Althouse: At the Checkerboard Café...

May 6, 2019

At the Checkerboard Café...

... it's your move.

118 comments:

etbass said...: The Audi does still look good.; 5/6/19, 8:54 PM
stephen cooper said...: Beautiful picture.

A 19th century Japanese painter once said that he was just beginning to understand flowers, and other beautiful things in this world, when he was in his 90s.

in this world, the ratio of flowers - in this case Lenten Roses with a belated similarity to fritillaries - in this world the ratio of flowers to beautiful flowers is one to one,

Moral of the story: in this world, the ratio of old men - in this modern world - to good-hearted, non-crabby, non-mean-spirited old men - is not one to one.

In real life, most old men I know are polite to people they disagree with, on this blog, not so much.
Wonder why that is?
Maybe we all should spend more time reading the Bible, or reflecting on those we have known in the past who were kind, and prayerful.; 5/6/19, 9:07 PM
William said...: Catherine the Great of Russia seems to have been the all time greatest player of the Game of Thrones. She came to Russia not knowing the language and betrothed to a young man who was half crazy and half retarded. She succeeded in having him strangled and becoming Empress of Russia and then in reigning as one of the most enlightened rulers in Russia's history. I can't think of any ruler who had a more difficult path to the throne.......There's an excellent series on Amazon, Ekaterina, about her rise to power. I think the marriage with Joffrey and Sansa was based a little on that of Catherine and Pieter. The Amazon series is not so good as GoT, but it has the merit of being based on actual history.; 5/6/19, 9:15 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: respite, after a day's slog
(stop and smell the roses)

“To see the world in a grain of sand
and heaven in a wildflower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand
and eternity in an hour.”; 5/6/19, 9:31 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Anytime I see the word checkerboard, I think of The Checkerboard Squarecrow.; 5/6/19, 9:42 PM
stephen cooper said...: looked it up -

it was Hokusai Katsushika ---
and his quote, late in life (85 or 90 or so)

---- "if Heaven had given me 5 more years I could have been a real painter"

so true of all of us, in one way or another!; 5/6/19, 9:45 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: AA-
re: not giving a damn about GoT, and questioning the interest in superhero movies--
(of course you understand the straight-up entertainment angle) do you feel there is something deeper/vaguely awry with whatever drives their popularity?; 5/6/19, 9:50 PM
narciso said...: Well got does have a certain hobbesian quality. Life is nasty British and short and the social contract Is not apparently functional, much more a medieval milieu; 5/6/19, 9:52 PM
narciso said...: Brutush and short:

https://mobile.twitter.com/CJBdingo25/status/1125462425137029125; 5/6/19, 10:03 PM
stephen cooper said...: narciso - charlton (bruce charlton) believes that old people are still here in this earth because they have not yet figured out that God loves them.

That is his take, he is a Mormon; 5/6/19, 10:11 PM
JackWayne said...: But how can you tell which is the donkey?; 5/6/19, 10:14 PM
narciso said...: For every thing there is a season, we are sojourners in this world, how long our term is unclear.; 5/6/19, 10:14 PM
stephen cooper said...: narciso - my personal take is that God loves us all, and sometimes, with those deep feelings of friendship that God has, He is full of amazement and love at how nice so many people are after years of ----bad parenting --- life in a bad society --- years of temptation ....

Mother Teresa had nice parents and it is no surprise she was a saint, and poor John Paul once lamented that even if he seemed like a saint to other people he knew what he should have been in life given his advantages (for the record his parents were saintly people and he was, although widely praised, perhaps the most mediocre of saints - I like the guy but it is true) ----- but look at the apostles and the holy women of the Gospels.

Not a single one is recorded as having a virtuous parent, or as having spent a single day at a good school, or having seen, when young, a vision of truth, but all the apostles and all the holy women of the Gospels did the right thing, eventually, except poor Judas, and he hung himself in despair --- he should have, and one hopes he did, merely repented ---- he was probably in his 20s, though, and youth is foolish sometimes.; 5/6/19, 10:16 PM
The Vault Dweller said...: Wasn't there supposed to be a new car in the works at Althouse Manor? Is that still a plan? Or has it been postponed?; 5/6/19, 10:37 PM
Anonymous said...: "Nasty, British, and short," is priceless! Field Marshal Montgomery, right?

I had a boss once, described as Hobbes' man: solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

GoT is pretty to look at but I'm about ready to have it wrap up. It's a shame nobody can produce something that is both epic and historical . . . just when the technology would seem to allow it, the culture isn't amenable to something like, say, a -serious- bio of Catherine the Great*, as William mentioned.

Then again, I always complain when something like it is tried, because nothing matches what I read in the books!

Narr
Romanov is more a TM than a family name--look at the regular infusions of German studs and mares and tell me they're Romanovs.

*Grad school joke: The Origins of Stallionism in Russia; 5/6/19, 10:40 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Just a nuther man named Monday.

I wish it were Sunday.

'Cause that's my fun day.

I wish it were Sunday,

Just another man named Monday.; 5/6/19, 10:41 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Jus nuther man ICCCC Monday.

Ohhh

Wish it were Sunday.

Cause tha's my funday.

Just another man IICCCCKKK!! Monday.; 5/6/19, 10:42 PM
wwww said...: "do you feel there is something deeper/vaguely awry with whatever drives their popularity?"

AA answered in the thread why GOT was annoying to her. It sounds like it's the prominent news coverage, and how news organizations cover the show. Maybe it's annoying to come across GOT stuff when reading newspapers looking for interesting info to blog. If you're not watching it, it's not very blogable.; 5/6/19, 10:44 PM
narciso said...: Heh, I think those accounts are apocryphal she did have many suitors potemkin yeRmalov a few other folk of note.; 5/6/19, 10:46 PM
JackWayne said...: Apocryphally, John Paul Jones.; 5/6/19, 10:52 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: yes we read that the prominent coverage annoys her, but isnt that different from what she may think drives the popularity? Isnt the result of the popularity different than the reason for the popularity?; 5/6/19, 10:52 PM
As my whimsy leads me.. said...: Fritillaria! I had never see it before visiting the Stan Hywet Hall in Akron two weeks ago. It’s a stunning flower. I keep forgetting the name, though.
Toy; 5/6/19, 11:00 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: @narciso
nxivm/'jellybrains'/clintons/etc again...and do you ever read CDAN?(for S's n G's); 5/6/19, 11:09 PM
tim in vermont said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/6/19, 11:13 PM
tim in vermont said...: Staffers are reportedly calling the cuts a "massive brain drain" because so many veteran employees are being given pink slips.

A “brain drain” at CNN! ROTFLMAO; 5/6/19, 11:15 PM
stephen cooper said...: CDAN is deeply vicious when fictional.; 5/6/19, 11:17 PM
wwww said...: "yes we read that the prominent coverage annoys her, but isnt that different from what she may think drives the popularity? Isnt the result of the popularity different than the reason for the popularity?"

Yes & maybe. But I get the impression news coverage itself is of great interest to her. Analysis of news coverage and writing drives a lot of her analysis. I don't think she's watched any of GOT, so she probably doesn't have an opinion about the characters or narrative of the show itself.

"Game of Thrones again? I can’t believe I am hoping Chuck comes on and changes the subject."

LOL. You know Martin has been working on sequels? Anyways there are only a few more episodes this season. Soon we'll all stop talking about dragons.; 5/6/19, 11:22 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Andy McCarthy examines the Papadopoulos portion of the Mueller Report. It is a great deconstruction of what is all but certain a fraud perpetrated by Mueller within the report itself. McCarthy points out that Mueller very carefully tells a story with no basis in the evidence- i.e.:

(1) there is no evidence that Mifsud was a Russian agent (indeed, all the evidence suggests Mifsud is a Western intelligence agent);

(2) there is no evidence that Mifsud told Papadopoulos about the Russians having Clinton e-mails except for Papadopoulos' own statement (for example, Papadopoulos told no one else about "Clinton e-mails", not even the Trump officials were told about this);

(3) there is no evidence that Papadopoulos told Alexander Downer about "Clinton e-mails" (it seems Downer made the association to e-mails all on his own, but Mueller uses this inference from Downer and cleverly implies it is what Papadopoulos said, but without actually supporting it with Downer's actual statement- the point being that the casual reader will just assume that is what Papadopoulos said since Mueller has hidden the actual statements involved.

There is more, it is quite a lengthy exposition and dissection, but those are the highlights. It really demonstrates the complete lack of curiosity on the part of Mueller when it comes to people like Mifsud- no investigation into who these people actually are. I mean, Mueller had an opportunity to actually demonstrate that Mifsud was a Russian agent, but instead just leaves it with no investigation at all. For all Mueller knows, Mifsud could have been a London taxi driver.; 5/6/19, 11:22 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: look it up I gave the prps

This is Buckley's fucking dictionary asshole

Edited and Illustrated and all.

Buckleys.

eschew (verb) To turn down down; ignore; disdain; do without.

