Can we talk?

[mnaz]

Why all the defensiveness and anger around here lately? Are certain topics off limits? I'd like to think we have a free exchange of ideas, and if the proposer of an idea is off-base, we take a few minutes here and there to illustrate why we think that is. The other thing is that everyone has their style-- some more rooted in satirical jab and the absurd than others. I don't have a problem with that in principle. Yes, questionable POV's can get thorny, but groupthink (for lack of a better way to put it) isn't necessarily any picnic either. Thank you for listening.

[hester_prynne]

If I've sounded defensive and angry I do sincerely apologize and hope that my efforts can be perceived not as angry or defensive, but merely as honest and passionate heartfelt reactions, shared with a hope for collective respect and open-minded acceptance towards all involved.
Can we talk? I think so......hell, I like to talk......
H

[Doreen Peri]

That's what we're doing aren't we?

Anger and defensiveness? You bet! Maybe it sounds like that. I honestly admit that I get pissed off when men insult women. And I talk.... to defend women .... from the arrogant belittling insults.

I'm not about to sit here when an instigator posts nonsense that insults all women without speaking out. Can we talk? Yes. We sure can.

Now, could we women just laugh it off and call it poor taste and roll our eyes like we do a LOT when men act this way? Sure. We could.

That's what I'm going to do now.

Carry on... talk about whatever the heck you want.

[hester_prynne]

Hmmm...well
there's always the square root of an isoceles triangle to talk about......
while on the way to see the wizard of course....
H

[mnaz]

Well, I've always theorized that the secret to life and art is to recognize deeper truths beneath surface differences, and to call bullshit occasionally when surface differences are called deeper truths. The tricky part is how to call bullshit, it would seem. I run into this sort of thing all the time in my forays into our lovely polarized US political system. It gets a bit ugly sometimes.

The 3-4-5 right triangle... one of the wonders of the world. The sum of the squares of the horiz & vert = the square of the hypotenuse. And no fractions at all involved! So refreshing after the Pi debacle-- simply the ratio of the circumference to diameter, yet they still haven't finished calculating out the fraction. I always thought that to be something similar to god laughing at math.

[mousey1]

Well, it's a fact, if you raise an issue in a boring way you might not titillate response, but if you push a button or dig into a tender muscle or two you're going to get the seed of debate and fiery retort going. It's not a bad thing. And since we're mostly virtual friends here we shouldn't be too hasty to string them up by their testicles or lack thereof. Though that can be fun too.

And I'm not sure we should shoot the messengers, but we can tie them to their twisted principles and burn their steaks.

I've never been one to enjoy stirring coals, but maybe that's why I have some deeply buried embers.

Yeah, let's talk is always a good way to begin...

and then some heady...I'm listening.

[WIREMAN]

pulling chains.....fucking with heads and of course playing mind games....let me not forget calling people names......it's all kinda bizarre when you don't even know the face behind the curtain....although some of us do know each other personally and when you do it is all real laughable.......may the covers be blown asunder.....

[mtmynd]

spot on.

[Lightning Rod]

if we are afraid of conflict, then we are afraid of life
conflict is the only way we move from where we are
to where we are going.

It would be nice if everything was always nicey-nice
but nobody that actually lives in the world can think
that everything is always nicey-nice
real productive and useful things come from conflict
they come from debate and disagreement
I think our Constitution was invented that way--
forty men in a hot room fighting it out

If anyone thinks that I'm a sexist for opening the question about gender and creativity, I'm not going to take it personally because those same people probably think that Stephen Colbert is a conservative (and that his name is really pronounced Colbere)

[Doreen Peri]

I hate conflict.

[mtmynd]

"It would be nice if everything was always nicey-nice "

conversely, it would be terrible if everything was always 'baddy-bad.'

the battle is not for who's the winner, but the battle is for finding a balance. balance is the key to harmony. think musical composition.

[WIREMAN]

it just seems like there must be a better place for that kinda thing....than a nice little arts community.....i get enough conflict out on there on the construction job.....dealing with a swollen leg and of course driving in DC traffic.....peace to all.......

[mtmynd]

raze hell, wired.

[Lightning Rod]

"It would be nice if everything was always nicey-nice "

conversely, it would be terrible if everything was always 'baddy-bad.'

the battle is not for who's the winner, but the battle is for finding a balance. balance is the key to harmony. think musical composition.

my point exactly, cecil
the battle is for the purpose of finding balance

in musical composition there are two major factors
one is tension and the other is resolve
same as love
or any other art
tension, resolve

in the blues the fourth and the fifth create the tension and the tonic (1st)
resolves it

in music composition you need tonal variety and tension and resolve
the OM soon becomes boring

[judih]

i live in conflict
i live in a world that is chauvinist, afraid, hoping to survive.
that's the life i live in
at home, there are fights over please don't slingshot that rubber band at your sister, and the response is why not, and there it goes and people laugh. Though i might think this behaviour is counter-productive and dangerous and, at the very least, a waste of energy, apparently there are those who relish these moments of interaction.
Such is life. Energy and the conversion from one form to another.

and now i'll shut up because i can.