Boredom + Tiredness = Wastes of Time + Silliness
-When looked at from a certain viewpoint, there is nothing quite so depressing as a Livejournal entry. Consider that it takes at the very least a good ten to fifteen minutes to sit down and write out one. Also consider what other activities take roughly ten to fifteen minutes: burning a CD, reading an article, shaking hands with the unemployed (ok, so like five minutes, if you take your time; sue me). All of the aformentioned activities are either more productive, producing a new CD or a more erudite self, when compared to the insignificant bit of e-text produced as a result of journaling or more enjoyable (as is the case with hand shaking). Nor is journaling even what might rightly be called an activity, since it is an activity whose proper domain is the recollection of activities. Thus the normal livejournal is, at a fundamental level, an image of an activity and must be kept outside of our ideal city. Do you understand Glaucon?
Glaucon: Clearly, it is as a clear stream in which flows the clearest water from the clearest spring on the clearest day in the clearest land...
Erik: Silence, Glaucon.
Glaucon: Yes, Erik. I will most certainly remain silent. But how can you permit yourself to write a journal about the fundamental worthlessness of journals, Soc... I mean Erik? Would this not present a glaring contradiction, one which even the simplest fool, who is far less wise than you, could not miss?
Erik: Shit. You're ri... I mean, of course you see this journal as an act of hypocrisy, and rightly so. However, let us delve deeper and find the cause of this seeming hypocrisy.
Glaucon: Of course. While I once thought that the contradiction is pretty fucking obvious, I now rightly see that there might be another way. Surely you can help me, O Erik.
Erik: Surely I must. Now consider the word swallow. Does it not denote both a bird and an action?
Glaucon: Why, of course Erik.
Erik: And yet, are a bird and an action not different things, and may that which is different not be also the same?
Glaucon: This seems obvious now. However, how can you explain this new contradiction, as bird and action are indeed the same in the word swallow and yet that which is different may clearly not be the same?
Erik: It seems that you have presented a just and true contradiction, so long as one accepts that something can not have two forms. However, if we remove this stipulation, the problem dissolves itself.
Glaucon: Ah. I have just now been awoken to the light. There must be several forms of journalling.
Erik: Indeed, Glaucon, you have had a true insight! Remember that in our ideal city, there would be several classes of people and to each would correspond a certain quality of metal, such as clay, tin, copper, bronze, silver, and gold. And, if I may conjecture, it also follows that each sort of man would produce Livejournals of different quality. The men of tin would produce journals which are incoherent, depressing, and not at all interesting; the men of copper would produce journals which are coherent, depressing, and not at all interesting; the men of bronze would write journals about the various happenings in their lives which, while neither depressing nor incoherent, are nevertheless not interesting. All of these journals are merely the images of thoughts and, since creating them produces nothing but images, they are worthless. Now, there are two types of journals which are not worthless, the journals of which all other sorts of journals are mere images. The men of silver produce journals which relay various important information, such as when a person will be in town or where the party will be held. Finally, the men of gold produce the greatest journals, those which are witty, coherent, and interesting to everyone; the men who write these journals are clearly the most valuable men in our ideal city and therefore are to be honored as kings.
Glaucon: Erik, you present a most complete and satisfactory picture. Yet, you failed to mention what sort of journals would be produced by the men of clay.
Erik: As the men of gold, the greatest metal, would produce the greatest journal, so would the men of cal produce the worst. Their journals are nothing more than a set of animations, hyperlinks, and fancy counters, which distract one from the utter lack of content within the journal itself. They are images of the uninteresting livejounals, which are themselves images of the interesting livejournal and are thus images of images. They must be kept, at all costs, from our ideal city.
Glaucon: Thank you Erik, for your illumination. But now I must depart, for you are sick of typing this dialogue and have some hands to shake, if I remember correctly.
End dialogue.
Glaucon: Clearly, it is as a clear stream in which flows the clearest water from the clearest spring on the clearest day in the clearest land...
Erik: Silence, Glaucon.
Glaucon: Yes, Erik. I will most certainly remain silent. But how can you permit yourself to write a journal about the fundamental worthlessness of journals, Soc... I mean Erik? Would this not present a glaring contradiction, one which even the simplest fool, who is far less wise than you, could not miss?
Erik: Shit. You're ri... I mean, of course you see this journal as an act of hypocrisy, and rightly so. However, let us delve deeper and find the cause of this seeming hypocrisy.
Glaucon: Of course. While I once thought that the contradiction is pretty fucking obvious, I now rightly see that there might be another way. Surely you can help me, O Erik.
Erik: Surely I must. Now consider the word swallow. Does it not denote both a bird and an action?
Glaucon: Why, of course Erik.
Erik: And yet, are a bird and an action not different things, and may that which is different not be also the same?
Glaucon: This seems obvious now. However, how can you explain this new contradiction, as bird and action are indeed the same in the word swallow and yet that which is different may clearly not be the same?
Erik: It seems that you have presented a just and true contradiction, so long as one accepts that something can not have two forms. However, if we remove this stipulation, the problem dissolves itself.
Glaucon: Ah. I have just now been awoken to the light. There must be several forms of journalling.
Erik: Indeed, Glaucon, you have had a true insight! Remember that in our ideal city, there would be several classes of people and to each would correspond a certain quality of metal, such as clay, tin, copper, bronze, silver, and gold. And, if I may conjecture, it also follows that each sort of man would produce Livejournals of different quality. The men of tin would produce journals which are incoherent, depressing, and not at all interesting; the men of copper would produce journals which are coherent, depressing, and not at all interesting; the men of bronze would write journals about the various happenings in their lives which, while neither depressing nor incoherent, are nevertheless not interesting. All of these journals are merely the images of thoughts and, since creating them produces nothing but images, they are worthless. Now, there are two types of journals which are not worthless, the journals of which all other sorts of journals are mere images. The men of silver produce journals which relay various important information, such as when a person will be in town or where the party will be held. Finally, the men of gold produce the greatest journals, those which are witty, coherent, and interesting to everyone; the men who write these journals are clearly the most valuable men in our ideal city and therefore are to be honored as kings.
Glaucon: Erik, you present a most complete and satisfactory picture. Yet, you failed to mention what sort of journals would be produced by the men of clay.
Erik: As the men of gold, the greatest metal, would produce the greatest journal, so would the men of cal produce the worst. Their journals are nothing more than a set of animations, hyperlinks, and fancy counters, which distract one from the utter lack of content within the journal itself. They are images of the uninteresting livejounals, which are themselves images of the interesting livejournal and are thus images of images. They must be kept, at all costs, from our ideal city.
Glaucon: Thank you Erik, for your illumination. But now I must depart, for you are sick of typing this dialogue and have some hands to shake, if I remember correctly.
End dialogue.