Opinion A Handsome Man is giving a Speech! (Warning: Gay Panic?)

[NoDak]

Thread is deeply disappointing.

 

[IndyCovaHart]

Pundits entertain.

C-Span doesn’t.

 

[InternetHero]

Do you have any idea how needy one appears in a forum when, rather than clearly express and then extrapolate on their position, they are asking a reader to explain to them what the reader thinks they meant?

If I really missed some important perspective in your OP when I skimmed through it just lay it out for me rather than engage in this sad dance. Otherwise, I'm out.

Honest question:

Do you ever think you might miss something that way? Just skimming the words for what you are looking for? Maybe the writing is poor in this case, but do you usually have that attitude? Say you see a lot of style upfront and yet the substance proves elusive?

For example, from T.S. Eliot's masterwork Gerontion:

After such knowledge, what forgiveness? Think now
History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors
And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions,
Guides us by vanities. Think now
She gives when our attention is distracted
And what she gives, gives with such supple confusions
That the giving famishes the craving. Gives too late
What’s not believed in, or is still believed,
In memory only, reconsidered passion.

Not that my slight musings about notions of shame, pride, fear, and politics should be taken as seriously as a single letter in a third rate T.S. Eliot poem... but do you not worry that you are missing something, if I or anyone has to explain the philosophical and literary in the simplest of terms? That might be great or at least convenient in a culture based on short Twitter passages and sound-bytes, but, many, many ideas are lost.

What did Eliot mean?

What knowledge?
Where is history leading?
Where is life leading to?
What is the addiction?
Who is she that gives and what is it that does not fill and is craved? Left to lost memory?

The questions are answered brilliantly in what he is saying, not saying, and beneath the current of his stirred swath of words many mysteries are revealed. Or are they? Do you look beneath the surface?

Then again, more people write poetry than read poetry, and while I enjoyed writing the passage there is nothing wrong with more focus.

On that note - I will keep trying and experimenting.

Thanks for the time and have a great night/morning.
All the best to you.

 

[InternetHero]

Thread is deeply disappointing.

Not to worry, I have just the poem to cheer you up.

(Try reading it in different voices for the full effect.)

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

(If someone "doesn't get it" ask a few questions: Why plums? Why an icebox? Who wrote the "note" or letter and why? Breakfast? When were the plums eaten? Why are they so precious... what is going on... on my.)

Note: This will be my last post in the thread, as the thread does not seem to be very interesting or inspiring. Sorry for the lax effort, but I'll keep practicing and working to improve in both style and substance. Cheers!

 

[all caps]

On a similar note

But when you're livin' in the bottle then a ***** stop carin'
'Coz the one's who made that alcohol ain't my friend
But the sad part is I'ma probably do it again, goddamn

 

[NoDak]

Note: This will be my last post in the thread, as the thread does not seem to be very interesting or inspiring.

Heh, well it could be made real interesting and inspiring in a hurry but that would likely get me banned. I'll come back later to take in the actual point you were trying to make once it wears off because I haven't given it a fair shake. Apologies, IH.

 

[Trotsky]

If this gives Trump any ideas, we will revisit this thread and the flabby, shitty hell you hath wrought.

 

[Trotsky]

Not to worry, I have just the poem to cheer you up.

(Try reading it in different voices for the full effect.)

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Literally zero chance this poem doesn't give @senri a boner.

Had a high school English teacher that LOVED this poem. I was not a fan.

 

[InternetHero]

Heh, well it could be made real interesting and inspiring in a hurry but that would likely get me banned. I'll come back later to take in the actual point you were trying to make once it wears off because I haven't given it a fair shake. Apologies, IH.

Apologies as well, I will make one last post because it is just too good of a punchline...

If this gives Trump any ideas, we will revisit this thread and the flabby, shitty hell you hath wrought.

Trump getting any ideas from others? HA! Good one! That zinger is today's winner for the"Stormy Daniels" double DD award.

(Note: All payoffs, awards, and bending of the knees in regards to the "double DD award" are to be given in secret, through the shadiest counsel possible, and are "just business" and neither disgusting or corrupt. Any attempt to argue otherwise will result in insults from #POS claiming you are a rat, fraud, and/or a Rosie O'Donnell.)

 

[Jack V Savage]

I must confess I was unable to do so. Author's note: Trying to "write clever" when you're not really clever is very offputting to readers with discerning taste.

IH on David Foster Wallace, one of the greatest writers to ever live:

More to the point - I am proud to say that Mr. Magoo is to driving as Wallace is to writing.

Now, all joking with you aside, Mr. Wallace has fine ideas he just does not present them in a way that most people are going to follow, or that even most educated people are going to want to read.

As a wordsmith he is uncultivated, unfocused, and unmoored from any form of striking style or nuanced language that could add to his substance.

 

[senri]

Not to worry, I have just the poem to cheer you up.

(Try reading it in different voices for the full effect.)

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

(If someone "doesn't get it" ask a few questions: Why plums? Why an icebox? Who wrote the "note" or letter and why? Breakfast? When were the plums eaten? Why are they so precious... what is going on... on my.)

Note: This will be my last post in the thread, as the thread does not seem to be very interesting or inspiring. Sorry for the lax effort, but I'll keep practicing and working to improve in both style and substance. Cheers!

 

[senri]

Thread is deeply disappointing.

Now is the perfect time for you to secrete your will Mr. Dak...

 

[senri]

IH on David Foster Wallace, one of the greatest writers to ever live:

This is why The Nexus is upon you Mr. Savage. I knew your cortex attenuated itself to the compacted flavors of our creations... I hope you slept well last night...

