tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post8045405992338854855..comments2023-10-17T08:19:58.196-04:00Comments on FreeThinke: FreeThinkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-84199979946653710662013-09-28T14:29:48.094-04:002013-09-28T14:29:48.094-04:00@ AOW: "I hope that you understand that my c...@ AOW: <i>"I hope that you understand that my comments here in no way were intended to put down your knowledge of Spanish literature."</i><br /><br />Of course! Your knowledge of it is beyond mine. You studied it in a concentrated fashion, while I picked up bits and pieces here and there in slapdash fashion. <br /><br />I will have to go find commentaries on much of what I read, in order to orient myself, since I was not formally trained in it.<br /><br />That is what I find so refreshing in Unamuno's writings. He is a gifted and intelligent man, but his philosophy is straightforward. Unlike Kant and others, Unamuno wants ordinary people to 'get it.'<br /><br />I also find Kierkegaard very accessible. Must be something about the proto-existentialists... <br /><br />I've lived years on and off in Latin America and still enjoy many friendships and an occasional visit, so that is where my experience comes from.<br /><br />I visited Spain twice, but only for a few weeks each time. As my latin American friends warned me, there wasn't a lot of similarities.<br /><br />-- SilverdiddleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-5350945530280729462013-09-28T12:35:28.578-04:002013-09-28T12:35:28.578-04:00If you had been trained as an academic, Kurt, we&#...If you had been trained as an academic, Kurt, we'd probably find you intolerable. I spent twenty years teaching, but had to get out of the racket, because of militant takeover of a perverse, destructive mentality. I could not fight it alone, and found the scene more enervating and depressing by the day, so I walked away. I was a darned good teacher, and had good, productive relationships with most of my students many of whim came from "The Ghetto" and "The Barrio," if I must say it for myself, but the leading mentality that suddenly arose in the Sick-sties truly has turned academia into a poisoned well.<br /><br />Having a high IQ, earning A's in coursework, scoring high on SAT's, and having the fortitude to win two or three advanced degrees are NOT worthy substitutes for GENUINE Intellectual Curiosity.<br /><br />Or as the late, great Duke Ellington put it:<br /><br />"It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that Zing."FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-77767045418941363302013-09-28T05:00:50.527-04:002013-09-28T05:00:50.527-04:00Silverfiddle,
Back when I was in college, Unamuno ...Silverfiddle,<br />Back when I was in college, Unamuno was one of my favorite authors!<br /><br />When I mention his name now, mostly I get blank stares.<br /><br />Thanks for reminding me of the story about Franco's wife rescuing Unamuno!<br /><br />I hope that you understand that my comments here in no way were intended to put down your knowledge of Spanish literature. As you can tell, I am enthusiastic about the topic.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-66547699990489610582013-09-27T20:50:24.212-04:002013-09-27T20:50:24.212-04:00We already participated, Joe.
Those animals aren...We already participated, Joe. <br /><br />Those animals aren't worth hunting, because they're ugly as sin and eminently indigestible.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-43539524055881018602013-09-27T20:35:14.092-04:002013-09-27T20:35:14.092-04:00Let theRINO hunt commence,Let the<a href="http://politicaltealeaves.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-25-senate-rinos.html" rel="nofollow">RINO hunt</a> commence,Joe Conservativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02696367580635901992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-9487850197101394562013-09-27T15:10:16.642-04:002013-09-27T15:10:16.642-04:00The story of Franco's wife rescuing Unamuno up...The story of Franco's wife rescuing Unamuno upon his public confrontation with Astray is a fascinating piece of history.<br /><br />I am neither a teach nor an academic, just a guy who likes to read, but I am continually amazed at the incidental connections as well as the threads that run through things.<br /><br />-- SilverfiddleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-42197217006009678192013-09-27T14:44:52.267-04:002013-09-27T14:44:52.267-04:00I recall reading most of the key authors included ...I recall reading most of the key authors included in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_of_98" rel="nofollow">The Generation of 98</a>. An entire year for that course, I think.<br /><br />Oh, and an entire year of Medieval Literature of Spain.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-80255535232665758412013-09-27T14:41:40.580-04:002013-09-27T14:41:40.580-04:00Anonymous,
Have you read Rodo's "Ariel?&q...Anonymous,<br /><i>Have you read Rodo's "Ariel?" </i><br /><br />Not that I recall. My degree in Spanish focused almost exclusively in the literature of Spain.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-29832069081986626182013-09-27T13:39:37.905-04:002013-09-27T13:39:37.905-04:00Que simpatico! ;)Que <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Enrique_Rod%C3%B3" rel="nofollow">simpatico</a>! ;)Speedy Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01640242783952822072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-8956733088997343762013-09-27T13:07:50.966-04:002013-09-27T13:07:50.966-04:00No problem, FreeThinke.
You know that I don't...No problem, FreeThinke.<br /><br />You know that I don't fight just for the hell of it.<br /><br />AOW: Have you read Rodo's "Ariel?"<br /><br />Although not a work of romanticism, it is a South American reaction to utilitarianism as embodied by the Norteños. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-31457350841890001782013-09-27T12:18:27.114-04:002013-09-27T12:18:27.114-04:00FT,
One of the things that I love about fiction is...FT,<br />One of the things that I love about fiction is that it can speak to matters that span centuries.<br /><br />Cervantes made the point that Spain at the time needed both Don Quijotes and Sancho Panzas. A "whole" man encompasses both!<br /><br />It is interesting to note that Don Quijote, the dreamer, was a contented man whereas Sancho Panza, the realist an the skeptic, wasn't a contented man. By the end of the novel, Sancho Panza decided that he needed to be more like Don Quijote, who was making his exit from this earthly life.<br /><br />There's one more important trait that Don Quijote had: it didn't matter to him that people ridiculed him. Now, perhaps it <b>SHOULD</b> have mattered somewhat to him; I can make the case for that. But marching to the beat of one's own drum does have its advantages. Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-34422516388950802162013-09-27T12:11:32.598-04:002013-09-27T12:11:32.598-04:00Anonymous, my note to "Locke" above shou...Anonymous, my note to "Locke" above should give adequate explanation as to why you were deleted.<br /><br />We do NOT welcome irrelevant remarks here. The place is neither a dumping ground, nor a public platform open to heterogenous speeches and outbursts, etc.<br /><br />you're welcome here only IF you address the topic at hand.<br /><br />Thanks for your future cooperation.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-24870452363027503242013-09-27T12:05:57.908-04:002013-09-27T12:05:57.908-04:00Thank you, AOW and Kurt, for returning to refine a...Thank you, AOW and Kurt, for returning to refine and enhance yesterday's discussion which did seem to get a bit out of hand there for a while.<br /><br />I regret never having read the great novel -- even in translation -- but am, of course, familiar with its themes, if not its myriad details.<br /><br />Senator Cruz's performance simply reminded me of The Impossible Dream, which I think astonishingly apt to the senator's character and present situation.<br /><br />Later, FJ gave the link to a very touching scene between Peter O'Toole as Don Quixote and Sofia Loren as "Dulcinea" which was the basis for my comment.<br /><br />At any rate, from the way I look at things, an understanding of the underlying themes and basic principles of a literary or dramatic work is much more important than remembering a boatload of "facts" ABOUT a given work.<br /><br />Facts have no significance without the kind of perception and intuitive understanding, and interpretative skill that enable us both to see "The Big Picture" and "read between the lines" at the same time.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-61120792697188994932013-09-27T11:19:02.909-04:002013-09-27T11:19:02.909-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.The voice of reasonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-44530855744927063242013-09-27T10:49:31.313-04:002013-09-27T10:49:31.313-04:00AOW: I agree. It is multi-layered. His numerous...AOW: I agree. It is multi-layered. His numerous mention of other writers and stories makes it heavy on literary criticism. Also, subsequent Spanish thinkers such as Miguel de Unamuno, who I know you have more than a passing familiarity with, took Quijote as a champion of romanticism over raw rationality and ended up running with those themes.<br /><br />And yeah, the Spanish is off the hook. I compare it to trying to read Olde English, although I Cervantes' Spanish is not near as rough to get through as say, Chaucer in the original.<br /><br />What I was really taking issue with was people citing the movie. It's a snotty point, so I didn't push it, but the movie, beautiful as it was, was not the book.<br /><br />In the book, Don Quijote never sees Dulcinea, and she was a farmer's daughter, not an innkeeper's one. But, as I said, it's a snobby point to make and an unnecessary diversion from FreeThinke's larger point which, despite my disagreement, I do say is well made.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-47628220274049141362013-09-27T10:43:21.968-04:002013-09-27T10:43:21.968-04:00Wyndham Lewis, along with TS Eliot and Ezra Pound,...Wyndham Lewis, along with <a href="http://www.theamericanconservative.com/repository/eliot-pound-and-lewis-a-creative-friendship/" rel="nofollow">TS Eliot and Ezra Pound</a>, certainly was one of the last classical liberals.Joe Conservativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02696367580635901992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-63305582267162654562013-09-27T10:06:52.125-04:002013-09-27T10:06:52.125-04:00Silverfiddle,
Quijote was old, his imagination sei...Silverfiddle,<br /><i>Quijote was old, his imagination seized by romantic novels, and he could see no other path.</i><br /><br />That's one interpretation (I prefer the word "aspect"), and certainly Cervantes also implied that, at least in part as satire. Cervantes was dismayed that the Spanish were trying to hold onto past glory instead of moving on and dealing with the many changes in the world, including the rise of England.<br /><br />But with old age does come a certain kind of wisdom -- even in dementia.<br /><br /><i>Don Quijote</i> has many layers. Cervantes, the Shakespeare of Spain, was a master wordsmith. Many of his plays on words cannot be appreciated without a thorough knowledge of the Spanish language -- the Spain version, not the Latin America one.<br /><br />Not taking up the mantle of disagreement here, just pointing out my own observations influenced, no doubt, by one of my college professors from Spain; that particular professor was my mentor in college in my junior and senior years. Compared to that professor's knowledge of Cervantes, my knowledge fits into a thimble and doesn't being to overflow that small container.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-25050298303226672112013-09-27T08:32:40.135-04:002013-09-27T08:32:40.135-04:00"In your Wyndham Lewis phase, Farmer?"
..."In your Wyndham Lewis phase, Farmer?"<br /><br />No. Farmer's in his 'sitting in his mom's basement wearing his patriot pajamas' phase.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-41079238098841288042013-09-27T07:44:02.503-04:002013-09-27T07:44:02.503-04:00Yes indeed, Better Dead than Red! As a former Mari...Yes indeed, Better Dead than Red! As a former Marine, I feel very strongly about this. Ambassadors and the like are a representative to a country, and as such are expected to be protected. In addition, the embassy actually stand on US soil. Yes, embassies belong to the country of which they represent. Now, this was an attack on US soil against a US representative. All the while, we had drones watching the whole debacle from the air. Meanwhile, jets were waiting on the order to take off and provide air support (a low-altitude fly-over most likely would have been sufficient).<br /><br />Soldiers are fighters, Warriors. People who to pit it bluntly, kill and destroy for a living and try not to get killed. They <b>VOLUNTEERED</b> to go to a dangerous location, to present themselves as targets, and to be willing to die for their nation's ideologies. This will sound as if I'm minimizing their deaths, but they knew full well they might not live, and they went in knowing that they were going to be in dangerous combat situations. And therefor they MUST be protected with ALL our might. Pretending that this was cause by a stupid internet video is just that “STUPID” and something undeserving of our brave men. It is pure hogwash.<br />Democrats especially the Progressive movement have no problem at all being hypocrites. Rules don't apply to them or blacks.<br />I'm trying really hard not to sound cold and unfeeling, and that's really hard to get from a message across, I know. But please, I'm just throwing in my opinion and defending it. This is not only my opinion be it has been proven to be Factual. Which is inadequately explained the stupidity of the Obama administration. Let us NOT allow Hillary and company to get off the hook and God Forbid become the next President. <br />The press and the Administration is doing ALL they can to Distracting from Benghazi, by allowing ALL of their other scandals to take over the front burner. Yes the Syria crisis and ObamaCare are very important, but we must not allow this scandal to die. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-10178818583991880502013-09-27T06:17:22.194-04:002013-09-27T06:17:22.194-04:00You dumbass over at the progressive site just don;...You dumbass over at the progressive site just don;'t get it.His recital of Dr seuss was actually a mocking of the senate carnival. Didn't think any of y'all would catch that.Are you that stupid? If the senate returns the Obamabust funding, then he will assuredly vote against it.<br />Remember that old fashioned thing called a "campaign promise"? That little thingamajig you make during a campaign?<br /><br />Well Cruz had promised his constituents he would do everything in his power to attack and delay and attempt to derail Obamacare.<br /><br />Now although you might not like his position, I for one admire any public servant and please note I am using public servant, on either side of the aisle who is willing to live up to his or her campaign promise to his or her voters.<br />You progressive idiots have to lie ALL THE DAMN TIME<br /><br /><br />I have a never ending quest to find out who the REAL leader is of the GOP. Someone the whole party can unite behind. But I'm beginning to think the ENTIRE GOP party is nothing but RINO's since every time I bring up a name that's what my conservative friends call him or her.<br /><br />But now we see REAL leadership from Ted Cruz. He's the darling of at least some of the GOP and ALL of the Tea Party (who think they are the only REAL Republicans). Can he be the one???? DaGoosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-88780453045913925632013-09-26T21:23:12.290-04:002013-09-26T21:23:12.290-04:00In your Wyndham Lewis phase, Farmer?
In your Wyndham Lewis phase, Farmer?<br /><br />Ducky's herehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14608115001116619877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-30096920525065026762013-09-26T20:36:05.816-04:002013-09-26T20:36:05.816-04:00...and when I see a sign of intelligence from you,......and when I see a sign of intelligence from you, "ditto".Joe Conservativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02696367580635901992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-91886508570308925492013-09-26T20:08:46.664-04:002013-09-26T20:08:46.664-04:00"...and a modern revolution doesn't requi...<i>"...and a modern revolution doesn't require a "gun", Tory."</i><br /><br />Well, when I start seeing some heroics out of you, I'll reassess my opinion of you.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-51345565704152792092013-09-26T19:38:19.751-04:002013-09-26T19:38:19.751-04:00A salon?
Can i get a pedicure?A salon? <br /><br />Can i get a pedicure?Joe Conservativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02696367580635901992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-70939588615506841332013-09-26T19:10:10.443-04:002013-09-26T19:10:10.443-04:00Now, BOYS! Remember where you are, PLEASE.
This i...Now, BOYS! Remember where you are, PLEASE.<br /><br />This is a SALON not a SALOON. <br /><br />- FreeThinke's HousekeeperAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com