George Rebane
Late yesterday afternoon we finished ‘taping’ the first installment of ‘Breaking Bread’ (BB), a new series that is to air over the coming months on NCTV Channel 11. BB is a roundtable discussion of ideas, happenings, and current issues of broad national interest. It is based loosely on the historical French salons which were hosted by ladies of high social rank and means during the so-called Enlightenment period that lasted from around 1740 to the start of the French Revolution in 1789.
These salons were stimulating affairs where the latest ideas in the sciences, politics, arts, religion, philosophy, and literature were presented and discussed. The invitees were the great thinkers, artists, writers – new and established – of the age, many of whom looked forward to these sessions as much for the nourishment of their bodies as of their minds. A salon always offered some of the finest foods and spirits with which the hostess could afford to ingratiate herself in the eyes of society. To be invited to attend a salon was a great honor, and you can imagine the competition of who was attending which salon(s) when and with whom.
(Versions of these classic salons were continued and expanded throughout Europe and America during the 19th century. In the late 1970s Jo Ann and I joined with a number of other couples to establish a 20th century dinner version of the salon that featured a prepared presentation of a thesis, sometimes rebutted by ‘the loyal opposition’, and then dissected by everyone until the early hours. These dinner salons went on for years and included some very interesting people and topics.)
The most recent inspiration for BB came from our own Reinette Senum and Patricia Smith, local activists and community leaders of known repute. After some preliminary plenary sessions under the able leadership of NCTV’s Access Coordinator Teri Hicklin, who will also direct the tapings, the program’s format was adopted and the first installments selected. BB will be a monthly one-hour offering, (co)hosted by one or two regular hosts, and featuring two or three invited guests. The program will consist of a civil discussion – not a debate – of the subject du jour between the host(s) and the guests.
The inaugural tranche of BB hosts are Patricia Smith (medicinal marijuana activist), Paul Emery (KVMR News Director already known to RR readers), Reinette Senum, Eric Tomb, and yours truly. As determined by a program’s host(s), one of the other hosts may also fill a guest role on a future program.
BB’s charter is to present definitive ideological viewpoints (ranging from crisp to outrageous?) on the selected issues – equivocation will be eschewed, i.e. no daisy talk – in such a manner that a landscape can emerge from which common ground may be identified, or an understanding of what notions, ideas, values, etc still stand in the way of our coming together. Of course, there will always be an effort to reach and identify some areas of consensus, no matter how minimal.
Yesterday’s launch was titled ‘Language and Labels’, and was moderated by Eric Tomb, a well-known bookseller, intellectual, and man about town in Nevada County. The program’s objective was to introduce the BB hosts, outline the show’s format and future, and give a sampling of it through a discussion of how language and labels guide and constrain our perspectives and perceptions. The airing times of this installment will be announced by NCTV.
The first Breaking Bread with guests will be ‘taped live’ on 1 May next. The subject will be the Second Amendment, and it will be co-hosted by Paul Emery and me.
[update] The first episode ‘Language and Labels’ was broadcast on 7 April 2013, and may be streamed from the NCTV archives from this page under Breaking Bread.
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