Have you noticed how the whole shameful-shameless equation makes no sense? A shameless person, by definition, is without any shame. Now, shameless may not be a swearword, but as far as I know, it is definitely not a compliment. Oddly, nor is the concept of shame.
By that logic, if shame is an undesirable, shouldn’t shameless be the opposite?
There is hardly a superhero franchise more retarded than the Power Rangers. And yet, it clicks with a worldwide audience in a way few others can. The past few months saw much of young India (including this blogger) wallowing in Power Ranger stupidity with a glee that made marketers and advertisers cry with joy.
So I got to wondering… what is it that makes Power Rangers work? To what insanely dense part of my psyche do five masked, garishly-costumed, kung-fu-fighting teenagers and their equally dimwitted antagonists appeal?
Try this. Pick up a copy of Po Bronson’s ‘What should I do with my life?‘ and go sit somewhere you can’t go unnoticed. Pretend to be extremely interested in the book. Actually, after a few minutes, you wouldn’t really be pretending, but that is beside the point.
You will soon find that passers-by can’t help trying to spy the name of the book. Make it easy for them. Hold the book out a little, making the cover more accessible to prying eyes. But don’t be too obvious about it.
Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be. — William Hazlitt
Everyone loves to hate bigots. It is the sign of forward-thinking individuals. Proof that your world view is more inclusive than the narrow-minded fanatic who has merited your dislike.
This is a flaky analogy at best, but interesting nevertheless. I got to thinking about creation and God. I believe something created us. Opinions vary as to who or what it was and whether the decision was a wise one or not. Some doubt it was a conscious decision and wonder if we are an accident.
But even so, I wonder why creation has to be a downstream process. Sample this: