So, I didn't actually get any writing done on the plane.
The reason?
...planes have wi-fi now.
*coughs*
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Ugh: Travel
Current Song: Lady Gaga's Edge of Glory for it's awesome saxophone solo.
I hate traveling. This is a sentiment as fresh and original as the sun rising and setting in the evening. But I can't help it: The lines, the security checkpoints that make me feel (no matter how illogically) that I have stepped into a totalitarian dictatorship. The constant PA reassurances don't make that feeling go away.
And, of course, the fact that I - a tall, strapping sort who grows outward faster than I grow upwards these days - have to spend hours in a tiny airplane while hurtling above the clouds at a billion million miles an hour. Conceptually, flying is as awe-inspiring as the moon landing or the fact that we can put food in a box and it magically remains cold despite the heat outside...but actually doing the nitty gritty of flying is like having your teeth pulled by an insane Chimpanzee.
Still, I have two ideas for my flight.
1) I will try and write 6,000 words in my novel.
2) I will finish the novel I am reading.
Speaking of the novel I am writing - Shattered Sky - I am facing three bighuge problems. The first is to convincingly throw a teenage girl with only one marketable skill (killing people, and even then, she's only middling good at it) into a vast conspiracy that is trying to orchestrate the future of humanity. The second is I need to juggle no more than THREE character arcs, each with multiple layers:
Dru's relationship to Sarah: (Layer 1: The difficulty of going from internet to real life relationship, Layer 2: Ablism. Layer 3: Caretaker Fatigue versus the relationship, as few things are better at shooting a relationship between the eyes than Caretaker Fatigue)
Sarah's relationship to her Mom: (Layer 1: Ablism. Layer 2: The desperate desire to keep a child safe from a dangerous world versus the child's desire to become her own person. Layer 3: Sarah's mom is a survivalist nutcase versus Sarah is - somehow, most likely thanks to her dad - somewhat more grounded.)
Dru's relationship to Sarah's Mom: (Layer 1: Sarah's Mom is a crazy survivalist Neo-catholic and Dru is a lesbian from space. I never get tired of writing this. Layer 2: Sarah's mom is crazy protective of her sprog and see's Dru's very presence as a threat. Layer 3: Despite this, Sarah's Mom still thinks Dru is a better daughter than Sarah because...ablism.)
And through it all, we also have Jillian's relationship to Dru, which remains pretty much stable with a few hiccups caused by stress induced making out.
AND THEN ontop of all that, I got a courtroom drama plot, a thriller/terrorist plot and the conspiracy plot.
It's funny...when I wrote the first draft of the novel, my mother offered the advice that I roll this novel into the third one, so that I didn't stretch the narrative. At the time, I was beating my head against the wall, trying to figure out what to find. Turns out, I really did need to bulldoze away the scum-words that had filled my manuscript to reveal the potential goldmine of character interactions and plotbunnies.
But then there was the THIRD thing that I have to deal with when it comes to Shattered Sky.
The language.
Specifically, the Mandarin. At least one reviewer has complained that the Mandarin wasn't natural, wasn't used in the way that native speakers would use it. These are legitimate complaints - and as a note to all reviewers, both good and bad, I read your reviews. To the good reviews, thanks! I'll try to do better next time. To the bad reviews, thanks! I'll try to do better next time. Still, I don't want to just NOT use Mandarin.
I wrote DD and I'm writing SS on the idea that the future isn't just white, isn't just male, isn't just straight and isn't just English speaking. That there is a global conversation that isn't just speaking about different issues - it's using a different language. It sounds different.
But is it a disservice to use someone else's language without being very good at it? Would it be better that I just stuck to English?
I don't know.
So if you got an opinion, share it in the comments.
...if...anyone actually reads these.
I hate traveling. This is a sentiment as fresh and original as the sun rising and setting in the evening. But I can't help it: The lines, the security checkpoints that make me feel (no matter how illogically) that I have stepped into a totalitarian dictatorship. The constant PA reassurances don't make that feeling go away.
And, of course, the fact that I - a tall, strapping sort who grows outward faster than I grow upwards these days - have to spend hours in a tiny airplane while hurtling above the clouds at a billion million miles an hour. Conceptually, flying is as awe-inspiring as the moon landing or the fact that we can put food in a box and it magically remains cold despite the heat outside...but actually doing the nitty gritty of flying is like having your teeth pulled by an insane Chimpanzee.
