The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
POSTED BY: MalsNara
UPDATED: Thursday, April 5, 2007 10:09
VIEWED: 6609
PAGE 3 of 3
Ookamikawahara wrote:
Quote:
Zoid, you ever been done debate class? I swear your sounding like my brother almost lol. He ended up taking to yrs during High school if I remeber correctly. Anyways just a quick wave from Japan. Thanks everyone for posting the lines of the poem and stimilating conversation / thoughts. As for my own opinions, well we`ll leave those for another time. Anyways keep flyen and stay shiny.
mata, Ookami yori
*zoid faces West and waves back, causing total strangers in the Barnes & Noble to look strangely at him*
Debate (forensics) was more rewarding than chess, which I became disinterested in when it became clear to me that chess was nothing more than mental warfare, with nothing to be gained. Debate can be warfare, too; but I prefer it when it is a synthesis of minds, weighing a subject's pros and cons. In that way, everyone -- participants and audience alike -- comes away enriched by the exercise.
Alas, too many times people hear the terms 'debate' or 'argument' and immediately affix negative connotations to them. But true debate is not threatening to punch someone you disagree with, and a true argument is not a shouting match. Rather, an argument is "the advancement by each side of facts and reasons intended to persuade the other side". ...And I'm not even particularly fond of that definition, because as I said, I don't care to persuade others, particularly. I simply seek Understanding of everything my mind comes in contact with. Anything short of that is a disappointment.
One of the many beauties of debate is that it teaches one to truly listen to what others are saying, in order to be an effective participant. Too many times in this increasingly self-absorbed world we live in, we hear but fail to listen to others, wouldn't you agree? That failure is the source of all enmity, on an interpersonal and international level.
...ummm... so, yeah. I like debate.
And I participated in this thread because I found its premise debatable, by which I mean, 'worthy of a complete examination'. I do hope folks will carry on with that exercise...
Respectfully,
zoid
P.S.
Have a beautiful day, Ookami-san
_________________________________________________
"I aim to misbehave." -Capt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity, a.k.a. 'the BDBOF'
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Hey Zoid,
Thanks for the mail and the wave! Always fun to be hanging around in Barns and Noble! Yeah I actually helped teach a debate class once well working as a sub. Not to mention my own college training was in International Studies ie read Poli Sci major. So I`ve done a far bit of structured arguments and presenting cases as well lol. Model U.N. is one of the funnist one. Where else can you represent a country that lies, cheats, commits gross violations of human rights and yet can get a good many other countries to follow their lead. (No I`m not pointing the figure at any one country here, look at every country and its got a crappy record on some issue lol) I think it was Book that said Goverments are made up of people noteablely ungoverned etc. Anyways continue thrilling sides of said conversation. I liked how the full text was added in and everyones interepation of it. Anyways this is eating up net cafe time so I will talk with ya later.
mata, Ookami yori
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Ookamikawahara replied, in part:
Quote:
...Not to mention my own college training was in International Studies ie read Poli Sci major. ...
Me too.
But fairly early on, I realized that Pol Sci = Chess. Unlike "War Games" WOPR, however, I came to the conclusion that chess is ultimately a zero sum game, too; tic-tac-toe, just on a more finely grained, broader scale. When played by skilled practitioners, Politics -- as with chess -- becomes a war of attrition, with the needs and goals of the common people as the pawns. In politics, too much is sacrificed by the front rank, in order to keep the 'nobles' out of jeopardy. Rather than drawing out a bloody war of political attrition to its inevitable total destruction, wouldn't it be nice if the 'kings' (read: 'heads of state' or 'majority/minority leaders') stood alone on the battlefield and bloodied only themselves for a change?
Ergo, WOPR's conclusion was illogical. Chess (and by analogy, Politics) is the most devastating of all war games. How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War, instead? At least it's a quick and humane death. Just save me a seat at ground zero, please...
So I concentrated instead on logic, cultural anthropology and literature, and let the politicians (which, by then, I knew myself not to be) take care of 'governance' and 'international law', whatever the hell that is. In other words, had I written WOPR's lines, it would have asked, (vocorder) "How about a nice game of Chaucer?" (/vocorder)
Respectfully,
zoid
P.S.
They say that within a certain radius of an atomic blast, any exposed lifeform is instantaneously vaporized. Or as we used to say in the 70's: "Beam me up Scottie. There's no intelligent life on this planet."
P.P.S.
Since we seem to have run out of steam on The Rime take, anyone care to venture which Canterbury Tales characters most resemble our BDH's (and whether or not Joss intended them to)?
_________________________________________________
"I aim to misbehave." -Capt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity, a.k.a. 'the BDBOF'
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME