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TESTEMONAIL:  Right and Discordianism allows room for personal interpretation. You have your theories and I have mine. Unlike Christianity, Discordia allows room for ideas and opinions, and mine is well-informed and based on ancient philosophy and theology, so, my neo-Discordian friends, open your minds to my interpretation and I will open my mind to yours. That's fair enough, right? Just claiming to be discordian should mean that your mind is open and willing to learn and share ideas. You guys are fucking bashing me and your laughing at my theologies and my friends know what's up and are laughing at you and honestly this is my last shot at putting a label on my belief structure and your making me lose all hope of ever finding a ideological group I can relate to because you don't even know what the fuck I'm talking about and everything I have said is based on the founding principals of real Discordianism. Expand your mind.

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rhetoric for dummies

Started by Dido, April 17, 2008, 03:54:04 PM

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Dido

If, instead of asking "What makes life meaningful for you?" you say "What would you say where the things around which your life was centered in the last seven to eight years"? you might provoke some people to laugh. If you ask what was funny about it they might tell you that they cannot answer anything but "Partying, Eating, Fucking"*.

They might then proceed to inform you that of course there are loftier** motives in their lives and that it was the way you phrased your question that produced that trite answer.

Try to answer to that in a way that will not insult those hypothetical persons.

Modification for beginners and very advanced students of the art: That will not insult them immediately.



*That´s a triple f in German btw. Is there any arcane system of mental enfeeblement where that would be meaningful?

** I never thought of the inferior/superior motif dichotomy until they mentioned it.

hooplala

Quote from: Dido on April 17, 2008, 03:54:04 PMModification for beginners and very advanced students of the art: That will not insult them immediately.

I don't understand this line.  Could you rephrase, or elaborate, please?
"Soon all of us will have special names" — Professor Brian O'Blivion

"Now's not the time to get silly, so wear your big boots and jump on the garbage clowns." — Bob Dylan?

"Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)"
— Walt Whitman

hunter s.durden

I didn't understand who I would be trying not to insult...

Then I figured a game where I don't insult probably isn't for me.
This space for rent.

hooplala

Quote from: hunter s.durden on April 17, 2008, 04:11:30 PM
I didn't understand who I would be trying not to insult...

Then I figured a game where I don't insult probably isn't for me.

I thought the point was the insult them without them realizing it?  Maybe I missed the point?
"Soon all of us will have special names" — Professor Brian O'Blivion

"Now's not the time to get silly, so wear your big boots and jump on the garbage clowns." — Bob Dylan?

"Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)"
— Walt Whitman

Dido

Quote from: Hoopla on April 17, 2008, 04:26:36 PM
Quote from: hunter s.durden on April 17, 2008, 04:11:30 PM
I didn't understand who I would be trying not to insult...

Then I figured a game where I don't insult probably isn't for me.

I thought the point was the insult them without them realizing it?  Maybe I missed the point?

No, that was the point.  The reactions of people who realize belatedly that they have been insulted (and did not notice, did maybe even acquiesce, believing that you where telling them something nice or polite) are priceless. imo.

Mesozoic Mister Nigel

Quote from: Dido on April 17, 2008, 03:54:04 PM
If, instead of asking "What makes life meaningful for you?" you say "What would you say where the things around which your life was centered in the last seven to eight years"? you might provoke some people to laugh. If you ask what was funny about it they might tell you that they cannot answer anything but "Partying, Eating, Fucking"*.

They might then proceed to inform you that of course there are loftier** motives in their lives and that it was the way you phrased your question that produced that trite answer.

Try to answer to that in a way that will not insult those hypothetical persons.

Modification for beginners and very advanced students of the art: That will not insult them immediately.



*That´s a triple f in German btw. Is there any arcane system of mental enfeeblement where that would be meaningful?

** I never thought of the inferior/superior motif dichotomy until they mentioned it.

Wow, I don't think I know any of those people. The most likely answers I would receive from my friends would be "Raising my kids", "Working on the house", "Finishing my degree", "Building my business", "Getting better at my art" and things along those lines.
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."


Faust

got the other end of the spectrum.
"death"

Faust
~really has to get something more interesting to be preoccupied with.
Sleepless nights at the chateau

e

Quote from: Dido on April 17, 2008, 03:54:04 PM
*That´s a triple f in German btw. Is there any arcane system of mental enfeeblement where that would be meaningful?


Drinkin', Dancin', Doin' it?

Jenne

Quote from: Nigel on April 17, 2008, 10:10:58 PM
Quote from: Dido on April 17, 2008, 03:54:04 PM
If, instead of asking "What makes life meaningful for you?" you say "What would you say where the things around which your life was centered in the last seven to eight years"? you might provoke some people to laugh. If you ask what was funny about it they might tell you that they cannot answer anything but "Partying, Eating, Fucking"*.

They might then proceed to inform you that of course there are loftier** motives in their lives and that it was the way you phrased your question that produced that trite answer.

Try to answer to that in a way that will not insult those hypothetical persons.

Modification for beginners and very advanced students of the art: That will not insult them immediately.



*That´s a triple f in German btw. Is there any arcane system of mental enfeeblement where that would be meaningful?

** I never thought of the inferior/superior motif dichotomy until they mentioned it.

Wow, I don't think I know any of those people. The most likely answers I would receive from my friends would be "Raising my kids", "Working on the house", "Finishing my degree", "Building my business", "Getting better at my art" and things along those lines.

Me too.  But these people still party.

Mesozoic Mister Nigel

Quote from: Jenne on April 21, 2008, 05:39:26 AM

Me too.  But these people still party.

Likewise... but it's a peripheral enjoyment for them. Then again, a good portion of my friends are Jewish, partying seems kind of built into the religion.  :lulz: (Hung over from last night's Passover seder)
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."


Jenne

Quote from: Nigel on April 21, 2008, 05:33:02 PM
Quote from: Jenne on April 21, 2008, 05:39:26 AM

Me too.  But these people still party.

Likewise... but it's a peripheral enjoyment for them. Then again, a good portion of my friends are Jewish, partying seems kind of built into the religion.  :lulz: (Hung over from last night's Passover seder)

tr00f.  See, my husband's people on his dad's side pretend they don't party and so are all over hypocritical fucktards.  My mom's people, same deal.  The people in between, my husband's mom's fam and my dad's side, they like life or at least the least fucked up parts of it, and they show it.

What's lovely is when you find a group of individuals who know the difference between pissing away good times by being too focused on what's good and right (and that makes you never want to be near ANYone you're related to, EVER), and pissing away what's good for you by destroying brain cells.

Both sides of the coin are too fluffy.  On denies goals, the other the darkside of fun.  Marry the two, and you have a happy balance.

Damn, that sounds like just so much bullshit, but it's all I've got for the now.  *shrug*

Mesozoic Mister Nigel

Quote from: Jenne on April 22, 2008, 01:05:11 AM

Both sides of the coin are too fluffy.  On denies goals, the other the darkside of fun.  Marry the two, and you have a happy balance.


I like this.
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."