The following is an actual conversation I had this morning. The screen names have been changed to avoid IM spam.
(11:14:26) firesetterninja: I miss my dichotomy studies.
(11:15:07) firesetterninja: there's still a big huge comm geek inside me just waiting for the opportunity break out at a moment
(11:15:47) elvee: At what point did "dichotomy" become a real word? Seriously, this was not a term invented by hunter-gatherer society.
(11:16:29) firesetterninja: how about when we moved beyond the hunter gatherer society? :-) Burke argues that the use of the negative was the point when this all changed.
(11:16:39) firesetterninja: because the negative does not exist in nature.
(11:16:52) firesetterninja: it was at that point that we began to think in the abstract
(11:17:37) elvee: There was a point in human history when the brain evolved to think in abstract concepts.
(11:17:44) firesetterninja: I dont know if that was the answer you wanted.
(11:18:01) firesetterninja: exactly. the closest we can pinpoint is to the understanding of the "not"
(11:18:16) firesetterninja: which stood as the basis for dichotomy and metaphor
(11:18:27) elvee: That makes sense, actually.
(11:18:30) firesetterninja: and where would we be in abstraction without that?
(11:18:52) firesetterninja: yes! I RULE! I just explained burke to an animator. :-)
(11:19:06) elvee: I'd say that we wouldn't have abstraction, but that would be a negative, so I fear my brain is tied in knots.
(11:19:14) elvee: Good job. You get a cookie.
(11:19:14) firesetterninja: now, this all ties in with perspective by incongruity....but that's a whole other lecture. :-)
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Friday, November 19, 2004
The work here seems to have let up a bit. I'm ready for this semester to be over so that I can get on with something educational and worthwhile. Narrative theory makes my intestines bleed, but everything else is going along well enough. I think Human Computer Interaction is my favorite class, even though I don't talk much and I stumble through the material I present as if I've never had any sort of public speaking experience. Creativity as a class is a little grating lately; the last few guest speakers have been very boring. The work outside of creativity class is fun, though. I'm working on making lip-synch animations for puppets made out of dusters called "dust-os". Digital storytelling class is good enough, but kind of pointless. I got to talk about video games while we were on the subject the other day, then it was back to things I really don't care that much about. I'm not opposed to the material, but I really can't make myself care about usage studies of a handful of NPR station websites. My job is getting a little more hectic now. I'm finally moved in to a new office with working internet and a festive purple wall. The library video I shot a few weeks ago looks like crap, so I'll be reshooting after break. The problem was that I did the whole thing myself after I told people that I know how to shoot video. Suddenly I'm in charge of shooting and editing a video tour of the library all alone. Robert Rodriguez did less on El Mariachi. This time I get to have lights set up and my boss will direct, so I don't have to do everything myself.
I saw Squeaky today, eating in the atrium and talking louder than anyone really has to outside of the base of Niagara falls. I don't know why I'm so fascinated with this little misanthrope. Maybe it's his oddly shaped bald spot surrounded by preposterously curly hair, maybe it's that he reminds me of a duck/rodent love child, maybe it's because he wanted to start a heated argument in the only swanky bar in town. I just don't know.
Outside of school, things are good, or so I'm told- I wouldn't know. For whatever reason, everyone I hang out with left for the weekend. Not left as in Indy or Cleveland, left as in boarded an airplane and crossed several state lines. Tomorrow night I'm going to see a concert at the Heorat. Good bye, lungs, liver, and brain cells; I wanna rock.
I saw Squeaky today, eating in the atrium and talking louder than anyone really has to outside of the base of Niagara falls. I don't know why I'm so fascinated with this little misanthrope. Maybe it's his oddly shaped bald spot surrounded by preposterously curly hair, maybe it's that he reminds me of a duck/rodent love child, maybe it's because he wanted to start a heated argument in the only swanky bar in town. I just don't know.
Outside of school, things are good, or so I'm told- I wouldn't know. For whatever reason, everyone I hang out with left for the weekend. Not left as in Indy or Cleveland, left as in boarded an airplane and crossed several state lines. Tomorrow night I'm going to see a concert at the Heorat. Good bye, lungs, liver, and brain cells; I wanna rock.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
So, what can I say about the election that hasn't been said already? I'm no fan of most pundits from any side, and I'm really not all that well-versed in politics domestic or foreign. As appalled as I am at the result, I do see how it happened.
A topic that doesn't come up quite as often as it should is the growing divide in America between the mid-to-upper-class and the lower class. The middle class from the past forty years has split noticeably in the past decade, mostly since 1999/2000 and the start of the recession. Manufacturing and skilled labor jobs have been moving out of our borders for years, irregardless of who sits in the oval office or policy, be it Reaganomics or NAFTA. Most of these jobs were based in small towns, where the atmosphere is conducive to small business with low overhead and return. With diminished local economy, small towns have fallen apart. The people are still there, though, because for many it's all they know. Moving to somewhere more viable isn't an option for the older generation that live on the same street they were born on.
The social stigma of being poor in a small town is perhaps a larger factor. The popular vernacular refers to them as derisively as "white trash," and as affectionately as "redneck." I'm no better, I admit. The average person in a small town dresses sensibly and purely for utility on a normal day, never like anything from Vogue. Urban popular culture shifts with the wind and the internet. Small towns, as a rule, do not. Tradition and simplicity are valued by a fiercely proud manufacturing class. With the loss of manufacturing and small businesses, a large degree of pride and purpose were lost as well. Agriculture has been in similar shape. Young people are urged to escape from small towns to pursue opportunity, assuming they can afford it. Often the only employment to be found is at large national chain retailers. Workers dress in cute little uniforms and adhere to dehumanizing policies under perma-day lights. This is a far cry from the locally owned furniture factory where the foreman knew each employee by name.
With these facets of small town culture fading away, it seems that the people in these areas have fallen back on the one thing that cannot be exported away: the church. Poverty and religion have always gone hand-in-hand because of the solidarity found in both. Evangelical Christianity has swelled to enormous levels all over the country, and I believe that this is the reason. The community within this establishment is some of the last vestige of humanity to be found in some of these small communities.
This is exactly where the right wing found traction. Historically the aristocracy has avoided contact with what they view as peasantry, often with disastrous results. The French Revolution comes to mind. The American ruling class has been different since the revolution, though. They know where their labor comes from, and where their soldiers come from. The American Revolution was, as my old history professor put it: "a rich man's war, a poor man's fight." The Republican Party plays this angle well historically, dressing up as common folk when they have to.
Many in the fifty-one percent of voters claimed to have voted based on "values." These things have nothing to do with how to run a country, nothing to do with the economy or health care or education; nothing to do with the prosperity of a nation. Have small town communities really become so disconnected from the rest of the world? If so, then this is a problem. This means that the majority of America is disconnected like this. They voted for what they see as the survival of their way of life, never mind what else was riding on the ballot.
I don't know how to fix this, but something must be done. A large portion of the population has become economically obsolete, but it is still important to recognize them as human and therefore possessing potential. Apparently, just paying them lip service is enough to become president.
A topic that doesn't come up quite as often as it should is the growing divide in America between the mid-to-upper-class and the lower class. The middle class from the past forty years has split noticeably in the past decade, mostly since 1999/2000 and the start of the recession. Manufacturing and skilled labor jobs have been moving out of our borders for years, irregardless of who sits in the oval office or policy, be it Reaganomics or NAFTA. Most of these jobs were based in small towns, where the atmosphere is conducive to small business with low overhead and return. With diminished local economy, small towns have fallen apart. The people are still there, though, because for many it's all they know. Moving to somewhere more viable isn't an option for the older generation that live on the same street they were born on.
