Raw, but c*nsored blabbing and blogging of a young journalista
and local news producer in Southern New England.
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Friday, July 09, 2004

Free Plug: Aiming The Free Gun At Michael Moore... plus: Bill on Life: Grandstanding

Mediabistro.com now features an excerpt from Michael Moore Is a Big Fat Stupid White Man by two of Moore's "wacko attackos."

What is the definition of grandstanding, anyway?

Merriam-Webster.com: "to play or act so as to impress onlookers."

Oh, that's TOTALLY me. I am such an f'n grandstander.

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Some days, I like to think of Life as The Game Of Life, something to be won, lost or drawn to. It's as though every move we make, especially socially, is as 'twere moving a piece on a chessboard.

John is spurned by his girlfriend, an account executive for a magazine. He calls her boss and reveals she posed nude in Playboy. She loses her job. She falls into a pit of despair and depression. She's evicted from her apartment. She becomes homeless because she has no living relatives.

I don't know the game of chess, but all the moves I just outlined could be compared to moving pieces around. Granted, that little scenario is more like taking a big bunch of checkers in one big huge hop (click, click, click, click, click), but you get the idea.

Sometimes I think of talking to people about their strategy. "Oh, that's very good. Very good move," I might think of saying, when somebody makes a move in my presence. Or, "Interesting choice. What's your strategy?" The thing is, nobody ever talks about their strategy in games. Nobody teaches strategy in Life.

Indeed, the only strategy we seem to be given in life is Trial and Error. No other guidance is offered us. I'm not religious, but think of the story of eating from the tree of Knowledge. You were told not to eat the apple. You ate from it. You have to suffer the consequences. Your life changes because of it. And now most of us wear clothes in humble modesty.

...Getting back to grandstanding... I sometimes find it's way too fun to just do something for the hell of it. Make a f*cked-up move just because! Do something nobody expects! Bring on the non sequiturs! Anger! Delight! Surprise! Frighten! Kill! Slash! Cut down! Blow up! Ta da!

Trouble is, I can't do it that often because sometimes there may be consequences. There's always the firm grip waiting to grab me by the scruff of my collar and smack my hand. So I can't do it that often.

Other times, for a moment, but just for a moment, I might, just might, get away with it.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 7/09/2004 10:54:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
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