Should I write about "THE THING?"

Because the thing seems so pressing.

Everybody is very nervous about The Thing. The Thing is indicative of who we are as a people. Where you stand on The Thing is an absolute deal breaker if you are on the wrong side.

I honestly would rather not talk about The Thing. The Thing wasn't on the news last week. That time it was Another Thing. And there was a Random Thing before that which killed a few marriages, broke down a few friendships and caused rifts that will never be healed.

I honestly hate The Thing. The Thing keeps me from talking to my friends openly and honestly, keeps me second guessing what is and isn't ok to talk about and generally causes too much stress.

And now, during the Silly season, there will be a NEW Thing every week. A Thing that tell you why you are wrong to think as you do. A Thing that will make you fear your neighbors. A Thing that will rip apart families and make you suspect others.

Of course, there are also things we don't talk about, but I won't mention those things. Because those things get in the way of our day to day life. If we were to address Those Things, everything would have to change. Everything. So we don't pay attention to those things.

But I'm paying attention to Those Things. Those Things that are apparent to anybody who opens a window, talks to their neighbors or takes a walk. Things that don't exist in the imaginary world behind the screens.

Because Those Things have mass. I can touch them, I can feel them. If Those Things are wrong, I know because they cause me or someone I care about pain. And I look around and see that there are a Lot Of Things causing a lot of pain to a lot of people, and people instead talking about The Thing, and demanding that The Thing is more important because it is more visible in the imaginary world behind the Screens.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meU2gAU7Xss]

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The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

detroitmechworks's picture

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

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The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

We can talk about the thing. c99s one and only rule allows it. All it asks is that when we talk about the thing, we respect each person's right to their own version of the thing.

The thing is always there. If not this thing then that thing. If not today then tomorrow.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

detroitmechworks's picture

@dkmich to be only two mutually exclusive versions of The Thing. Even in situations where it's clear there were many versions of the Thing.

If more people would have their own takes on The Thing, it would be great, but numbered grading scales have been lost in the era of Thumbs up and Thumbs down.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@dkmich

a political monoculture.

We have this Thing in Florida called hydrilla. It originated in SE Asia, where there is a dry season that effectively kills it off/back each year. Here, there is no such countervailing force, nor anything that really eats it. It came over in aquariums, placed there by stupid people. Of course, it escaped into our waterways when other stupid people flushed the contents of their aquariums down their toilets.

When this Thing takes hold in a river or a spring, it spreads and spreads and has nothing, really, to keep it in balance (because it shouldn't be here; it should be in SE Asia, goddammit.) So as it flourishes in rivers and springs, and spreads and spreads, it gets so thick that it cuts off the sun. And everything in the water that requires sunlight dies. Everything that isn't hydrilla.

The Thing detroitmechworks describes is basically like hydrilla, except unlike hydrilla, it's not morally neutral (I mean, it's not the hydrilla plant's fault that idiots transplanted it several thousand miles). Hydrilla wasn't maliciously engineered to tear families and friends apart and to set people at each others' throats either. But like hydrilla, The Thing casts a shadow in which all other things wither and die. Which is, as far as I can tell, the second of the three purposes for which it was engineered.

The Thing is designed to set people at each other's throats, to make all other concerns wither and die in its shadow, and to repair the reputations of a lot of powerful people who have done terrible things. Because after all, they can't be that terrible if they oppose The Thing.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

meet Hammer.
Well Done, sirrah!

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Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

detroitmechworks's picture

@Tall Bald and Ugly @Tall Bald and Ugly Wrote a long take on "The Thing" , then realized that what I really wanted to write was this.

Edit: Forgot two words

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@Tall Bald and Ugly
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X3m1jNCA-s]

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detroitmechworks's picture

@ChezJfrey Learning how to swing it... now there's a challenge.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEMMVHAINFM]

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Daenerys's picture

@detroitmechworks @detroitmechworks First thing I thought of. (Warning: slightly graphic)
[video:https://youtu.be/M-PMeVH3l3Y?t=157]

(I now have decent internet again, which means I can YouTube all the things again! :D)

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This shit is bananas.

@ChezJfrey No ear worm for Me!
Thanks!

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Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

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detroitmechworks's picture

@TB mare And I'd Like to Close with a Hymn...

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEKDYIYMgBc]

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Anja Geitz's picture

Once enforced. Once followed. Allows the spigot of enjoyable conversations to flow.

Today, I will thank a co-worker for the beautiful movie he recommended. Tomorrow, I will talk about the delicious things I do with spiralized zucchini to a friend of mine who is looking to eat healthier. This weekend, my neighbor, who is also an assemblyman in our district, will come by and pick the ripe grapefruits in our garden and I will tell him about my visit to the Santa Anita Race Track as he is a horse race enthusiast.

