tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post5368775711116389516..comments2024-03-11T10:09:54.719-04:00Comments on obscene chewing: is it november yet?Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907944424219389829noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-34065993730404306412012-09-19T10:38:40.378-04:002012-09-19T10:38:40.378-04:00!!
i was so excited after mentioning them here ye...!!<br /><br />i was so excited after mentioning them here yesterday that i started re-watching (there's four hours in century of the self, and three in the power of nightmares), and you know, it's just amazing how much is in there -- the story about betty crocker and the egg takes two minutes? you'll reel with how ridiculous manipulations actually work on us poor souls. and i also realized the reagan stuff is in the power of nightmares -- here are two short intro clip links for you, so you can get a taste. :)<br /><br />http://youtu.be/Vt-FyuuWlWQ<br /><br />http://youtu.be/IWmKKHNTT94<br /><br /><br />i can tell you that for me, they actually made me feel better because i was so frustrated by the fact that the world is the way it is (there's our mutual weltschmerz again)and now i am just waiting for economic collapse and the chance to start over. i realize i need to build my survival skill set though. i would be lost in the wilderness. (only half-joking here).<br /><br /><br />Annabel Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02322474107756885745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-44588406615476271632012-09-19T08:49:13.463-04:002012-09-19T08:49:13.463-04:00Thanks for the welcome back.
No, I haven't h...Thanks for the welcome back. <br /><br />No, I haven't heard of those documentaries, but they sound interesting. I'll look into them. I hate to admit it—because it's not something I'm particularly proud of—but I find myself becoming more and more apolitical. I feel very passionate about certain issues, but the political route seems so hopeless. I realize that this is a self-fulfilling prophecy... but American politics have just worn me down...Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03907944424219389829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-27222296797595063082012-09-18T23:58:06.154-04:002012-09-18T23:58:06.154-04:00have you ever seen the documentary the century of ...have you ever seen the documentary the century of the self? or the power of nightmares? if so, prepare to hear me blab on about them anyway. both are bbc documentaries by a fella named adam curtis and completely changed my view of politics and the various democratic party systems i'm familiar with as they now stand. i agree with a lot of what you say here. i vote left, and at every opportunity, but i feel like my vote is a vain event to stave off the worst possible outcome every time. but there's a slide in the first world democratic cultures that i can't begin to see in a less than cynical light. so i saw these documentaries and it really solidified for me how limited power can really be, and i felt sorry for reagan! never thought that would happen. and i felt even sorrier for clinton. but that's not even everything that was mind-blowing! there's stuff about freud's nephew edward bernays who created the idea of public relations because propaganda was a dirty word. that is mind-blowing, and it also talks about est and esselin, and all kinds of fascinating ways we medicate our culture. :) <br /><br />i can't recommend it (and power of nightmares -- paralleling the rise of neo-conservatism in the US and the politicization of islam in the middle east) enough. you can see them on the youtube. :)<br /><br />but maybe you already saw them, and i just blabbed a whole bunch. <br /><br />welcome back! your dreams were your ticket out! :)<br /><br />Annabel Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02322474107756885745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-81227188896977416532012-09-18T21:13:47.373-04:002012-09-18T21:13:47.373-04:00I'm not ignoring health care—but that will hav...I'm not ignoring health care—but that will have much more to do with Congress than it will with Romney himself. Sure, Romney can act as a cheerleader (or bully) for repeal, but it isn't as if he's the king. <br /><br />I didn't say Obama was <i>secretly</i> dismissive, or I don't think I did. I just said they were both probably dismissive of each other's hardcore constituency. Romney was just tactless (or unfortunate) enough to admit to it. This is why Obama will probably win; he's much better at managing his image than Romney is.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03907944424219389829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-50309858339151417192012-09-18T20:59:02.519-04:002012-09-18T20:59:02.519-04:00Yeah I think my comments are making me sound more ...Yeah I think my comments are making me sound more impassioned than I am about the election, as well, but I still think there could be big differences depending on who wins. Obviously you're excluding the health care issue which is huge, so okay we'll put that aside. But even just their approach to to tax reform. You say that Obama is also probably secretly dismissive about the segment of the population that will not vote for him, but I think he hasn't been very secretive about it at all. I mean hasn't he basically been going around saying, "Look, dude, if you're rich, I'm gonna pretty much fuck you over." You know? I just think Romney's all smarmy about where he stands, which makes him seem more disingenuous to me than that black guy he's running against.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-55780142527129388032012-09-18T20:44:50.070-04:002012-09-18T20:44:50.070-04:00Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a minute here. I am not sayin...Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a minute here. I am not saying that votes in presidential elections categorically never matter. I am only talking about one presidential race: Obama vs. Romney. And as much as I try to be optimistic, I can't foresee many significant differences in the substantial effects of either one's victory. <br /><br />Also please note that I <i>did</i> say I would prefer Obama, but my support is entirely unimpassioned and unenthusiastic. I have no illusions about what four more years of Obama will mean.<br /><br />What you're saying about Romney being 'dismissive about people that he would ultimately have to represent should he be elected' is reasonable in the abstract, but how many elected representatives make an effort to compromise and represent their entire constituency rather than just their base? Some do, but I would say that most representatives on a national level do not. Romney merely (and accidentally) admitted what's been a political fact for a long time now.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03907944424219389829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-31701771261814509672012-09-18T20:19:38.941-04:002012-09-18T20:19:38.941-04:00Ok, I have a second (enough time to spout a bunch ...Ok, I have a second (enough time to spout a bunch of thoughts, but not enough time to make them coherent).<br /><br />I totally agree that the candidates are at the mercy of the populace who often judge them on factors beyond their control. And I also agree that Romney's remarks are easily explained away as realistic: he is saying he can't do anything about the segment of the population that has already made up its mind. BUT. He is also being dismissive about people that he would ultimately have to represent should he be elected, and that is what alarms me. I mean, he's basically saying that since these people do not pay INCOME taxes, that they are moochers of the state. He's ignoring the fact that they DO pay federal taxes in other forms (most of them do, anyhow) and he's pooling them all into this category of those that are—to him—useless and hopeless.<br /><br />Also, I always say to those who treat the Presidential election as the most important that the President has a lot less power than people give him credit for, and that they should be more concerned with who they vote into the legislature or even local office. So I'd agree with you there. BUT. I think it's taking it too far to say that it doesn't really matter who gets elected because the President still has the power of executive order and he has a lot of influence over Congress, so overall, I think it matters to a higher degree than you give it credit for.<br /><br /><i>"We all know by now that a true dyed-in-the-wool liberal will not win a presidential election in this country—at least not in the foreseeable future—because 'liberalism' has been transformed (very effectively, I might add) into a dirty word by the right wing. So as a compromise, we get Obama."</i><br /><br />With that statement I agree completely.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-78125109734699939322012-09-18T17:08:55.432-04:002012-09-18T17:08:55.432-04:00I'll reply more later. I have a bit of history...I'll reply more later. I have a bit of history with Romney, since he used to be my gubnah. I have to go now, though!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-20653692120081112732012-09-18T17:06:57.756-04:002012-09-18T17:06:57.756-04:00Actually, no, I didn't! But a couple other peo...Actually, no, I didn't! But a couple other people covered the same territory... Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03907944424219389829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894920200288693943.post-39067255471129467582012-09-18T17:05:32.204-04:002012-09-18T17:05:32.204-04:00Ah, well this is awkward. Looks like you saw my Fa...Ah, well this is awkward. Looks like you saw my Facebook post this morning. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com