--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price <bobpriced@...> wrote: > > > I can only hope this means Emily and I are being considered > for full membership in the "mean girls", because, frankly, we're > finding being on the boring list---well, you know, pretty boring; don't get us > wrong, we're flattered to be on any list in Voldemort's book of lists, we just > think we've earned consideration for a higher calling. Â And to prove my > personal commitment, I've ordered > my first SPANX Men's starter kit. > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK0QVBi112A
This is a good start Bob. And although to be an OFFICIAL member you need to be participating at FFL on a regular basis you may be given a little special consideration given the fact that the QUALITY of your posts are quite high. This, and the fact that you have actually requested membership, although this will be put forward to the rest of the existing members for a vote, also stands in your favour for inclusion. We also have another male in our Club (Dr Jim) so including a second man will balance out our group nicely. Yes, all in all, I could see you fitting in quite nicely. Of course as far as Emily goes, she is a very subtle type of MG but her membership goes without saying. She has all the qualities necessary: life experience around fools and acquired knowledge of how to deal with them, an ability to spot a fake or an asshole at 100 yards and a tongue capable of giving someone a good lashing when she has a mind to. Thanks again for your interest and we'll be getting back to you shortly with our vote result. However, don't cancel the SPANX yet, even though I am virtually positive you will make the cut. > > ________________________________ > From: Ann <awoelflebater@...> > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2013 7:29:33 PM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Is Voldemort a hack? (was The Prerequisites for > Enlightenment) > > > > > May I just say that I can go to bed tonight happy? In fact, I'm positively > giddy. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price <bobpriced@> wrote: > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: turquoiseb <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2013 7:58:43 AM > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: The Prerequisites for Enlightenment > > > > >>>And for your information, I dash off things here and send them without > > editing them because most of the time I'm just having fun with them. > > That, and the audience I'm writing for doesn't meet my standards for > > deserving edited copy -- they're not paying me. > > > > >>>For paying customers, I edit. Non-paying customers who don't like > > my unedited posts can go suck eggs. Non-paying editors who get off > > on editing my posts for me should pay *me*, for providing them with > > something to do on those days when they're off work and thus not > > busy...uh...editing.ÃÂ ÃÂ :-) > > > > ****** > > > > I was thrilled with last weeks *posting without limits*, > > it gave me a sense of power and control knowing that I could > > respond to any and all of the 1500+ posts that I just finished reading. > > > > One of our illustrious contributors suggested that we might consider a > > *Best of FFL* > > going forward, and with that in mind I set myself the difficult task of > > picking > > my favorite subject for the week; it was a challenge (how could anyone best > > Share's attempt > > to prove she speaks in tongues), but a decision had to be made and I'm > > going with:ÃÂ > > > > "Is Voldemort a hack?" > > > > When I read Voldemort's posts I ask myself: "Where's the art?". For someone > > with his > > considerable output on FFL, who puts so much effort into selling himself to > > us as > > > > a creative writer, art seems conspicuously absent from his contributions; > > this might > > be less true if you consider manual (or phonebook) writing a creative act. > > > > As he makes clear above, Voldemort is a writer of manuals, and, IMO, when > > he attempts > > > > anything more than that, the word "hack" pretty much nails what he becomes. > > > > For something to be considered art it's imperative that it have the ability > > to defamiliarize* > > by making the familiar, unfamiliar and *new*; Voldemort's posts completely > > fail at this. > > OTOH, Judy's choice of the word "hack", to describe Voldemort, is a great > > example of effective > > defamiliarization---it gave me a new experience of something that was > > familiar about him. > > > > I also must agree with Judy that irony is the life blood of creative > > writing > > > > (writing phonebooks, not as much), and reading Voldemort's attempts at > > writing creatively > > > > ---when he is so handicapped in the irony department (narcissism will do > > that), is like watching > > > > someone with no hands attempt to show off his penmanship (no "My left foot" > > jokes please). He also > > appears to be unable to go beyond cliche and what Martin Amis calls "heard > > words", which make > > > > his offerings, on this forum at least, quite artless. Anyone who considers > > Voldemort a creative writer > > might consider rereading Hemingway (if you are interested in understanding > > some of Kerouac's limitations, > > who Voldemort attempts to emulate---without demonstrating any of Kerouac's > > talent as an artist). > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abc819rT6wI > > > > > > The film "The Master" was an example for me of the way art can make the > > familiar *new*; the whole film > > > > delivered artistically, but the scene where Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour > > Hoffman) "Processes" Freddie > > > > Quell (Joaquin Phoenix)---for the first time, felt in some way like the > > first time I meditated; my experience of > > > > the scene was familiar and at the same time completely new; part of it was > > the suggestiveness of Dodd's > > voice, but more was the scene's transition from Dodd's voice to Quell > > *living* a previous experience > > as if for the first time, and the familiarity it had to my first meditation > > and the first superlative > > > > clarity of the thought (engram or, if you will, un-stressing) that reported > > or noticed an artifact of my > > > > awareness that had just existed without thinking. > > > > > > The art of the writing, acting, and editing were part of it, but I believe > > it was the cinematography, > > with its use of 70mm film (which is rare today), that more than anything > > else was essential to making > > > > the experience possible for me. > > > > > > Another component of the film that worked the same way for me was Joaquin > > Phoenix's characterization > > of Freddie Quell, which allowed me to experience---as if for the first > > time---character types that I > > met as a child who were friends of my father that had served with him in > > WW2; JP's characterization > > > > of Quell had the same effect on me as a number of characters Jim Thompson > > (writer of "The Getaway" and > > > > "The Grifters") created that felt as new, when I read about them in his > > novels, but reminded me of some > > psychopathic cowboy's my father socialized with. > > > > > > I wouldn't disagree that Voldemort's posts are full of conflict (more than > > one detective has found creative > > uses for the Yellow Pages, when interviewing a suspect)---and that conflict > > is essential to drama, but conflict > > > > without art is no more than conflict; Voldemort is also capable of irony, > > although I've yet to read anything > > ironic in his posts that was not inadvertent and ended up making him look > > vacuous. I'm sure most of us have > > favorites of his inadvertent irony, my personal favorite is his declaration > > that he can type as fast as he > > thinks (smile). > > > > Share, lets imagine that Voldemort is not pushing 70---with the emotional > > palette of an 8 year old; lets > > imagine he has some class and wants to apologize for his abusive post to > > you, and lets imagine a song he > > would apologize with: > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjZmSkUL6Ws > > > > > > *Reference: Victor Shklovsky - "Art as Technique" > > > > http://web.fmk.edu.rs/files/blogs/2010-11/MI/Misliti_film/Viktor_Sklovski_Art_as_Technique.pdf > > > > ÃÂ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ÃÂ > > > > > > > > > > > >Â Â ÃÂ > > > > > Â >