 

[Jack V Savage]

This is why The Nexus is upon you Mr. Savage. I knew your cortex attenuated itself to the compacted flavors of our creations... I hope you slept well last night...

Are you a fan? I still can't get over how the writer of the awful OP in this thread was making those comments about DFW.

 

[Amerikuracana]

So, big penis. TS is thinking about penis.

 

[senri]

Are you a fan? I still can't get over how the writer of the awful OP in this thread was making those comments about DFW.

Hahah. Yes indeed...

The OP is penetrating in the right direction. Just needs a little more guidance from our secretions. There is still more coating to be done.

 

[NoDak]

Now is the perfect time for you to secrete your will Mr. Dak...

Ahem.

Not to worry, I have just the poem to cheer you up.

On another note, Jerry Goldsmith is a fucking genius.

 

[senri]

Spoiler

On another note, Jerry Goldsmith is a fucking genius.

You better settle down right now Mr Dak....

 

[NoDak]

You better settle down right now Mr Dak....

I thought it was nice, but you're probably right.

Are people triggered by Vitruvian Man?

 

[Graves The Elder]

"A naked man's thoughts have little value in a society." - Attributed to Mark Twain.

Imagine if you will, a handsome political fellow is about to give a speech to an attentive audience.

However, this man is wearing no pants, nor underpants. Nothing at all!

His grandiose endowments are all over the National Seal! The man is naked!

Old men will say - "How dare he do that in front of the children!"

Old women may say - "How disgusting!"

A young beauty might agree - "Right..." and think to herself, "Wow... what a great speaker..."

A young man in this day and age might say - "Whoa..." and envy and admire the spectacle.

What would almost everyone have in common? They would see and have strong feelings, but hear nothing. They are overwhelmed with base emotions - fear, pride, shame, or attraction.

The speaker would be the focus, and not the content. That is the focus of a lot of our politics today.

An ever louder and more boorish figure - a Trump, a Booker, a Pelosi, a notorious AOC.

The theater performance goes like this:

MSNBC: "Orange man bad, he make me angry!"

FOX NEWS: "Orange man good, he agree with me angry!"

Then everyone spits and chews, most often about unreasonable fear and pride.

This is exciting to us as people. We love a good show, a good song an dance, and overall good entertainment. There is nothing wrong with that, but there may be something seriously wrong about inviting the naked man into our midst.

We are no longer thinking, "How can I attain my politic views and compromise with the political views of others?" We are thinking, "I have something to lose and THAT MAN is trying to take it!" the man is irrelevant and beyond our control, what is never beyond control is what we choose to consume, what we choose to do.

If something makes you angry, it is probably trying to do so and is not your friend - the t.v. host, the radio dj, the shouting politician, please remember this about all of these - they want something from you first, money or power, in which they exchange to do modest things to stroke your ego, and maybe give you slightly more or less guns and abortions.

Changing the channel...

If you hear or see something and feel upset please remember someone wants your motivation, and listening to those who want to persuade rather than upset you are probably looking for not only your best interest, but the best interest of a nation, a people, or anyone.

The outrage is the drug, we are the users.

Donald Trump? A pusher all the way. His existence is to be recognized.

Barack Obama? A more subtle dealer. However, anyone suggesting he was not interested in triggering the right is not being honest.

Rachel Maddow? More like madcow, that's funny now a days on the right, right?

What about Rush Limbaugh? Oh you know it! But wait... while there have always been populists and outrage, a Kingfish or a Buchanan, there are points of genesis that link the stink to what is lacking in substance.

Certain groups of people will always be gullible and led by their baser instincts, the fear and rage, but gatekeepers are supposed to exist.

- The administrative government is not supposed to choose sides.

- The media is not supposed to play for one team.

- Wild conspiracies are not supposed to be legitimatized by the serious minded.

- Leaders are supposed to lead the tribe, not the other way around.

The left and right think all of these institutions are corrupt in one way or another, and makes turning off the outrage all the more difficult.

The naked emperor is no longer scolded at last by the innocent, he is hoisted up, a Trump or a Booker, as the debased opinion of all of "us" disaffected. We are Spartacus leading the way to freedom!

Hate to break it to the emperor, but everyone wants to be disaffected now, everyone sees themselves as a victim of something, and everyone is not only divided in an echo chamber, but facing an internal firing squad if they speak up.

What could be done? What can be said? What can be learned?

No problem.

You!

Yes you who stuck around long enough to read these words, and I thank you for it.

- If something makes you mad, it is not good for you.

- If something makes you upset, it is probably not helping you.

- If something requires a little patience to understand, it may be wise to ask a few questions to understand it.

- If someone is shouting at you, shouting back is not the best tactic, listening, patience, and and strong persuasion is.

If people stop listening, a republic stops working, and that means the political team you enjoy needs to use force to score societal touchdowns and bring about "tears" for the "losers."

That might be cute or feel empowering on the internet, but as someone who knows what a single party police state is like, it is not, and never will be.

Meet and greet your Democratic friends, say something nice to a Republican, and talk about the issues you can agree on, then look at how your disagreements can be worked out in different ways.

BOOM! Republicanism (small r!) and a better world to live in.

Thank you and may God in his eternal greatness, or the Spaghetti monster in his juicy marinara, bless you all.

As per the War Room suggestions, here are also a couple of stories to help us think beyond the tribal, and to the coalition building and tolerance.

About how Evangelicals have been influenced by the Administration - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...e5-a4aa-f25866ba0dc6_story.html?noredirect=on

About how polarization influences people - https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/a-kind-word-for-the-smoke-filled-room/

As well, I will respond to questions with the following caveats:

- If you are trolling and triggering, I will not respond.

- I will not respond to profanity directed at me or anyone.

Anything else, I am happy to discuss with everyone.