Further thoughts on Occupy The Earth

[avevale_intelligencer]

Which, for those with big flists, is here.

The obvious person asked me (over in filk) if I really intended to shoot seven hundred million people into space. Well, the obvious answer is NO, DUH, but I should perhaps elaborate. For one thing, one per cent of seven billion would be seventy million by my reckoning. For another, Westbury isn't prioritising its space programme at the moment, and for another, I don't actually approve of murder. I may not be a Nyrond, but I believe it behoves us to behave as if we were deathblocked and take the time and make the effort to look for other ways. Also it would be letting them off far too easily.

The "send them to Mars" bit arose, as I said in the lyrics post, because I ran out of useable rhymes for "Earth" (I couldn't make "girth" and "mirth" fit, and I really didn't want to repeat myself) and I'm afraid it cheapens the song, but there's not much I can do about that now. The idea of "occupying the Earth" is more about taking on board and owning the idea that it is, if it's anybody's planet, ours (the 99%'s), not theirs, that we do not live on it by their sufferance, and that its destiny should not be determined by a few robber barons to whom only wealth matters. It's about living *on* the earth, being here now (and yes, living in the moment, I suppose), not letting another day go by without trying to make a difference. Or it should be.

The obvious person also allowed as how once I had shot off the first one per cent I would then have to shoot off another one per cent and so on, because obviously I am a machine with no independent will or reasoning power. I'm not sure what percentage of the wealth the one per cent are currently deemed to hold, but I am fairly confident that once that were spread equitably and appropriately among the ninety-nine per cent (assuming such a fairylandish transaction were ever practicable) a great many of the problems of the world would be eased and no further percentage calculations would be necessary or desirable. Straw man, in other words.

I hope most of those who listen to the song will take it in the spirit in which it was intended. I know some will not. Them, as I believe they say over there, is the breaks. But I'm not proposing to enter into stupid arguments about it.

Comments

[eintx.livejournal.com]

Oh thanks, I didn't know the community! Have signed up now.

And this really doesn't look like a discussion worth going on with.

[rdmaughan.livejournal.com]

We often disagree on what the problem is and even when we agree on what the problem is we often then disagree on what should be done to fix it.

I like the song and whoever this obvious person is they really need to work on understanding the concept of metaphor.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, I'm afraid I did point out a few of the obvious person's misunderstandings. Maybe I'll just leave it at that, though.

I like the song. Anyone who knows you, knows perfectly well you wouldn't seriously advocate forceful relocation. I have to admit that while I'm not ambitious to go to Mars myself I think of it as a reward for people who have worked hard to qualify for the space program, but I can roll with it.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

In the process of checking what I thought I knew about the misunderstandings I did find an NYT graphic that gave me an idea for a song, though.

I've got a chorus and half a verse at this point and I think I may derail my day to work on it. I hope you will like it. It may end up being my minor contribution to the discussion of the movement, and I would probably never have thought of trying it if I hadn't see what you and Talis have done with it.

Thank you.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

That's wonderful. And it's always a pleasure.

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on your restraint. =:o}

And on a tangentially related point, I've just figured out the following definition:

"Sarcozy": A means of keeping sarcasm warm until it is ready to be served. =:o}