When the syndicated newspaper columnist Art Buchwald died in mid-January, America lost the insights of a man who always looked at the world through the prism of irony.
On the Web site of The New York Times, readers could watch a video of Buchwald being interviewed for his eventual obituary. Don’t wince. Many news organizations prepare obituaries on famous people in advance, and often interview the subjects for the obit. Buchwald who had what might be gently called a satirical sense of humor is seen looking into the camera and saying, “I’m Art Buchwald, and I just died.”
For one-half of a century Art Buchwald informed and entertained readers with a wry and sardonic perspective on the events and people who shaped our world. Nothing was sacrosanct, and written most often from Washington, Buchwald deftly skewered Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives. In short, he was skillful in deflating the pomposity of the arrogant and self-important.
My grandfather figuratively introduced me to Art Buchwald when I was 12 years old. He showed me Buchwald’s column on the Voting Rights Act of 1964. It focused on the provision that outlawed literacy tests in determining a person’s eligibility to vote. Prevalent in the Deep South, literacy tests and poll taxes kept African-Americans from voting.
Without pontificating, Buchwald painted an example of a black man being denied his right to vote after paying his poll tax, and passing 9 of 10 questions on a literacy test, being rejected only after slipping up on the translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Buchwald’s illustration showed many Americans how ridiculous things were, and how easily they could be fixed.
The gentleness of Buchwald’s voice, heard until just a few weeks ago, was disarmingly soft. Unlike the debate dialogue we are so often subjected to on the cable channels, Buchwald’s voice through his newspaper column was soft but sharp. His points were as clear as those who shouted down others, but sharper because they carried the weight of truth without any spin.
David Cohen, a member of this newspaper’s editorial board, is a corporate speechwriter. He also serves as president of the Community Law Enforcement Foundation of Morgan Hill, a grassroots organization in support of the Morgan Hill Police Department.
