For newcomers, more items from the archives.
A philosophy lecturer, a specialist in “critical whiteness studies,” apologises, at length, for his own heterosexuality.
Professor Yancy goes on to denounce, on behalf of all men, “our sexually objectifying gazes… our pornographic imaginations.” Our “dominant phallic economy.” Indeed, he continues, “we are collectively complicit with a sexist mind-set and a poisonous masculinity.” You see, being aroused by women, while not quite rape in itself, is nonetheless, as it were, rape-adjacent, and constitutes “a violent, pathetic and problematic masculinity.” One wonders how a species of suitably corrected human beings, purged of such heterosexual inclinations, might propagate and flourish. Such that we can indulge the theatrical sorrows of woke philosophy lecturers.
Zoe Williams warns Guardian readers that exercise “makes you rightwing.”
According to Zoe, if you visit a gym, or cycle, or merely take the occasional brisk walk with a dog in tow – or presumably have any kind of goals, however modest, and then achieve them – you’ll become boastful, consumed with “self-love” and wicked delusions of “self-sufficiency,” a gateway to the greatest sin of all: not being leftwing. Because leftwing people, like Zoe, are free of vanity and unblemished by urges to signal superiority of one kind or another. Say, by telling us, quite often, that they’re not at all rightwing.
Still, it’s strange just how readily Zoe leaps from ‘people can be a bit tedious when banging on about their enthusiasms’ – the word blogging comes to mind – to ‘regular jogging will make you vote Conservative because feelings of achievement and capability are politically corrupting’. Presumably, leftist piety is arrived at via indolence, whining and half-arsed flummery. Though it’s not, perhaps, as strange as declaring one’s own piety and compassion – as opposed to all those dreadful rightwing people – while sneering at a cancer charity because its most direct beneficiaries are men.
How To Impress Your Boss, An Intersectional Guide.
Self-described “educator” Sophia Stephens says that minority employees shouldn’t have to be reliable or competent.
Apparently, white employers must avoid using the phrase “I need such-and-such by the end of the week,” as this inflicts cruel and unusual hardship on those possessed of brown skin. And as an employer, a white employer, you must always remember to ask yourself, ‘Could I give this person’s work – which I hired them to do, and am paying them to do – to someone else – ideally, someone whiter?’ Or as Ms Stephens puts it, “It is important to reflect on how generations of access and entitlement to our labour does not mean you automatically get it from us now.”
It Was Raining Outside And They Were Promised Sandwiches.
Sshh. Art is happening.
Today it’s the art of Ms Nika López, seen below as she “establishes an intimate relationship” between herself and nature. Specifically, an indoor pile of dirt. Thereby, of course, permitting us to behold, “The connection with the earth, the immersion of bodies in matter, the transformation from inside to outside, the tracking of a body that multiplies and distributes energy to people.”
There’s more, should you want it, in the greatest hits.
Also, open thread.
A whole one?
Well, landlord, you could offer him a small beer, since that is one meaning of pony. Or we could have a whip-around to give him 25 pounds.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pony#English
either because he believes these things or feels he needs to pretend to – then that sounds a tad neurotic.
That.
That.
That’s the thing. If the above is sincere, it suggests somewhat neurotic thinking; and if it’s just pretence, which seems more likely, the compulsion to pretend – to publicly feign some competitively improbable concern – is also rather neurotic. This seems to apply to a great deal of leftist psychology.
The guy is pictured with his wife and his wife’s boyfriend. I mean, come on. In what universe are such people taken seriously? OMG, he teaches at the University of British Columbia. Canada. That’s not the D-Day Juno Beach Canada, is it? Some other Canada. Surely.
Here’s a bit of fun, for certain values of fun.
You paste in a chunk of text and the programme will attempt to analyse the writer’s personality. Apparently, I’m “shrewd, somewhat inconsiderate and informal.” It also says I probably “like musical movies,” which I don’t.
No laughing at the back.
Apparently, I’m “shrewd, somewhat inconsiderate and informal.” It also says I probably “like musical movies,” which I don’t.
Oh, I can top that. I got:
OK, tried again with longer text…this time:
Yes. Shrewd and philosophical. And “somewhat” critical. Heh.
Oh, I can top that.
Setting aside my alleged enthusiasm for musicals, some of it was pretty good. At least it corresponds with other tests and my own estimation. High in openness, low in neuroticism, slightly introverted, etc. It also thinks I’m somewhat solemn, which I dispute.
Here’s a bit of fun, for certain values of fun.
I don’t think it knows me very well, is the conclusion I take from that. I am apparently “unconcerned with both tradition and taking pleasure in life.” Which I have to admit comes as news to me, as I happen to be someone with a broadly cultural traditionalist outlook, who freely takes pleasure in both very simple and very complicated things.