The United States has two sovereign responsibilities at this point. The first is to maintain our guard. The second is to eschew any invitations to finance the economic rehabilitation of the Soviet Union.
.
esoterica (noun) Items intended for, or understood by, only a few.

Fleetwood had been designated to give the first toast. After that, he turned his esoterica into a single metaphor that suggested the pre-eminent concern that all civilized people must have for peace.

espousal (noun) A taking up or adopting as a cause or belief

Despite protestations that Professor Davis had failed to qualify for promotion, it was plain for all to see that he had been eased out because of his outspoken criticism of capitalism, his espousal of numerous left-wing causes, and his attacks on several large financial trusts and holding companies with which various members of the Yale Corporation were affiliated.

William Frank Buckley Junior authored the above, with help an eminence such as his deserves fully.

Now you all need to help me.

And America.; 5/6/19, 11:25 PM
wwww said...: "yes we read that the prominent coverage annoys her, but isnt that different from what she may think drives the popularity? Isnt the result of the popularity different than the reason for the popularity?"

Honestly the response is a bit similar to my mother's. She doesn't relate to any of this stuff & does not understand why anyone would be compelled to read/watch it. It doesn't annoy her, but she is not going to encounter the multiple news stories about it. AA would see it in her morning blogging reading. Might feel hard to ignore.; 5/6/19, 11:26 PM
Yancey Ward said...: A “brain drain” at CNN!

Also known as anal leakage.; 5/6/19, 11:26 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Is it 'Gaiters' or 'Gators', for you snappy dressers?

Cops to Florida woman: ‘Do you have anything else?’ She pulled a gator from her pants.; 5/6/19, 11:42 PM
narciso said...: What's the real life hellfire club have to do with it. CDAN? The link earlier is about how one particular promulgator of this Russian hoax was at the London campus in 2016.

The fictional analogue to this event is the series alias, particular the fux potemkin village known as sd 6; 5/6/19, 11:42 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: do gators like garlic?; 5/6/19, 11:42 PM
narciso said...: Faux this autocucumber is weird; 5/6/19, 11:46 PM
Anonymous said...: what is sd 6; 5/6/19, 11:55 PM
narciso said...: Sd 6 was a criminal consortium that masqueraded itself as a CIA division in alias, this version pretends it's a Russian front; 5/6/19, 11:58 PM
Anonymous said...: thx

Gog and Magog are what they are

there are lots of good people in Russia

Proverbs 8

time will tell

cor ad cor loquitur

God loves us all; 5/7/19, 12:04 AM
narciso said...: There are some similarities with the 12, the consortium behind the Russian assassin vianelle in killing eve.; 5/7/19, 12:14 AM
Anonymous said...: Russia is not Gog and it is not Magog

The EU is on its way out even on secular time so it is not Gog or Magog

maybe our grandchildren will have good long lives before the end times

maybe not but if they don't it will not be because I did not try and pray that they would have peace in their time; 5/7/19, 12:25 AM
Gahrie said...: Not watching Game of Thrones today is like not watching Shogun when it came out in 1980.; 5/7/19, 12:27 AM
stephen cooper said...: Not reading Gene Wolfe, or at least not reading his quotes , would be, for some of us, not all of us , a great loss.

For example, the very talented writer, who recently died, and who bravely fought in Korea when he was young, wrote this when he was not young anymore

"A hundred wise men have said that LOVE transcends the power of death, and millions of fools ....('fools' is Wolfe's word, not mine, I rarely refer to my fellow human beings as fools - I know better than to do that, as a fool myself) (millions of fools) have supposed they meant nothing by it.

At this late stage of my life I have learned what they meant.

They meant that love transcends death.

They are correct."

Great quote, but my question ....
My question is this.
Wolfe fought in Korea in his early 20s.
He was a skilled writer soon after.

And it took him until a late stage of his life to understand this?
That is basic knowledge for a Christian.
Just saying.
It should not have taken him so long to figure it out.
God loves us all.; 5/7/19, 12:44 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: As Mank sang of Orson,
So did Larry capture Judd.; 5/7/19, 12:54 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Jokes been on Judd for a long time.

Long time.; 5/7/19, 1:07 AM
Crazy World said...: Lovely!!; 5/7/19, 1:19 AM
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Bitcoin to Bank Account; 5/7/19, 1:37 AM
stevew said...: Bruins won. On to the conference championship round.

Celtics are in the its all over but the crying stage of their playoff run. Meh.

Actually had a lovely spring day yesterday.

