Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21Hey dude, I'm a lifelong democrat and, as flawed as it is, I believe in the system and I do my damnedest to work through the system to make this a better country. I think it payed off on Tuesday, and I am definitely am looking forward January 20th and beyond. b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21h, 21 b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21For real, I've been trying to unpack some shit out of my head for a few days now and here's the thing:b, 21b, 21In general, I hold a very cynical view towards America, its gov't and its leaders. I may not agree with everything Harvey listed earlier but I actually think a lot of that shit is really real; we live in such a fucked up society sometimes, not just in terms of the inequalities that have been built into so many our institutions, but especially because they run so counter to our supposed core national values. b, 21b, 21It also doesn't help that I teach classes on social problems - I'm conditioned to be able to point out all the things failing in America rather than think about what works. b, 21b, 21But man...this past week has been such an incredible time in America...not because it's changed anything in and of itself - that work lies ahead and failure or success have yet to be determined. But seriously? I have NEVER, in my lifetime, seen the kinds of collective expressions of hope and belief in the I>idea of America[/i] as what's happened this weekend. b, 21b, 21And sure, maybe it's all feel-good bullshit and maybe in two months from now, shit will be even worse. b, 21b, 21What I do know is that for the first time in a really, really, really, really long time, I let myself feel the collective sense of hope. And you know what? b, 21b, 21I1It feels good[/i]. It feels good to believe in your society and its people and its leaders. b, 21b, 21And that's not about ignorance being bliss. I can still run down all that ails us in a heartbeat. But it's about believing in the possibility of change and progress rather that the assumption that things have to - and will - become worse before they get better. b, 21b, 21So while I'm not sold that Obama is going to be a great president - how can we possibly know that now? - I am ever so thankful that his campaign brought out all this belief in other people, so much so that you could feel this collective catharsis that entire day, like all those 60,000,000 or so people who voted for him wanted to wrench America back through sheer force of will. Part of me is bummed that my daughter was too young to really understand that - I wanted her to feel it too but I'm also glad that she'll be too young to ever remember the Bush years and that she'll come of age in what I hope to be a different America.
b, 21b, 21My mom went to elementary school in Sacramento, CA in the 1950s. One of her teachers was part of this far right group called the John Birch Society. When the government started putting flouride in the water, she told all her kids to stop brushing their teeth, taking showers, and washing their clothes and dishes without boiling the water first, because the flouride was actually part of a communist plots to brainwash Americans. Her Bircher branch believed that communists had infiltrated and taken over the American government during the New Deal of the 1930s, taking a cue from Joseph McCarthy's rants.b, 21b, 21It's nice to know that Harvey is actually a right wing nutjob in disguise. Hence the Ron Paul support! img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerbang.gif" alt="" 21
I think a short excerpt from my (work in progress) autobiography is appropriate hereb, 21b, 21"What happened to quit dignity? Everytime you pick up a magazine or switch on the television there is some celebrity/someone who slept with a celebrity/reality show reject 'baring their soul' about 'their struggle against addiction', 'their pain', 'their suffering' ect. I really despise the way this kind of emotional incontinence is encouraged and celebrated. b, 21b, 21It may well be that a trouble shared is a trouble halved and you shouldnt hold in your feelings, but everyone agrees you shouldnt hold in your bowel movements; that doesnt mean you should shit in the streets. If you want to share your problems talk to a psychiatrist. I dont want to hear your bullshit and I dont want to see people who love talking about themselves labled 'courageous' for talking about themselves."b, 21b, 21I say this because it seems that much of the outpouring of emotion to have greeted Obama's win is, at bottom, similarly self indulgent. It really sounds like a lot of people patting themselves on the back for being enlightened enough to vote for a black dude.
b, 21b, 21definitely a mind controlling agent...so I only trust information from people with goiters b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21Next up: Vitamin C + scurvy connection = disinformation campaign by the citrus lobby? b, 21b, 21Discuss.
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21I think a short excerpt from my (work in progress) autobiography is appropriate here b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/funnypost.gif" alt="" 21 b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21Yeah, im thinking about calling it dreams of your mother.b, 21b, 21Beoooooooooooootttccccchhhhh
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21I think a short excerpt from my (work in progress) autobiography is appropriate here b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/funnypost.gif" alt="" 21 b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21Yeah, im thinking about calling it dreams of your mother.b, 21b, 21Beoooooooooooootttccccchhhhh b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21That's a truly amazing and original come back. It's nice to know you are still at the high school level intellectually, which would actually explain a lot.
