Sex and the Religious-Left

[Alexis Jacobi]

The point? The utter destruction that occurred as a result of the Sixties rebellion.

The mass-man would never have accepted authority external to himself had not his surroundings violently forced him to do so. As to-day, his surroundings do not so force him, the everlasting mass-man, true to his character, ceases to appeal to other authority and feels himself lord of his own existence. On the contrary the select man, the excellent man is urged, by interior necessity, to appeal from himself to some standard beyond himself, superior to himself, whose service he freely accepts...Contrary to what is usually thought, it is the man of excellence, and not the common man who lives in essential servitude. Life has no savour for him unless he makes it consist in service to something transcendental. Hence he does not look upon the necessity of serving as an oppression. When, by chance, such necessity is lacking, he grows restless and invents some new standard, more difficult, more exigent, with which to coerce himself. This is life lived as a discipline — the noble life.

[Gary Childress]

You’ve never seen the movie If?

Antidote to Alice Cooper.

I have never seen the movie "If". Is there a point to all that shooting and killing in that scene or is it just gratuitous violence to eat popcorn to and get your date to suddenly cuddle up next to you for a sense of security and protection? In some ways it reminds me of a "Dirty Harry" movie where people are violently murdered by psychopaths who just want to be evil in every possible way and then get violently murdered because they deserve it. Please don't tell me that British cinema has stooped to the American formula in movie making. It would be incredibly sad if it has done so.

[Harbal]

The point? The utter destruction that occurred as a result of the Sixties rebellion.

The mass-man would never have accepted authority external to himself had not his surroundings violently forced him to do so. As to-day, his surroundings do not so force him, the everlasting mass-man, true to his character, ceases to appeal to other authority and feels himself lord of his own existence. On the contrary the select man, the excellent man is urged, by interior necessity, to appeal from himself to some standard beyond himself, superior to himself, whose service he freely accepts...Contrary to what is usually thought, it is the man of excellence, and not the common man who lives in essential servitude. Life has no savour for him unless he makes it consist in service to something transcendental. Hence he does not look upon the necessity of serving as an oppression. When, by chance, such necessity is lacking, he grows restless and invents some new standard, more difficult, more exigent, with which to coerce himself. This is life lived as a discipline — the noble life.

That is embarrassing enough just to read, goodness knows what the experience of posting it must be like.

[Alexis Jacobi]

You’ve never seen the movie If?

Antidote to Alice Cooper.

I have never seen the movie "If". Is there a point to all that shooting and killing in that scene or is it just gratuitous violence to eat popcorn to and get your date to suddenly cuddle up next to you for a sense of security and protection?

My references — film, literature — all have a didactic function, Gary. Think of me as a sort of spirit guiding those lost at sea back to safe harbors.

The movie has a Wiki page. Examine critical reception.

I am trying to demonstrate how our present decadence has come about. Youth rebellion, a rebellion against categories of value, and our present era where the influences of destruction are all around us and emanate from our own selves.

There has to exist an antidote. That •something• that is the beginning of restoration.

[Gary Childress]

You’ve never seen the movie If?

Antidote to Alice Cooper.

I have never seen the movie "If". Is there a point to all that shooting and killing in that scene or is it just gratuitous violence to eat popcorn to and get your date to suddenly cuddle up next to you for a sense of security and protection?

My references — film, literature — all have a didactic function, Gary.

The movie has a Wiki page. Examine criticisms.

I am trying to demonstrate how our present decadence has come about. Youth rebellion, a rebellion against categories of value, and our present era where the influences of destruction are all around us and emanate from our own selves.

There has to exist an antidote. That •something• that is the beginning of restoration.

Good grief. You're a loon.

[Alexis Jacobi]

Good grief. You're a loon.

No, that is your department!

[Gary Childress]

Good grief. You're a loon.

No, that is your department!

Welcome to the department, then. Padded room is down the hall. It's a good place for first timers to get themselves oriented.

[seeds]

You’ve never seen the movie If?

The one and only time I saw that movie was when it first came out in 1969.

It was at the ever-growing height of the general youth rebellion at the time over the Vietnam war and the corrupt Nixon/Agnew administration.

If my recollection serves me well (which it may not), the movie was a dark lampooning of the stiff and rigid status quo of the idiotic ethos of the ruling powers who were incapable of breaking away from the old mindsets that perpetuated ridiculous (and harmful) traditions.

