tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post3002230305655788801..comments2023-11-22T09:11:01.567+00:00Comments on George Szirtes: Wymondham Festival Approaching: A Week of ListsGeorge Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889600788146987089noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-14050358989862255592010-09-15T15:39:34.849+01:002010-09-15T15:39:34.849+01:00I think the trouble with "The War on Terror&q...I think the trouble with "The War on Terror" isn't that "terror" is an abstract (so what ?) but that terror comes from many sources. Not all terrorists agree with other terrorists, do they ? And when is a terrorist a terrorist and not a legitimate freedom-fighter ? etc.<br /><br /> In short, waging war on ALL these people who embody terror. . .well, it would take one hell of a long time. In fact, for ever, because such waging tends to recruit (un-deliberately) other terrorists.<br /><br /> In this case, it wasn't George Bush Jnr's use of language that made me laugh, but the extent of his hubris.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-142707445883000272010-09-14T09:26:12.536+01:002010-09-14T09:26:12.536+01:00Will respond, but too much dashing about till late...Will respond, but too much dashing about till later. Lovely replies. Thank you.George Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08889600788146987089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-37363519180233238602010-09-14T09:06:13.472+01:002010-09-14T09:06:13.472+01:00The little boy in him
A lovely observation. I hav...<i>The little boy in him</i><br /><br />A lovely observation. I have always thought that a sign of a happy person is the preservation of a zone where they have failed to grow up - a visible area of childish delight. The miserable and the destructive are invariably, relentlessly adult.The Plumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09244528534476387323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-56160828614963247802010-09-13T23:09:35.816+01:002010-09-13T23:09:35.816+01:00What I liked about your father's photo was the...What I liked about your father's photo was the way he isn't relying on the material of the bandstand to do the job of holding him up.- He's poised between his own sinking down and the interum space between the bandstand and the camera that he addresses with his eyes. Almost provoking a return glance through which the balance completes itself. His legs are slightly out- uncrossed- in midair and his hands tucked into his centre weight so that even in the stillness of the shot you know that he is tilting back and forth, adjusting minutely- re-grafting areas of emphasis. Something about seizing the moment. Maybe all the likes and dislikes fabricated over a life-time come from these basic dispositions even as they adapt to changing countries and changing bodies.Ruthnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-10803299299973291042010-09-13T23:04:48.847+01:002010-09-13T23:04:48.847+01:00Dad 1945-
Dislikes: Children's difficult beha...Dad 1945-<br /><br />Dislikes: Children's difficult behavior, his own tendency to cataplexy, being in situations that lead to cataplexy, narcolepsy<br /><br />Likes: Being right, lecturing, cheap cold beer, bicycling, grandchildren<br /><br />There's an exercise that told me something I already knew, but put it in a blunter perspective than I'm used to. I'm not sure it brings his personality to life. <br /><br />I'd love to hear more about your dad sometime.danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09902311224633734779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-62037992084420378902010-09-13T22:24:25.613+01:002010-09-13T22:24:25.613+01:00George, I enjoyed this list very much. It certainl...George, I enjoyed this list very much. It certainly brought your Father's personality to life for me. It was an interesting mix of personal, as well as generational and historical likes and dislikes. The list also led me to reflect on the love and "not love" of Hungary, and at the same time the love of the Hungarian language. In my mind the love of country and the love of language in the Hungarian context was synonymous. Of course I now see that is a silly, unexamined notion. I can now better understand some of the older Hungarians here in New Zealand who love their language but are often less than enthusiastic about their homeland. <br /><br />Seeing the photo of Father prompted me to wonder if you have seen the wonderful Fortepan collection of nearly 5000 amateur photos. sourced mainly in Budapest. The photos do really tell the history of twentieth-century Hungary through these nameless photos. There is a story behind every photo. You can see the collection at http://www.fortepan.hu This site and collection represents the very best of the Web and why the Internet can be such a wondrous place.Paul Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13042347499548245711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-88641401198437481452010-09-13T22:17:04.321+01:002010-09-13T22:17:04.321+01:00my dad 1921 - 1975
Dislikes
male students wearing ...my dad 1921 - 1975<br />Dislikes<br />male students wearing pastel shirts and long hair<br />War<br />-isms and extremists<br />talking about his experiences in war -<br /><br />likes:<br />his pipe and sunday papers<br />growing tomatoes grapes and orchids<br />beer<br />sharing illicit sips of beer with his youngest daughter<br />poetry, verbal and visual images<br /><br />A good ManAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-20136207037211976072010-09-13T19:12:23.148+01:002010-09-13T19:12:23.148+01:00If ever there was a prompt to memory this is it Ge...If ever there was a prompt to memory this is it George. Once again you know our souls. I'll give you 3 of each.<br /><br />My dad. <br />Dislikes: <br />1. Anthony Armstrong Jones (a neighbour) and his clan (some history there I'm almost persuaded to suspect but it was never revealed to me - my grandmother's maiden name is Jones - is she involved in the mystery that now lies beyond the grave, in fact scattered beneath a 1,000 year oak?)<br />2. Flat beer. Beer always had to slide in bubbles down the inside of the glass. It was a sign of a good pint.<br />3. Not being able to hear clearly. A welding spark burst his eardrum.<br /><br />Likes:<br />1. Being saluted on riding his BSA by AA men stationary on mountain passes astride or standing by their black & yellow combinations. Competent men eager to deal with breakdowns. <br />2. Sandy. His sandy coloured greyhound dog. He loved to walk it to the pub each night on pretence of taking exercise.<br />3. Me. I like to think so.Gwil Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03305768121713053837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-65963847670046056092010-09-13T17:00:29.253+01:002010-09-13T17:00:29.253+01:00PS
I think Gilliam's point, that you can't...PS<br />I think Gilliam's point, that you can't make 'actual' war (with armies, etc.) on an abstract noun does not negate the possibility of metaphorical war, on poverty, cancer, etc.Mark Granierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09899629187771913398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-77091900836514946922010-09-13T16:53:20.465+01:002010-09-13T16:53:20.465+01:00I take your point George (whenever I talk to CW st...I take your point George (whenever I talk to CW students about metaphor I make a similar point; we use them all the time). But the use of a War of Terror was pernicious (and in some instances appallingly reckless) precisely because it was not meant to be understood as a metaphor. Here's a sample (from a transcript of a 2001 speech by GWB): <br /><br />'Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.<br /><br />(APPLAUSE)'<br /><br />And here's a 2006 article on the British government's decision to drop the phrase:<br />http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2006/dec/10/uk.terrorism<br /><br />[quote]<br />Eliza Manningham-Buller, the head of MI5, recently stressed the threat from growing radicalisation among young British Muslims. Whitehall officials believe that militants use a sense of war and crisis and a 'clash of civilisations' to recruit supporters, and thus the use of terms such as 'war', 'war on terror' or 'battle' can be counter-productive.<br />[/quote]Mark Granierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09899629187771913398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-34154256056894378192010-09-13T16:30:35.216+01:002010-09-13T16:30:35.216+01:00Not that it's the real point, Mark, but I'...Not that it's the real point, Mark, but I've never been sure about the difficulty of making war on an abstract noun. Perhaps we could tell War on Want. Or The War against Cliché (Martin Amis). Or people who 'battle against cancer', or 'fight against inequality' or 'struggle with years of depression', or those who 'overcome their fears'.<br /><br />It's a metaphor, innit?George Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08889600788146987089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-56784622022648433492010-09-13T16:23:33.189+01:002010-09-13T16:23:33.189+01:00Two of my most disliked phrases are 'The War o...Two of my most disliked phrases are 'The War on Terror' (as Terry Gilliam put it: how does one make war on an abstract noun?) and 'moving forward' (or 'going forward', etc.), the latter a recent favourite with many politicians.Mark Granierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09899629187771913398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-58969399306975500592010-09-13T16:22:44.362+01:002010-09-13T16:22:44.362+01:00I always welcome suggestions. I can imagine envelo...I always welcome suggestions. I can imagine envelopes being pushed under the door but that doesn't mean the same thing, does it?George Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08889600788146987089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-15794876035901495882010-09-13T16:12:07.612+01:002010-09-13T16:12:07.612+01:00Disliked phrases ? May I suggest one of my own ? &...Disliked phrases ? May I suggest one of my own ? "Pushing the envelope." It's used metaphorically, of course, but appears to have no literal equivalent ; I'm not aware that pushing is what most people do with envelopes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com