Things I have been thinking about.
Jun. 29th, 2009 07:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
supermouseSo, I searched out the video for Look Out There's A Monster Coming by the Bonzo Dog DooDah Band and, guess what, it was really racist. Blackface, limbo dancing, pins in a doll, big rubber lips, every anti-Black stereotype going. I am learning that if I pick up these sorts of vibes, it's generally for a good reason. But you're so over-sensitive my fat, white arse. And I like the music, even the song, so I could defend it but I am not going to, because it was and remains racist.
What I *do* about it is another matter. I don't know. On the whole, their music is happy, funny and not portraying black men as monsters. On the whole, it's privileged and from a time when blackface was the *only* portrayal of black people on British television. On the whole, it's cheering for me to listen to. I don't know any song bouncier than Equestrian Statue. I'm not hurting anyone by listening to it, but did I hurt someone by thoughtlessly recommending and linking to videos by the band? Just how much of the music I enjoy is absolutely dodgy if I actually pay attention? (read the actual lyrics to Brown Sugar some time. I used to rock out to that!!)
Today I realised I know pretty much nothing about Albania, except that the host of my local café comes from there. And that they have hills. Albania is more Over There than, say, China or Papua New Guinea when it comes to absorbed knowledge about the place. I know it's east of here, but ultimately so is everywhere. And the point about not knowing anything about a place is that you don't realise until the subject comes up.
Egyptian hieroglyphs are not that hard to learn. Honestly. Or, at least, not difficult to start grasping the basics. They're much easier, IME, than say, Farsi or Finnish. And yet, if you study them, people are terribly, terribly impressed. It's like Instant Scholar Cred, bought very cheaply. Now, Hieratic, *that's* hard. So is shorthand. Arabic is very hard to an English-monolingual ear, because you can't hear half of what you're supposed to be learning. English, itself is lboody difficult - I've spent 34 years as a native speaker and I have trouble with it. Hieroglyphs, at least Egyptian ones, are remarkably trouble free. Either that, or Mark Collier and Bill Manley are the best teachers ever.
I don't see the need for advanced techs in Dwarf Fortress. I don't at all argue with their being there, being able to make a million choices and micromanage are both major reasons to play the game. I just don't see that you need smelting, glassmaking, or anything beyond stonecrafting, bone carving, bow making, carpentry, masonry and brewing to keep things going. My economy seems to run very well on tourist tat like souvenir mugs and limestone piccolos being exchanged for weapons, armour and seeds. I am betting that 'keeping the Nobles happy' is the main reason to have any higher techs.
What I *do* about it is another matter. I don't know. On the whole, their music is happy, funny and not portraying black men as monsters. On the whole, it's privileged and from a time when blackface was the *only* portrayal of black people on British television. On the whole, it's cheering for me to listen to. I don't know any song bouncier than Equestrian Statue. I'm not hurting anyone by listening to it, but did I hurt someone by thoughtlessly recommending and linking to videos by the band? Just how much of the music I enjoy is absolutely dodgy if I actually pay attention? (read the actual lyrics to Brown Sugar some time. I used to rock out to that!!)
Today I realised I know pretty much nothing about Albania, except that the host of my local café comes from there. And that they have hills. Albania is more Over There than, say, China or Papua New Guinea when it comes to absorbed knowledge about the place. I know it's east of here, but ultimately so is everywhere. And the point about not knowing anything about a place is that you don't realise until the subject comes up.
Egyptian hieroglyphs are not that hard to learn. Honestly. Or, at least, not difficult to start grasping the basics. They're much easier, IME, than say, Farsi or Finnish. And yet, if you study them, people are terribly, terribly impressed. It's like Instant Scholar Cred, bought very cheaply. Now, Hieratic, *that's* hard. So is shorthand. Arabic is very hard to an English-monolingual ear, because you can't hear half of what you're supposed to be learning. English, itself is lboody difficult - I've spent 34 years as a native speaker and I have trouble with it. Hieroglyphs, at least Egyptian ones, are remarkably trouble free. Either that, or Mark Collier and Bill Manley are the best teachers ever.
I don't see the need for advanced techs in Dwarf Fortress. I don't at all argue with their being there, being able to make a million choices and micromanage are both major reasons to play the game. I just don't see that you need smelting, glassmaking, or anything beyond stonecrafting, bone carving, bow making, carpentry, masonry and brewing to keep things going. My economy seems to run very well on tourist tat like souvenir mugs and limestone piccolos being exchanged for weapons, armour and seeds. I am betting that 'keeping the Nobles happy' is the main reason to have any higher techs.
