Art and vision

Thu, 31 May 2012
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You can be an artist only if you have that singularity and vision, that obsession and determination. If you are willing to compromise, in particular, be willing to be told what to do by market forces or by people who filter information and manipulate your talent, you’re not really an artist, you are a work for hire.

— Bob Ezrin, quoted in “Too busy for Jagger” by Eddino Abdul Hadi in The Straits Times: Life!, 23 May 2012, p. C10.

Also, see “Leadership (Part II)” and watch a very brilliant commencement address delivered by Neil Gaiman.

Tragedy, comedy and societal ethics – How I Met Your Mother (S01E19)

Tue, 8 May 2012
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Season 1, Episode 19 of How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) is great for teaching (or learning) the concepts of:

  • Tragedy and comedy (and the relationship between the two); and
  • Societal ethics, especially with regard to recent news that has been making headlines in Singapore.

I’d like to do an extended post on this that explains how and why the above-mentioned concepts can be taught/learnt.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the time and I don’t think I’ll ever get back to doing this.

Nevertheless, I’m placing this post as a marker of my own thoughts and also if anyone else might be interested in this.

Further reading:

  • Fleming, Rudd. “Of Contrast Between Tragedy and Comedy.” The Journal of Philosophy 36.20 (1939): 543 – 553.

In other news, HIMYM is the new Entourage.

On the subject of race.

Tue, 1 May 2012
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HENRY: You want to tell me about black folks? I’ll help you: O.J. Was guilty. Rodney King was in the wrong place, but the police have the right to use force. Malcolm X. Was noble when he renounced violence. Prior to that he was misguided. Dr King was, of course, a saint. He was killed by a jealous husband, and you had a maid when you were young who was better to you than your mother. She raised you. You’ve never fucked a black girl, but one sat near you in science class, and she was actually rather shy.

(Pause.)

CHARLES: …I would never say any of…

HENRY: You’re fucking A right you wouldn’t. Which is the purpose of the lesson. Do you know what you can say? To a black man. On the subject of race.

CHARLES: “Nothing.”

HENRY: That is correct.
— David Mamet, Race, Theatre Communications Group: New York, pp. 5 – 6.

Related links of interest:

  1. We Can’t Stop Talking About Race in America.
  2. Dangerous Liaisons: Tennessee Williams and David Mamet on the damage that we do.