I love this time of year.; 5/7/19, 5:23 AM
Humperdink said...: So much for the possible asterisk laden triple crown. Max Security has been yanked from the Preakness.; 5/7/19, 5:36 AM
Humperdink said...: Minimum Security?; 5/7/19, 5:36 AM
Narayanan said...: Wait till GoT clues make it to the NY Times crossword!?
What to do then!; 5/7/19, 5:51 AM
Nichevo said...: Yancey Ward said...
A “brain drain” at CNN!

Also known as anal leakage.

5/6/19, 11:26 PM

News:CNN::fat:Olestra?; 5/7/19, 5:55 AM
Rory said...: "do you feel there is something deeper/vaguely awry with whatever drives their popularity?"

I could be wrong, but I don't think it's really a popular phenomenon. The only fact I could recognize about it is that it has white wolves in it, and I only know that because I have a white German Shepherd and sometimes people will see him and mention the wolves in the show. If it's really becoming ingrained in the culture, I'm completely missing it. I couldn't identify a single catch phrase or identify any character as an archetype of anything. Note that nothing I'm saying is a criticism of the show itself. I think it's mostly just that entertainment has splintered into tiny audiences, and I'm not in this particular audience.; 5/7/19, 6:07 AM
Rosa Marie Yoder said...: "Deer- and rodent-resistant Fritillaria..."

Pretty enough to add to the list for Fall planting. Thank you!; 5/7/19, 6:17 AM
bleh said...: I tried watching GOT once and just couldn’t get into it. Not a fan of fantasy shit and British accents. I guess if I had to put my finger on why it’s popular, I’d say people still want escapism in their entertainment. There’s less of that these days as everything on TV, even sports, is politicized and hectoring. I assume GOT mostly avoids that, though I gather from headlines there are some racial subtexts and some feminism storylines.

I have been watching video of that state rep in PA who filmed himself harassing pro-life protesters. In one video it’s an elderly woman and in the other it’s a group of teenage girls. He’s a big intimidating guy. Really just disgusting behavior. Anyway it got me thinking about how common it is nowadays to say (as he has) that pro-life protesters are “protesting women’s rights.” That was also how many characterized the Covington boys to make them seem worse. That just encapsulates the toxicity of today’s politics, I think. I’m pro-choice, generally, but I agonize over the issue. I think the pro-life people have a point and genuinely think of abortion as murder. If I thought something was murder, you can bet your ass I’d protest it.

So that they’re protesting women’s rights is insane. That makes it seem like they don’t want women voting or whatever. Their motivation is to protect unborn life, not to strip rights from women.; 5/7/19, 6:21 AM
rehajm said...: GoT is an HBO/Sopranos format cosplay drama. Cosplay is big.; 5/7/19, 6:30 AM
Robert Cook said...: "I tried watching GOT once and just couldn’t get into it. Not a fan of fantasy shit and British accents. I guess if I had to put my finger on why it’s popular, I’d say people still want escapism in their entertainment. There’s less of that these days as everything on TV, even sports, is politicized and hectoring. I assume GOT mostly avoids that, though I gather from headlines there are some racial subtexts and some feminism storylines."

I had never watched GOT, but in the last month I started watching it. I'm about to finish season 2. The story deals with politics quite explicitly...it's all about the power relationships between individuals and bands of people. GOT spends much time depicting the manipulation and violence involved in the jockeying for power and influence among competitors for the throne of a recently deceased king...the spine of the show's story. It's hardly escapist: it depicts in blunt terms what we see in our world every day. (This is not to say there aren't some fantastic elements in it.); 5/7/19, 6:40 AM
Michael said...: Could still be an asterisked Triple Crown if Country House can win the Preakness and the Belmont. Several really good horses just coming into the fray for the Preakness.

Stock market verdict in Monday's trading: SPX -0.45%; CHDN -2.68%.; 5/7/19, 6:42 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "re: not giving a damn about GoT, and questioning the interest in superhero movies--
(of course you understand the straight-up entertainment angle) do you feel there is something deeper/vaguely awry with whatever drives their popularity?"

No, I don't understand "the the straight-up entertainment angle." Not for an adult who's seen a handful of these films. To keep going back for more noisy, cluttered montages of bogus action? Seems boring to me. Why not go and see it just for fun? Doesn't seem at all fun to me.; 5/7/19, 6:49 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "do you feel there is something deeper/vaguely awry with whatever drives their popularity?"

