Tragedy of the Commons

[ckaratnytsky at nypl.org]

     Steely wants to compare notes:
     
     >karatnytsky complains about the quality of the Village Voice
     
     [deleted list of the fallen/near fallen at the VV]
     
     Well, OK, I'll play.  I miss Sarris, Newfeld and your pal Alex.  (I 
     catch up to Mr. C. from time to time, but confess to devoting my 
     labors to keeping track of Juan Gonzalez in the Daily News.)  As for 
     Stormin' Norman, well, sometimes he makes me want to run screaming for 
     the hills and other times I think he, like your boy Ollie Stone, 
     goes/has gone where few others dare to tread.  (Oliver Stone will be 
     speaking, BTW, about NIXON at a public "Film & History" session of the 
     American Historical Society's NYC mtg. in January.)  I can't say, 
     except for some random sightings in Provincetown, that I've paid much 
     attention to Mailer of late.  Could it be, apropos of your nightmare 
     of TRP's (allegedly) failing command of writing prowess, that 
     *Mailer's* best days are over?  Prolly so.  *My* pal, Jim Hoberman, an 
     annual contender in the Theatre Collection Oscar Contest, is still 
     alive and kickin' at the Voice and doing really good work.  So are 
     some others -- reviewers and reporters both.  In general, my problem 
     with the Voice have to do with the recent rash of cover stories about 
     things like "homeless" upper-middle-class club kids and designer drug 
     abuse by trendoid models.  Give me a royal break, puh-leeze.
          
     But, whoa, Steely, what the HELL is this all about?
          
     >Well, Chris, it's a Tragedy of the Commons. You _know_ that kind of 
     >tragedy don't you, Chris. That old Malthusian Garrett Hardin wrote 
     >all about it in that book, Spaceship Earth, where Mr. Hardin (who 
     >does a smashing imitation of Dr. Strangelove, don't you know) says we 
     >out to require abortions for most black pregnant folk. Or at least 
     >with-hold their food stamps and let them starve to death. Because the 
     >alternative is so much worse...worse for us, I mean, in the long run?
       
     >Well, they--probably some black lady in marketing--started handing 
     >out the VV for free, mind you, FREE, and then it went to hell, the 
     >real talent jumped ship, and what passes for their editors (ex-MS. 
     >staffers) started askin' rank amateurs like me to scribble for it. 
     >Like I said, Tragedy of the fuckin' Commons, broh...
          
     Steely, I'm so confounded by this that I hardly know what to write.  
     What are you saying, please?  I am unfamiliar with Spaceship Earth.  
     What is the Tragedy of the Commons?  You *are* being ironic here, 
     aren't you?
     
     Or, are you saying that racism is implicit in my dis of the 
     dumbed-down Voice?  And/or, are you saying that a dis of you is 
     implicit in my dis of the Voice?  Gah!  Am I an idiot?  What the fuck?
     
     You are likely being too subtle for me to "get" your intended meaning, 
     especially without knowing the allusion you've made, but clarify, 
     clarify, or I won't sleep tonight, goddammit.  (A-and, yes, duh, I 
     *am* familiar with Dr. Strangelove.  At least.)

     Chris
     
     (Ready to run off into Central Park like mad Sweeney)