[Wittrs] of comic book conventions and philosophy of the mind
- From: kirby urner <kirby.urner@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: wittrsamr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:47:29 -0700
On Sun, Apr 24, 2011 at 12:28 PM, Sean Wilson <whoooo26505@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
<< snip >>
> What I'm trying to say is this. The problem of oneself being inside one's own
> thought bubble raises a difficulty not unlike the language game of "the
> picturing is the picture."
>
The connection to comic strip "talk" and "thought" balloons is useful, as here's
another language game (that of the comic strip) where writers strive to convey
"what it's like" or to otherwise dramatize some storyline. Language bumps up
against its limits often (not just in freakish or "once in a blue
moon" episodes)
when you're in some "cartoon world" fantasy with lots of apparent freedoms you
might not find in real life. What are the rules then?
"Thought balloons" typically have a "puffs of smoke" tails leading up to the
thought balloon itself, which is cloud-like and puffy.
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=thought+balloon
The thoughts expressed therein are understood to be not directly accessible
to other characters in the story, whereas out loud talk, designated by a solid
tail and balloon, no clouds or puffs, is taken to be "said" and are therefore
sharable and quasi-public -- although there's also a "whisper" motif, sometimes
shown with like a dotted line.
And lets not forget the "voice through the telephone" or "through the speaker"
balloon, often designated with a kind of zig zaggy tail and more spikey, more
reminiscent of other sound effects, such as explosion noises. One might
expect more static, other electronic sounds, such as "bleep", coming over
the wire. A talking head on the intercom.
Authors will develop their own styles and solutions, perhaps conforming to a
given code or convention. Do DC and Marvel have their own style sheets for
internal use?
Does it make sense to put a thought balloon above a whole crowd of people?
"Certainly a whole crowd wouldn't be thinking the same thing." I can imagine
some times when it would make sense. Perhaps just a question mark,
corresponding to a collective gasp of surprise. "It's a bird, it's a plane?
No... it's Superman!".
How about a comic book character, a kind of freak that starts reading
others' thought balloons, like in some Octavia Butler story. Or perhaps our
freak's thoughts simply "echo" (and respond) to themes in the others'
balloons, and in a way the reader can see and appreciate, but none of
characters really can.
This "view from above" or "outside" is both commonplace and critical
in the theater and novels, and may otherwise be known as "the benefit
of hindsight".
We've had a lot of time to puzzle it out, the detectives have long ago
solved the case, and we've seen it from many angles, so here's our latest
telling: [ some storyline, perhaps graphically presented, as in some
comic book or movie with the standard "omniscient camera" ].
That all-seeing eye of many filmmakers and screenwriters is in contrast
to 'Blair Witch Project' say, or some of the documentaries, which at
least appear to account for their being recordings, camera operators,
with some role in the drama.
Having a picture of Wittgenstein in a comic book (or illustrated narrative),
staring at a duckrabbit, and then having a thought balloon showing "a rabbit"
or "a duck" (i.e. which aspect he's currently focused on), would be a
clever way to capture "aspect seeing" in this way Sean was yakking
about.
"At any rate only I have THIS" we could write in W's thought balloon. The
aspect he's currently seeing, whereas everyone else just sees a duckrabbit,
is now shown as "a beetle" (maybe like a scarab from hieroglyphic lore --
a comic book motif if their ever was one). How weird is THAT! What a
loner, to have such a private interpretation of the meaning!
"What gets to talk" is a part of the rule book, and the rules vary from strip
to strip. Do inanimate objects have a voice? What if a thought balloon
suddenly emanates from a tree, or a whole forest? Is this a children's
book then, which calls for "tree spirits" to play a role? Are dogs giving
lectures at podiums, on their hind legs? Is this like 'Gulliver's Travels'
perhaps, more a spoof than a literal rendering? Is this like 'Animal Farm'?
One might have to flip through many pages before reaching conclusions,
and even then, some doubts might linger. "Who's really butt of these
jokes?" an analyst might wonder, feeling out of her depth with some
alien publication (a 'Mad Magazine' they call it...). Or perhaps it's clear
who the butt is, and the lackey's job is to counter, a paid shill of some
dictator. "How to counter Dr. Seuss?": the desk job of some hapless
Nazi.