The social stigma of being poor in a small town is perhaps a larger factor. The popular vernacular refers to them as derisively as "white trash," and as affectionately as "redneck." I'm no better, I admit. The average person in a small town dresses sensibly and purely for utility on a normal day, never like anything from Vogue. Urban popular culture shifts with the wind and the internet. Small towns, as a rule, do not. Tradition and simplicity are valued by a fiercely proud manufacturing class. With the loss of manufacturing and small businesses, a large degree of pride and purpose were lost as well. Agriculture has been in similar shape. Young people are urged to escape from small towns to pursue opportunity, assuming they can afford it. Often the only employment to be found is at large national chain retailers. Workers dress in cute little uniforms and adhere to dehumanizing policies under perma-day lights. This is a far cry from the locally owned furniture factory where the foreman knew each employee by name.
With these facets of small town culture fading away, it seems that the people in these areas have fallen back on the one thing that cannot be exported away: the church. Poverty and religion have always gone hand-in-hand because of the solidarity found in both. Evangelical Christianity has swelled to enormous levels all over the country, and I believe that this is the reason. The community within this establishment is some of the last vestige of humanity to be found in some of these small communities.
This is exactly where the right wing found traction. Historically the aristocracy has avoided contact with what they view as peasantry, often with disastrous results. The French Revolution comes to mind. The American ruling class has been different since the revolution, though. They know where their labor comes from, and where their soldiers come from. The American Revolution was, as my old history professor put it: "a rich man's war, a poor man's fight." The Republican Party plays this angle well historically, dressing up as common folk when they have to.
Many in the fifty-one percent of voters claimed to have voted based on "values." These things have nothing to do with how to run a country, nothing to do with the economy or health care or education; nothing to do with the prosperity of a nation. Have small town communities really become so disconnected from the rest of the world? If so, then this is a problem. This means that the majority of America is disconnected like this. They voted for what they see as the survival of their way of life, never mind what else was riding on the ballot.
I don't know how to fix this, but something must be done. A large portion of the population has become economically obsolete, but it is still important to recognize them as human and therefore possessing potential. Apparently, just paying them lip service is enough to become president.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Have you ever heard the phrase "busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest?" That would be me. Here's a recap of things that are worth mentioning.
Halloween was fun. I dressed as Alex from A Clockwork Orange, complete with codpiece. I've never been punched in the balls so many times in one night. The party host hit me, strangers hit me, Gerry hit me, I hit me, it was not the sort of thing I envisioned a year ago when I decided to come here. It was multicultural too- kids from Japan were lined up to cheapshot me in the fellas at Gerry's friend's house. Gad, what a weird night. The coolest costumes: Flint from GI Joe, and a girl with a post-it note on her that said "Hello, my name is Dave Coulier."
My election reaction blog post is kind of long, so I'll post it later.
I'm tentatively looking for a creative project advisor now. I've been carefully evaluating people, and I'm quite sure of one comittee member. The rest will come in time. I'll be pretty low-maintainance, so I just need somebody who is cool with new media and knows production pretty well. More on this as it develops.
I haven't seen Squeaky lately, which is for the best. I have learned that other people have seen possums outside my window on different occasaions, which is forboding.
Here's something my family will enjoy. By family, I mean my brother, but others might get a chuckle. Hamlet's soliloquy for socks: link
As I'm typing this, there's a geeky guy at the computer on the other side of the table helping a cute girl with photoshop. I'm quietly cheering for him.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving already. You know the semester is bad when I look forward to a break. This is because I'm in the vaccuum of unapplied theory hell. If it weren't for the dust-o's project, I'd be climbing the belltower with my hat backwards as we speak.
Halloween was fun. I dressed as Alex from A Clockwork Orange, complete with codpiece. I've never been punched in the balls so many times in one night. The party host hit me, strangers hit me, Gerry hit me, I hit me, it was not the sort of thing I envisioned a year ago when I decided to come here. It was multicultural too- kids from Japan were lined up to cheapshot me in the fellas at Gerry's friend's house. Gad, what a weird night. The coolest costumes: Flint from GI Joe, and a girl with a post-it note on her that said "Hello, my name is Dave Coulier."
My election reaction blog post is kind of long, so I'll post it later.
I'm tentatively looking for a creative project advisor now. I've been carefully evaluating people, and I'm quite sure of one comittee member. The rest will come in time. I'll be pretty low-maintainance, so I just need somebody who is cool with new media and knows production pretty well. More on this as it develops.
I haven't seen Squeaky lately, which is for the best. I have learned that other people have seen possums outside my window on different occasaions, which is forboding.
Here's something my family will enjoy. By family, I mean my brother, but others might get a chuckle. Hamlet's soliloquy for socks: link
As I'm typing this, there's a geeky guy at the computer on the other side of the table helping a cute girl with photoshop. I'm quietly cheering for him.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving already. You know the semester is bad when I look forward to a break. This is because I'm in the vaccuum of unapplied theory hell. If it weren't for the dust-o's project, I'd be climbing the belltower with my hat backwards as we speak.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
I'm still formulating my opinion about the election, but here's a nice article I found that helps put things into perspective. link
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
As of this post:
CNN projects: Bush in the lead.
Fox news projects: Open season on A-rabs 'n civil rights queers!
I project: "cancel my subscription to the resurrection; send my credentials to the house of detention"
I care about this election quite a bit more than I've cared in past years. I worry about the future of the country, because I see pictures of my boss's daughters every day at work, with their goofy little kid grins, and I think about the country that they'll grow up in. I'm kind of okay with America falling apart, as I take an optimistic view of it. The Brittish empire fell pretty hard and fast, and England eventually found it's footing again. Every country goes through an asshole phase (Germany, Italy, England, Germany again, N Korea, Russia, N Korea again?), ultimately falling from whatever superpower status they had. But they recover eventually. I've been screwed over by world events well out of my control in the past few years, and yet I think I'll be okay because I at least got a running start during the last economic and cultural boom. I'm probably over reacting, but I needed to vent that, hence the purpose of a blog.
CNN projects: Bush in the lead.
Fox news projects: Open season on A-rabs 'n civil rights queers!
I project: "cancel my subscription to the resurrection; send my credentials to the house of detention"
I care about this election quite a bit more than I've cared in past years. I worry about the future of the country, because I see pictures of my boss's daughters every day at work, with their goofy little kid grins, and I think about the country that they'll grow up in. I'm kind of okay with America falling apart, as I take an optimistic view of it. The Brittish empire fell pretty hard and fast, and England eventually found it's footing again. Every country goes through an asshole phase (Germany, Italy, England, Germany again, N Korea, Russia, N Korea again?), ultimately falling from whatever superpower status they had. But they recover eventually. I've been screwed over by world events well out of my control in the past few years, and yet I think I'll be okay because I at least got a running start during the last economic and cultural boom. I'm probably over reacting, but I needed to vent that, hence the purpose of a blog.
I've tried twice to post in the past week, and both times the system screwed up. If this makes it, it'll be nothing short of a miracle. Not that it matters, though. North Korea could nuke us and the EM pulse would probably wipe out this blog. Don't blame me- I voted for Kodos.
I've got a paper due tomorrow for narrative theory, and I really don't like that class. It's not as bad as art history, but I really don't think I'm getting anything out of it but dent in my gpa. (I think I actually have to care about my gpa now, in order to stay in the program.) There's one old lady who talks in a bizarre meter and says "m-hm" repeatedly. It's like listening to that old Crash Test Dummies song in fast forward. I am encouraged by this, though. The third bullet point especially.
I've got some good stories from this past weekend that I'll try to post when I have time.
I've got a paper due tomorrow for narrative theory, and I really don't like that class. It's not as bad as art history, but I really don't think I'm getting anything out of it but dent in my gpa. (I think I actually have to care about my gpa now, in order to stay in the program.) There's one old lady who talks in a bizarre meter and says "m-hm" repeatedly. It's like listening to that old Crash Test Dummies song in fast forward. I am encouraged by this, though. The third bullet point especially.
I've got some good stories from this past weekend that I'll try to post when I have time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)