Chasing Eris

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Placid Dingo, when you get on, check your PM's.

Everybody else: If he doesn't get on soon, Sondra has requested vile, POTENT Aussie insults. Not for him, for somebody else. Know any good ones?   

[Placid Dingo]

Placid Dingo, when you get on, check your PM's.

Everybody else: If he doesn't get on soon, Sondra has requested vile, POTENT Aussie insults. Not for him, for somebody else. Know any good ones?   

I'm not full of good ideas there. Best I could think of was confusing us with kiwis which can be effective. We love a good insult so it's hard to find an effective one.

[Placid Dingo]

If you get to Norway, I'm interested in being interviewed! I'll most likely have a spare bedroom available.

That would be great! I'm really keen to get to Norway.

[Deepthroat Chopra]

Placid Dingo, when you get on, check your PM's.

Everybody else: If he doesn't get on soon, Sondra has requested vile, POTENT Aussie insults. Not for him, for somebody else. Know any good ones?   

How about -

The Kiwi's that move to Australia raise the average intelligence of both countries.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Reverend Uncle BadTouch.

[Placid Dingo]

OK, I'm setting up a thingy at Pozible as soon as I can photocopy my Drivers License (they're pretty tight on identity). Kickstarter requires a US bank account which I don't have. Posting the image, video and overview because I want to share. Feedback welcome.



VIDEO

Overview

Created in the late 50s, Discordianism is a religion, or a philosophy, or a joke, or a joke disguised as a religion, or a religion disguised as a joke, or all the above, depending on who you talk to. Centred around the (presumably) symbolic worship of the Greco-Roman Goddess Eris/Discordia, the primary text Principia Discordia explores the dichotomy of Order/Disorder, confirmation bias, the nature of life and death, nonsense as salvation and competing views of reality, offering a complexity and sincerity uncharacteristic of other 'parody religions' such as the Church of the Invisible Pink Unicorn or Pastafarianism.

Despite lurking in the shadows of the mainstream, Discordia had had its influence on popular culture. Author Robert Anton Wilson wrote a number of books featuring Discordians. Steve Jobs is anecdotally reported to have performed a Discordian Turkey Curse on an unsuccessful job applicant. The Church of the Subgenius, a parody religion closely related to Discordia, has the visage of 'Bob Dobbs' appearing in multiple places, including Devo video clips and the Melbourne 'Polyester' chain. Stephen Colbert was seduced into joining the nefarious Discordian enemy association The Bavarian Illuminati on his show, and long before Creative Commons, Discordia was exploring Kopyleft as an alternative to traditional copyright models.

The Principia was written around forty years ago. The Apocrypha Discordia, the first major work since the Principia, was released in 2001. Since then there've been numerous creative pieces released, with more major Discordian works released in the last ten years than the first forty combined. There've been Discordian music projects, artworks, magazines, T-shirts, badges. The religion is alive and kicking; but why?

What is it about a 50 year old joke religion that remains so pervasive and inspiring to its followers? What has attracted Discordians to Discordia? What does an ambiguously sincere religion offer to the irreligious, or sometimes aggressively atheistic? How does a philosophy overtly disregarding rules or structure capture the rigid attention of so many? How has Discordianism influenced one's life choices, political or philosophical beliefs or lifestyle? What came before Discordia, and what did the road look like after?

I intend to visit Discordians to develop an understanding of the role Discordianism plays in one's life through a series of interviews. I also intend to take an active role in viewing Discordians in 'their natural habitat', seeing how Discordia plays a role in everyday life, whether that's taking some downtime to relax or roaming the streets in a fake moustache putting up silly posters as part of Operation Mindfuck, ultimately developing an engaging and intimate piece of gonzo anthropology.

I intend to come up with a piece of work that explores and develops an overview of Discordia, that ultimately represents a celebration of religion, humour, philosophy and life.

[I cut the budgeting bit out here but it'll be posted on Pozible]

Project Progress:

I've contacted a gaggle of Discordians, with a large number through America willing to offer their time for an interview, and others throughout the UK, Netherlands, Norway, Argentina, Sweden, Australia and Brazil offering their time, including large names within the community such as DrJon Swabey (editor of the Apocrypha Discordia) and Sondra London (published author of works outside of Discordia). I'm currently holding discussions with others via distance to collate additional material.

Other Completed Works

I have a selection of my own writings at http://www.placiddingo.com
I've self published other fiction works, including
Babble:http://www.lulu.com/shop/brenton-clutterbuck/babble/paperback/product-20083797.html
Me and My Hair: http://www.lulu.com/shop/brenton-clutterbuck/me-and-my-hair/ebook/product-17563268.html
I edited and contributed to episode 10 of the Intermittens Magazine (short-lived though technically continuing Discordian periodical): http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25217337/Discord%20Books/InterMittens-10-Meatspace.pdf
I edited a collection of assorted writing by Discordians, geared towards a non-Discordian audience: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25217337/Discord%20Books/Intermittens-The-Fail-Whale-Apocalypse-and-Other-Stories.pdf

THIS BIT I really would love some feedback on because I'm not sure about it. The rewards. Either on the rewards themselves or the wording.


