column: EUOLogy #12

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

reference: http://www.timewastersguide.com/view.php?id=908

yeah. I don't think this fits me as much as it does EUOL. It may be destined that I won't be a great writer. ALthough maybe I just want people to be upset or I want to hand them what they're already expecting. Not sure.

[stacer]

Now, you may read this and think something like "Oh, how sweet. He's such a good person!" If you thought that, and you're a young, single female, kindly stop reading before I disillusion you.

/me smiles cheekily

How can I edit it if I'm not allowed to read it?

Oh wait, did I think the first part? Guess I'll go edit it after all.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

hey, I'm supposed to be the king of snark here.

[stacer]

I agree on the idea of manipulation, though I usually think of it as control. There have been so many times in my life that I haven't been in control of the outcome, or of other people's actions, that sometimes writing gives me that control. So it's not about manipulating the audience, for me, but creating a world in which I have control over the situation.

[stacer]

I almost wish I didn't have to edit it. There were a couple fun typos. So I will memorialize them here.

Yes, I'm a wonderful person, and you want to date with me!

(If this was a deliberate typo from Space Ghost, let me know and I'll fix it back.)

I can't stand the site of blood.

Where is that blood?

[EUOL]

Actually, yes it was.  However, it was actually both a SG and a Ramna 1/2 reference.  My favorite from SG is "We totally did sex."  However, I didn't think that would have been appropriate....

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

thinking of it that way, I agree.

I don't feel like I have control over how people around me feel. ALthough, there have been times when I've been pretty darn manipulative. I do think that EUOL can control feelings like he says. I can't think of a single time ever that I've been mad at him. And I've allowed myself to be encouraged by his words or controled by his peacemaking on more than one ocassion. I think of him as this dragon here -- I think I am the fox more than the wolf though.

but control yeah, control. I like to create a world where the events that happen are satisfying to me and I don't have to disagree with someone else's vision of the work. I like a world where ... how to put this... in reading, often, I have to suspend my values. That is, I don't read works were sex is rampant and so on. But I have to accept a religion that espouses different fundamental values as good, where I have to not only accept htat not eveyrthing is black and white in terms of good and evil (I use that play in many of my stories, including one that started percolating this morning), but that I have to accept that not all values are black and white.

I'm sure I'm terribly unclear on that. I hate it when people try to tell me morality is relative. I won't go into why for that, but I hate it. Figuring out which principle is the one that takes priority is the hard part. Knowing that something is wrong is not.

I can get past that prediliction when reading. I can suspend my feelings on it for a good story. But I write so I don't HAVE to suspend anything. I can create a world where my moral viewpoint is correct, and then play within that system of values.

Am I making any sense.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

My favorite space ghost, actually, is "You were digging on a dude?" "It's not like that! Carl is part aof a male mantis resistance movement. He took me back to his place and we talked sports and ate bar-be-cue until the urges past. He... saved my life, and for that, I will always be grateful."

[stacer]

Accidental correction of deliberate mistake fixed. Or unfixed.

[Skar]

Speaking of manipulation, after reading this article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,139060,00.html

Answer this question:

"What do Osama Bin Laden and John Kerry have in common?"

[House of Mustard]

"What do Osama Bin Laden and John Kerry have in common?"

I will be extremely happy if I never hear from either of them again.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Who are two people who've never been to my mother's kitchen?

[Skar]

WRONG!  Haha.

They both believe that the American people can be intimidated and therefore manipulated by terrorists(Like the Spaniards).  This proves that neither one of them has even the faintest clue how most Americans view the world.

[House of Mustard]

therefore manipulated by terrorists(Like the Spaniards)

This statement would be cooler if you meant that terrorists manipulate us just like the Spainards manipulate us.  Dang Spaniards.

[Mistress of Darkness]

Control, definately. I have been accused of being manipulative before and always found it upsetting (which I think was the point, therefore I was being manipulated). But when writing it's a different story.

Ouch