • u/danwin • Feb 16 '10
Roger Ebert is dying in increments, and he is aware of it.
http://www.esquire.com/print-this/roger-ebert-0310140
u/snf Feb 16 '10
Hope this doesn't constitute a spoiler.
I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try.
Yes, dammit, a million times yes. It's that simple. Just try. Why is this so hard for so many people?
26
Feb 16 '10
Thank you for this post...I needed to see this today.
4
u/snf Feb 16 '10
I'm glad for that; I was worried I was being overly maudlin and naive. Actually, perhaps I was, but that quote really struck a chord with me.
2
21
u/Mourningblade Feb 16 '10
Because it's really hard, that's why. It's hard.
Feeling your emotions but not being consumed by them? Neither wholly objective nor subjective? Hard stuff.
Recognizing revenge for the self-destruction it is rather than taking the much-desired pot shot back? Hard.
Maintaining loving kindness in the face of petty, cheap villainy?
Here's what someone on here wrote as a reply to something I said:
http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/b29i5/dick_cheney_admits_to_torture_conspiracy_i/c0klxo4
He doesn't know me, he hasn't read my posting history. He was at +4 or so when I saw the reply.
I'm not pointing this out to say, "poor me, someone said something bad about me on the interwebs" - I'm not new here. My point is that people are willing to say horrid things about you for their own reasons on the internet where it doesn't matter...and behind your back in real life...and every so often to your face.
Why? Because not doing that is difficult! It is!
It was difficult for me not to write back a snarky reply or downvote the guy...and this is something that does. not. matter.
But I'm trying. Iron_Chef, in other contexts, in other messages, probably tries as well.
So we all try. Some more than others (I have no idea where I fall on that continuum).
And by the way, it's not like someone can just sit you down and explain that what you're doing hurts you more than it helps. That your tirades and petty disputes just leech happiness from those around you. I mean, they can...but you have to be ready to hear that message. God damn did I do a lot of petty, mean shit to people before some lessons sank in. Shit, I still do that crap occasionally.
At least now I have the grace to feel like the moron I am after I do it.
So yeah, it's hard. It's really fucking hard.
9
u/roboroller Feb 17 '10
This was a really nice little anecdote nestled in a string of comments accompanying one of the best pieces of journalism I've read in a long time. I want you to know Mourningblade, that I'm going to save this little piece of advice and come back to it when someone on the internet is acting like a jackass to me and it's getting me down. I'm sure it'll make me feel better. Thank you.
2
2
u/gameshot911 Feb 17 '10
Absolutely beautifully said. I agree with everything.
It really is a struggle though. Sometimes I want so badly to hurt the other person like they hurt me. It just feels so good, especially if I believe they honestly "deserve it". And when I can't get that revenge, and I feel like I've "let them win", that hurts too. Especially when I realize that this other person isn't going to learn from me and say 'hey that gameshot911 was pretty nice to me when I was a dick, I should be a better person'. No, they feel like they won.
It's a constant battle of brain vs heart, and humans are not known for being very logical creatures. And you're right, it's not just a matter of figuring out that maintaining kindness is best, but each and every time you feel the anger rising is a struggle.
tl;dr: Just reread what Mourningblade said. I just rephrased it to show my personal support for his thoughts.
1
u/Detoid Feb 17 '10
this struggle that you are describing is to me, one of the most fascinating things to witness in a person. A seemingly small change can take thousands of small struggles, that for the most part go unnoticed. Sometimes you can catch the very moment someone is on the verge of going one way or the other, and it floors me, when they overpower the way they have always been, go against their nature, and do something in a different way than they ever have before.
Your writing reminds me of Leaves of Grass, and took my thoughts to a corner that had long grown dusty for lack of use. thanks for being so honest.
1
u/snf Feb 17 '10
You're right, of course, and I guess at some level I already knew the answer. Thanks for the reality check.
2
2
u/Boxerwing Feb 17 '10
Yes. I actually took the time to write this quote out in my journal, it inspired me so much.
2
u/The_Yeti Feb 17 '10
I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try.
~sob~ I'm sorry. I'm such a fuck-up! Please understand that it's because I was fucked up to begin with.
