There's a long-running hubbub about 'Twitter revolutions'. Some contend that this is a totally new thing and that social media has revolutionized revolution. Others contend that revolutioning was a going concern long before social media.
Both are correct. It's like this: how do you define an army? Today, we think of armies as a bunch of guys with guns and modern weapons. But there were armies before guns. So having guns doesn't define an army--but it does significantly change how an army operates. It doesn't change everything, not even all of the finer details; a Marine and a Roman legionary could swap tips on packing a ruck for marching.
Same deal with revolution. Placing instant communication and broadcasting into the hands everyman can't not completely overhaul how people rise up against their government. At the same time, it still comes down to citizens who are willing to stand in front of tanks.
Both are correct. It's like this: how do you define an army? Today, we think of armies as a bunch of guys with guns and modern weapons. But there were armies before guns. So having guns doesn't define an army--but it does significantly change how an army operates. It doesn't change everything, not even all of the finer details; a Marine and a Roman legionary could swap tips on packing a ruck for marching.
Same deal with revolution. Placing instant communication and broadcasting into the hands everyman can't not completely overhaul how people rise up against their government. At the same time, it still comes down to citizens who are willing to stand in front of tanks.
So, my brother just moved out of my place. He moved up here just before Christmas, needing a place to crash while he got himself back together (long story). Super cool kid, way awesomer than me--I really like having him around. But man, it is really a relief to have him gone. I'd feel bad saying that except that I know he's just as relieved to be gone and into his own place. Tomorrow, I get to move back into my own room!
Been jawing with some 4th-gen warfare enthusiasts and experts about the piracy in Somalia. It's frankly amazing to me how many of them view it as simple criminality, with no root causes worth addressing. For a bunch of guys whose hobby (and career, in several cases) revolves around the study of how small groups are breaking apart old power structures, you'd think they'd recognize the futility of trying to impose 20th-century-style authoritarian dissuasion on a bunch of guys who have little to no option besides criminality. I actually had one guy tell me that we should deal with Somali pirates the way we've dealt with pirates throughout history. Apparently he's not aware of how many pirates, during the golden age of sail, were specifically authorized by national governments.
I was going to post this in the Egypt thread, but it's a bit off topic and maybe a bit too obvious for mass consumption:
The mistake (and it's one made by just about everyone, including me in the halcyon days of my youth) is to assume that the US and democracy are linked. This idea has been not only accepted without question by US leadership for many decades, it's been mass-marketed--I remember playing Splinter Cell and listening to some of the Chinese enemies complain that even if they hold out against the US militarily, they'll be defeated culturally by our cheeseburgers (by free market access to wealth, in other words).
I ate a cheeseburger a few days ago, and I don't recall my heart swelling with pride for my country as I bit into it. Though my arteries did swell a bit with cholesterol. The ability to forge your own political destiny does not, as would be obvious to everyone (and I'm certainly not pointing fingers, here, but it is a very widespread idea), equate to throwing one's lot in with the US.
The mistake (and it's one made by just about everyone, including me in the halcyon days of my youth) is to assume that the US and democracy are linked. This idea has been not only accepted without question by US leadership for many decades, it's been mass-marketed--I remember playing Splinter Cell and listening to some of the Chinese enemies complain that even if they hold out against the US militarily, they'll be defeated culturally by our cheeseburgers (by free market access to wealth, in other words).
I ate a cheeseburger a few days ago, and I don't recall my heart swelling with pride for my country as I bit into it. Though my arteries did swell a bit with cholesterol. The ability to forge your own political destiny does not, as would be obvious to everyone (and I'm certainly not pointing fingers, here, but it is a very widespread idea), equate to throwing one's lot in with the US.
Man, fuck this picture. I said this in the PICTURE UNRELATED thread this originally appeared in--I can't help but hear this in the voice of Peter Weller's character on Dexter. Now Peter Weller is in my head 24/7 talking about ears and bitches. Go away, Peter Weller.
