Comments | mrrranda: it's lonely in the middle

mrrranda

it's lonely in the middle

Oct 03, 2003 10:36

Last night Chris and I went to the first Rad.Art (a group of local art farts loosely connected with U of M, less loosely connected with the 555 space) event of the season, a Rooftop Films screening and readings from Found Magazine and Clamor. It was supposed to be a positive and informative pep rally sort of experience, but it was frustrating and ( Read more... )

Comments 9

la_chispa October 3 2003, 09:16:03 UTC

You're not "the liberal in the middle," you're what I call an "anti-flake." Good to meet another one. It's things like this that attract me to editing. My comments on the draft I reviewed yesterday of the intro comment for the Nov/Dec Dollars and Sense amounted to: FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!

extrastout October 3 2003, 10:53:29 UTC

That's why I rarely bother listening to are attending and fringe activist events even though they might be closer to my political views then more mainstream groups. I've run into too much of that deranged and manic zeal that leads to weird and surreal production values.

When I went to the peace rallies I went there to protest and make myself visible to uninvolved bystanders. When the speaker began their off topic ramblings I'd always wander as far away from the podium as I could get and make sure the passing cars could see my sign.

mrrranda October 5 2003, 12:59:41 UTC

My definition of "fringe" politics is hazy, as I think a lot of fairly mainstream right-wing pundits are completely off their fucking rockers. Are Pat Buchanan and Ann Coulter considered fringe dwellers? That's not a rhetorical question.

make sure the passing cars could see my sign
What did it say?

extrastout October 5 2003, 16:46:32 UTC

Thing have swung so far to the conservative side in the media that the current right makes moderate look liberal and liberals look insane, and the insane well . . . insaner.

I loved the heading Bill Maher used for a mock book guaranteed to scare liberal this Halloween . . . "Coultergeist".

My signs were "Regime change starts at home! Vote!" and "Blind faith in bad leadership is not patriotism!"

hipgunslinger October 3 2003, 16:48:48 UTC

I had a friend in college who was very much into these kinds of things. We have a theatre in vancouver called The Blinding Light Cinema that has a "celluloid club" that will often play things like this. I can't face it, frankly. The very idea of being in a roomful of people who refuse to do anything but adore the films and can't find it in them to say anything contrary about them was enough to turn me off.

(The comment has been removed)

mrrranda October 5 2003, 12:56:18 UTC

Being the *lone* voice of reason can get you in trouble by alienating you from people with whom you essentially agree, and might be able to quietly steer towards a more practical path if you were ostensibly producing work for them.

That being said, I ran into Anna a couple nights ago, and she said that her companion at the screening had some of the same problems with the Cop Watch short - thought it was convoluted, etc. So I feel sort of... vindicated? I know other people that went and thought it was all great....

Oh! No, wait. I've talked to several people who've seen that LotR one, either through Rad.Art or other indie film events, that agree it's funny right up until that fuckin' Twin Towers joke. And that it calls up that damn activist=terrorist association.

Have you done anything with your dimes? I used my half towards a basket of fries at Sidetracks. I think the rest will cover the postage on some mail art to a friend.

stichomancy October 4 2003, 07:53:33 UTC

agreed.