File spoon-archives/lyotard.archive/lyotard_2001/lyotard.0109, message 116


From: steve.devos-AT-krokodile.com
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 19:00:22 +0100
Subject: Re: Mystify me!




Hugh and Julie

On the Beach was originally a novel by Shute, it was not that dissimilar 
from the movie, it was about the end of the world due to a nuclear war 
in the northern hemisphere.... The end of which ends with all of 
humanity dying. And it could have happened. Many times during the last 
fifty years. If the military had been allowed to set policy we'd have 
been dead by now.

I also think that movies like that, and the  'war game' should be 
compulsory viewing, along with some others educational movies, the 
Resnais movie on Auschwitz for example, for children...

At the moment I'd recommend the marvellous surrealist movie 'Carry on up 
the Khyber...'  early 70s movie about the  19thc afghan wars...

regards

sdv

hbone wrote:

>Julie,
>
>By "finally", I meant a response to catastrophe as we face the unknown, but
>I agree with your statement.  And other words you wrote were eloquent, as
>has
>been noted by others..
>
>As for the children -
>
>In a phone call, last Sunday, my daughter said that many years ago our
>family, including her twin brother had seen the movie: "On the Beach", a
>story of nuclear  destruction of the Earth.. She could not have been more
>than 10 years old.  She said she was really upset, and asked me, as we were
>driving home, if such a thing could actually happen.  I said "probably not".
>Sunday, she said that was a "truthful answer", but not the answer she
>wanted.
>
>I can't even remember the details of the movie she told me about, but it
>wasn't a movie that young children should be allowed to see.
>
>Best wishes,
>Hugh
>
>
>
>
>>>A saying of names, religious, philosophic, scientific; a performance of
>>>rituals:
>>>birth, bonding, death, and WAR.
>>>
>>>HB
>>>
>>Maybe not finally.  My "favorite" Lyotardian concept is that of pagan
>>narrative--someone tells a story, someone else tells a story about that
>>
>story,
>
>>or their own story about the same subject, and so on and on and on.  May I
>>
>add
>
>>my own voice--as a Christian, a stay-at-home mother, an American.  May my
>>narrative spark you to others.
>>
>>I know no one in the World Trade Centers.  Indeed, I felt detached from
>>
>the
>
>>whole thing.  Until that evening when I put my sweet baby boy to bed, and
>>realized how many children went to bed without Mommy or Daddy.  How many
>>
>would
>
>>wake up without them.  Then I grieved.
>>
>>And again the next night when I realized that somewhere on the planes that
>>crashed may well have been someone clutching a baby and praying that
>>
>his/her
>
>>little boy would feel no pain when he died.
>>
>>In the sea of voices, there is a wordless cry from the children.
>>
>>I do not view freedom and democracy as theme-park toys with a yellow
>>
>smiley face
>
>>balloon flying over all, pretty and perfect.  They are concepts wet with
>>
>the
>
>>blood of boys--my son?  my brother? my husband?--who believe freedom and
>>democracy must be protected.  They are stained with the tears of mothers
>>
>and
>
>>wives whose hearts broke when the boys never came home.  The American flag
>>displayed across the US, the anthem in St. Paul's and Buckingham palace,
>>
>is not
>
>>a symbol of "shiny happy people" who will not open their eyes or their
>>
>hearts,
>
>>but people who have embraced tragedy and the reality of the world and
>>
>choosen to
>
>>be Sisyphus. Heroic?  No.  Just determined.
>>
>>Perhaps I am unscholarly and hopelessly old-fashioned.  But when
>>
>philosophy and
>
>>politics becomes numb to mothers and children and families, then what good
>>
>does
>
>>it do anyone?
>>
>>I am struck by Hugh's comments:  a saying of names, a performance of
>>
>rituals.
>
>>Indeed.  May our rituals and sayings and grief not echo into silence.  May
>>Sisyphus overcome.
>>
>
>
>


HTML VERSION:

Hugh and Julie

On the Beach was originally a novel by Shute, it was not that dissimilar from the movie, it was about the end of the world due to a nuclear war in the northern hemisphere.... The end of which ends with all of humanity dying. And it could have happened. Many times during the last fifty years. If the military had been allowed to set policy we'd have been dead by now.

I also think that movies like that, and the  'war game' should be compulsory viewing, along with some others educational movies, the Resnais movie on Auschwitz for example, for children...

At the moment I'd recommend the marvellous surrealist movie 'Carry on up the Khyber...'  early 70s movie about the  19thc afghan wars...

regards

sdv

hbone wrote:
Julie,

By "finally", I meant a response to catastrophe as we face the unknown, but
I agree with your statement. And other words you wrote were eloquent, as
has
been noted by others..

As for the children -

In a phone call, last Sunday, my daughter said that many years ago our
family, including her twin brother had seen the movie: "On the Beach", a
story of nuclear destruction of the Earth.. She could not have been more
than 10 years old. She said she was really upset, and asked me, as we were
driving home, if such a thing could actually happen. I said "probably not".
Sunday, she said that was a "truthful answer", but not the answer she
wanted.

I can't even remember the details of the movie she told me about, but it
wasn't a movie that young children should be allowed to see.

Best wishes,
Hugh




A saying of names, religious, philosophic, scientific; a performance of
rituals:
birth, bonding, death, and WAR.

HB
Maybe not finally.  My "favorite" Lyotardian concept is that of pagan
narrative--someone tells a story, someone else tells a story about that
story,
or their own story about the same subject, and so on and on and on.  May I
add
my own voice--as a Christian, a stay-at-home mother, an American.  May my
narrative spark you to others.

I know no one in the World Trade Centers. Indeed, I felt detached from
the
whole thing.  Until that evening when I put my sweet baby boy to bed, and
realized how many children went to bed without Mommy or Daddy. How many
would
wake up without them.  Then I grieved.

And again the next night when I realized that somewhere on the planes that
crashed may well have been someone clutching a baby and praying that
his/her
little boy would feel no pain when he died.

In the sea of voices, there is a wordless cry from the children.

I do not view freedom and democracy as theme-park toys with a yellow
smiley face
balloon flying over all, pretty and perfect.  They are concepts wet with
the
blood of boys--my son?  my brother? my husband?--who believe freedom and
democracy must be protected. They are stained with the tears of mothers
and
wives whose hearts broke when the boys never came home.  The American flag
displayed across the US, the anthem in St. Paul's and Buckingham palace,
is not
a symbol of "shiny happy people" who will not open their eyes or their
hearts,
but people who have embraced tragedy and the reality of the world and
choosen to
be Sisyphus. Heroic?  No.  Just determined.

Perhaps I am unscholarly and hopelessly old-fashioned. But when
philosophy and
politics becomes numb to mothers and children and families, then what good
does
it do anyone?

I am struck by Hugh's comments: a saying of names, a performance of
rituals.
Indeed.  May our rituals and sayings and grief not echo into silence.  May
Sisyphus overcome.





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