--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltablues@...> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Robin Carlsen" <maskedzebra@> wrote: > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "raunchydog" <raunchydog@> wrote: > > > > > ME: I already responded to Dr Dumb Ass's snipped comments. I will accept > Raunchy's as a writing prompt. > > RD: > > > > > > I like what you say here, Doc. Just to guild your lily a little, I'd say > > > that irreverence is a performance art of disaffected seekers. They > > > indulge in tipping sacred cows hoping people will react in horror. > > ME: Let me stop you there. Can you name a single person who could be > expected to react in horror from a satiric piece on Christianity here? Name > one pearl-clutcher, to use you apt image. A single person whose > identification with the ideas contained in the myths of Christianity, is so > complete that anything I wrote could be expected to react in the way your are > trying to project here. One. > > I argue that mine is exactly the opposite motivation than the one you propose > here. I wrote it for people who share my sense of humor, I am an > entertainer. I would never post it on a board of Christians because I do not > have the motivation you ascribe to me. And at this point if anyone is > offended by my perspective on Maharishi, after years of full disclosure of my > POV, shame on them for reading it. They are going way out of their way for > their offended buzz. > > An example of why I wrote it was Emily's response. That made me very happy > and fulfilled my intentions for posting it. > > RD: > It's rather juvenile but they do it just to show how hip, they are and how > hip you're not because they think you haven't rejected the beliefs that they > have. > > ME: Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and that maintaining this > believe will somehow alter your disposition in the afterlife? Can you name > one person who has that belief here that I could impose my hipness on by > making a satire about Christianity? Since we all dissected Judith's book in > detail here I could not reasonably expect my mention of the reality of > Maharishi's hidden life would do more than elicit a ho hum from this jaded > crew. You are imagining something to shame me for that doesn't even make > sense. Name one belief concerning the Jesus myth that I have rejected and > you have not. The unique divinity of Christ? His role as your personal > savior through the mechanism of belief? His role as the fulfillment of the > prophesies of the Old Testament? That he was required by God to suffer for > our sins? You have to dismiss all the details of Christian theology to get > to something we might disagree on, perhaps your conjectures about his state > of mind. Maybe you think he was an enlightened guy and I don't. But we > agree on a hundred things about the story to find the one we do not agree on. > > RD: > > > > > > Even today, Barry thought it would be fun to post humorously irreverent > > > road signs by MUM to see who smiled and see who didn't smile. I suspect > > > he's more interested in pissing people off than in delighting them. I go > > > for the latter. > > ME: I draw your attention to this post as counter evidence for that claim. > > RD: > > > > > > Funny thing is, after awhile all the TMO, TM and Maharishi bashing, > > > pissing on baby Jesus and exhibitionistic waggling of dicks gets to be so > > > ho-hum that one hardly notices cries for attention fading into the > > > distance. Sadly, when irreverent performance artists, shock jocks, don't > > > get the negative reaction they hoped, they're just as happy to get > > > applause for taking a public dump from people who don't know the > > > difference between art and schlock. > > ME: I saw a great Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry David was being subjected > to his wife's family Christmas traditions. Alone in the kitchen Larry passes > the time eating a cookie he found in a manger scene. To his chagrin and the > horror of his in-laws, it turned out that he had eaten the baby Jesus cookie > in an all cookie manger scene. Opening his mouth only to switch feet, he > tried to pacify them all as they flocked around to shame him by saying "I > thought it was a monkey cookie." They were not pacified. > > I share my sense of irreverent humor with Larry, and I wonder if you would > project all these negative qualities on his intentions as you have on mine. > A more broad minded perspective might allow that when it comes to humor, it > is a personal thing and not feel the need to demonize someone making > different choices than you. > > RD > > > > > > Irreverent art is really old school. Back in the day of the Dadaists: > > > > > > "Marcel Duchamp penciled a mustache and goatee on a print of Leonardo da > > > Vinci's Mona Lisa and inscribed the work "L.H.O.O.Q." Spelled out in > > > French these letters form a risqué pun: Elle a chaud au cul, or "She has > > > hot pants."... > > > > > > Francis Picabia, once tacked a stuffed monkey to a board and called it a > > > portrait of Cézanne... > > > > > > Schoenberg's music was atonal, Mal-larmé's poems scrambled syntax and > > > scattered words across the page and Picasso's Cubism made a hash of human > > > anatomy... > > > > > > But, for all its zaniness, the Dada movement would prove to be one of the > > > most influential in modern art, foreshadowing abstract and conceptual > > > art, performance art, op, pop and installation art." > > > http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dada.html > > ME: I appreciated your references and I think you are supporting a case more > for its value. For me I believe it has tremendous philosophical value to > examine myths in an original way. I am not only trying to entertain those > who share my sense of humor, I am mapping out my perspective by sharing a > unique approach to these myths. And finally I am sharing my actual throught > process as I contemplate the images of my own nativity dredged up from my > youth. > > For those who are friendly toward me here, it is sharing who I am my > perspective. For those who feel the need to use this as proof of a > personality or spiritual defect, they are welcome to that but I can't respect > that POV. It seems unnecessarily uncharitable considering the fact that > their own beliefs are not being called into question. > > RD: > > > > > > When all is said and done and irreverent spiritual performance artists > > > have met the "Maker of Us All" that they poopoo, > > ME: So you are really that sure of yourself about this? I would like you to > make a case to support such a belief, show us what you are basing it on as I > have shared why I reject it. > > RD: > generations of unschooled idiots will pay homage to them by scouring the > archives of FFLife for instructions on how to be an asshole while tipping > sacred cows. > > ME: When I try to conjure up the reasons and motivations for your writing > this insult, I can't come up with a single on that I respect. > > Robin > > > > I loved this, raunchy. You have the right credentials--all the way down. > > > > ME: That strikes me as a bit disappointing to hear you say that.
Well, you have the right credentials all the way down too, Curtis. I liked all of what you said here. And I am utterly convinced. I need to do more work on myself to catch how I thought I was so right (when I judged raunchy's post) only to then realize just as intensely, how wrong I was after reading this. Life is a a pretty goddam subtle thing, ain't it, Curtis? I don't know what to believe now. But this was fun fun fun reading this. Don't expect me to be smart enough to have anything to say--in raunchy's defense--or my own. You are a great guy, Curtis. Let's leave it at that. I have to admit one thing: your honesty goes deeper than anything I have ever encountered--almost. And that honesty is the most profound quality of this post. Let's just love one another. I hope raunchy can see through her pride (and bigotry) to admit you have completely overpowered her here. I think you have, anyhow. If I took you seriously, Curtis, I would be an idiot. But I do. I do. I like being an idiot. Keeps me just smart enough around here. But I ain't getting in that sandbox with you. No matter how many of your dinky toys you give me. I like your electric train best of all. You have not seen Skuffy my Tugboat: I make him go fast in the bathtub. No, around you, Curtis, the sense of truth makes me into a bullshitter. That way I will stay true to myself. I know one thing, Curtis: We are in for a helluva party one day. I promise you this. Just make sure you strangle that blue rabbit's neck.
