Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
3 questions from John Zerzan (and one from Albert Einstein, too)
I like the recurring idea of reposing questions from great minds. I think a great deal of medical and learning equipment are necessary improvements. As far as I know, most such things do not “cost the earth.” The nature of being human is that we are capable of developing, and some of our evoling material has been unutterably splendid IMHO. Pizza, too, is nice.
Posted by Chris Wood on from A sweaty classroom full of 11 yr olds 06/20 at 06:21 AMMaybe this is a good time to remind ourselves of Vonnegut’s suggested question, to be posed from time to time:
“If this isn’t nice, what is?” I can’t say that applies (especially!) to the coterie of loud innocent herberts producing, ideally, projects on Shakespeare (a lot of which seem to involve an unhealthy fascination with guns, for some reason, and soft drink adverts). But this is the best job I’ve ever had; also I’ve figured out away of making the next two weeks much easier on my rapidly aging frame. This involves a lot of project work on computers, and much more of sitting in a big comfy chairs. IT teachers get the best chairs. Bastards.
Posted by Chris Wood on from A sweaty classroom full of 11 yr olds 06/20 at 06:25 AMFor those who are troubled by the reference to “Indian” children, I say we are all Indian children. We are all Iraqi children. We are all American children.
RMJ: you rule!
Posted by Keir on from The Hague 06/20 at 07:12 AMi am agreeing with keir again, RMJ, fnatastic article.
as for albert (we’re on first name terms don’t u know?)
i always loved this…
“only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
Posted by michael on from exile 06/20 at 07:40 AMand mickey, did u ever post this one by arthur miller somewhere?.?.?.?
“few of us can easily surrender our belief that society must somehow make sense. The thought that the state has lost its mind and is punishing so many innocent people is intolerable. And so the evidence has to be internally denied.”
Posted by michael on from exile 06/20 at 07:43 AMthis is an old british joke but its an american site so instead of changing the names to protect the innocent i will change the names to implicate the guilty… anyway… on with it…
A driver is stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway. Nothing is moving. Suddenly a man knocks on the window. The driver rolls down his window and asks, “What’s going on?”
“Terrorists have kidnapped Karl Rove bill o reilly and sean hannity. They’re asking for a £10 billion ransom. Otherwise they’re going to douse them with petrol and set them on fire. We’re going from car to car, taking up a collection.”
“How much is everyone giving, on average?” the driver asks.
“About a gallon.”
Posted by michael on from exile 06/20 at 08:17 AMNice one Michael. Mickey all those questions are rhetorical with this crowd, I think, but one of the Zerzan questions ("Why do humans ignore the nature of their bodies and minds?") just reminded me of this classic Frank Zappa doo-wop refrain:
What’s the ugliest part of your body?
What’s the ugliest part of your body?
Some say your nose, some say your toes
but I think it’s your mnd.Posted by Keir on from The Hague 06/20 at 08:50 AMDoes anyone else here identify with this as much as I do?:
Sinking Ship
The ship was sinking---and sinking fast. The captain told the passengers and crew, “We’ve got to get the lifeboats in the water right away.”
But the crew said, “First we have to end capitalist oppression of the working class. Then we’ll take care of the lifeboats.”Then the women said, “First we want equal pay for equal work. The lifeboats can wait.”
The racial minorities said, “First we need to end racial discrimination. Then seating in the lifeboats will be allotted fairly.”
The captain said, “These are all important issues, but they won’t matter a damn if we don’t survive. We’ve got to lower the lifeboats right away!”
But the religionists said, “First we need to bring prayer back into the classroom. This is more important than lifeboats.”
Then the pro-life contingent said, “First we must outlaw abortion. Fetuses have just as much right to be in those lifeboats as anyone else.”
The right-to-choose contingent said, “First acknowledge our right to abortion, then we’ll help with the lifeboats.”
The socialists said, “First we must redistribute the wealth. Once that’s done everyone will work equally hard at lowering the lifeboats.”
The animal-rights activists said, “First we must end the use of animals in medical experiments. We can’t let this be subordinated to lowering the lifeboats.”
Finally the ship sank, and because none of the lifeboats had been lowered, everyone drowned.
The last thought of more than one of them was, “I never dreamed that solving humanity’s problems would take so long---or that the ship would sink so SUDDENLY.”
http://www.ishmael.com/Education/Parables/SinkingShip.shtml
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 06/20 at 09:08 AMyes JOS but one idea of this parable is something that bush and co take advantage of i.e. “we are in trouble now (war on abstract noun), support us and then we can deal with all that other stuff.”
Posted by michael on from exile 06/20 at 09:15 AMInstead of asking, “How much damage will the work in question bring about?” why not ask, “How much good? How much joy?”
-Henry Miller
Posted by owen on from barcelona 06/20 at 09:28 AMHello Expendables...from muggy Astoria. We’re impatiently waiting for the thunderstorms to break this heat and humidity.
Thanks for the great comments, etc. Michael, I will be stealing that Miller quote for tomorrow’s post. JOS, the parable you posted sums up my mindset these days. The so-called Left is gearing up for another presidential election in which the lesser evilism deck chairs will be set out for all to see...but meanwhile, the ship be sinking (to borrow from noted philosopher Micheal Ray Richardson).
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 06/20 at 10:06 AMhey, if u didn’t use its MINE.
only joking.
i believe it is everybodys via arthur miller.
i got it from john pilgers latest article…
Posted by michael on from exile 06/20 at 10:17 AMDon’t worry, Michael, you know I’m going to thank you for it.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 06/20 at 10:20 AMi wrote in a review i did that” alasdair campbell is the uk karl rove or karl rove is the uk alasdair campbell...i haven’t decided yet”
he recently started a world cup blog and they almost immediately had to shut down the comments section.
here are a few choice quotes, the first one is the best, see if you can work out why they shut it down…
“Alastair, if Iran find themselves behind at half time, do you think they’ll be able to launch a counter-attack in the following 45 minutes?”
EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT IS PERFECT!
“I comfort myself in the certain knowledge that we are witnessing the death throes of the most corrupt government this country has ever known.”
Tim Ireland.... “I don’t mind football so much, but I guess i feel hooligans have ruined the game. I suppose i feel the same way about politics Mr campbell.”
Posted by michael on from exile 06/20 at 10:31 AMWhy do humans ignore the nature of their bodies and minds?
“Everyone confesses that exertion which brings out all the powers of body and mind is the best thing for us; but most people do all they can to
get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than circumstances drive them to do.”
--Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and novelist
(1811-1896)Posted by Mudge on from Austin, Texas 06/20 at 01:10 PMVery interesting questions, Mickey! And a most interesting post - as always. Thanks.
‘Hi’ from a wintry Daylesford to Chris Wood, Keir, Michael, JOS, Owen and .. MUDGE! Not the first but #15 today - ahead of Mrs Helga, though.
Bye, expendables - and I hope you all have a good morning/afternoon/night wherever you are.
Keir: we visited The Hague a few years ago from Amsterdam and found it quite ‘sleepy’ in comparison with Amsterdam. We loved the Mauritshuis museum a lot btw.Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 06/20 at 03:26 PMAnd thanks for all those great quotes, expendables! Especially like the Arthur Miller one but the others are not half bad either.
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 06/20 at 03:31 PM
Next entry: United States of Psychopaths
Previous entry: Conversations we need to start
Copyright © 2005-2007 Mickey Z.
