It’s clear what that opening ceremony mimicked
Manhattan: I’m a nonreligious Joe Schmo. What I saw at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony was the blatant disrespect of Christianity on a world stage. Even with my backwoods education, I clearly saw 13 central figures in colors and poses reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (which inspired “The Feast of the Gods” more than a century later, the purported muse for this production). This scene was followed by an infusion of Greek mythology. During this pivot, we saw a nearly naked Papa Smurf-like Dionysus figure appear from under a giant silver cloche, crooning about nudity. Dionysus is the androgynous god of wine and ecstasy. The implication is salvation not through Christ’s suffering and death but through Dionysian indulgences.
At this point, the drag-queen participants turned from Christ’s disciples into maenads, Dionysus’ female attendants known for wild ecstasies of dancing and sex during drunken revelries called bacchanalias. Maenads were terrifying beings feared by the ancient state — capable of subverting established authority, just as the Jacobins did during the French Revolution when they overthrew the Catholic monarchy. The French Revolution played prominently in the opening ceremony, with guillotined Marie Antoinette — falsely etched in history as the “let them eat cake” Catholic queen of France — salaciously celebrated. For the Jacobins, Catholicism stood in the way of the supreme god of self. Vociferously declared during the opening ceremony, Catholicism is again an obstacle.
Let’s permit a prominent actor in the show to speak to the production’s intent. According to the Rasmussen Report, this actor posted two side-by-side photos on Instagram — the drag queen tableau above da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” — with the caption, “OH YES, OH YES, THE NEW GAY TESTAMENT!” The post has been deleted. Robert Erving
Open to the elements
Flushing: I have a gripe about why they didn’t put a roof on the baseball stadiums. It would stop all rained-out games forever, no more double headers. Robert Kitay
Freshen it up
Brooklyn: Dear Jim Scancarelli, please put some life back into “Gasoline Alley.” It has run out of gasoline. Even my 2-year-old great-grandchildren have lost interest in it. Bring back some of the old-time characters you once had in the strip (still a fan of yours). Wolf Glassman
Trash can chaos
Brooklyn: Back in the 1970s and into the ’80s, Sanitation Department workers would enter a building’s area, uncover the cans and empty the trash in the truck. They’d then return the cans and cover them again. Now, a homeowner or super must bring them to the curb and then after collection, search for their cans between parked cars or across the street. I think this change was the result of the actions of the very powerful Sanitation union. Now the city is planning to require special lidded containers and permanent bins on many blocks. I’m thinking that it would make more sense to go back to the good ole days, give the workers a raise and require that a building’s trash cans are returned and covered again. Ed Temple
Easy out
Maplewood, N.J.: Sen. Bob Menendez was found guilty on all 18 counts of peddling favors. Like the orange turd, he should apply to the Supreme Court for immunity from prosecution. After all, this was an official government act. Maisie Fernandez
Denying reality
Manhattan: Donald Trump is such a habitual liar that he actually believes he is telling the truth! He calls Vice President Kamala Harris “stupid,” yet when she talks she doesn’t lie and she makes sense. She talks about the issues. He talks about how dumb people are but doesn’t explain. Who is he to have the nerve to measure the intelligence of people? He talks about the fact that he has the largest crowds at his rallies. That is not true, certainly not since Kamala! She is a phenomenon, getting huge crowds with support from celebrities. It’s amazing. What’s more amazing is that Trump acts like it’s not happening at all! Michael DeSouza
Nothing to report
Madisonville, Pa.: In response to Voicer Scott Thompson’s lament that the press never says anything positive about Trump: He would have to do something positive for it to be mentioned. Not childish name-calling or displaying blatant racism, as he does on a daily basis. And his unhinged rants actually don’t get reported in any detail, which might count as positive coverage. Tom Mielczarek
Better hope not
Brooklyn: People who think Donald Trump will win in a landslide in November are crazy. If he becomes president and takes away your rights, you people will scream bloody murder and say why didn’t the shooter kill him when he had the chance. God forbid he should win. I won’t feel sorry for this country. We’ll get what we deserve. I’ll stop praying if he wins. David S. Glassner
Felonious privilege
Bronx: If a felon can’t vote, why is Trump able to vote? What is the difference? And if a felon can be president, they need to remove all felonies from all job applications, rental applications and professional certifications. If the highest position in the land can be taken by a felon, all positions should follow suit. Marlene Francis
Service sabotage
Charlotte, N.C.: Again? This Republican tactic of attacking military records of political candidates with a smear campaign is getting old. They used it against veterans John Kerry and Tammy Duckworth. Now they’re dusting it off against Tim Walz. JD Vance served in Iraq as a journalist — so, hey, he didn’t see combat either. Vance was in the military for 48 months, Walz for 288 months. Walz enlisted in the National Guard at 17. He retired after 24 years, when he was 41, and continued his public service to the country. And this 40-year-old kid is criticizing him? Yes, it was the National Guard, but it was a long commitment to the country. The whole point of Vance attacking Walz is to deflect from the presidential candidate who did not serve at all. Barbara Haynes
Efforts abroad
Ossining, N.Y.: Voicer Maureen Deman repeats false claims against Vice President Harris. She says 16 million people have crossed the border illegally since President Biden took office, and Harris failed at her job to fix that. Since Biden took office, fewer than 8 million people tried to cross illegally. Harris was not the “immigration czar.” She was tasked with finding the root causes of people fleeing their countries. Those efforts, along with actions Biden has taken, cut overall illegal crossings by more than 40%. Programs Harris initiated in Central and South America resulted in a more than 30% reduction of people fleeing those countries. Those are results. Biden and Harris did the hard work of crafting a strong bipartisan immigration bill, only to have the same Republicans who helped write it kill it at their cult leader’s request. Robert Rundbaken
Pungent protest
Carmel, N.Y.: Gwen Walz, wife of Gov. Tim Walz, candidate for vice president, kept her windows open to smell the burning tires during the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis. Reminds me of Robert Duvall’s military character in “Apocalypse Now!” who loved the smell of napalm in the morning. Tell me now who’s weird!? Susan McCormack
Star power
Woodside: Winning Democratic ticket: Kamala Harris, president; George Clooney, vice president. Joan E. Olens
Power of perception
Lima, Ohio: To Voicers Bernard Caine and Peter Griswold: I must have hit a nerve. Every decision we make changes our perception because we have to live with the consequences of that decision. You don’t have to have a study to understand that. Or do you? Truth is only fluid because you are not affected by the reality of the decision you make. You know the saying, “A conservative is a liberal who has been mugged.” Yes, anyone can try to convince someone they are right, and the listener has a right to watch them make a fool of themselves when they are proven wrong. Corlissa Arrick