"Here he comes, swelling like a turkey-cock"

Discovery News tells us about the findings of a study published in February 2010:

Native Americans had already domesticated turkeys twice: first in south-central Mexico at around 800 B.C. and again in what is now the southwestern U.S. at about 200 B.C., according to a new study. . .

"Interestingly, the domestic turkeys were initially raised for their feathers, which were used in rituals and ceremonies, as well as to make feather robes or blankets," lead author Camilla Speller told Discovery News. "Only later, around 1100 A.D., did the domestic turkeys become an important food source for the Ancestral Puebloans."(Wired had a better story on this.)

 According to the University of Illinois Extension website:

Spaniards brought tame Mexican turkeys to Europe in 1519, and they reached England by 1524. The Pilgrims actually brought several turkeys to America on the voyage in 1620.

 England had turkeys for only 40 years when  William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and 75 years when he wrote Henry V.


From Birds of Shakespeare:

The turkey-cock, introduced into Europe from the New World in the early part of the sixteenth century, had become quite naturalized in the farm-yards of England by the time of Elizabeth the First. It is several times alluded to by Shakespeare, sometimes as a symbol of conceited ostentation, and also as an article of food. When in King Henry V Gower sees Pistol approaching, he exclaims to Fluellen “Here he comes, swelling like a turkey-cock,” to which the Welshman, who had resolved to make the braggart eat the leek, replies, “’Tis no matter for his swellings nor his turkey-cocks.” [V, 1]

But let's go back to those pre-Columbian turkeys. I found traces of information and then I found this from  foodtimeline:

"Aztec food...is a subject for which relatively rich written source material exists...The chronicle of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who accompanied Cortes...and the illustrated work...of Father Sahagun, written in the 1530s, are full of fascinating detail for food historians. The Aztecs, coming south from the deserts of New Mexico, had in the 14th century occupied sites in the valley of Mexico, an area rich in lakes, whose produce (fowl of many kinds, fish, frogs, water insects, algae) the newcomers adopted with enthusiasm. They flourished and established their dominion over a wide area...Sahagun tells us they feasted...on white tortillas, grains of maize, turkey eggs, turkeys, and all kinds of fruit. He gives a list of 25 fruits, including four varieties of sweet potato, sweet manioc, avocados, and come cacti. It is said that they flinched from chocolate at first, but when the Indians set the example they drank and found it good...The description by Bernal Diaz of how Motechuhzoma was served and ate, and of the thousands of jars of foaming chocolate, is famous. It contrasts strongly with the general impression of the Aztecs as an abstemious and frugal people, who subsisted on meagre fare and for whom fast...were a part of the way of life...Maize was the staple food of the Aztecs and the focus of a large part of their religion...The food value of the maize was greatly enhanced by the process called nixtamalization...Beans and chia were important enough to figure as items of tribute paid to the Aztec state, as were amaranth and squash seeds. Chilli was available...The short list of domesticated creatures has headed by the turkey and included the dog as well as...bees. The culinary sophistication of the Aztecs is apparent from the extraordinarily long list of spices and flavourings which they would use with chocolate."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 44)

And finally, the jackpot - a paper which "was read at the Central States Anthropological   Society meetings, March II, 1989, University of Notre Dame, by the senior author."
(the link below is a PDF file)

Evidence for Pre-Columbian Animal Domestication in the New World

D.L. Johnson

B.K. Swartz, Jr. 

Ball State University 

Muncie, Indiana

. . .Here we will discuss seven animals domesticated in the New World before European discovery. The dog, "llama", guinea pig, turkey, Muscovy duck, stingless bee, and the cochineal insect comprise the list of known Pre- Columbian, New World animal domesticates. . . (p. 1)

Turkeys; Meleagris gallopavo

Turkeys are found throughout North and Central America. Domesticated turkey bones appear in the Tehuacan Valley sequence early in the Palo Blanco phase, ca. AD 180. This is the oldest reliably dated evidence for the domestic turkey in Mesoamerica (Flannery 1966:175).

