RE: Plethora of hotfooting
PODESTA,Lesley (Lesley.PODESTA@deetya.gov.au)
Fri, 31 Oct 1997 10:21:36 +1000
Hasn't anyone heard of Patti Smith, the original artist/poet
songwriter/singer?
She walks all over Alanis & co.
>----------
>From: Malcolm Lawrence[SMTP:malcolm@wolfenet.com]
>Sent: Friday, 31 October 1997 9:37
>To: bananafish@lists.nyu.edu
>Subject: Re: Plethora of hotfooting
>
>Lagusta Pauline Yearwood wrote:
>
>> i couldn't disagree more. where do you think anger comes from?
>> sensitivity. holden's angry a lot of the time.
>
>Yet Holden tells his tale right after his anger has gone supernova and he's
>in an
>asylum because it's consumed him. And what's the first thing he starts to do?
>Get
>melancholic and start missing everyone.
>
>> sad is...just sad.
>
>Sad is reflection and introspection just like zen.
>
>> anger
>> makes you get off your bottom and go do something.
>
>Agreed. It can. But if you're just angry and don't use it then you're a sad
>case.
>Anger can be a very energizing part of the personality, but if it's the be
>all and
>end all of who you are it can be pretty shallow. There are as many angry
>young
>women now as there used to be angry young men forty years ago. And much like
>the
>guys who came before them they know that they have a right to be angry so
>they are.
>But most of them don't actually know why they're angry. They just know
>they're
>supposed to be angry. Press them on their motivations for being angry and
>they
>disappear into their own generalizing "society sucks" placards. Okay, given.
>News
>Flash: Society sucks. But what are you going to do about it besides be angry?
>
>> sad sits at home and writes bad poetry.
>
>angry stands at a pedestal and spouts bad slogans
>
>> angry writes the stuff that organizes the masses for
>> real change.
>
>Now you've got me curious. Which masses are you trying to organize and for
>what
>change?
>
>> my anger is probably my favorite quality, i never want to
>> lose it. carefully directed, it's my most valuable weapon.
>
>Anger is not a weapon, it's a catalyst. This is the difference between a true
>subversive and your garden variety terrorist.
>
>> ok, another ani quote:
>>
>> "if you're not angry,
>> then you're just stupid or you don't care
>> how else can you react
>> when you see something so unfair
>> that the men of the hour
>> can kill half the world in war
>> or make them slaves to a superpower
>> and let then die poor..."
>>
>> damn straight.
>
>Damn knee jerk simplistic, not to mention damn sexist too, and painted with
>such
>broad strokes. Ever heard of Margaret Thatcher? To name just one.And a Bob
>Dylan
>quote in return:
>
> As some warn victory, some downfall
> Private reasons great or small
> Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
> To make all that should be killed to crawl
> While others say don't hate nothing at all
> Except hatred.
>
>
>> oh no oh **no**. maybe these angry singers let the "little girls and
>> little boys" know that it's okay to be angry, that they can use their
>> anger.
>
>Agreed. Anger is an energy, but there's nothing more embarrassing than
>someone who
>is simply angry for the sake of being angry because anger is "cool."
>
>> i don't know why i'm going so off on this. i guess because i think anger
>> is just so amazing.
>
>But not a fraction as amazing as tenderness.
>
>> it doesn't need to involve blame, or shame or violence
>> or anything. i know i couldn't be so happy if i wasn't so angry some of
>> the time. make sense? i think i can only realize how achingly beautiful
>> everything can be when i've also seen how heartbreaching terrible it can
>> be, and faught against that side.
>>
>
>Well, yes, all is balance. That is the only real tao.
>
>> > In a lot of ways, Sinead O'Connor is still the mother of that whole lot.
>>When
>> > she was angry she could have eaten any of those other sistahs for lunch.
>>And
>> > when her anger finally burned out and supernovaed and she got sad, she's
>>the
>> > only one who you'd want to sing you to sleep.
>>
>> ahhhhh!!! but who wants to be sung to sleep?? i'd rather be out there,
>> wide eyed, screaming about everything.
>
>Enjoy it while you're still in your 20s. I know I did. Hormones are a
>wonderful
>thing.
>
>> ok, i know you're thinking literally, and i'm interpreting it
>>metaphorically
>> (sleep)
>
>Oh sleep is a wonderful thing (that thing that one does with a blanket and a
>pillow). You'll appreciate it more the older you get.
>
>> , but, gosh. i
>> don't think the point was to eat those other sistas (not that you said it
>> was),
>
>Well I didn't think the point was that this female singer was any better than
>that
>female singer. I mean, you'd think that since there has never been a
>matriarchal
>society that you'd get the idea that females know better than to get into any
>hierarchical arguments about which female is better than another female. My
>point
>was that Sinead has consistently risked her popularity for the sake of what
>she
>believes in. Name another female singer who would tear up a picture of the
>Pope on
>nationwide television. (Five years ago, that is. It wouldn't be subversive at
>all
>to do it now, still, I don't think anyone else has the guts now anyway.)
>
>> i think the point was just that she didn't like the way the world is
>> and sung about it. and i don't think anger burns out and becomes sadness. i
>>think
>> they can
>> and do exist at the same time, i think it's possibly the other way around:
>> you get sad about something then wise up and get angry and fix it.
>
>Anger is not a cure all. Just because you're angry that doesn't imply you're
>going
>to be able to fix something. It just means that you're going to be more vocal
>about
>it.
>
>> there's my i'm-going-crazy-writing-all-these-papers rant.
>
>Oh, so that's why you're angry. :)
>
>Peace,
>
>Malcolm
>
>