As a native Dubliner I was excited to hear about your recent appearance there. Did they “get” your fabulous humor…did you have to change it up for your Irish audience. I saw you in Hammondsport this summer and enjoyed every minute. You’re the best!
It’s 5:59 am and Lynda expressed my thoughts exactly. I’m over 80 and grew up in SD where we also had more Scandinavians than anyone needs. That thought alone produced the kind of laughter we need at any stage of life…especially this close to the scariest election than I ever can recall! Thx Garrison!
I was there in Dublin on the night and you did delight Sir. We, without pee, loved it all. I floated home on a Woebegone wave of pathos, melancholy, memory, laughter and group singing. Yes life is beautiful and I feel blessed to have followed our Minnesota choirmaster to that conclusion
At 82 just completed my physical at the doctors office yesterday and had the same test scores as last year with the exception that cholesterol was the best in five years. I told her I was not ready for either the nursing home or the funeral home. Just like you this week I got exactly what I wanted. Cheers!
Wonderful! ah just exactly what I needed this morning. I've been so fragile lately -- coming upon the one year anniversary of when my father went into hospice at home before passing in December. We shared a many decades love of Lake Wobegon and your writing.
My son was studying in Dublin last fall and my husband and I went for a visit -- Ireland blew us away. It was a most magnificent trip, touring the city and also traveling west. If you're still there, visit the pubs where live music plays most the time. In keeping with the magic you've tapped into during your shows, while the style is very traditionally Irish, the songs are often popular hits from decades ago. I was delighted that to find everyone singing along, including me.
While on that trip I received word from my brother that my father had covid -- as a high risk person with chronic disease the news wasn't good. But he seemed to be holding steady. Our last night in Dublin my husband and I went to the Mint Bar in our hotel for a last toast and to enjoy the music. Familiar hits kept us entertained and cheery, but then our musician began to sing Piano Man by Billy Joel. I felt a sadness wash over me with such intensity I began to cry. I wasn't sure how to explain to my startled husband the sudden shift; I just said, "I'm thinking about my Dad."
Every bit of that fall is seared into my mind. You were part of that time for us, too. Dad created a hymn medley inspired by yours that was among the most meaningful parts of his funeral. Today I'm grateful for your columns that connect me to so much, backward and forward, a comfort and a pleasure.
[Sorry for the detour, friends ... wasn't what I intended to say when I started to type. Thanks for letting me share.]
The Prarie Home Companion (PHC) provided lighthearted, funny and very interesting stories of Nordic life and their people. I really miss the Nordic education I got on the radio. But you made my day today by writing again about those wonderful folks in that faraway land. Thank you.
I grew up in Minneapolis and the Norwegian and other Scandanavian jokes were hilarious (including those the Norskies and Swedes told on each other). Same for the music. I'm going to try to find a recording of "Cold Cold Heart and other Torch Songs" featuring "I want to go where the Lutefisk goes" (sung in a Swedish accent of course), which we were entertained with between morning newscasts on WCCO radio. Before that interlude came the market report which featured grain and pork belly futures (I called them the Cow Jones Averages). Made our day, started out laughing.
I was pleased to discover that in today's column there was only one mention of Donald Trump in nine paragraphs. Thank you, Garrison. At risk of spoiling that peaceful interlude by injecting the subject of politics, myself, I feel compelled to reply here to a statement by Bob Buntrock in the comments following the preceding column that I passed over at the time without fully recognizing its significance. Bob said, in effect, that it was inappropriate for me to satirize or otherwise draw attention to a person’s personal appearance or behavior as I had in referring to Kamala Harris as a “bobblehead” and a “cackler,” which he called “Trumpian insults.” To that statement I cannot more wholeheartedly disagree. Those of you who have read the writings of Charles Darwin, at least “On the Origin of Species” if not the equally germane “The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals,” know that evolution by natural selection has endowed all creatures great and small, including humans, with the capacity to protect themselves by making judgments regarding threats to their safety, which they exercise primarily by observing the appearance and behavior of others. Even my cat Charlie can distinguish in an instant, by observation of appearance and behavior, which of the neighborhood teenagers pose no threat to him and which ones would kill him if they could manage to get their hands on him. Perhaps Bob lives in a utopian community where the only judgments he needs to make about people are those based on what they say or write. But words are cheap and most of us have enough street smarts to know that people lie, deceive in other ways, cheat, steal, and worse and the best way to protect ourselves is to remain alert to the appearance and behavior of those around us. And that applies especially, to politicians who are seeking our votes. Any good poker player will acknowledge the importance of looking for “tells.” The unusual appearance and behavior of Kamala Harris, including the aggressive head-bobbing and cackling, are “tells” that should place any observer on guard, especially because she frequently talks about being “unburdened by what has gone before.” A fish in one of those beautiful Maine lakes that the locals like to call “ponds” would be well advised not to recklessly charge after any of those flashy objects dancing on the surface of the water disguised as mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies or other aquatic insects. It should keep its distance while carefully observing the appearance and behavior of those objects. And it should be sure to watch out for the hook. Similarly a voter, whether Republican, Independent, Democrat, or even a non-citizen who has received an ID from Tim Walz for use in registering to vote, should not recklessly cast a vote for Kamala Harris without carefully observing her appearance and behavior, including the head-bobs and the cackles. And be sure to WATCH OUT FOR THE HOOK!
Shame for interjecting politics into a non-political column, something the critics are always sniping at GK for doing. So, a lot of projection from you, including accusing me of the same. I've never lived in utopia and I'm well aware of appearance and behavior of others when out in public (including reguarilty riding the subway NYC). However, "Don't judge a book by its cover" applies in other circumstances. Your analogy to fish and lures suffers in that certainly we humans (including you and me) are more intelligent than fish. Re Trump vs. Harris and deception, does Trump's appearance (and speech, what he says, and he doesn't write) cause you to trust him? No suspicious tells? Don't play poker with him because he already has you conned. Your paranoia seems biased, watch out for the hook, Trumps are deadly.
Apparently you aren't from MN, ever been there? Ever been out on a lake or pond? The definitions of lake and pond differ between MN and here in Maine. Before moving to Maine we lived 5 years on Long Pond, which was larger than neighboring lakes. The reason is that to be a lake in MN, it must have at least 50% of the shoreline wave-washed, if not, it's a pond. The shore of Long Pond is 100% lined by reeds, no discrete shore (and yes, there are fish in both). In Maine, it's only a lake if there's an inlet and outlet, otherwise it's a pond.
I know, shame on me for taking the bait and responding (except for the last paragraph) on politics where not welcome. Let's both cease and desist.
Interesting to notice which parts of my comments Bob Buntrock, who obviously considers himself to be the official content moderator for this website, jumps on and which parts he leaves alone. He is kind enough not to pick on my cat Charlie and I give him credit for that. And thanks to him for clarifying the question of lake versus pond in Maine versus Minnesota. On the other hand, I visited a fishing camp on Big Lyford Pond in Maine about 60 years ago, and I could swear that it had both an inlet and an outlet which, according to him, should have made it a lake. I have been to Minnesota, for a conference in the 1970s, and I remember being disappointed when the plane descended toward Minneapolis that I couldn’t see any trees. I would have to travel many miles further north to find the wild parts of the state including the wetlands where the wild rice was harvested. Strange that he didn’t challenge my claim that non-citizens could use a loophole in the law to vote in Minnesota. Not so strange that he didn’t challenge my Darwinian explanation of our need to pay attention to the appearance and behavior of people to make an assessment of their character and intentions because that is something almost beyond challenge now. I have to dissent from his statement that humans are more intelligent than fish. There are thousands more species of them than there are of us and they have survived for hundreds of millions of years longer than we have. They don’t start wars or invent technologies that make their lives worse. I predict that at least some species of fish will survive for millions of years more after we have destroyed most living things on the planet and become extinct ourselves. More troublesome is the fact that that he has been using the words “shame,” “projection,” and “paranoia” a lot lately. I thought he was a chemist, but his real interest seems to be abnormal psychology. Hmmm. Overall, I would give him a B - for this latest reply to a comment of mine. A definite improvement over the D that I would have given him for his replies to my comments earlier this week.
I only choose to "moderate" when critics overstep the lines. Your cat is blameless, you aren't. I've only been in Maine 20 years, and I'm going by the definition I've read, which is maybe an inlet and outlet river (ME has three categories of waterways, river, stream, and brook -- I live on one -- aka creeks in the Midwest). As for Mpls., MN is not as heavily wooded as Maine is (85-90%) but depending on which direction you flew in, you should have seen some trees, especially along water, and in the numerous parks in the city. The streets were still tree lined into the 70s but then Dutch Elm disease eliminated most and had to be replaced with other species. There's a large sand plain to the north of the cities (much of which has been cleared and farmed) but supports the pioneer and climax species of oaks which we had on our 13 acres. Long pond is 50 miles NW of Mpls. We didn't think it had wild rice but after a year long drought and reduced lake levels, it reappeared with increased rain just before we left (my former neighbors still harvest it). I'm not familiar with MN voting laws but no state allows non-citizens to vote in Federal and some other elections. MN voting policies are quite good and Maine's are even better.
Yes, regard for judging others by appearance is probably evolutionary but we should be past that in more civilized activities. Trump's (and maybe your) evaluations seem to be primarily based on appearance rather than substance. With him, for women, it's being pretty and the resulting insults for others not so pretty is juvenile. For you, it's petty annoyance.
Yes, fish are very successful in their environments (and when that changed, not so successful since they had no control and many went extinct). Not so with humans, they were smart enough to adapt and alter their changing environments, but we've not been aware of what many of these changes are doing to the environments, often to the detriment to all.
Shame goes way back, doesn't necessarily require advanced psychology, used a lot especially by our parents. Yes, I'm a semi-retired chemist and technical information specialist, but I've long had an interest in psychology. With a jam-packed schedule both in high school and college I never had time to take a course in it. A few years ago, I finally had the time and opportunity to take both intro to psych and personality from my daughter, a professor of psych at a local university, and I would have taken abnormal psych if she had offered it but COVID loused up a lot of schedules. I'm not the only one using projection (the way the Trump, you, and others do) and you do exhibit a tinge of paranoia in your evaluation of Harris. A book can be written on Trump and projection (as well as narcissism and prevarication).
I definitely believe in life-long learning, about a variety of subjects.
I got and A and a B+ in those psych courses so I know just enough psych to be dangerous. I won't give you any grades but if I did, they wouldn't be very good.
Good reply. Worthy of a grade of B+ to A- And from someone not a relative. I will reply to just two points and then shut up. (1) The pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Protagorus is supposed to have said “Man is the measure of all things.” We judge animals by our standards. Because they don’t think the way we do, we conclude that we are more intelligent than they are. We are being subjective, not objective. They would be equally justified to conclude that they are more intelligent than we are because we don’t think the way they do. I am sure that my cat Charlie thinks he is more intelligent than I am. Occasionally I see that disgusted look on his face that says “you idiot.” Perhaps a good way to look at it is to say that each of us has the kind and amount of intelligence that evolution has provided to make us fit to occupy our respective positions in the world. (2) Kamala’s head bobbing and cackling are primarily a matter of behavior rather than appearance. They are not normal behavior for a woman or a man in either the psychological or the mathematical sense (the latter being within two standard deviations from the mean in a “normal distribution” more commonly known as a bell curve). I have never seen that combination of behaviors in any other person. If Joe Biden suddenly began head-bobbing and cackling, I expect that Kamala and his cabinet would quickly invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. I do not believe that my concern about this behavior on her part reflects either pettiness or paranoia. Most people I know just think it is funny. Like the behavior of a comic book cartoon character (Goofy).
Give us a break. If you want to vote for Kamala’s opponent, go ahead. What would Darwin say about voting against your country’s and your own self interest? I think he’d say, as they used to say when I hung out in pool halls, you are a FISH!!
Yes, PHC fans, beware of Kamala's laughing. Call it "cackling" to encourage associations with witch hunts. Scrutinize her appearance, in search of something--anything--that you're uncomfortable with. Maybe you shouldn't vote in this election. Better yet, protect your country by joining William Case in voting for a convicted felon who incited an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Someone who says he can never lose an election. Someone who at his latest "town hall" swayed to his favorite songs for 39 minutes after refusing to take questions, surrounded the whole time by sycophants fawning over their Dear Leader. Have you heard how upset he is by the new film The Apprentice? It tells the story of Trump's relationship with the ruthless and unscrupulous Roy Cohn, who in addition to being Trump's mentor was chief counsel to Joseph McCarthy, who (aside from the "McCarthyism" we all remember him for) worked on behalf of German Nazis--literally--in the late 40s and early 50s. Look it up if you don't believe me, starting with how McCarthy tried to derail the prosecution of the Nazis responsible for the mass killing of American soldiers in the Malmedy massacre. There is a direct connection between European fascism, Joseph McCarthy and Trump's MAGA movement. Take a look at the Ken Burns documentary The U.S. and the Holocaust to see how a stadium full of people will cheer ecstatically as a "strongman" rants about his plans to annihilate an entire race of people. It's only an extension of the phenomenon we see when audiences wildly applaud as Trump and his enablers threaten to round up 10 million or more "vermin" and deport them, with asides about using the military to control the majority of Americans who find Trump appalling. Ignore all this, though, because Trump says what he's thinking, he doesn't cackle, and William Case adores him.
GK, you're a tall Scot, and I'm a 2nd generation German American with a 6' tall father. I eventually got to 6' myself (but since shrunk 2 inches) but I was always behind the curve growing up since I grew up in a race of giants, guys and gals, most of them Scandanavian. In gym (which fortunately I only had to take 7-10th grades) we'd line up by height when picking teams and I was always in the middle. Confirmation pictures in 8th grade show me as a chubby 5'3". That summer I grew 4 inches and didn't gain a pound. That meant this shy nerd could even think about dating the pretty 5'6" strawberry blond classmate. That didn't work out, and when a new batch of kids showed up in 10th grade, I had grown to 5'10'' and could dare to ask the 5'10" blond angelic Norwegian-Finn for a date (2 dates and then a Dear Bob note in my locker). When I told that first date recently what it took for me to ask for that date, she was surprised that height mattered (it sure did).
So who did I end up with? A 5'1" brunet Czech/German, a Jr. High classmate of yours GK, married for 55-1/2 years until she passed away 8 years ago. I've been lucky, love of my life, wouldn't have it any other way.
As a native Dubliner I was excited to hear about your recent appearance there. Did they “get” your fabulous humor…did you have to change it up for your Irish audience. I saw you in Hammondsport this summer and enjoyed every minute. You’re the best!
Thank you so much for making me laugh at 6 AM while I’m procrastinating on getting out of bed to go to the bathroom oops
It’s 5:59 am and Lynda expressed my thoughts exactly. I’m over 80 and grew up in SD where we also had more Scandinavians than anyone needs. That thought alone produced the kind of laughter we need at any stage of life…especially this close to the scariest election than I ever can recall! Thx Garrison!
😂
I was there in Dublin on the night and you did delight Sir. We, without pee, loved it all. I floated home on a Woebegone wave of pathos, melancholy, memory, laughter and group singing. Yes life is beautiful and I feel blessed to have followed our Minnesota choirmaster to that conclusion
"I love making people laugh; it’s better than pity." Glad you continue to get what you want. We are the beneficiaries...
Love your column!!
At 82 just completed my physical at the doctors office yesterday and had the same test scores as last year with the exception that cholesterol was the best in five years. I told her I was not ready for either the nursing home or the funeral home. Just like you this week I got exactly what I wanted. Cheers!
A good one.
"You ain't cool unless you pee your pants." - Billy Madison
https://youtu.be/FElfV-2H5vU?feature=shared
I must be pretty damn cool, then!
“OHHH! THAT was the grossest thing I’ve ever heard in my life!” -Billy Madison
😅
Wonderful! ah just exactly what I needed this morning. I've been so fragile lately -- coming upon the one year anniversary of when my father went into hospice at home before passing in December. We shared a many decades love of Lake Wobegon and your writing.
My son was studying in Dublin last fall and my husband and I went for a visit -- Ireland blew us away. It was a most magnificent trip, touring the city and also traveling west. If you're still there, visit the pubs where live music plays most the time. In keeping with the magic you've tapped into during your shows, while the style is very traditionally Irish, the songs are often popular hits from decades ago. I was delighted that to find everyone singing along, including me.
While on that trip I received word from my brother that my father had covid -- as a high risk person with chronic disease the news wasn't good. But he seemed to be holding steady. Our last night in Dublin my husband and I went to the Mint Bar in our hotel for a last toast and to enjoy the music. Familiar hits kept us entertained and cheery, but then our musician began to sing Piano Man by Billy Joel. I felt a sadness wash over me with such intensity I began to cry. I wasn't sure how to explain to my startled husband the sudden shift; I just said, "I'm thinking about my Dad."
Every bit of that fall is seared into my mind. You were part of that time for us, too. Dad created a hymn medley inspired by yours that was among the most meaningful parts of his funeral. Today I'm grateful for your columns that connect me to so much, backward and forward, a comfort and a pleasure.
[Sorry for the detour, friends ... wasn't what I intended to say when I started to type. Thanks for letting me share.]
Detours are where the richness occurs. Thank you and may your good memories sustain you.
Thank you, Joan. They sure do.
Good morning, Garrison: I enjoy your casual attitude about things like that, the wet pants. RR
Speaking as another man who is lucky enough to know, I can only say that there is nothing more precious than the laughter of daughters.
Laughter is good.
Belly laughs are better.
Please keep it up
The Prarie Home Companion (PHC) provided lighthearted, funny and very interesting stories of Nordic life and their people. I really miss the Nordic education I got on the radio. But you made my day today by writing again about those wonderful folks in that faraway land. Thank you.
I grew up in Minneapolis and the Norwegian and other Scandanavian jokes were hilarious (including those the Norskies and Swedes told on each other). Same for the music. I'm going to try to find a recording of "Cold Cold Heart and other Torch Songs" featuring "I want to go where the Lutefisk goes" (sung in a Swedish accent of course), which we were entertained with between morning newscasts on WCCO radio. Before that interlude came the market report which featured grain and pork belly futures (I called them the Cow Jones Averages). Made our day, started out laughing.
I was pleased to discover that in today's column there was only one mention of Donald Trump in nine paragraphs. Thank you, Garrison. At risk of spoiling that peaceful interlude by injecting the subject of politics, myself, I feel compelled to reply here to a statement by Bob Buntrock in the comments following the preceding column that I passed over at the time without fully recognizing its significance. Bob said, in effect, that it was inappropriate for me to satirize or otherwise draw attention to a person’s personal appearance or behavior as I had in referring to Kamala Harris as a “bobblehead” and a “cackler,” which he called “Trumpian insults.” To that statement I cannot more wholeheartedly disagree. Those of you who have read the writings of Charles Darwin, at least “On the Origin of Species” if not the equally germane “The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals,” know that evolution by natural selection has endowed all creatures great and small, including humans, with the capacity to protect themselves by making judgments regarding threats to their safety, which they exercise primarily by observing the appearance and behavior of others. Even my cat Charlie can distinguish in an instant, by observation of appearance and behavior, which of the neighborhood teenagers pose no threat to him and which ones would kill him if they could manage to get their hands on him. Perhaps Bob lives in a utopian community where the only judgments he needs to make about people are those based on what they say or write. But words are cheap and most of us have enough street smarts to know that people lie, deceive in other ways, cheat, steal, and worse and the best way to protect ourselves is to remain alert to the appearance and behavior of those around us. And that applies especially, to politicians who are seeking our votes. Any good poker player will acknowledge the importance of looking for “tells.” The unusual appearance and behavior of Kamala Harris, including the aggressive head-bobbing and cackling, are “tells” that should place any observer on guard, especially because she frequently talks about being “unburdened by what has gone before.” A fish in one of those beautiful Maine lakes that the locals like to call “ponds” would be well advised not to recklessly charge after any of those flashy objects dancing on the surface of the water disguised as mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies or other aquatic insects. It should keep its distance while carefully observing the appearance and behavior of those objects. And it should be sure to watch out for the hook. Similarly a voter, whether Republican, Independent, Democrat, or even a non-citizen who has received an ID from Tim Walz for use in registering to vote, should not recklessly cast a vote for Kamala Harris without carefully observing her appearance and behavior, including the head-bobs and the cackles. And be sure to WATCH OUT FOR THE HOOK!
Shame for interjecting politics into a non-political column, something the critics are always sniping at GK for doing. So, a lot of projection from you, including accusing me of the same. I've never lived in utopia and I'm well aware of appearance and behavior of others when out in public (including reguarilty riding the subway NYC). However, "Don't judge a book by its cover" applies in other circumstances. Your analogy to fish and lures suffers in that certainly we humans (including you and me) are more intelligent than fish. Re Trump vs. Harris and deception, does Trump's appearance (and speech, what he says, and he doesn't write) cause you to trust him? No suspicious tells? Don't play poker with him because he already has you conned. Your paranoia seems biased, watch out for the hook, Trumps are deadly.
Apparently you aren't from MN, ever been there? Ever been out on a lake or pond? The definitions of lake and pond differ between MN and here in Maine. Before moving to Maine we lived 5 years on Long Pond, which was larger than neighboring lakes. The reason is that to be a lake in MN, it must have at least 50% of the shoreline wave-washed, if not, it's a pond. The shore of Long Pond is 100% lined by reeds, no discrete shore (and yes, there are fish in both). In Maine, it's only a lake if there's an inlet and outlet, otherwise it's a pond.
I know, shame on me for taking the bait and responding (except for the last paragraph) on politics where not welcome. Let's both cease and desist.
Interesting to notice which parts of my comments Bob Buntrock, who obviously considers himself to be the official content moderator for this website, jumps on and which parts he leaves alone. He is kind enough not to pick on my cat Charlie and I give him credit for that. And thanks to him for clarifying the question of lake versus pond in Maine versus Minnesota. On the other hand, I visited a fishing camp on Big Lyford Pond in Maine about 60 years ago, and I could swear that it had both an inlet and an outlet which, according to him, should have made it a lake. I have been to Minnesota, for a conference in the 1970s, and I remember being disappointed when the plane descended toward Minneapolis that I couldn’t see any trees. I would have to travel many miles further north to find the wild parts of the state including the wetlands where the wild rice was harvested. Strange that he didn’t challenge my claim that non-citizens could use a loophole in the law to vote in Minnesota. Not so strange that he didn’t challenge my Darwinian explanation of our need to pay attention to the appearance and behavior of people to make an assessment of their character and intentions because that is something almost beyond challenge now. I have to dissent from his statement that humans are more intelligent than fish. There are thousands more species of them than there are of us and they have survived for hundreds of millions of years longer than we have. They don’t start wars or invent technologies that make their lives worse. I predict that at least some species of fish will survive for millions of years more after we have destroyed most living things on the planet and become extinct ourselves. More troublesome is the fact that that he has been using the words “shame,” “projection,” and “paranoia” a lot lately. I thought he was a chemist, but his real interest seems to be abnormal psychology. Hmmm. Overall, I would give him a B - for this latest reply to a comment of mine. A definite improvement over the D that I would have given him for his replies to my comments earlier this week.
I only choose to "moderate" when critics overstep the lines. Your cat is blameless, you aren't. I've only been in Maine 20 years, and I'm going by the definition I've read, which is maybe an inlet and outlet river (ME has three categories of waterways, river, stream, and brook -- I live on one -- aka creeks in the Midwest). As for Mpls., MN is not as heavily wooded as Maine is (85-90%) but depending on which direction you flew in, you should have seen some trees, especially along water, and in the numerous parks in the city. The streets were still tree lined into the 70s but then Dutch Elm disease eliminated most and had to be replaced with other species. There's a large sand plain to the north of the cities (much of which has been cleared and farmed) but supports the pioneer and climax species of oaks which we had on our 13 acres. Long pond is 50 miles NW of Mpls. We didn't think it had wild rice but after a year long drought and reduced lake levels, it reappeared with increased rain just before we left (my former neighbors still harvest it). I'm not familiar with MN voting laws but no state allows non-citizens to vote in Federal and some other elections. MN voting policies are quite good and Maine's are even better.
Yes, regard for judging others by appearance is probably evolutionary but we should be past that in more civilized activities. Trump's (and maybe your) evaluations seem to be primarily based on appearance rather than substance. With him, for women, it's being pretty and the resulting insults for others not so pretty is juvenile. For you, it's petty annoyance.
Yes, fish are very successful in their environments (and when that changed, not so successful since they had no control and many went extinct). Not so with humans, they were smart enough to adapt and alter their changing environments, but we've not been aware of what many of these changes are doing to the environments, often to the detriment to all.
Shame goes way back, doesn't necessarily require advanced psychology, used a lot especially by our parents. Yes, I'm a semi-retired chemist and technical information specialist, but I've long had an interest in psychology. With a jam-packed schedule both in high school and college I never had time to take a course in it. A few years ago, I finally had the time and opportunity to take both intro to psych and personality from my daughter, a professor of psych at a local university, and I would have taken abnormal psych if she had offered it but COVID loused up a lot of schedules. I'm not the only one using projection (the way the Trump, you, and others do) and you do exhibit a tinge of paranoia in your evaluation of Harris. A book can be written on Trump and projection (as well as narcissism and prevarication).
I definitely believe in life-long learning, about a variety of subjects.
I got and A and a B+ in those psych courses so I know just enough psych to be dangerous. I won't give you any grades but if I did, they wouldn't be very good.
Good reply. Worthy of a grade of B+ to A- And from someone not a relative. I will reply to just two points and then shut up. (1) The pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Protagorus is supposed to have said “Man is the measure of all things.” We judge animals by our standards. Because they don’t think the way we do, we conclude that we are more intelligent than they are. We are being subjective, not objective. They would be equally justified to conclude that they are more intelligent than we are because we don’t think the way they do. I am sure that my cat Charlie thinks he is more intelligent than I am. Occasionally I see that disgusted look on his face that says “you idiot.” Perhaps a good way to look at it is to say that each of us has the kind and amount of intelligence that evolution has provided to make us fit to occupy our respective positions in the world. (2) Kamala’s head bobbing and cackling are primarily a matter of behavior rather than appearance. They are not normal behavior for a woman or a man in either the psychological or the mathematical sense (the latter being within two standard deviations from the mean in a “normal distribution” more commonly known as a bell curve). I have never seen that combination of behaviors in any other person. If Joe Biden suddenly began head-bobbing and cackling, I expect that Kamala and his cabinet would quickly invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. I do not believe that my concern about this behavior on her part reflects either pettiness or paranoia. Most people I know just think it is funny. Like the behavior of a comic book cartoon character (Goofy).
Maybe you should subscribe to Bob’s Sub Stack. This is Garrison Keillor’s.
Give us a break. If you want to vote for Kamala’s opponent, go ahead. What would Darwin say about voting against your country’s and your own self interest? I think he’d say, as they used to say when I hung out in pool halls, you are a FISH!!
Yes, PHC fans, beware of Kamala's laughing. Call it "cackling" to encourage associations with witch hunts. Scrutinize her appearance, in search of something--anything--that you're uncomfortable with. Maybe you shouldn't vote in this election. Better yet, protect your country by joining William Case in voting for a convicted felon who incited an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Someone who says he can never lose an election. Someone who at his latest "town hall" swayed to his favorite songs for 39 minutes after refusing to take questions, surrounded the whole time by sycophants fawning over their Dear Leader. Have you heard how upset he is by the new film The Apprentice? It tells the story of Trump's relationship with the ruthless and unscrupulous Roy Cohn, who in addition to being Trump's mentor was chief counsel to Joseph McCarthy, who (aside from the "McCarthyism" we all remember him for) worked on behalf of German Nazis--literally--in the late 40s and early 50s. Look it up if you don't believe me, starting with how McCarthy tried to derail the prosecution of the Nazis responsible for the mass killing of American soldiers in the Malmedy massacre. There is a direct connection between European fascism, Joseph McCarthy and Trump's MAGA movement. Take a look at the Ken Burns documentary The U.S. and the Holocaust to see how a stadium full of people will cheer ecstatically as a "strongman" rants about his plans to annihilate an entire race of people. It's only an extension of the phenomenon we see when audiences wildly applaud as Trump and his enablers threaten to round up 10 million or more "vermin" and deport them, with asides about using the military to control the majority of Americans who find Trump appalling. Ignore all this, though, because Trump says what he's thinking, he doesn't cackle, and William Case adores him.
Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.
https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/why-is-fascism-bad-professor?r=9x7cp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web×tamp=544.1
GK, you're a tall Scot, and I'm a 2nd generation German American with a 6' tall father. I eventually got to 6' myself (but since shrunk 2 inches) but I was always behind the curve growing up since I grew up in a race of giants, guys and gals, most of them Scandanavian. In gym (which fortunately I only had to take 7-10th grades) we'd line up by height when picking teams and I was always in the middle. Confirmation pictures in 8th grade show me as a chubby 5'3". That summer I grew 4 inches and didn't gain a pound. That meant this shy nerd could even think about dating the pretty 5'6" strawberry blond classmate. That didn't work out, and when a new batch of kids showed up in 10th grade, I had grown to 5'10'' and could dare to ask the 5'10" blond angelic Norwegian-Finn for a date (2 dates and then a Dear Bob note in my locker). When I told that first date recently what it took for me to ask for that date, she was surprised that height mattered (it sure did).
So who did I end up with? A 5'1" brunet Czech/German, a Jr. High classmate of yours GK, married for 55-1/2 years until she passed away 8 years ago. I've been lucky, love of my life, wouldn't have it any other way.