sundries

[rm]

A dueling society is a polite society. Seriously, without advocating violence in any way, shape or form, I need to note that as I listen to the batshit insanity that is the healthcare debate (and it's not about healthcare, it's about insurance. I don't want affordable insurance; I want affordable, responsive healthcare that doesn't think the way to cut costs is to tell me, as a woman, that it's all in my head) that once upon a not very long time ago, calling someone out as a liar, particularly someone who was not lying, in public, was grounds for a duel at dawn. So would have been casting aspersions about place of birth, religious adherence and the personal grooming habits of one's children. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE DISCOURSE, and I feel like people are engaging in it simply because there are apparently no repercussions whatsoever. It appalls me.

[ETA: Okay, before anyone else rants at me about dueling -- yes, I know that was a shitty solution too, as traditions of honor were largely used as ways to provoke fights and skill at violence often won out over who was actually correct. Please remember that I'm a student of classical and historical fencing, and that sometimes I'm slightly wry about it. Historically speaking, if one calls "you're a liar" it had to be dealt with, as, at minimum, someone trying to start a fight -- this is my point. Today it's just dealt with as a somehow reasonable part of the political discourse.]

[ETA2: I am not misquoting Heinlein. I am repeating a remark that has often been the subject of discussion in my fencing salle.]

Okay, we are not going on the Cunard cruise. The scheduling is too complicated with Patty's school obligations. But! We're already seriously looking at another cruise that leaves from NYC in early January and are going to talk through some other options this weekend and then just get it booked.

While we were away, someone was stabbed to death in front of our subway stop at 9:45 at night.

I am writing Jack/Weeping Angels for the omnijaxual fest.

My mood is somewhat better than yesterday, but still wonky.

In a moment of temporal hilarity, it seems the next DWNY meetup featuring a special guest is at the same time as the Nick Cave reading on Monday. Inconvenient, but amusing.

I'd like to finish the Bristol abstract tonight.

Okay, I see my friendslist getting all excited about S2 of their new favorite cracky show, Merlin, but do I really need to tell you there will be one or two gutting deaths at the end of this season, and then when they bring it back for S3, it'll actually appear to be well-crafted television drama which will end with Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies? Only the Slash!Dragon will survive. Oh Torchwood, you have scarred me.

Comments

[penguineggs.livejournal.com]

Without getting into the whole ethics of duelling thing, I think - with respect - that there's a bit of subtext which might be worth looking at. You state

I need to note that as I listen to the batshit insanity that is the healthcare debate ...that once upon a not very long time ago, calling someone out as a liar, particularly someone who was not lying, in public, was grounds for a duel at dawn. So would have been casting aspersions about place of birth, religious adherence and the personal grooming habits of one's children.

Now, that's true - but with a very important caveat. In duelling societies (and I have to say I know more about European duelling than US conventions on it, so I'm open to being corrected here) a gentleman only duelled with his equals. "I will send my friends to wait upon your friends" implied that everyone was in the same rank of society. One of the biggest ways of marking someone as a social inferior was publicly to carry out an act against them which would automatically entitle one's social equal to challenge you(getting ruffians to horsewhip them was one, but calling them a liar direct will do nicely).

That is, my reading (and I could be way off) is that in calling Obama a liar Wilson isn't just relying on duelling being dead to get away with it - he's ritually identifying Obama as someone not eligible to duel with him, even if society did still tolerate the custom.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Agree with your statements about dueling in general, and I admit I wondered to what extent the outburst had a racial implication in the context that historically speaking Obama would not be of a class entitled to certain arms or participation in duels. But then I decided I was over-thinking it, since I'm not sure how calculated the outburst was. But I agree it's entirely possible that that's what was happening there. Which, of course, only makes it more appalling.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

I like to give Mike hell about it, because as much as things in Texas are often weird, South Carolina is really giving us a run for our money in the ranks of crackpot politicians.

Based on what I've read in the past about the Congressman, I don't think he's smart enough. He just has the bad manners of all the racist psychopaths currently running amok.

I wondered to what extent the outburst had a racial implication

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

I haven't wondered about it. I'm convinced the far right simply doesn't believe that they have to be polite to a black man. Way down where it counts.

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

Calculated or not, I am certain the action was informed by racism.

[sethg]

It is probably very relevant, then, that Congressman Wilson is a former aide to the late Senator Strom Thurmond, and that when the news broke (after Thurmond's death) that Thurmond and his African-American maid had had an affair which led to a daughter... sorry for the mangled syntax there... anyway, when the news broke, Wilson called it "unseemly" and "a smear" against Thurmond and said that even if it was true (not that the truth of the story was ever disputed), the daughter should have kept it to herself. More details and links here.

Indeed, the Congressman aspires to be, shall we say, a Southern gentleman of the old school.

Duelling is out of fashion, but there is always censure.

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

Having an affair (when it involves cheating on one's vows, not just having a romance unsanctioned by marriage) *is* unseemly, whomever the affair is with.


Telling someone the circumstances of her own birth should be kept secret because letting it become public that her father did *something he actually did* is more important than her own life .... is shameful.

(And I should be embarrassed at the grammar of both of the above sentences. But not of their sentiments!)

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

Not worthy of one's sword, yes.