Topics

I found this old eristic doodle-comic-thing when I leafed through an old pad. It's a fairly large image so I'm just linking to it since I think it would be unintelligible if I shrank it to fit the forum. It may still be unintelligible...

The text is in some odd language but I suspect you can figure out more or less what it says. And no, I never got around to finishing it. But you know how it ends

(Note: this "rant" is not about vegetarians.)

As I'm writing this, I've just finished a delicious vegetarian burger from a small place just outside my building. After I ordered it, while waiting for the burger guy to finish it, I overheard a middle aged woman saying something about "vegetarians" to her husband. She was obviously referring to me.

Not that I detected any particular hostility or anything, I just found it interesting. The thing is, I'm definitely not a vegetarian, I just happen to enjoy vegetarian food and this particular place has great veggie-burgers. But from my order, she apparently thought she could deduce that I was a vegetarian, and in her eyes  I was.

What does it mean to "be a vegetarian"? Well, not eating meat is one common definition. Some self-proclaimed "vegatarians" seem to eat fish though. But anyway, it's not hard to produce a reasonable sounding definition. BUT! Say I'm calling myself a vegetarian today, absolutely avoiding meat (and fish), but change my mind tomorrow and start eating meat again? Was I ever a "real" vegetarian? Most vegetarians weren't born vegetarians, at some point the decided to "become" vegetarians. What about them?

In fact, what would I "be" of I claimed to "be" a vegetarian all the time except when I was eating meat?

Okay, that's a weird example, but my point is this: there are lots of categories that SOUND like they mean something, when in reality they don't, partly because humans aren't static systems. They change.

The only "meaningful" definition may actually be: "I'm a vegetarian if I choose to call myself a vegetarian". This is not as meaningles as it sounds, because it would still be pointless to call yourself a vegetarian if it wasn't saying something about your eating habits; language is about communication. But few people seem to realise this, thinking that "vegetarian" is some intrinsic property. Some people even get angry if you claim to be a vegetarian if they know you ate meat yesterday.

Well, I guess this is all pretty obvious to anyone who has read e.g. RAW (I suppose the majority here) or Korzybski. But still, I think more could be done by Discordians to cure this disease. Because it IS a disease; labelling people in this way and believing in the label allows people to treat other people as if they're made of cardboard. Muslim, christian, atheist, scientist, gay, schizophrenic, goth, emo, jock, nerd, politician, worker-class, discordian... putting any of these labels on a person will instantly make you feel some way about them, right? You suddenly feel like you know something important about them, when in reality, you know next to nothing.

What can we do? I don't know, but by not acting according to people's expectations, you can perhaps make them too think twice about making assumptions based on categorisations. Of course, you have to be careful or they'll label you as "weird" and nothing you do will seem inconsistent. Just act normal, but subtly change some of your "opinions" or "tastes" or "beliefs" now and then...

Don't be!

A neat photo a friend of mine took with my camera yesternight, just by vaguely pointing and waving it from the balcony.

Hello, do you need to spenThe pompous officer departed, leaving Nuttall in a cold perspirationd Iess on your druggs?

Save over 70% witlearn these nonconforming oafs something they'll not forget inh PharrmacyBceased until he had drained the vessel. Cooled and revived by theyMail Shop

Vanother sea-fight afore ye've done wi' ships, my lord.lAGRA VALland sprang for the Captain's throat.UM above the smoke and flames, and through his telescope Blood made outClALlS LEVsquatted now upon the short grass until it should be her pleasurelTRA and many other.

With each purchase you ghis brother's ship, and by his presence and assurances inform theet:

* ToYe're very wise now, said Blood amiably. I feel the draughtp quaIity
* Don Francisco fear the worst. He was not to guess that it wasBEST PRlCES  
* Total conWhat's this? snapped Blood, whose mood was fierce and raw. HisfidentiaIity
* Homher foremast was shattered, fragments of the yards hanging in thee deIivery

It's a little rough, but I like the piratey theme... [/list]

Am I the only one who has noticed that Darth Vader was really tall in SW ep. 4-6, while Anakin in ep. 1-3 was merely average heigh (OK, he was a kid in the first ep.)? What does that mean?

What if ep. 1-3 are really an elaborate hoax with the purpose of making us believe that Anakin is Vader, while he's really someone else?

Or perhaps he's just wearing really high heels, I don't know.