Thought provoking ideas, Graham. It is odd, for one day to "hate" Germany and all things German and the next day to view them as friends. But if we look at the history for all continents occupied by Homo sapiens, we find the same thing - tribes hat each other, tolerate each other, defend each other, help each other, and hinder each other. I suppose all mammals are the same. The problem comes when some of us (me) keep insisting since we are all the same animal we should attempt to get along peacefully. Maybe that is not a possibility
Help - compassion - mutual defence, hatred, hindrance and tolerance are aspects of our nature that I view as visceral.
Help is something given for money's value or for sentimental reasons. It is not "natural" to help.
Mutual defence is perhaps less visceral. It is planned strategy and, whilst many animals have defence techniques, such as stings, bites, swarm numbers, these are designed, I suppose, more for the defence of the species than expressly for the mutual defence of the members of the species.
Hatred cannot be prevented: it is perhaps the most visceral of reactions, along with love. You cannot prevent hatred; but the measure of our civilisation is the measure of in how far we are able to suppress our visceral inclination to hate. And that is called tolerance.
Tolerance is no virtue: it is merely one's crowning ability to not kill someone whom one hates. If not killing one's fellow man is regarded as a virtue, then that at least will fulfil the maxim enunciated by Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen: "Nature, Mr Allnut, is what we were put on this Earth to riiiiise above."
We spoke, Fay, you and I, recently about the movie "Saving Private Ryan". In the scene I mentioned, Steamboat Willie is let free at the insistence of Upham, who vaunts a rules-based society of civilisation as the basis for his plea in favour of Willie's life. Yet it is Upham himself who summarily executes the self-same German trooper after the Battle of Ramelle. Because Willie taunts him. Upham shoots Willie cold-bloodedly, contrary to the very rules he had held so dear just the previous day (and, I guess, to the visceral satisfaction of the audience).
One day. That's the time span between the two events.
With this I absolutely agree. Compassion is definitely a learned behavior, one which I personally deem as good. And I agree hatred is definitely visceral, a feeling I try to control but never completely achieve.
You and I must have similar taste in movies, African Queen is another of my favorite, I don't watch it as often as Saving Private Ryan, or Casablanca, but I do have the DVD and will watch it tonight, now that you have brought it back to my attention. Also you showed the cover of SanFrancisco, another of my favorites with Jeannette McDonald and Clark Gable, I have all 8 Nelson Eddy and Jeannette McDonald musicals and most of McDonalds other musicals too.
Chapeau, Fay! It was indeed the cover to the LP entitled "San Francisco", a collection of the best of one of the most astonishing popular sopranos ever (up with Sarah Brightman). I thought the portrait was very 1940s, and therefore appropriate. I was going to trim the "O" and then assumed no one would notice it. I won't fall for that again, Eagle Eye!
Beyond the Blue Horizon was of course Monte Carlo, of a genre similar to Grand Hotel. Garbo beats MacDonald in sheer sexuality, but MacDonald has Garbo panned when it comes to singing a tune. As for Gable, you can see him (just) in a still at my article: https://endlesschain.substack.com/p/sorry-seems-to-be-the-hardest-word.
If you get the popcorn in, I'll thread the projector ... I'd love to hear your fave top 10!
By the way, I think you're wrong, finally. I don't think that's hatred you're repressing. Disgust, resignation, maybe. Hatred consumes, just as love consumed Juliet and Romeo. Thank you.
Thought provoking ideas, Graham. It is odd, for one day to "hate" Germany and all things German and the next day to view them as friends. But if we look at the history for all continents occupied by Homo sapiens, we find the same thing - tribes hat each other, tolerate each other, defend each other, help each other, and hinder each other. I suppose all mammals are the same. The problem comes when some of us (me) keep insisting since we are all the same animal we should attempt to get along peacefully. Maybe that is not a possibility
Help - compassion - mutual defence, hatred, hindrance and tolerance are aspects of our nature that I view as visceral.
Help is something given for money's value or for sentimental reasons. It is not "natural" to help.
Mutual defence is perhaps less visceral. It is planned strategy and, whilst many animals have defence techniques, such as stings, bites, swarm numbers, these are designed, I suppose, more for the defence of the species than expressly for the mutual defence of the members of the species.
Hatred cannot be prevented: it is perhaps the most visceral of reactions, along with love. You cannot prevent hatred; but the measure of our civilisation is the measure of in how far we are able to suppress our visceral inclination to hate. And that is called tolerance.
Tolerance is no virtue: it is merely one's crowning ability to not kill someone whom one hates. If not killing one's fellow man is regarded as a virtue, then that at least will fulfil the maxim enunciated by Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen: "Nature, Mr Allnut, is what we were put on this Earth to riiiiise above."
We spoke, Fay, you and I, recently about the movie "Saving Private Ryan". In the scene I mentioned, Steamboat Willie is let free at the insistence of Upham, who vaunts a rules-based society of civilisation as the basis for his plea in favour of Willie's life. Yet it is Upham himself who summarily executes the self-same German trooper after the Battle of Ramelle. Because Willie taunts him. Upham shoots Willie cold-bloodedly, contrary to the very rules he had held so dear just the previous day (and, I guess, to the visceral satisfaction of the audience).
One day. That's the time span between the two events.
With this I absolutely agree. Compassion is definitely a learned behavior, one which I personally deem as good. And I agree hatred is definitely visceral, a feeling I try to control but never completely achieve.
You and I must have similar taste in movies, African Queen is another of my favorite, I don't watch it as often as Saving Private Ryan, or Casablanca, but I do have the DVD and will watch it tonight, now that you have brought it back to my attention. Also you showed the cover of SanFrancisco, another of my favorites with Jeannette McDonald and Clark Gable, I have all 8 Nelson Eddy and Jeannette McDonald musicals and most of McDonalds other musicals too.
Chapeau, Fay! It was indeed the cover to the LP entitled "San Francisco", a collection of the best of one of the most astonishing popular sopranos ever (up with Sarah Brightman). I thought the portrait was very 1940s, and therefore appropriate. I was going to trim the "O" and then assumed no one would notice it. I won't fall for that again, Eagle Eye!
Beyond the Blue Horizon was of course Monte Carlo, of a genre similar to Grand Hotel. Garbo beats MacDonald in sheer sexuality, but MacDonald has Garbo panned when it comes to singing a tune. As for Gable, you can see him (just) in a still at my article: https://endlesschain.substack.com/p/sorry-seems-to-be-the-hardest-word.
If you get the popcorn in, I'll thread the projector ... I'd love to hear your fave top 10!
By the way, I think you're wrong, finally. I don't think that's hatred you're repressing. Disgust, resignation, maybe. Hatred consumes, just as love consumed Juliet and Romeo. Thank you.