Thomasson - Gridoiron Dinner a Uniquely American Rite
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Dan K. Thomasson-
On Saturday, for the 127th time, representatives of the nation’s power elite – from politicians to industrialists to publishers to university presidents to the representatives of foreign countries to superstars of the media – came together to make fun of themselves. As usual, it was a cathartic experience – if one still admits in these often-uncivil times that it is healthy now and then to swallow a large dose of not taking ourselves too seriously.
That has been the whole point of the exercise since 1885, when someone had the idea that maybe, for an evening at least, presidents and lawmakers from opposing parties and views could put aside their differences and laugh at their own frailties. Over the many years of the Gridiron Club of Washington, that point has been lost in a welter of criticism that it is an elite, archaic institution whose traditions no longer apply in today’s world.
It is true that this granddaddy of capital affairs still requires attendees to dress like penguins in white tie and tails; refuses overtures from television, maintaining the fiction that its celebrated speakers and performers still are off the record. With only 600 attendees, it’s far too exclusive, raising suspicions of an annual conspiracy of power brokers.
But that is complete nonsense. The club’s members probably consider themselves far less important than their critics do. Well, most of them do, anyway.
For more than a century the sole province of 50 newspaper correspondents, the club over the last few years has expanded its membership to include radio, television, magazines and even Internet journalists. In the process, it has slimmed down the evening’s elaborate menu and its skits – to a five-hour evening from a woefully long seven hours at its peak. Fortunately, a small, stalwart group of “ringers” in the various skits, whose special abilities make the whole thing work, keep the audience from tossing their entrees at us.
The changes since I became a member 38 years ago have been dramatic and sometimes painful but absolutely necessary. Having reached the dubious distinction of senior active member, I can attest to that. I can also certify that the Gridiron is among the most misunderstood of Washington traditions and one I wouldn’t have missed for anything – including dressing in silly costumes and displaying my inconsiderable talents as a singer and dancer – mainly for the camaraderie that is tough to find in an intensely competitive business. And no longer can economically pressed publishers finance the event.
But if the club has changed, so has the audience. The other night while watching the traditional exhilarating performance of the Marine band whose legendary march king and leader, John Phillips Sousa, was the club’s first music director, I noted the lack of participation in a patriotic demonstration always afforded those attending. The band – in its vibrant red, white and blue uniforms – launched into its medley of service anthems with usual gusto. It is traditional that those having served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines, stand up proudly when their branch’s song is played. This night, only a smattering stood for most of the branches and amazingly none for the Air Force.
“This is what America has come to,” said George Anthan, a long-time colleague and, like me, a veteran of Army service. We already were standing along the sidelines but had moved forward to signify our own pride of service. “A huge number of Americans have never had the privilege or the experience of serving their country. Once, almost everyone stood at one moment or another.”
The nature of the military from draft to volunteer obviously has seen to that, but there clearly is a case to be made for reinserting some mandatory service into American life.
But that is a whole other topic. At this moment, it is enough to merely quote the former Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin, who, after attending one of these unique nights, shook his head and said that the phenomenon could happen only in America.
