Monday, August 20, 2012
Coupla random thoughts
Our peculiar system of inverted and meaningless "parties" creates a lot of ingratitude.
Ordinary people are happy when their product gets used. Money helps, but usage means more. For a few years I tried selling my Poser graphics, and the money was indeed satisfying; but I finally pulled out of the sales market and stuck with ShareCG freestuff. In that setup, people feel obliged to let me know when they've used my furniture or cars, and they're happy to show off their own artwork modifying and surrounding the item. Satisfaction and gratitude in both directions. Can't beat it.
Well, how about politics? I think Obama has acknowledged that Obamacare is really Romneycare, and that it was based on a proposal from the Heritage Foundation. But Romney has never thanked Obama for using it. Heritage, which is in the business of offering detailed proposals for politicians to use, should be wonderfully happy and grateful to see their hard work turned into real policy for once! But they're not. It has the wrong label, so it doesn't exist.
The same idiocy happened the other way around with Emperor Teddy's "No Child Left Behind" education ruination. Teddy never thanked Bush The Son for implementing it, and the teachers unions HATED Bush for putting Comrade Teddy's plan into action.
Pure branding, no substance.
Assholes.
= = = = =
Completely unrelated: I was thinking about the so-called "grammar" rules that schoolteachers used to jam into our unwilling ears. Even in 9th grade I understood that Miss Marley's rules were not grammar. They were style rules.
Just now realized that some of Miss Marley's rules were in fact the exact opposite of grammar. Any moderately intelligent native speaker knows the rules of grammar by about age 12. Without training we simply can't use bad grammar. If we wish to express a negative preference toward rodents, we WILL NOT say "Micen likings I notted." But an untrained or young speaker WILL say something like "I don't like mouses." When he does that, he's not violating the rules of grammar; he's enforcing the rules too strictly. He's not allowing exceptions. ¶ 12:54 PM
Ordinary people are happy when their product gets used. Money helps, but usage means more. For a few years I tried selling my Poser graphics, and the money was indeed satisfying; but I finally pulled out of the sales market and stuck with ShareCG freestuff. In that setup, people feel obliged to let me know when they've used my furniture or cars, and they're happy to show off their own artwork modifying and surrounding the item. Satisfaction and gratitude in both directions. Can't beat it.
Well, how about politics? I think Obama has acknowledged that Obamacare is really Romneycare, and that it was based on a proposal from the Heritage Foundation. But Romney has never thanked Obama for using it. Heritage, which is in the business of offering detailed proposals for politicians to use, should be wonderfully happy and grateful to see their hard work turned into real policy for once! But they're not. It has the wrong label, so it doesn't exist.
The same idiocy happened the other way around with Emperor Teddy's "No Child Left Behind" education ruination. Teddy never thanked Bush The Son for implementing it, and the teachers unions HATED Bush for putting Comrade Teddy's plan into action.
Pure branding, no substance.
Assholes.
= = = = =
Completely unrelated: I was thinking about the so-called "grammar" rules that schoolteachers used to jam into our unwilling ears. Even in 9th grade I understood that Miss Marley's rules were not grammar. They were style rules.
Just now realized that some of Miss Marley's rules were in fact the exact opposite of grammar. Any moderately intelligent native speaker knows the rules of grammar by about age 12. Without training we simply can't use bad grammar. If we wish to express a negative preference toward rodents, we WILL NOT say "Micen likings I notted." But an untrained or young speaker WILL say something like "I don't like mouses." When he does that, he's not violating the rules of grammar; he's enforcing the rules too strictly. He's not allowing exceptions. ¶ 12:54 PM