Still, I have two ideas for my flight.
1) I will try and write 6,000 words in my novel.
2) I will finish the novel I am reading.
Speaking of the novel I am writing - Shattered Sky - I am facing three bighuge problems. The first is to convincingly throw a teenage girl with only one marketable skill (killing people, and even then, she's only middling good at it) into a vast conspiracy that is trying to orchestrate the future of humanity. The second is I need to juggle no more than THREE character arcs, each with multiple layers:
Dru's relationship to Sarah: (Layer 1: The difficulty of going from internet to real life relationship, Layer 2: Ablism. Layer 3: Caretaker Fatigue versus the relationship, as few things are better at shooting a relationship between the eyes than Caretaker Fatigue)
Sarah's relationship to her Mom: (Layer 1: Ablism. Layer 2: The desperate desire to keep a child safe from a dangerous world versus the child's desire to become her own person. Layer 3: Sarah's mom is a survivalist nutcase versus Sarah is - somehow, most likely thanks to her dad - somewhat more grounded.)
Dru's relationship to Sarah's Mom: (Layer 1: Sarah's Mom is a crazy survivalist Neo-catholic and Dru is a lesbian from space. I never get tired of writing this. Layer 2: Sarah's mom is crazy protective of her sprog and see's Dru's very presence as a threat. Layer 3: Despite this, Sarah's Mom still thinks Dru is a better daughter than Sarah because...ablism.)
And through it all, we also have Jillian's relationship to Dru, which remains pretty much stable with a few hiccups caused by stress induced making out.
AND THEN ontop of all that, I got a courtroom drama plot, a thriller/terrorist plot and the conspiracy plot.
It's funny...when I wrote the first draft of the novel, my mother offered the advice that I roll this novel into the third one, so that I didn't stretch the narrative. At the time, I was beating my head against the wall, trying to figure out what to find. Turns out, I really did need to bulldoze away the scum-words that had filled my manuscript to reveal the potential goldmine of character interactions and plotbunnies.
But then there was the THIRD thing that I have to deal with when it comes to Shattered Sky.
The language.
Specifically, the Mandarin. At least one reviewer has complained that the Mandarin wasn't natural, wasn't used in the way that native speakers would use it. These are legitimate complaints - and as a note to all reviewers, both good and bad, I read your reviews. To the good reviews, thanks! I'll try to do better next time. To the bad reviews, thanks! I'll try to do better next time. Still, I don't want to just NOT use Mandarin.
I wrote DD and I'm writing SS on the idea that the future isn't just white, isn't just male, isn't just straight and isn't just English speaking. That there is a global conversation that isn't just speaking about different issues - it's using a different language. It sounds different.
But is it a disservice to use someone else's language without being very good at it? Would it be better that I just stuck to English?
I don't know.
So if you got an opinion, share it in the comments.
...if...anyone actually reads these.
Monday, December 31, 2012
New Years!
We are nearing the New Years. Joy!
And we are nearing the revitalization of the Quantum Spin Plates blog, because frankly, it is downright shameful how terrible I've been about writing this blog.
So...
We're back!
...
What the bloody hell do I talk about?
Lets start with what you've all missed!
1) I pronounced my entire second novel - Shattered Sky - to be guilty of the capital crime of being terribly written and awful. So, I shot the book in the head, rolled it into a ditch and started re-writing from scratch. This is going very well and I'm quite happy with it.
2) My Sunday Rogue Trader game is going astoundingly well and I am very happy that I've made so many awesome friends there.
3) My mother has been watching Glee, which makes me want to listen to songs covered by Glee. It's a sickness, I tell you.
4) I have recently finished the first three novels of the Gaunt's Ghosts Series. If you like military sci-fi, they're worth checking out, but if you ask me, they don't really start getting good until Necropolis...though Necropolis is easily the grimmest of the lot, so be ready for lots of grit, grime and grinding of teeth.
That's the short and sweet of it.
Now, next year, I will resume the blog with some rambling discussions about something or other. I hope that, by creating a continuing stream of random, meaningless posts about whatever crosts my mind, people will be mildly entertained.
And we are nearing the revitalization of the Quantum Spin Plates blog, because frankly, it is downright shameful how terrible I've been about writing this blog.
So...
We're back!
...
What the bloody hell do I talk about?
Lets start with what you've all missed!
1) I pronounced my entire second novel - Shattered Sky - to be guilty of the capital crime of being terribly written and awful. So, I shot the book in the head, rolled it into a ditch and started re-writing from scratch. This is going very well and I'm quite happy with it.
2) My Sunday Rogue Trader game is going astoundingly well and I am very happy that I've made so many awesome friends there.
3) My mother has been watching Glee, which makes me want to listen to songs covered by Glee. It's a sickness, I tell you.
4) I have recently finished the first three novels of the Gaunt's Ghosts Series. If you like military sci-fi, they're worth checking out, but if you ask me, they don't really start getting good until Necropolis...though Necropolis is easily the grimmest of the lot, so be ready for lots of grit, grime and grinding of teeth.
That's the short and sweet of it.
Now, next year, I will resume the blog with some rambling discussions about something or other. I hope that, by creating a continuing stream of random, meaningless posts about whatever crosts my mind, people will be mildly entertained.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Peril, Profit and Adventure!
Man it has been a very very very incredibly extremely long time since I have updated this blog! So, first things first, some updates!
1) As anyone who has been near me for five seconds can attest, I have a kickstarter now! If you use this, you can get my book and sweet merch!
Link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/candlemarkandgleam/print-release-of-debris-dreams
2) I have been working on my various books. This is all going great, better than I have any right to expect.
But now, on to the exciting part, the adventurous part. For the past three weeks, I have had the chance to run my all time favorite roleplaying game: Rogue Trader. Rogue Trader is a game wherein you - the players - take the part of a star-faring merchant princes who captain titanic, kilometer long starships in a dark, gothic future where humanity is beset on all sides by horrific aliens, demonic entities, and foul mutants.
As Rogue Traders, the player characters (PCs) are expected to explore the dark corners of the map, fight evil creatures, land on distant planets, and make HUGE, TITANIC PILES OF MONEY!
And so, I decided to begin leaving a record of these stalwart heroes.
Let us begin...with a DRAMATIS PERSONAE!
Our dashing and brave Lord-Captain, Ansin, is the Rogue Trader. He holds the group's sacred warrant of trade and is a charismatic man who has an exceptional skill with leadership. He is able to boost the abilities of the other characters and generally gives the orders.
Under Ansin is his First Officer, York. York is a Void-Master: A pilot without compare, York is a former naval officer with a burning hatred for Space Orks (which are like regular Orks, but in space!)
But even the best Void-Master can't take a ship through the nightmarish hellscape of the Warp, an alternate universe which allows humans to travel faster than light. Only those blessed with the Navigator Gene can guide a ship through the warp, and for this vessel and crew, the Navigator is Julia Benetec. A proud and noble woman, Julia and her third eye will see the crew to any destination they set their mind too.
Still, a ship is a fantastically complex technological construct. In the grim darkness of the distant future, technology is stagnant and moribund. Science has become, literally, a religion. And so, the next member of the bridge crew is the Enginseer Regina. Enginseers are experienced Tech-Priests, able to maintain the ancient technology of the Imperium, while also finding "new" technology amidst the ruins of the ancient past.
But a ship is more than machinery. It has a crew as well, and that crew needs their souls tended by the fiery sermons of a Missionary: In our case, we have Lady Cenna, a noble born Missionary who seeks to bring the light of the God-Emperor into the benighted regions of space.
And, at last, there are the needs of the Trader Dynasty beyond the vessel itself. Ansin is the latest in a long, proud lineage. He has thousands on thousands of serfs and servants, spread across the galaxy at large. There needs to be someone to organize and handle these vast, spread out fortunes. That responsibility falls on Ansin's Seneschall, Sem. Sem is a logical super-genius with an eternal eye for profit.
Now that we know the names and places of our characters, there is only a single thing left to introduce: The Fortuna!
The Fortuna is our crew's starship: A five kilometer long Dauntless-class light cruiser, designed for long distance exploration and combat. It has been equipped with macrocannon broadsides and lance turrets, weaponry that could shatter a continent if unloaded on a planet. It has a barracks, containing thousands of loyal marines who can board enemy ships and capture them. It has a cargo bay, to carry home the lucre earned in distant planets. It is a stolid ship, and despite it's use in exploration and combat, it has a somewhat plodding, lazy character.
Next week, tune in for the first voyage of the Fortuna into the untamed Koronus Expanse: Ancient alien enemies, piratical miscreants and treachery most foul await!
1) As anyone who has been near me for five seconds can attest, I have a kickstarter now! If you use this, you can get my book and sweet merch!
Link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/candlemarkandgleam/print-release-of-debris-dreams
2) I have been working on my various books. This is all going great, better than I have any right to expect.
But now, on to the exciting part, the adventurous part. For the past three weeks, I have had the chance to run my all time favorite roleplaying game: Rogue Trader. Rogue Trader is a game wherein you - the players - take the part of a star-faring merchant princes who captain titanic, kilometer long starships in a dark, gothic future where humanity is beset on all sides by horrific aliens, demonic entities, and foul mutants.
As Rogue Traders, the player characters (PCs) are expected to explore the dark corners of the map, fight evil creatures, land on distant planets, and make HUGE, TITANIC PILES OF MONEY!
And so, I decided to begin leaving a record of these stalwart heroes.
Let us begin...with a DRAMATIS PERSONAE!
Our dashing and brave Lord-Captain, Ansin, is the Rogue Trader. He holds the group's sacred warrant of trade and is a charismatic man who has an exceptional skill with leadership. He is able to boost the abilities of the other characters and generally gives the orders.
Under Ansin is his First Officer, York. York is a Void-Master: A pilot without compare, York is a former naval officer with a burning hatred for Space Orks (which are like regular Orks, but in space!)
But even the best Void-Master can't take a ship through the nightmarish hellscape of the Warp, an alternate universe which allows humans to travel faster than light. Only those blessed with the Navigator Gene can guide a ship through the warp, and for this vessel and crew, the Navigator is Julia Benetec. A proud and noble woman, Julia and her third eye will see the crew to any destination they set their mind too.
Still, a ship is a fantastically complex technological construct. In the grim darkness of the distant future, technology is stagnant and moribund. Science has become, literally, a religion. And so, the next member of the bridge crew is the Enginseer Regina. Enginseers are experienced Tech-Priests, able to maintain the ancient technology of the Imperium, while also finding "new" technology amidst the ruins of the ancient past.
But a ship is more than machinery. It has a crew as well, and that crew needs their souls tended by the fiery sermons of a Missionary: In our case, we have Lady Cenna, a noble born Missionary who seeks to bring the light of the God-Emperor into the benighted regions of space.
And, at last, there are the needs of the Trader Dynasty beyond the vessel itself. Ansin is the latest in a long, proud lineage. He has thousands on thousands of serfs and servants, spread across the galaxy at large. There needs to be someone to organize and handle these vast, spread out fortunes. That responsibility falls on Ansin's Seneschall, Sem. Sem is a logical super-genius with an eternal eye for profit.
Now that we know the names and places of our characters, there is only a single thing left to introduce: The Fortuna!
The Fortuna is our crew's starship: A five kilometer long Dauntless-class light cruiser, designed for long distance exploration and combat. It has been equipped with macrocannon broadsides and lance turrets, weaponry that could shatter a continent if unloaded on a planet. It has a barracks, containing thousands of loyal marines who can board enemy ships and capture them. It has a cargo bay, to carry home the lucre earned in distant planets. It is a stolid ship, and despite it's use in exploration and combat, it has a somewhat plodding, lazy character.
Next week, tune in for the first voyage of the Fortuna into the untamed Koronus Expanse: Ancient alien enemies, piratical miscreants and treachery most foul await!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Why Creationism is an X-Risk
So, I'm not a big fan of Creationism. For one thing, it seems like a really silly part of the Bible to stake a claim on. I have read parts (not all) of the Bible for my Early American Literature course. I mean, Moby Dick pretty much requires the Bible to be used as a cultural cipher...the best comparison would be if you are an ancient Israelite who can somehow speak English and you watched Robot Chicken. That's about how confusing it is to read Moby Dick without reading the Bible.
And you know what? There were some great ideas in the Bible. Some bad ideas. Some weird ideas.
But none of them, as far as I can tell, are predicated on the Earth being 6,000 years old or humanity not being descended from previous lifeforms. Maybe this is because I'm an atheist, and thus, don't have to see the whole thing as connected, but there are a load of parts of the Bible that are just fine on their own.
You know the rules: The ones about distributing your wealth to the less fortunate, refraining from gossip and being a dick (to paraphrase) and so on.
Those are good ideas in general.
Saying that our species is only 6,000 years old, and that the Earth was made in it's present form at the same time, well, it is less of a good idea. In fact...it could be a DEADLY IDEA.
How, you might say, could thinking that be a deadly dangerous risk? How could it be an X-Risk?
I'm glad you asked, random internet person!
Let me list the ways...
Now, you can be a Creationist and be concerned about plague. You can look out for asteroids, worry about volcanoes and do your best to not bomb Russia into the stone age. But the problem goes deeper than the X-Risks: It goes to the fact that Creationism is backwards. Not backwards in terms of intelligence or smarts (there are smart people who believe in Creationism) but rather backwards in terms of PROCESS.
Rather than looking at evidence, then figuring out what it means to come to a conclusion, Creationism looks at a conclusion, then works backwards to find evidence to support it.
With Creationism, you don't have a changing Earth. No understanding of the colossal timelines that geology and astronomy work under. No concept of how vast the galaxy is, or how dangerous. No realization (until it is too late) that extinction can come for even the most successful species. No realization that climate change can even happen at all, that ice ages are things that can ruin your whole week. No evolutionary understanding of bacteria and viruses.
And...at the end of the day, it's just a date. It has nothing to do with being nice to someone. It has nothing to do with loving your neighbor, or tithing 10% of your income to charity. It has nothing to do actually living by a code of morals and ethics and everything to do with just confirming a bias.
Still, I have to admit, a feeling of pride: I've done it.
I've pissed off, offended and irritated 49% of the American population! Only 150 million to go!
And you know what? There were some great ideas in the Bible. Some bad ideas. Some weird ideas.
But none of them, as far as I can tell, are predicated on the Earth being 6,000 years old or humanity not being descended from previous lifeforms. Maybe this is because I'm an atheist, and thus, don't have to see the whole thing as connected, but there are a load of parts of the Bible that are just fine on their own.
You know the rules: The ones about distributing your wealth to the less fortunate, refraining from gossip and being a dick (to paraphrase) and so on.
Those are good ideas in general.
Saying that our species is only 6,000 years old, and that the Earth was made in it's present form at the same time, well, it is less of a good idea. In fact...it could be a DEADLY IDEA.
How, you might say, could thinking that be a deadly dangerous risk? How could it be an X-Risk?
I'm glad you asked, random internet person!
Let me list the ways...
- Plague: Evolution is the basis of modern biology and medicine. Understanding and believing in evolution, plus studying it and using it as a model on the activity of bacteria and viruses, is vital. Without this, we're defenseless against the next pandemic. The Black Death killed 1/3rd of Europe's population and they had no shield against it. If something like that were to come again, we'd at least have a chance of figuring out a cure before it kills 6 billion people.
- Calderas of Doom: I am living in California, which means that I am used to earthquakes. These are due to plate tectonics. What does this have to do with Creationism? Well, um, the Earth is clearly changing. The force of that change is the movement of our tectonic plates, which creates earthquakes and volcanoes. And that leads us to the Yellowstone Caldera, which is basically a supervolcano. If it went off then the whole world would have a really really bad day. In the Creationist model, we lack the understanding that there is even a threat. Without that understanding, we can't even think of a way to stop it. Not that we HAVE a way to stop it, but we might figure it out in the future because we're aware of the issue.
- SPAAAAAAAAAAAACE: Space can kill us. Really badly. The first example is the asteroid impacts that wiped out the dinosaurs (which isn't mentioned in the Creationist model), but you can argue that there's no reason those asteroids aren't 6,000 years old. So, a Creationist can still keep their eyes open for an asteroid and nuke it. But what about all the other ways that space can kill us? Gamma ray bursts, supernova, galactic impacts (okay, that one is a few million years off, so we're safe for now) and other nasties can be chucked at us...and that all requires an understanding the universe that makes it clear that the thing isn't 6,000 years old. So, was the Earth created near the tail end of the universe's creation? If so, then what was God doing the rest of the time? You know, I'm actually interested where this train of thought leads...
- Climate: So, climates change. We should all know this by now. Unless, of course, you see the world in a Creationist way...but then you'll get sideswiped by climate change, either the human made or the "natural" kind. Ice ages suck just as much as global warming, and unless you are aware of these threats, you can't prep for them, you can't DO anything about them. This can lead to extinction of other species, which can lead to the extinction of our own. And that's a major drag for everyone involved.
