Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Posted by Mickey Z on 01/26 at 05:21 AM

Scarcity always makes a prize of things, even the least desirable. I suppose it’s also mark of being cunning to do someone out of a seat. What those subways need are roving gangs of trainers who will make the passengers do tai chi. I bet doing that on moving trains would seriously improve their coordination. Probably make them less inclined to violence, once they got into it.

Posted by Harry on from 01/26 at 09:35 AM

Funny you should mention this, Harry. I once wrote an article for a martial arts magazine in which I offered ways to “practice” in everyday situations. One such way was to ride the bus or train without holding on...to cultivate balance and footwork.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from 01/26 at 12:20 PM

That makes a great deal of sense (my roving gangs of trainers do not).

This is a wild speculation, but do you think it’s possible the terrible health of our people is one of the causes of their inclinations towards violence? I was reading an article in Harpers about chronic pain. I never knew so many people, about 50 million!, were suffering so much. Pain and poor health. . . it’s a recipe for serious political ills.

Posted by Harry on from 01/26 at 01:42 PM

I’ve often joked about Americans taking more laxatives per captia than any other nation...which means that most of the decisions that impact the globe are being made by constipated rich white men.

To play chicken-and-egg, however, I remember an old Situationist pamphlet pointing out that one out of every three visits to a general practitioner is for anxiety. This was blamed on our spectacle society...and they have a valid point there.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from 01/26 at 02:31 PM