The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In 2019, Arkansas ranked tenth on a list of states that were the most dependent on federal aid. <a href="https://t.co/keampYD2cs">https://t.co/keampYD2cs</a> <a href="https://t.co/DsfBrpMpUX">https://t.co/DsfBrpMpUX</a></p>— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1253675518035218432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

As usual every Republican is either a ****ing moron on this issue or just a plain old dirty thief. Either way they're pure scumbags.

 

[burd]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

I prefer non-fiction. I've read books on other religions, as a past-time. If it's fiction? Nah. I'll save that for the movies.

Movies are an easier, more passive experience. But comparing the value of movies to good nonfiction (distinguishing between a Michael Connelly novel, as fun as many of them are, and Native Son, for instance) is a little bit like comparing the understanding of a place which you get from a bus tour to that which you would get from living there. There are high quality bus tours, and there are good reasons why a person would choose to go that route under certain circumstances, but they are a brief, passive experience at best.

I understand you are just saying you get more enjoyment out of movies than you do from nonfiction books, not that one has intrinsically more value than the other, Rube. But I throw those thoughts out there because we are talking about the value to our children of the books being banned.

 

[burd]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

It might just be that we hit a particular nerve with Kep, with the inclusion of Gatsby on the list. Wasn't he a Long Islander at some point? Probably spent many a night staring out over the water imagining he was one of those boats borne back ceaselessly into the past. Or, maybe just pining over some Daisy in his school.

Well played, Hovey.

 

[bronconick]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In 2019, Arkansas ranked tenth on a list of states that were the most dependent on federal aid. <a href="https://t.co/keampYD2cs">https://t.co/keampYD2cs</a> <a href="https://t.co/DsfBrpMpUX">https://t.co/DsfBrpMpUX</a></p>— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1253675518035218432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Give it some time for the virus to fully visit the South. We'll hear the squealing for help from the North.

 

[unofan]

Good Lord. Take a deep breath. Inhale...exhale. I read plenty on my own. I didn't read those 5 particular books because I didn't have to and really never wanted to. I was always a math/science person and didn't like English/Language Arts. I took composition and writing stuff since I figured it would serve me better than reading more Shakespeare. You are getting way too worked up over this.

I gotta side with Kepler to the extent that there's value in having a base knowledge of the great works. Obviously no one has time to take in everything or even a fraction of everything, but seemingly taking pride in not having read them reeks of MAGAism. And your post absolutely came across that way, whether you meant it or not.

 

[unofan]

I prefer non-fiction. I've read books on other religions, as a past-time. My passion is organized crime, pop-culture (the game console wars were especially intriguing to me), some history, but overall? If it's fiction? Nah. I'll save that for the movies. That's my preferred form for the fiction genre.

And you'd be wrong, but there's no accounting for taste. The books are better than the movies 99.9% of the time. I will grant there's a 1/1000 chance where the reverse is true.

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Give it some time for the virus to fully visit the South. We'll hear the squealing for help from the North.

Probably during hurricane season. Let’s let them go bankrupt too

 

[Rover]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

It might just be that we hit a particular nerve with Kep, with the inclusion of Gatsby on the list. Wasn't he a Long Islander at some point? Probably spent many a night staring out over the water imagining he was one of those boats borne back ceaselessly into the past. Or, maybe just pining over some Daisy in his school.

If the novel was based on Kep's actual life, Daisy would be some high flying PhD working in the corridors of power down in DC while Gatsby would be a slacker drama major from a forgotten Ivy that she married and then gave an allowance to so Gatsby never had to do an honest day's work for the rest of his life!

 

[Kepler]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

Im late to the party but why would Gatsby be considered bannable? Ive read it only because its like 5 pages long. Don't recall anything that bad.

The hotel room scene with Myrtle, I assume. To be fair it isn't very nice.

But I wouldn't put it past that brain trust to ban a book they had never read.

 

[Handyman]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

Movies are an easier, more passive experience. But comparing the value of movies to good nonfiction (distinguishing between a Michael Connelly novel, as fun as many of them are, and Native Son, for instance) is a little bit like comparing the understanding of a place which you get from a bus tour to that which you would get from living there. There are high quality bus tours, and there are good reasons why a person would choose to go that route under certain circumstances, but they are a brief, passive experience at best.

I understand you are just saying you get more enjoyment out of movies than you do from nonfiction books, not that one has intrinsically more value than the other, Rube. But I throw those thoughts out there because we are talking about the value to our children of the books being banned.

You might want to re-read his post...or study up on the difference between fiction and nonfiction

I prefer non-fiction. I've read books on other religions, as a past-time. My passion is organized crime, pop-culture (the game console wars were especially intriguing to me), some history, but overall? If it's fiction? Nah. I'll save that for the movies. That's my preferred form for the fiction genre.

