I was in Tempe, Arizona a while back for a book fix. At the coffee bar in the Border's Bookstore, the thirty-something counterman remarked that I look like Gabe Kaplan, an observation seconded by some bystanders. Having no idea who Gabe Kaplan is, I commented that some people think I look like Leon Trotsky -- which comment elicited a puzzled expression. Turned out the 'tender had never heard of Trotsky. So I asked, "Ever hear of Vladimir Lenin?" That too drew a blank. It wasn't until I worked my way back to Karl Marx that a glimmer of recognition emerged. I tried the experiment on his twenty-something female co-worker. Same result.
Trotsky, Schmotsky. Lenin, Lennon.
Borders is just around the corner from Arizona State University. Draw your own conclusion.
During today's Lost Dutchman Half-Marathon, a woman who looked to be a bit older than me pulled alongside and remarked that I resemble her Salt River kayak instructor. I mentioned that some think I resemble Leon Trotsky. She said she didn' know who he was. Turning to her companion, she asked if she knew who Trotsky was. She didn't either. Calling to mind the earlier Tempe experience, I didn't bother to explain. I ran on with George Santayana's "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" in my head. (I cannot vouch for the accuracy of that quotation. I have a number of Santayana's works in my library, but not the The Life of Reason.)
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