You have these history books written in a nationalist argot, meaning
the countries themselves sometimes get to have a voice, as do their
major cities. "London was sure that...", "Berlin said 'no way'", and
so forth. "France was not about to be intimidated..." and blah blah.
Corporations wanted to be top-level people as well and oozed into
their roles through bullet holes in the US framework. Nationalism's
last stand? Future holocausts would rely on high technology, and
therefore a globalized science and engineering, as symbolized by
that Epcot BuckyBall in the center of Tomorrowland, surrounded by
supranational insignia. The nation-state pavilions, on the other hand,
are across the lake, more quaint tourist attractions than centers of
technological innovation.
Not everyone's buying Orlando's model though.[1]
Nation-state diplomats tend to cast these abstract puppet-players as
their summary stand-ins or "delegates". We're supposed to judge the
intent of a nation by the gestures and jokes of its UN representatives,
at least in the one model. That way, we seem to have a game, one
within the grasp of your average audience, your ancient Greek theater
goer (or are we more sophisticated today?).
Giving nations their own talk balloons helps keep more people following
the drama, understanding what's going on.[2]
Not everyone accords the same weights to the same models though.
Different casts of puppet-player give the story a different spin. People
keep fingering their favorite culprits (the most blameworthy), as a
matter of habit and/or improving dexterity.
Like, what has HAARP done this time, what apparently "natural disaster"
has it caused? [3]
Imagine mapping recent US history to Olympian affairs involving immortals.[4]
What goddess is angry with what god? What temples are making the most
sacrifices?
Is that what we're doing with our Corporations? Is that why advertising is
a new alchemy then?
The avuncular Anglo anthropologist, who doesn't believe in ghosts (but
does believe in MRIs), might emit a reassuring 'tut tut' sound when the
natives say "the trees are whispering" and convene a meeting about it
(if the "brains" had been whispering, might there have been more
tolerance? Likely, yes.).
The Anglo is so certain that "trees", being of low-to-no intelligence, could
not possibly have any role of consequence in this play. He's like throwing
away their comic book ("Tree's can't have thoughts!"), while judging the
people "as children" (haunted by "silly ghost stories").
These patronizing attitudes go with the dream of an empire a lot of the
time (cite Aguirre), with the heavy stone of the establishments back
home seeming to back up the colonizers' "father superior" mantras
with sheer inertia.
How could one possibly oppose Rome, with its temples this big? Was
ever a fortress this mighty? That sort of thing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17157315@N00/5649918997/in/photostream
(Roman ruin, contemporary)
Kirby Urner
Portland, Oregon
Ministry of Education
Python Nation
Operation Duckrabbit
Martian Math
Python: Just Use It.
[1]
As for myself, I see the rules for "theme park development" as having
some bearing on the economy of places like Cuba. If Disney World
doesn't have KFC within its castle-like gates, then nor should Havana
have to have them, or Starbucks.
Capitalism says it's OK to filter out some concessions (witness Disney
Land) so lets not be hypocrites and think it's "open season" for
brand penetration. You may not be invited to the party. Perhaps
you didn't contribute enough? Why provide a platform for free
advertising to your marketplace competitor?
"Why no Xtian churches in Mecca?" Why no Mickey Mouse ears on
St. Peters in the Vatican? Nor is Ground Zero "Xtian" to begin with,
nor need skyscrapers themselves be zoned against religious
establishments and/or boarding schools with full time livers-in, i.e.
24/7 tenders to the fire or whatever altar equipment, within
constraints of the fire marshal.
[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpYIKF1wuyE&feature=player_embedded#at=61
(first 60 seconds: national delegates as talk balloon providers)
[3]
Patrick and I imagine serving our HAARP brand o beer, with a
forest of spooky-looking antennae on the label (you were expecting
a harp?), tagline: "inexpensive mind control".
At the website, we'd quote Bucky Fuller on the difference between
"inexpensive" and "cheap" (this isn't "cheap beer").
Here's the ET we'll say runs the place (the bar at the end of the
rainbow):
http://controlroom.blogspot.com/2008/07/touring-facilities.html
(middle picture)
[4]
'Team America: World Police': mapping to a dream world of comic heroes
living beneath Mt Rushmore.
[Narrator voice, (like from the movie 'Idiocracy'): the Crazy Horse monument,
some 17 miles from Mt. Rushmore, has been under construction since 1948
and is still far from completion." http://crazyhorsememorial.org/webcam/ ].
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