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Ben Stein's Diary
For Crying Out Loud
Many days in the life, from Fresno to Spartanburg.
(Page 2 of 3)
HERE I AM IN SPARTANBURG, South Carolina. I know this area of the world a bit because our son, the redoubtable Tommy, used to go to school near here in Clinton, South Carolina. At Presbyterian College, if you recall. There is a huge BMW plant here and lots of other automotive and high-tech entities. Naturally, they are all suffering right about now. Still, my hotel is charming. I arrived here after a long drive from the Charlotte airport in a fancy but low-slung BMW sedan. We stopped at the Waffle House in Blacksburg, South Carolina. A very drunken black man said to me there, “You Ben Stein, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
“You Jewish, right?”
“Right,” I said.
“And I’m black,” he said, and went back to his meal. I wasn’t quite sure of the point, but he had a likable quality anyway.
In my hotel lobby was a group of young black men. They came over to me for photos and autographs. They were, as it turned out, a “step dancing” team from a predominantly black college called Johnson Smith. I actually had heard of it because I have been a donor to the United Negro College Fund for many, many years. Now it seems, these young men had just been in a step competition and had come in second. Two of them showed me their steps. They were amazingly good. Just fantastic. And they were so happy that I videotaped them and applauded that I was deeply touched. I could not do that kind of thing in a billion years.
I went to my room and watched a strange Spanish movie about a crazed Spanish policeman who falls in love with a beautiful prostitute, and falls so in love with her that he leads his mentally retarded brother to be killed and then acts retarded himself so the prostitute will fall in love with him as she had with his retarded brother. It was a VERY dark movie but somehow moved right along and left me thinking. The human animal is extremely far from perfect. And believe me, I am in that VERY far from perfect group. You cannot quite imagine how far.
But anyway, just remember I never claimed to be anything but a highly flawed being.
SATURDAY
A SUPER-INTERESTING DAY. I went on a tour of a breast cancer detection center at the Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. It was named for Drs. Josey and Bearden, two fine fellows who did major work to help out with breast cancer in the greater Spartanburg area. It was given with the help of some kind local donors, including a couple named Gibbs, whose wife greeted me very cheerily, and the absent but very charming Mr. Roger Milliken, about whom more later.
The center was super advanced and showed a lot of kindness and thought and I learned a lot about breast cancer. I also learned that both Drs. Josey and Bearden had families who had been in South Carolina since the 1760s and ancestors who had been doctors in the Civil War. Very impressive.
Then a rest, and then a reception with pooh-bahs and others connected with the Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. A good-looking, very polite, and pleasant group. Not a bad-acting fellow among them. One of the attendees was Roger Milliken. Now, get this: Roger Milliken is the patriarch of an extremely important family that owns a huge textile entity called Milliken & Company. Mr. Milliken is about 90. Courtly, handsome, intelligent.
About 53 years ago, my socially prominent and lovely friends the Sculls took me from Maryland up to Maine to see a beautiful area called Mount Desert Island and Northeast Harbor. They brought me to the home of an old pal of Mr. Scull, the self-same Roger Milliken. He was then about 35 and looked like the embodiment of a perfect gentleman. His home was magnificent, with stunning views and gorgeous carpets. (Milliken makes carpets, but I think these were oriental carpets, though I may be mistaken.) Is that a small world or what?
I gave a speech after the reception and it went well. I forgot to tell you I also posed for photos. That is standard.
Anyway, I really, really liked Spartanburg. I think I have told you before how much I like South Carolina and how genteel the people there are. Back to my room but way too tired to watch my Spanish mystery story again.
About the Author
Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He writes “Ben Stein’s Diary” for every issue of The American Spectator.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (36) | Leave a comment
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Ned| 5.14.09 @ 11:26AM
Come on over to my house in Cleveland, Utah Ben. You can eat waffles with my little granddaughter every morning. She loves them covered with butter and syrup.
L. Ross| 5.14.09 @ 11:31AM
Mr. Stein:
As a professional aviator, I strongly recommend you invest in earplugs and use them whenever you fly. You wouldn't be able to block the screaming kid out completely, but it would certainly have helped.
By the way, I am a big fan of the Waffle House chain. You meet the most interesting people there.
Steve Purtell| 5.14.09 @ 1:05PM
Ben:
I have always had an interest in Roger Milliken and glad to hear he is still with us. As you probably know, he was a backer of both National Review and the John Birch Society even though Buckley and Welch were enemies. Did Roger see value in both or was he trying to cover his bets when it was uncertain which would be the face of conservatism?
Tim| 5.14.09 @ 2:41PM
This is why we never have you over; you'd go on and on about the food, how our son behaved and what you thought of the pancakes....
Paul | 5.14.09 @ 4:15PM
Waffle House is one of the best places to take your kids, wifes don't seem to like it though.
Pat| 5.14.09 @ 4:48PM
What's with this "California has no water" stuff? Folks in other states must get some bizarre personal satisfaction reading about California's water problems. There just isn't enough water - why? No one asks the "why" question - the answer is poor planning by the state and local governments, rain and snow really does fall within the state's boundaries - ask a scientist - they've actually seen it happen.
You could be happily living in the Bay area or even L. A. and some envious soul living in Detroit will feel superior by pointing out you Californians will have to ration water. Sure, Detroit has lousy weather, racial hatred, astronomical unemployment, 70% of high school students who won't graduate and a crime rate the Mafia would envy - but they have water.
As an exercise in comical stupidity many Detroit residents actually think they will withhold Michigan's Great Lakes water from California in the near future - let those California freaks go thirsty - they're not getting a drop of our water. Or make California spend untold billions to purchase easements through hundreds of communities and create a 2,000 mile pipeline straight to Lake Michigan to suck out all the water - and, even better, pay a healthy premium to Michigan for the privilege. Right, that's a brilliant idea, why didn't we think of it?