Uuuuugh. Been sneezing so frequently my face is starting to hurt. If I keep this up it's going to come off completely.
Greg Graffin has an interesting approach to performing shows with Bad Religion. Most frontmen, when they get up on stage, expend most of their energy just rocking out while they sing. Graffin definitely rocks the fuck out, but he also gestures conversationally a lot. Like, tapping the side of his head when he's singing lyrics about thinking, or waving his hands queryingly when the lyrics ask a question. He's holding forth up there, giving a lecture while his students jump around and yell the lecture right back at him.
It was a fucking awesome show. Tiny venue--Ram's Head at the Baltimore waterfront. The crowd was maybe 30 bodies deep at the thickest, probably less than 300 people there total--maybe closer to 200. I was crushed right up against the front fence, with Hetson almost kicking me in the face.
What was really awesome was that they didn't play their most famous songs. I think Infected was the most well-known track they played. They did Generator, Fuck Armageddon, Atomic Garden--good songs that you really only hear if you've got the discography. And the crowd knew all the lyrics. FUCK yeah.
It was a fucking awesome show. Tiny venue--Ram's Head at the Baltimore waterfront. The crowd was maybe 30 bodies deep at the thickest, probably less than 300 people there total--maybe closer to 200. I was crushed right up against the front fence, with Hetson almost kicking me in the face.
What was really awesome was that they didn't play their most famous songs. I think Infected was the most well-known track they played. They did Generator, Fuck Armageddon, Atomic Garden--good songs that you really only hear if you've got the discography. And the crowd knew all the lyrics. FUCK yeah.
I found a screener of The Walking Dead's pilot. It's shaping up to be a damn fine television show. I wasn't initially very interested in it, really. It caught my eye because it's based on a long-running comic--which I also haven't ever been very interested in--by Robert Kirkman, who also writes one of the best superhero ongoings around. What I like about The Walking Dead (so far) is that the characters are interesting and played well. The story itself--again, so far--is... well, it's a show about zombies, and this doesn't really deviate from the tried-and-true. You've got the hero waking up in the hospital to find the world overrun by the undead. You've got the husband dealing with his wife becoming a zombie. I guess maybe that's the point of the zombie genre: to take different characters, run them through a familiar process, and see what comes out the other side.
I've never really "gotten" the zombie genre, and I think I know why, now. Zombie movies/shows/comics are about the breakdown of society. Strip away the zombie mythos, and the basic question a zombie movie asks is, "What if most of the people in your society wanted to kill you?"
This is going to sound preachy, and it probably is, but that's a kinda privileged question to wonder about. I mean, if somebody made a movie about the trauma experienced by a billionaire who suddenly becomes a millionaire, it might be hard for most of us to dredge up any sympathy for the guy, right? In the same vein, if the dead began to rise in a couple of villages in, say, DR Congo, would anybody even notice?
I've never really "gotten" the zombie genre, and I think I know why, now. Zombie movies/shows/comics are about the breakdown of society. Strip away the zombie mythos, and the basic question a zombie movie asks is, "What if most of the people in your society wanted to kill you?"
This is going to sound preachy, and it probably is, but that's a kinda privileged question to wonder about. I mean, if somebody made a movie about the trauma experienced by a billionaire who suddenly becomes a millionaire, it might be hard for most of us to dredge up any sympathy for the guy, right? In the same vein, if the dead began to rise in a couple of villages in, say, DR Congo, would anybody even notice?
Fucking Weeds. I'm not normally one for comedy shows, even dramedy, but this show is just excellent. Problem is, it's like 10 episodes per season, and it's a frickin' half hour show. In order to get in an 80-minute workout, I have to watch three episodes, which means I'll be finished with the series by this time next month.
Oh well. Maybe I'll just watch this for an hour and a half a day while I exercise:
Oh well. Maybe I'll just watch this for an hour and a half a day while I exercise:
