[lit-ideas] Re: The Effects of Reading Military History
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2006 23:09:52 -0600
Eric:
Can the impulse to engage in war be tamed?
Without going all Koenigsburgerking on you guys and signing you up for
pricey seminars about recondite and fatuous unconscious sacrifice
narratives--I'll ask you to remember--in one run-on sentence--Jimmy Carter
in his sweater, setting the White House thermostat down, and, swiping from
William James, to call on all Americans to wage "the moral equivalent of
war" by developing a new type of energy economy that would liberate us
from dependence on the Middle East oil maestros.
I like this post, it reminds me of a question I've never thought of, to wit:
where did Jimmy Carter study theatre? Did he really think that such cheesy
props would convince the American People to forego comforts and conserve
energy and demand that they be taxed more to finance alternative energy
sources? "Get real" as Erin would say. A sweater can't compare to standing
on the jagged rubble of the World Trade Towers with a bullhorn and shouting
"I hear you." Turning down a thermostat can't compare to landing a jet
fighter on an aircraft carrier and walking tall in your tight fitting flight
suit across the deck beneath a giant sign proclaiming: "Mission
Accomplished." Ach. Carter has clearly been out-classed theatre-wise by
nearly everyone -- maybe even by Calvin Coolidge, I don't know, I wasn't
around then, but the "strong, silent type" can be an imposing stage
character given the right actor. Carter (God love the man, has there ever
been such a decent human being in politics in America?) was the most
pathetic actor I've ever seen on the national scene (seen and scene complete
with implied theatre scenery -- I can be cheesy, too!!)? And that wimpish
little smile of his, even though I loved the man, it made me want to smack
him. Even Elvis knew that smiling is not sexy. It's probably the only
thing he knew -- or at least laid claim to knowing. Unfortunately, he made
a cartoon of not smiling -- what with his snarling upper lip and flaring
nostrils. Elvis was on the right track though. Alpha males do not smile.
Alpha means: "I'm willing kill you", smiling doesn't. Elvis just didn't
know that you can't fake it. Willing to kill, that's the secret. Most of
us aren't. Whence civilization? Should we not then kill all the alpha
males? But who'll do that save an alpha? Ach.
Mike Geary
Memphis
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