Newsgroups: alt.slack

Subject: Re: Why Things Eventually Suck

From: twgs@thepoint.net (Dave Lynch)

Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 15:15:19 GMT

On 12 Nov 1997 11:24:35 GMT, aieeee@huitzilo.tezcat.com (Dr. Derek

Robb) wrote:

>First, someTHING occurs, or exists. Almost by accident, some odd people

>stumble across it, are attracted to it, find it resonates with 'em, what

>have you. As they pursue this THING, they find others who are in pursuit

>of this same THING. As time bores on, a social climate develops. This has

>a rather peculiar quality about it, as in this social environment, ANYONE

>you meet already has a high probability of having a certain set of things

>in common with you, otherwise they woldn't be there in the first place.

>So, friendships develop faster, people are more prone to talk to

>strangers, arch-nemesis are found, social interaction generally takes on a

>higher level of severity.

Still, then. What you're seeking is a refuge FROM. "Help me escape

the world". "One day we'll all be on the Saucers and nobody bad or

stupid will ever be there." The problem? Anything that lives only IN

OPPOSITION TO or self-limits by size will be by necessity weak and

ineffective over the long run. It's consigning oneself to a doomed

minority. With breadth, you avoid the comfort of belong to a group of

people EXACTLY LIKE YOU; you are forced to deal with idiots who are

worse than you are; but you ALSO can find people who approach what

you're approaching from different angles. For instance, take the net.

People say "before '95" or "before fall '93" or whatever. But you

know what the Internet was back then? I'll tell you what. A BUNCH OF

SMELLY COMPUTER GEEKS! That's right, the biggest "common ground"

among them was a fanatical devotion to emacs. Now we have the cretins

from WebTV, for instance, and even that's not such a bad thing because

it gives me an AUDIENCE to invoke my eldritch will through. And

people who have an audience ought to be heard. But better still,

there are, for instance, CHICKS on the INTERNET now! Would you

BELIEVE it? I've actually MET people I knew from the Internet, people

I probably would never have come in contact with otherwise. People

who, three years ago, would definitely NOT be using the net. Yes, I

think alt.slack is better now. I think the Internet is better now.

It is a big mess, but I can clean my OWN plate.

>As for the special social qualities retained in its more obscure days,

>come now. Prove yourself WORTHY of the giant orbiting spinning salvation.

>Sure, a dobbshead t-shirt isn't enough anymore. But, a dobbshead t-shirt

>accessorized with a SHEEP'S HEAD on a STICK will pretty much do it.

>Before, in the Good Old Days, just having his piped visage on your person

>was evidence that you're "weird". Now, you have to make your weirdness

>SELF-EVIDENT. I certainly can't consider this a bad thing.

The forms of holiness are NEVER constant. It is no more difficult for

me to appear different now than it was in 1985. The Dobbshead is a

handy label, but it is no more an emblem of worthiness than the

priest's collar. These things must be worn in honor, and the spirit

of Slack.

--

This message was posted through a fly's ear, and you have to have

a fly's eye to see it! * DAVE #1 * HELP SUPPORT SEMANTIC TERRORISM

"There are other worlds they have not told you of"- Sun Ra|PRABOB!