This weekend I will be busy, and unable to post anything. In the meantime, I suggest you amuse yourrself with NationStates, which allows you to create and run your own country as you please.
My own nation is Forza America, which I began as an iron-fisted industrial society, but in recent days I've brought it along the path to reform.
Enjoy.
PS: Is my blog back to normal???
Friday, April 29, 2005
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
You Bearded Fruit-Juice Drinkers!
. Being a leftist of the ‘superior’ type, it’s a continual puzzle for me why people do not rush to adapt our policies. So many things we try to stand for are basic human decency: No war, no hatred, no starvation. Poll after poll suggests that large majorities support the basic tenets of the Left way of thought, even if that doesn’t directly extend to establishing Socialism or something like it. At the very least, a good welfare system would ensure everyone enough to eat and a roof over their heads. So what’s the problem?
Asking himself the same question, our good friend George Orwell says:
Anything is relevant which helps to make clear why Socialism is not accepted. And please notice that I am arguing for Socialism, not against it. But for the moment I am advocatus diaboli. I am making out a case for the sort of person who is in sympathy with the fundamental aims of Socialism, who has the brains to see that Socialism would 'work', but who in practice always takes to flight when Socialism is mentioned. Question a person of this type, and you will often get the semi-frivolous answer “I don’t really object to Socialism, but I do object to Socialists.” Logically, it is a poor argument, but it carries weight with many people.OK, so what is it about leftists in general that the fence-sitting majority finds so repellent? Again, Orwell has the answer:
- ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’
One sometimes gets the impression that the mere words 'Socialism' and 'Communism' draw towards them with magnetic force every fruit-juice drinker, nudist, sandal-wearer, sex-maniac, Quaker, birth-control advocate, vegetarian, pacifist, and feminist in England.In other words, hippies.
Most of those things can be excused with little or no compunction at all. Fruit juice is a wholesome and delicious drink; sandals are comfortable in summertime; most people find sex enjoyable; the Quakers are a fine and noble group of people; birth control is necessary to a fulfilling and uncomplicated sex life; there is nothing wrong with avoiding meat for health reasons or out of compassion for animals; war is horrible; and most feminists would simply like women to be on an equal footing with men. I’d say a majority of people in the United States fall into at least one of the categories listed above.
Nowadays, Orwell would probably amend his list to include ‘every latter-sipper, herbal-tea swiller, vegan, tree-hugger, tattooed, pierced, Goth, punk, homosexual, and transsexual in America’ - all basically harmless.
But the fact remains that the widespread antipathy towards such people is a visceral reaction, not a rational one. That is, people do not support the Left as a matter of taste, even if they would be inclined to strictly on matters of policy.
People tend to underestimate the importance of such personal inclinations. They say to themselves ‘Politics is too important for petty matters to affect the way I think. It doesn’t matter if a statesman has a bad suit or a funny way of talking; when it comes down to it, I’ll support the best person running.’ In fact, when push comes to shove, we do no such thing. How many people refused to take Dennis Kucinich seriously because he looked like a creepy elf and not because they knew anything about his beliefs? For that matter, how much of the lower-level antipathy against George W. Bush is based on revulsion against his irritating mannerisms and not against his (abominable) policy? Or, at the very least, how much criticism against Bush and Kucinich (and those like them) used their personality foibles as a way to poison people against them before the serious discussion even began?
Why are masses of eccentrics and uncommon people (I mean that as a compliment) drawn to the Left in the first place? Most ‘cranks’ are attracted to left/liberal thought because it has such a strong history of non-discrimination. A good liberal (in theory, anyway) won’t look down on you because you dress differently or have some unusual ideas about society. We’re all free to be you and me, right?
So, what can be done? The Left movement as a whole is in something of a bind: appeal too much to the fringes, and you lose the mainstream. Strive too hard for the middle, and the base becomes alienated and apathetic. If I were Howard Dean, I’d adopt a nationwide policy of aesthetic middle-of-the-road sensibilities (middle-class clothes and language) and political Leftism in regards to social and economics policies. There are untold millions in this country who largely agree with the hippies but don’t know it.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Fool Italia
Last Wednesday, Italy's richest citizen and prime minister Silvio Berlusconi tended his resignation, effectively collapsing the government. He quickly re-formed his base on Sunday the 23rd, but in Italy – a country where the instability and fecklessness of the government is a national joke – for their longest-serving prime minister to be in such danger is quite an event.
First of all, everyone knows Italy is one of the world’s greatest manufacturer of elections, but just why is Italian politics such a mess? The system for electing members of parliament has single-member districts for 75% of the seats; the remaining 25% are allotted on a proportional basis. This results in a confusing hodgepodge of parties and organizations on Left, Right and Center, as the cutoff point for a parliamentary seat is very low and practically anyone can get into the Chamber of Deputies (in 2001, no less than a dozen parties had seats) Who ends up in the government can seem almost random, as everyone scrambles to form some kind of government. Not surprisingly, these partnerships rarely last long, and Italy has had 60 governments in the 60 years since the end of World War II.
Berlusconi came to power in 2001 with the Forza Italia (Hooray for Italy) party, forming a governing coalition called the Casa della Liberta (House of Liberty). He’s lasted a surprisingly long time; longer than any other Italian government since Mussolini. But now it looks like his days are numbered.
Times have been tough for Silvio. He was already under fire for his conservative views, support of the Iraq war, and the conflict of interest between Berlusconi being head of the government and his ownership of major Italian media, but then there were the massive corruption charges and legal battles, including (but not limited to):
- perjury
- false accounting
- embezzlement
- tax fraud (oh, but who in Italy doesn’t cheat on their taxes?)
- bribing a judge
- bribing a member of the Italian financial police
- various and sundry Mafia ties
The courts even went so far as it convict Berlusconi of several of these charges and sentence him to prison, but the convictions were overturned on some complicated legal issue relating to him being Prime Minister. Still, people said it was only a matter of time before the Berlusconi name would become more of a curse than a blessing, and his supporters would start to abandon him.
And that’s precisely what happened. Recently, his party (and those allied with it) lost 12 of 14 regional elections to the Left bloc know as the Olive Branch (I’m not sure if that pun works in Italian), spreading doubts about whether Berlusconi can hold together much longer. Then the Union of Christian Democrats, the smallest party in the governing coalition, defected, breaking the House of Liberty majority in parliament. We’ll just have to wait and see if the Left can have a government that lasted as long as Berlusconi’s did, or whether this will simply start the yearly cycle of governmental collapse Italy is used to.
I never thought old Silvio had much of a chance; Italy is a very left-wing country, and while they were willing to elect a conservative government in return for some order and stability, his heavy-handed way of doing things was just too much. The same was true in Spain a few years ago, and, in fact, it remains true in most of the democratic world. Some kind of Danger arises, the Right promises to battle it and either does or does not deal with the issue better than the Left, but once the Danger is over people yell “Throw the rascals out!” and the Left comes back in. Of course, there is always more Danger (and more frequently, an Issue or even a Problem), otherwise the government would never change. Democracy is a beautiful thing.
First of all, everyone knows Italy is one of the world’s greatest manufacturer of elections, but just why is Italian politics such a mess? The system for electing members of parliament has single-member districts for 75% of the seats; the remaining 25% are allotted on a proportional basis. This results in a confusing hodgepodge of parties and organizations on Left, Right and Center, as the cutoff point for a parliamentary seat is very low and practically anyone can get into the Chamber of Deputies (in 2001, no less than a dozen parties had seats) Who ends up in the government can seem almost random, as everyone scrambles to form some kind of government. Not surprisingly, these partnerships rarely last long, and Italy has had 60 governments in the 60 years since the end of World War II.
Berlusconi came to power in 2001 with the Forza Italia (Hooray for Italy) party, forming a governing coalition called the Casa della Liberta (House of Liberty). He’s lasted a surprisingly long time; longer than any other Italian government since Mussolini. But now it looks like his days are numbered.
Times have been tough for Silvio. He was already under fire for his conservative views, support of the Iraq war, and the conflict of interest between Berlusconi being head of the government and his ownership of major Italian media, but then there were the massive corruption charges and legal battles, including (but not limited to):
- perjury
- false accounting
- embezzlement
- tax fraud (oh, but who in Italy doesn’t cheat on their taxes?)
- bribing a judge
- bribing a member of the Italian financial police
- various and sundry Mafia ties
The courts even went so far as it convict Berlusconi of several of these charges and sentence him to prison, but the convictions were overturned on some complicated legal issue relating to him being Prime Minister. Still, people said it was only a matter of time before the Berlusconi name would become more of a curse than a blessing, and his supporters would start to abandon him.
And that’s precisely what happened. Recently, his party (and those allied with it) lost 12 of 14 regional elections to the Left bloc know as the Olive Branch (I’m not sure if that pun works in Italian), spreading doubts about whether Berlusconi can hold together much longer. Then the Union of Christian Democrats, the smallest party in the governing coalition, defected, breaking the House of Liberty majority in parliament. We’ll just have to wait and see if the Left can have a government that lasted as long as Berlusconi’s did, or whether this will simply start the yearly cycle of governmental collapse Italy is used to.
I never thought old Silvio had much of a chance; Italy is a very left-wing country, and while they were willing to elect a conservative government in return for some order and stability, his heavy-handed way of doing things was just too much. The same was true in Spain a few years ago, and, in fact, it remains true in most of the democratic world. Some kind of Danger arises, the Right promises to battle it and either does or does not deal with the issue better than the Left, but once the Danger is over people yell “Throw the rascals out!” and the Left comes back in. Of course, there is always more Danger (and more frequently, an Issue or even a Problem), otherwise the government would never change. Democracy is a beautiful thing.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Palestinian Terrorists And 'Ultra-Zionists': Unlikely Partners (In Hate, I Suppose)
My blog is screwing up; perhaps Benedict XVI has formally excommunicated me like he always threatened to do on his LiveJournal. Oh well.
In studying (or being forced to study) the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one very strong theme emerged: there were two Israels. One was Israel as it truly is, the other a deeply distorted picture of the country as many saw it.
The False Israel: A blood-drenched, aggressive, imperialist state, usually run by a council of bearded Elders of Zion who revel in the suffering of the Palestinians. Probably there’s some puppet or marionette reference in regards to Israeli’s relationship with the United States.
The Real Israel: Peaceful, altruistic, socially progressive, agnostic, and wholeheartedly dedicated to democracy. As Martin Buber one said, a Jewish state could never be a goyishe nation, "with cannons, flags and military decorations". People like Ben-Gurion were trying to build a society such as has never been seen before on earth. Of course, political realities made such a civilization practically impossible, and it’s not complete yet, but progress had been made.
Yet as i sit down to my improvised seder tomorrow, here’s the really striking thing about the whole situation:
Palestinians in general, fed on a diet of Dark-Ages PA media and constant contact with the rougher elements of Israeli policy (security barriers, continued military presence in Palestinian territories, etc.), hate the imagined picture of Israel and refuse to acknowledge that the true Israel exists.* This makes sense if one considers that if people see the country as it really is, they would neither want to harm it nor blame its defenders for wanting to preserve it. Of course, to the critics it doesn’t matter that huge majorities of Israelis oppose such measures, as 80% want to withdraw from Gaza, 2/3 want the settlements dismantled, and 75% desire a two-state solution (all poll numbers are according to the Israeli policy Forum). Even though almost all of Israel wants only the best for their Palestinian neighbors, they've never gained the security needed to let that altruism come into full effect..
To various degrees, Ultra-orthodox Jews and their allies among right-wing American Zionists idolize the gruesome caricature of Israel and despise the real thing. How could they not? It’s the embodiment of everything they stand against: peace-loving, feminist, secular, environmentally conscious, socially liberal, emphasizing cooperation over competition, and with no great desire to impose their particular Gospel on those who don’t want it.
Even today, it’s the religious settler types who demand money and protection while contributing absolutely nothing to society, and it is they who are responsible for why Israel still does not have a real constitution (“Israel’s constitution is the Torah!!”) and lacks some basic liberties, such as civil marriage.
Some people accuse me of being anti-religious; I’m not. I’m anti-clerical, because I don’t think dedication to higher calling should be about enriching yourself, and I’m anti-dogmatic because I don’t see the point of having faith if it doesn’t make you a better person. And any true understanding of Judaism cannot fail to instill one with a sense of social justice. After all, doesn't the Hagadah say (roughly) "Oppress no stranger among you, for remember that you were once strangers in the land of Egypt."
One might say there’s not really an equivalency between what the two groups would do to Israel if they had the chance. Fine, but the fact remains that neither outcome is desirable, as the spirit and value of Israel would still be utterly destroyed.
Ariel Sharon might be the darling of the Project for a New American Century, but if he (much less someone like Ehud Barak) tried to suggest Israeli domestic policies here, he’d be called a Communist and get death threats from Ann Coulter. And Sharon is to the right of most Israelis!
If Israel were magically moved from the Middle East to Western Europe, they’d become just another part of ‘Old Europe’ and be deemed irrelevant. If Israel were in South America, Bush would declare Sharon ‘a Hugo Chavez wannabe’ and try to spark a coup. Conversely, if American-style democracy and economics were imposed on Israel, the whole country would collapse tomorrow.
I really cannot wait for peace in the region. It’s going to be very interesting.
*Actually, I’m not entirely sure how effective PA propaganda is, as 70% of Palestinians want to end attacks on Israeli civilians. Still, it’s definitely there, and it’s hard to have a decent society where a minimum of 30% of the people want to kill civilians.
In studying (or being forced to study) the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one very strong theme emerged: there were two Israels. One was Israel as it truly is, the other a deeply distorted picture of the country as many saw it.
The False Israel: A blood-drenched, aggressive, imperialist state, usually run by a council of bearded Elders of Zion who revel in the suffering of the Palestinians. Probably there’s some puppet or marionette reference in regards to Israeli’s relationship with the United States.
The Real Israel: Peaceful, altruistic, socially progressive, agnostic, and wholeheartedly dedicated to democracy. As Martin Buber one said, a Jewish state could never be a goyishe nation, "with cannons, flags and military decorations". People like Ben-Gurion were trying to build a society such as has never been seen before on earth. Of course, political realities made such a civilization practically impossible, and it’s not complete yet, but progress had been made.
Yet as i sit down to my improvised seder tomorrow, here’s the really striking thing about the whole situation:
Palestinians in general, fed on a diet of Dark-Ages PA media and constant contact with the rougher elements of Israeli policy (security barriers, continued military presence in Palestinian territories, etc.), hate the imagined picture of Israel and refuse to acknowledge that the true Israel exists.* This makes sense if one considers that if people see the country as it really is, they would neither want to harm it nor blame its defenders for wanting to preserve it. Of course, to the critics it doesn’t matter that huge majorities of Israelis oppose such measures, as 80% want to withdraw from Gaza, 2/3 want the settlements dismantled, and 75% desire a two-state solution (all poll numbers are according to the Israeli policy Forum). Even though almost all of Israel wants only the best for their Palestinian neighbors, they've never gained the security needed to let that altruism come into full effect..
To various degrees, Ultra-orthodox Jews and their allies among right-wing American Zionists idolize the gruesome caricature of Israel and despise the real thing. How could they not? It’s the embodiment of everything they stand against: peace-loving, feminist, secular, environmentally conscious, socially liberal, emphasizing cooperation over competition, and with no great desire to impose their particular Gospel on those who don’t want it.
