Rereading Vonnegut.

Hi, Pete!

I don't think the problem is that KV's books are "horribly depressing."
IMO, it's just that the whole world is horribly depressing. Nothing's been
the same since we had Our Bad Day. The terrorists took much, but stealing
our collective senses of humor is the ONE thing I'll never forgive them for.
(To be honest, our internal provocateurs are the ones who have terrorized me
the most, personally. Economically, spiritually, and employment-wise.
Stifling dissent and Buying a few thousand Million Dollar Bombs while our
own schools, factories, and hospitals close down due to lack of interest. I
no longer recognize my birthland. We see pictures of our guards torturing,
molesting, and abusing naked, hand-cuffed prisoners of both sexes and many
of our kind think this is an honorable thing, or at least an acceptable form
of symbolic retribution. A nearly nationwide mindset like that makes me
think of Howard Campbell's Nazis and the people who ignored the Crematoriums
next door for six years. "What? How was I to know? I didn't smell
anything. I just live here.")

After all that, old KV seems like a real optimist. Our sense of humor? So
it goes.

I'm rereading all of Mr. V's books for the first time in a couple of years
myself. (That's why I decided to come back here. That, and I missed
everybody. Hi, Dave! Any of the rest of the old gang around? Hear from
Melissa or Kazak or Dagney or anybody lately?) I still find KV to be
Essential. He'll always be my favorite. (Hunter Thompson and Tom Robbins
rate at least an honorable mention, though.)

(Just read Heather's thread before I hit the "send" button. You look like
you felt about the same as me! I was rereading them about that time, too.
Had to take a break When I came back, I saw the parallels, too. That's one
thing about KV I really love, and a big part of why I have to keep going
back. He's so timeless. He was about fifty years ahead of his time on that
first book. Closing down all the factories, demoted to being a Nation of
Reeks and Wrecks... I wonder how close we are to first, Slapstick, then
Galapagos?)

Mr. V's inherent cynicism and negativity are pretty low-key compared to
living in the USA in 2004. Odd you should mention BoC and Slapstick. Those
two and Hocus Pocus are always the first ones I reread. Then Deadeye Dick
and Jailbird and Bluebeard. (I have a regular route.) Just finished
Galapagos and Mother Night, started Rosewater again just last night.
Thought it was time to stop in for a visit. I was wondering if anybody had
anything to say about Reagan. Looks like no one noticed. Perhaps it's for
the best.

---doug
 >> Stay informed about: Rereading Vonnegut. 

Hi, Pete!

I don't think the problem is that KV's books are "horribly depressing."
IMO, it's just that the whole world is horribly depressing. Nothing's been
the same since we had Our Bad Day. The terrorists took much, but stealing
our collective senses of humor is the ONE thing I'll never forgive them for.
(To be honest, our internal provocateurs are the ones who have terrorized me
the most, personally. Economically, spiritually, and employment-wise.
Stifling dissent and Buying a few thousand Million Dollar Bombs while our
own schools, factories, and hospitals close down due to lack of interest. I
no longer recognize my birthland. We see pictures of our guards torturing,
molesting, and abusing naked, hand-cuffed prisoners of both sexes and many
of our kind think this is an honorable thing, or at least an acceptable form
of symbolic retribution. A nearly nationwide mindset like that makes me
think of Howard Campbell's Nazis and the people who ignored the Crematoriums
next door for six years. "What? How was I to know? I didn't smell
anything. I just live here.")

After all that, old KV seems like a real optimist. Our sense of humor? So
it goes.

I'm rereading all of Mr. V's books for the first time in a couple of years
myself. (That's why I decided to come back here. That, and I missed
everybody. Hi, Dave! Any of the rest of the old gang around? Hear from
Melissa or Kazak or Dagney or anybody lately?) I still find KV to be
Essential. He'll always be my favorite. (Hunter Thompson and Tom Robbins
rate at least an honorable mention, though.)

(Just read Heather's thread before I hit the "send" button. You look like
you felt about the same as me! I was rereading them about that time, too.
Had to take a break When I came back, I saw the parallels, too. That's one
thing about KV I really love, and a big part of why I have to keep going
back. He's so timeless. He was about fifty years ahead of his time on that
first book. Closing down all the factories, demoted to being a Nation of
Reeks and Wrecks... I wonder how close we are to first, Slapstick, then
Galapagos?)

Mr. V's inherent cynicism and negativity are pretty low-key compared to
living in the USA in 2004. Odd you should mention BoC and Slapstick. Those
two and Hocus Pocus are always the first ones I reread. Then Deadeye Dick
and Jailbird and Bluebeard. (I have a regular route.) Just finished
Galapagos and Mother Night, started Rosewater again just last night.
Thought it was time to stop in for a visit. I was wondering if anybody had
anything to say about Reagan. Looks like no one noticed. Perhaps it's for
the best.

---doug
 >> Stay informed about: Rereading Vonnegut. 

Hi, Pete!

I don't think the problem is that KV's books are "horribly depressing."
IMO, it's just that the whole world is horribly depressing. Nothing's been
the same since we had Our Bad Day. The terrorists took much, but stealing
our collective senses of humor is the ONE thing I'll never forgive them for.
(To be honest, our internal provocateurs are the ones who have terrorized me
the most, personally. Economically, spiritually, and employment-wise.
Stifling dissent and Buying a few thousand Million Dollar Bombs while our
own schools, factories, and hospitals close down due to lack of interest. I
no longer recognize my birthland. We see pictures of our guards torturing,
molesting, and abusing naked, hand-cuffed prisoners of both sexes and many
of our kind think this is an honorable thing, or at least an acceptable form
of symbolic retribution. A nearly nationwide mindset like that makes me
think of Howard Campbell's Nazis and the people who ignored the Crematoriums
next door for six years. "What? How was I to know? I didn't smell
anything. I just live here.")

After all that, old KV seems like a real optimist. Our sense of humor? So
it goes.

I'm rereading all of Mr. V's books for the first time in a couple of years
myself. (That's why I decided to come back here. That, and I missed
everybody. Hi, Dave! Any of the rest of the old gang around? Hear from
Melissa or Kazak or Dagney or anybody lately?) I still find KV to be
Essential. He'll always be my favorite. (Hunter Thompson and Tom Robbins
rate at least an honorable mention, though.)

(Just read Heather's thread before I hit the "send" button. You look like
you felt about the same as me! I was rereading them about that time, too.
Had to take a break When I came back, I saw the parallels, too. That's one
thing about KV I really love, and a big part of why I have to keep going
back. He's so timeless. He was about fifty years ahead of his time on that
first book. Closing down all the factories, demoted to being a Nation of
Reeks and Wrecks... I wonder how close we are to first, Slapstick, then
Galapagos?)

Mr. V's inherent cynicism and negativity are pretty low-key compared to
living in the USA in 2004. Odd you should mention BoC and Slapstick. Those
two and Hocus Pocus are always the first ones I reread. Then Deadeye Dick
and Jailbird and Bluebeard. (I have a regular route.) Just finished
Galapagos and Mother Night, started Rosewater again just last night.
Thought it was time to stop in for a visit. I was wondering if anybody had
anything to say about Reagan. Looks like no one noticed. Perhaps it's for
the best.

---doug
 >> Stay informed about: Rereading Vonnegut. 

"Bad ideas can cause disease." -kv
 >> Stay informed about: Rereading Vonnegut. 

dugbaker cast forth electrons:

 > I'm rereading all of Mr. V's books for the first time in a couple of
 > years myself. (That's why I decided to come back here. That, and I
 > missed everybody. Hi, Dave! Any of the rest of the old gang around?
 > Hear from Melissa or Kazak or Dagney or anybody lately?) I still find
 > KV to be Essential. He'll always be my favorite.

Hi, Doug! Good to hear from you again. Missed your (type)face around
here.

No, the ones you mention fell away when the political landscape became
so dire, though I'd not suggest any cause and effect. If you dejagoogle
on the froup, you'll see a lot of old, familiar names over the past
several months, but will find in general that the subject matter is
actually about Vonnegut.

Speaking of that, reference this post of mine from last October
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://xrl.us/ccaz" target="_blank">http://xrl.us/ccaz</a> (Link to groups.google.com) for some material about
Vonnegut which I suspect you may have missed and which I highly
recommend to you.

I assume you've caught Vonnegut's great nonfiction in the last year and
a half or so's issues of IN THESE TIMES <http://www.inthesetimes.com/>.
Another strong recommendation to you, if you haven't. Go there and fish
around the site for it, or do a Google search specific to the main URL,
or do a dejagoogle search specific to announcements here as his articles
and essays appeared.

Hope you continue reading abk-v and pop in when you can. It's the best
way to keep tabs on what's new about KV in terms of what appears on the
Web about him.

All best to you.

--
obscura RemoveThis @null.net ¤ Q: "What targets would you consider fair game for
a satirist today?" A: "Assholes."
-- Kurt Vonnegut, 1/27/03, "In These Times"<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Rereading Vonnegut.