h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Anarchist Rant - A2076022
Author: John-the-gardener - h2g2 Friends of Tibet (A2170982) - U33262

I wrote this at a time when I was feeling particularly upset about the conquest of Iraq and the general willingness of many humans to shrug off the benefits of the universality of human rights and the oh-what-a-good-idea-ness of the rule of law in world affairs, at a time when I was reading Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore and driving through a town congested with people who seemed to care only for the accumulation of stuff.

Now some of you may say, "John, driving while reading two books at the same time, particularly when you are already upset about Iraq and the highjacking of democracy, is not a very sensible thing to do." And you would be right!

Anyway...

Anarchist Rant - A2076022

I hope you like it.

JTG

Well, I liked it.

It's always nice to see one's own thoughts expressed better than one can do it oneself.

Noggin

... Not if the thought was, "Yes, I would like that last piece of fruitcake, Your Grace."

Thanks, noggin.

JTG

When I saw this on my conversations list, I thought it would be an unorganized, stupid yell-fest about why anarchy should be adopted. A 'rant' in every sense of the word.

It turned out to be a rather well organized, interesting and funny read I like this. It's very simple and good, for a rant.

Thanks, Jodan. I'm not much good at yelling, I'm afraid, although my stupidity is improving over time.

Sorry, Noggin. I gave you a little 'n'; no disrespect meant.

JTG

That's I've been called worse things than noggin with a small n.

Brilliant.

I like this a lot. Especially the line
"to prove that they are individuals... just like all their friends"

Reminds me of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, crowd saying in unison "Yes we are all individuals" with one guy piping up "I'm not"

Well structured anarchy, there's a new concept.

Sorry

Proof read, I meant Life of Brian not Holy Grail.

I blame the headache

Many thanks, TRFKAKJ. Glad you liked it.

JTG

Read this a while ago on a random lurk. It read well then and still does. Good to see it in AWW.
take care
boots

Yikes, I'll have to start getting dressed with the lights off!

Thanks, boots.

JTG

Or make sure you've put the boots outside the door first. (Waves to boots )

piece. Odd, isn't it, that that sort of parking is what you find in Nairobi and other places where traffic wardens are not yet a priority. Perhaps these anarchists share more with those living on the edges of survival than they'd like to think.
Waz

Thanks.

Hmmm... I think expressionist parking may be all that these folks have in common with the good people of Nairobi. Their survival strategy involves making sure that they're as close to the centre of survival as possible by shoving as many of the rest of us as they can towards the edge.

Come to think of it, we used to play something like that on the playground as kids. I doubt that I ever imagined that skinned knees meant that I would never own a mercedes.

JTG

"expressionist parking", that's good, I'll remember that one.

I was thinking more of the disregard of what might be called lesser laws and putting self interest before the interest of the wider community. Understandable when fighting for existence, not when the gain is what? Saving a few yards walk, a few minutes, the ignominy of joining the hoi poloi in the public car park .

Waz

It's the thin end of the wedge, no matter how you look at it: It starts with expressionism and ends in anarchy.

It might be interesting to imagine the rich and reckless instantly transporteded to, say, Mogadishu, where they would have to battle it out for parking space and the bare necessities of life. I somehow imagine that under those circumstances they would suddenly become staunch advocates of law and order.

JTG

I think you imagine right.

I can park with expression and still end up neatly between the lines, six inches from the kerb.

We're metric in Canada. You'd get a ticket for parking in inches here.

JTG

New fangled colonials!

Waz

Oh, I so very agree.

But I do have a nitpick that is on the technical side. The images are a bit cardboard. Heartless businesmen married to trophy wives with boob jobs - it's so removed and distant. I can't help but feel that this should be a more uncomfortable read. That the 'targets' of your rant should be a bit more, well, believable. Not that I think such people don't exist, but if the reader doesn't identify at all then this isn't really hitting home as it should.

Overall the idea is good and well executed and it made me think a bit.

N

Hi, Nadia. Thanks for the comments.

Heartless businessmen married to trophy wives with boob jobs (I think it was their daughters, actually; bless 'em) may be a bit of a cliche but they are exactly the sort of people I see every day. They don't see me - except perhaps as something to feel self important about and scowl at - because I usually exist below the threshold of their perception, not just 'below stairs', but, apparently, below ground, an invisible worker, a ghost wot gets fings done, part of the machinery that keeps life nice and the BMW shiny, and so on. Sorry, there I go again.

This was just a bit of fun, really. It started out as a Journal Entry. I've not actually read it for some time, so you are probably right. Why not write some more stuff for me to add? I'll include you as co-conspirator.

JTG