October 12, 1998 Volume 21, No. 4

Seriously, It's a matter of Perspective

Political satirist P. J. O'Rourke is this year's Park Distinguished Visitor

Bestselling author and leading political satirist P. J. O’Rourke will visit the Ithaca College campus October 19–22 as this year’s Park Distinguished Visitor.

O’Rourke’s four-day schedule, which will include class lectures, master class workshops, and informal discussions with groups of faculty and students, will be highlighted by a Tuesday, October 20, lecture in Park Hall Auditorium. The 7:30 p.m. talk, "Pirates in Neckties vs. Politicians with their Pants Off: The Economy vs. Politics," is free and open to the public.

Called "the funniest writer in America" by both Time and the Wall Street Journal, O’Rourke began his climb to fame in 1972, when he joined the staff at National Lampoon. Named editor in chief in 1978, O’Rourke stayed three more years before moving to Hollywood to write scripts. It wasn’t long, though, before he was back east, this time with Rolling Stone. Since then and in addition to his current position as the magazine’s foreign affairs editor, O’Rourke has churned out work to critical acclaim. He has written for everything from Esquire to Car and Driver, and his bestselling books include Modern Manners, The Bachelor Home Companion, Republican Party Reptile, Holidays in Hell, Parliament of Whores, Give War a Chance, All the Troubles in the World, and Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut.

O’Rourke’s latest work, Eat the Rich, investigates the world economy. The idea, O’Rourke writes, sprang from one of his fundamental questions about economics. "Why do some places prosper and thrive while others just suck?" He has decided that it isn’t simply a matter of brains. "No part of the earth (with the possible exception of Brentwood) is dumber than Beverly Hills, and the residents are wading in gravy. In Russia, meanwhile, where chess is a spectator sport, they’re boiling stones for soup."

O’Rourke is the third guest in the Park Distinguished Visitor Series. Previous visitors have been CNN political analyst Jeff Greenfield and ABC News correspondent Bob Brown.