Stupid Things that Aren't (Entirely) Political

[iskender]

So you might have wondered why I seldom bitch about liberals and the left in my frequent descriptions of arguments. Well, that's because, aside from a few occasions in my undergrad career (which can be found in my archives), I don't have to deal with liberal annoyance on a personal basis. No, the entrenched culture of my Winter Park college is,

Comments

[dgink]

So yeah, dwarves and elves as Republicans or Democrats... Is this a failing of American political education, or aesthetics?

Too bad Obama and McCain can't face off at the debate tonight with d20's eh? ::Obama casts magic missle:: ::McCain dodges, falls asleep::

Might be (at least in part) a failing of parents, pop media and educational institutions to provide clear reasons as to why we should give a fuck about the world around us and actually learn a thing or two about the rules that govern our lives. We middle class white boys grow up in a culture of fantasy (be it D&D, football or rock-stardom) thinking that these are the only things that we have some control over. The market dictates our values, especially as young people (a group I'm rapidly aging out of).

I've only recently (maybe 5 years ago) graduated to thinking (asking relevant questions) through a fortunate series of events, but other folks seem to believe that you can just make it up as you go without the history or facts (of which I don't have all, but at least I try). Especially in the case of young men, who seem to think that "Fight Club" is more relevant to their lives than the decisions their representatives make.

People need to feel like they have control. Seems they're just injecting something they have some control over into the debate because they want to be a part of the discussion, but they can't relate on a direct level.

Just a thought.

Don't knock "Fight Club"

[bredon]

It may not be as important to my life as the decisions my representatives make, but it's a hell of a lot closer to my philosophy than anything I've ever heard from ANYONE in Washington.

Re: Don't knock "Fight Club"

[iskender]

I don't think he's knocking Fight Club, Rob. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that a lot of people get the excitement of Fight Club without even thinking about the pros and cons of the philosophy contained. And that's the irony of the film, and the pitfall of selling rebellion to the generally obedient American man. We're not terribly smart, and we tend to devolve into caveman collectivism, denigrating women and anyone who might work as an Other. It's disgusting, and the film addresses that, but few bother to pay attention, instead focusing on the bare-knuckle boxing. When 300 came around, they ate it up, too, thought unchanged. It's the way of dumb young men and patriarchy--every god-damn time.

By the way: http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/the_new_cult_canon_fight_club

Re: Don't knock "Fight Club"

[bredon]

Excellent link, thanks! And yes, I know that many people focus on the wrong bits of Fight Club but to me, it speaks truth to power in a way I had never seen before and frankly, have rarely seen since.

So perhaps I tend to over-react when I feel people are being dismissive of it.

Re: Don't knock "Fight Club"

[dgink]

Wasn't trying to be dismissive. Anything that creates that much buzz deserves a critical look. It's just that the wrong crowd picked up the wrong masculinity cues and didn't bother to read into what's really going on in the story. To some folks it's more than a movie, it's who they see themselves as (these guys tend to forget the last 45 mins of the film).

[buttwhale]

"Too bad Obama and McCain can't face off at the debate tonight with d20's eh? ::Obama casts magic missle:: ::McCain dodges, falls asleep::"

I snorted!

[iskender]

McCain should have been an elf like Obama. He would have been immune to sleep effects.

As it is, though, McCain did master undetectable alignment early, or he would never have gotten this far.

[iskender]

McCain can't RP. He won't sit down to unconditional talks with a potential adversary, which means no DM's going to work with him. We like our flexibility. :D

Well, the parents probably want the world to go back to what they thought was simple, and so they're woefully unprepared to tell their kids about the present which they've never bothered to study. Come on--McCain makes Nixon's ideas look fresh.

As far as feeling like one has control, I think it's a little bit of two opposed methods having the same result.

One decadent group says "We can't change anything, so let's just do what we do." They're elective peons, they can come from any class--as the well-to-do don't feel any urge to struggle, and the too-much-to-do don't have any excess energy, since they're trying to cope with adolescent heart disease and the healthcare they're constantly in danger of losing. So it's basically aristocratic foppery for peasants, let's have idle delights, bread and circuses. Choose your metaphor. It's ugly and I hate it and it's one of the reasons that post-modernism is on my shit list. New wave "power is a construct" is just a new version of that shit we learned in grade school "revolutions don't change anything." Except when they establish this country. Never try that again, folks! Grow progressively more obedient over time and don't read Tom Jefferson! Drink beer, get fat, and die!

Oh wait, there was another thing I needed to get to. The counter-phenomenon. This is what I call "the world is no larger than my mind." And this is what you're talking about. People actually believe that how TV celebrities act says something meaningful about power relationships. They talk about who they think is "presidential" and who they can have a beer with. They talk about how the president is at sports, what teams he likes.

This is basic numbskullery, and I've seen it in all areas. I remember a middle school locker room dude talking about how Jesus had a six-pack. Yes, the way he could think of expressing the power of God, in his shoebox-of-a-brain, was talking about, I am not making this up, how Jesus was stacked, brother!

So together, we all become a sotted bunch of fools, and this is how we become medieval Italy, former empire now playing host to the lusty warriors of a latter-day France or Germany, probably played by India or China. Yippee!