I think it may have struck a chord with me at that time because I was under the threat of being forcefully inducted into the military (via the draft lottery) to be sent off to kill innocent people in Vietnam (or be killed myself) because a bunch of old and demented morons (who were personally safe due to their political status) served the wants and needs of the "Military Industrial Complex."

I vaguely remember that, after leaving the theater, I was so riled up that I wanted to throw rocks or something at the powers that be.

Antidote to Alice Cooper.

What an amazing mastery of one of the most difficult instruments in the world to play.
_______

[Harbal]

Antidote to Alice Cooper.

What an amazing mastery of one of the most difficult instruments in the world to play.
_______

It looks incredibly difficult to play, and I can only but wonder why someone would be prepared to devote the time and effort that the mastering of that instrument must require, only to produce the sound that it results in.

[Alexis Jacobi]

…

I only saw the movie, as part of my extended research project on contemporary culture, a few years back.

As a caricature it attempts derisively to overemphasize what it desires to lampoon, and then knocks down each bowling pin it sets up. It builds a case then proves its case. Similar to the mood in the Alice Cooper •song• it goes after its target with a type of emoted intensity — and has wide-ranging success of influence. But it is extremely harmful influence with terrible consequences.

There is a downside. And that is in the general destruction of those categories of value which were the legacy — and a hard-won legacy — of English culture.

Oh look! Here comes Flash. That paragon!

Like the children in Cooper’s audience, the Angry Mob cannot distinguish what is restrictive, irritating and authoritarian from what is of real value. So the entire structure gets torn to the ground.

The point is that the Mass Man (as Ortega y Gasset states) cannot be an arbiter of value.

All this because Harbal asked me if he should trust his intuition or my reading list.

[Alexis Jacobi]

It looks incredibly difficult to play, and I can only but wonder why someone would be prepared to devote the time and effort that the mastering of that instrument must require…

On the contrary the select man, the excellent man is urged, by interior necessity, to appeal from himself to some standard beyond himself, superior to himself, whose service he freely accepts...Contrary to what is usually thought, it is the man of excellence, and not the common man who lives in essential servitude. Life has no savour for him unless he makes it consist in service to something transcendental. Hence he does not look upon the necessity of serving as an oppression. When, by chance, such necessity is lacking, he grows restless and invents some new standard, more difficult, more exigent, with which to coerce himself. This is life lived as a discipline — the noble life.

[Harbal]

…

I only saw the movie, as part of my extended research project on contemporary culture, a few years back.

What dedication.

All this because Harbal asked me if he should trust his intuition or my reading list.

We know not what we do.

[Harbal]

It looks incredibly difficult to play, and I can only but wonder why someone would be prepared to devote the time and effort that the mastering of that instrument must require…

On the contrary the select man, the excellent man is urged, by interior necessity, to appeal from himself to some standard beyond himself, superior to himself, whose service he freely accepts...Contrary to what is usually thought, it is the man of excellence, and not the common man who lives in essential servitude. Life has no savour for him unless he makes it consist in service to something transcendental. Hence he does not look upon the necessity of serving as an oppression. When, by chance, such necessity is lacking, he grows restless and invents some new standard, more difficult, more exigent, with which to coerce himself. This is life lived as a discipline — the noble life.

[Gary Childress]

On the contrary the select man, the excellent man is urged, by interior necessity, to appeal from himself to some standard beyond himself, superior to himself, whose service he freely accepts...Contrary to what is usually thought, it is the man of excellence, and not the common man who lives in essential servitude. Life has no savour for him unless he makes it consist in service to something transcendental. Hence he does not look upon the necessity of serving as an oppression. When, by chance, such necessity is lacking, he grows restless and invents some new standard, more difficult, more exigent, with which to coerce himself. This is life lived as a discipline — the noble life.

Not only are "excellent men" gifted and talented and usually higher wage earners, they're also the most oppressed. Who knew!? Or by "excellent man" are you including ordinary people who make up the bulk of the workforce?

[Alexis Jacobi]

Gary, you did recognize that he is speaking of servitude to higher values, right? Did that really get by you?

It is weird to me the reaction — a deep resentment it seems — that is invoked when the idea of higher endeavors and those who realize them are held up as being exemplary.

What is this about, Gary? What do you think?