Going to the history of things is inevitable with Cadillac Man when he's particularly well-versed in American history and he said he has learned some things from me but that both goes ways since I learn quite a bit from talking about with him.
One thing off the top I borked about "The Patriot" is the French Revolution was after the American Revolution whereas I had thought it was the other way around. There was the question of France since there was the magical appearance in "The Patriot" when it seemed like they showed up at Yorktown just in time to save the day and, thus, the Revolution. That got into the drivers behind why France came in the first place since there was quite a bit of fomentation of Revolution in France as well.
I was aware of Robespierre and his influence on Jefferson's thinking but the Marquis de Lafayette was known only by his name. The more or less contemporaneous pushing away of the nobility in some ways fed each other's movements. The flaw (or not) with revolutions is the ones who fight it are rarely the ones who lead it and that can result in out with the bad air and in with new bad air.
However, the principles behind fighting the Revolutions in question were generally the same insofar as the aristocracy is dead ... even though history shows it really wasn't since the ones who ran America were the rich.
That brought up a bit on pacifism since he said if something is hurting someone I love then some whackin' needs to happen. He felt that sold out his pacifistic determination but I disagree since that's part of the standard way the military tries to crack conscientious objectors. You say you will not kill but what will you do if your wife is attacked?
The question is disingenuous since almost anyone on the planet will reach for a tomahawk in the face of that but it has nothing whatever to do with killing someone to order.
That view of pacifism is different from Gandhi's position since one is never permitted to be violent. For me, that's the Ideal and it's probably impossible to get to that stage since I could not promise I would remain nonviolent in that circumstance even if I get whacked from doing it. However, getting whacked by it may satisfy the Gandhian requirement insofar as my whackage may bring the oppressor to the awareness of what he has done and Yevette consequently survives. It's fanciful that she would but she might.
The reason that has validity is in the context of altruistic suicide and which is something observed through the study of baboon ethology. There's a terrible risk of getting anthropomorphic about this so the behavior observed is the guardian baboon(s) may observe some large predator and will attack it. They get croaked but the troop escapes.
Perhaps that's a deliberate suicide since they must know they have no chance and they will die but maybe also it's a genetic toggle and it flips when they see to Large, Mean, Toothy Thing and the genes are program them to kill it. However, if the latter is true then why don't all of them attack. I had an article about baboon ethology I was considering posting but I thought it was too strange so I deferred but I kind of wish I hadn't chucked it now.
The subject of a schism between the bloods came up and he didn't see it as so surprising since I have no compromise path which permits the things they support and it's unacceptable to the others if I do not support them. The love is real but I'm still the Undead and that's a sadness all around but there's no way anyone will conform to any other and that's not stubbornness but adherence to principle on both sides. There probably isn't a good resolution but I will say this much ... no-one will wave the flag harder than I when people bring the troops back home and that will be for the troops and also for the ones who brought them back.
That went into creative vs practical intelligence which was the theme for a couple of articles and that may have seemed like pointed spitefulness but the reality is the one group cannot survive without the other so there's no differentiation of whether one is better than the other when they don't even do the same things.
I can make cloud castles which fill the sky and it was my stock in trade during the last part of my career but in the real world I can barely fix a toilet. I could give every tiniest detail of the castle I built to those who can build it and they will. That's what I did for a living.
The converse with practical intelligence is it's not only thing they can fix since likely they can fix fuckin' anything. For those with that intelligence, I can describe all the bits in my castle and the practical intelligence will take a look and maybe say, yep, I can build that and they really can. There's no denigration of anyone's intelligence; they're just different in what they do.
Above all of it is one type can't survive without the other and ideally there is symbiosis.
There was a lot more but that seems an accurate telling of the positions on things and there was almost no discussion of political personalities except in the context of Alexander Hamilton who really doesn't get a whole lot of credit for the many things he did but Cadillac Man tells me he was instrumental in getting the first water system built for New York. That goes to an extension on the same subject of aging infrastructure but that origin was novel for me.
Hat tip from the Colonel to Cadillac Man for a cool vibe and this Colonel isn't military since he just likes writing poems.
