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nomanwalksalone · 4 years ago

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ALTERNATIVE STYLE ICON: RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN IN WALLENBERG: A HERO’S STORY

by Réginald-Jérôme de Mans

The writer George Santayana famously wrote that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Ironically many who repeat his quote forget who first uttered it.

I had long meant to write about Richard Chamberlain in this role. I once referred to him as “the fey king of the miniseries” and I don’t regret it: foppish, almost milquetoast in fare as varied as a two-part TV version of The Bourne Identity (with Jaclyn Smith, natch), Shogun, and as a leading candidate for an honorary Seinfeld puffy shirt: Not only did he play the Count of Monte Cristo in a 1975 TV movie, but a bunch of what Elaine Benes would have called chandelier-swinging characters in other Dumas adaptations, including Aramis in Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers and Louis XIV and his twin in The Man in the Iron Mask. Postmodern swashbuckler author Arturo Perez-Reverte even described a character in one of his own novels as looking “like Richard Chamberlain in The Thorn Birds, only more manly.” That same Thorn Birds role, Father Ralph de Bricassart, also inspired a certain Rhunette Ferguson to give her son, a future New York Jets player, perhaps my favorite name ever: D’Brickashaw.

Dubbing Chamberlain an Alternative Style Icon for his role as Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is low-hanging fruit. For years this TV special dwelt at the bottom of my Netflix queue for that express purpose. Former Savile Row tailors Manning & Manning won an Emmy award for the outfits they made for him; decades later Bryan Manning had some very interesting things to say to the inimitable Simon Crompton of Permanent Style about the 1930s and 1940s cutting styles he had to adopt for Chamberlain’s outfits for the movie. Chamberlain’s costumes are appropriately dashing, from the full diplomatic gala white tie ensemble worn while conspiring with the Papal Nuncio of Budapest to a tan double-breasted suit with horizontal peaked lapels that is, quite simply, magnificent. Zagreb, one of the most beautiful cities in eastern Europe, admirably filled in for 1940s Budapest and Stockholm in the making of this production. I’m fairly certain that I’ve stayed at the Zagreb hotel on whose esplanade Chamberlain wore that suit, in an early expository scene where the American and Swedish governments encourage Wallenberg to take a position with the Swedish legation in Budapest. I’ve been told Zagreb’s one of two cities in Europe where the street lamps in certain neighborhoods are still gaslit. Gaslighting happens to have been one of the reasons that I finally wrote about this icon.

Of course there’s plenty to mock in the conventions of this telefilm, even beyond Chamberlain’s indisputable 1970s and 1980s stock hero status: its heavy-handed setup and plotting, making Wallenberg out to be a one-man anti-Nazi force from his time at home in Sweden (wearing a U. Michigan sweatshirt to indicate that he had studied in the US - did college sweatshirts even exist back then?). Miniseries meant melodrama and its archetypal characters: an adorable child whom Wallenberg saves from the death camps only to die of illness; a shoehorned-in love interest in the form of a kindhearted baroness who lobbies her suspicious husband to relax the Hungarian government's strictures on Jews; a fiery Hungarian resistance fighter who provides the unofficial, combative counterpoint to Wallenberg’s diplomatic, humanitarian efforts through official channels. And, of course, Wallenberg’s kidnapping by the Soviets at the fall of Budapest meant his story was perfectly framed for 1985, when we still couldn’t trust those Russians. (In fact, to this day no one knows what they did with him.)

A few appropriately haunting and powerful moments do ring true, including Wallenberg’s cordial verbal fencing matches over contraband Scotch and cigarettes with Adolf Eichmann. Whether those meetings really took place in that form or not, their film versions appropriately capture the realities of how we are forced to engage with evil. Rarely are we simply battling an easily identifiable other, weapon to weapon. Instead, we encounter evil in the everyday – in fact, it seeks us out, finds shared ground, converses with us over pleasantries and hospitality even as we recognize its intentions. It identifies with us, we identify with it. Even as you know it is evil.

Eichmann had made it his avowed duty to kill the Jews of Europe. Wallenberg’s mission, as an emissary of an officially neutral power, was to help save as many as he could. And he did, through famously fearless, reckless endeavors including the distribution of thousands of official-looking Swedish passes to the Jews of Budapest, the creation of vast cultural centers and warehouses in the Swedish mission buildings in which these new countrymen could work under the aegis of their adoptive country, and savvy diplomatic maneuvering with the Hungarian and German authorities and military. He went as far as to climb on top of a train bound for Auschwitz and distribute passes to as many deportees as he could while soldiers fired shots at him. Looking back, historians suggest they were firing over his head to warn him as they could easily have dropped him at that range, but it’s not likely Wallenberg knew that at the time.

At that time diplomats of neutral powers could make fortunes more safely as armchair heroes: playboy Porfirio Rubirosa reportedly did so in Paris selling visas to the Dominican Republic to French Jews during World War II. In that respect, perhaps, both he and Wallenberg were heroes… of different sorts.

Wallenberg did not do it for money. The Wallenbergs were Swedish aristocracy (with, the film takes pains to remind us, an ounce of Jewish blood) with considerable means – hence the finely tailored wardrobe for Chamberlain. Thus, an easy cynical response to this essay could be that a rich aristocrat with diplomatic immunity risked nothing swanning around the salons of Budapest, just like the fictional gentleman spies we read about and watch on screen.

That response is wrong. Heroism is not just born of opportunity. It is recognizing when a choice confronts you and taking the difficult, unpopular and dangerous one in order to do what is right. Fictional heroes like Bond or Steed rarely suffer meaningful personal loss and rarely confront the reality of evil. Evil is your friend with many positive qualities, maybe more intelligent or cultured or better dressed than you, the one you looked up to, who gradually reveals the awful things he or she believes and has done. Evil is those complicit in carrying out those things by their inaction, their credulity, or their cooperation, not at the point of a gun but of a paycheck. Evil is legal, logically explained, repeated and reported until its baseless reasoning becomes fact and the foundation for more lies, more evil. Evil can so easily become the system.

Hindsight is a handicap, for it doesn’t usually permit us to see that there were no times without ambiguity in battles between good and evil and no certainty that good triumphs. We have the privilege of retrospect to acknowledge the dashing diplomat in Savile Row suits was a hero for saving innocents from deportation and death as part of the most ghastly genocide in history. We learned what genocide is, and had to invent the word to describe it. Because at that time the people singled out for persecution and death were unpopular, historically, socially and legally marginalized, supposedly easily identifiable and classifiable. A group that societies had made it easy - through regulation, ghettoization, oppression and antagonism – to hate, and whole false narratives drawn up to explain why that group hated and wanted to destroy us even more than we them.

One of A Hero’s Story’s most timely and inspiring lines is Wallenberg’s reply to the Hungarian ruler’s query why the King of Sweden cared so much about the Jews of another country, when he was a Christian. Wallenberg reminded the prime minister that the King’s “concerns transcend religion or national borders.” That concern is humanity, our lowest common denominator, our shared recognition of our capacity for suffering. That concern drove a man to acts of incredible selflessness, a generous mercy that seems to have cost him his liberty and his life. There is no romance to Raoul Wallenberg’s fate. It is worth remembering that he probably saw little romance in the actions he took in Budapest.

Now is no less an unromantic time, no less a time when others – so many different others –are easily denigrated, feared, distrusted, brutalized. Otherization, both of many within our borders and pressing against them, has returned, as has fascism, with apologists blandly elegant or brutally populist, like some inauspicious comet in our skies. Now, again, is a time for heroes – men and women who recognize how difficult and dangerous it is to do what is right. That struggle is far from those of Chamberlain’s habitual roles swashbuckling against a monolithic, universally despicable, evil. Evil is among us, habituating us, desensitizing us, gaslighting us. Far from frills and fanfare, celebration, or certainty of triumph, can we place ourselves in Wallenberg’s Budapester shoes and do what is right?

Quality content, like quality clothing, ages well. This post first appeared on the No Man blog in February 2017.

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touristguidebuzz · 8 years ago

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Travel Booking Site CEOs Condemn Trump’s Travel Ban for Muslim-Majority Countries

Demonstrators sit down in the concourse and hold a sign that reads "We are America," as more than 1,000 people gathered at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to protest President Donald Trump's order that restricts immigration to the U.S., Saturday, January 28, 2017. Genna Martin / seattlepi.com via AP

Skift Take: What TripAdvisor CEO Kaufer tweeted about Republican Congress members holds true for the travel industry, as well: This is not the time to be silent about an issue that cuts to the core of travel and democracy in the U.S.

— Dennis Schaal

The CEOs of Expedia Inc., Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Lyft and Uber condemned the Trump administration’s executive order to temporarily ban immigrants, refugees, and even green card-holders from seven majority-Muslim countries, while elsewhere within the U.S. travel industry there was a more tepid response or even silence.