Even today, it’s the religious settler types who demand money and protection while contributing absolutely nothing to society, and it is they who are responsible for why Israel still does not have a real constitution (“Israel’s constitution is the Torah!!”) and lacks some basic liberties, such as civil marriage.
Some people accuse me of being anti-religious; I’m not. I’m anti-clerical, because I don’t think dedication to higher calling should be about enriching yourself, and I’m anti-dogmatic because I don’t see the point of having faith if it doesn’t make you a better person. And any true understanding of Judaism cannot fail to instill one with a sense of social justice. After all, doesn't the Hagadah say (roughly) "Oppress no stranger among you, for remember that you were once strangers in the land of Egypt."
One might say there’s not really an equivalency between what the two groups would do to Israel if they had the chance. Fine, but the fact remains that neither outcome is desirable, as the spirit and value of Israel would still be utterly destroyed.
Ariel Sharon might be the darling of the Project for a New American Century, but if he (much less someone like Ehud Barak) tried to suggest Israeli domestic policies here, he’d be called a Communist and get death threats from Ann Coulter. And Sharon is to the right of most Israelis!
If Israel were magically moved from the Middle East to Western Europe, they’d become just another part of ‘Old Europe’ and be deemed irrelevant. If Israel were in South America, Bush would declare Sharon ‘a Hugo Chavez wannabe’ and try to spark a coup. Conversely, if American-style democracy and economics were imposed on Israel, the whole country would collapse tomorrow.
I really cannot wait for peace in the region. It’s going to be very interesting.
*Actually, I’m not entirely sure how effective PA propaganda is, as 70% of Palestinians want to end attacks on Israeli civilians. Still, it’s definitely there, and it’s hard to have a decent society where a minimum of 30% of the people want to kill civilians.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Papa Frita
Cardinal Ratzinger has been elected Pope.
That reactionary, narrow-minded old crank will do no good for the Catholic Church or for anyone else in the world.
Dogma, hatred, and self-righteousness will continue to overshadow compassion, charity, and reason.
He has, since 1981, been a prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith- the office formerly know as the Holy Inquisition.
He has driven out priests and dissidents of all stripes whenever he had the chance.
He silenced liberation theologian Father Leonardo Boff, the most prominent proponent of efforts to put the church on the side of the Latin American workers and farmers who were seeking a fairer distribution of the region's resources, a fuller democracy and a brighter future for their children.
He has carried out similar campaigns against any Catholic leader brave enough to defy Church doctrine on the rights of women, gays, and the use of birth control.
Clearly, he either doesn't trust Catholics to keep the faith or he doesn't trust himself to do the same, and so he has to avoid even hearing opinions he disagrees with.
The ONLY test of a good leader is whether he leads the fight against poverty, hatred, oppression and hopelessness and for greater freedom, dignity, and truth. In this capacity, Ratzinger has been a resounding failure.
Hopefully, his reign will be short-lived.
This is where you're headed, Kardinal.
That reactionary, narrow-minded old crank will do no good for the Catholic Church or for anyone else in the world.
Dogma, hatred, and self-righteousness will continue to overshadow compassion, charity, and reason.
He has, since 1981, been a prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith- the office formerly know as the Holy Inquisition.
He has driven out priests and dissidents of all stripes whenever he had the chance.
He silenced liberation theologian Father Leonardo Boff, the most prominent proponent of efforts to put the church on the side of the Latin American workers and farmers who were seeking a fairer distribution of the region's resources, a fuller democracy and a brighter future for their children.
He has carried out similar campaigns against any Catholic leader brave enough to defy Church doctrine on the rights of women, gays, and the use of birth control.
Clearly, he either doesn't trust Catholics to keep the faith or he doesn't trust himself to do the same, and so he has to avoid even hearing opinions he disagrees with.
The ONLY test of a good leader is whether he leads the fight against poverty, hatred, oppression and hopelessness and for greater freedom, dignity, and truth. In this capacity, Ratzinger has been a resounding failure.
Hopefully, his reign will be short-lived.
This is where you're headed, Kardinal.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Octet
A few quotes worth considering.
1.
A neoconservative is a liberal who’s been mugged by reality.
- Irving Kristol
2.
A neoconservative is a socialist who’s been mugged by mythology.
- Anon.
3.
For us, this day is only the interment of an elderly and querulous celibate, who came too late and who stayed too long, and whose primitive ideology did not permit him the true self-criticism that could have saved him, and others less innocent, from so many errors and crimes.
- Christopher Hitchens on the death of Pope John Paul II
4.
However, on religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of 'conservatism.'
- Barry Goldwater
5.
To the average worker, Socialism doesn’t mean much more than better wages and shorter hours and nobody bossing you about.
- George Orwell
6.
What is religion? A scam. What is government? Oppression. What is property? Theft.
- Anon
7.
Rarely if ever do three men of the same profession meet together without forming some conspiracy against the public.
- Adam Smith
8.
Until I have seen evidence of the infallibility of man, I cannot support the imposition of any punishment so cruel as the death penalty.
- The Marquis de Sade
1.
A neoconservative is a liberal who’s been mugged by reality.
- Irving Kristol
2.
A neoconservative is a socialist who’s been mugged by mythology.
- Anon.
3.
For us, this day is only the interment of an elderly and querulous celibate, who came too late and who stayed too long, and whose primitive ideology did not permit him the true self-criticism that could have saved him, and others less innocent, from so many errors and crimes.
- Christopher Hitchens on the death of Pope John Paul II
4.
However, on religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of 'conservatism.'
- Barry Goldwater
5.
To the average worker, Socialism doesn’t mean much more than better wages and shorter hours and nobody bossing you about.
- George Orwell
6.
What is religion? A scam. What is government? Oppression. What is property? Theft.
- Anon
7.
Rarely if ever do three men of the same profession meet together without forming some conspiracy against the public.
- Adam Smith
8.
Until I have seen evidence of the infallibility of man, I cannot support the imposition of any punishment so cruel as the death penalty.
- The Marquis de Sade
Monday, April 18, 2005
The Fire Next Time
Browsing about the blogs (as I often do) I came upon this little gem in which friendless midlife-crisis sufferer Neo-Neocon waxes nostalgic about the cCold War days of MAD:
So, we face a terrible dilemma: which way lies madness? Perhaps both ways. But the way of preparedness and deterrence seems to be the necessary way to go, as it seems to have been back in those Cold War days. I never thought we'd be feeling so much as a hint of nostalgia for the relative "rock-solidness" of their deterrence--but, regretfully, here we are.Looking back on my comments, perhaps I was a bit harsh. I should've taken her reliance on an incredibly risky gamble for what it was, a message of comfort and hope. After all, what does it matter what the minimum wage is, whether women have abortion rights, whether there's democracy in the middle east etc. if all of us are going to be vaporized anyway? This is something everyone - white, black, gay straight, Jewish, Chistian, Muslim, conservative, liberal, and socialist can get behind. As Tom Lehrer once sang:
When you attend a funeral,Amen to that, brother Tom.
It is sad to think that sooner or'l
Later those you love will do the same for you.
And you may have thought it tragic,
Not to mention other adjec-
Tives, to think of all the weeping they will do.
(But don't you worry.)
No more ashes, no more sackcloth,
And an arm band made of black cloth
Will some day nevermore adorn a sleeve.
For if the bomb that drops on you
Gets your friends and neighbors too,
There'll be nobody left behind to grieve.
And we will all go together when we go.
What a comforting fact that is to know.
Universal bereavement,
An inspiring achievement,
Yes, we will all go together when we go.
We will all go together when we go.
All suffused with an incandescent glow.
No one will have the endurance
To collect on his insurance,
Lloyd's of London will be loaded when they go.
Oh we will all fry together when we fry.
We'll be french fried potatoes by and by.
There will be no more misery
When the world is our rotisserie,
Yes, we will all fry together when we fry.
Down by the old maelstrom,
There'll be a storm before the calm.
And we will all bake together when we bake.
There'll be nobody present at the wake.
With complete participation
In that grand incineration,
Nearly three billion hunks of well-done steak.
Oh we will all char together when we char.
And let there be no moaning of the bar.
Just sing out a Te Deum
When you see that I.C.B.M.,*
And the party will be come-as-you-are.
Oh, we will all burn together when we burn.
There'll be no need to stand and wait your turn.
When it's time for the fallout
And Saint Peter calls us all out,
We'll just drop our agendas and adjourn.
You will all go directly to your respective Valhallas.
Go directly, do not pass Go, do not collect two hundred dollahs.
And we will all go together when we go.
Every Hottentot and every Eskimo.
When the air becomes uranious,
We will all go simultaneous.
Yes, we all will go together
When we all go together,
Yes we all will go together when we go.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
NAK the Knife
Today is Tax Day, and for most unemployed college students, it doesn't mean anything. However, since I was employed last summer, it stood out to me in a number of ways.
Some of you may know (whether you want to or not) of a company called Vector Marketing. They're basically the front organization for the Cutco Knife Co, which (like it says) makes knives. And their selling model is this: they get young college students to go around to their friends and family and make sales demos. They guarantee a base pay of $15 per sales demo (following a rigid script), and a commission that depends on how much you've sold (it starts at 10% and goes up to 50% after you've sold $20,000 worth). With Bush's economic 'recovery' meaning that all the crappy service jobs I used to apply for are now going to middle-aged professionals, I signed up. How bad could it be?
Well, pretty bad. You become a nuisance to everyone you know, calling them up like some common telemarketer. And I'm not terrible at it; after a couple of months I'd sold $8,000 worth. And don't get me wrong; they are great knives. But not only am I not cut out to be a direct salesman, there are a few aspects of the company culture I disagree with:
- That wonderful base pay is only paid if you DON'T sell anything. It's not added to your commission.
- The attitude of the management staff. Call me a cynical teen, but nobody can be that enthusiastic and cheerful all the time without drugs. And I've never seen a serious business whose 'office' was full of trophies and blaring stupid music.
- They make a liar and an ass out of me. When you work this job, the 'flexible hours' become 24/7, because you are ALWAYS on the lookout for new customers. And that makes for an annoying person
- The constant 'team meetings' are a terrible waste of time. They're at unreasonable hours (8 AM on Saturday and 9 PM on Wednesday) and we're not a 'team'; I can do great and you can stink out loud and it won't affect anyone else. And they're basically 'pep rallies' for the sale of knives which involved heavy use of the word ‘rock’ (and variations thereof). Spare me.
- And they really do want to take over your life. After every team meeting they practically insist (though I always refuse) that everybody go and hang out. They call at least three times a day to make sure you’re busy finding people to sell to. Once, our manager said to us "Are we going to be the group that spends the summer hanging out with our friends and getting ready for college?" the answer he was waiting for was 'no'.
- The vagueness of the ad that brought me in. It just said 'summer work for students'. That was all. Not a hint of what was to come.
- When you call people to set up appointments, they recommend that you not say what you're doing. Seriously, if the potential customer asks what you're trying to sell, they (vector) recommend that you avoid the question.
- It's basically a pyramid scheme; since they don't pay you anything unless you find people willing to listen to the demo, they can hire as many people as they want and send them out to go sell, flooding the market.
- The customer base just isn't big enough for as many people as they have. After two months, of the two-dozen people who were hired at the same time as me, only two (counting myself) were left. Check out this site for someone else's experience.
So at the beginning of the school year, I quite, never intending to look back. When I would go home for various breaks, the Cutco people would still call me, but I always put them off.
Now, it turns out I’m not free yet. The bastards didn’t do withholding, meaning that I owe the government $250 for Social Security and Medicaid taxes.
First of all, it’s ridiculous not to do withholding. Why should I be given money that I can’t spend? Having it there at all is a useless temptation.
But this experience led me to believe two things: One, capitalism is hideous and soul-crushing. Two, we need to reform the tax system and raise the limit on those kinds of taxes. Why should I have to pay on my 2,000 worth of income but a millionaire only pays on the first $80,000, or whatever it is? Regressive taxes are the enemy of liberty.
Some of you may know (whether you want to or not) of a company called Vector Marketing. They're basically the front organization for the Cutco Knife Co, which (like it says) makes knives. And their selling model is this: they get young college students to go around to their friends and family and make sales demos. They guarantee a base pay of $15 per sales demo (following a rigid script), and a commission that depends on how much you've sold (it starts at 10% and goes up to 50% after you've sold $20,000 worth). With Bush's economic 'recovery' meaning that all the crappy service jobs I used to apply for are now going to middle-aged professionals, I signed up. How bad could it be?
Well, pretty bad. You become a nuisance to everyone you know, calling them up like some common telemarketer. And I'm not terrible at it; after a couple of months I'd sold $8,000 worth. And don't get me wrong; they are great knives. But not only am I not cut out to be a direct salesman, there are a few aspects of the company culture I disagree with:
- That wonderful base pay is only paid if you DON'T sell anything. It's not added to your commission.
- The attitude of the management staff. Call me a cynical teen, but nobody can be that enthusiastic and cheerful all the time without drugs. And I've never seen a serious business whose 'office' was full of trophies and blaring stupid music.
- They make a liar and an ass out of me. When you work this job, the 'flexible hours' become 24/7, because you are ALWAYS on the lookout for new customers. And that makes for an annoying person
- The constant 'team meetings' are a terrible waste of time. They're at unreasonable hours (8 AM on Saturday and 9 PM on Wednesday) and we're not a 'team'; I can do great and you can stink out loud and it won't affect anyone else. And they're basically 'pep rallies' for the sale of knives which involved heavy use of the word ‘rock’ (and variations thereof). Spare me.
- And they really do want to take over your life. After every team meeting they practically insist (though I always refuse) that everybody go and hang out. They call at least three times a day to make sure you’re busy finding people to sell to. Once, our manager said to us "Are we going to be the group that spends the summer hanging out with our friends and getting ready for college?" the answer he was waiting for was 'no'.
- The vagueness of the ad that brought me in. It just said 'summer work for students'. That was all. Not a hint of what was to come.
- When you call people to set up appointments, they recommend that you not say what you're doing. Seriously, if the potential customer asks what you're trying to sell, they (vector) recommend that you avoid the question.
- It's basically a pyramid scheme; since they don't pay you anything unless you find people willing to listen to the demo, they can hire as many people as they want and send them out to go sell, flooding the market.
- The customer base just isn't big enough for as many people as they have. After two months, of the two-dozen people who were hired at the same time as me, only two (counting myself) were left. Check out this site for someone else's experience.
So at the beginning of the school year, I quite, never intending to look back. When I would go home for various breaks, the Cutco people would still call me, but I always put them off.
Now, it turns out I’m not free yet. The bastards didn’t do withholding, meaning that I owe the government $250 for Social Security and Medicaid taxes.
First of all, it’s ridiculous not to do withholding. Why should I be given money that I can’t spend? Having it there at all is a useless temptation.
But this experience led me to believe two things: One, capitalism is hideous and soul-crushing. Two, we need to reform the tax system and raise the limit on those kinds of taxes. Why should I have to pay on my 2,000 worth of income but a millionaire only pays on the first $80,000, or whatever it is? Regressive taxes are the enemy of liberty.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Why, That’s Quite Interesting!
In September 2003, there was a story (linked above) about a cadre of scientists led by Daniel Gilbert who claim to have made a startling discovery: people don’t know what will make them happy, but since everyone thinks happiness comes from Big Things (love, money, etc.) they often end up disappointed.
In fact, says Gilbert, happiness comes from small satisfactions that stay with us longer, things that are often so subtle we barely even think about them. He explains:
The political implications of this are obvious. There’s far greater merit in helping those at the bottom than giving more to the ones who already have so much.
Basic healthcare for everyone is better than the best healthcare for a few.
Public education for all does more good than private education for those who can afford it.
The guy who works at MacDonald’s gets a lot more joy from a $2 increase in the minimum wage than your average CEO would get from a new Ferrari.
As Gilbert says:
In fact, says Gilbert, happiness comes from small satisfactions that stay with us longer, things that are often so subtle we barely even think about them. He explains:
When really bad things happen to us, we defend against them. 'People, of course, predict the exact opposite. If you ask, 'What would you rather have, a broken leg or a trick knee?' they'd probably say, 'Trick knee.' And yet, if your goal is to accumulate maximum happiness over your lifetime, you just made the wrong choice. A trick knee is a bad thing to have.In other words, you’re better off with a temporary big loss – say, the loss of a loved one – than a long-lasting small one, such alienation from said loved one. Conversely, people who, say, get comfortable salaries for decades at a time are happier than those who win the lottery.
The political implications of this are obvious. There’s far greater merit in helping those at the bottom than giving more to the ones who already have so much.
Basic healthcare for everyone is better than the best healthcare for a few.
Public education for all does more good than private education for those who can afford it.
The guy who works at MacDonald’s gets a lot more joy from a $2 increase in the minimum wage than your average CEO would get from a new Ferrari.
As Gilbert says:
Windfalls are better than pratfalls, A’s are better than C’s, December 25 is better than April 15th, and everything is better than a Republican administration.Words to live by.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Jungle Music and Classical Smut
Don Giovanni: Leporello, where are you?
Leporello: I’m here, worse luck. And you?
Don Giovanni: I’m here.
Leporello: Who’s dead; you, or the old man?
Don Giovanni: What a stupid question! The old man.
Leporello: Bravo! Two impressive feats; to rape the daughter and kill the father.
Don Giovanni: Don’t look at me, he was asking for it.
Leporello: And Donna Anna, was she asking for it too?
Zerlina:
Beat me, dear Masetto,
beat your poor Zerlina.
I'll stand here as meek as a lamb
and bear the blows you lay on me.
You can tear my hair out,
put out my eyes,
yet your dear hands
gladly I'll kiss.
- Mozart, Don Giovanni
Falstaff: Alice! Love calls you.
Alice: Sir John!
Falstaff: Come, I’m firm and fervid. We’re alone…
Alice: No, Meg followed me into the woods.
Falstaff: That doubles the game! She’ll join us!
Carve me up like venison at a banquet;
Tear me to pieces. Cupid is paying me back at last.
- Verdi, Falstaff
Scarpia:
Violent conquest pleases me more
Than soft consent.
I don’t care for sighs or the moonlight.
I can’t strum chords on a guitar,
or tell the future in flower-petals
nor make sheep’s-eyes
or hoot like a turtle-dove.
I desire. – I pursue
what I desire, I satisfy myself then throw her off...
in search of new pleasure.
- Puccini, Tosca
Cold empty bed...springs hurt my head
Feels like ole ned...wished I was dead
What did I do...to be so black and blue
Even the mouse...ran from my house
They laugh at you...and all that you do
What did I do...to be so black and blue
I’m white...inside...but, that don’t help my case
That’s life...can’t hide...what is in my face
How would it end...Ain’t got a friend
My only sin...is in my skin
What did I do...to be so black and blue
- Fats Waller
When that shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears MacHeath, dear
So there’s not a trace of red.
On the sidewalk Sunday morning
Lies a body oozin' life,
Someone’s sneakin' ‘round the corner
Is that someone Mack the Knife?
- Kurt Wiell, The Threepenny Opera
When your baby won't let you in
Got a few pennies, a bottle of gin
Just call your buddy on the telephone
Let's go get stoned
When you work so hard all the day long
And everything you do seems to go wrong
Just drop by my place on your way home
Let's go get stoned
It ain't no harm
You're takin just a taste
But don't blow your cool
and start messing up the place
It ain't no harm you're faking just a nip
But make sure you don't fall down bust your lip
Let's go get stoned
- Ray Charles, ‘Let’s Go Get Stoned’
Punk rockers encourage suicide, but even they don’t glorify it like Berlioz or Handel, and Leadbelly could certainly teach all these ‘gangstas’ a thing or two about getting away with murder.
So; sex, violence, rape, drugs, race, murder, sadomasochism... what is it, then, that makes modern music the scourge of parents and decent living? Is it because they use bad words? Have poor taste in clothes and jewelry? Actually say the things that used to be hidden behind catchy melodies?
I really don’t know. Someone enlighten me.
Leporello: I’m here, worse luck. And you?
Don Giovanni: I’m here.
Leporello: Who’s dead; you, or the old man?
Don Giovanni: What a stupid question! The old man.
Leporello: Bravo! Two impressive feats; to rape the daughter and kill the father.
Don Giovanni: Don’t look at me, he was asking for it.
Leporello: And Donna Anna, was she asking for it too?
Zerlina:
Beat me, dear Masetto,
beat your poor Zerlina.
I'll stand here as meek as a lamb
and bear the blows you lay on me.
You can tear my hair out,
put out my eyes,
yet your dear hands
gladly I'll kiss.
- Mozart, Don Giovanni
Falstaff: Alice! Love calls you.
Alice: Sir John!
Falstaff: Come, I’m firm and fervid. We’re alone…
Alice: No, Meg followed me into the woods.
Falstaff: That doubles the game! She’ll join us!
Carve me up like venison at a banquet;
Tear me to pieces. Cupid is paying me back at last.
- Verdi, Falstaff
Scarpia:
Violent conquest pleases me more
Than soft consent.
I don’t care for sighs or the moonlight.
I can’t strum chords on a guitar,
or tell the future in flower-petals
nor make sheep’s-eyes
or hoot like a turtle-dove.
I desire. – I pursue
what I desire, I satisfy myself then throw her off...
in search of new pleasure.
- Puccini, Tosca
Cold empty bed...springs hurt my head
Feels like ole ned...wished I was dead
What did I do...to be so black and blue
Even the mouse...ran from my house
They laugh at you...and all that you do
What did I do...to be so black and blue
I’m white...inside...but, that don’t help my case
That’s life...can’t hide...what is in my face
How would it end...Ain’t got a friend
My only sin...is in my skin
What did I do...to be so black and blue
- Fats Waller
When that shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears MacHeath, dear
So there’s not a trace of red.
On the sidewalk Sunday morning
Lies a body oozin' life,
Someone’s sneakin' ‘round the corner
Is that someone Mack the Knife?
- Kurt Wiell, The Threepenny Opera
When your baby won't let you in
Got a few pennies, a bottle of gin
Just call your buddy on the telephone
Let's go get stoned
When you work so hard all the day long
And everything you do seems to go wrong
Just drop by my place on your way home
Let's go get stoned
It ain't no harm
You're takin just a taste
But don't blow your cool
and start messing up the place
It ain't no harm you're faking just a nip
But make sure you don't fall down bust your lip
Let's go get stoned
- Ray Charles, ‘Let’s Go Get Stoned’
Punk rockers encourage suicide, but even they don’t glorify it like Berlioz or Handel, and Leadbelly could certainly teach all these ‘gangstas’ a thing or two about getting away with murder.
So; sex, violence, rape, drugs, race, murder, sadomasochism... what is it, then, that makes modern music the scourge of parents and decent living? Is it because they use bad words? Have poor taste in clothes and jewelry? Actually say the things that used to be hidden behind catchy melodies?
I really don’t know. Someone enlighten me.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
The Road to Stupid Comics
In 1944, WWII was fully underway. All around the world, governments had organized their economies to work in harmony for the war effort. This lead to such precipitous drops in poverty, crime, and unemployment that many people began to say that a planned economy might not be so terrible a thing to have around even in peacetime. In response, famed German economist and theoretician Friedrich August von Hayek published his magnum opus, The Road to Serfdom, in which he explained why government intervention in the economy - especially of the kind touted by John Maynard Keynes – would inevitably lead to fascism and totalitarian government.
people like Milton Friedman and Margeret Thatcher liked the book, but they found it had far too many ‘words’ and ‘pages’; they wanted something simpler. Finally, a new illustrated edition of The Road to Serfdom was released, explaining the natural progression from high government spending to Nazism. Some highlights:
Well, it was better than Mallard Fillmore.
people like Milton Friedman and Margeret Thatcher liked the book, but they found it had far too many ‘words’ and ‘pages’; they wanted something simpler. Finally, a new illustrated edition of The Road to Serfdom was released, explaining the natural progression from high government spending to Nazism. Some highlights:
Well, it was better than Mallard Fillmore.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Mr. Achates' Ten Point-Plan For A Better America
In brief:
I. Find a source of clean energy.
Our dependence on oil and coal has ruined our foreign policy and is destroying the earth beyond the point of repair. Wind and solar power look promising, but adequate funding should be provided for all promising leads.
II. Re-industrialization.
America is almost on the verge of becoming a non-industrialized country. I say, away with the crappy service-sector economy, we need to be able to produce, not for profit, but for use and for need.
III. Free health care, education, public transit, and communication.
This goes without saying. Without these, no one can be a full citizen in modern society.
IV. Electoral reform
Namely, the abolition of the electoral college and the introduction of a proportional representation system.
V. Re-organization of industries into cooperatives
Clearly, our business executives are too incompetent, stupid and corrupt to run a business by themselves. Factories, workshops, farms etc. should be controlled by those who actually work them. This would also break up the agribusiness monopolies and improve the quality of American foodstuffs.
VI. Re-establishment and increase of the inheritance tax
American society is becoming rapidly stratified, and upward mobility is at its lowest level in decades. The emerging aristocracy must be destroyed before it can assume total control. And believe me, rich kids need a good kick in the teeth.
VII. Strong enforcement of the progressive tax system
Even under the current system, the IRS is owed about $300 billion more than it takes in every single year. If the wealthy would simply pay the taxes they owe, imagine what could be done with $300 dollars.
VIII. Legalization of marijuana
Pot is far less dangerous to health than tobacco and alcohol, and if those are legal, cannabis should be too. Making it legal would also reduce the prison populations by almost 40% in a single day.
IX. Subsidized arts
Increased funding for museums, theater, concerts, opera, etc. No one should ever be so poor that a night watching ‘La Boheme’ is beyond their reach.
X. Changing the national anthem
Make it something singable, dammit. Maybe ‘The House I live In’ or ‘Simple Gifts’
I. Find a source of clean energy.
Our dependence on oil and coal has ruined our foreign policy and is destroying the earth beyond the point of repair. Wind and solar power look promising, but adequate funding should be provided for all promising leads.
II. Re-industrialization.
America is almost on the verge of becoming a non-industrialized country. I say, away with the crappy service-sector economy, we need to be able to produce, not for profit, but for use and for need.
III. Free health care, education, public transit, and communication.
This goes without saying. Without these, no one can be a full citizen in modern society.
IV. Electoral reform
Namely, the abolition of the electoral college and the introduction of a proportional representation system.
V. Re-organization of industries into cooperatives
Clearly, our business executives are too incompetent, stupid and corrupt to run a business by themselves. Factories, workshops, farms etc. should be controlled by those who actually work them. This would also break up the agribusiness monopolies and improve the quality of American foodstuffs.
VI. Re-establishment and increase of the inheritance tax
American society is becoming rapidly stratified, and upward mobility is at its lowest level in decades. The emerging aristocracy must be destroyed before it can assume total control. And believe me, rich kids need a good kick in the teeth.
VII. Strong enforcement of the progressive tax system
Even under the current system, the IRS is owed about $300 billion more than it takes in every single year. If the wealthy would simply pay the taxes they owe, imagine what could be done with $300 dollars.
VIII. Legalization of marijuana
Pot is far less dangerous to health than tobacco and alcohol, and if those are legal, cannabis should be too. Making it legal would also reduce the prison populations by almost 40% in a single day.
IX. Subsidized arts
Increased funding for museums, theater, concerts, opera, etc. No one should ever be so poor that a night watching ‘La Boheme’ is beyond their reach.
X. Changing the national anthem
Make it something singable, dammit. Maybe ‘The House I live In’ or ‘Simple Gifts’
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Prima La Musica E Poi Le Parole
I notice my posts have been entirely political in nature, and since I need something to distract me from the noiseless demise of American democracy, I’ll divide my time between politics and something modern society has rendered meaningless: culture.
And I thought: What’s more important in song; words or music? Obviously, the only way to answer that question was via a scene/dialogue between two people who are technically dead:
Guiseppe Verdi - Composer
Arrigo Boito – Writer
(Boito is sitting at his desk, holding a copy of Othello. He is reading aloud intently as he copies down the words onto a piece of paper.)
Boito: “Soft you; a word or two before you go. I have done the state some service, and they know't. No more of that. I pray you, in your letters, when you shall these unlucky deeds relate, speak of me as I am; nothing – (someone in the next room starts playing the piano) nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice: then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely but – (The piano music gets increasingly louder, causing Boito to pause) but too well; ff one not easily jealous, but being wrought, Perplex'd in the extreme; (shouting to make himself heard) of one whose hand, like the base Indian, threw a pearl away richer than” –(By now, it is so loud he cannot hear himself) Oh, come on! (Boito gets up and walks over into the next room, where Verdi is banging away at the piano.) Will you stop that?!?!
Verdi: (Also yelling) Stop what?
Boito: The piano!
Verdi: (stopping) Absolutely not. (He resumes)
Boito: Please! I’m trying to write.
Verdi: Well then, I definitely won’t bother stopping. Arrigo, I hope I’m not hurting your feelings, but whatever mangled verses you manage to wrench out of Shakespeare are hardly crucial to making this opera a good one. If we succeed, you can thank my piano, and not your pen.
Boito: Pardon me? Are you suggesting that how words are sung is more important than what they are?
Verdi: I’m hardly ‘suggesting it. I’ve taken it as a rule of musical composition that a good scale will beat a good dictionary.
Boito: Well, that is a bunch of nonsense. It is the words that are most important in conveying the full meaning of any song, chorus, or opera. Music may enhance it, but without a means of clarification, people are lost.
Verdi: ’People are lost’? I can’t imagine what you’re talking about. Words exist to convey meaning. We feel and we think and we react, and we attempt to communicate what happens in our minds. At our lowest level we grunt and gesture. Above that there’s verbal language, and beyond that, music. If you are merely going to say something, you’d be surprised by how little you are understood. Music, by contrast, is not the abstract expression of human emotion, but the emotions themselves. Words like ‘love’, ‘joy’, and ‘fear’ mean very different things to different people. Yet we can tell, by a rustling in the strings, a murmuring of the horns, or a slight inflection in the soprano’s A-flat whether someone is happy, sad, or indifferent. One can lie with words, certainly. With music, never.
Boito: Really! And do you really believe that no one listening to a song cares about what is being said? The emotions you talk about may be universal, but the actual text of a song is not. To some, this may reduce the experience, I admit, but to others it will add the greatest poignancy and depth. I might not care overmuch when a father sings about losing his daughter, but the man sitting next to me may be moved to tears, because he knows what it is like.
Verdi: I never said prose and poetry didn’t matter, only that they matter rather less than melody, harmony, and rhythm. Look at the level of literary skill present in most song-writing. It is appalling. Take this example:
We are ships on the silver waves
Cast adrift
Each pleasure is a rock
The whole of life, a sea.*
Do you recognize that bit of doggerel?
Boito: No, I don’t.
Verdi: Well, it doesn’t matter. The point is that poor Vivaldi was obliged to obscure it behind the most elaborate ornamentation and vocal pyrotechnics. Do you understand? He had to hide the words to make it a decent song.
Boito: I call foul on that. You have chosen an extreme example of overwrought, florid writing. Of course I’m not going to be able to defend every syllable ever set to music.
Verdi: You may be right. Very well, let’s look at something more straightforward:
Che faro senza Euridice?
Dove andro senza il mio ben?**
Repeat unto infinite. On the page, it looks terrible. Yet, thanks to Gluck’s skill, Orpheus’s sorrow and heartbreak are perfectly plain.
Boito: Well, if you’re going to be a snob, and focus on nothing but classical music…
Verdi: I am not a snob. Did you think I was leaving out jazz and other popular entertainments? Not at all. The only differences are in instrumentation and scales. Even in those genres, a strong beat or memorable tune takes precedence over any lyrics. Here, I’ll give you an example:
Oh the shark has pretty teeth dear
And he shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has Macheath dear
And he keeps it out of sight
On the sidewalk Sunday mornin'
Lies a body oozing life
Someone sneakin' round the corner
Is that someone Mack the Knife?***
If I had merely spoken those lines, what meaning would they have?
Boito: They would have as much meaning as I chose to give them. I think this is even more true in regards to words than to music. An A is always an A, but as you said, yet ‘love’, ‘joy’, and ‘anger’ are different to all who hear them. I tried composing for years, and was never very successful. It was only when I focused entirely on literary style was my true voice heard.
Verdi: Well, I think my composing music to your libretti had something to do with it. I should say that in every writer there is a failed – or, more hopefully, an aspiring – composer. If you need more proof, consider this: a song with the same lyrics but different music could hardly be considered the same song; a song that has a different text but remains otherwise unchanged is merely an alternate version. Words are slurred, omitted, mispronounced, and otherwise rendered unintelligible. The effect is nominal, if there is one at all.
Boito: You can talk forever about how much we can tell from music, but if what you’re saying is true, there could be no such thing as the political song or the national anthem. You must admit that the music for these things is often rather lacking. I believe the poetry of ‘Jerusalem'^, for example, is far superior to the music. Do you think it doesn’t matter to people whether they are singing the words to ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, ‘The Internationale’ or ’Deutschland Uber Alles’?
Verdi: As for political songs and anthems, I think you’ve chosen some unfortunate examples. None of the songs you mentioned are now sung to the lyrics for which the melodies were written^^. As for national anthems - well, I admit, there are exceptions, as always. But political songs are hardly the norm. I should say that at least nine songs out of ten deal overwhelmingly not with social justice and activism, but with pure human pathos.
Boito: Do you think so?
Verdi: I do.
Boito: Well, it’s one of those things that are impossible to measure, isn’t it?
Verdi: Undoubtedly so. One other thing to consider: Music is more natural. People who sing to themselves are pleasant, people who talk to themselves are insane.
Boito: Unless they talk sense to themselves, which is better than singing nonsense to others.
Verdi: We’re getting off-topic. That’s enough for now, I have work to do.
Boito: As do I. I’m going to find a nice quiet place for me and Shakespeare.
(Boito exits humming softly to himself, Verdi mutters under his breath as he watches the librettist amble away.)
*Siam navi all’onde algente’ from L’Olimpiade. Music by Antonio Vivaldi. Lyrics by Pietro Metastasio.
**Che faro senza Euridice?’ from Orfeo ed Euridice. Music by Christoph Gluck. Lyrics by Ranieri da Calzabigi. Literally, it translates to this:
What will I do without Eurydice?
Where will I go without my love?
***Mack the Knife’. Music by Kurt Weill. Lyrics by Bertol Brecht.
^Jerusalem’, a poem by William Blake, was set to music by Hubert Parry and became a sort of secondary anthem of the British Labour Party.
^^Originally ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was a Scottish drinking song knows as ‘To Anacreon in Heaven’ while ‘The Internationale’ was sung only in French, and Deutschland Uber Alles was the wordless second movement of a Haydn string quartet.
And I thought: What’s more important in song; words or music? Obviously, the only way to answer that question was via a scene/dialogue between two people who are technically dead:
Guiseppe Verdi - Composer
Arrigo Boito – Writer
(Boito is sitting at his desk, holding a copy of Othello. He is reading aloud intently as he copies down the words onto a piece of paper.)
Boito: “Soft you; a word or two before you go. I have done the state some service, and they know't. No more of that. I pray you, in your letters, when you shall these unlucky deeds relate, speak of me as I am; nothing – (someone in the next room starts playing the piano) nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice: then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely but – (The piano music gets increasingly louder, causing Boito to pause) but too well; ff one not easily jealous, but being wrought, Perplex'd in the extreme; (shouting to make himself heard) of one whose hand, like the base Indian, threw a pearl away richer than” –(By now, it is so loud he cannot hear himself) Oh, come on! (Boito gets up and walks over into the next room, where Verdi is banging away at the piano.) Will you stop that?!?!
Verdi: (Also yelling) Stop what?
Boito: The piano!
Verdi: (stopping) Absolutely not. (He resumes)
Boito: Please! I’m trying to write.
Verdi: Well then, I definitely won’t bother stopping. Arrigo, I hope I’m not hurting your feelings, but whatever mangled verses you manage to wrench out of Shakespeare are hardly crucial to making this opera a good one. If we succeed, you can thank my piano, and not your pen.
Boito: Pardon me? Are you suggesting that how words are sung is more important than what they are?
Verdi: I’m hardly ‘suggesting it. I’ve taken it as a rule of musical composition that a good scale will beat a good dictionary.
Boito: Well, that is a bunch of nonsense. It is the words that are most important in conveying the full meaning of any song, chorus, or opera. Music may enhance it, but without a means of clarification, people are lost.
Verdi: ’People are lost’? I can’t imagine what you’re talking about. Words exist to convey meaning. We feel and we think and we react, and we attempt to communicate what happens in our minds. At our lowest level we grunt and gesture. Above that there’s verbal language, and beyond that, music. If you are merely going to say something, you’d be surprised by how little you are understood. Music, by contrast, is not the abstract expression of human emotion, but the emotions themselves. Words like ‘love’, ‘joy’, and ‘fear’ mean very different things to different people. Yet we can tell, by a rustling in the strings, a murmuring of the horns, or a slight inflection in the soprano’s A-flat whether someone is happy, sad, or indifferent. One can lie with words, certainly. With music, never.
Boito: Really! And do you really believe that no one listening to a song cares about what is being said? The emotions you talk about may be universal, but the actual text of a song is not. To some, this may reduce the experience, I admit, but to others it will add the greatest poignancy and depth. I might not care overmuch when a father sings about losing his daughter, but the man sitting next to me may be moved to tears, because he knows what it is like.
Verdi: I never said prose and poetry didn’t matter, only that they matter rather less than melody, harmony, and rhythm. Look at the level of literary skill present in most song-writing. It is appalling. Take this example:
We are ships on the silver waves
Cast adrift
Each pleasure is a rock
The whole of life, a sea.*
Do you recognize that bit of doggerel?
Boito: No, I don’t.
Verdi: Well, it doesn’t matter. The point is that poor Vivaldi was obliged to obscure it behind the most elaborate ornamentation and vocal pyrotechnics. Do you understand? He had to hide the words to make it a decent song.
Boito: I call foul on that. You have chosen an extreme example of overwrought, florid writing. Of course I’m not going to be able to defend every syllable ever set to music.
Verdi: You may be right. Very well, let’s look at something more straightforward:
Che faro senza Euridice?
Dove andro senza il mio ben?**
Repeat unto infinite. On the page, it looks terrible. Yet, thanks to Gluck’s skill, Orpheus’s sorrow and heartbreak are perfectly plain.
Boito: Well, if you’re going to be a snob, and focus on nothing but classical music…
Verdi: I am not a snob. Did you think I was leaving out jazz and other popular entertainments? Not at all. The only differences are in instrumentation and scales. Even in those genres, a strong beat or memorable tune takes precedence over any lyrics. Here, I’ll give you an example:
Oh the shark has pretty teeth dear
And he shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has Macheath dear
And he keeps it out of sight
On the sidewalk Sunday mornin'
Lies a body oozing life
Someone sneakin' round the corner
Is that someone Mack the Knife?***
If I had merely spoken those lines, what meaning would they have?
Boito: They would have as much meaning as I chose to give them. I think this is even more true in regards to words than to music. An A is always an A, but as you said, yet ‘love’, ‘joy’, and ‘anger’ are different to all who hear them. I tried composing for years, and was never very successful. It was only when I focused entirely on literary style was my true voice heard.
Verdi: Well, I think my composing music to your libretti had something to do with it. I should say that in every writer there is a failed – or, more hopefully, an aspiring – composer. If you need more proof, consider this: a song with the same lyrics but different music could hardly be considered the same song; a song that has a different text but remains otherwise unchanged is merely an alternate version. Words are slurred, omitted, mispronounced, and otherwise rendered unintelligible. The effect is nominal, if there is one at all.
Boito: You can talk forever about how much we can tell from music, but if what you’re saying is true, there could be no such thing as the political song or the national anthem. You must admit that the music for these things is often rather lacking. I believe the poetry of ‘Jerusalem'^, for example, is far superior to the music. Do you think it doesn’t matter to people whether they are singing the words to ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, ‘The Internationale’ or ’Deutschland Uber Alles’?
Verdi: As for political songs and anthems, I think you’ve chosen some unfortunate examples. None of the songs you mentioned are now sung to the lyrics for which the melodies were written^^. As for national anthems - well, I admit, there are exceptions, as always. But political songs are hardly the norm. I should say that at least nine songs out of ten deal overwhelmingly not with social justice and activism, but with pure human pathos.
Boito: Do you think so?
Verdi: I do.
Boito: Well, it’s one of those things that are impossible to measure, isn’t it?
Verdi: Undoubtedly so. One other thing to consider: Music is more natural. People who sing to themselves are pleasant, people who talk to themselves are insane.
Boito: Unless they talk sense to themselves, which is better than singing nonsense to others.
Verdi: We’re getting off-topic. That’s enough for now, I have work to do.
Boito: As do I. I’m going to find a nice quiet place for me and Shakespeare.
(Boito exits humming softly to himself, Verdi mutters under his breath as he watches the librettist amble away.)
*Siam navi all’onde algente’ from L’Olimpiade. Music by Antonio Vivaldi. Lyrics by Pietro Metastasio.
**Che faro senza Euridice?’ from Orfeo ed Euridice. Music by Christoph Gluck. Lyrics by Ranieri da Calzabigi. Literally, it translates to this:
What will I do without Eurydice?
Where will I go without my love?
***Mack the Knife’. Music by Kurt Weill. Lyrics by Bertol Brecht.
^Jerusalem’, a poem by William Blake, was set to music by Hubert Parry and became a sort of secondary anthem of the British Labour Party.
^^Originally ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was a Scottish drinking song knows as ‘To Anacreon in Heaven’ while ‘The Internationale’ was sung only in French, and Deutschland Uber Alles was the wordless second movement of a Haydn string quartet.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Democracy Crucified
About a month ago, Alabama senator Richard Shelby filed the Constitution Restoration Act (CRA) apparently in the interest of ‘increasing federalism’. So what does this vaguely titled bill do, and why do I care? Essentially, it bans any federal court or judge from ever again reviewing:
Goodbye, American Republic. Goodbye, Bill of Rights. We’ll miss you. I am completely serious about this, by the way. This bill is death to all our naive secular notions of freedom and the law.
And chances are looking pretty good that this monstrosity to pass. The CRA already has 28 sponsors in the House and Senate, and Sen. Shelby’s office claims ‘we have the votes’. And why not? The Religious Right owns the Republican Party lock, stock, and barrel. 45 senators and 186 representatives get 80-100 ratings from the Christian Coalition. There’s no democracy in the Bible; so far as they’re concerned this whole sham of ‘elections’ has just been a prelude to the re-establishment of Christendom.
When I’m getting dragged off to the Re-education Camp for Socialist Heathens, I’ll know who to blame.
Any matter to the extent that relief is sought against an entity of Federal, State, or local government, or against an officer or agent of Federal, State, or local government (whether or not acting in official or personal capacity), concerning that entity's, officer's, or agent's acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government. (Emphasis added. Full text here)So what does that mean? It means (deep breath) that someone’s interpretation of the Bible will trump the US constitution and federal law. Always wanted to burn witches? Kill homosexuals? Sell your children into slavery? Well, thanks to this bill, you can, and the US justice system can’t do anything about it. They’d be dismissed for even considering it! In fact, you can break any law you care to, so long as you can find a justification for it in Leviticus.
Goodbye, American Republic. Goodbye, Bill of Rights. We’ll miss you. I am completely serious about this, by the way. This bill is death to all our naive secular notions of freedom and the law.
And chances are looking pretty good that this monstrosity to pass. The CRA already has 28 sponsors in the House and Senate, and Sen. Shelby’s office claims ‘we have the votes’. And why not? The Religious Right owns the Republican Party lock, stock, and barrel. 45 senators and 186 representatives get 80-100 ratings from the Christian Coalition. There’s no democracy in the Bible; so far as they’re concerned this whole sham of ‘elections’ has just been a prelude to the re-establishment of Christendom.
When I’m getting dragged off to the Re-education Camp for Socialist Heathens, I’ll know who to blame.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Il Papa Ha Morto
The Pope lies gravely ill today; all indications are that he will die in a week at the most.
Already, the media is full of stories about the compassion, generosity, and tolerance of John Paul II. I have no reason to doubt those stories are true.
But did he end the fiction of homosexuality being a ‘sin’? No. Did he finally allow birth control? Not at all. Did he move with force and justice against the priests who molested young boys? No; his biggest concern was that ‘people would lose faith in the Church’. Did he renounce his claims to infallibility? He did not.
When so much power is concentrated in a single man, and hundreds of millions of people around the world have genuine faith in him, the disappointment is incredibly bitter that he couldn’t overcome petty politics and dogma to save untold millions from hunger, ignorance, and fear.
But I cannot ask that someone suffer for all eternity for the weaknesses of one lifetime. Et lux perpetua luceat eum.
Edit: It seems that Giovanni Paulo II has died after all. All eyes now turn to the College of Cardinals...
Already, the media is full of stories about the compassion, generosity, and tolerance of John Paul II. I have no reason to doubt those stories are true.
But did he end the fiction of homosexuality being a ‘sin’? No. Did he finally allow birth control? Not at all. Did he move with force and justice against the priests who molested young boys? No; his biggest concern was that ‘people would lose faith in the Church’. Did he renounce his claims to infallibility? He did not.
When so much power is concentrated in a single man, and hundreds of millions of people around the world have genuine faith in him, the disappointment is incredibly bitter that he couldn’t overcome petty politics and dogma to save untold millions from hunger, ignorance, and fear.
But I cannot ask that someone suffer for all eternity for the weaknesses of one lifetime. Et lux perpetua luceat eum.
Edit: It seems that Giovanni Paulo II has died after all. All eyes now turn to the College of Cardinals...
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