Note: I know I have something I said I would do but the Silas also the Colonel is knackered and time for some horizontal. Definitely on the next bounce.
One thing off the top I borked about "The Patriot" is the French Revolution was after the American Revolution whereas I had thought it was the other way around. There was the question of France since there was the magical appearance in "The Patriot" when it seemed like they showed up at Yorktown just in time to save the day and, thus, the Revolution. That got into the drivers behind why France came in the first place since there was quite a bit of fomentation of Revolution in France as well.
I was aware of Robespierre and his influence on Jefferson's thinking but the Marquis de Lafayette was known only by his name. The more or less contemporaneous pushing away of the nobility in some ways fed each other's movements. The flaw (or not) with revolutions is the ones who fight it are rarely the ones who lead it and that can result in out with the bad air and in with new bad air.
However, the principles behind fighting the Revolutions in question were generally the same insofar as the aristocracy is dead ... even though history shows it really wasn't since the ones who ran America were the rich.
That brought up a bit on pacifism since he said if something is hurting someone I love then some whackin' needs to happen. He felt that sold out his pacifistic determination but I disagree since that's part of the standard way the military tries to crack conscientious objectors. You say you will not kill but what will you do if your wife is attacked?
The question is disingenuous since almost anyone on the planet will reach for a tomahawk in the face of that but it has nothing whatever to do with killing someone to order.
That view of pacifism is different from Gandhi's position since one is never permitted to be violent. For me, that's the Ideal and it's probably impossible to get to that stage since I could not promise I would remain nonviolent in that circumstance even if I get whacked from doing it. However, getting whacked by it may satisfy the Gandhian requirement insofar as my whackage may bring the oppressor to the awareness of what he has done and Yevette consequently survives. It's fanciful that she would but she might.
The reason that has validity is in the context of altruistic suicide and which is something observed through the study of baboon ethology. There's a terrible risk of getting anthropomorphic about this so the behavior observed is the guardian baboon(s) may observe some large predator and will attack it. They get croaked but the troop escapes.
Perhaps that's a deliberate suicide since they must know they have no chance and they will die but maybe also it's a genetic toggle and it flips when they see to Large, Mean, Toothy Thing and the genes are program them to kill it. However, if the latter is true then why don't all of them attack. I had an article about baboon ethology I was considering posting but I thought it was too strange so I deferred but I kind of wish I hadn't chucked it now.
The subject of a schism between the bloods came up and he didn't see it as so surprising since I have no compromise path which permits the things they support and it's unacceptable to the others if I do not support them. The love is real but I'm still the Undead and that's a sadness all around but there's no way anyone will conform to any other and that's not stubbornness but adherence to principle on both sides. There probably isn't a good resolution but I will say this much ... no-one will wave the flag harder than I when people bring the troops back home and that will be for the troops and also for the ones who brought them back.
That went into creative vs practical intelligence which was the theme for a couple of articles and that may have seemed like pointed spitefulness but the reality is the one group cannot survive without the other so there's no differentiation of whether one is better than the other when they don't even do the same things.
I can make cloud castles which fill the sky and it was my stock in trade during the last part of my career but in the real world I can barely fix a toilet. I could give every tiniest detail of the castle I built to those who can build it and they will. That's what I did for a living.
The converse with practical intelligence is it's not only thing they can fix since likely they can fix fuckin' anything. For those with that intelligence, I can describe all the bits in my castle and the practical intelligence will take a look and maybe say, yep, I can build that and they really can. There's no denigration of anyone's intelligence; they're just different in what they do.
Above all of it is one type can't survive without the other and ideally there is symbiosis.
There was a lot more but that seems an accurate telling of the positions on things and there was almost no discussion of political personalities except in the context of Alexander Hamilton who really doesn't get a whole lot of credit for the many things he did but Cadillac Man tells me he was instrumental in getting the first water system built for New York. That goes to an extension on the same subject of aging infrastructure but that origin was novel for me.
Hat tip from the Colonel to Cadillac Man for a cool vibe and this Colonel isn't military since he just likes writing poems.
Note: I know I have something I said I would do but the Silas also the Colonel is knackered and time for some horizontal. Definitely on the next bounce.
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