being reasonable

[sus]

That could be the case my poetry knowledge is shallow, I've never quite understood the form

 

[sus]

I do appreciate seeing the sensibility around these parts though, sometime I'll have to mention a friend of a friend, Nat O.W., who reminds me a bit of you. Different sensibility on the face of it—correspondence art—but a similar graphomanic binding-together-of-reality maybe

 

[luka]

I just mean if you look at the big publishers catalogues all you will see is self effacement, irony, small quizzical gestures,

 

[luka]

Light dinner table witticisms, self aware, wry, basically insipid.

 

[luka]

I think it could be done in an interesting way provided it was denaturalised

 

[luka]

So it doesn't take the form of an urbane mannered self-dialogue

 

[constant escape]

I think part of it is that, in order to advance cognitive ability and/or articulative ability, one needs to identify with those layers to some degree. That is, one needs to think of them as essential, in order to properly fuel their advancement.

That means risking getting entangled in abstract and academic concerns, in the interest of expanding/exercising your ability to navigate such territories. We can make the case that high academic sensibilities do have pronounced functions and applications, but that these sensibilities tend to lock people into them, rather then merely serving as a set of tools for a more grounded sensibility.

 

[constant escape]

Of course I'd imagine its much easier to get locked in a certain academic sensibility when you are neoliberally obligated to navigate academic milieus or climb such ranks.

In that case it would all be oriented around reaching toward a certain fitness, which is usually vaguely defined. A certain optimal position or vantage point.

 

[constant escape]

You may need to exercise a heightened patrol of a newly acquired territory before you can integrate it into your acumen, your federation of territories. But this heightened patrol can perhaps lead to you locking yourself into a certain district of your acumen, rather than working to integrate into a more holistic body. Getting confined to a certain territory would be like having your reality close in on you, but it would be felt as a narrowing in on what seems fundamentally important.

So perhaps it is necessary to give air to matters that don't register as being so important, in the interest of regulating a more holistic patrol of your total territory, rather than a partial patrol.

 

[WashYourHands]

"Never go too far in any direction, is the basic law on which Land‘s End island is built"

 

[version]

I recently read a Martin Amis interview where he talks about Hitchens and how they would never fall out over something like politics and could say more or less anything to each other.

We never had even the slightest froideur about disagreements. I think it's a good rule never to lose a friend over an argument. Never get into these sincerity contests: "I feel so strongly about this that I never want to see you again." Rubbish.

I disagreed with Hitchens violently over literary things as well as political things. But it never got to the point of raised voices. That's partly because real friendship is rare, particularly male friendship. My father lost a dozen really excellent friends over the Vietnam War, because he was a hawk. A ridiculous position to take. Let alone to lose friends over that.

Perhaps I had much firmer guard rails. Christopher fell out with other friends over politics. I thought, I'm not having that. You mustn't self-dramatize your righteousness or your sincerity. That never happened between him and me.

What Martin Amis Really Thinks About ... Everyone

Prior to the release of his latest novel, Inside Story, the literary agitator doesn't hold back about everyone from Tolstoy to Margaret Thatcher to the French.

www.esquire.com

 

[luka]

I was reminded today of how upset craners politics make me, feral with rage on occasion, but also of how I wouldn't let it trash our sincere manly love.

 

[version]

It's quite a good interview in general that. Amis is a good example of someone with strong opinions. I disagree with him pretty frequently, but it's more entertaining than reading an interview with someone who plays it safe.

 

[version]

The thought of him observing American politics cracks me up for some reason. I can picture him turning on the TV in the morning and scrunching his face up at what he's hearing, sighing.

"I've seen photographs of women in early and middle age sobbing as they pray for Trump. My imagination fails. I can't see anything positive to latch onto. It's a dreadful spectacle. His clinging to the idea that he's "super smart." I don't know anyone even of average intelligence who goes on about how smart they are. Doesn't come up, does it?"

 

[version]

I was reminded today of how upset craners politics make me, feral with rage on occasion, but also of how I wouldn't let it trash our sincere manly love.

I think beyond a certain point I would end up losing friends over it tbh. I doubt I'd snap at them, but we would drift apart. There are some views I find too grim to compartmentalise.

 

[luka]

I think beyond a certain point I would end up losing friends over it tbh. I doubt I'd snap at them, but we would drift apart. There are some views I find too grim to compartmentalise.

depends a) how much you like them and b) how often it comes up. You can just tacitly agree to leave the unexploded bomb sitting there in the middle of the room for the most part.

 

[version]

It starts to leak eventually.

 

[version]

I struggle with my parents. I'm always on edge when speaking with them in public as I'm forever anticipating something sexist or racist or homophobic and constantly having to cut them off or try to steer the conversation away from where I can see it's going. Sometimes makes me want to stop speaking with them entirely tbh.

 

[luka]

Working at an espresso bar in Sydneys eastern suburbs was like that, always anticipating and steering away

 

[version]

I was sat outside with my dad a while back and he insisted on making all these dodgy jokes and comments whilst I became increasingly anxious my neighbours, some of whom are a married gay couple, were also outside and having to hear the shit he's spouting.