Television Before Its Time

with Marjorie Salzwedel

Hi, Don,

I think of you and Bill Bowler and Bewildering Stories and that great staff you have, and I check in on your issues from time to time.

I enjoyed your piece “A Space Without Borders.” It was an eye-opener reminding me that the whole world is watching and reading stories globally now. The audiences in Greek amphithetres could never have imagined this. Nor could have the cave dwellers in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” imagined such a thing, confining themselves to watching and fearing mere shadows. Man has come a long way. Are we enlightened yet?

Best regards,

Marjorie Salzwedel

Thank you for the good wishes, Marjorie; a good word goes a long way. We at Bewildering Stories are always glad to hear from old friends.

A funny thing about Plato’s idea of shadows on a cave wall: I once heard it described as an image of television before its time. Not bad, I thought.

Fearing shadows? We must distinguish between fiction and reality. TV series about vampires or other hobgoblins are supposed to be fun. In olden times, they’d have been myths, epics, or romances.

For example, I’m fond of the series Stargate: Atlantis, where the space-alien “bad guys” are really garden-variety vampires, although they’re not called that. The series isn’t really scary; it’s tongue-in-cheek melodrama spiced with some well-choreographed action.

And best of all, at least three of the “vampire” types turn out to be very interesting characters. Their point of view makes one appreciate how the “good guys” can be caught in moral dilemmas and how good intentions can have unintended consequences.

The really scary shadows on the cave wall are the news reports, especially about people who can’t seem to distinguish between truth and fiction.

Best wishes for success in writing your memoir, Marjorie; that sort of thing can be enjoyable. And we’re looking forward to hearing from you again.

Don