No. Political. Conversations. Allowed.

Easy. Peasy.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

detroitmechworks's picture

@Anja Geitz I would like to add a corollary these days to kindly ask that Phones be not consulted during conversation. They have a nasty habit of ruining the best times.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKF2oc9h3o4]

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Anja Geitz's picture

@detroitmechworks

A co-worker of mine with teenage children strictly enforces that rule by having everyone put their devices in a little decorated basket when they sit down for dinner. That includes her children's friends as well. No exceptions. People have conversations at the dinner table by actually looking at each other. What a novel idea!

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Anja Geitz

Since we came here to have political conversations. I think we have to push back against Thing politics somehow, somewhere. But I do get that your rule would limit the influence of the Thing, put some concrete walls up to inhibit its spread.

It's just unfortunate that your (quite necessary) rule requires that we basically have the opposite of what Occupy provided, and which, I think, was one of Occupy's greatest threats to the elite: all kinds of Americans were talking to each other, publicly, about the economic and political conditions of their lives, in ways that hadn't happened for over a generation.

The elites didn't care for that, so they poisoned the well.

Just my opinion. That said, once the well is poisoned, we have to take steps to keep from being poisoned, like you've done.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Anja Geitz's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

Is the rub. Which you've once again illustrated so perfectly.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

by not speaking of the thing itself, is more obvious. Defines what is lost by moving on. To the next thing.

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detroitmechworks's picture

@QMS Full of Sound Bites and Accusations, but signifying nothing.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8M8qTclbho]

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

@detroitmechworks

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The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

detroitmechworks's picture

@UntimelyRippd Fortunately I've gotten a LITTLE better about stopping the first time. Smile

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

@detroitmechworks
I represent

Despair thy charm, and let the angel whom thou still hast served
tell thee MacDuff was from his mother's womb untimely rippd.

American Players Theater in Spring Green, WI is doing MacBeth this summer. I am so stoked.

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The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

Anja Geitz's picture

@UntimelyRippd

Well, that just goes to show. I had imagined your name to have a completely different meaning.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

@Anja Geitz
in all of human literature.

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The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

Anja Geitz's picture

@UntimelyRippd

A visit to London many years ago afforded me an opportunity to see a play at the Shakespeare Globe Theater where Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus" was playing. While I enjoyed the spectacle and the organic nature of the performances, I suffered a severe affliction of not understanding what the heck anyone was saying. So, perhaps you might translate your favorite line for me in modern English so that I can comprehend it's meaning?

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

@Anja Geitz pardon my butting in, I don't know what Untimely's story is but thank you both for inspiring me to search up this site, I like it: No Fear Shakespeare

MACDUFF
You can forget about your charm. The evil spirit you serve can tell you that I was not born. They cut me out of my mother’s womb before she could bear me naturally.

huh

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Anja Geitz's picture

@eyo

That's at least a step in the comprehension direction. But, I'm still at a loss what MacDuff is referring to...his immunity to another persons charms? And how has "not being born" enter into it?

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

@Anja Geitz
who hasn't seen the play yet.

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0 users have voted.

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

Anja Geitz's picture

@UntimelyRippd

Just read it. Wow...packs a punch, don't it?

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

@eyo
a brilliant scene in a brilliant play, a brilliant line in a brilliant scene in a brilliant play, and a strange and extraordinary turn of phrase (that, with no context, can evoke all manner of images -- "Untimely Rippd", hmm ...) in a brilliant line in a brilliant scene in a brilliant play.

As for myself, I believe I was a forceps delivery.

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0 users have voted.

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

detroitmechworks's picture

@UntimelyRippd But my favourite play will always be "As You Like It". My first Shakespearean role, and I still to this day love it. (Of course, the story is also about a resistance group fighting against an unlawful usurper... Yeah... it may have influenced my likes and dislikes JUST a bit.

But I will say a word of thanks to Rosalind Zanides, one of the greatest drama teachers I ever had, and a wonderful human being. Because no one dies who is remembered.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

EdMass's picture

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Prof: Nancy! I’m going to Greece!
Nancy: And swim the English Channel?
Prof: No. No. To ancient Greece where burning Sapho stood beside the wine dark sea. Wa de do da! Nancy, I’ve invented a time machine!

Firesign Theater

Stop the War!

detroitmechworks's picture

@EdMass Python always does improve my mood...

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS-0Az7dgRY]

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

to post about your essay. I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed it.

