OT -- Re: random cover of a range

[Bill Baxter]

On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 3:30 PM, John Reimer <terminal.node at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello Bill,
>
>> On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 1:02 PM, John Reimer <terminal.node at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello Walter,
>>>
>>>> John Reimer wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Walter, I've heard a lot of arguments for defending the expression
>>>>> of "art", but this one's a doosie.
>>>>>
>>>> Ever watch Monty Python? I asked a brit about the accents they use
>>>> in their skits, because there are many different british accents. He
>>>> laughed and said the accents were a parody of the british upper
>>>> class accents.
>>>>
>>>> I suspected that, not being  british, I was missing half the jokes
>>>> <g>.
>>>>
>>>> There's also Spongebob Squarepants. It's ostensibly a kid's show,
>>>> but at least in the early episodes there are a lot of digs at
>>>> Jacques Cousteau's 70's tv series "The Undersea World". What kid
>>>> would get those jokes?
>>>>
>>> I tend to care a lot about things and think a lot about implications
>>> and idea and how they affect people,  including the manner and
>>> language used when one expresses oneself to another.  I don't
>>> particularly care for a lot of the humour available on television
>>> today (I don't watch it anymore, anyway). However, it seems that a
>>> lot of people enjoy lampoons because it acts as a balm to their mind
>>> to help /avoid/ taking most things too seriously.  I can appreciate
>>> that, but I think there's also a caution involved there.
>>>
>>> The main problem with many of the new television shows is that, like
>>> fashion decides the fad in clothes, someone is deciding for us what
>>> is fair game to be laughed at.  The limits are pushed continually.
>>> For all the talk about religion's apparent control of people's minds,
>>> I think there's a whole lot more to be worried about as people feed
>>> on the what the boob tube serves up. With long time exposure, I'd say
>>> there is possibly a strong influence on their tolerance for what they
>>> consider acceptable behavior.  Humor, of course, is only one aspect
>>> of this.   It used to be that the productions in television tried to
>>> model the real world.  I think the opposite is now happening to some
>>> extent as we derive more relevancy from the fantasies and culture
>>> created in the imaginary worlds portrayed to us from television.
>>>
>>> Concerning profanity and swearing.  I think many forms of expression
>>> should warrant more careful thought.  I don't believe profane or
>>> irreverant expression has a neutral effect on hearers.  We've already
>>> seen plenty of evidence of that in here.  You may think it's cute and
>>> artsy, but I think it does any combination of the following:  creates
>>> a language barrier, trivializes the original meaning of certain
>>> anglo-saxon words, shows general disrespect in communication,
>>> demonstrates poor vocabulary, reveals carelessness in thinking of
>>> others feelings, etc and on and on.   It's like throwing dirt in
>>> somebody's face and thinking that's a normal way to interact.  We can
>>> stamp a "art" sticker on it and call it funny when it is clothed in a
>>> comedic role (or any situation really), but this is just as effective
>>> as sticking an "ice cream" tab on a pile of manure; there's no way to
>>> make it pretty.
>>>
>>> It's a very pervasive view that swearing is a non-issue these days,
>>> and a person is just being prudish and silly if he disaproves.  But
>>> I've been keenly aware of how the same profanity is expressed with
>>> ever so much force and rancor when a person is angry. Then it becomes
>>> very clear that the words fit the role perfectly with the malice that
>>> expresses them (not to say person should swear when he is angry :) ).
>>> It's no wonder that the expression of them becomes confusing when
>>> they merge back into everyday speech for no apparent reason.
>>>
>> Very thoughtful piece there, John.  I agree with you pretty much
>> completely.  I think the issues you speak of are particularly
>> pervasive in American culture these days.  Can't speak for other parts
>> of the world, but things definitely don't seem as bad to me over here
>> in Japan.  Then again it could be just that my Japanese just isn't
>> good enough to pick up that level of nuance, but I really don't think
>> Japanese culture has taken a heavy hit from the sarcasm bucket yet.
>>
>> --bb
>>
>
>
> Thanks for the encouragment, Bill.  You just might regret it later, though.
> ;)

I agree with your assessment that there's an issue, and it concerns me
too.   But I may not agree with you on how it should be addressed.
:-)   Seems Walter is reading your observations as a call to direct
action to control people's speech.  I didn't read it that way.

--bb