Is violence a necessity?

So, there's this eccentric history professor at my undergraduate college who has a knack for irritating the school's administrators with controversial ideas. I've been thinking about one of his recent articles for a month now, and I can't decide for sure what I think about it. Sparklestone's recent question has provoked me to get a mild discussion going on it.

The full article is currently at: Benching with Berger, The Coyote, April 7, 2005.

In short, his belief is that violence is so much a part of the human condition that it will never go away. There will always be war somewhere in the world. He finishes the article with this:

"However difficult it is for some to hear this and however difficult it is for some to accept this, violence is here to stay and will remain very appealing; war is here to stay and will remain very appealing. The point of education is to find ways to incorporate those facts into a healthy society and into healthy lives."

I can't decide if his personal interest in the middle east has jaded him, or if he's just telling it like it is. I hate the idea of it because it seems to be without hope.

So tell me faithful reader, how does this notion make you feel?

Caught in the Act II

Okay, I took the Captain'sadvice and told SB that the crackhead has coroborrated her story about the event I don't remember.

"The crackhead says she remembers me making out with ______ in that parking lot."

"Yeah, she's the one who told me about it."

"What? I thought you saw it."

"No, the crackhead was in the club telling everyone."

Crackhead, you got some splainin' to do. How come you're the only eye witness? I was supposedly there, and I didn't even see it.

Caught in the Act

She says she saw me, my wife that is. She says she saw me with a girl in front of a club. It's incomprehensible. I remember the club. I even remember the girl. Having my wife see me in front of that club pretending to be intimate with someone who's clearly not her... I do not have that memory.

The name of the club is lost to me, or it was I should say. I have been reminded of course, but it would have otherwise endured as a blank stare to the question "Where have you been?" I thought I was only there once. I hope I was only there once.

"You must be mistaken."

"I saw you and that girl sucking tongues in front of the club."****

“In public? I don’t think so.”

The club is memorable. Not because I enjoyed it, but because I really didn't enjoy it. I remember going there once with a couple of important friends. Important not only for their impact on my survival as an affiliate of the human race, but because they happened to have one thing I did not, QVT (quality vehicular transport), and they shamelessly drove me wherever my feet refused to take me. Basically, they were my connection to society, which means if they didn’t give me a ride I didn’t get to go. I think the QVT driver might have actually enjoyed the club a little less than I did. We share a general distrust of dumb people in large groups, and a dance club has the ability to congregate the very worst offenders. The fact that neither of us dance is a side note at best. It doesn’t strike me as the type of place I would frequent.

I suppose the end result of the club's existence was potentially noteworthy. The club is that harbor you find in any uber conservative town. It's that sole refuge for the straight, the bent, and the fabulously twisted to meet and share their common disgust of anyone truly afraid to walk through its doors. I can't say I enjoyed it immensely (because of the large groups of people), but part of me says we definitely need more of them scattered throughout the map. Without a doubt I definitely remember the club.

In all truthfulness, the only girl I remember thinking about at that club was my wife. I remember watching her dance. I didn't tell her that because, hey would you believe that if you were my wife? I just don’t remember any kissing.

Still she says she saw me, with that girl in front of that club. My wife isn't by any means intimidated by that girl. She knows to much about her. She knows too much about me. The whole thing is actually kind of funny. My wife admits she could be confused about the who and when. After all, this was in 1998. Our relationship back then was less than a twinkle in each other's eye (she had a boyfriend, so my eye twinkled a bit brighter, I think :).

I don't think I'm old enough to have to worry about what I don't remember.

Still, I worry.

**** In light of my follow-up post this wording is clearly NOT what the wife said. Perhaps she said "I thought you and that girl..." I would never knowingly accuse her of saying something she did not say.

Frazz

My new favorite comic. Frazz

Too silly for words

If you don't know about the problems concerning NASA's Deep Impact project, you should read "Russian Astrologist Plans to Crash NASA's Independence Day".

Toothbrushes & The Three Second Rule

1. Do toothbrushes fall under the three second rule?

2. If not, am I obligated to tell my wife that I knocked her toothbrush on the floor, or is a rinse under hot tap water sufficient?

3. If obligated to tell, is her subsequent use of said toothbrush a deadline with sufficient importance to reverse that obligation?

A little prayer

Dear lord, I really do care about my relatives, but can you tell them to stop sending me chain emails? They're really annoying and usually insulting. Is my email address book really the tell-tell indicator of my self worth?

This latest message is the worst yet.

You're My friend,my companion,through good times and my buddy through happy times.,beside me you stand, beside me you walkyou're there to listen,you're there to talk,with happiness,with smiles,with pain and tears,I know you'll be there, through out the yearsyou are all good friends to me.and I am grateful to you.Forward this to all your good friends on-lineto show them you are friends.
If you send this to:
1 person - you are lonely
2 people - you have a couple friends, but not many
3 people - you have a few friends...
4 people - you have some friends...
5 people - you have several friends!!
6 people - you have many friends!!
7 people - you are sooo loved!!

I mean really Lord, I know I don't have many friends. Most of them abondoned me for forwarding them too many emails I didn't actually write myself. I'd love to get emails from relatives about their weekend, or their vacation. They could even send me a picture now and then? I try to set a good example, and maybe I could write a little more often, but they're just not getting the fuckin' point. What am I to do? Please stop the madness.

AMEN

P.S. Do you really grant wishes for forwarding these emails? Cause that sounds a lot like witchcraft to me.