Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Food for thought

I cannot help breaking off from philosophical musings to wonder whether a world-class defence should really allow a throw-in to bounce in the penalty box.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

am I the only one who doesn't care about bouncing balls?

Kevin said...

well I really doubt that, but I bet Geedash has some views on the subject.

Anonymous said...

The Penguin People on the Other Site are also talking about football and stopped complaining about the School - maybe there's something in it!

Anonymous said...

Better than war!

Anonymous said...

"Penguin People"? Less than human?

Kevin said...

Well, I certainly don't think so.

Presume Laura means Bob the Penguin who is for some reason the visible embodiment. I suppose Bob (the guy with the pipe) represents a cynical take on conventional society and on secret societies; not sure what the penguin means.

I think they do need a better domain name though - whyaretheydead isn't really doing it.

Maybe "whywonttheyjustgoaway.org" or "whywonttheydie.net" would better express the attitude to persistent questioning. I expect these domains are still available. Might drop Mike a line.

Anonymous said...

How about 'whywwonttheylisten'? This appears to be the biggest stumbling block. Millions of words but how many are understood or acted on. The bounce in the penalty box might be a good analogy, look at what's happening and change the formation, players etc before the other team gets a goal. As to why it's quiet - possibly because the majority of the affected ex-pupils 'penguin people', which in my opinion is an insulting term worthy only of a small mind, are of parenting age and summer term is full of fairs, sports days etc. Busy, busy, busy...

Kevin said...
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Kevin said...

I feel I need to step in here and hold my hands up as the supposed possessor of a small mind, as Laura is only quoting me.

Why do you find "Penguin People" insulting and small-minded rather than, say, playful and neutral? Better than "complainant".

If there is an insult there and you can explain it I am ready to apologise, cease and desist. However, it seems to me that you're imagining an insult where there is none. And suddenly due to that you're throwing insults around ... miaow!

Anonymous said...

No insult intended - look at the masthead of the site, there's a penguin there, presumably a mascot.

Anonymous said...

I don't see the benefit of applying labels, it causes unnecessary division, more 'them v. us', why not just 'people'? Historically the people outside SES have been quite blatantly labelled as asleep and not worth wasting energy on. In that context, to apply a label to a group of people who in the main are outside SES could be viewed as a mindless, habitual insult. And if in response you say because they call us xxxx then ask why you might stoop to the same level?

In the same why the 'whydonttheydie.com' suggestion. Why?

Kevin said...

Well I take your point, but labels are about the feeling behind them. In the US you can't call someone "black" because that's perceived as insulting, but the Ghana football team are the Black Stars. The point is not that "black" is good or bad, but that the US is rather racist, and so any label is bound to start to seem racist.

What you say about historical context is right, on the whole, but as one of the leading Penguin People (over 100 posts on that site), I could hardly be attacking myself. Same for 'whywonttheydie' ... expresses not how I feel but how I imagine in the dark moments the hardline SES feels. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

I think that in this case your bullsh*t monitor is turned up too high.

But far be it from me to cause offence ... I won't use that phrase again.