MacNeish (1966:290) points to the hybridization of turkeys, as evidence by bones found at Tehuacan, as proof that the turkey was domesticated. Bones found in the Northwest of Mexico and the Southwest United States, with earlier dates, as well as genetic similarities amoung present day domestic and wild turkey populations in the "Southwest United States, indicate that domesticated turkeys spread from the greater Southwest to Tehuacan"
(1966: 19-5) .

Analysis of coproliths, radiocarbon dating ca. AD 180, from the Tehuacan Valley shows the presence of turkey feathers and bees in the diets of the people living there (Callen 1966:273, 265). Turkey bones found in the basin-valley sites in the Northern Sierra suggest that the bird was originally taken from its mountain habitat and penned in the lower valley villages (Di Peso 1977:7) .

Three varieties of turkeys were found at Casas Grandes, ca. AD 250. They were: 1) the Small Indian Domestic, -most popular at the New Mexico Tompiro pueblos in the Rio Grande drainage; 2) the Large Indian Domestic, resembling birds from east central Arizona; and 3) the Tse Tala. which was a very large bird (Di Peso 1974:602). Evidence of egg shells and bones suggest that the Small and Larqe Indian Domestics were hybridized (Di Peso 1974:603) •

The earliest naturalist to give an account of the domestic turkey was Oviedo y Valdes. Slightly confused, he described turkeys that he had seen in the West Indies soon after the Conquest, "Whither they had been brought," he said, "from Spain" (Di Peso 1535:306).

Earlier records of turkeys include the lists of food served by Moctezuma to Cortes and his men in 1518 (Anderson and Dibble 1978:19; Prescott 1847:89). Prescott (1847:101) records that the yearly expenditure of the Aztec king Tezcuco included 8000 turkeys. Tepexi received tribute from his people in 1537, to give to Cortes, that included turkeys (Gorenstein 1971:341).  Di Peso (1974:602) mentioned the use of turkeys for trade, plumage, blood for decoration and religious ceremonies in Casas Grandes, as well as grave goods.  (pp. 37-38)

So, as you eat your Thanksgiving turkey today, you  are following a tradition (eating turkey, not our Thanksgiving holiday dinner) that goes back a long way in North and Central America.  But I'm guessing the didn't keep their turkeys wrapped in plastic in the fridge.

AIFF 2010: Features in Competition - The Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt is the opening movie at this year's Anchorage International Film Festival. 

Wikipedia tells us about the (actual) Wild Hunt:

The Wild Hunt is an ancient folk myth prevalent across Northern, Western and Central Europe.  The fundamental premise in all instances is the same: a phantasmal group of huntsmen with the accoutrements of hunting, horses, hounds, etc., in mad pursuit across the skies or along the ground, or just above in
The hunters may be the dead or the fairies (often in folklore connected with the dead). The hunter may be an unidentified lost soul, a deity or spirit of either gender, or may be a historical or legendary figure like Theodoric the Great, the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag, the Welsh psychopomp Gwyn ap Nudd or the Germanic Woden (or other reflections of the same god, such as Alemannic Wuodan in Wuotis Heer ("Wuodan's Host") of Central Switzerland, Swabia etc.)

The movie itself involves a modern reenactment of the old Wild Hunt.  The synopsis from the movies website:

A MODERN MEDIEVAL SAGA, The Wild Hunt tells the story of Erik Magnusson, a young man who decides to follow his estranged girlfriend Evelyn into a medieval re-enactment game when he discovers that she has been seduced by one of the players.
As the down-to-earth Erik treks deeper into the game in search of his love, he inadvertently disrupts the delicate balance of the make believe fantasy-land.

Passions are unleashed. Rules are broken. Reality and fantasy collide. The good-hearted game turns into a tragedy of mythic proportion...