He isnt saying he gets more enjoyment out of movies than he does nonfiction...he is saying he reads nonfiction and prefers his fiction be in the form of films. And since when are Michael Connelly novels nonfiction? Harry Bosch isnt real

Your North Dakota/Wisconsin is showing again

 

[burd]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

You might want to re-read his post...or study up on the difference between fiction and nonfiction



He isnt saying he gets more enjoyment out of movies than he does nonfiction...he is saying he reads nonfiction and prefers his fiction be in the form of films. And since when are Michael Connelly novels nonfiction? Harry Bosch isnt real

Your North Dakota/Wisconsin is showing again

Touche, Handy. That was shooting fish in a barrel for you, I'm afraid.

Yeah, I know what Rube was saying, and I think you could see that I simply made a mistake by using the term nonfiction to describe Connelly's work. His books are obviously fiction. A typo. My point, mistakenly worded as it was, stands.

I completely get why anyone might say they generally prefer movies to fiction books as a means of enjoyment. It's all a matter of personal preference. But that's something different from the value of fiction books to school age children, which is what the ban is all about.

 

[Handyman]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

Well I assumed it was a basic screw up...but I bet lots of people from NoDak think Jason Bourne is real so I figured I would run with it

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

Wait Jason isn’t real??? Then who did I sleep with that one time in Riga??? He had me convinced!!

 

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

I didn't like the books I was forced to read, so I didn't read a few others. Guess I'll just go vote for Trump now...

Geez, sorry I said anything.

 

[Kepler]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

Wait Jason isn’t real??? Then who did I sleep with that one time in Riga??? He had me convinced!!

A gentleman never tells.

<img src="https://cdn.costumewall.com/wp-content/plugins/image-hot-spotter/images/JasonBourneCosplayCostume.jpg" height=300>

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

I don't think I've read any of them either. Most are on my list of things to eventually read. Acutally, I might have read Caged Bird but can't remember.

I did read L'Etranger in high school, but I only remember two things:
I read it only with the goal of completing assignments for it because it was getting in the way of AP Calc prep
I didn't like it much

The problem is, most of these books are too abstract or long for an idiot in 10th grade to understand. I hated assigned reading in high school. Hated it. Hated hated hated hated hated it. I hated people telling me things were great and I should like them. The only teacher who got this was my 11th grade Poetry teacher. At least he understood that he could capture a lot of us number nerds by setting up the reading as a problem to solve rather than spend a month obsessing over 200 pages when 10 would have sufficed*. John Donne was great. But anyways, I can't think of more than a few novels in high school I was compelled to read that I actually enjoyed. Maybe Lord of the Flies, maybe Catcher, and I'm sure there are another one or two I liked but can't remember reading.

It wasn't until college that I started to have better assignments. The intro to political philosophy class had us reading a dozen and a half books, all of which were fantastic. I excelled in that class.


*Yeah, I know ""

 

[burd]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

Wait Jason isn’t real??? Then who did I sleep with that one time in Riga??? He had me convinced!!

It kills me when people think Jason Bourne is real. Matt Damon did those things.

 

[LynahFan]

I didn't like the books I was forced to read, so I didn't read a few others. Guess I'll just go vote for Trump now...

Geez, sorry I said anything.

Sounds like a job for Daniel Tosh: if it’s forced on you as a child.....

 

[Kepler]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

I don't think I've read any of them either. Most are on my list of things to eventually read. Acutally, I might have read Caged Bird but can't remember.

I did read L'Etranger in high school, but I only remember two things:
I read it only with the goal of completing assignments for it because it was getting in the way of AP Calc prep
I didn't like it much

The problem is, most of these books are too abstract or long for an idiot in 10th grade to understand. I hated assigned reading in high school. Hated it. Hated hated hated hated hated it. I hated people telling me things were great and I should like them. The only teacher who got this was my 11th grade Poetry teacher. At least he understood that he could capture a lot of us number nerds by setting up the reading as a problem to solve rather than spend a month obsessing over 200 pages when 10 would have sufficed*. John Donne was great. But anyways, I can't think of more than a few novels in high school I was compelled to read that I actually enjoyed. Maybe Lord of the Flies, maybe Catcher, and I'm sure there are another one or two I liked but can't remember reading.

It wasn't until college that I started to have better assignments. The intro to political philosophy class had us reading a dozen and a half books, all of which were fantastic. I excelled in that class.

I hated most books I had to read for HS, but I gotta say it helped me develop the discipline to read hard books -- something very difficult for me as I am a listening learner, not a reading learner.

I also remember struggling through Camus (The Plague) in French. I'm reading it now in English and it's pure joy.

It's infuriating that people are trained to think of education as credentialing. That's not education, it's animal training: something done to you do to get a job.

Education is something you do for yourself to make yourself more human.

 

[Handyman]

Re: The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

But not everyone is going to get something from every book. I was forced to read The Old Man and the Sea and literally wanted to murder everyone in my school. Others could spend hours talking about the intricacies and allegories...that isnt how my mind works. I have read 1000 page books on WWI on the beach while on vacation but I doubt I could read Gatsby again even in the best of conditions.

Personally, I would rather have a discussion with someone about the book than read it it myself. Maybe after I will try because it will help me process it better.