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detroitmechworks's picture

@HenryAWallace Been a good day so far, looking forward to the rest of it. Being thrown around by large men wearing Gis... Smile

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

@HenryAWallace
I mean, it's always something -- if it ain't one thing, it's another ...

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The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

detroitmechworks's picture

@UntimelyRippd on your opinion however you want it on low hanging fruit.

If you like getting yelled at, pick a side.
If you REALLY like getting yelled at, say both sides are guilty.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

@UntimelyRippd

but the fruit, so low it is hanging!

That played in my head with the exclamation, and I actually found myself laughing out loud.

Why? I have no idea why that struck me, but so funny to me.

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@UntimelyRippd

And CSTMS shows just how old she is.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Betteridge's law of headlines sez no, but I sez why not. This is still effing funny to me:
Addams Family TV Show- Thing is Missing

so much symbolism so little time
"I'd give it them all up for just one look at our thing." cousin edit

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detroitmechworks's picture

@eyo Seem to be slightly related. As in nobody seems to know what The Thing is too.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@detroitmechworks

you describe is.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

But that's not okay, is it???

Nothing's worse than being "proud to be ignorant" - it doesn't matter what I DO know, only what I DON'T know about the Latest, Pressing, Trending, THING!

Why do I feel like we've suddenly been taken over by an Orwellian/Bradburian-regime-version of the Lawndale High Fashion Club from Daria?

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In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

detroitmechworks's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat I'm very confident and happy in the limited sphere I choose to involve myself in.

After all, I can't know EVERYTHING. That's the reason most Things I don't like I let sit online. Why waste storage capacity? I'd rather store something more interesting in that headspace. Right now, my RAM is pretty filled with Temperature and Materials theory. Also doing a bit of Logistics.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Shahryar's picture

if we don't talk about the Thing then we probably shouldn't talk about the Next Thing. But all there are are Things which are part of the Bigger Thing. So if we don't talk about the Thing then we risk not talking about the Bigger Thing. If we only talk about the Bigger Thing without relating it to the Thing then it's hard to explain the application of where we stand on the Bigger Thing.

In my opinion, of course.

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detroitmechworks's picture

@Shahryar can't be solved because the Big Thing overshadows Every Thing, it's quite frustrating when talking about the Big Thing bores folks. People think they can't do Any Thing about the Big Thing, as long as nobody talks about the Big Thing, so they talk about the Little Things.

Then people forget that there is a Big Thing that was the entire point of addressing the Little Things. The Little Things get Bigger, because those on the Other side of the Little Thing dig in their heels... and so The Little Thing becomes another Big Thing... That people will no longer address because there's another Facet of Little Things to fight over.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Shahryar's picture

@detroitmechworks

I first noticed this in the 60s. True story!

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Pluto's Republic's picture

@detroitmechworks

Because then it becomes one goddamn Thing after another.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Shahryar

the media to cover up all the other things, and the more impact those other things have on our lives, the more likely the media is to scream about The Thing when they come up.

My way of dealing with it is to refuse to play by the rules of talking about The Thing. That doesn't entirely work because the people on the other end of the conversation can play by those rules and just call me a bad bad person for not doing so. I must be in league with The Thing, or have the wrong opinion about The Thing, or I'd play the Thing Game just as they do.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

When we're talking about the Thing, are we talking about Thing 1, or Thing 2?

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@ChezJfrey @ChezJfrey exactly! Sneetches too.
Sylvester McMonkey McBean

In the book he has ears but in the video he has yellow hair.

Mcbean.jpg
There are no coincidences. lol

A yellow earless monkey who happens to be a "fix-it-up chappie" named Sylvester McMonkey McBean appears and offers the Sneetches without stars the chance to have them with his Green Star-On machine, for three dollars. The treatment is instantly popular, but this upsets the original star-bellied Sneetches, as they are in danger of losing their special status. McBean then tells them about his Star-Off machine, costing ten dollars, and the Sneetches who originally had stars happily pay the money to have them removed in order to remain special. However, McBean does not share the prejudices of the Sneetches, and allows the recently starred Sneetches through this machine as well. Ultimately this escalates, with the Sneetches running from one machine to the next.

This continues until the Sneetches are broke and McBean departs a rich man, amused by their folly, and says to the audience "you can't teach a Sneetch". The narrator then comments that ultimately McBean was wrong, for the Sneeches soon learn that star bellies nor lack of stars cause inferior nor superior status, and they soon all live on the beach as one group.

This essay and all the comments made me LOL a lot this morning, thank you very much. good day
Edit: oops, fixed image path.

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detroitmechworks's picture

@eyo Of course, I took a different moral from the story.

"As long as you have money, some asshole will try to steal it from you."

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

The Thing.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver