[MD] Bill's Intellectual Level

[Ant McWatt]

Platt misleadingly stated June 20th:

"Craftsmanship, like honor, is something individuals hold internally as
moral goals. They come from a deep intellectual understanding of how
the world works at its best."

Steve quickly realised the low intellectual quality of this statement and 
then corrected it (using a supporting section from chapter 6 from LILA):

I suspected that honor was in SOLWAQI's individual level. Honor is a
social pattern in the MOQ because it is about social recognition and
respect. It is also is a good word for describing Rigel's values:

"There's always been something wrong, logically," the author went on.  "How
can an act of love, that does no injury to anyone, be so evil? . . . Think
about it.  Who was injured?"
Richard Rigel thought about it.  He said, "It wasn't any act of love.  Lila
Blewitt doesn't know what love means.  It was an act of deceit."
He could feel anger growing.  "I've heard that word 'love' so many times
from the mouths of so many people who don't know what it is."  He could
still see Jim's wife sitting in his office.  She had shielded her eyes with
her hand and tried hard to keep her voice steady.  There was love.
He said, "Let me try another word: 'Honor.' The person we are talking about
dishonored his wife and he dishonored his children and he dishonored
everyone who put trust in him, as well as himself.  People forgave him for
his weakness, but they lost respect for him and that was what finished him
for any position of responsibility.
"But it wasn't weakness on Lila's part.  She knew what she was doing."
The author stared at him.  Dumbly it seemed.
"And I don't know what the circumstances of your own personal family are my
friend, but I warn you, if you're not careful she'll do it to you."
As an afterthought he added, "If she hasn't already."
Rigel looked at the author to see what the effect was.  There was no change
of expression.  Nothing, apparently, penetrated that thick crust.
"But who did she hurt?" Capella asked.
Rigel looked at Bill with surprise.  Him too?  He thought Capella was more
sensible.  It was a sign of the times.
"Well there are some of us left," he said, returning to the author, "who
are still holding out against your hedonistic 'Quality' philosophy or
whatever it is."

Platt then commented:

>You left out Pirsig's comment about Bill's behavior. "That's really
>bad," the author said, and looked down at the table."
>
>Seems the author and I are on the same page.

Ant McWatt comments:

Yes, you and the author are on the same page...  however, _only_ the social 
aspect of the author portrayed by the Victorian orientated Rigel.

Don't believe me?

Then note the following from chapter 6 of LILA after the line quoted above 
(btw, nice to get the precise references of the quotes from everyone in this 
thread - not!!!):


"That's really bad," the author said, and looked down at the table.

"It was completely necessary," Richard Rigel said.  "No one wants to trust
millions of dollars to a man who hasn't enough self-control to keep his
hands off a common bar-whore."

Another challenge.  This time the author's eyes hardened.  It looked as
though he was going to take it.
"Who was to blame?" he said.

"What do you mean?" Richard Rigel asked.

"I mean was it Lila who was to blame for your friend's misfortune or was it
his wife and his so-called friends and his superiors at the bank?  Who
really did him in?"


Ant McWatt further comments:

Now, that's a damn good moral question.  I think it was the social 
prejudices of Jim's "friends", wife and "superiors" at the bank who really 
did him in.  To transpose it to the future by a few years, should a Dynamic, 
high intellectual quality US president such as Bill Clinton be undermined by 
a social level "scandal" such as the Lewinsky affair (engineered by a 
socially retarded bunch of short sighted money grabbing hypocrites).  I say 
the MOQ implies absolutely not and anyone who says otherwise is just another 
Rigel parody trying to _immorally_ shoehorn their own pet social values 
above the MOQ's intellectual level.

Just a throwaway thought to help the thread/humanity Dynamically evolve that 
bit further...


P.S. Bill Hicks' (probably the greatest US comedian of the 1990s) stage show 
"Sane Man" has just been released on DVD:

Amazon Synopsis:

The amazing comedian Bill Hicks passed away in 1994, but his legend 
continues to grow. This release shows a turning point in Hicks' development. 
'Sane Man' is the first filmed document of a complete Bill Hicks 
performance, and was shot in 1989 - before Bill recorded his first comedy 
album. A newly sober Hicks paces the stage like a wild animal, riffing 
effortlessly on a variety of his favourite topics. Bill's performance is 
unpredictable, beyond edgy and so focused you have to see it to believe it.

Amazon Customer Reviews:

The funniest stand up I have ever seen, May 7, 2006

Reviewer:    Will (UK) -

This is pure brilliance, I was laughing so hard I couldn't stop at times! 
What more can you say? I can't wait to show it to my friends because I'm 
pretty sure that they, like me, had never heard of him before. If anything 
is 5 stars this is.

Vintage Hicks, February 13, 2006
Reviewer:    A viewer

I recently had this DVD shipped over from the States and it was well worth 
it. This is around an hour and a half of Bill Hicks performing in an 
intimate club environment in Austin, Texas sometime around 1989. He's young, 
he's on top form, he's very very funny. You've heard Dangerous and 
Relentless? Then you've heard 90% of this material. But for the other 10% - 
and to see Bill performing it to a responsive audience - makes this DVD 
total priceless magic to anyone interested in stand-up. The best Hicks DVD 
I've seen. Buy it.

Genius, January 24, 2006

Reviewer:    "danielshires" -

This show is one of the most outrageously funny stand-up shows, I have ever 
had the pleasure to witness. Bill Hicks was widely regarded as one of the 
great modern comedians, until he sadly departed a few years ago. I saw this 
on video a while back, and it still has the ability to make me cringe with 
laughter. Pure brilliance, and now it's on DVD!! It can't get any better! 
Any fan of stand-up comedy, and especially Bill Hicks won't find better 
footage of him about. 5 stars!!


http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000BYAD8O/026-7794990-4504411



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