"Another experience that comes to mind happened a few years ago on set in Los Angeles. The shoot lasted four days and was a porn version of the popular TV show “Survivor.” Every day a few of the boys would get kicked off. One of the boys had just turned 18 and had recently run away from home because his parents were really conservative. He was struggling to pay rent so he got into porn. The “Survivor” thing was his first shoot and the director wanted him to bottom, but not just for anyone; the director specifically made him bottom for a guy with a 12-inch dick that was also really thick. When the boy’s scene finally came up, everyone was watching because no one believed he could take it. But he did. The kid took the dick for like four minutes and then a huge pool of blood shot out of his ass. He was kicked off the show that weekend. He was paid but he didn’t make as much as the rest of us who had “survived” the whole thing."
Sometimes I wonder what constitutes important and meritous reading, and what constitutes frivolous, needless literature. Clearly, everyone has different tastes in what they read, but there is generally some measure of concensus in what is not only an entertaining and 'good' read, but also an enriching read. For example, many philosophers over the existance of the written word have discussed Tragedy. Since the times of Sophocles' works being analyzed by Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, to more recent Tragedies by Shakespeare and contempories, and more recent analyses by Nietzsche, Shopenhauer and Voltaire. These great thinkers, agreed by most to be the building blocks of much of how we now think, deigned to spend a good deal of their mental powers on the topic of this one for of literature (or more accurately, storytelling). Therefore, does this mean that Tragedy is by definition a genre above others, more important to the development and apreciation of the human condition?
I do not agree with this. It is a personal bias. I do not enjoy the melodrama, or the rarely veiled moral lessons of either Sophocles or Shakespeare's work. And according to many of these great thinkers, these are inextricable and important to the Tragedy. Certainly, good tales are told in these stories, but the method that is used to tell them, which is often cited as inseperable from and essential to the genre, is outmoded. The straightforwardness of the moral message is too plain, and the ploys to tug at the reader's heartstrings too blunt for a worldly audience. Little thinking, little examination is required to understand the true meanings behind most classical Tragedy.
This isn't meant to promote another medium or genre of material, but to knock Tragedy down from a pedestal. Some people enjoy celebrity tabloids, or blogs, or pulp fiction novels, or etc. Certainly some things are more important to the world stage, reading the World News section of the newspaper is typically going to make you more aware of the world in which you live than the Sports or Entertainment sections, but who is to say a review of the most recent album from your favourite band isn't as important as a report from the newest warzone? You are much more likely to be affected by the exploits of your heroes than that of a president half a world away.
The impetus for this essay was a link from Warren Ellis' blog. It was an article from the Sanfrancisco Guardian's Sex Positive Blog. (http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/sexsf/2009/02/embedded_the_boy_next_door_1.html) The posting was very interesting, and I followed it to other blog posts on other topics I found interested, such as a history and compilation of AltPorn, both a topic and a medium that is near and dear to my heart. And the question arose in my mind. Is reading this interview with a man who runs a altporn site as effective a use of my time as, say, reading Sophocles, Socrates or Shopenhauer? Certainly, it's much easier and generally more entertaining to read the article, as it is written in a language I'm more familliar with, and on a topic that is of interest to me. But how much am I missing out on by not cracking open a book penned by one of history's greatest minds.
Ignoring the fact that doing something you enjoy is almost always easier than doing something you don't enjoy, I believe that reading the article is just as good a use of my time, if not better. Learning more about the history of my favourite music, how it came about, how it was written, recorded, what its results were, and so on, affects me much more than a discussion on the efficacy and relevance of Tragedy. But beyond that, it's more relevant to my life, and life around me. Certainly, much of modern media borrows and could not exist without the foundation that was built before it, but the world around us is a different place, as is the media within it.
I suppose that the final point that I am trying to make, is that knowledge, all knowledge, has value, if it interests you, and it is relevant to the world around you. It is neccessary to be educated on how to think to be able to think for oneself, and it is neccessary to know what others think to know what your own opinions should be, lest they be from ignorance.
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
During a typical Muslim hajj, it is customary to give alms, or charity, to the poor. During his hajj to Mecca, Musa gave so much gold that the price of gold went down significantly across the entire Africa-Eurasia World. It is estimated that he gave away 30,000 pounds of gold, just during his stay in Mecca, not counting the silks and other luxuries that he gave as well.
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
okay...
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
Dont you wish you were that rich?
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
how did he carry 30000 pounds of gold with him?
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
He paid people to carry it for him
he was just that fucking rich
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
well...that doesnt really count as giving it away
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
It was his gold
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
well, it was more like employing thme
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
yeah, he paid people to carry gold so he could give it to others
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
okay....
and whats the point of all this?
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
Dont you wish you were that rich?
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
i guess i could use 30000 pounds of gold...
would mildly fill my room though....
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
You could spend like 1 pound of it on a storage space for the other 29999 pounds
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
it would be worth like... $288,000,000
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
the 29999 pounds?
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
no, the 30000
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
oh
thats good too
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
go to fort knox... "guess what i have more of than you"
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
hahaha
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
"Uhh...bad hair?" "close...the answer was gold" "How was that close?!"
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
Now to set off a nuke in your fort, ruining all your gold, and making mine even more valuble. You guys dont have James Bond around here anywhere, do you?
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
oh. he's right over there
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
well...um...can you ask him to go on lunch?
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
oh... uhh.... no....
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
oh...well, do you know when he gets off? Because the last time someone tried this, that guy really made a mess of it
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
umm, something like 2024?
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
Fiiiiiiiiine
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
thats his next scheduled break
and then he's just gets a 15 minute coffee break
CannibalChris - "I am not a terroist threat. If I have to take down this whole building to make my point, I will!" says:
What a workaholic
Jeremy - "You killed me!" "Good!" says:
yeah. he'll do that though....guess it evens out with how much of an alcoholic he is
Turns out I passed my Bartending course with an 86%, which I think is the same thing I passed the last one with. Kinda coincidental. Also, I was top of the class last time, but not this time. I don't know which school thats more indicitive of.
I've got good news, and bad news! The good news is we're going to systematically murder each and every one of you, and turn you into merchandise. You're wearing last night's audiance! The bad news is that we're going to play some more shitty music while we systematically murder you - *play song*
Why am I dressed this way? Who dressed me? Why do I look like this. I want...I want to look like you! Give me your clothes! Give me your clothes! Give me your clothes! *Crowd procedes to throw bras, tops, dresses, a tiara, etc. on stage* Why...? Why did you dress me like Amy Winehouse?! Ill smoke all the crack you want!
*After playing Faggot* Lets face it. I could have murdered that song, and as long as I hit the high note at the end, you'd all still want to fuck me. "I've been denied blah blah faggot... Aaaaaaa." "Hmm, suddenly he isnt a skinny crackhead anymore. He's much more attractive now."
Ok, you know what happens now. This is where an encore should be. But we abolished them in America. I made them illegal. You know what normally happens. The band waves and puts down their insturments, and the lights turn off, and you think the band is backstage, but they're really just over here *stands offstage* doing coke and fucking a little hooker. Then the audience starts chanting something stupid like "msi...msi..." and after like 5 minutes the band comes out and looks at the audience like they're shocked. Well, you know what encore means in french-canadian. It means you're retarded. *Jimmy Urine starts to do a cabaret dance to a recording of Theres No Business Like Show Business from Annie Get Your Gun as the other members leave, house lights/music turn on*
I had my final exam yesterday, I think I aced it, despite only remembering it existed a few hours prior, and thus, I didn't study at all. Not that I would have studdied, I'm just saying.
One thing that stood out in the exam was a poem called Neutral Tones by Thomas Hardy. It really spoke to me, and i found it very evocative, which helped me write about it. I figured I'd post it here. I see some good lyrical inspiration in there (aka theft)
We stood by a pond that winter day, And the sun was white, as though chidden of God, And a few leaves lay on the starving sod, —They had fallen from an ash, and were gray.
Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove Over tedious riddles solved years ago; And some words played between us to and fro— On which lost the more by our love.
The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing Alive enough to have strength to die; And a grin of bitterness swept thereby Like an ominous bird a-wing….
Since then, keen lessons that love deceives, And wrings with wrong, have shaped to me Your face, and the God-curst sun, and a tree, And a pond edged with grayish leaves.
Only need to watch the first minute or so, here's an explanation of what happened.
Its a Polish tier 1 league game, and the team on the right has their goalie pulled for an extra attacker, but they take a penalty. In response, the goalie for the team on the left rushes out of the net (typically this occurs when your opponent takes a penalty to give you an advantage until they touch the puck). However, in this case, the goalie saw a 1 on 1 rush develop, and decided to help out. He skated with the forward, and recieved the pass on the 2 on 1. He then proceded to put it into the empty net for the most amazing goal that will ever occur. Sadly, it did not count, and in fact, for leaving his end of the ice, the goalie was assessed a penalty, as can be seen with the penalty shot he saves at the end.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
cannibalchris's journal![[mood icon]](http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e233/Cannibalchris1986/Xenoicons/amused.jpg)
amused![[mood icon]](http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e233/Cannibalchris1986/Xenoicons/hungry.jpg)
hungry![[mood icon]](http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e233/Cannibalchris1986/Xenoicons/anxious.jpg)
anxious![[mood icon]](http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e233/Cannibalchris1986/Xenoicons/cheerful.jpg)
cheerful![[mood icon]](http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e233/Cannibalchris1986/Xenoicons/bored.jpg)
bored
5
7.3
1.5
2.4
0
3.9![[mood icon]](http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e233/Cannibalchris1986/Xenoicons/relaxed.jpg)
relaxed![[mood icon]](http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e233/Cannibalchris1986/Xenoicons/refreshed.jpg)
refreshed