Wednesday, June 7, 2017

An introduction









I don't often launch into a long, analytical polemics around here. Or, perhaps I should say I launch into them all the time, but as soon as I can end them and/or turn them into something completely different, I do. I see myself more as a thief of truth. I catch a glimpse of the truth and then I try to dash out and grab it and then get out as quickly as possible before anyone catches me. I occasionally like to fool around a little bit here by calling myself a prophet of the gods. But it would be closer to the truth to say that mostly I just swipe stuff from them.

Nevertheless, every once in awhile, I dart out from my hiding place, low in the weeds and brambles, make a grab, and all the lights go up. I am caught, surrounded by antlered and anthropomorphic figures and firelight. At this point, for ritual reasons I don't understand I am then compelled to write for three or four raving pages. These aren't generally the most popular posts I write, even to me, but I assure you such a thing is not under my control. If you open up a post about Batman, for instance, like you will tomorrow, and you see that it scrolls down your screen much, much farther than usual, you are always free to pass it by. I will be grievously wounded by this, but there are two important points you should nevertheless consider despite that.

1. I will never know.

2. The experience of being this blog's writer consists of three parts:

          A. Stealing stuff from gods (see above).
          B. Chortling in glee like Dr. Frankenstein as electricity courses down from the ceiling.
          C. Being grievously wounded.

I'm just saying, don't let it put you out too much.

But this here, curiously, is an introduction to tomorrow's post. Tomorrow is one of the long discourses I described above. And for me the really challenging thing about writing a long post is that in my holy mission to essay daily, writing a long, difficult post over a few days puts a crimp in my need to keep up and maybe even get a little ahead on my writing. So I figured, cleverly, this time, that to even things up I would write an introduction. This is that introduction! I shrewdly reasoned that the small device of producing a preceding day's preparatory remarks would give me a free and easy extra post. Ha!

Unfortunately I have been working on this for some time already and it's getting quite long. This has defeated its purpose.

Please refer to point 2. above, subsection C.

So then, tomorrow's post is about Batman. And the TL;DpR (Too Long; Don't plan on Reading) of it is:

The Sixties TV Batman comedy was the only good Batman. By mocking heroic tropes it challenged authority and invited critical thinking. The Batman since then has only been reactionary, mirroring the rise of wealth inequality, the unhinged right and their detachment from scientific and moral reality, culminating ultimately what amounts to a clown president fever dreaming that he is Batman.

If that's plenty for you then, yes, take tomorrow off with my blessings (see again point 2. above, subsection C.).

But if my above summary is TS;WM (Too Short; Want More) then, ho boy! Tomorrow is way better and funnier and more illuminating than my summary, and everyone who took the day off is totally going to be, um, er, blessed, by me, I guess. Crap.














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