You probably also should know about LARP, which stands for Live Action Role Playing.  Unlike those who play games on computers, these are people who do it for real.  As I was writing this, I discovered that Movieset has already written my post, citing Wikipedia on LARP and on the specific LARP location and event where The Wild Hunt is set - Bicolle.  I'll just give you a snippet of what they have and you can see the rest for yourself at Movieset:

What is L.A.R.P.?
From Wikipedia:       
A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may be mediated by game rules, or determined by consensus among players.
The first LARPs were run in the late 1970s, inspired by role-playing games and genre fiction. .  .

 What is The Duchy of Bicolline?
From Wikipedia:        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicolline
Bicolline is a fantasy live action role-playing game (LARP) campaign in Quebec. Events take place at a dedicated venue covering 140 hectares called the Duchy of Bicolline located in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc near Shawinigan, Québec.

The most passionate players involved over the years have built a medieval village with roads, bridges, ditches, an inn and a castle at the Duchy of Bicolline venue.  Players are responsible for their buildings and must follow standards of construction. The village is composed of one hundred buildings, with more being added. The demand for construction sites is such that one Bicolline staff member spends all year controlling applications, validating the plans for buildings, ensuring that projects are feasible, and so on. [Read it all at Movieset]

Sounds like they have their own version of zoning restrictions.  The actual Duchy of Bicolline site is in French.

Double Click to enlarge to see it clearly or go to original here.

 And The Wild Hunt was partially filmed at Duché de Bicolline.  The site has a poster of The Wild Hunt with this announcement:

Long métrage tourné au Duché de Bicolline incluant des scènes de la Grande Bataille 2008 et la participation de nombreux joueurs et joueuses. 

 or as Translate.reference interprets that:

Feature film shot in Duchy of Bicolline include scenes of the Great Battle of 2008 and the participation of many players and players

As Roger Ebert tells it:

Evelyn has left for the big weekend, where she will be captured, held hostage and otherwise be the center of attention. Erik is fed up. He goes out to the forest to talk sense to her, but his role-playing brother Bjorn (Mark A. Krupa) makes him wear a costume because It Is Not Permitted to Wear Just a T-Shirt.

If you want to check, you can read the Régles du Combat for Bataille du Bicolline.  My French is limited to words that look like English words and that page isn't copy-able so I couldn't find a rule about T-shirts.  Probably because those look like the rules of combat.

Ebert has a lot more to say and you can check out his review if you want to know more. Generally, he liked the movie and identified a bit with Erik. 

Twitchfilm also thinks you should see this (it's not clear who wrote the review - the byline is Todd Brown, but it also thanks Andrew David Long for the review.) This is from last December:

Alexandre Franchi just might be a genius, and his first feature shows the same lyric creativity and the same commitment to themes of imagination he displayed in his stellar collection of short films (Fata Morgana, Troll Concerto, etc.), all while suggesting - contrary to his earlier works - that reality must eventually destroy fantasy. . .

I would be remiss in neglecting to mention Claudine Sauvé's lovely 35mm cinematography, which nimbly integrates small crew documentary-style shoots and some intricate night scenes, and gives form to Franchi's lyric bent. 

Do yourself a favour and chase down a screening of The Wild Hunt.  You'll be glad you did, whether or not you believe Ragnarok is nigh. [This is the beginning and end of the review, for all of it go to Twitchfilm.]

It won the Best Canadian First Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival (2009) and the Audience Award for Best Narrative at Slamdance (2020.) 

This is said to have been done under a Canadian$500,000 budget.  I suspect doing it at the actual Duchy de Bicolline saved money on sets and costumes.  Also, the director knows something about money.  The website says:

After pursuing a successful banking career in Canada, the Persian Gulf and Central America, Alexandre decided to follow his passion for film and quit the business world for good. His stories, in which characters escape a dreary reality and find solace in the imaginary world, are a grim reminder of his old banking job. The Wild Hunt is his first feature.

Click on the link for a list and overview of all the Features in Competition.
Individual posts on other Features in Competition:

The Temptation of St. Tony

Anchorage Closed Due to Ice

The advantage of living in Anchorage is supposed to be that we get snow and cold enough weather that it stays until spring and we don't have to deal too much with ice.  But that's been changing.  Here it is almost December, it's raining, and the streets are covered with wet ice. 

 

 

 

This is what if feels like when your feet find a slick patch.

But my grippers yesterday kept my feet on the ground.

And where they spread gravel on the ground it's a lot easier.

Not everything is closed.  People are driving slowly and most 

places are open including the airport.

AIFF 2010 - Feature Films in Competition Overview

Feature Films are full length narrative films.  Fifteen features were chosen by the screening committee as "Official Selections."  Of those, seven are "In Competition" and the jurors will choose the Best Feature of the festival from among these films. 



In this post, after listing the films and times, I'm going to briefly introduce the Feature Films in Competition. In separate posts I'll write up a little more about each film. At this point I haven't seen any of the films so I'll be putting together background information that I find of interest.  My goal is to present information that will:

1. help you decide whether you want to see it, 
2.  make it more interesting if you do,
     and will NOT
3. spoil the film.

The last criteria, for me is most important, because I assume everyone wants to see every film. :)


Here's the list of the Feature Films in Competition with the Directors, Countries, and times and locations.

FM* indicates that the film maker is scheduled to be at the showing and available for Questions and Answers after the showing. Note:  all but one film will have someone here to talk about the film after the show. This is one of the neatest parts of a festival - the chance to talk directly to the film maker.

Also, all but two of the films (Empire of Silver and Last Station) will be shown twice.

Bai Yin Di Guo [Empire of Silver] 5:15 PM     Sat, Dec 11     Bear Tooth  FM*	Christina Shu-hwa Yao	China
The Drummond Will 7:20 PM     Mon, Dec 06    Bear Tooth 5:15 PM     Sun, Dec 12     Bear Tooth	Alan Butterworth	UK
Hello Lonesome 5:30 PM     Tue, Dec 07  Bear Tooth FM* 5:10 PM     Sat, Dec 11   Out North  FM*	Adam Reid	USA
Karma Calling 7:45 PM     Fri, Dec 10  Bear Tooth FM* 8:30 PM     Sat, Dec 11  Out North  FM*	Sarba Das	USA
Son Istasyon [Last Station] 5:30 PM     Sun, Dec 05 Bear Tooth FM*	Ogulcan Kirca	Turkey
The Temptation of St. Tony 7:55 PM     Sat, Dec 04  Bear Tooth FM* 8:30 PM     Sun, Dec 05 Out North  FM*	Veiko Õunpuu	Estonia
The Wild Hunt 7:30 PM     Fri, Dec 03  Bear Tooth FM* 7:45 PM     Tue, Dec 07 Bear Tooth FM*	Alexandre Franchi	Canada

After checking out all of the films online (but not watching them) I can give a little intro to them, but I'll have a separate post for each film with more details.  As I get those posts up I'll put up links below.  (The links above go to the Anchorage International Film Festival website page for the films and have trailers and summaries of each film.)

The Wild Hunt Post - posted November 24  (Canada)
The Temptation of St. Tony - posted November 27 (Estonia)
Son Istayon - The Last Station - posted November 30 (Turkey)
The Drummond Will
Hello Lonesome
Karma Calling
Bai Yin Di Guo (白銀帝國) (Empire of Silver)



The list above is in alphabetical order.  The very brief overviews below are in chronological order that they first show in the festival. 

From Moviegoods

From Fandango

There are two films - The Wild Hunt (Fri/Tue, Dec 3/7) and The Temptation of St. Tony (Sat/Sun, Dec 4/5) - which work off old myths or stories.  The Wild Hunt is a modern reenactment of a mythical medieval hunt involving the spirit world.  St. Tony's middle manager main character's trials in this film are loosely based on those an early Egyptian monk - St. Anthony.  In both films, the protagonist faces his wife/girlfriend's lover/seducer.  The Wild Hunt's trailer suggests there is a blurring of reality and fantasy as the reenactment and reality clash.  The trailer suggests an adventure epic spliced onto a modern love drama.   St. Tony's look - and the reviews - suggest more cerebral black and white films reflecting Estonian director Veiko Õunpuu's Swedish neighbor Bergman.  This looks good to me, but reviewers hint it might be too obscure and bizarre for many.  A perfect film to see at a festival. Wild Hunt won Best Canadian First Feature Film Award at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and is the opening film in Anchorage.  The Temptation of St. Tony has been nominated for best European Production Designer at the 2010 European Film Awards.  Coincidentally, the awards will be announced in Tallinn, Estonia - the film maker's home - on December 4, the same day the film first shows in Anchorage.

From Son Istasyon website

Son Istasyon (Last Station) (Sun Dec 5) is Turkish and looks to be a good one.  It takes place in modern Turkey as a man's retirement dreams clash with his children's dreams.  It should offer us a glimpse of life in a country few of us know.  The actor playing the main character is a famous Turkish comedian and is directed by his son.  I haven't found much on this film, so I'm guessing this might be one of the first showings in the US.  And the music from the website has found its way into my brain. 

From Screengeeks

In the black and white English murder/comedy The Drummond Will (Mon/Sun, Dec 6,12), bodies begin to pile up.  This film recalls an earlier era of British films.  David Minkus at Screengeeks gave it a 4/4, with the caveat that he is a sucker for a good English comedy.  Marty Mapes, at Movie Habit  said, "It’s often funny, and it sometimes works."   The Drummond Will just won the People's Choice Award at the River's Edge Film Festival and the Best Feature at the Ferndale (Michigan) Film Festival, in early November 2010.

From Hello Lonesome site

Hello Lonesome (Tue/Sat Dec 7/11) has some outstanding actors  (James Urbaniak, for example, played comic book artist Robert Crumb  in American Splendor) and won the Best Ensemble Performance at the LA Film Festival.  Adam Ried produced, directed, wrote, and filmed these six characters in three stories exploring human relationships.








Karma Calling's (Fri/Sat Dec. 10/11) website has one of the best promo lines I've seen for a film:

From Karma Calling Website

"What happens when a bunch of hapless Hindus from Hoboken get mixed up with an underworld don with connections to an Indian call center?"

This is the story of an immigrant family that doesn't meet the stereotype of the highly educated and successful Indian-American family.  This one looks like lots of fun.

Karma Calling won the  Best Feature Film at the New Jersey International Film Festival (hometown favorite here), and the Audience Award at the LA Asian Film Festival, and the Grand Festival Prize at the Berkeley Film and Video Festival.

From Flixster

Bai Yin Di Guo (白銀帝國) (Empire of Silver) (Dec 11) has an actual historical setting in late 19th Century China and tells the story of the son of a banking mogul in Shanxi province, north central China.  The film was released in 2009 and except for the cinematography has not gotten the best of reviews.   The movie is based on a trilogy by Cheng Yi titled "Valley of Silver."[It looks like all the references to this are copied from the same source and I can't find anything on the trilogy besides reviews of the movie.  I'm checking on it and will let you know what I find out.]

Aunt Flo's 1911 Trip to Fairbanks at lol irw with to & ho

For Alaska history buffs, Heidi Olson at Laughing Out Loud in the Real World is posting her Great Aunt Flo's trip from Seattle to Fairbanks in 1911.  She has copy of the hand written journal and she's typed it out as well.  The posts are going up to be read on the same dates they were written, 99 years later.  It starts on October 31, 2010  and begins:

Awoke early - my last day in Seattle for awhile. Finish packing. Ida buys my ticket. Answered phone [call] of Capt. Donovan. Mrs. Clingen comes. Good dinner. Mr. Turner comes in auto to take us to the dock. Olive comes and brings packages. ALL ABOARD. Capt. heaves into sight. Kiss all goodbye and go on board to stateroom 30. Northwestern Ship. Nice stateroom. Go to bed.

