My friend (I don't know him from a hole in the wall) says here, "The incentive to create will never disappear." I would truly like to believe that. When I was younger (that can't be too long ago) I would bore everyone how the world would turn out just like Star Trek: moneyless and still productive (adventurously so). But in my old age, and my experience in public service in a woefully urban and busy (and "hip") location, has turned my optimism sour. A little. I am beginning to suspect that the truth of humanity is not so bright, that people will not and do not rise to the occasion. I wish it were so. But I see so many people (smart, respected, well-educated people) that have NO curiosity, no adventure, no wonder, no interest in even the things around them. I'm not expecting theoretical physicists here. Just a little exploration of the world around them. In their jobs they are content to do just what's expected. Nothing more. And this is true in their personal lives, their entertainment, their family, etc. Just what everyone else does. No more. Maybe less. Sniff.
Two problems with the world: Not organized enough and not information enough. Both problems librarians should be able to help with. But they don't really. Not as much as they should. A lot of people would say they don't help at all. So, that will be my life's work. Or maybe not. At least I'll think about the problem a little bit. Hmmmm...
Watched three movies over the weekend! (I got a bunch of work done too. Get off my back.)
Mystery Men: This was on cable and I hadn't watched it in a while. Always a fan of superheros, This is a good homage/parody to the superhero/comic book movie, being funny and action-y as well. I always like Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo is a class act, but the real star of this movie is William H. Macy. One thing that really impresses me about this movie is that it includes an interracial marriage and (here's the impressive part) it is NOT part of the plot. It just is. So many movies seem afraid to do this unless it's a vital part of the story but Mystery Men has and presents it as the most normal thing in the world. Which it is.
Fahrenheit 9/11: Borrowed this from the library on a whim. (Usually it's too time consuming to battle my way through the crowds and the cramped room just to borrow a movie.) Very good. Not as controversial as everyone was saying. Hell, I've heard most of it all before and if I didn't it wasn't a surprise. And I don't really blame the government for the stupid things they do. That's human nature. If any of us were in the government, we'd would be doing exactly the same stupid things. This is the way we work. We're lazy, short-sighted, and selfish. Even when we try not to be. The government works in pretty much the same way as every large corporation. All the little people think all the big people are idiots and they could do better. Then they become the big people and the cycle continues. The big thing that bothered me was that one of the senators or congressman or whatever said that they don't read the bills. Now, that comes across like a teenager saying he/she doesn't do his/her homework. Not a surprise but rather disappointing. The worst was that he was aghast at the suggestion that they would be expected to read every bill. Maybe if the bills were a little less complicated and better thought through and actually read, everything would work a little better. Pah! You wish.
Bruce Almighty: Also a whim from the library. Funny movie. As most Jim Carrey movies are. Although some people might be tempted to dismiss (or devotedly watch) this as a religious movie (cuz' he talks to and becomes God), I think it has a bigger message. (Yes, sometimes you can get a moral in a comedy.) As trite as it is, we should all try to be a little less ready to place blame. We have free will (or at least it seems like we do) and we use it everyday (or at least we think we do). That means we take responsibility for the things we do. Think before you do. Think after you do. Think while you do. Just think. Your brain might hurt for the first few weeks, just like when you're in the hospital and you don't use your legs for a while. But you'll get your balance. And when you do, I'll see you out on the track. Running. Not being a hurdle for others.
Whew.
Although I'm a librarian, I do watch TV. It seems like everyday I hear some disparaging remark about TV, how horrible it is, how mindless it is, what a waste of time it is. An that's all true. For the most part. Yes, the majority of TV is garbage. But there is great stuff on TV. I know I don't have to defend this to everyone, but you know who you are who need to be convinced. I'm talking to the onees that blame TV for almost everything, from the low literacy of our people to the violence we see everyday (on the TV). And of course, it doesn't help. It could, but at the very least, you can't say that it is the only culprit or even the major culprit.
I put the blame on us. You could watch the most boring/disgusting/useless crap on TV (choose which adjective you like) but if we only TALKED about it more it might actually become useful. Even bad input can ba made good if it leads to discussion and consideration of alternatives and relection on what we do and think. Good can come from bad. You just have to put some muscle into it, people! Hustle!
Whaddya think?
