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Longest Thread Ever

I have a question for you, babe.
I was reading about the life of Helen Keller and I get that she was taught language through signing into her hands. I can understand her learning language for concrete objects or actions without sight or hearing, but how does she learn language for abstract and political concepts like freedom or justice?

I can speak to this point from my own experience. Being blind does not incapacitate human intelligence in any way. To the contrary, it stimulates the brain centers involved in imagination and abstract reason. Having no objective observable visual world increases the information a blind person will "see" through physical contact and hearing. Being deaf as well as blind, I imagine, would free the brain centers processing inputs to make even more out of physical contacts. . . . such as interpreting the vibrations of the stage when people are cheering. . . .

Helen Keller was, more to the point, "worked on" by political activists who wished to exploit her as a public spokeswoman for "change". Maybe an example of shameful exploitation of someone who was uniquely vulnerable. It is entirely possible she had no idea about the extended implications of the vacuous platitudes she was taught to say.

How many people inundated with the whole spectrum of political rhetoric have the same notion of "freedom" or "justice"???? In a state-mediated climate of ideology "freedom" can mean anything from unshackled jackbooted police who can do anything they want to you. . . . .. through an infinite number of specific outrages a "majority" can impose on "minorities" of any description. Even in the example of the American Experiment, "Freedom" meant that the colonists were no longer restricted or restrained from settling "Indian" lands vouchsafed to the partners of the British fur traders. In fact, because the Indians sided with the British during the American Revolution, the Indians were effectively removed from the colonists' narrow list of persons entitled to their rights at all. American "Freedom" was not something the Indians won for themselves, they in fact fought against the idea, and thereby lost their rights to it. Even Lincoln was still huge on occupying Indian territory and pushing genocide against the redskins while issuing the Emancipation Proclamation for the blacks.

The term "Freedom" has generally been treated as a narrow argument for those invoking it as their ideal, while taking it from others. "Justice" has had the same use.
 
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Seeing as it's the 200th page of this thread (more or less), can someone give us a quick run down discussions and what the conclusions where?

Bullet points would suffice.

I like this opportunity. I bet I can quote this about one thousand times in order to properly rehash this whole thread. I could possibly just do a few cannon rounds about the major points. . . . . but I was asked for bullet points. And, well, I intend to go beyond the mile compelled and maybe do BB points. . . . .
 
but, first of all, since this is the middle post of the current page, I'll need to bury this point first of all.

I have escaped, and am heading for the hills. As soon as my girls get home. All is well at the hospital, and we are on the mend, with good prospects for many years to come.
 
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Official Notice

I'm "Movin' on Up". . . ..

when I come back, Bronco, it will be your turn. I think it would be nice of you to do a little extra posting. . . . a duel of sorts. . . a battle of the bands. .. . er.. .. . posters. Make it a contest. Well, maybe you could do what PKM has done. . . . .. while I post 2000, he does 6000, even when I'm trying my best. . . .

Well, I guess my days of passing former greats who are no longer in the game have pretty well run out. Log is about the only one left.

and I guess I have to expect Franklin back in the leader race in a few months. . . . . any day, really. . . . . at least, I could hope.
 
Seeing as it's the 200th page of this thread (more or less), can someone give us a quick run down discussions and what the conclusions where?

Bullet points would suffice.

The primary conclusion sought for in this discussion is . . . . . . drum roll. . . . . . the air and ambiance of a living room where people can just drop by and say hi, or talk about whatever is on their minds, among a not-necessarily small group of "friends". Open door thread. . . . Living Room Thread. . . . . but pointedly The Longest Thread.
 
Seeing as it's the 200th page of this thread (more or less), can someone give us a quick run down discussions and what the conclusions where?

Bullet points would suffice.

Life is not about "conclusions" really. . . . more to the point it is about "continuity" that somehow embraces all the singular events that come along for no known reason.

This thread is open to any topic, and is a demonstration of the fact that the "topics of the day" do indeed fade into the background, or dissolve into the the stream, of on-going discussion and life itself.
 
Seeing as it's the 200th page of this thread (more or less), can someone give us a quick run down discussions and what the conclusions where?

Bullet points would suffice.

Being a Jazz Fan is effectively a declaration of the supremacy of hope and faith over the overwhelming facts of life. . .. over every perfectly valid point of reason and in fact. . . . over reality itself.

The Cubs did pretty good with this. We can do it better.
 
This thread is about absolutely nothing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQnaRtNMGMI


If you'll scratch a little deeper, the truth is. . . .

This thread is about Everything.

And about burying Everything in a perfect caricature of life. . . .. an overwhelming mass of "nothings".
 
This thread is about absolutely nothing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQnaRtNMGMI


Yep, this thread is about the wider definition of "nothing" entailed in the notion of "everything". . . . . .

and even more to the point, about demonstrating the supremacy of the human spirit over the illusions of sense, physical circumstance, social context, religious belief, scientific fact and established dogma of every kind, and any other judgment of individual significance.

Pretty much like Seinfeld in fact was.
 
Yep, this thread is about the wider definition of "nothing" entailed in the notion of "everything". . . . . .

and even more to the point, about demonstrating the supremacy of the human spirit over the illusions of sense, physical circumstance, social context, religious belief, scientific fact and established dogma of every kind, and any other judgment of individual significance.

Pretty much like Seinfeld in fact was.

Seinfeld was pretty good at elevating the characters above the nothingness of their existence. . . . as they might have appeared to someone who thinks people need to have some point or another. . . ..


and showed that in fact people do matter more than anything else. . . . .
 
Seinfeld was pretty good at elevating the characters above the nothingness of their existence. . . . as they might have appeared to someone who thinks people need to have some point or another. . . ..


and showed that in fact people do matter more than anything else. . . . .

this thread is even more to the point that people can be people, and just be happy being what they are. . . .. free spirits.
 
I have a question for you, babe.
I was reading about the life of Helen Keller and I get that she was taught language through signing into her hands. I can understand her learning language for concrete objects or actions without sight or hearing, but how does she learn language for abstract and political concepts like freedom or justice?


I can hardly convey the sense of things from the point of view of a person who is suddenly reduced to a pretty vegetative condition. .. . losing sense of touch, sight, taste, as well as the ability to normally digest food. walking reduced to some kind of exercise consisting of finding something to lean on or roll over somehow. And yet the main concern was having eyes to read. . . . . something to think about. . . ..

but even in that, the fact was I realized I was more than all I had lost, and what I was seemed like a jewel just washed out of the mud of everything I had thought valuable just a few days before. . . .. I lost my fear of death then. I lost my need to prove myself to anyone. I knew I was more than a set of bones, brains, muscle or organs...... I knew I had an intrinsic value above anything most people cared about.

yah, I got my abilities pretty much back, and have done a lot with them. But I can hardly tell anyone who hasn't "Been There" what really matters.

"Being There" is a fantastic book for a take off point about what our present world is all about. . . . .
 
I can speak to this point from my own experience. Being blind does not incapacitate human intelligence in any way. To the contrary, it stimulates the brain centers involved in imagination and abstract reason. Having no objective observable visual world increases the information a blind person will "see" through physical contact and hearing. Being deaf as well as blind, I imagine, would free the brain centers processing inputs to make even more out of physical contacts. . . . such as interpreting the vibrations of the stage when people are cheering. . . .

Helen Keller was, more to the point, "worked on" by political activists who wished to exploit her as a public spokeswoman for "change". Maybe an example of shameful exploitation of someone who was uniquely vulnerable. It is entirely possible she had no idea about the extended implications of the vacuous platitudes she was taught to say.

How many people inundated with the whole spectrum of political rhetoric have the same notion of "freedom" or "justice"???? In a state-mediated climate of ideology "freedom" can mean anything from unshackled jackbooted police who can do anything they want to you. . . . .. through an infinite number of specific outrages a "majority" can impose on "minorities" of any description. Even in the example of the American Experiment, "Freedom" meant that the colonists were no longer restricted or restrained from settling "Indian" lands vouchsafed to the partners of the British fur traders. In fact, because the Indians sided with the British during the American Revolution, the Indians were effectively removed from the colonists' narrow list of persons entitled to their rights at all. American "Freedom" was not something the Indians won for themselves, they in fact fought against the idea, and thereby lost their rights to it. Even Lincoln was still huge on occupying Indian territory and pushing genocide against the redskins while issuing the Emancipation Proclamation for the blacks.

The term "Freedom" has generally been treated as a narrow argument for those invoking it as their ideal, while taking it from others. "Justice" has had the same use.

I realize she was an intelligent and inquisitive child, but I don't understand how abstract concepts were learned merely through touch. I can see how a blind person could learn concepts through hearing, or a hearing person learn them through sight. The only conclusion I could come up with for her use of these concepts she couldn't experience through touch would be that it was puppetry and exploitation as you stated.

You make great points on your elaboration of the concepts of freedom and justice.
 
I can hardly convey the sense of things from the point of view of a person who is suddenly reduced to a pretty vegetative condition. .. . losing sense of touch, sight, taste, as well as the ability to normally digest food. walking reduced to some kind of exercise consisting of finding something to lean on or roll over somehow. And yet the main concern was having eyes to read. . . . . something to think about. . . ..

but even in that, the fact was I realized I was more than all I had lost, and what I was seemed like a jewel just washed out of the mud of everything I had thought valuable just a few days before. . . .. I lost my fear of death then. I lost my need to prove myself to anyone. I knew I was more than a set of bones, brains, muscle or organs...... I knew I had an intrinsic value above anything most people cared about.

yah, I got my abilities pretty much back, and have done a lot with them. But I can hardly tell anyone who hasn't "Been There" what really matters.

"Being There" is a fantastic book for a take off point about what our present world is all about. . . . .

That really is a beautiful reply.

I am reading a novel called The Still Point of a Turning World about a mother who is confronted with a Tay-Sach's diagnosis for her child. The author does a powerful job of expressing the experience of going through a radical change in viewpoint about the value of a life, the purpose of parenting, etc.

Thanks for the book recommendation.
 
Been gone for a couple of days. Did I miss anything?
Err, let me rephrase that...did I miss anything important or even of limited value?
 
Been gone for a couple of days. Did I miss anything?
Err, let me rephrase that...did I miss anything important or even of limited value?

dunno what is of value, limited or otherwise, to you. We missed you.

bring your best in here, and we'll make it worthwhile.
 
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