It is interesting to reflect on the social process that results in a (nearly) universal activity having no convenient and polite verbal tag to denote it: the activity becomes very inconvenient to discuss, and so it is not discussed, at least in Polite Society. Suppose a group of intelligent, decent, and literate people wish to discuss sex. Instead of using "fuck" as verb and noun, they must resort to "have sexual intercourse with" (verb); "an act of sexual intercourse" (noun). Instead of the participial use "fucking," they must say "having sexual intercourse," and likewise for the verbal noun form "fucking." And even these inelegancies involve a circumlocution, since "intercourse" is a word of wider application.
George Orwell wrote of the use of language to control thought (see especially his treatise on Newspeak in 1984). The same process has made talk about sex difficult if social conventions are to be observed. Not surprisingly, a huge number of slang and colloquial words have sprung up to liberate thought and language in the middle ground between polite speech and the taboo word.
BOWIE: I had wanted to go to Africa for years. You know, you see "Roots" and you want to go to Africa. The Art Ensemble had been trying to go to Africa. We were working with the French Ministry of Culture, and they would send us everywhere but Africa. We knew they had a ministry in Senegal, they had ministries in Martinique and Guadaloupe, but they would never send us there. And we tried many years to go.
So finally, I just decided "I'm going to Africa," and after one of our tours I just went. I didn't know anyone in Africa. Now, I think Randy Weston gave me Fela's name. He said, "Well, if you ever get there, check out Fela." So I went to Nigeria on a one-way ticket. I didn't have a way to get back. I had $100. And it cost me $50 to take the cab to get to the hotel. I had 40 bucks left. I had enough money for the room and a meal, and I didn't have any more money. I had just arrived about 10 o'clock at night, and I had to leave by check-out time. I didn't know anyone.
So I went to the restaurant, and the kitchen was closing, and I got to talking with the waiters. They said, "Well, you're a musician..." They couldn't believe that I was like... "Here's this American, and you're just showing up? You don't have any money or nothing? You're out here with this trumpet? I don't believe it." So anyway, they said, "Well, you'd better go see Fela." So I went to see Fela. The next day I got up and I said, "Well, where does he live?" They said, "Just get in the cab and just tell the cab driver to take you to Fela." So I got in the cab and said, "Take me to Fela."
Fela at that time had just been kicked out of his house. His house had been burned down by the soldiers; this was right after that. So he had taken over this hotel. We pull up to the courtyard of his hotel. This little guy comes up to me as I get out with my horn. He says, "Hey, what's that?" I said, "It's a trumpet." He said, "Where you from?" I said, "New York." He said, "You play jazz?" I said, "Yeah, I play jazz." He said, "Well, you must be heavy then." I said, "Well, a little bit." He said, "Well, you've come to the right place." I said, "Why is that?" He said, "Because we're the baddest band in Africa."
So from that moment on, he took me to Fela, and Fela... [Laughs] It was funny. They had to wake Fela up. They woke him up, and Fela came in, and he said, "Oh, who is this guy?" He motioned for a guy to bring his record player, and he had some of those Jamey Aebersol type records, then he motioned for another guy to bring in his saxophone. So he put on this blues, a blues in B-flat, which is my specialty, right? So I played this blues, man! One way ticket, you know I was blowin', baby. After I played a couple of choruses he said, "Stop. Somebody go get this guy's bags. He's moving in with me." So from that moment on, I was Fela's guest of honor. I made three records with him, and it was quite an experience.
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I've already begun...share the books!!! ++++
Seoul Junk: I visited the DMZ yesterday (demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea). It was pretty amazing. The gravity of the situation was constantly underscored by the ubiquity of weapons and surveillance. The ROK soldiers are amazing, too - they stand at attention in a 'modified taekwondo' stance. Arms akimbo & rigid, legs bent, one slightly in front of the other. Mirror shades. Very very intimidating. The frivolity of the other tourists was disgusting, however, as was the western-style lunch buffet at the "Sancuary" (army restaurant).
Donald Rumsfield's history with S. Hussein [via robotwisdom]:
Throughout the period that Rumsfeld was Reagan’s Middle East envoy, Iraq was frantically purchasing hardware from American firms, empowered by the White House to sell. The buying frenzy began immediately after Iraq was removed from the list of alleged sponsors of terrorism in 1982. According to a February 13, 1991 Los Angeles Times article:
“First on Hussein's shopping list was helicopters -- he bought 60 Hughes helicopters and trainers with little notice. However, a second order of 10 twin-engine Bell "Huey" helicopters, like those used to carry combat troops in Vietnam, prompted congressional opposition in August, 1983... Nonetheless, the sale was approved.?
In 1984, according to The LA Times, the State Department—in the name of “increased American penetration of the extremely competitive civilian aircraft market”—pushed through the sale of 45 Bell 214ST helicopters to Iraq. The helicopters, worth some $200 million, were originally designed for military purposes. The New York Times later reported that Saddam “transferred many, if not all [of these helicopters] to his military.?
In 1988, Saddam’s forces attacked Kurdish civilians with poisonous gas from Iraqi helicopters and planes. U.S. intelligence sources told The LA Times in 1991, they “believe that the American-built helicopters were among those dropping the deadly bombs.?
In response to the gassing, sweeping sanctions were unanimously passed by the US Senate that would have denied Iraq access to most US technology. The measure was killed by the White House.
The above represents one of dozens of possible pull-quotes from this eye-opening (and Bumsfield-damning) report.
posted by Brad Larcen 8/04/2002[edit]