Yes, I think it shows that people don't value normal life and don't want to feel connected to reality and are not reality-based anymore. And I think children are being abused with noisy, cluttered, unreal nonsense instead of having their minds in a real and humane place.; 5/7/19, 6:51 AM
tim in vermont said...: The story deals with politics quite explicitly...i

Oh yeah, isn’t that the show that had a severed head on a spear that looked just like W?; 5/7/19, 6:52 AM
David Begley said...: What happened with buying a new car?; 5/7/19, 6:58 AM
tim in vermont said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/7/19, 6:58 AM
Ann Althouse said...: If I had to guess why superhero films are popular, I'd say they fill a psychological need. Men have problems — fears, sadness, insignificance — and they can't look at them directly, can't face or engage with a realistic film about a human man with problems, and the superhero format allows them to experience and live through something they need. It's catharsis.; 5/7/19, 7:02 AM
Fernandinande said...: Yes, I think it shows that people don't value normal life and don't want to feel connected to reality and are not reality-based anymore. And I think children are being abused with noisy, cluttered, unreal nonsense instead of having their minds in a real and humane place.

Great comment on the maudlin god porn.; 5/7/19, 7:04 AM
daskol said...: that would apply tenfold to video games; 5/7/19, 7:07 AM
daskol said...: I don't know, regular people with regular problems have not historically been the font of our greatest and most popular drama. It's a very modern conceit to think that the human plane is best explored through ordinary people and their problems.; 5/7/19, 7:09 AM
Mr. Forward said...: Narciso “Nasty, British and short”.
Anonymous “Field Marshal Montgomery, right?”

Bravo to both of you. Still laughing!; 5/7/19, 7:10 AM
daskol said...: Some Dutch and Flemish painters maybe thought so, but their contemporaries in literature were still focused on big personages.; 5/7/19, 7:11 AM
walter said...: Watching the soft coup/hoax become dismantled will hopefully be good tv at some point.; 5/7/19, 7:15 AM
narciso said...: In other news:

https://mobile.twitter.com/almostjingo/status/1125594639195467776?s=12; 5/7/19, 7:15 AM
walter said...: Rebelling against the Extinction Rebellion; 5/7/19, 7:17 AM
rehajm said...: Men have problems — fears, sadness, insignificance — and they can't look at them directly, can't face or engage with a realistic film about a human man with problems, and the superhero format allows them to experience and live through something they need

Wow. If men who love superhero films are like this it's hard to fathom the intensity of fucked up women who love superhero films are.; 5/7/19, 7:17 AM
gilbar said...: ehajm said... GoT is an HBO/Sopranos format cosplay drama. Cosplay is big.

don't forget the Tits! R-rated Cosplay is even Bigger!; 5/7/19, 7:18 AM
tim in vermont said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/7/19, 7:18 AM
rehajm said...: Avengers: Endgame demographics: only 57% male. That's a lot of fucked up women.; 5/7/19, 7:19 AM
Humperdink said...: Didn't know this, but horseshoes (called plates) are not mandatory at Churchill Downs, but are regulated (of course). Made of aluminum.

https://www.quora.com/Do-horses-in-the-Triple-Crown-races-wear-good-protection-such-as-horse-shoes; 5/7/19, 7:20 AM
Danno said...: My take on AA & GoT is that Ann has never been a lemming trying to follow and be one of the cool kids who are popular and define the social culture. She does things her own way and is very much an individualist. I identify with her on these matters.; 5/7/19, 7:22 AM
walter said...: Dunno narciso,
That stuff feels kinda hatey.
Jack et al might have to suspend that account.; 5/7/19, 7:27 AM
narciso said...: I know doubleunplusgood, they are exempt from legal travails; 5/7/19, 7:32 AM
Fernandinande said...: Wow. If men who love superhero films are like this

It sounds like data-free imagination and projection.

it's hard to fathom the intensity of fucked up women who love superhero films are.

++
"According to statistics provided to Wired by Nielsen, approximately 2 million women are tuning in to the show on average each week – about 42 percent of Thrones' total 4.8 million viewers. ...

According to Fizziology, which tracks social media buzz about TV shows, during a week earlier this month women are having a full 50 percent of the online conversations about Game of Thrones. And they're not tweeting "God, I hate this show!"
++

I watched a few episodes, but the midget was the only interesting character; after his escape or whatever it was, he ended up inheriting a train station in Newfoundland.; 5/7/19, 7:32 AM
Fernandinande said...: After killing Jonah from the Bible, a college student and a Catholic priest as sacrifices to prevent an earthquake, this character "decided to join the U.S. Marines, and passed the physical and psychiatric tests." Heh.; 5/7/19, 7:36 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "I don't know, regular people with regular problems have not historically been the font of our greatest and most popular drama. It's a very modern conceit to think that the human plane is best explored through ordinary people and their problems."

That made me think of something I read yesterday. From Murakami, Haruki. Kafka on the Shore (Vintage International) (p. 351). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition:

"[B]y Beethoven’s time people thought it was important to express the ego. Earlier, when there was an absolute monarchy, this would’ve been considered improper, socially deviant behavior and suppressed quite severely. Once the bourgeoisie came to power in the nineteenth century, however, that suppression came to an end and the individual ego was liberated to express itself. Freedom and the emancipation of the ego were synonymous. And art, music in particular, was at the forefront of all this. Those who came after Beethoven and lived under his shadow, so to speak—Berlioz, Wagner, Liszt, Schumann—all lived eccentric, stormy lives. Eccentricity was seen as almost the ideal lifestyle. The age of Romanticism, they called it. Though I’m sure living like that was pretty hard on them at times."; 5/7/19, 7:38 AM
rehajm said...: It sounds like data-free imagination and projection

Well, it's kind of a safe space for data free speculation and all but add a speck of data and the speculation just goes wrong...; 5/7/19, 7:42 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Wow. If men who love superhero films are like this it's hard to fathom the intensity of fucked up women who love superhero films are."

I would say that women might love more naturalistic films about real relationships, but they care about their real-life relationship too, and going to the movies with their loved one is more important than getting to see the precise movie that they want. They may even adjust to the point that they believe they love these movies too, and they'll insist on it too, because it is so important to them to be lovable to their man. And at some point the distinction isn't even there. They love those movies. It's all one thing.

You can say some similar things about sex.

And this is why it's so hard to understand what women want. Even for the women.; 5/7/19, 7:42 AM
walter said...: NYT Editorial Board Admits There Is A Crisis ‘Give Trump His Border Money’; 5/7/19, 7:45 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "My take on AA & GoT is that Ann has never been a lemming trying to follow and be one of the cool kids who are popular and define the social culture."

The way to be cool isn't to follow, so it's a stupid thing to try to do. And if you care about being cool, it's not cool. Cool is a big deal, and there's so little of it around anymore. You'll die if you care about cool, but caring and trying was never cool anyway. The only hope is not to care. And I recommend not doing anything you don't really want to do, and just try to be someone capable of feeling what you want.

(Of course you ought to want to fulfill any real responsibilities and refrain from hurting anyone unless you have a responsibility to do so.); 5/7/19, 7:45 AM
Ann Althouse said...: You need to pair that Kafka on the Shore quote above with this other passage from the book to make the point I want to make:

"Believing that art itself, and the proper expression of emotions, was the most sublime thing in the world, [Beethoven] thought political power and wealth served only one purpose: to make art possible. When Haydn boarded with a noble family, as he did most of his professional life, he had to eat with the servants. Musicians of Haydn’s generation were considered employees. (The unaffected and good-natured Haydn, though, much preferred this arrangement to the stiff and formal meals put on by the nobility.) Beethoven, in contrast, was enraged by any such contemptuous treatment, on occasion smashing things against the wall in anger. He insisted that as far as meals went he be treated with no less respect than the nobility he ostensibly served."

Murakami, Haruki. Kafka on the Shore (Vintage International) (p. 349). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.; 5/7/19, 7:51 AM
tim in vermont said...: People who produce art like GoT primarily read books, and not simply Game of Thrones, people who consume TV, mostly watch TV.; 5/7/19, 7:58 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: I would say that women might love more naturalistic films about real relationships, but they care about their real-life relationship too, and going to the movies with their loved one is more important than getting to see the precise movie that they want. They may even adjust to the point that they believe they love these movies too, and they'll insist on it too, because it is so important to them to be lovable to their man. And at some point the distinction isn't even there. They love those movies. It's all one thing.

I dunno, the idea that "women" would rather see something like Kramer vs Kramer or Ordinary People but go see these superhero movies to keep their man happy seems hard to believe, considering how popular the superhero films are. Surely everyone's not there on date night.; 5/7/19, 8:06 AM
daskol said...: Hmm. And unlike his contemporaries, who I think mostly made their living serving nobility (painting portraits, say, or other sponsored works), Breugel never had to do that for a living but rather was a successful printmaker.; 5/7/19, 8:10 AM
daskol said...: I more or less agree with Beethoven, except that I'd say the purpose of power and wealth is leisure, from which art will flow. Great art if you're as talented as Beethoven, and possibly also as pissed off.; 5/7/19, 8:14 AM
Gahrie said...: If I had to guess why superhero films are popular, I'd say they fill a psychological need. Men have problems — fears, sadness, insignificance — and they can't look at them directly, can't face or engage with a realistic film about a human man with problems, and the superhero format allows them to experience and live through something they need. It's catharsis.