There are many boring days here in paradise but, on the whole, I'd rather not be in Philadelphia - or Detroit either.
Aaron| 5.14.09 @ 6:36PM
The toaster Ben, what kind was it? The bane of the best part of my favorite meal. They don't toast evenly and the setting varies every time. My wife rants that I've tried them all, clearly I haven't!
Old Texican| 5.14.09 @ 7:52PM
Ben
I am spoiled. I always watch for your columns, but this one was awfully boring.
We are getting old, I guess.
Rexxous| 5.14.09 @ 10:26PM
By the way, "The Third Man" character was spelt Holly Martens which makes it of Dutch derivation and even a bit LESS sensible.
cinema for really dumb asses| 5.15.09 @ 1:45AM
Rexxous| 5.14.09 @ 10:26PM
By the way, "The Third Man" character was spelt Holly Martens which makes it of Dutch derivation and even a bit LESS sensible.
Not really dumbass, try to keep up.
Dad of Heros| 5.15.09 @ 1:48AM
This guy is a total dick who isnt willing to cut a single mother a break. And he talks more, and I stop reading. Fucker.
Saint America| 5.15.09 @ 1:51AM
I love sleeping in a moving car more than sleeping in bed.
I submit that this is a demon. Think about it.
Lord Christ| 5.15.09 @ 1:53AM
Catch it and smite it
Hey Poor! You dont have to be| 5.15.09 @ 1:58AM
Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu.
Cross out writer (except in the loosest sense), actor, economist, lawyer and you are left with lies, damned lies and a guy who lies. --Mark Twain
Bille Baty | 5.15.09 @ 12:50PM
Ben,
Great writing for an old shoe salesman. Next time you're in Houston, I'm buying the waffles.
Michael Murphy| 5.15.09 @ 4:46PM
There is no better place to eat than Waffle House. I highly recommend the pecan waffle with sausage and two eggs, toast and coffee and juice. Less than 10 bucks!! I only frequent WH in the south and would be a little skeptical of California product.
b sullivan| 5.15.09 @ 10:22PM
Dear Mr. Stein--There is a European silent movie in which a clown murders his rival in love, a man who has lost his arms, then cuts off his own arms to attract the love of the circus girl. Unspeakably horrific, like many of the early movies. Cannot recall the title. I think your Spanish film is a remake.
Joel Raupe | 5.18.09 @ 5:45PM
It does sound as if the Spanish Movie might have been an attempted remake of "The Unknown," starring the still-unrivaled Lon Cheney as "Alonzo the Armless" (dangerously attracted to an unbelievably young Joan Crawford back in 1920).
That is unquestionably the movie b sullivan believed was a "European silent," though it was 100 percent Hollywood. Easily the darkest film made by Cheney.
Since AmSpec was printed tabloid-sized, more than twenty years ago, I have first opened to read Ben Stein's Diary. He would undoubtedly be uncomfortable to think of these writings as anyone's "periscope into reality," but that has been true for me.
Interesting, Ben, that you should still be constantly worried about money, just as you were when struggling for acting gigs, "back in the day." My wife is certain I don't worry enough about money, and she may be right. The really interesting part is the Solomonic angle. Twenty years later, we seem to have arrived at more or less the same situation.
Who would have thought back then Ben Stein's economy of language would become an Institution? You've made friends will hundreds of thousands, Ben, not as a celebrity but because of this column, where you have opened up about your feelings situationally, without descending into a Journey into Self-Obsession. Because of this, when you are wizened and feeble, you will never be homeless.
H J Gaudreau | 5.23.09 @ 12:09PM
Hello Ben Stein. I am a retired U.S. Air Force guy as old as dirt, You, Ben Stein, just happen to be the most admired person I've ever encountered! As I tried to awaken from zombie to person with my first cup of coffee this morning, I tuned on the TV and there you were, on Fox. I only caught the end of your remark about Mr. B. Hussein Obama, and I wanted to memorize it, but at 81 years I have had more than enough 'senior' moments, like remembering things. This morning was one of them so I simply forgot your marvelous, eloquent, superb and accurate assessment of our 'empty suit' (AGH!) leader. Geez! Leader? That is a stretch! Anyway, I wish to hell I can someday recall that excellent declarative..... it was on target and worth recalling.
Thank you Ben Stein for being Ben Stein. I am a much flawed, USAF Retired old coot, who loves you (but not in a San Fagcisco manner).
Sincerely, HJ (Wilmington, NC)
Smitty| 6.4.09 @ 2:44AM
Ben, you have my dream job - traveling, meeting new people, eating, and writing about it. When you are ready to slow down I'd love to be in the running. Oh, about Waffle House - the food is great, the juke box selections are a blast from the past, but I just can't abide all the cigarette smoke.
RE Connally| 6.9.09 @ 2:09AM
Mr. Stein,
I suspect the baby with the cold had a bad earache caused by a combination of the low air pressure of the cabin and being all stuffed up- they can't pop their ears in that situation. That is why the crying stopped toward the end of the flight, the plane had started to descend and the cabin pressure increased back to normal. It is not the kid's fault and there is nothing the mom could have done about it.
Sincerely, R. E. Connally (Tacoma, WA)
soccermom72| 6.12.09 @ 10:39PM
Hey Ben!! Don't know what they paid you for this
drivel--But it was WAY too much!! Glad you're
having it so easy..oh and continue to rant and rave against humane reforms like national healthcare..continue standing up for the insurance thieves..you DEFinitely understand them and their priorities. Hey Life's a Picnic!!
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