The Philosophy of South Park
Ever wondered if there was more to South Park than offensive behaviour and filthy language?
Well, if the answer to this ridiculous question is yes, then you'll be in for a treat as a book has been published delving into the philosophical meaning that lies beneath the world of Kyle, Cartman, Stan and the ever-doomed Kenny.
South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today has been edited by Robert Arp, a visiting professor of philosophy at Florida University.
According to entertainment website Digital Spy Arp has compiled a range of theories concerning the deep existential thinking that lurks behind the many story lines, some reaching as far back as ancient Greek philosophy of Socrates.
Here's an example: according to the book, the Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset episode - which fans will know is about Paris Hilton - is about the liberal philosophy of John Stuart Mill (we can't be bothered to go into Mill's thinking - check Wikipedia to see if they're right).
Mr Arp believes the cartoon even has the same ultimate aim as philosophy itself: "believe it or not, the goal of both South Park and philosophy is to discover truth and make the world a better place. The difference is philosophy usually takes a less shocking approach."
South Park is not the first piece of popular culture to have been given the academic once-over: others whose philosophy has been examined include The Simpsons, The Matrix, Star Wars, Star Trek and Seinfeld [LINK].
We frequently discussed South Park's impact on today's culture and how it has expanded the satire genre to new lengths with scathing cultural critique in graduate school, so I'd be interesting to see what this book has to say. If anyone by chance reads it, let me know.
All I Think Is That It's Stupid: Dave Barry on laughing at Very Big Government
A New York Times profile once said that Miami Herald humor columnist Dave Barry "makes his living by taking prosaic ideas to incongruous extremes." He is the only Pulitzer Prize winner to have a sitcom--CBS's Dave's World--based, very loosely, on his life. (They turned his one son and two dogs into just the opposite, but he enjoys cashing the checks.)
The Pulitzer Prize judges gave Barry the award for commentary in 1988 "for his consistently effective use of humor as a device for presenting fresh insights into serious concerns." His concerns include beer, Barbie, a "worldwide epidemic of snakes in toilets," exploding Pop-Tarts, and, perhaps most famously, "the worst songs ever recorded."
To be fair to the Pulitzer committee, the real Dave does devote more column inches than the average pundit to making Very Big Government look silly and obnoxious. This is a fresh insight in New York and Washington, and wildly popular with readers, who have bought more than a million copies of his books.
Taking prosaic ideas to incongruous extremes, he writes things like: "With the federal deficit running at several hundred billion dollars per year, Congress passed a transportation bill that, according to news reports, includes $30 million for a 'hightech' moving sidewalk in Altoona, which happens to be in the district of Rep. 'Bud' Shuster, the ranking Republican on the surface transportation subcommittee.
"I don't know about you, but as a taxpayer, I am outraged to discover that, in this day and age, Altoona residents are still being forced to walk around on regular low-tech stationary sidewalks. I'm thinking of maybe organizing a group of us to go there and carry Altoonans on our backs until they get their new sidewalk. I'm also thinking that maybe we should donate an additional $10 million or so to build them a high-tech computerized Spit Launcher that will fire laser-guided gobs onto the moving sidewalk, so the Altoonans won't have to do this manually. 'What have I done today to help keep 'Bud' Shuster in Congress?' is a question we all need to ask ourselves more often."
[READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DAVE BARRY at Reason Magazine]
Rebuilding the middle class
Forget tax cuts and minimum-wage hikes; it's time for massive infrastructure projects that put millions to work in well-paying jobs.
OVER THE LAST 20 years, the United States has regressed into what one economist calls a "plutonomy" — a society in which the largest economic gains flow to an ever smaller portion of the population. According to recent economic statistics, from 1999 to 2004, the inflation-adjusted income of the bottom 90% of all U.S. households grew by 2%, compared with a 57% jump for the richest 10%. Incomes rose by more than 87% for households annually making $1 million and more than doubled for those that take home about $20 million a year.
Most disturbingly, workers losing the most economic ground are not the uneducated and unskilled but those with high school, community college and even four-year degrees. Overall, the middle class, in relative if not absolute terms, has lost purchasing power, especially in big coastal cities where the highest earners and the super-rich have driven up prices for housing and the cost of living. Globalization and automation have not only hurt manufacturing workers but also mid-level managers, engineers and software programmers. Despite enormous media and stock market hype, for instance, the U.S. has lost more than 700,000 information industry jobs since early 2001.
Is there any way to restore the prospects of middle- and working-class Americans? A comprehensive program to rebuild the nation's highways and bridges, upgrade its ports, construct and expand its energy lifelines and enlarge its public transportation systems could generate hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs. Admittedly, this back-to-basics strategy is not glamorous. But it has helped narrow economic inequality in the past by producing more balanced economic growth...[READ MORE]
MUSIC
Yesterday seemed like a particularly bad Monday at work, so I set up my ratty old coat hanger Christmas tree in hopes of livining a few spirits, including my own. It's funny what a little red tree with lights will do for your spirits...but since we can't sit around bonging eggnog at work, it'll have to do.
If you're trying to get into the holiday spirit yourself, here's a few tracks off the Taste of Christmas album that just might help you put a little spring in your holiday season step:
Gatsby's American Dream - "Saint Nicholas"
Plain White T's - "Season of a Lifetime"
The Used - "Alone This Holiday"
Bonus music:
Jeff Buckley - "Corpus Christi Carol"
The Editors - "All Sparks (Phones Remix)"
M. Ward - "To Go Home"
The Shins - "A Comet Appears"
Featured Artist: Apteka
Veritas Lux Mea is proud to introduce you to Chicago's own Apteka. Check out psychedelic, sheo-gaze rock outfit Apteka December 14th at Subterranean [purchase tickets].
Apteka website.
Indie Essentials: The Decemberists, The Crane Wife
One of the few things that I've begun to look forward to every day at work is hearing The Decemberist's "O Valenica!" pumping through my MiniMac speakers courtesy of YXPN in Philly. I'll admit that I've never been a huge Decemberists fan, but that track has spurred a new interest in the band for me. If you're a bit like me and want to get a better feel for The Decemberists, check out what The Daily Vidette said about their last release, The Crane Wife.The Crane Wife is The Decemberists' first CD release since leaving their indie label, Kill Rock Stars for Capitol Records. It marks an important turning point in the band's career, making the leap from an indie band with a cult following, to becoming a bigger name.
The Crane Wife is more produced, more polished and heavier than anything The Decemberists have released in the past. While lead singer/front man, Colin Meloy still sings about rogues, rascals and soldiers, the theatrical element is more toned down and the music is the main focus.
The title of the CD is based on Japanese folk-tale, The Crane Wife, which Meloy encountered and decided to write base music upon. There are several variations on the story, but basically a poor man finds an injured crane on his doorstep and takes it inside to nurse it back to health.
After releasing the crane, a woman appears on the man's doorstep with whom he falls in love with and marries. Since the man is so poor, his wife offers to weave clothing out of silk that they can sell if he agrees to never watch her weave them. She begins to sell her clothing and as they make money, the man gets greedier.
One day, he peeks in to watch his wife weave and he sees a crane plucking its feathers and weaving it into the loom. The Crane sees him and flies away to never return.
Two tracks, "The Crane Wife 3" and "The Crane Wife 1& 2" tell the story with parts two and three combined as one song creating an 11-mintue track.
Also, most of the ink on The Crane Wife has been devoted to the two 10 minute plus song suites that bookend the album, "The Crane Wife" and track two, "The Island"...[READ MORE]
The Decemberists - "O Valencia!"
The Decemberists - "When the War Came"
The Decemberists - "Sons and Daughters"