Now explain why women read Fifty Shades of Grey and Harlequin romances.; 5/7/19, 8:15 AM
Meade said...: Checkered Lilies are stupid.; 5/7/19, 8:15 AM
walter said...: "They may even adjust to the point that they believe they love these movies too, and they'll insist on it too, because it is so important to them to be lovable to their man."
Or..their man introduced them to something that they grew to appreciate.
That loses the oppression/submission angle..but worth considering.
The flip side of dudes getting dragged to "chick flicks", some finding they like them.; 5/7/19, 8:17 AM
tcrosse said...: Checkered Lilies are stupid.

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.; 5/7/19, 8:23 AM
tim in vermont said...: I dunno, the idea that "women" would rather see something like Kramer vs Kramer or Ordinary People but go see these superhero movies to keep their man happy seems hard to believe, considering how popular the superhero films are.

I think that maybe she meant movies like Leap Year or French Kiss.; 5/7/19, 8:24 AM
Gahrie said...: If I had to guess why superhero films are popular, I'd say It's because every man wants to be heroic. Which explains why these types of stories go back to the dawn of history.; 5/7/19, 8:25 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Now explain why women read Fifty Shades of Grey and Harlequin romances."

Because, as Catharine McKinnon famously wrote, we have eroticized subordination.; 5/7/19, 8:32 AM
daskol said...: I prefer Lewis' version of Eros, where two people, mutual tormentors are mercilessly chained together.; 5/7/19, 8:38 AM
tim in vermont said...: Because, as Catharine McKinnon famously wrote, we have eroticized subordination.

Or maybe evolution and natural selection has.; 5/7/19, 8:43 AM
daskol said...: Does nature eroticize, or is that something we do to add frisson to nature's obligations?; 5/7/19, 8:52 AM
wwww said...: "Althouse writes: Yes, I think it shows that people don't value normal life and don't want to feel connected to reality and are not reality-based anymore. And I think children are being abused with noisy, cluttered, unreal nonsense instead of having their minds in a real and humane place."

Are you talking about Game or Thrones? Or just superhero movies?

I get that you don't like sci-fi or fantasy. But child abuse? Parents who gave a kid a Wonder Woman comic from the 50s was child abuse?; 5/7/19, 9:16 AM
Maillard Reactionary said...: AA, quoting Murakami, said: "Beethoven, in contrast, was enraged by any such contemptuous treatment, on occasion smashing things against the wall in anger. He insisted that as far as meals went he be treated with no less respect than the nobility he ostensibly served."

Naturally I side with Beethoven here, but much as I love him, Haydn's table manners were probably much better. Not to mention the cleanliness of his clothing.

Also easier to converse with, since you don't have to pass written messages back and forth.

Purely the toff's loss though in Haydn's case. Judging from his music he was a humane and witty man.; 5/7/19, 9:29 AM
Maillard Reactionary said...: Per Rosa Marie Yoder, deer- and rodent-resistant is important around here, as I discovered to my chagrin recently that hostas planted years ago were consumed underground by perpetrators unknown last winter.

Now, milkweed (asclepias) fits in that category as well. Last year, I had several pink milkweeds (a. carnata) and an orange one (a. tuberosa). Sure enough the deer left them alone but they were completely defoliated--including the stems!--by Monarch caterpillars. On the plus side we got at least a dozen new Monarchs out of them, but I have to start over with new plants this year.

Gardening is a process, not a destination.; 5/7/19, 9:40 AM
Fen said...: I'd say they fill a psychological need. Men have problems — fears, sadness, insignificance — and they can't look at them directly, can't face or engage with a realistic film about a human man with problems, and the superhero format allows them to experience and live through something they need. It's catharsis.

Role models. They instruct us on how to be Men. It's something society takes for granted, but once they all said "Where do we find such Men". Corregidor. Bataan. How do we keep producing men of such honor, valor and character.

Men crave role models now, because the wilderness has been tamed, there are no more rivers to conquer, no more Hoover Dams, no Soviet Empire. We have allowed society to domesticate us, our battles are fought with pen and paper, and we are told that masculinity is "toxic", when it is really the reason we have this bright flickering moment of history known as Western Civilization.

I find it odd that very few women are empathic enough to understand the life-long journey their husbands, brothers and sons take learning what it is to be a Man, not just male. I see it most often in female leadership, women trying to mimic the males. They are good strong women, they simply don't understand the wolfpack and why it needs the restraints of Discipline, Honor and Courage.

It was King Arthur's dream that Might could channeled to serve Right. He was our first superhero.; 5/7/19, 9:42 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: AA- thank you for your thoughtful response; 5/7/19, 9:42 AM
Gahrie said...: Because, as Catharine McKinnon famously wrote, we have eroticized subordination.

So women write and read rape fantasies because of the Patriarchy? Men read superhero stories because they're stunted emotionally?

Women good, Men bad!; 5/7/19, 9:42 AM
Fen said...: "Now explain why women read Fifty Shades of Grey and Harlequin romances."

She lets him grab her by the pussy for the chance to marry his bank account.; 5/7/19, 9:44 AM
Fen said...: "So women write and read rape fantasies because of the Patriarchy?"

Heh. American women are so spoiled. Like a child who doesn't understand where all the money for the house, food and clothes comes from. They have grown arrogant in their ignorance. They whine over brunch about being oppressed by some phantom patriarchy, but you could keep an entire Somali village from Starvation for what one of them spends monthly on makeup.

The feminist movement died a millisecond after impact - Lucifer's Hammer

I do want to thank Dust Bunny and Freeman for restoring my faith in women. Every time one goes off the rails, they remind me there are good smart honorable women out there keeping everything from falling apart.; 5/7/19, 9:50 AM
Fen said...: Not for an adult who's seen a handful of these films. To keep going back for more noisy, cluttered montages of bogus action? Seems boring to me

Well you're right about this. I love GoT and was inclined to hate it because everyone was making such a big deal about it that it annoyed me. So I can say with some credibility that it is very good writing. But it's still just a soap opera in a fantasy realm, same as Star Trek was just a soap opera in sci-fi.

Funny but someone should take the time to rip out these cosmetic plot differences and compare them to Days of Our Lives. Same story with different toppings. Doctor Dany has been wrongly terminated from General Hospital, follow her as she struggles to regain her rightful place in this make-believe society.; 5/7/19, 9:59 AM
Rick.T. said...: You call those fritillaria? These are fritillaria!

https://www.suttons.co.uk/Gardening/Flower-Bulbs/All-Bulbs/Fritillaria-Bulbs---Composers-Collection_258710.htm; 5/7/19, 10:11 AM
MayBee said...: Men have problems — fears, sadness, insignificance — and they can't look at them directly, can't face or engage with a realistic film about a human man with problems, and the superhero format allows them to experience and live through something they need. It's catharsis.

It's like you are following the Althouse rule. In this case, if men like something for entertainment, it's because they have problems. It can't just be for fun!; 5/7/19, 11:40 AM
wwww said...: At the time of her publication, Jane Austin's books were seen as soap-opera, silly, and frivolous.

A movie is maybe 2 hours out of your life. Game of Thrones is, what, 6 episodes in a 12 month period? Avengers is an event because it's a once-a-year event. Game of Thrones is an event precisely because it is not on once a week for months. These entertainment forms do not take up much time, even for die-hard fans.

Once or twice a year movies do not keep kids or adults from exercise, sports, socializing with friends, or church attendance. Watching GOT six times in a 12 month period is not going to change someone's life. But other forms of entertainment, like, say, reading unlimited material on the internet? Being on the phone screen all the time? Unlimited screen time? Now, that can keep kids from interacting with the real world and real people, face-to-face. And it can keep adults away from the real world and face-to-face interactions.; 5/7/19, 1:12 PM
Rusty said...: Blogger Ann Althouse said...
"If I had to guess why superhero films are popular, I'd say they fill a psychological need. Men have problems — fears, sadness, insignificance — and they can't look at them directly, can't face or engage with a realistic film about a human man with problems, and the superhero format allows them to experience and live through something they need. It's catharsis. "
Then again. Maybe it's a way to get our better halves to shut up for an hour and a half.; 5/7/19, 3:03 PM
wwww said...: I don't get the hating on entertainment choices. Just ignore it. Local kids aren't screening the Avengers or GOT on your lawn. Now, I would understand the annoyance if the neighbours were holding street parties with GOT or Avengers themes, and blasting the theme music.; 5/7/19, 3:38 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Or maybe evolution and natural selection has."

Those whose offspring lived to pass on their genes had the traits we inherited. One way to thrive is to perceive oppression as pleasurable.; 5/7/19, 5:28 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "It's like you are following the Althouse rule. In this case, if men like something for entertainment, it's because they have problems. It can't just be for fun!"

You're begging the question!

The question is WHY is it fun!; 5/7/19, 5:33 PM
Narayanan said...: May I suggest reading assignment :

Romantic Manifesto.

Sense of Life aka Your soul needs fuel - art can provide as Long as culture is able.; 5/7/19, 6:17 PM