- Hubris: This...this is the most subjective of all the X-risks here. But there is a certain...pride involved with the belief that the world was made for us, by a god who loves us, for the express purpose of us to run and do with as we will. A good person will take a gift and do what they can to make it better...but it is dreadfully easy for even a good person to become careless or conceited when they're showered with gifts. It's important to remember just how precarious and dangerous our home is...and just how much we have to remember to work together to make it better, rather than pull it apart to make it worse. Or, you know, nuke it into oblivion.
Now, you can be a Creationist and be concerned about plague. You can look out for asteroids, worry about volcanoes and do your best to not bomb Russia into the stone age. But the problem goes deeper than the X-Risks: It goes to the fact that Creationism is backwards. Not backwards in terms of intelligence or smarts (there are smart people who believe in Creationism) but rather backwards in terms of PROCESS.
Rather than looking at evidence, then figuring out what it means to come to a conclusion, Creationism looks at a conclusion, then works backwards to find evidence to support it.
With Creationism, you don't have a changing Earth. No understanding of the colossal timelines that geology and astronomy work under. No concept of how vast the galaxy is, or how dangerous. No realization (until it is too late) that extinction can come for even the most successful species. No realization that climate change can even happen at all, that ice ages are things that can ruin your whole week. No evolutionary understanding of bacteria and viruses.
And...at the end of the day, it's just a date. It has nothing to do with being nice to someone. It has nothing to do with loving your neighbor, or tithing 10% of your income to charity. It has nothing to do actually living by a code of morals and ethics and everything to do with just confirming a bias.
Still, I have to admit, a feeling of pride: I've done it.
I've pissed off, offended and irritated 49% of the American population! Only 150 million to go!
Monday, August 13, 2012
The super-funtime Ayn Rand Post: In which your humble blogger touches on an issue that will never offend anyone ever
Oh Ayn Rand.
People really hate Ayn Rand.
People really love Ayn Rand.
People are fascinated by Ayn Rand. I'd say this is the mark of a great novelist, but in my humble opinion, I don't actually think she was a good writer. Her characters were flat and one note, her books could use a serious trimming and their pace started to get downright glacial at times. What she was good at, though, was inspiring people either to vitriol or virtue, with much gnashing of teeth on both sides.
Depending on who you ask, Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is either a recipe for babyeating or the one true path for human happiness.
But a friend of mine - a fellow D&D player, actually - came up with an astoundingly astute and clear headed way of expressing the awesome and terrible part of Objectivism, Ayn Rand and her seminal novel, Atlas Shrugged, in a single paragraph.
"[Atlas Shrugged] is, basically, about superheroes. That's how superheroes should act to make the world a better place. That's why it doesn't apply to the real world: We don't have superheroes."
It makes perfect sense. Atlas Shrugged, for those who don't know, is a novel about a world being strangled by communism (literally!), where governmental meddling has caused the collapse of the economy for the most part, and that only certain select people, via their own individual activity and drive, could push the world forward...but they were tired of being cheated by the "looters" (I.E, the government and people who relied on the government) and so they left the world with one John Galt.
Thus, the title: Atlas, shrugged.
But the problem is that it doesn't work, because (almost) no one can actually measure up to these character's shoes. This philosophy requires superhumans and regular humans...but in the real world, we're pretty much all equal. Oh, we have different temperaments and different aptitudes and different desires, but at the end of the day, the difference between a farmer, a neurosurgeon and someone who has memorized every single episode of Project Runway...is WHAT THEY HAVE SPENT THEIR TIME DOING.
Farming is hard work, with an immense amount of technique and knowledge required to do anything well. Memorization (even of something "useless" like a TV show) is difficult. And the various things you need to learn to actually act as a neurosurgeon is pretty astronomical. Each of these things requires training and practice and study. The only reason why we humans can all find an individual vocation, rather than having to generalize (and thus, lose any chance of becoming a high quality specialist) is because of a huge, complex, interesting society, which lets people support one another through semi-selfish interaction. A society that might have sigma 9 events, people who are above and beyond the normal, average person...
But.
And here is the big but.
We can't call them an Atlas and have it be the end of the day. Because, and this is my personal issue with Objectivism: Everyone ever wants to be an Atlas. People, just by their nature, prefer to put themselves up while also putting other people down. I find myself doing this too, it's really easy to think things like this.
"God, those people. What the hell is wrong with them? How could they be so stupid for X, Y, or Z reasons? Oh, what a world."
That's the flaw. Objectivism works with superheroes, but not everyone is a superhero. And nothing is more toxic and dangerous to a person's brain than believing that they are an entitled, put-upon genius...because thinking that way means that they're really just an asshole. An entitled asshole.
Now, this doesn't mean that I don't agree with a lot of things in Objectivism. But I still figure that you should always take it with a grain of salt...and remember to never ever let an idea (even one you think is awesome and shiny) blind you to the world and ideas around you. Never think the other person, the one who thinks that your ideas are wrong, is just stupid and evil. No one ever wakes up, cackling and twirling their mustache, to look into a mirror and go: "Today, I will destroy happiness and goodness and be...EVIL!"
People wake up and do the things they do because they believe in ideas deeply and truly. Disagree with those things, sure, but don't discount them. Give them the respect of remembering that they are human beings too.
Unless the person is a Republican. They're pure, babyeating evil.
People really hate Ayn Rand.
People really love Ayn Rand.
People are fascinated by Ayn Rand. I'd say this is the mark of a great novelist, but in my humble opinion, I don't actually think she was a good writer. Her characters were flat and one note, her books could use a serious trimming and their pace started to get downright glacial at times. What she was good at, though, was inspiring people either to vitriol or virtue, with much gnashing of teeth on both sides.
Depending on who you ask, Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is either a recipe for babyeating or the one true path for human happiness.
But a friend of mine - a fellow D&D player, actually - came up with an astoundingly astute and clear headed way of expressing the awesome and terrible part of Objectivism, Ayn Rand and her seminal novel, Atlas Shrugged, in a single paragraph.
"[Atlas Shrugged] is, basically, about superheroes. That's how superheroes should act to make the world a better place. That's why it doesn't apply to the real world: We don't have superheroes."
It makes perfect sense. Atlas Shrugged, for those who don't know, is a novel about a world being strangled by communism (literally!), where governmental meddling has caused the collapse of the economy for the most part, and that only certain select people, via their own individual activity and drive, could push the world forward...but they were tired of being cheated by the "looters" (I.E, the government and people who relied on the government) and so they left the world with one John Galt.
Thus, the title: Atlas, shrugged.
But the problem is that it doesn't work, because (almost) no one can actually measure up to these character's shoes. This philosophy requires superhumans and regular humans...but in the real world, we're pretty much all equal. Oh, we have different temperaments and different aptitudes and different desires, but at the end of the day, the difference between a farmer, a neurosurgeon and someone who has memorized every single episode of Project Runway...is WHAT THEY HAVE SPENT THEIR TIME DOING.
Farming is hard work, with an immense amount of technique and knowledge required to do anything well. Memorization (even of something "useless" like a TV show) is difficult. And the various things you need to learn to actually act as a neurosurgeon is pretty astronomical. Each of these things requires training and practice and study. The only reason why we humans can all find an individual vocation, rather than having to generalize (and thus, lose any chance of becoming a high quality specialist) is because of a huge, complex, interesting society, which lets people support one another through semi-selfish interaction. A society that might have sigma 9 events, people who are above and beyond the normal, average person...
But.
And here is the big but.
We can't call them an Atlas and have it be the end of the day. Because, and this is my personal issue with Objectivism: Everyone ever wants to be an Atlas. People, just by their nature, prefer to put themselves up while also putting other people down. I find myself doing this too, it's really easy to think things like this.
"God, those people. What the hell is wrong with them? How could they be so stupid for X, Y, or Z reasons? Oh, what a world."
That's the flaw. Objectivism works with superheroes, but not everyone is a superhero. And nothing is more toxic and dangerous to a person's brain than believing that they are an entitled, put-upon genius...because thinking that way means that they're really just an asshole. An entitled asshole.
Now, this doesn't mean that I don't agree with a lot of things in Objectivism. But I still figure that you should always take it with a grain of salt...and remember to never ever let an idea (even one you think is awesome and shiny) blind you to the world and ideas around you. Never think the other person, the one who thinks that your ideas are wrong, is just stupid and evil. No one ever wakes up, cackling and twirling their mustache, to look into a mirror and go: "Today, I will destroy happiness and goodness and be...EVIL!"
People wake up and do the things they do because they believe in ideas deeply and truly. Disagree with those things, sure, but don't discount them. Give them the respect of remembering that they are human beings too.
