ATTENDING DAEDALUS

Bob Miller · 30 Jan 2006, 11:38 · from 2006-January.txt.gz

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From: bob_bageera at hotmail.com (Bob Miller)
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 05:38:19 -0600
Subject: (urth) ATTENDING DAEDALUS
In-Reply-To: <BAY102-F11F12BBD93B1B1088538E986090 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <BAY103-F248D79EC85F010E18C224B88090 at phx.gbl>

To comment on only a small portion of the below:
The communists, in both Red China and 1930's and 40's Union of Soviet 
Socialist Republics, did not attempt to make everyone communicate straight 
from the book.  They did require that all technical commentary, whether 
social or hard sciences, offer a paean to the party line.  This did make the 
introductions to papers in physics and engineering journals seem a little 
strange.  Fluid mechanics and "right thinking" don't seem to be comfortable 
bedfellows.

Thanks,
Bob

From: "Chris" <rasputin_ at hotmail.com>
Reply-To: The Urth Mailing List <urth at lists.urth.net>
To: urth at lists.urth.net
Subject: Re: (urth) ATTENDING DAEDALUS
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 01:49:05 +0000

I was of course aware of the references to communism in these passages, and
even caught the references to Mao's little red book. Apparently my
historical knowledge is inadequate, though, because I hadn't been aware that
the Chinese had attempted to force their population to communicate *only*
through these little sayings in order to ensure correct thought and total
control.

I apologize for my ignorance in making the comparison.

 >On 1/29/06, Chris <rasputin_ at hotmail.com> wrote:
 > >
 > > with the Ascians speaking a sort of Newspeak.
 >
 >
 >...sigh, here we go again...
 >
 >Folks, the Ascians are _not_ speaking "a sort of Newspeak."
 >They're speaking a parody of Chairman Mao Thought, the
 >logical end-result of people running around quoting from the
 >Little Red Book. The Ascians are a resuscitation of the
 >"Yellow Peril" of the pulp stories Wolfe is generally revivifying
 >in the New Sun books.
 >
 >Yes, I _know_ it's pronounced "uh-SHAY-yun" and I know
 >what it's supposed to mean, but if you really believe that
 >Wolfe didn't consciously intend us to think, at least glancingly,
 >of "Asians," you're not giving him enough credit for deviosity
 >or deviousness or whatever the nominal form of "devious" is
 >supposed to be. Making it uh-SHAY-yuns is a way to dance
 >around being called racist, in a book all full of hypostasized
 >racial theories.
 >
 >--Dan'l
 >
 >--
 >I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him.
 >                         -- St Teresa of Avila
 >http://www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer

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