Attention, you snotty little lurking bastards:

[LMNO]

Nigel... I can't help but notice you seem to be coming to the defense of collaborative efforts.  I may be wrong, but you appeared to be against the idea when you first came around.  If I'm not wrong about that, what changed your mind?

If I am wrong, I humbly withdraw the question.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Where my head is right now, I would love to do a project of writings on the subject of alienation, from an optimistic approach.

Oddly enough, I'm working on something as Doktor Howl called "You're A Whole Different Person When You're Scared.", which was, IIRC, a Warren Zevon song title back just before he died.  I didn't like the song much, but the title gave me all kinds of ideas.

I'd like to do it as part of your idea for a collaborative project, mostly because I can only squeeze about 3 pages out of the idea.

[Elder Iptuous]

...
We have recognized our prison; now what do we do about it? Do we stay in our own cells, or do we move the bars to include others by finding commonalities and building a Black Iron Conference Hall or a Black Iron Stadium of Getting Shit Done Together?
...

was there anything in BIP about the idea of prison yard commons as an extension of the metaphor? to counter the notion of utter isolation?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Nigel... I can't help but notice you seem to be coming to the defense of collaborative efforts.  I may be wrong, but you appeared to be against the idea when you first came around.  If I'm not wrong about that, what changed your mind?

If I am wrong, I humbly withdraw the question.

I've never been against collaborative efforts, and I've participated in a few. Are you getting that mixed up with my opposition to proselytizing and the notion that we somehow have an obligation to organize and gain converts?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Where my head is right now, I would love to do a project of writings on the subject of alienation, from an optimistic approach.

Oddly enough, I'm working on something as Doktor Howl called "You're A Whole Different Person When You're Scared.", which was, IIRC, a Warren Zevon song title back just before he died.  I didn't like the song much, but the title gave me all kinds of ideas.

I'd like to do it as part of your idea for a collaborative project, mostly because I can only squeeze about 3 pages out of the idea.

ooooh, that title goes places! I would love to see this.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

...
We have recognized our prison; now what do we do about it? Do we stay in our own cells, or do we move the bars to include others by finding commonalities and building a Black Iron Conference Hall or a Black Iron Stadium of Getting Shit Done Together?
...

was there anything in BIP about the idea of prison yard commons as an extension of the metaphor? to counter the notion of utter isolation?

I don't know, but that's a good idea.

[LMNO]

Nigel... I can't help but notice you seem to be coming to the defense of collaborative efforts.  I may be wrong, but you appeared to be against the idea when you first came around.  If I'm not wrong about that, what changed your mind?

If I am wrong, I humbly withdraw the question.

I've never been against collaborative efforts, and I've participated in a few. Are you getting that mixed up with my opposition to proselytizing and the notion that we somehow have an obligation to organize and gain converts?

You know, that might have been it.  Sorry about that.  I was wrong.  Please carry on and ignore this.

[LMNO]

...
We have recognized our prison; now what do we do about it? Do we stay in our own cells, or do we move the bars to include others by finding commonalities and building a Black Iron Conference Hall or a Black Iron Stadium of Getting Shit Done Together?
...

was there anything in BIP about the idea of prison yard commons as an extension of the metaphor? to counter the notion of utter isolation?

I don't know, but that's a good idea.

Hey, yeah... Common Walls.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Where my head is right now, I would love to do a project of writings on the subject of alienation, from an optimistic approach.

Oddly enough, I'm working on something as Doktor Howl called "You're A Whole Different Person When You're Scared.", which was, IIRC, a Warren Zevon song title back just before he died.  I didn't like the song much, but the title gave me all kinds of ideas.

I'd like to do it as part of your idea for a collaborative project, mostly because I can only squeeze about 3 pages out of the idea.

ooooh, that title goes places! I would love to see this.

I think it's just about perfect for the New America™.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Nigel... I can't help but notice you seem to be coming to the defense of collaborative efforts.  I may be wrong, but you appeared to be against the idea when you first came around.  If I'm not wrong about that, what changed your mind?

If I am wrong, I humbly withdraw the question.

I've never been against collaborative efforts, and I've participated in a few. Are you getting that mixed up with my opposition to proselytizing and the notion that we somehow have an obligation to organize and gain converts?

You know, that might have been it.  Sorry about that.  I was wrong.  Please carry on and ignore this.

S'OK, I can see how it would be easy to conflate the two.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

...
We have recognized our prison; now what do we do about it? Do we stay in our own cells, or do we move the bars to include others by finding commonalities and building a Black Iron Conference Hall or a Black Iron Stadium of Getting Shit Done Together?
...

was there anything in BIP about the idea of prison yard commons as an extension of the metaphor? to counter the notion of utter isolation?

I don't know, but that's a good idea.

Hey, yeah... Common Walls.

I want this.

If we do it, I will write for it, as Doktor Howl and TGRR, ie, from both ends of my head.

And it's the perfect place to put You're A Whole Different Person When You're Scared.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

If we are to play with the BIP metaphor, I see divisive issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, as the bars that keep the prisoners from gaining access to the yard. The reality is that all of the prisoners want basically the same things--food, shelter, health, companionship--but those are the bars that keep them from talking to each other about their commonalities. If they could move those bars, they could meet in the wide open and work cooperatively to get their needs met, rather than toiling away alone and isolated.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

...
We have recognized our prison; now what do we do about it? Do we stay in our own cells, or do we move the bars to include others by finding commonalities and building a Black Iron Conference Hall or a Black Iron Stadium of Getting Shit Done Together?
...

was there anything in BIP about the idea of prison yard commons as an extension of the metaphor? to counter the notion of utter isolation?

I don't know, but that's a good idea.

Hey, yeah... Common Walls.

Is good! I like it!

[The Good Reverend Roger]

If we are to play with the BIP metaphor, I see divisive issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, as the bars that keep the prisoners from gaining access to the yard. The reality is that all of the prisoners want basically the same things--food, shelter, health, companionship--but those are the bars that keep them from talking to each other about their commonalities. If they could move those bars, they could meet in the wide open and work cooperatively to get their needs met, rather than toiling away alone and isolated.

For me, I plan to write about what FEAR has done to the national character in the last two decades, and how that fear has caused people to ignore injustice that isn't actually happening to them...Which is, of course, a prison all its own, as you have been isolated from the rest of humanity.

[LMNO]

Ok, I may have something to work with.

I'm gonna try to wriote something tomorrow. Maybe we should start a common thread for this, in TFYS, so it doesn't get too spagged by threadjacking.