U.S. federal judges, in the interim, have stayed several parts of the executive order, including blocking deportations of travelers from the seven countries who have already entered the U.S. at airports or other entry points.

The executive order is controversial on several grounds, including the fact that some consider it a Muslim ban, although supporters of the move deny it.

Expedia Inc. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who is an immigrant from Iran, argued that President Trump hastily wiped out the country’s roots as “a nation of immigrants” with “the stroke of a pen.”

Khosrowshahi issued the following statement: “The President’s order represents the worst of his proclivity toward rash action versus thoughtfulness. Ours is a nation of immigrants. These are our roots, this is our soul. All erased with the stroke of a pen.

“As Expedia Inc we will do everything we can to protect and help our employees and travelers. That’s our job. Hopefully our government can do its job, thoughtfully, and with just a bit of respect for our immigrant past.”

Unlike the CEOs of TripAdvisor and Airbnb, both of whom opposed the executive order on Twitter, Khosrowshahi didn’t tweet his statement.

On Inauguration Day, January 20, however, Expedia ran a TV advertisement three times on CNN with veiled opposition to the Trump administration’s planned Mexico-U.S. border wall, and Khosrowshahi tweeted about the ad.

Peek over your neighbor’s fence to see the other side. The difference is YOU. http://bit.ly/2jShYnT #LifeatExpedia #TraveltheWorldBetter

— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) January 20, 2017

“Peek over your neighbor’s fence to see the other side,” he tweeted. “The difference is YOU. youtu.be/N-DtNm3zK_o #LifeatExpedia #TraveltheWorldBetter”

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky tweeted three times about the issue and even offered to provide “free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the U.S.”

“Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allow in the U.S,,” Chesky tweeted. “Stay tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing.”

Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 29, 2017

“Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right, and we just stand with those who are affected,” the Airbnb CEO tweeted.

Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right, and we must stand with those who are affected.

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 29, 2017

“Open doors brings all of US together,” Chesky tweeted. “Closing doors further divides US. Let’s all find ways to connect people, not separate them.”

Open doors brings all of US together. Closing doors further divides US. Let's all find ways to connect people, not separate them.

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 28, 2017

TripAdvisor co-founder and CEO Stephen Kaufer wrote a LinkedIn post condemning Trump’s executive order as “cruel and discriminatory.” He noted that the company committed $5 million over the next three year to dealing with the global refugee crisis.

Kaufer also tweeted that Trump’s executive order was “wrong” and won’t improve U.S. security.

“We need to do more, not less to help refugees,” Kaufer tweeted. “Trump’s action was wrong on humanitarian grounds, legal grounds, and won’t make us ‘safer.'”

We need to do more, not less, to help refugees. Trumps action was wrong on humanitarian grounds, legal grounds, and won't make us "safer."

— stephen kaufer (@kaufer) January 29, 2017

Kaufer said Republican elected representatives have to take a stand.

“If you consider yourself a leader: pls share your opinion. Republican senators/congressmen … can you hear me? You can’t sit this one out.”

If you consider yourself a leader: pls share your opinion. Republican senators/congressmen… can you hear me? You can't sit this one out.

— stephen kaufer (@kaufer) January 29, 2017

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick on Facebook cited “President Trump’s unjust immigration and travel ban” in pledging to compensate affected drivers for lost earnings and added that the on-demand car service would provide legal support “for drivers who are trying to get back into the country.”

Kalanick, who’s a member of a Trump advisory council, only posted his condemnation of Trump’s executive order, however, after a #deleteUber campaign on Facebook, according to The Verge.

“Kalanick’s pledges follow a blistering response from people on Twitter and elsewhere to his original statement on Trump’s immigration ban, as well as Uber’s decision to continue serving JFK Airport during a reported taxi strike,” The Verge reported.

Kalanick wrote on Facebook Sunday: “Standing up for the driver community:

“Here’s the email I’m sending to drivers affected by President Trump’s unjust immigration and travel ban:

“At Uber we’ve always believed in standing up for what’s right. Today we need your help supporting drivers who may be impacted by the President’s unjust immigration ban.

“Drivers who are citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen and live in the US but have left the country, will not be able to return for 90 days. This means they won’t be able to earn money and support their families during this period. So it’s important that as a community that we do everything we can to help these drivers. Here’s what Uber will do: – Provide 24/7 legal support for drivers who are trying to get back into the country. Our lawyers and immigration experts will be on call 24/7 to help. – Compensate drivers for their lost earnings. This will help them support their families and put food on the table while they are banned from the US; – Urge the government to reinstate the right of U.S. residents to travel – whatever their country of origin – immediately; – Create a $3 million legal defense fund to help drivers with immigration and translation services.

“If you are a driver or a friend or family member of someone who has been affected, please contact us at: http://bit.ly/2kDBsML.

“Uber is a community. We’re here to support each other. Please help Uber to help drivers who may be affected by this wrong and unjust immigration ban.”

Lyft co-founder and CEO Logan Green tweeted that “Trump’s immigration ban is antithetical to both Lyft’s and our nation’s core values,” and pledged that the company would donated $1 million over the next four years to the American Civil Liberties Union, which has been defending travelers detained at U.S. airports, “to defend our Constitution.”

3/ We are donating $1,000,000 over the next four years to the ACLU to defend our constitution. http://bit.ly/2khDQex

— logangreen (@logangreen) January 29, 2017

A Lyft blog post on the topic is here.

Lola co-founder and CEO Paul English tweeted about the potential problem the executive order might create for an employee.

“One of our @lolatravel employees just wrote me, concerned that he might not be able to re-enter the the U.S. if he goes home to visit family:(

One of our @lolatravel employees just wrote me, concerned that he might not be able to re-enter the US if he goes home to visit family. :(

— Paul English (@englishpaulm) January 29, 2017

San Francisco International Airport issued a statement requesting a Customs and Border Protection briefing on the executive order and praised “members of the public who have so bravely taken a stand against this action by speaking publicly in our facilities.”

San Francisco International Airport stated: “We appreciate all those who have so passionately expressed their concerns over the President’s Executive Order relating to immigration. We share these concerns deeply, as our highest obligation is to the millions of people from around the world whom we serve. Although Customs and Border Protection services are strictly federal and operate outside the jurisdiction of all U.S. airports, including SFO, we have requested a full briefing from this agency to ensure our customers remain the top priority.

“We are also making supplies available to travelers affected by this Executive Order, as well as to the members of the public who have so bravely taken a stand against this action by speaking publicly in our facilities.”

Asked about the executive order, a spokesperson for Airlines for America, the airline trade group, said: “Airlines are in contact with DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and CBP officials and are complying with the executive order. Any further questions regarding details/enforcement are best directed to CBP/DHS.”

Roger Dow, the CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, which has been adamantly opposed to Delta, American and United airlines trying to curb inroads by Gulf carriers by overturning Open Skies agreements, did not condemn the Trump administration executive order on immigrants and refugees.

Instead, Dow said the U.S. Travel Association is “ready to support the administration and Congress” to “find the right balance between security and facilitation.”

Dow stated: “People all over the world want to visit the U.S., and the U.S. travel and tourism community strongly supports efforts to ensure that visitors to this country are unimpeachably legitimate. In doing so, it is imperative we find the right balance between security and facilitation, and we stand ready to support the administration and Congress to achieve this goal.

“We recognize the new administration’s desire to review visa issuance protocols with respect to countries that have a heightened risk of terrorist activity or weak law enforcement cooperation with our government. We urge the administration to conduct this review quickly, and trust that it will yield an even more secure travel security system that protects international travelers and welcomes them into our country to conduct business and to enjoy our cities, attractions, national parks and landmarks.”

The Global Business Travel Association, meanwhile, as is its custom, didn’t weigh in on the issue despite the fact that the temporary ban impacts corporations and their employees, as well as airlines and hotels. The GBTA twitter feed stuck with promotional tweets.

Over 70% of attendees to last year’s Convention rated the event as “Very Good” or higher. Don't miss out this year: http://bit.ly/2kDFt43 http://pic.twitter.com/FY7tMJQIgT

— GBTA (@GlobalBTA) January 29, 2017

Don’t miss History-Making Astronaut Julie Payette at #GBTAToronto17. Register by 1/31 to save up to $500 http://bit.ly/2kDz9JP http://pic.twitter.com/ffCK2Flbjs

— GBTA (@GlobalBTA) January 29, 2017

Skift co-founder and editor-in-chief Jason Clampet issued a statement in Skift’s Saturday weekend review newsletter that can be read here.

Skift also highlighted a story we wrote back in October that puts travel into a geopolitical context.

Asked for comment on Trump’s immigration and refugee ban, a spokesperson for the Priceline Group declined to comment.

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