A$5+ Reward
Listing on my webpage as a thanks for believing in my project. Discordians; Holy name is OK too.

A$25+ Reward
Name listed on my website as contributor +link to your website. If you can get excited about my creative project, I'd love to help others get excited by yours. (Veto any offensive/explicit material though).

A$50+ Reward
Behind the scenes access on new projects: If you choose this donation, I'll add you into projects in progress through Google Docs, to get sneak peeks at progress on new Creative Commons works (yes, this means you can make derivative works pre-release).

A$75+ Reward
A book! A book!
So, ideally, this is Chasing Eris, but publishing can be a long process, so if it's taking too long and you've got a long plane ride coming up, let me know and I can send you one of my existing fiction pieces instead.

A$100+ Reward
As above with the book, but signed by me with a terrible poem on the inside cover as a tribute to my gratitude.

[Placid Dingo]

And Facebook Group

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Theres some particularly well known folk I'd like to contact. If any one can indicate the best was to contact the following people I'd be grateful.

St Mae.

Kassanine

Reverend Uncle BadTouch.

Sondra London

Wes Unrah.

Mae and Uncle BadTouch have emails but I haven't had phenomenal success with emailing.

I can pass on a message to St. Mae if you want.

Who's Kassanine? I've never heard of them!

In Portland, I would suggest also interviewing Johnny Brainwash and Danny Chaoflux.

Oooh yes! I'll get onto them.

Kasasanine I read an article interviewing her, linked from this forum even, I think. She's part of the Austistic Self-Advocacy thing in Portland. I stumbled on her profile twice on social networking pages. Now, of course, I can't find her.

Oh, Kassianne! I know her; want me to give her your email addy?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

OK, I'm setting up a thingy at Pozible as soon as I can photocopy my Drivers License (they're pretty tight on identity). Kickstarter requires a US bank account which I don't have. Posting the image, video and overview because I want to share. Feedback welcome.



VIDEO

Overview

Created in the late 50s, Discordianism is a religion, or a philosophy, or a joke, or a joke disguised as a religion, or a religion disguised as a joke, or all the above, depending on who you talk to. Centred around the (presumably) symbolic worship of the Greco-Roman Goddess Eris/Discordia, the primary text Principia Discordia explores the dichotomy of Order/Disorder, confirmation bias, the nature of life and death, nonsense as salvation and competing views of reality, offering a complexity and sincerity uncharacteristic of other 'parody religions' such as the Church of the Invisible Pink Unicorn or Pastafarianism.

Despite lurking in the shadows of the mainstream, Discordia had had its influence on popular culture. Author Robert Anton Wilson wrote a number of books featuring Discordians. Steve Jobs is anecdotally reported to have performed a Discordian Turkey Curse on an unsuccessful job applicant. The Church of the Subgenius, a parody religion closely related to Discordia, has the visage of 'Bob Dobbs' appearing in multiple places, including Devo video clips and the Melbourne 'Polyester' chain. Stephen Colbert was seduced into joining the nefarious Discordian enemy association The Bavarian Illuminati on his show, and long before Creative Commons, Discordia was exploring Kopyleft as an alternative to traditional copyright models.

The Principia was written around forty years ago. The Apocrypha Discordia, the first major work since the Principia, was released in 2001. Since then there've been numerous creative pieces released, with more major Discordian works released in the last ten years than the first forty combined. There've been Discordian music projects, artworks, magazines, T-shirts, badges. The religion is alive and kicking; but why?

What is it about a 50 year old joke religion that remains so pervasive and inspiring to its followers? What has attracted Discordians to Discordia? What does an ambiguously sincere religion offer to the irreligious, or sometimes aggressively atheistic? How does a philosophy overtly disregarding rules or structure capture the rigid attention of so many? How has Discordianism influenced one's life choices, political or philosophical beliefs or lifestyle? What came before Discordia, and what did the road look like after?

I intend to visit Discordians to develop an understanding of the role Discordianism plays in one's life through a series of interviews. I also intend to take an active role in viewing Discordians in 'their natural habitat', seeing how Discordia plays a role in everyday life, whether that's taking some downtime to relax or roaming the streets in a fake moustache putting up silly posters as part of Operation Mindfuck, ultimately developing an engaging and intimate piece of gonzo anthropology.

I intend to come up with a piece of work that explores and develops an overview of Discordia, that ultimately represents a celebration of religion, humour, philosophy and life.

