OT -- Re: random cover of a range

[Bill Baxter]

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