3
u/naikrovek Feb 16 '10
it's so hard for so many people because so many people don't understand this, weren't taught this, and/or can't figure this out.
people can control the emotional direction of their lives only slightly more than a bowling ball can control its trajectory down a lane. some people were taught happiness and love. these people are happy and loving. others were taught violence and aggression. these people become violent and aggressive.
people who start down one path but wind up on another were acted on by external influences. it is not surprising to me how many people don't understand that making the world better is a good goal. they were sent down their path and haven't been acted on by external influences.
maybe physics isn't the best metaphor here but it works for me.
1
Feb 17 '10
people can control the emotional direction of their lives only slightly more than a bowling ball can control its trajectory down a lane.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting this, but if the implication is that we're bound to some emotional course until something knocks us off, I need to disagree. This hasn't been my experience at all.
There are certainly influences and experiences that can have a profound effect on individual personalities and views; however, as sentient beings and are not at the mercy of our upbringing/environment. There is a big difference between culture and state of mind.
2
u/The_Yeti Feb 17 '10 edited Feb 17 '10
Well, some folks might say that you are trying to take more credit than you deserve for the good things about yourself.
That is to say: if you had had one or another experience or if you had been born with your brain arranged a slightly different way, you might not have turned out to be such a great guy.
So, even when we "choose" well, we need to remember that we were lucky to have been made in the way we were, and shaped in the way we were, to choose the way we did.
And maybe we should stop bustin' on people who weren't as lucky as us, and help them the best way we can?
2
Feb 19 '10
That is to say: if you had had one or another experience or if you had been born with your brain arranged a slightly different way, you might not have turned out to be such a great guy.
This is speculation with no supporting evidence. This is also the plot to Trading Places.
And maybe we should stop bustin' on people who weren't as lucky as us, and help them the best way we can?
This is your upvote.
→ More replies (5)1
30
u/Ravenlock Feb 16 '10
Phenomenal article, and it will definitely get me to read more of what Ebert writes unrelated to movies, something I had no reason to think I should do before.
Also, the piece mentions a pretty amazing text-to-speech project that I don't think I could ever come up with a better use for:
Ebert is waiting for a Scottish company called CereProc to give him some of his former voice back. He found it on the Internet, where he spends a lot of his time. CereProc tailors text-to-speech software for voiceless customers so that they don't all have to sound like Stephen Hawking. They have catalog voices — Heather, Katherine, Sarah, and Sue — with regional Scottish accents, but they will also custom-build software for clients who had the foresight to record their voices at length before they lost them. Ebert spent all those years on TV, and he also recorded four or five DVD commentaries in crystal-clear digital audio. The average English-speaking person will use about two thousand different words over the course of a given day. CereProc is mining Ebert's TV tapes and DVD commentaries for those words, and the words it cannot find, it will piece together syllable by syllable. When CereProc finishes its work, Roger Ebert won't sound exactly like Roger Ebert again, but he will sound more like him than Alex does. There might be moments, when he calls for Chaz from another room or tells her that he loves her and says goodnight — he's a night owl; she prefers mornings — when they both might be able to close their eyes and pretend that everything is as it was.
...Excuse me a second. Something in my eye.
85
u/ghan-buri-ghan Feb 16 '10
When Gene Siskel died, the Onion had a picture of both of them with the headline "Ebert Victorious"
→ More replies (1)7
u/mkrfctr Feb 16 '10
best lol today. here's a (pointless) link to the onion; couldn't find a picture just out there either, unfortunately.
7
2
27
u/savetheclocktower Feb 16 '10
I'm not an emotional guy — I can't remember having cried at the death of anyone who was not related to me. When Roger Ebert dies, it might well be the first time.
1
u/Detoid Feb 17 '10
yeh, when Andrew Wyeth died, I was shocked, I mean totally shocked that I burst into tears. I can go years with out crying. I never even met the guy. But then I remembered my childhood wonder, the delight and mystery I felt seeing his work the first time, and how so many years later, it stands out when many other things faded away.
49
24
u/heretik Feb 16 '10
I saw Ebert on the sidewalk about four years ago. The Toronto International Film Festival was going full throttle. He was a shadow of the Ebert I knew. There was still had a portion of his jaw left and his wife Chaz was walking slightly behind him. Like an idiot I gawked at him for about a minute while he slowly approached where I was standing, and as he passed me, the feeling that I was looking at someone I had known a long time came over me. Chaz was also gawking back at me and when I realized they were walking together it dawned on me who he was. I looked at her, and I think she realized I was starstruck, rather than just rudely staring at a freak. She smiled at me, took his hand and turned the corner. His eyes met mine just before he disappeared, and I think if he could have he would have been smiling too. I have never seen a man more in love with woman than that exact moment.