“You are shrewd and somewhat critical…”
“You have green, scaly skin, and a soft yellow underbelly with a series of fin-like ridges running down your spine and tail. Although lizardlike in shape, you can grow anything up to thirty feet in length with huge teeth that can bite off great rocks and trees. You inhabit arid sub-tropical zones and wear spectacles.”
I don’t think it knows me very well,
My results varied quite a bit – say, with regard to conscientiousness, extraversion and pleasure-seeking – depending on the length and type of text I used. I’d imagine things like irony and sarcasm may also be confounding.
Comically, one of the more consistent results was the thing about musicals.
If you laugh at this lady’s lack of understanding of the Spanish language, then you’re a terrible, terrible person. And yes, I laughed: https://twitter.com/TamikaQueenz/status/1136358209537470464
Comically, one of the more consistent results was the thing about musicals.
I got that too. In my case, it’s also inaccurate, as I’m not a fan of musicals. I do, however, enjoy listening to opera, but that’s not the same thing.
Comically, one of the more consistent results was the thing about musicals.
The computer doesn’t lie. 😉
I’m a terrible, terrible person.
And proud of it! 😄
If you laugh at this lady’s lack of understanding of the Spanish language
I laugh because all of those people who speak Spanish will now have to come up with a new word for “black”. It’s all so socially tacaño.
@pogonip
O/T but how is the book coming along?
Here’s a bit of fun, for certain values of fun.
I entered several paragraphs from The Communist Manifesto.
Apparently Marx was likely to enjoy Musical Movies, Play Music and Read Autobiographical Books. He didn’t likely like Country Music, be influenced by social media or be influenced by brand name when making product purchases.
Interestingly enough the man who gave us Communism has a 32% score in “Helping Others” as a value.
Here’s a bit of fun, for certain values of fun.
To be, or not to be: that is the question
Oh yes, and,
You are likely to like musical movies, have experience playing music, volunteer for social causes . . .
Summary
You are a bit critical, excitable and unconventional.
You are self-assured: you tend to feel calm and self-assured. You are hardened: you think that people should generally rely more on themselves than on other people. And you are down-to-earth: you prefer facts over fantasy.
Your choices are driven by a desire for prestige.
You are relatively unconcerned with both helping others and independence. You think people can handle their own business without interference. And you welcome when others direct your activities for you.
Who’s on first?
If you laugh at this lady’s lack of understanding of the Spanish language…
For the love of god let that be a joke or clever troll.
C’mon that’s too perfect to be a real idiot in the wild, right? Right?!?
[ drinks from bottle ]
It’s a parody account:
(Whew)
Of course it’s parody. Germany doesn’t have a queen. They have a Keisenhimer.
I got this as part:
“You are relatively unconcerned with both tradition and taking pleasure in life. You care more about making your own path than following what others have done. And you prefer activities with a purpose greater than just personal enjoyment.”
The first is not really true. The second is true. last is just plain wrong — more wrong than could be.
I think, however, that almost all people would think that all three phrases would apply to them, because everyone likes to think that they are open spirits and not motivated by simple pleasures.
The technical term is “Barnum Effect”.
Hi prm,
Thanks for asking! It’s on hold because, after 15 years I recovered my ability to write fiction. And I mean literally 15 years. One night I went to bed thinking of what I was going to write the next day and when I woke up everything was gone from my mind. My story-teller had flipped to Off and for 15 years I couldn’t figure out how to turn it back on. Then on 22 May it came back on, praise God, so I immediately picked back up with the novel I’d been working on 15 years ago. Once I finish that I will type up what I am tentatively calling “ What Mom Knew.”
In a way the 15 years left me better off because today writers have much more freedom. You don’t have to get past an editor any more, you can follow your people wherever their stories lead, because Amazon and other self-publishers. If two guys have a rip-roaring sword fight, I don’t have to change one of them to a grrrrl. If a 14-year-old girl suddenly inherits the job of High Priestess of the sun goddess, because of the untimely death of her father, I don’t have to tell people she adapted perfectly, I can show them how she makes mistakes and grows into the job. If a democratic revolution that threw out a monarchy went bad, I can show the people who staked all on the revolution struggling to figure out where they went wrong and correct it. In short, where a publisher will impose a certain sameness because they have to appeal to a certain market, I can put my story out there even if it’s different and anybody who wants to can read it and enjoy it. (Of course, if a publisher says “We’ll pay you $400,000.00 for this…”)
15 years ago I was about halfway through. It’ll go faster today because of the aforementioned freedom. No more thinking “No, that’ll never get past the gatekeeper” and rewriting. Wheee!