Unless the person is a Republican. They're pure, babyeating evil.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
How to survive the Twilight Zone
You are entering a blogpost, not just of words and images but of mind. A blogpost where a young man has been watching way too much quality television and has begun to think too deeply...on the Twilight Zone.
Before I go on, I want to say this: Rod Serling was a goddamn genius. The guy belted out almost a hundred stunningly good TV episodes, narrated, produced and generally saw to them not sucking, all on budget that would barely pay for some modern actor's cuisine. I've been devouring Twilight Zone episodes ever since I found they were on a totally legitimate website (that is, Netflix. What, what did you think I meant?) and almost every single one has been creative, creepy and insightful.
But I've begun to notice a pattern, a series of events and character flaws.
So, if you ever find yourself drawn into the Twilight Zone, here are some basic tips.
1) Don't panic. This is a simple one that seems obvious, but is often forgotten by the people who enter the Twilight Zone. Yes, a puppet may be trying to kill you. Yes, the furniture might be alive. Yes, you may be stalked by a teleporting hitchhiker. Still, do your level best to remain calm and rational.
2) Are you dead? Once you have become calm, take a moment make sure that you are, in fact, alive. Call your parents (if you have any). Talk to people on the street. Take your pulse. It will save a great deal of hassle if you realize that you are, in fact, dead and everything is a delusion.
3) Assume everything is real. Now that you have determined you are NOT dead (to the best of your abilities, at the very least) you may ask the question of: Well, what if I am dreaming? Don't. It is counterproductive in the extreme. The reasons are simple: If you are dreaming, then you will wake up and everything will be fine, rendering your actions moot. But if you are NOT dreaming, then taking the correct action will see the difference between being dead or walking out of the Twilight Zone alive.
4) Never ever ever EVER accept a deal from Satan.
5) No, seriously, it's a bad idea. Never do it.
6) Think all wishes through. Never wish something without adding in as many safety or control clauses into the wish as you can imagine. The genie is not going anywhere, so feel free to take time and talk it out with others. So that they don't think you are insane (or try to Bogart your genie) make sure to postulate that this is a hypothetical situation.
And finally, the most valuable trick to surviving the Twilight Zone.
7) Be a racial minority! Because so far, only one black person has shown up on the show, and I'm almost 60 episodes in. I know it's the 1960s, but jeeze people. It's almost like the past was racist or something...
Before I go on, I want to say this: Rod Serling was a goddamn genius. The guy belted out almost a hundred stunningly good TV episodes, narrated, produced and generally saw to them not sucking, all on budget that would barely pay for some modern actor's cuisine. I've been devouring Twilight Zone episodes ever since I found they were on a totally legitimate website (that is, Netflix. What, what did you think I meant?) and almost every single one has been creative, creepy and insightful.
But I've begun to notice a pattern, a series of events and character flaws.
So, if you ever find yourself drawn into the Twilight Zone, here are some basic tips.
1) Don't panic. This is a simple one that seems obvious, but is often forgotten by the people who enter the Twilight Zone. Yes, a puppet may be trying to kill you. Yes, the furniture might be alive. Yes, you may be stalked by a teleporting hitchhiker. Still, do your level best to remain calm and rational.
2) Are you dead? Once you have become calm, take a moment make sure that you are, in fact, alive. Call your parents (if you have any). Talk to people on the street. Take your pulse. It will save a great deal of hassle if you realize that you are, in fact, dead and everything is a delusion.
3) Assume everything is real. Now that you have determined you are NOT dead (to the best of your abilities, at the very least) you may ask the question of: Well, what if I am dreaming? Don't. It is counterproductive in the extreme. The reasons are simple: If you are dreaming, then you will wake up and everything will be fine, rendering your actions moot. But if you are NOT dreaming, then taking the correct action will see the difference between being dead or walking out of the Twilight Zone alive.
4) Never ever ever EVER accept a deal from Satan.
5) No, seriously, it's a bad idea. Never do it.
6) Think all wishes through. Never wish something without adding in as many safety or control clauses into the wish as you can imagine. The genie is not going anywhere, so feel free to take time and talk it out with others. So that they don't think you are insane (or try to Bogart your genie) make sure to postulate that this is a hypothetical situation.
And finally, the most valuable trick to surviving the Twilight Zone.
7) Be a racial minority! Because so far, only one black person has shown up on the show, and I'm almost 60 episodes in. I know it's the 1960s, but jeeze people. It's almost like the past was racist or something...
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