Conference Presentation, Fireside Chat
An Unexpected Intersection: A Conversation With Norman Lear and Prophet Walker
Milken InstituteNorman Lear, Prophet Walker, Alex Wood, Martha Minowski Jr., John Murray, Norman Siegelmann Bennett Jr., Neil Krohn
- Norman Lear anticipates the book signing for his memoir, Even This I Get to Experience, will occur immediately following the conversation in the pavilion, noting the book's completion took over five years and is driven by its storytelling nature and his belief that writing in his 90s is the appropriate timing.
- Lear predicts persistent societal racism and a lack of genuine leadership in American media and political discourse, while expressing hope that the upcoming generation will be free of racial conditioning he carries.
- Lear fears the current corporate culture's demand for infinite quarterly profit growth is unsustainable and predicts that shifting broadcasting from profit motives to public responsibility would restore media integrity.
- Prophet Walker plans to run for public office again at an undefined future date, citing timing rather than a change in belief, with the goal of bringing light to the political system.
- Walker expects to continue civic engagement through real estate development focused on creating great yet affordable housing to address the housing crisis in Los Angeles.
- Walker intends to write a book soon, though details remain undecided, and plans to pitch the "Watts United Weekend" camp as a fundraiser with projected costs of approximately $35,000 per quarter and $50,000 per individual weekend to secure sponsors for expansion beyond the current quarterly schedule.
- Alex Wood expects the event to highlight the intersection of two distinct lives and anticipates that the "Watts United Weekend" will be viewed as a powerful, nonpartisan solution involving children from rival gangs, parents, teachers, police, and clergy in the Angeles National Forest.
- Wood predicts that political campaigns will increasingly feature slanderous advertising and notes that slate mailers and paper ads currently play the largest role in defeating candidates like Walker in small elections.
- Wood suggests that eliminating political action committees or candidates refusing to spend on advertising (e.g., Warren or Clinton) could shift media dynamics to allow messages to reach the public without corporate spending.
- Wood anticipates the need for government funding of top candidates to limit spending and hopes the lawsuit regarding slanderous advertising will force the issue of lying to the citizenry back to the forefront.
- Wood notes that the "fourth estate" must return to truthfulness, arguing that journalism's shift to a for-profit industry has prioritized being first over the greater good, resulting in a media culture that honors celebrity over substance.
- Wood expects the immediacy of the internet and the pursuit of "15 minutes of fame" have altered normal discourse, with audience preferences for slander potentially tied to generational teaching.
- Wood anticipates that a political action committee formed by Walker and Scott Budnick will push justice reform, while expressing respect for journalists who strive to tell the truth despite systemic issues in juvenile justice destroying economic and intellectual currency.
- Wood expects Walker's campers to share emotional connections upon leaving the camp and anticipates Walker's story of solitary confinement and holding onto dreams will be widely disseminated.
- Lear's philosophy of "even this I get to experience" and his "wet hug" belief are traced back to early life experiences in Los Angeles, including a pivotal Sunday where he attended a 90-seat theater play featuring Charles Chaplin.
- Wood details that Lear's theater experience on his first night in Los Angeles involved a British actress named Ellen Mowbray, a producer who was a sweeper, and actors sitting on the floor, while Lear's wife and infant slept in a nearby motel having driven from Hartford.
- The memoir is expected to resonate with readers as a story of a "spirit of dreamer," reflecting Lear's 20 years of percolation before writing and his observation of "incidental wonder" throughout his life.
- Specific details of the Charles Chaplin theater event include Chaplin performing an inebriated act for the cast, sitting beside Lear, and thanking the actors and audience after the show, which Wood considers "kismet."
- Wood expects Norman Lear to judge people based on the "quality of their hugs," dividing them into "wets" and "dries," a philosophy developed over many years influenced by an Ingrid Bergman film.
- The summary covers expectations regarding the expansion of the "Watts United Weekend" camp, the financial structure of its fundraising, and the potential for political reform through changes in advertising and funding mechanisms.