Granta's "The Family: They Fuck You Up."

[DemoTex]

Great issue a few years ago. Anyone see it other than me?

Well, I'm living it now. My alcoholic younger brother and his incestuous (she is fucking her first cuz) ex-wife have allowed their 18-year old daughter, who they pulled out of her psychiatric treatment and took off her meds, to go to Europe. They never met with any of the chaperons and don't even know the child's itinerary. There no vetting processes by them for this trip. They just let a disturbed young girl (mainly disturbed by the parents' lack of responsibility) go off to Europe with a group they did not even take the time to meet. My 84 y/o dad is stroking out over it.

My brother called a few minutes ago, drunk as usual, demanding somewhat go to Frankfort to retrieve his daughter (he had been at ex-wifey's drinking, BTW). Ex-wifey has no passport. My brother has a passport, but 84-YO dad and I agree he could never make it across the pond and be sober on the other side. What a fucked-up mess.

I have offered to put a ticket from Frankfort to Atlanta on my credit card, if she can travel alone. Otherwise, I might be going over for a quick-trip back.

[Bluebear]

1. "They fuck you up, your mom and dad...."

They fuck you up your mom and dad
They may not mean to, but they do;
They give you all the faults they had,
And add some new ones just for you.

They were fucked up in their time
By fools in old style hats and coats,
Who half the time were sloppy stern,
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man,
It deepens like a coastal shelf,
Get out as quickly as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.

Philip Larkin

[DemoTex]

2. Philip Larkin was a good pal of Kingsley Amis, if I remember correctly.

Kinsley was an old, drunk right-winger, but I did love his writing. Philip Larkin was an Amis family friend, and (if I remember correctly) adored by Martin Amis, Kingsley's son, a novelist too.

Great poem from Philip Larkin. I hope other Americans appreciate Larkin.

[Ellen Forradalom]

3. Yeeech, what a mess.

Those of us with quasi-normal families, let us thank our lucky stars.