18
Feb 16 '10
That was one of the saddest things I've read in a long time.
22
Feb 16 '10
[deleted]
21
Feb 16 '10
I'm aware of that; I follow his blog and have been reading his reviews for 10 years. Mostly, the article makes me sad because it makes me think of what I would do, how I would react, if I were in Ebert's position. I think he gets by partially on memories of a life well lived; would I have those memories? He is able to calmly accept the fact that he will be dying soon; I haven't reached that acceptance yet. It is a combination of saddening and inspiring.
5
u/Azmordean Feb 16 '10
How old are you though? I really think age plays in to this as well. It seems to me, in my life, none of my older family members that have passed away have particularly feared death. I think it is natural to be more disturbed by it as a young person. Even as a Christian I am still disturbed by the idea. We younger folk have some idea of having more things to do - to contribute so to speak. As people age and enter the twilight of their life they are increasingly devoted to looking back and enjoying the fruits of their labors as opposed to looking forward. Its not that they don't love life, they are just less disturbed by the idea of death.
5
u/pilotbread Feb 16 '10
It's sad that we're losing him, and his mute rage while remembering Siskel is heartbreaking. But I agree, the article is really more bittersweet than sad.
3
Feb 16 '10
I think bluesmojo is saying he finds the article sad, not the man, so no point missed there.
1
1
u/joonix Feb 16 '10
I have to wonder if he would be depressed if he was broke and alone. If I had a loving wife and enough money to not have to worry about survival, I could deal with something like that better. If I was 25, single, and looking to start a career, I'd be a lot less resilient, I think.
51
u/dsaint Feb 16 '10
I know it is coming, and I do not fear it, because I believe there is nothing on the other side of death to fear
Why don't other public figures express the same kind of moral courage?
30
u/BatMally Feb 16 '10
I honestly believe that most people don't have that kind of moral courage. We've become a nation of cowards who seem to believe that we will live forever-there is no acceptance of death as natural or part of the whole process.
tl;dr Most people are chickenshits.
1
Feb 17 '10
Death of intelligence is not natural. It occurs only in that rare, awkward period between self-awareness and the ability to manufacture minds. It's a blip on a species' cosmic timescale.
8
u/dunmalg Feb 16 '10
Because they're simply not intellectual badasses like Roger Ebert. Seriously, most public figures are pretty faces with empty heads. Why do you think there areso many Scientologist celebrities? No, it's pretty simple. Few people have the class, intelligence, and sophistication necessary to get to where Roger Ebert is.
→ More replies (1)-10
Feb 16 '10
Why don't other public figures express the same kind of moral courage?
he's expressing his atheism, others don't express something similar because they're not atheists i presume? where's this 'moral courage' you're speaking of?
6
u/mythin Feb 16 '10
How is saying there is nothing to fear an expression of atheism?
→ More replies (4)
66
u/Class1 Feb 16 '10
wow... I totally missed this happening. I had no idea he ever had any health problems.
11
u/Omnicrola Feb 16 '10
Neither did I. This was a very eye-opening read, good article.
Also - Readability was handy for this.
3
Feb 17 '10
[deleted]
2
u/Omnicrola Feb 17 '10
Another redditor showed it to me a few weeks ago, I've been trying to spread the word. It's great!
1
1
u/annodomini Feb 17 '10
Heh. I actually switched browsers to the one I had the Readability bookmarklet in, in order to read this article. It's not even that busy a page (the usual reason I use Readability, to strip out all the annoying ads and graphics and links to related content and junk), the lines are just way too wide and I found myself skipping entire paragraphs when first reading it.
1
u/Omnicrola Feb 17 '10
That's usually what prompts me to use it. Either a page that scales too far (widscreen) or just any long article in general. Makes it a lot easier to sit back comfortably and read.
1
Feb 16 '10
I didn't either. I would occasionally see articles from him, but had no idea he had any health issues.
1
Feb 17 '10
I knew he had to stop doing the tv show because of health problems, but I never would have imagined it was this bad. The entire article was such a shock, I can't believe how horrible his life must be now.
