Meet the Fockers Meet Lakoff

Chas Colburn is a sculptor friend in the DC area who recently sent me George Lakoff's book, "Moral Politics." Some weeks later we found ourselves here. Comments as always are welcome. http://chascolburn.com

Black: new messages go right to the top of the stack..... or at least they should. Red: I had to refresh my screen to get it to upload Black: hm Black: now what's browser is this? Black: and mac or pc? Red: don' t know the browser. AOL? and on a pc Black: hmmmmmmm Black: hmmm Black: hm Black: could be an older version of aol..... Black: wow these computers can just drive you nuts Red: 9.0 security edition SE Black: and artists as we know are perfectionists too.... Black: so how to make something work for every combination of computer out there? Black: wow Black: a tall order Black: hahah Red: they have a powerful hand don't they? Black: indeeed Black: well we're getting closer at least...... you can at least 'see it' now Black: before the screen was just blank you said Black: so ........ that's progress Black: and progress is good Black: progressive Red: like lakoff Black: oh yes - i was thinking about the book quite a bit last weekend Red: it's excellent isn't it? Black: i found something that appeared to mirror the ideas in the book Black: yes it really is Red: I had a wonderful time listening to ... Red: what mirrored the ideas? Black: ah Black: it was a movie ...... Red: yes? Black: meet the fockers Black: with ben stiller and robert deniro Black: an old classmate of amy's from film school wrote the script Red: wow Black: using humor it explores this dynamic.. Black: one sees graphically laid out on the big screen.. Black: the nuturant parent model...... and right next to it... Black: the strict father paradigm Red: It is so pervasive in our culture Black: and what the movie suceeds in doing is after laying them out side by side......... is creating dialogue Black: and exchange Black: between the two Red: the two exist side by side Black: this comes from love Black: in the film's case....... the love of ben stiller's character for his soon to be wife.. Black: the movie is about a wedding of a man and a woman.... and also of the strict father family with the nuturant parent family Red: so so so timeley! Black: and because we're looking at a comedy,......... the metaphors are incredible Black: pushed to the limit..... Black: scenes will make you squirm a bit Black: it makes you smile at lakoff Black: hey we could blog this if you want Red: so I was listening to c-span the other day and I hear Bill Crystal chatting about some conservative bs and he kept framing the conversation by using th term psudeo intellectualists over and over. Black: would be good for people to see Black: ah bill crystal Red: yes. let me try to get on again. Black: no we're good here Black: i liked him much better when he was billy crystal Red: yes, the enter button does not work yet. Black: i'll get the tech dept on that immediately Red: oh, do you change your name to something more conservative when you go from standup to ..... Red: well I guess conservative bs pays more. Ha, Ha. Black: we could use a little conservatism here and there........ now all we seem to have is neoconism Black: neo-con-men everywhere Red: the way he pronounced Pseudo Intellectualists really sounded like it was an old and well used saying. Red: very demeaning too. Black: indeed it is Black: i have to get lakoff's framing book now Black: artists should know how to frame their own things Red: like evereyone should be using it to discribe the people who don't agree with them. Red: He has a framing book too? Red: I need to get it. Black: oh yes! Black: that's his latest Red: I have been helping prima to negeotiate issues at work by framing them. it is really a nice platform to work from Red: I'll pick it up soon. Black: nice! Black: yes it's a very practical book in many ways Red: I am sure it is. Black: it's called: Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives Black: chas no thinking of elephants while reading either of these two sentences Black: and that would also apply to our many readers out there in blogland Red: I have read it Black: elephants - nope Red: It is excellen!!!!!!t Black: it's about his 'iceberg' theory Red: It's about 100 pages and an easy read Red: iceberg? Black: you only see or hear the tip Red: yes. Black: but you're aware that there is much more under the surface Black: framing establishes the iceberg Red: the problem with the whole success of the neocons in their delivery is that they have licence somehow to be mean. Red: the democrats have a reputation of niceness. Red: that's what I like about the progressive movement. It has no or not much baggage to bring with it. Black: yes indeed Black: you're a sculptor among many other things...... is there an idea of progressive sculpture? Black: i'm thinking of your use of mathematics here i suppose... but not limited to that Red: I hope it is what I am doing? Red: I feel like my work is very calculated and I use all of my experiance to develop it. Red: I have to say that I don't have much political sense to it. Black: though the public ones......... exist among people Black: interact with them on a daily basis Red: i feel that it help to build the neural networks for the other thinking I do, like non profit boarding and sculpture. Red: your're right Red: I do hope that my works will help people to formulate ways of processing thought. Black: i also want our audience to have to opportunity to see what you're up to on the web Red: thanks, this would have been a good blogversation Black: indeed there's framing right there