the heavy shame

[squamous]

I had dinner at Mike's last night and he showed me the "highlights" from the first two episodes of Joe Millionaire, which he had TiVo'd. Hmmm. I dunno. I was a lot less interested in it than I thought I would be. I have seen Elimidate, after all, and I expect wall to wall cat fights and over the top slutty behavior from people who want to fight over a man while also being seen on television. I appreciated that Fox put the presumed "gold diggers" to work shovelling shit (literally, in a couple of cases), but I got bored with the shots of "introspective Joe Millionaire", silhouetted on his balcony, brooding about lying to the contestants on a TV game show. Er, reality show I guess. Whatever. I wondered how many of the remaining five women were even still interested... but then, what do people want out of this? I guess we're meant to think they are going to get married? Maybe there was some explanation and I missed it.

I also got way too into a game of checkers with a five year old last night. I couldn't decide if I should let him win or not, then I got caught up in the game (although, I also kept cautioning him if he was about to make a move that looked questionable). Yes checkers, yes a five year old, yes I did eventually win, but it was all kind of horrible. The kid is competitive I tell you, once it looked like I would win he seemed to have a real internal crisis, a real problem of seeing any point in the game.

So, this Hell House documentary here sounds kinda interesting. Anyone seen it, or better yet gone through or performed in one of these joints? I'd like to see something like this actual show they put on someday, nosy voyeur that I am.

I have been letting world events get to me lately. I am a thin-skinned "maroon", is what it is. The thing may be to always be more relaxed and casual. More casual about the Chinese, more casual about the checkers. Stop worrying about the North Koreans and the Middle East. It's not like I come to any conclusions or hold any opinions anyway. And I can't say that I ever really take any action. Wishy washy, y'know? But sometimes I like to ramble, and I always got questions.

Oh but this Pink Pistols business... this, I like. Even if I do always question that saying that "an armed society is a polite society". Maybe I need to read more L. Neil Smith.

Comments

[boonedog.livejournal.com]

That movie (Hell House) is very popular here in Seattle. I haven't seen it (it's played at some indie theatres) but I've read some scathing reviews of it. I'm pretty horrified by the hell & brimstone concept but I'm also fascinated by stuff like this. If you find anyone who's been in any performance do send them my way cause I'd love to hear about it.

I don't think an armed society is a polite society; I think an educated society is a polite society. An armed society is a fear-based, imbalanced-power society. Not that there's anything with owning guns, there's just too many stupid bozos out there who own guns and that doesn't do anything for quality of life for the rest of us.

[squamous.livejournal.com]

One thing that always occurs to me when people talk about an armed society being a polite society, is how there also seem to be a lot of news reports about armed criminals killing one another. I don't know the real statistics mind you, but my impression is that in the United States and elsewhere, there are contexts in which gun ownership does nothing to make people respect one another.

[boonedog.livejournal.com]

The mafia and gangs (like the crips and bloods) are the most "armed" part of our society and they don't respect each other much at all.

[niggerkojak.livejournal.com]

Hell House is great and the best thing about JM is the corny-ass butler and his brandy snifter, did you friend show you that?

I popped the DVD in the mail yesterday, 1st class.

[squamous.livejournal.com]

I did see the butler... my friend Mike wanted to heap scorn on the part where the butler said something about the kind of people he worked for being richer than the names you see on the Forbes magazine richest list. Mike doesn't believe there are hidden rich people in the world, somewhere above Bill Gates / Sultan of Brunei etc. Also he had to show me the butler getting his licks in about, um, Heidi I think her name was. Holly? The girl who had a boyfriend and made all the other girls mad. We actually started watching the first episode straight but moved to "highlights" rather quickly.

Thanks again for picking up that DVD, I'll let you know once it arrives. Today I am watching "The Cube", which I had not seen before.

[gooddreams.livejournal.com]

yeah, the butler is the best part. he makes sarcastic comments like "well, some of the ladies had to go, because there isn't room for all of them here. wait, yes there is." and the bitchy girl was muttering french as she was packing to be sent off, and they subtitled it to show her stupidity: she was trying to talk about her "pain" but she said "i too have no bread baggage." heh.