Latest news with #DavidMamet
Wall Street Journal
7 days ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Did You Hear the One About the Theologian at the Zoo?
David Mamet's July 10 op-ed on the Scopes trial play ('Political Theater Makes Bad Drama,' July 10) reminds me of a joke about a German theology professor who, while visiting the zoo, saw a troubled gorilla, pacing back and forth with a Bible in one hand and Darwin's writing in the other. 'What's bothering you?' the professor asked. 'I cannot decide whether I am my brother's keeper or my keeper's brother,' the gorilla replied. Neither book refutes the other. Good Christians and troubled gorillas can benefit from reading both if they understand that the books deal with different topics. Both use reason and foundational assumptions to explore different issues. When public schools attempt to characterize religious issues as if they conflict with settled science, they overstep their bounds.
Washington Post
7 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
This job is an American symbol. It looks different now.
You're reading Shifts, an illustrated history of work. Sign up to get it in your inbox. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many men spent their lives traveling from town to town selling Bibles, encyclopedias and home goods. The job was so much a part of the U.S. economy that the door-to-door salesman became a cultural symbol, immortalized in the work of Arthur Miller, David Mamet and the Maysles brothers. Daryl Ching was not a career salesman. He was a Toronto teen knocking on doors and pushing products for a little extra cash in the '90s. But the lessons he learned from the experience — about value, failure and human connection — have stayed with him throughout his life. I would drag a cart to different businesses across town selling trinkets. No one wanted them. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Some buildings had 'No Soliciting' signs. Once, I made the mistake of asking for permission to go up to a higher floor and got escorted out of a business by security guards. My boss told me to ignore the signs, so I started going straight to the elevators and made plenty of sales. At the end of a nine-hour shift, I would bring home maybe $20. I wanted to quit. Back at the office, there were always lots of people in the waiting room for job interviews because there was so much employee turnover. None of us envisioned a life in door-to-door sales. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement We worked for the Toronto branch of a big franchise. Sometimes the owner will come and give us motivational speeches. We would all stand, around and listen. The top salespeople would get to ring the 'JUICE' bell. If you sold enough product, everyone would clap and yell as you rang it. I approached the top salespeople to ask how they did it. Their advice helped me change my entire approach. I turned on the charm. People put up defenses when you approach them. I loved to watch their face transform as they let their guard down. I made people laugh. I tried different tricks. Suddenly, I was selling $750 to $1,000 worth of products per shift and ringing the bell every single day. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement I still got rejected more often than not. But eventually the rejections just start to roll off you. You don't fear them anymore. Every 'no' just gets you closer to a 'yes.' By the end of the summer, I had learned that rejection teaches you never to be afraid of asking for what you want. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Now, I run an accounting business. I'm selling a service, not knickknacks, but I still use the lessons I learned as a door-to-door salesman. For example, if I have prospective customers in the same area, I'll call ahead and tell them I happen to be nearby and ask if we can meet in person. I expect that they might not all work out, but I know that in person I'll have a better shot. At the end of the day, people make decisions based on emotion and then justify it with logic. When you make a face-to-face connection, you become more than just an accountant or salesman. Those are opportunities you don't get from a phone call.
Fox News
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Sports, Hollywood, And Independence Day
Ben kicks off this 4th of July edition of the Big Ben Show by discussing UPenn's ban on trans athletes and the latest developments with President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'. Sage Steele, Host of The Sage Steele Show , discusses the changing landscape of sports media, football, and Caitlin Clark. Then, author and playwright David Mamet shares his views on the media, the current political climate, and the current state of the film industry. Later, Ben, Dylan, and Christine talk about their 4th of July traditions, and Dylan's unlucky history with fireworks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
New York Times
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Trying to Sell a Conservative Book? Go on a Podcast.
In his new book, 'The Disenlightenment,' the playwright David Mamet calls President Donald Trump 'a hero' who saved America from lawlessness and corruption, slams liberals as 'the enemy of Constitutional democracy' and argues that free speech is under assault from the left. These positions put Mamet — a self-described former 'brain-dead liberal' — at odds with most of his peers in the left-leaning entertainment world, where he's celebrated for acclaimed plays like 'Glengarry Glen Ross' and 'Speed-the-Plow.' But Mamet has found a receptive audience for his hard right polemics on podcasts, where he has been energetically plugging his book. To promote 'The Disenlightenment,' which was released this month by the conservative imprint Broadside, Mamet made appearances on a constellation of podcasts — among them popular shows hosted by the military historian and conservative commentator Victor Davis Hanson, the comedian Adam Carolla, the TV host Mike Rowe and the pundit Hugh Hewitt. He also chatted with the music producer Rick Rubin and the comedian and TV host Bill Maher, a Democrat, who, in a testy exchange, challenged Mamet on his unfounded claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. Mamet's provocative performances made ripples of news: His podcast exchanges were written up in HuffPost, The Daily Beast and Mediate. The book shot up into the top 50 on Amazon's best-seller list. And strong first week sales drove it onto The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list, where it debuted at No. 13. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
David Mamet Criticizes The Democratic Party As A 'Party Of The Elites' No Longer Representing American Workers
Legendary Author and award-winning playwright David Mamet spoke with Brian Kilmeade to discuss his political journey from 'brain-dead liberal' to conservative and his new book, 'The Disenlightenment.' Click here to order 'The Disenlightenment: Politics, Horror, and Entertainment' click here to watch