I wonder what the fascination is with grrrrls and swords, anyway? If the story’s about someplace where they haven’t invented guns yet (or even if they have, e.g. Star Wars) then give the lady a naginata, and let her slash off the bad guy’s head from 6 feet away and never get anywhere within his reach. In its never-ending quest for new and better ways to kill each other, mankind has come up with an astounding variety of weapons, and yet, if there’s a grrrrl in the story, they’ll find some way to put a sword in her hand (Princess Leia being a notable exception; she, quite sensibly, carried a gun).
if there’s a grrrrl in the story, they’ll find some way to put a sword in her hand
Because it is not about empowerment or any of that malarky, so much as ensuring there are no male-only “spaces” left (except in particularly dirty or unpleasant work), and traditional male pride is reduced. Those are the true goals, evidenced by the now-familiar formula of (1) identify predominantly male space, then (2) demand it conform to the most feminine of sensibilities.
Hi Sam,
I’ll take a 12-gauge over empowerment any day! 😄
Damn skippy Pogo!
The missus has to make do with a break action 20-gauge and 9mm. So the Texas statutory minimum of 2 guns per person per household has been met at least.
Hi Sam,
Only 2 guns? In Texas? What are you, a family of communists?
As long as we’re talking bujutsu, David, how about a shout-out to the WW II vets? We still have some left. Congratulations, gentlemen. You did your best and your best turned out pretty good.
P.S. My little boy, good guy that he is, remembers D-Day every year, probably because his grandfather was a WW II vet (although Grandpa was not involved in Operation Overlord). He also remembers V-E and V-J Days. 😊
The missus has to make do with a break action 20-gauge and 9mm.
It is sexist, misogynistic, and patriarchal not to give her a 12 gauge and a .45 instead.
Pogonip, I’d say a 12-gauge is empowering. 🙂
*chortle* When I’ve fired that old 12-gauge I’ve always felt like I’m about to go into orbit. 4 or 5 times was enough. We keep it, though, since I’m highly unlikely to have to fire it (jacking a shell into a chamber gets people’s attention and is known as a Chicago burglar alarm, as the sound greatly alarms burglars 😄) and if I did have to fire it, if I aimed at the miscreant’s chest and missed I would still probably blow off a good portion of his head or arm or leg as I assumed orbit.
Hi Pst314,
I would too. I never understood why feminist groups are not closely allied with gun-rights groups, since there’s a strong common interest there. But then I don’t really understand American politics. Seriously. All the groups that have, or should have, common interests never unite. Shrug.
I wonder what the fascination is with grrrrls and swords, anyway?
There’s a significant chunk of geek fandom that fetishizes Action Girls. Guns are real things that exist and are scary and dangerous, while swords are fantasy weapons. A badass female character armed with a sword is someone these geeks can drool over; a badass female character armed with a gun is intimidating and emasculating.
Well, I know who won’t be in MY audience…
Swords had their place for a long time and are still used occasionally to kill people, and in lodge ceremonies and such. They probably won’t ever go away completely, but I still maintain that in a story where the people have gunpowder and up, like Star Wars, they would not be the primary weapon. The earlier films realized this, there was a lot of shooting going on, but the later films got lazy and relied too much on the light saber. This affects my suspension of disbelief, especially when the character does dumb things with his sword, e.g. Yoda’s sword fight with Christopher Lee where Yoda bounces around like a ping pong ball. I was sitting there thinking “Yoda, you moron, stand up as tall as you can and SLICE THROUGH HIS KNEES!” 😄
when the character does dumb things
Such as swinging a light saber to deflect multiple continuous volleys of rapid-fire laser bolts?
That’s not dumb, it’s ridiculous. It would be a pretty smart thing to do if they could make it believable.
Ah, I see. I was thinking more in terms of dumb things the screenwriters did.
We could spend another 80 comments covering that!
I’ll take that as a hint to go no further. 🙂
The original Star Wars trilogy is a fusion of mid-20th century Westerns, WWII movies, and perhaps most importantly for this discussion Kurosawa samurai films, all wrapped up in a Flash Gordon visual aesthetic.
The Jedi are samurai[1]. They can deflect blaster bolts with lightsabers because in chambara samurai can deflect arrows with their katana. It’s a visual homage, as is everything in Star Wars. Star Wars is a visual fantasy and homage to the films George Lucas watched on Saturday matinee afternoons when he was ten. Complaining that it’s not realistic or believable is missing the point by twelve parsecs.
This affects my suspension of disbelief
All of Star Wars takes place in a single solar system. It has to. Faster than light travel is impossible.
[1] In the original trilogy. In the prequel trilogy the New Asian Cinema Hotness had moved on to wu xia, so the Jedi are wudong fighters and you get superball Yoda and everyone is Carrie.