If you did not catch Kurt Vonnegut on "NOW" on PBS, make sure to try to

[BrklynLiberal]

find the repeat on your local PBS station. It was the best 1/2 hour of TV I have seen in years.

[knowbody0]

1. i learned to "love" reading

with Cat's Craddle. what an inspiration Kurt is. i loved him explaining why he preferred to go to the store rather than shop on line. beautiful spirit

[BrklynLiberal]

2. He is a fantastic person...I enjoyed every second of that show. I hope

he lives to be 120 years old!!!
How about that line about his wanting to sue the cigarette company?

[wurzel]

3. He was very pessimistic wasn't he.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Yes. He feels that man has destroyed the planet beyond repair.

It is difficult to argue against his point, especially since there are not many major efforts to counteract the damage...and many activites to further it.

I cannot help but agree with him that we are a doomed species; a destructive "virus" that mother earth is acting to rid herself of.

Think about it...what has mankind actually done to improve the planet..or even to keep her in as good condition as she was when we first appeared?
We are like suicidal parasites. We are destroying the very creature that allows us to live.
All we have done is use her resources without any consideration of the consequences to the planet, ourselves, or the other creatures with which we share the planet.

I can understand his pessimism.

[Mr_Spock]

7. I love The Matrix movie.

The idea that we are just a virus infesting this planet (and other implications) in that movie are fabulous. Read this "...which pill would you take, the red or the blue?" essay here: http://www.arrod.co.uk/essays/matrix.php - there are parallels to liberal vs. conservative philosophy that can be drawn which I found most intriguing...

[Spinzonner]

8. What exactly would a planet 'improvement' be ?

and what makes you think man would have the foresight to make that sort of judgment ?

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Perhaps you are right....

and that is why man's extinction is inevitable after all.

[The Stranger]

15. Not fucking it all up would definitely be an improvement.

[omega minimo]

16. Simple-- "improvement" "maintenance" "non-destruction"

call it what you will, all the clues are in what BrklynLiberal wrote.

"...and what makes you think man would have the foresight to make that sort of judgment?"

Shift from "man's" lack of "foresight"
to the the human insight that:

The earth is "the very creature that allows us to live."
We are bound to "keep her in as good condition as she was when we first appeared?" (what KV called the "life support system")
We are dependent on "consideration of the consequences to the planet, ourselves, or the other creatures with which we share the planet."

When humans remember this concept as more than intellectual rhetoric, and allow that understanding to guide our actions, we will have a chance to recover balance.

Even the rhetoric will change. People will grow beyond referring to all humans as "man."

[BrklynLiberal]

20. Thank you omega minimo. You voiced my thoughts better than I could.

:hi:

[omega minimo]

22. YOU said it!!!

Its a simple and evasive concept, esp. when folks-- I mean man-- keeps lookin at it from the outside.


Seen a lot of that :bounce: :bounce: nonsense today too. :evilgrin:

[Mr_Spock]

5. I saw it!! It was an interesting interview for sure...

I was somewhat distracted and with Kurt it you're not paying complete attention you may miss the meaning of one of his many metaphors. It was very thought provoking - at least what I was able to absorb :D

[American Infidel]

6. Saw it

I like his joke about suing the cigarette companies for false advertising. They said that smoking would kill him and he's still alive at 83. He is pessimistic, but I believe that he used exaggeration to get his point across that things need to change in this country.

[captain beyond]

10. Would if I could- - - - -

I do not have cable or a dish, live in an apartment.
Lafayette Indiana.
Live on a fixed income, military pension.
I get one station off air, uhf 18 cbs.
damn

[BrklynLiberal]

11. Most PBS stations are on standard television....

[captain beyond]

18. Off air is, your so called standard tv

i used to climb towers for a livin'. my complex does not have a tower for receiption of off air. Closest broardcast of PBS is Indianapolis,75 miles away.

[BrklynLiberal]

19. So sorry.

[BrklynLiberal]

12. kick for the Monday morning people who did not see NOW

[SCDem]

13. Loved it

Was a great interview. Yes there was a lot of pessimism but because he has grandkids I have to believe that he has a spot for optimism. Loved hearing every bit of the interview and loved the funny moments... like when he said 'Hey Ray Bradbury can't even drive so at least I have that on him' - this was him laughing how un-modern he is yet is a science fiction writer. Wish it was a longer interview.

[Kazak]

14. I love KV (you may have noticed)!

And, I was happy I managed to catch that interview with him on PBS. We had our cable cut off back in February when I got laid off, so I wasn't able to catch his recent appearances on HBO and Comedy Central.

In his new book, he makes reference to another new novel he's been working on. I've been wondering if maybe he's been busy preparing to release his last great book posthumously...

[omega minimo]

17. Kurt tells it like it is

From Secretary of the Future Kurt Vonnegut:

We have only a one party government. It's the winners. And then everybody else is the losers. And the winners divided into two parties. The Republicans and the Democrats. What a charade the combat between the Republicans and the Democrats is. It's rich kids...We had to choose between two members of Skull and Bones!

Excerpt from his new book "A Man Without A Country"
http://www.wnyc.org/books/52135
http://www.vonnegut.com

[omega minimo]

21. Link to podcast, transcript and more

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5023842&mesg_id=5023842

:patriot: