Comments on: Is It Something in the Water? Or: Me Tarzan, You Ape http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712 New Words, New Worlds Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:24:25 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Athena http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-55037 Athena Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:24:53 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-55037 I could reply with the standard Nietzschean quote, "Whatever does not destroy you makes you stronger", but I recognize it's insultingly facile. There are things that people never recover from. Psychological bullying at school can be damaging. Even so, it's not on par with physical torture, sexual abuse, the death of a child, taking part in a savage war. We can at least try to get over being laughed at -- and we often succeed. We cannot get over being maimed or killed. I could reply with the standard Nietzschean quote, “Whatever does not destroy you makes you stronger”, but I recognize it’s insultingly facile. There are things that people never recover from. Psychological bullying at school can be damaging. Even so, it’s not on par with physical torture, sexual abuse, the death of a child, taking part in a savage war. We can at least try to get over being laughed at — and we often succeed. We cannot get over being maimed or killed.

]]> By: Sad Excuse for a Human Being http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-55031 Sad Excuse for a Human Being Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:37:14 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-55031 "[L]aughter doesn’t imprison, mutilate or kill you." Not quite true: I have 30 odd years later the psychological scars (and I am irreversibly screwed up) from being laughed at from day one at school (nice, psychological bullying); if I hear someone laughing in the street, my first thought is still that they are laughing at me. I much prefer cats to people these days. “[L]aughter doesn’t imprison, mutilate or kill you.” Not quite true: I have 30 odd years later the psychological scars (and I am irreversibly screwed up) from being laughed at from day one at school (nice, psychological bullying); if I hear someone laughing in the street, my first thought is still that they are laughing at me. I much prefer cats to people these days.

]]> By: Athena http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-45156 Athena Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:17:09 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-45156 Gary, welcome. Chomsky is not really relevant to the topic of this discussion and I'm not familiar enough with his views vis-à-vis Cambodia to have an opinion. What I can say is that 1) his theories of language are so simplistic that I deem they don't merit study any longer and 2) the couple of his books I read were indeed incoherent. So my view of him has nothing to do with his politics, especially given that I'm firmly on the left myself -- as <a href="http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=797" rel="nofollow">several</a> of my <a href="http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=89" rel="nofollow">articles</a> will attest. Gary, welcome. Chomsky is not really relevant to the topic of this discussion and I’m not familiar enough with his views vis-à-vis Cambodia to have an opinion. What I can say is that 1) his theories of language are so simplistic that I deem they don’t merit study any longer and 2) the couple of his books I read were indeed incoherent. So my view of him has nothing to do with his politics, especially given that I’m firmly on the left myself — as several of my articles will attest.

]]> By: Gary D http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-45154 Gary D Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:17:18 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-45154 Very late but wanted to urge people to decide for themselves about one part of these comments. The right is unbalanced about Noam Chomsky as about many things. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/noam-chomsky-you-ask-the-questions-413678.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Noam_Chomsky See particularly Cambodia although it needs cleaning up. Very late but wanted to urge people to decide for themselves about one part of these comments.

The right is unbalanced about Noam Chomsky as about many things.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/noam-chomsky-you-ask-the-questions-413678.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Noam_Chomsky

See particularly Cambodia although it needs cleaning up.

]]> By: Athena http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-44371 Athena Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:10:44 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-44371 Thanks for linking and letting me know! A mess in itself, indeed -- but also sadly emblematic of the larger and persistent problem. Thanks for linking and letting me know! A mess in itself, indeed — but also sadly emblematic of the larger and persistent problem.

]]> By: delagar http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-44370 delagar Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:49:46 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-44370 I linked this, too -- also via the comment at Strange Horizons. I've been following the whole Ashley mess. Here: http://delagar.blogspot.com/2009/09/sf-feminism-again.html I linked this, too — also via the comment at Strange Horizons. I’ve been following the whole Ashley mess.

Here:

http://delagar.blogspot.com/2009/09/sf-feminism-again.html

]]> By: Athena http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-44300 Athena Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:00:20 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-44300 Welcome, Susan. Thank you for the link, and I hope you enjoy reading the Astrogator's Logs! And there's more in the <a href="http://www.starshipnivan.com/stories/" rel="nofollow">Stories section</a>. Welcome, Susan. Thank you for the link, and I hope you enjoy reading the Astrogator’s Logs! And there’s more in the Stories section.

]]> By: Legible Susan http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-44299 Legible Susan Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:57:38 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-44299 Manual trackback: I've quoted you at <a href="http://susanreads.dreamwidth.org/7296.html" rel="nofollow">A new blog to read; updates on ongoing discussions</a> and added you to my Bloglines. (Here via your comment at Strange Horizons) Manual trackback: I’ve quoted you at A new blog to read; updates on ongoing discussions
and added you to my Bloglines. (Here via your comment at Strange Horizons)

]]> By: Athena http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-44295 Athena Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:22:44 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-44295 Heh, heh. Remind me to show you my novel that has a happily polyandrous culture. Heh, heh. Remind me to show you my novel that has a happily polyandrous culture.

]]> By: Walden2 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712&cpage=1#comment-44293 Walden2 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:07:36 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=712#comment-44293 Seeing as most SF is still dominated by white Western males with sad social lives, this isn't too much of a shock. Maybe we need more androgynous authors to bridge the gap. :^) You are making definite inroads with your culture-changing perspectives, though, please note Athena. Not that I wasn't already aware of all this stuff, ya know - cough. Seeing as most SF is still dominated by white Western males with sad social lives, this isn’t too much of a shock.

Maybe we need more androgynous authors to bridge the gap. :^)

You are making definite inroads with your culture-changing perspectives, though, please note Athena. Not that I wasn’t already aware of all this stuff, ya know – cough.

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