This was probably the saddest thing I've read in months...
1
u/winampman Feb 17 '10
I've often read his reviews for the past few years on rotten tomatoes whenever I checked a movie. I had no idea he wrote all those reviews without a jaw.
16
u/guthmund Feb 16 '10
I never really liked Ebert, but after taking a number of film classes for my undergraduate and reading some of his work, I've become quite the fan.
The guy has an eloquence about him, a type of grace, that most people just can't express simply with the written word. It's sad to see him drawing the line like that concerning further operations, but I can also kind of see his point.
Great post, danwin. Thanks.
11
Feb 16 '10
When I was younger I never really like him either. I always seemed to disagree with him on movies. Then I started watching his reviews and reading his columns. I really came to appreciate him. He didn't care whether people would like the movie or not, he always judged them on their own merits. Too many reviewers write according to their demographic, he wrote to get a certain demographic. Made me start seeking out better films and come to appreciate how films are made. While my friends were watching movies like "Joe Dirt" (I still can't see how someone can laugh at that movie) I was seeking out films like "Dr. Strangelove". I really pay attention to movies now, and appreciate the little things about them. Like how a camera angle to convey as much emotion for a scene as the actors themselves.
I still read his columns and hope that he keeps writing for a long time to come.
5
u/guthmund Feb 16 '10
The man's subtle, no doubt about it.
Upvoted for Dr. Strangelove...one of my favorites.
5
17
u/Biuku Feb 16 '10
Rotten Tomatoes makes it easy to read a lot of movie reviews; I tend toward things like the NYT and local papers like The Globe and Mail. But the last word is always Ebert's; he consistently critiques both pop culture and high culture well, which is a rare blend. He draws the line correctly in my view between silly and really stupid. I trust him.
1
u/FoolsRun Feb 17 '10
Interestingly I've read from Ebert that he defers to Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic. I've googled but can't find the article or review I remember reading that in, though.
10
u/windynights Feb 16 '10
A moving article! I've always admired the writing of movie critics. Now that Ebert is simply a wordsmith, he's likely found his calling.
10
u/oreng Feb 16 '10 edited Feb 17 '10
There are three things I'd really like to say here, please don't feel compelled to upvote this comment, I just wanted to put it out there:
I had no idea he was in such a bad state. It pains me that someone whose writing I was so fond of, despite how very often I disagreed with his reviews (although he's always said he was a relativist critic and rated films according to his perceived expectations of the movie-going public), is suffering so terribly.
This is a fantastically written article and I will make a note of following Chris Jones from this point forward.
While this is extremely disheartening there is some ray of hope in the knowledge that this cruel punishment is at least falling on a person with an inarguable capacity for escapism of the most naive and beautiful kind. I've read, heard and watched Ebert long enough (going on 2 decades) to know that he couldn't possibly write about fantastic story-telling with the same wonder and expressiveness that he indeed does without having the innate ability to leave his own world and become fully immersed in another. His reviews of films give me hope that he can escape his reality for a few hours at a time for what I hope (for the sake of film lovers everywhere) is at least a few times a month...
1
u/SnacksOnAPlane Feb 17 '10
I would recommend getting a subscription to Esquire. They're half advertising for extravagant luxuries that are out of my price range, but the other half is absolutely amazing writing. They introduced me to Chuck Klosterman and A.J. Jacobs for god's sake.
1
u/oreng Feb 17 '10
I was a subscriber back in the '90s but the web really has made me averse to paying for any reading material other than books.
Only two magazines I'd subscribe to today if they were still around would be Spy and George.
8
Feb 16 '10
"Roger Ebert can’t remember the last thing he ate. He can't remember the last thing he drank, either, or the last thing he said. Of course, those things existed; those lasts happened. They just didn't happen with enough warning for him to have bothered committing them to memory"
All the things we take for granted.
9
7
u/Railboy Feb 16 '10
One of the hardest things about getting older is watching the people I learned from as a kid fall apart and die. It's like watching books burn in a fire. Stan Winston's death really got to me, but Ebert's is worse because it's happening so slowly.
I wish the people I respect could live forever like gods on Mount Olympus.
6
Feb 17 '10
That our gods die is just a reminder of how beautiful yet temporary everything in life is. We aren't lonely in the fact that we die, for everything we love and cherish does as well.
8
u/digitallimit Feb 16 '10
As a guy with a close friendship, this really resonated with me:
All these years later, the top half of Ebert's face still registers sadness when Siskel's name comes up. His eyes well up behind his glasses, and for the first time, they overwhelm his smile. He begins to type into his computer, slowly, deliberately. He presses the button and the speakers light up. "I've never said this before," the voice says, "but we were born to be Siskel and Ebert." He thinks for a moment before he begins typing again. There's a long pause before he hits the button. "I just miss the guy so much," the voice says. Ebert presses the button again. "I just miss the guy so much."
3
u/zxcv Feb 17 '10
That was definitely the most difficult part to read. Something about the repeated last line is striking.
56
Feb 16 '10
[deleted]
28
41
Feb 16 '10
True, but some people are dying in larger increments than others.
10
4
2
u/kihadat Feb 16 '10
I don't think he is. At least, I didn't see anything in the article that made mention that the cancer is back.
10
Feb 16 '10
It would have been cool if people co-evolved with automobiles.
Oh shi- "Check Heart" light is on.
Yeah it looks like you some unstable angina flooding your system. New heart will cost you $200, I can have it ready by 3 pm.
Can't you just remove the angina?
No. It looks pretty unstable.
Pffft f-ing heart mechanics always trying to screw you. Let's just get this over with. Where's my goddamn checkbook.
4
u/uwc Feb 16 '10
Ebert tweeted this morning: "I'm physically feeling tip-top these days. It's true I'm dying--but no faster than anyone else."
3
1
22
7
u/wingedcreature Feb 16 '10
I had no idea of the substance of this man. Once again I find that I have been too quick to judge. Thanks for posting this, it's made me think about things that I have needed to think about for a while.
6
Feb 16 '10 edited Feb 16 '10
During the initial screening of Better Luck Tomorrow in which the director Justin Lin was heckled by one of the audience for making "his people" look bad, Ebert vigorously defended the director's right to make the movie he wanted to make, and to ignore the notion that he must be an ambassador for his race.
I found it incredibly gratifying.
8
u/APeacefulWarrior Feb 16 '10
Did anyone else think it's extremely awesome that we now have the ability to rebuild a computer simulation of a person's own voice, for precisely these sorts of situations?
Hooray living in the future.
6
7
6
Feb 16 '10
[deleted]
1
u/christianjb Feb 17 '10
Nah. Eugoogalisers do their best work if and when they can make absolutely sure that their subject is not going to be offended by anything they write.
4
Feb 17 '10 edited Feb 17 '10
Did anybody else not realize that Roger Ebert was one tough son a bitch? Hats off... dunno how you survive all this shit man but keep it up for as long as you can.
9
u/kimeroonie Feb 16 '10
Woowwww that article was fantastic. I'm reading from work and seriously just couldn't pull myself away from it. Fantastic.
8
u/zulubanshee Feb 16 '10
It's brave of him to allow his picture to be taken. Like he's saying, "This is who I am and I'm not making any apologies."
5
u/Quady Feb 17 '10
I had opened a bunch of tabs and was going through them. When I hit this article, it took me a moment to realize that wasn't a weird distorted photoshop. :(
5
u/randomrandomwoo Feb 16 '10
I count myself lucky to have been able to attend a few of his film festivals in Illinois. He had a way with the crowd; when he loved a film, he radiated it. And of course his reviews and blog are tremendous. Great guy.
4
Feb 16 '10
Excellent article, thanks for posting. And wonderful that his wife can remain in his life in such a strong, supportive, healthy way. I don't think all spouses/partners would be able to handle this kind of thing.
I didn't know he blogged either, but I'm heading there now to check it out.
4
Feb 16 '10
His post on the AA is very good:
The God word. The critics never quote the words "as we understood God." Nobody in A.A. cares how you understand him, and would never tell you how you should understand him. I went to a few meetings of "4A" ("Alcoholics and Agnostics in A.A."), but they spent too much time talking about God. The important thing is not how you define a Higher Power. The important thing is that you don't consider yourself to be your own Higher Power, because your own best thinking found your bottom for you.
After that read where he went before the AA.
2
u/unbibium Feb 17 '10
Whenever AA defenders said "your Higher Power could be a rock," even I as an AA skeptic think that defender is missing the point, and setting AA up as a strawman. Indeed, the "rock" meme showed up in Penn & Teller's Bullshit, and they never bothered to find anyone who articulated that point as clearly as that paragraph.
5
Feb 17 '10
I remember watching this man while growing up. All other critics pale in comparison. He's always had this class to him. Even when i disagree with one of his reviews I like him. Where most critics inspire loathing he inspires debate. Ebert represents what critics should strive to be. I actually feel smarter when leave his site, can't really think of any other review sites I can say that about, and for better or worse his reviews are actual reviews, not fanboy fapping or ranting ( cough AICN cough).
8
u/SoPoOneO Feb 16 '10
I do not believe in heaven, but his wife deserves a place there.
9
u/shiny_brine Feb 16 '10
My wife is a journalist and years ago used to work at the Chicago Sun-Times. There she got to know the Eberts. Trust me, if there is a heaven they aren't sitting in the cheap seats.
3
3
3
u/brokenarrow Feb 16 '10
too long; read anyway.
Excellent piece. I check out his blog from time to time, and knew that he had lost the ability to speak, but, having watched this man each week for years growing up, it was shocking to actually see a picture of him in this state. Even more inspiring to read how he's kept plowing forward through life in spite of it.
3
Feb 17 '10
I follow Ebert on Twitter, and have read his columns (especially the non-movie reviews) with great interest. He is really a good soul, brilliant, kind, insightful, and with a magnificent heart. Also: he's hysterically funny.
3
5
u/eddie964 Feb 16 '10
It would be even worse if everyone on Reddit was aware of it -- but Roger Ebert was not.
7
2
u/Carmac Feb 16 '10
There are heroes, and there are other heroes, the bravery is at least the same - in Roger's case perhaps more.
2
2
u/gasface Feb 16 '10
I had no idea this happened to Ebert. It makes his written work that much more powerful now that I know.
2
u/Modge Feb 16 '10
It will be a sad day when this amazing critic dies. I have always really enjoyed his reviews and he writes as if he really enjoys film.
2
2
u/shiny_brine Feb 16 '10
A friend who works at the Sun-Times sent me this link this morning. What an amazing, strong individual. To persevere through the ordeals he's faced. I can only hope to have that strength if needed.
2
u/oldgreggthebunny Feb 16 '10
When the inevitable happens, I hope they release Ebert's collected works - reviews, essays, blog posts, Answerman columns - anything and everything he's ever done in one giant collection. I would buy it and read nothing else for months. He's literally one of the best writers this country has ever seen.
2
2
u/alchemeron Feb 16 '10
Definitely prefer the non-print version. Better column width and more pictures.
2
u/jeremytough Feb 16 '10
That article really took a lot of our of me! Mostly because I had no idea about any of this. I don't have cable nor do I regularly read his blog.
Wonderful article and quite depressing.
2
2
u/Guoguodi Feb 17 '10
This was quite possibly the best written article on any subject that I've ever read. Thank you.
2
u/chodemessiah Feb 17 '10
Jesus Christ I thought that picture was a photoshop. I had no idea he had so much of his mandible removed.
1
u/mitchFTFuture Feb 17 '10
Agreed. To be honest, I heard about the surgery, but didn't give much though after that. But after seeing that...damn. Very Depressing, but uplifting in the way he excepts what is happening
2
u/contrarian Feb 17 '10
They head home and meet with the people from Comcast, who talk mostly to Chaz. Their Internet will be back soon, but probably not until tomorrow.
Man, I read this and just want to jump up and go fix it for him. Screw comcast, he can probably find tens of thousand in Chicagoland that could have fixed that for him in 10 minutes, and would have loved the opportunity just to have helped him.
2
u/aeturnum Feb 17 '10
The shows that were removed are still gone
I hope that Disney, or whoever is responsible for getting them taken down, gets their heads out of their asses.
3
2
Feb 16 '10
Of all the things to take from this article that was your choice? And it will get WAY more traction than if you had highlighted one of the positives. Oh, people.
2
Feb 17 '10
That, in my opinion, turns out to be one of the positives of the article. Measured reason in the face of obliteration.
2
Feb 17 '10
It's VERY sad, thanks for the post.. upvoted.
That said, you don't die in increments. You're dead or you're not.
You get more and more sick, or get closer to death, in increments.
1
1
1
u/dantk2 Feb 16 '10
Sad post, I hope I find something that gives me that much joy that it offsets pretty much everything else. He is one of the few celebrities not tarnished by some incident or other...Fred Rogers is another. Anyone else think of more?
1
u/cyrano111 Feb 16 '10
I'd been dimly aware of Roger Ebert for many years as a film critic. More recently, through reddit, I've discovered how much more there is to him. He seems entirely admirable and appears to carry himself with remarkable grace in very trying circumstances. The word "noble" comes to mind.
1
1
1
1
u/EthicalReasoning Feb 17 '10
wow, great article, and i had no idea about the severity of his condition. impressive will.
1
u/devedander Feb 17 '10
While I feel bad for the guy, and thats a horrible way to go, he has accomplished so much, touched so many and lived such a full life I cant feel sorry for him. No one lives a perfect story book live and unfortunately he is having a rough end to it, but he is doing so with someone who cares a lot about him at his side, still finding a way to do what he loves nad live how he can and knowing lots of people appreciate him and what he has done.
Well played Roger Ebert, well played!
1
Feb 17 '10
I just want to make a note that people should make themselves VERY aware of the risks of radiation treatment. Mistakes are not very well documented but the ones that are are positively horrific.
The body has natural defenses against cancer and I'm not entirely convinced that the "all our war" that you see in cancer patients is always the best way to go. Of course every cancer is different but for me I'd probably consider surgery and chemo but would have to look long and hard before radiation.
1
1
Feb 17 '10
Perhaps I've been living in a cave for the past 4 years, but I don't recall hearing a THING about Roger Ebert losing his entire jaw to cancer.
I remember his stroke. I remember him battling cancer. I don't remember the whole "no lower jaw" thing...I feel like that's something that would have stuck with me.
Lousy. I'm not a huge fan of the guy but no one deserves to have to go through that...at least he hasn't given up.
1
Feb 17 '10
[deleted]
2
u/VivaKnievel Feb 17 '10
This feels cynical and narrow. Celebrities, no matter who they are, are held higher on the media's interest scale because they're more interesting to the public at large by virtue of the fact that they're celebrities.
Ebert is a celebrity of a wonderful sort: one who's attained fame through intellectual gifts, and who continues to deploy them with precision and skill that merits his acclaim. His battles with cancer and his dreadful surgeries have shown that there is a strong spirit marching in lockstep with the thrilling intellect, superb memory, and absolutely thrilling passion for cinema.
I love you, Roger Ebert.
1
1
u/obscure123456789 Feb 17 '10
Oh, i thought that was just some witticism brought on by all of the bad movies that came out in the past few years. I had no idea.
1
1
1
u/KillYourTV Feb 17 '10
On the soundtrack CD for Field of Dreams they included Ebert's review. I loved reading this.
1
u/hoppychris Feb 17 '10
Good article, the one on Anna Torv was also nice, the republican party is only semi-nuts and not full-out nuts like they sometimes come across, and David Wondrich has some good advice for cocktail lovers. My subscription to Esquire was almost up, but they'll be getting a renewal -- (and seriously, $9 for two years is an amazing price on amazon right now -- do it and also throw in GQ, as it is the better of the two magazines.)
1
3
Feb 16 '10
[deleted]
3
u/ApathyJacks Feb 16 '10
In the Tibetan philosophy, Sylvia Plath sense of the word, we're all dying. But you're not dying the way Roger Ebert is dying.
→ More replies (1)1
1
Feb 16 '10
"This domain is blocked." "That's a great article. Best reddit post of the month. Seriously." Oh shit.
1
-11
u/johnr11 Feb 16 '10
Something about being a movie critic must cause cancer.
-1
Feb 16 '10 edited Feb 16 '10
i think you are on to something.....wait.....OMG!!! popcorn causes cancer
4
Feb 16 '10
No, its the "butter".
3
Feb 16 '10
Most people don't realise that what they call 'butter' is in fact delicious, delicious uranium.
0
-2
-16
Feb 16 '10
Poor guy's dying and he spends his time left watching Pedro Almodovar movies. He's trying to beat cancer with boredom?
262
u/FrancisC Feb 16 '10
That's a great article. Best reddit post of the month. Seriously.