[I cut the budgeting bit out here but it'll be posted on Pozible]

Project Progress:

I've contacted a gaggle of Discordians, with a large number through America willing to offer their time for an interview, and others throughout the UK, Netherlands, Norway, Argentina, Sweden, Australia and Brazil offering their time, including large names within the community such as DrJon Swabey (editor of the Apocrypha Discordia) and Sondra London (published author of works outside of Discordia). I'm currently holding discussions with others via distance to collate additional material.

Other Completed Works

I have a selection of my own writings at http://www.placiddingo.com
I've self published other fiction works, including
Babble:http://www.lulu.com/shop/brenton-clutterbuck/babble/paperback/product-20083797.html
Me and My Hair: http://www.lulu.com/shop/brenton-clutterbuck/me-and-my-hair/ebook/product-17563268.html
I edited and contributed to episode 10 of the Intermittens Magazine (short-lived though technically continuing Discordian periodical): http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25217337/Discord%20Books/InterMittens-10-Meatspace.pdf
I edited a collection of assorted writing by Discordians, geared towards a non-Discordian audience: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25217337/Discord%20Books/Intermittens-The-Fail-Whale-Apocalypse-and-Other-Stories.pdf

THIS BIT I really would love some feedback on because I'm not sure about it. The rewards. Either on the rewards themselves or the wording.


A$5+ Reward
Listing on my webpage as a thanks for believing in my project. Discordians; Holy name is OK too.

A$25+ Reward
Name listed on my website as contributor +link to your website. If you can get excited about my creative project, I'd love to help others get excited by yours. (Veto any offensive/explicit material though).

A$50+ Reward
Behind the scenes access on new projects: If you choose this donation, I'll add you into projects in progress through Google Docs, to get sneak peeks at progress on new Creative Commons works (yes, this means you can make derivative works pre-release).

A$75+ Reward
A book! A book!
So, ideally, this is Chasing Eris, but publishing can be a long process, so if it's taking too long and you've got a long plane ride coming up, let me know and I can send you one of my existing fiction pieces instead.

A$100+ Reward
As above with the book, but signed by me with a terrible poem on the inside cover as a tribute to my gratitude.

Looking great! Absolutely!

[Placid Dingo]

Theres some particularly well known folk I'd like to contact. If any one can indicate the best was to contact the following people I'd be grateful.

St Mae.

Kassanine

Reverend Uncle BadTouch.

Sondra London

Wes Unrah.

Mae and Uncle BadTouch have emails but I haven't had phenomenal success with emailing.

I can pass on a message to St. Mae if you want.

Who's Kassanine? I've never heard of them!

In Portland, I would suggest also interviewing Johnny Brainwash and Danny Chaoflux.

Oooh yes! I'll get onto them.

Kasasanine I read an article interviewing her, linked from this forum even, I think. She's part of the Austistic Self-Advocacy thing in Portland. I stumbled on her profile twice on social networking pages. Now, of course, I can't find her.

Oh, Kassianne! I know her; want me to give her your email addy?

Oh yes please, if shes cool with that. That would be great.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Theres some particularly well known folk I'd like to contact. If any one can indicate the best was to contact the following people I'd be grateful.

St Mae.

Kassanine

Reverend Uncle BadTouch.

Sondra London

Wes Unrah.

Mae and Uncle BadTouch have emails but I haven't had phenomenal success with emailing.

I can pass on a message to St. Mae if you want.

Who's Kassanine? I've never heard of them!

In Portland, I would suggest also interviewing Johnny Brainwash and Danny Chaoflux.

Oooh yes! I'll get onto them.

Kasasanine I read an article interviewing her, linked from this forum even, I think. She's part of the Austistic Self-Advocacy thing in Portland. I stumbled on her profile twice on social networking pages. Now, of course, I can't find her.

Oh, Kassianne! I know her; want me to give her your email addy?

Oh yes please, if shes cool with that. That would be great.

Totally

PM it at me!

[Placid Dingo]

No, it can't has. Kickstarter is for Americans.

BUT it can has Pozible, which I chose because they seem a little more selective than alternatives.

The link is http://pozible.com/eris

In sincerity I'd be really appreciative of anyone willing to help me out with this. I put 1000 as a number because it seemed realistic, and would score me a tablet for interview recording/uploading and a sports camera for where a tablet isn't practical. For both these I'm looking at what will be best and most affordable.

You can't donate until July 23, due to the way I set it up.

Anyway, thanks to Spags who suggested it and everyone who's enthusiasm has helped me continue to suspect that this whole thing is a pretty good idea.

[LMNO]

Remind me on the 23rd, and I'll kick you some cash.

[Placid Dingo]

 

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I'm in, but I hear my work doesn't travel well.