I wanted to hate California, because the USN forced me there. But it ended up winning me over despite myself. Literally, since I’m deathly allergic to lots of it.
The wine country of Paso Robles, Pacific Grove, frisbee golf on the Jacaranda blossom-covered hills of Balboa Park… And it’s all gone to hell. Damnable shame.
California is four excellent reasons for the neutron bomb, two each on metro L.A. and SF. Ya got me with Balboa Park, and maybe also Torrey Pines Reserve.
A community of truly honest men is impossible this side of Heaven of course. But if it existed, that cardinal virtue would feed every other one. Only if you assume that the ideal of honesty (or any virtue) itself is a scam and a trick, do you get Twain’s Hadleyburg.
He was keen quite often. Those who signal a virtue are already exploiting it, whether for gain or other perks. And once there’s some sort of a price tag on it, the bidding is open.
All the Seventeen Symbols took this first step — otherwise they won’t be “Symbols”, after all.
Goodson was not this sort. Which is why everyone easily believed that “he could have done it, and it would have been like him, but there’s not another in the town.”
Like I said: No such thing as virtue. Anyone claiming to make it a priority has some kind of Con running. And if people actually act bravely, honestly, or humbly consistently, they’re secretly frauds.
Twain was aces at puncturing Pharisees, but blind to the saints.
M.Mira said:
Set that to a catchy jingle and you’ve got a number 1 hit there.
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overgrownhobbit said:
The Bobs beat us to it.
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McChuck said:
California is a desert, populated mostly by the insane and foreign invaders. And farmers, God help them.
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overgrownhobbit said:
I wanted to hate California, because the USN forced me there. But it ended up winning me over despite myself. Literally, since I’m deathly allergic to lots of it.
The wine country of Paso Robles, Pacific Grove, frisbee golf on the Jacaranda blossom-covered hills of Balboa Park… And it’s all gone to hell. Damnable shame.
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McChuck said:
The only thing really wrong with California is that it’s full of Californians. (And Mexicans.)
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lampwright said:
Don’t know whether to laugh…or cry. ;-P
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overgrownhobbit said:
Then we got this one right.
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Psychokitteh said:
Well done, two – uh, mech claws? up!
California is four excellent reasons for the neutron bomb, two each on metro L.A. and SF. Ya got me with Balboa Park, and maybe also Torrey Pines Reserve.
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TBeholder said:
See also: Hadleyburg.
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overgrownhobbit said:
Twain at his worst: cynical and cruel, funny, realistic, and dishonest. A link for our readers:
https://pagebypagebooks.com/Mark_Twain/The_Man_that_Corrupted_Hadleyburg/Chapter_I_p1.html
A community of truly honest men is impossible this side of Heaven of course. But if it existed, that cardinal virtue would feed every other one. Only if you assume that the ideal of honesty (or any virtue) itself is a scam and a trick, do you get Twain’s Hadleyburg.
Conservative Inc. personified.
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TBeholder said:
He was keen quite often. Those who signal a virtue are already exploiting it, whether for gain or other perks. And once there’s some sort of a price tag on it, the bidding is open.
All the Seventeen Symbols took this first step — otherwise they won’t be “Symbols”, after all.
Goodson was not this sort. Which is why everyone easily believed that “he could have done it, and it would have been like him, but there’s not another in the town.”
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overgrownhobbit said:
Like I said: No such thing as virtue. Anyone claiming to make it a priority has some kind of Con running. And if people actually act bravely, honestly, or humbly consistently, they’re secretly frauds.
Twain was aces at puncturing Pharisees, but blind to the saints.
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Psychokitteh said:
Had time to listen to the song. I now have an earworm to the tune of “That’s Amore!”, beginning with a phrasing of
Quakes broke overpass like a big piece of glass,
California!
… and just got worse from there.
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Orvan Taurus said:
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