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21b, 21I say this because it seems that much of the outpouring of emotion to have greeted Obama's win is, at bottom, similarly self indulgent. It really sounds like a lot of people patting themselves on the back for being enlightened enough to vote for a black dude. b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21b, 21This is the same tired white guilt argument that rush limbaugh and co. have been pushing since Obama became a viable candidate. I suppose if hillary won, you'd say that we are all patting ourselves on the back about electing a woman.b, 21b, 21The "outpouring of emotion" on here and all across the world is authentic and a lot of us felt emotionally invested in his campaign for legitimate reasons. We volunteered, donated money, and were adamant vocal supporters to whoever would listen. Now we are celebrating and all the naysayers are irrelevant for the next 4 years.b, 21b, 21b, 21b, 21b, 21b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/walkawaysonfinal.gif" alt="" 21
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21I think a short excerpt from my (work in progress) autobiography is appropriate hereb, 21b, 21"What happened to quit dignity?[/b] b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21Haha, that would explain 99.9% of your posts. You might want to invest in a spell check, jackass.
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21WHy did we unban him again? b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21Can we please ban KVH from using the Walk Away Son graemlin.b, 21b, 21I'll pay $$. b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21I would too. b, 21b, 21I've never seen such overabuse of a graemlin. b, 21b, 21In fact, I bet he'll respond to this thread with a...b, 21b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/walkawaysonfinal.gif" alt="" 21
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21WHy did we unban him again? b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21Can we please ban KVH from using the Walk Away Son graemlin.b, 21b, 21I'll pay $$. b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21I would too. b, 21b, 21I've never seen such overabuse of a graemlin. b, 21b, 21In fact, I bet he'll respond to this thread with a...b, 21b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/walkawaysonfinal.gif" alt="" 21 b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21b, 21i don't know, its like a period on the end of a sentence, but if you can resurrect the mc serch "it's time for you to step off" graemlin, i'll swap.
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21I buy McCain as a tragic hero. Bush? Not so much. b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21Yeah, I can understand why many wouldn't consider Bush a tragic figure. b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21Yo, Aaron, how come you didn't remind these fools who they are dealing with?b, 21b, 21Let them know who GETS PAID TO TEACH THIS DRAMA SCHITT!
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21I buy McCain as a tragic hero. Bush? Not so much. b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21Yeah, I can understand why many wouldn't consider Bush a tragic figure. b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21Yo, Aaron, how come you didn't remind these fools who they are dealing with?b, 21b, 21Let them know who GETS PAID TO TEACH THIS DRAMA SCHITT! b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21Some here would say I get paid too much.
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21I buy McCain as a tragic hero. Bush? Not so much. b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21No way. What was Bush's one fatal flaw? Idiocy? It's not (merely) hubris. Even in the classic sense, nobility or some other dominant, positive quality needs to exist in abundance in order for the tragedy to actually resound. If you're pegging Bush as some Modern, Arthur Miller type, I'm not buying that either. Bush is the leader of the Free World, and thus vaults by matter of course the mean trappings of the antihero.b, 21b, 21Bush is not McCain. The latter could fit the archetype of either Classic tragic hero or (perhaps more approprietly) Elizabethan Faustian antihero. I'd call Bush a Byronic hero if I considered him intelligent enough to independently manipulate his subjects.
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21/font1Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21I buy McCain as a tragic hero. Bush? Not so much. b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21No way. What was Bush's one fatal flaw? Idiocy? It's not (merely) hubris. Even in the classic sense, nobility or some other dominant, positive quality needs to exist in abundance in order for the tragedy to actually resound. If you're pegging Bush as some Modern, Arthur Miller type, I'm not buying that either. Bush is the leader of the Free World, and thus vaults by matter of course the mean trappings of the antihero.b, 21b, 21Bush is not McCain. The latter could fit the archetype of either Classic tragic hero or (perhaps more approprietly) Elizabethan Faustian antihero. I'd call Bush a Byronic hero if I considered him intelligent enough to independently manipulate his subjects. b, 21b, 21h, 21b, 21b, 21Faustus is not an anti-hero. He is a perfect Renaissance tragic hero.
Quote:/font1h, 21b, 21I think a short excerpt from my (work in progress) autobiography is appropriate hereb, 21b, 21"What happened to quit dignity?b, 21b, 21h, 21
b, 21b, 21I stopped reading right there.b, 21What happened to copy editing?
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