Sunday, October 3, 2010

MUCH NEEDED COMIC RELIEF/VONNEGUT QUOTES

Here.

[Thanks to my friend Ray DiPalma for hipping me to this site.]

7 comments:

JIm said...

I must confess I have not read him, however, if the posters are a window to his mind, than he only recognises the evil corrupt side of humanity. The side of our better angels is also worth recognition. I find pessimism boring.

Jamie Rose said...

What????????????? You find pessimism boring??? Excuse me, this is the liberal-hating Obama-bashing "Jim"? So now you are an optimist?

And you're implying that you are somehow proud that you haven't read Kurt Vonnegut??? Do you stay away from evil and corrupt writers like Mark Twain too? This has got to be the craziest post you've done on Michael's blog.

Anonymous said...

For crazy post by this yo-yo, just take your pick.

JIm said...

Mark Twain was my hero. I thought him anything but a pessimist. I do not hate Obama, I hate big government intrusive socialism. He just happens to favor that.

Jamie Rose said...

There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist, except an old optimist.
- Mark Twain's Notebook, 1902-1903

...the man who isn't a pessimist is a damned fool.
- Mark Twain, a Biography

The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little.
- Mark Twain's Notebook, 1902-1903

(For the record: I am a die-hard optimist.)

JIm said...

I saw in Tom Sayer the rascally and lovable entrepeneur (sp), In today's political world, Tom could have grown up to be Bill Clinton. In my view, Huck Finn was a two part novel. The first part was the story of good and evil and triumph of good in a world that was cruel and evil. The second part was Huck's struggle against the mores and conventions of the times. Women folk seemed to want to smother him with kindness and direction, somewhat like today's nanny state.

Mark Twain was a complex man and certainly was a liberal for his time. He was an optimist a pessimist a grand story teller and a man that could laugh and make others laugh at the human condition. He was a man full of human frailties but yet the most dominant author, possibly in American history. I believe he celebrated the strength and character of the individual in his wonderful stories.

PS In the last few years I have reread Twain with my twins, James and Shannon. They under-appreciated Twain. Tom Sawyer was my favorite character until I discovered Jack London's stories. The twins were particuarly hung up with some of the vernacuclar like, " I am gonin lick em". Maybe, in my youth we spoke like that in the school yard.

PSS Excuse the spelling.

AlamedaTom said...

Jim: God damn it, you've got to be kind!

~ Willy