I sat across from two women on the subway today showing each other baby gifts they had bought, supposedly for some mutual friend or relative's child. (They spoke Spanish, and although I have lived in the New York area for over 4 years now, I have not picked up enough to understand.) These were obviously for some newborn or young child (the presents were two tiny bibs and tiny sandles) and yet these people had to buy their gifts at the World of Disney and the Gap respectively. WHY?!?! Why obviously spend money in those two stores when you could get just the same quality at a cheaper store. Baby things DO NOT LAST. That child will burst out of those shoes faster than cat in a open cage. They'll be lucky to get use them more than a half-dozen times. And the bibs... when a baby is big enough to make a mess when eating, one of those tiny little bibs will be like a sponge holding back the mighty Mississippi!
Not to mention that they were really really tacky. Anyway.
I love the smell of oranges. I think everyone does. Even people who don't like oranges. The only problem with oranges is that it takes a lot of work to get to the fruit: peeling off the rind, picking at all the little white things, pulling it apart. I know some people just cut it in wedges and bite out the meat. I wish I was one of those people.
This concludes my brief stream of consciousness on oranges.
You HAVE to read this article. This is the article that defines my entire academic/theoretical interest range: epistemology, technology, information, and thinking people are stupid. Ok, just kidding on that last one. *laugh* I don't necessarily agree with everything in it but the topic hits the marks perfectly. People too often claim knowledge in situations that they have no right to do. And it's not only just the thinking and the knowing that's cluttered up with belief/assumptions/etc. but also most of our communication isn't clear enough. Text books, newspapers, signs, policy and procedure manual, etc. It's surprising we get anything done!
Read this article the other day. Interesting article not to be taken at face value about the "empires" of the past (and present) but it made me think about how our politicians don't seem to really try to work on "real" problems. They may pop up as an issue to be considered every now and then but after a short amount of time in the spotlight, they are replaced by something else, something more flashy. This article tells all about how poverty is really the true cause of terrorism (as well as other evils) and without discussing the veracity of this claim, it can be agreed that poverty is a real issue and one that does not get enough attention.
There are millions of people in the world (in every country) that do not get enough to eat, clothe themselves with, live in, and generally survive on. And what do many politicians do? Let's talk about gay people shouldn't get married, or how people on the other side of the world may be thinking bad of us, or how the UN is just getting in the way. Let's complain about problems that may or may not affect us instead of finding solutions to problems that affect us or the people next door every single day.
Anyway, back to my cushy office job.
I was watching the Daily Show last night and he had author Tom Fenton ("Bad News") on talking about how the news services (TV and in print) are ripping us off, not providing as much information as they used to. I don't think this is entirely true. It's certainly true that the media do not seem as "principled" as they once were, but then again, when your service is guided by an unwritten code of ethics, there tends to be a gap that filled with bias. Essentially, each reporter/editor can say this is good news and this is bad news, this is fit to print and this is not. This obviously results in "trash" be untold of but this trash can include things that are worthwhile. Now, they still don't try to "get it all" but instead of the bias of the man behind the desk, they are guided by the bias of the public. News now gives people what they want. Still not perfect but at least you can't blame the profession. WE are to blame. So there.
It's cold and blustery and everyone is miserable except for me. I love this kind of weather. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the blistering wind blowing through my coat and biting my face just like everyone else, but I always find that cold weather makes me want to do more. When it's hot, I feel lazy and don't want to do anything, but the cold makes me want to run around and accomplish everything. I'm temperature bipolar!
I read about some guy trashing Mr. Hart from Project Gutenberg for saying that PG has given away one trillion ebooks. He was saying that it was misleading and that such "nonsense" is bad for PG's reputation. Ok, so it's a little misleading but not literally so. Although one trillion ebooks have not been used or downloaded or read from PG, since PG has made so many ebooks available to so many people (which adds up to one trillion) it is effectively true that they have "given them away". For example: if you went around and put a dollar on one hundred people's doorsteps, you have given away one hundred dollars, regardless of the fact that those people may not have picked them up, taken them, or even known about it at the time. They are still given away even if they are not received or accepted. Or maybe not. Comments?
I subscribe to the PUBLIB listerv and occasionally there are messages from people complaining about the public checking out primarily "trash", such as movies, romances, CDs, comics, etc. I'm of two minds on this issue but I will say two things about this on the unexpected side (coming from a librarian). One: The classics of today could have been (and many times are) the trash of yesterday. Maybe people are just visionaries. *laugh* And two: Give these people a break. At least they're reading. And if they were all reading classics, what would the "enlightened" people (who must always avoid what the everyman does - of which group I am a member *laugh*) have left to read? They'd (We'd) convince themselves (ourselves) that trash is classic.
