You say that as if butter was a bad thing. On Sep 24, 2012 9:43 PM, "Nicholas Thompson" <[email protected]> wrote:
> You're the first other person I have ever met who confessed to having read > Little Black Sambo. > > Thank you for that, Steve. [sigh] > > Nick > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf > Of Steve Smith > Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 11:18 PM > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Turning into butter, was RE: faith > > > Steve, > > > > Do you remember in what childhood story, things run round and round a > > tree until they turn into butter? > My mixed allusions were definitely intentional. The reference of > course, is how we, the FRIAM community are very good at hashing and > rehashing the same material until even those of us doing the hashing (can > you find the etymology for hashing?) are even tired enough of the sight of > our own tails that we might as well turn into butter from all that > agitation. > > The story of course, would be "Little Black Sambo" where he lead the > Tigers > out to eat him for breakfast to chase one another around a palm tree until > they turned to butter (something about vanity amongst the > tigers who had first stolen his clothing, etc.). This story, of course > is now totally and completely politically incorrect, though the Sambo was a > very dark southern Indian boy I believe as opposed to a Black African Slave > in the southern US as many people assume. (else it would have been > panthers?) > > In any case, the restaurant chain "Sambo's" who used the boy and his tigers > as Icons made a mean stack of pancakes with plenty of *butter* (which as a > child I was sure was made of melted tigers). The Chain has either gone > defunct or changed it's name. > > Those things weren't monkeys, weasels, OR MULBERRY BUSHES. > If I can mix metaphors, surely I can mix nursery rhymes and childrens > stories of various origins... when I first heard those stories I had never > seen a weasel, a monkey, a tiger, a mulberry bush or a black person. And > yet somehow the stories made sense... how is THAT for Faith? > > Ever hear the one about... Ladle Rat Rotten Hut? > > Hint: No teacher would read this story to a child, nowadays. > My sister had a black life-sized infant doll handed down through the > family, > known as a "tar baby" referencing the days when white slaveholding children > were allowed to "play" with slaves' babies... as > if they were dolls. I remember when my mother explained how totally > politically incorrect (there was no term for this, it was just explained as > "wrong headed") the whole situation was... until then, my sister > thought it was "just another doll". I lived in a secluded southwestern > rural area where I'd never seen a "person of color"... well, plenty of > Native Americans and descendents of Spanish Conquistadors, but no African > Americans, and no TV either, though I suppose pictures in Encyclopedias and > Nat'l Geographics? > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > > Behalf Of Steve Smith > > Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 5:23 PM > > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group > > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] faith > > > > Doug - > > > > Congratulations on avoiding another opportunity to become someone's > > hood ornament! > >> Apropo of nothing, of course, except that I retain my faith that they > >> are out to get me when I'm on the motorcycle. > > However, for the sake of the Monkey, the Weasel and the Mulberry bush, > > I contend that your use of the world "faith" here aligns with my use > > of the word "Faith" in general and roughly matches what those who I > > believe you revile (or at least chide) do. You (as they) choose a > > *working > > statement* which has no basis in fact (has been refuted or at least > > can't be verified), but which *works well for you* and the *rhetoric* > > of the statement plays well within your community (of other riders who > > subscribe to the same Faith). > > > > I think I'm turning to butter. > > > > - Steve > > > > > > > > ============================================================ > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe > > at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at > > http://www.friam.org > > > > > > ============================================================ > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe > > at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at > > http://www.friam.org > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, > unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org >
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
