Play Through the Absurdity

'Quick Question' Query Yields Mixed Results

2011-09-25T10:29:00.001-06:00

Quick question for you. You know what time it is? I'll tell you.

It is twenty minutes after eight in the morning. I'm standing in a Chicago Transit Authority train car, packed in with the rest of humanity like glutinous, smelly sardines, balancing up against the emergency door, lungs grasping for select oxygen.

However, this rainy, autumnal morning brought with it auspicious beginnings. I found a wet twenty dollar bill on the pavement in the alley as I walked to the bus stop. The bus never came but I was a little richer for the walk.

Money is just paper and like a hawk I spotted it disintegrating in the soot, grime, and rain. Without a misstep I reached down and retrieved the bill and wrapped it in a handkerchief; shoved it in my pants pocket to dry out. Will karma work against me for not attempting to track down the rightful owner? That's a silly question. One would have to rewind the tape multiple times to notice anything out of the ordinary. No harm, no foul play. Put the cash in circulation.

Obviously, someone was in too much of a hurry this morning. Who can afford to incur this gross loss? "Sometimes I sit and wonder. Other times I just sit ..." as my mother used to say.

The privileged do not hurry. They are exempt from the social contract the rest of us are obliged to. They delegate stress. They delegate stress commonly reserved for rodents in a research laboratory. Why should the burden weigh down their shoulders when it can so easily be transferred to someone else? Seems selfish, I know. But that's the way it goes.

This is how you do it: pose a 'quick question' in the guise of striving for efficiency and with the intention of shifting responsibility. The intrusion is built-in and justified when the query is quick. So just admit it. You have a question and you're going to stop the world with it because, to you, it is most important; and we're going to deal with your question right now. Understand? But hey, at least your question is quick. Are you with me? See how it works?

In essence, the possessor of privilege can employ this quick technique to pointedly communicate to the targeted underling that he is about to be ... unloaded upon. The shift in responsibility, the bestowal of burden, if you will, comes with the implicit expectation that the underling will immediately manage the issue to successful completion and to the satisfaction of the superior. Who knew it was coming? Be vigilant. Be ready for the Quick Question at any juncture. Just a friendly warning.

'Quick question' effectively communicates to the underling "Look, whatever bullshit you got going on right now, I could care less, so drop it. I am interrupting you to re-focus your attention to benefit my interests, because hey, have you checked the organizational chart lately? I'm higher up than you and shit rolls downhill, right? And I wouldn't be considered ruthless enough if I didn't tap in to the protocol and use it -- use you, that is -- to my advantage and control your thinking and have you do what I want. And we're going to cross this bridge right now ...

The assumption is that the 'quick question' query covers up how much of an ogre the superior really is by presenting Him as intellectually superior in comparison to his employee. After all, He is supposedly managing his employees, He is higher up on the organizational chart, not the other way around. He must be the smarter, the more talented person. The success of the organization depends on this aptitude and attitude, does it not? This is why business schools throughout the nation require so much memorization. The brainwashing must be embedded, no excuses.

But how does this daily barbarism translate in the real world, and how do privileged folks get away with this ogre-like behavior? Well, because it is not advisable for the underling to respond to the authority figure with any response that can be perceived as insubordinate. The logic is militaristic in its efficiency. You can hear it now, can't you? Your superior crying foul, "That's insubordination!" as if you have criminally ejaculated on his sacred mother's breasts without his permission.

How do we then, as mere underlings obliged to the social contract, maturely and productively process the 'quick question' query? Let's look at the other side of the equation:

If you portray a focused attentiveness, that is, act like you really care even though you could care less, and let the superior air out his grievances, whatever they may be (we've heard it all before) in this manipulative guise of shifting burden, often times the superior will state a solution that is quite self-evident, or becomes self-evident in the philosophical power-play. The proverbial quick question is usually anything but quick. We know this.

The quick question has no easy answers, and you have the opportunity to subtly imply this in your response to the questioner, in essence saying, "If you're such a slimy bastard to interrupt me with your own messed up issue, that you probably messed up yourself and proceeded to make worse, are you that much of a horse's dink that you think you can dump it on me? Where in the world do you get off with the gall? Implying this is going to be quick?"

"Quick for you to ask, maybe. Anyone can ask why is the sky blue. I'm not sure you need your bloated bonus and salary for this sort of expertise. Only a completely coddled jackass would expect me to jump to find an answer for you right away! Maybe go hang yourself. There's an ideal solution ..."

Remember, the questioner is in a position of superiority according to protocol only. We cannot expect that this person, the abuser of the quick question query, is doing anything except drawing the lion's share of the organization's available funds. He is not really asking a question at all. He is shirking responsibility. He has put himself above the social contract the rest of us live by: He has chosen not to help one another strive; but only to help himself at the expense of others.

"'Quick answer' ... there is no simple solution ... especially from where you're coming from, you impudent beast."

All in all, the quick question query has run its course. I would argue that it is already passé to invoke the manipulative usage of the quick question, if only because the tactic got to be so popular so fast. Everyone is using the technique, even underling workers, and this is certainly not what the elites intended. There's your trickle-down economic theory for you right up your ying-yang.

What was originally theorized to be a brilliant distraction technique designed to keep underlings focused and efficient, the manipulative quick question tactic backfired in the faces of the privileged who were neither clever nor brave enough to pull off the inherent condescension without fearing for their lives. What do you know? They were right about something.

Everyone can be self-serving at times. The key is to keep it to yourself. Don't unload your heavy baggage onto the shoulders of someone else and expect to receive praise and obedience, no matter how much power you perceive yourself to possess.

I earn the twenty bucks I pick up out of a gutter, you see? I help out my fellow man with his burden. I am an obstruction to injustice and corruption. Time and time again.

Contact MGSPANDG Copyright © 2011 by MGSPANDG, Play Through the Absurdity, Early Rahmer. Permission is granted to reproduce any article in electronic newsletters or on websites provided that the complete article text is included, unchanged, and that neither the copyright declaration nor this license is removed. MGSPANDG is a platform to explore various artistic and social ideas to highlight the absurd. This article was originally published at mgspandg.

Patriot Day, the President, Pipelines, and Packers

2011-09-10T14:46:00.001-06:00

Royna said that President Obama's speech on Thursday, September 8 was his best since the 2008 campaign. I missed it, returning from work too late to catch the live version.

I also thought it interesting the White House moved the speech up in order not to conflict with the Nazi, I mean, National Football League season opener between the Packers and Saints from über alles Curly Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

President Obama apparently planned to address Congress on September 7, but this would have conflicted with the GOP debate with TX whack job Rick Perry, Mitch Romney and the afterthought candidate, lady from MN who's married to a big, gay fella.

So the presidential address was moved to Thursday, and then moved out of prime-time in order not to conflict with football. Down two strikes, Obama delivered his address to Congress. Please see below.

Transcript: Obama’s Speech to Congress on Jobs.

Rest assured, there is a lot going on Right Now, proximate as we are to a full moon (Sep 12) and Patriot Day (Sep 11), the tenth anniversary of the planes exploding the Twin Towers in New York.

In the past month, Naomi Klein and Bill McKibben, along with 1500 others were arrested in front of the White House protesting in opposition to the controversial Alberta Sands Keystone XL pipeline.

Did Obama's speech include a reference to nixing the proposed pipeline? Indeed, not. I've been reading about the dangerous project for the last year and a half, and I've never had any indication that the proposed project would not go forward, giving you just a sample of how little we, as individuals, control and how powerful our fascist corporatocracy is.

Intentionally ignored in the mainstream media, the EPA and federal administration has already given the green light to corporate oil polluters for Keystone XL II that will increasingly ensure the decimation of the prospects of continued clean drinking water and oxygen in the country. The basic resources are soon to be destined for commodification which only the privileged will have access to. The expansion pipeline will be constructed directly over critical forests, farmland, and fresh water aquifers e.g., the Ogallala Aquifer. When you read that the U.S. State Department has released the Final Environmental Impact Statement, claiming there were "no significant risks on the pipeline" this should be an overt clue to you that you have every right conceivable for strong skepticism and suspicion of the foul play, the contemptible corruption involved.

When we're talking ecocide and the implicit requirement of impenetrable denial inherent in the process, it reminds me that there is a hint of 'Good Riddance' in every extinction, even our own. These pipelines look like potent wicks of dynamite ready to go off, to me.

Just so long we don't miss the Big Game, though. Right?

Speaking of the big game, was it really football or a dog race the other night? Packers 42 - Saints 34? 76 total points scored. We're taught to prefer our sports in Blitzkrieg fashion: machine-like, highly mobile, and lots of explosions. The more systematized and unconscionable the explosions the better in what was once the Land of Milk and Honey. I baited my life-long Packer-Backer friend, a resident of San Francisco. I think he was working that night and getting updates to his (PDA) personal digital assistant. And boy, were there a lot of updates!

New Orleans fell behind early 14-0 after an early fumble. Still confident, I wrote to my buddy "Saints by 3". He did not respond to the bait, preferring to let the game play out.
The next day, postgame, my buddy composed a poetic response:

I guess my buddy believes, like many do, that the Green Bay Packers will be better than they were last year when the team won SuperBowl XLV. A foregone conclusion that the Green Bay Packers will repeat. Much like a foregone conclusion that the Keystone XL II pipeline project is a go.

As you can see, I don't pay much heed to dead hands, if only on principle. The Powerful feel strongest at The Pinnacle just before The Fall. No matter how much money I lose I'll be placing it against the Gestapo tactics of coerced oil Pipelines and teams named after the meatpacking industry.

I cast off some more bait to my buddy:

"Man, that Brees sho' impressive. Pack couldn't close the door down on WhoDat til the last play of the game. The long road to the SB is on ... you want to bet the Pack repeats? I'll take that bet ... The Cheez-Its will be hard-pressed to do it if Game 1 is any indication. Joseph, I mean, Mike McCarthy cannot be proud of coughing up 34 in his own house. GM Tommy, I mean, Teddy Thompson, either. Better keep the Anointed One healthy then ... They got that Kentucky fella, Cobb, to run back a kick-off. The difference in the game. It takes Lady Luck. Perhaps I'm underestimating what the Bratwurst Minions are capable of but the 49ers likely'll end up with a similar record this time around ..."

Like how I use the place where we live as propaganda? No worries. I'll hear from my buddy again. Probably around Week 3 when the Packers go down to Soldier Field.

On a pedestal and meant for toppling: let's call it Patriot Day.

My advice is to Enjoy Tomorrow, and then to forget it ever happened. Bucking yet another foregone conclusion that in another ten years we can be even worse off than we are now.

See how it works?

Contact MGSPANDG Copyright © 2011 by MGSPANDG, Play Through the Absurdity, Early Rahmer. Permission is granted to reproduce any article in electronic newsletters or on websites provided that the complete article text is included, unchanged, and that neither the copyright declaration nor this license is removed. MGSPANDG is a platform to explore various artistic and social ideas to highlight the absurd. This article was originally published at mgspandg.

Review of Florian Keller's book, Andy Kaufman: Wrestling With The American Dream

2011-07-30T09:55:00.001-06:00

Florian Keller's book "Andy Kaufman -- Wrestling with the American Dream" (published by the University of Minnesota Press, 2005) is an addictive read. I love a good academic art read to stimulate the brain, become more intimate with scholarly vocabulary and to compare and contrast the vocabulary with ideas and expressions existing from an artist's viewpoint.

Keller's book is stunningly invigorating. In his preface Keller states "...what I offer is an analysis of the American imaginary, based on Andy Kaufman as the artist who enacted America's collective fantasies in such a way as to render visible the contradictions that haunt these fantasies."

The American Dream is described by Keller as an ideological apparatus because it is an "imaginary representation" that traverses the space between the "ideal of a life full of happiness and success" and the "real conditions of existence".

Compelled by the imperatives of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence to achieve success and thereby immortality, the individual engages in the process of self invention and re-invention of identity. This self-making is the work that must be done in order to receive the democratic right of prosperity. Keller states however that "the very structure of the American dream is such that its' promises are permanently suspended."

Keller asserts that Andy Kaufman, by engaging in an ultra-orthodox fashion with the imperative of the American Dream to continually remake the self in order to achieve, exposes the underbelly of success and immortality: failure and death.

Keller's academic arguments are clear and expository, taking care to illuminate philosophical ideas through various points of view as opposed to simply referencing terminology. The author discusses the American Dream as played out by Kaufman in his numerous incarnations and the myth's relationship to ideas of transgression and Postmodernism and within the context of celebrity culture.

Keller makes the point that Kaufman's work is subversive (disturbing) precisely because of its' adherence to the Orthodoxy of the American Dream.

Kaufman's masterful manipulation of identity and rigorous denial to allow his audience to ever know the real Andy is presented through Kaufman's body of work in the nightclubs on television and in the world of professional wrestling. Kaufman's many identities (as Foreign Man, Tony Clifton and Elvis, as both talk show host and talk show guest, as a "song and dance man", professional wrestler and working celebrity) mind-bogglingly interact with each other in numerous performance contexts and routines. It is Kaufman's strict commitment to his performance which Keller persuasively illustrates as a strict commitment to the American Dream alongside Kaufman's obvious mischievousness as a performer which makes for a delightful artistic experience.

For any one interested in comedy, performance art, theatre, philosophy, or celebrity culture, I recommend Florian Keller's book, Andy Kaufman --Wrestling with the American Dream as a companion read to lots of YouTube viewing of Andy Kaufman's performances.

In the marriage of concise and accessible scholarly discourse and the precision and danger of Kaufman's art you won't find a more compelling home school course in post graduate Andy Kaufman studies.

Contact MGSPANDG Copyright © 2011 by MGSPANDG, Play Through the Absurdity, Royna Sams and Early Rahmer. Permission is granted to reproduce any article in electronic newsletters or on websites provided that the complete article text is included, unchanged, and that neither the copyright declaration nor this license is removed. MGSPANDG is a platform to explore various artistic and social ideas to highlight the absurd. This article was originally published at mgspandg.

NATO, G-8 Summits, Chicago: Keep a Peaceful Head from Getting Cracked

2011-07-18T07:26:00.001-06:00

The NATO and G-8 summits will be held from May 15-22, 2012 in Chicago, the first city other than Washington to host a NATO meeting. The Group of Eight industrialized nations will meet here at the same time.

Chicago is the perfect setting for the summits as we will want to convince the Industrialized Nation leaders that we want Industrialization to cease immediately. Chicago is a major hub of Industrialization, yea, the beneficiary of Industrialization that occurs throughout the world.

We have a new Mayor who wants the occasion to prove how strong he is. Thus, the potential for chaos. No worries, right? Time to ensure the chaos unfolds our way once in a while, in opposition to the steady onward march to ecocide dictated to us by the Industrialized Nations.

We want to convince inhabitants of the United States that if we cannot stop the environment from being destroyed, we can at least insist upon the correct mode of sacrifice needed: not the debt ceiling fiscal budget sacrifice that dominates our elite-controlled media where the elites continue to control all of the money and resources; but the sacrifice inherent and incumbent upon all of us in the dismantling of Industrialization -- for the sake of a habitable planet.

Our definition of sacrifice entails that the Industrialization that we are all tied to takes a collective step back, or turns down the volume as it were, and for the good of the planet, calls for the immediate surrender all modes of Industrialization.

The out-of-control machine that is Industrialism is not unlike the Chicago political machine of past and present. Ask yourself, Who is truly implementing the by any means necessary mentality? Us protesters or the Industrialized powers-that-be along with their militarized urban warfare machines?

Chicago is the perfect place for the debate that will ensue during the summits. Understand this industrialized, militarized might will be confronting you, not vice-versa. You will be taunted to do some overthrowing, mind you. You will be confronted to prove the lies and brutality of Industrialization, like the Alberta Oil Sands pipeline or how Industrialization creates jobs. What jobs?

Be prepared to think quickly on your feet even after the mental and/or physical headbutting, know what I'm saying?

Industrialization will stop eventually if only through imminent disaster we're all headed for. What will a gated compound be worth then?

Keep to the mission of peacefully stopping the Industrialized machine. Be ready to convert its minions to our side. We want to stop the violence inflicted upon us by the Industrialized Nations. We want to halt the killing of hundreds of species daily; we want to halt the devastation done to the oceans, rivers, lakes (already 98% of the world's water is poisoned), and mountain tops. Understand the risks in attempting to halt this murderous machine.

Like the Chicago Police, you will need to be ready and prepared, with a clear, thought-out plan. Their plan is to incarcerate you. Our plan is to stop Industrialization.

Don't let the military units drag you down into the hole that they're in, understand? They are getting paid (though I would figure, not that much) and we're doing more important work gratis. We are demonstrating to the powers-that-be the discipline required. I ask again, what matter does it make for the Industrialized Nation Elites to have all of the money and all of the resources without a habitable planet? I take it the powers-that-be do not plan to share with us when the shit house goes up in flames.

If anything, let's protest that, how about?

Some say our mission is impossible to achieve. Millions continue to step up to this impossible task. What choice do we have?

We must persistently convince the puppets of Industrialized nations that we must radically change from how we're living right now. We must continue to convince ourselves that unless radical change occurs i.e., Industrialization is stopped, any personal and sustainable habits we have implemented on an individual basis come to naught. Our effort is Global.

We may not successfully convince the Industrialized nations in one week's time in May, 2012, in Chicago.

I would bet, however, we will all have a clearer picture of the urgency once the Chicago summits have concluded.

No more elite do-nothings thinking oh well let's just continue raping the planet and stealing all of the resources, food, and water for ourselves mentality. Unacceptable! Why conduct these summits in the first place? To ramp up the destruction?

In any event, try not to get your head cracked; there will be plenty of additional work to be done beyond the Chicago summits.

As Time continues to be of the essence ...

For further reading, please see Deep Green Resistance.

Contact MGSPANDG Copyright © 2011 by MGSPANDG, Play Through the Absurdity, Early Rahmer. Permission is granted to reproduce any article in electronic newsletters or on websites provided that the complete article text is included, unchanged, and that neither the copyright declaration nor this license is removed. MGSPANDG is a platform to explore various artistic and social ideas to highlight the absurd. This article was originally published at mgspandg.

Chicago Cubs Reeling, Wrigleyville Suffering: It's a Ricketts Racket

2011-06-05T11:50:00.003-06:00

Primary school mentality, is what I call it. The wonder boy talked his father into investing in the Chicago Cubs. "The stands are full no matter they win or lose ..." or something to that effect. And Ameritrade's Joe Ricketts, seeing his son's pupils dilated with dollar signs, bought the line of reasoning.

The Chicago Cubs are a microcosm for what is direly wrong in the United States. Folks with no substantive knowledge holding all the power. Bean counters overestimating their skill level and pocketing all the loot. No doubt, these folks recognize a good, systemic racket when they sniff it. The Chicago Cubs and the Chicago north side neighborhood, endearingly called Wrigleyville, are paying for their decadence: too much eating, drinking and whoring.

Tom, from Wilmette, the second oldest son of the privileged patriarch, Joseph, is now the slumlord of Wrigleyville, transforming arguably the most popular baseball team in the world into a bunch of rag-a-muffin street bums. Is it any wonder no one wants to be seen at Clark and Addison any more?

Hell, we've gone from Wrigley to Durocher to Boudreau and Brickhouse to Harry Caray; Santo, ever hopeful, perished ... Pat Hughes has got to be livid about now. The Cubs current 5 game skid is swelling to major proportions with road trips to Cincinnati and Philadelphia following St. Louis. The Cubs look like a mediocre high school ball team.

The Chicago media is already talking about what it will take to turn it around. Look, there's no turning around a century plus of futility. The Ricketts were just hoping to tag along with the fun ride and stuff a bunch of cash in their pockets. It's not about good baseball, folks. You don't get a hundred plus years of futility without having a solid system in place to extract dollars from loyal and ignorant fans. Let the Wrigleyville neighborhood go to hell in a handbasket. Let's digress back to the 1980's when the neighborhood was full of petty crime and violence. Maybe the Ricketts will lower the price tag on the crummy product that is the Chicago Cubs.

Back in the 1960's, you could see a Cubs game for a buck. And Wrigley Field was never filled to capacity. Why? Because the Cubs were not competitive. Ding! Ding! Hello? The current 2011 Cubs team will be hard-pressed to avoid a 90 loss season. And Tom Ricketts is wondering why there is, on average, 7000 less in attendance? Newsflash: the lack of attendance is only going to balloon, Tom. The party is over. The game is up. You came in at the absolute wrong time. Chicago Cub fans are only beginning to display their displeasure.

Mike Quade, the Cubs low rent baseball lifer puppet manager, says the Cubs situation could be worse. Yeah, Mike. You got that right. The Cubs could catch the plague! Is it any wonder why fans are not showing up, read: paying up?

That's okay, though. For me personally, I officially ended my support of the Cubs a couple of years ago. I bought some nice, covered lower terrace seats, $300 for four tickets, to host my folks during their 50th anniversary. They had been to a lot of ballparks in their time, but had not been to Wrigley Field. I thought it would be a nice treat for Mom and Pop. A Sunday afternoon game at Wrigley in mid-August vs the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs were still in the divisional race, about 4 games out, if memory serves.

Sure enough, within seconds of the conclusion of another rousing rendition of our National Anthem, the rains came. We generally enjoyed sitting and waiting, covered by the grand stands above.

Under the guise of good customer service, the Cubs PA announcer offered up periodic weather updates, suggesting that following such and such storm system we would have baseball. Fans loyally bought up their exorbitant beer and dogs and stared at the shiny blue tarp with Cubs logo exchanging stories of how far they'd come and for what special occasion.

Finally, at 4:35 pm the last of the rain was gone, the skies cleared.

Fans buzzed on beer bellowed with excitement. The game was about to begin!

I happened to be looking into the Cubs dugout and up the steps marches some stolid Cubs administrator in buttoned-down shirt and tie and I see him give the chief umpire the slitting throat sign with his thumb. A clear, one-time signal.

"They just called the game," I said in disbelief. Sure enough, about 30 seconds later the Friendly Confines public address announcer came on: "Today's game between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates has been officially postponed ..."

Fans threw trash on the field and booed vigorously. Why was the game canceled after a three and a half hour rain delay and just when the sun was coming out? It was only late afternoon and not a storm left on the radar monitors.

The Cubs were scheduled to play the Padres the next evening, Monday, in San Diego. They were heading on a west coast road trip and, in effect, the organization determined (now that the fans had ponied up 5 hours worth of concession dollars) that instead of playing the Pirates and having to take a red-eye, they would stick to their chartered flight schedule and get into San Diego at a decent hour.

When was the rained-out game re-scheduled? The Cubs organization took a Sunday afternoon 1:20pm game in mid-August and re-scheduled it for the second to last day of the season, on September 30, to be played as a twi-night doubleheader, on a Wednesday afternoon! Neither the Cubs nor the Pirates were any where near first place on September 30.

I understood immediately that in addition to not being able to see a baseball game with my wife and my mother and father on their 50th anniversary, I was effectively gamed out of $300. It is a game indeed. The money was seamlessly transferred from my hands to the hands of the Cubs organization.

This is exactly the scenario Tom Ricketts envisioned when he convinced his father, Joseph Ricketts, to buy the Chicago Cubs.

When my wife and I returned to our Lakeview apartment later that evening, she said, "I am no longer a Chicago Cubs fan ..." I concurred. We had officially hit our limit on the racket that is the Chicago Cubs. And this all occurred before the pure, hopeful, even heroic, Ron Santo, died. Which only made me feel worse.

Now, in 2011, there is no hope left and fans are finally catching on. Not just catching on, they are taking action. For example, my wife and I no longer live in Lakeview or Wrigleyville or Boystown or whatever name you want to call it. The Chicago Police Department recently built an enormous and gleaming new facility on Addison to cash in on drunk fans who don't know any better. And there are a lot of drunk fans who don't know any better.

But serious fans are taking action, as I mention. Or perhaps it would be better termed as inaction. They're simply not showing up. Essentially telling the privileged, suburban Ricketts family to piss off.

Contact MGSPANDG Copyright © 2011 by MGSPANDG, Play Through the Absurdity, Early Rahmer. Permission is granted to reproduce any article in electronic newsletters or on websites provided that the complete article text is included, unchanged, and that neither the copyright declaration nor this license is removed. MGSPANDG is a platform to explore various artistic and social ideas to highlight the absurd. This article was originally published at mgspandg.