Why Would TSA Delete The Images?

The TSA scan(ner)dal has way too many facets to cover all in one post, so I'm doing this piece meal. 

According to CBSnews:

"The (body image scanning) technology is sent to the airports without the ability to save, transmit or print the images," said Greg Soule, TSA spokesman, in an interview with CBSNews.com. "At airports, the images are examined by a security officer in a remote location, and, once the image is cleared, they're deleted."[emphasis added]

 Why would they delete the image right after someone is cleared?  The same lack of logic that caused them to go to scanners instead of using other ways to (like thinking human beings instead of machines) to stop terrorists causes them to say they delete the images right away.

If I were going to the trouble to take images of every passenger, I'd at least save them until the flight landed safely.  Suppose they delete the images, and a plane explodes and goes down.  Wouldn't you want to go through the images to find out what you missed?  I sure would.

And CBS' report goes on to discuss the 100 images from a Florida Federal Courthouse that have gone public, which you can see at Gizmodo.  

And anyone with a computer knows it can do things you didn't intend.  And anyone who knows a human being, knows they don't always do what they're told.

Previous posts on this topic:
1.  Updating Havel's "Power of the Powerless" for Airline Pilots
2.  Creating Child Porn to Stop Terrorists

Sunrise Fires - Winter Ice

J's workshop met today as well, but an hour later.  Yesterday it was clear at 8am when I dropped her off and today there were fog/clouds still hanging in.  One of the peaks is just barely visible above the fog (it's above the 'm' in 'am' in the Saturday picture and below that 'm' in the Sunday picture.)

I decided to go a little further and check out Campbell Airstrip. As I drove east, the sky got pink.  Once I turned up Campbell Airstrip Road, I could stop and shoot.

 

There is good reason to get up for sunrise, and in the winter, when it's after 9am, it's not that hard to do.  Below I'm walking on the bridge over Campbell Creek which was already frozen over.  But there was water running under the ice.  (See the video below.)

I really hadn't dressed to go out for a walk in the 10˚F (-12˚C) chill of east Anchorage, but I did go up the trail for ten minutes and took some pictures.  These ice crystals are on a small tree branch.  And before I got to the bridge I went down to the creek to watch and listen to the water flowing under the ice. 

Sunset, Sunrise, and Reefer Madness In Between

October and November are always the months when my exercise routines fall apart.  This year, coming back from LA in mid-October was even worse.  I got to run in LA most days, and it felt nippy back in Anchorage.  But I did keep biking and walking a lot.  But then we got ice and it was darker and I found lots of excuses.  So Friday, when it was just about 20˚F (-7˚C),  I went for a short run.  Our official sunset was at 4:10 pm.  This shot of the moon was taken at 4:55pm.  (Digital cameras are nice that way, you can see exactly when you took the picture. On the other hand, the moon's shadow is actually a spec of dust on the sensor.  It shows at certain openings but not at others.  On my Powershot, according to the repair shop, getting at the sensor is tricky and probably not worth it. I know, I can photoshop it out or hide it in the background.  But I wanted to make a point of it here.) 

Almost home, I came across our neighbor and his dog in the alley.

[The pictures are all from the curtain calls, not the show.]

We went to the Wild Berry Theater to see Reefer Madness.  From Wikipedia:   


"Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children) is a well known 1938 American exploitation film revolving around the tragic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try "marihuana": a hit and run accident, manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and descent into madness all ensue. The film was directed by Louis Gasnier and starred a cast composed of mostly unknown bit actors. It was originally financed by a church group and made under the title Tell Your Children.  

The film was intended to be shown to parents as a morality tale attempting to teach them about the dangers of cannabis use." 

Seventy two years later, it's just a big spoof.  This was done pretty low budget and compared to some of the really fine local theater I've seen lately, it was at the next level down.  There was a lot of young, buff, naked (and some older, not so buff), male flesh. (Nothing you wouldn't see at a swim meet and less than the TSA man sees, but there was enough to be remarkable - in the literal sense - especially from the front row.) The singers were all good, some of the dancers did beautiful leaps, and the audience was having a good time.  At $20 a head (online) it's live theater for not a lot more than a movie and the theater is small (not much over 100 though it looks bigger) so everyone has a good seat.  We ended up in the first row and it felt like we were part of the performance at times.  Actually, we were at one point when Jesus Christ handed out saltines.

On the way home we noticed patches of micro-fog around the bigger street lights. 

And this morning, when I drove J to her 8am workshop, a lot of the trees and shrubs were frosted.


But as we moved a little east, it cleared up and even though sunrise wasn't scheduled until 9:15am,  it was starting to lighten over the mountains to the east a little after 8am. 

We do have long twilight periods at 61˚ North, summer AND winter.

Updating Havel's "Power of the Powerless" for Airline Passengers

Vaclav Havel's Power of the Powerless, is a brilliant analysis of how a totalitarian government keeps its population obedient through the use of seemingly minor, but obligatory functions.  There are many, many things that could and have been said about TSA's new scan or grope policy.  I posted about this already last January.  In my mind this crosses way over what normal people should be subjected to in order to get on a plane.  There are other ways than getting naked pictures of everyone to prevent hijackings and suicide bombers.

I think the most basic reason I'm opposed is how it moves us one step closer to totalitarianism.   So I'll just post this aspect of my objections for now.

From Havel's Power of the Powerless from

Image from The Guardian

history.hanover.edu:

The manager of a fruit-and-vegetable shop places in his window, among the onions and carrots, the slogan: "Workers of the world, unite!" Why does he do it? What is he trying to communicate to the world? Is he genuinely enthusiastic about the idea of unity among the workers of the world? Is his enthusiasm so great that he feels an irrepressible impulse to acquaint the public with his ideals? Has he really given more than a moment's thought to how such a unification might occur and what it would mean?

Let's update this.

The airline passenger obediently lines up at the airport, takes off his shoes, puts all his belongings onto a conveyor belt to be x-rayed, and walks through a scanner,  which essentially sees through his clothes and shows quite clearly his body including his genitals. Why does he do it?

 

I think it can safely be assumed that the overwhelming majority of shopkeepers never think about the slogans they put in their windows, nor do they use them to express their real opinions. That poster was delivered to our greengrocer from the enterprise headquarters along with the onions and carrots. He put them all into the window simply because it has been done that way for years, because everyone does it, and because that is the way it has to be. If he were to refuse, there could be trouble. He could be reproached for not having the proper decoration in his window; someone might even accuse him of disloyalty. He does it because these things must be done if one is to get along in life. It is one of the thousands of details that guarantee him a relatively tranquil life "in harmony with society," as they say.

Update:  The compliance with the security measures is to protect himself and his fellow passengers from terrorists.  If he were to refuse, there could be trouble. He could be reproached for being uncooperative and jeopardizing air safety and someone might even accuse him of disloyalty.  Plus he won't be allowed to board the plane.

Obviously the greengrocer is indifferent to the semantic content of the slogan on exhibit; he does not put the slogan in his window from any personal desire to acquaint the public with the ideal it expresses. This, of course, does not mean that his action has no motive or significance at all, or that the slogan communicates nothing to anyone. The slogan is really a sign, and as such it contains a subliminal but very definite message. Verbally, it might be expressed this way: "I, the greengrocer XY, live here and I know what I must do. I behave in the manner expected of me. I can be depended upon and am beyond reproach. I am obedient and therefore I have the right to be left in peace." This message, of course, has an addressee: it is directed above, to the greengrocer's superior, and at the same time it is a shield that protects the greengrocer from potential informers. The slogan's real meaning, therefore, is rooted firmly in the greengrocer's existence. It reflects his vital interests. But what are those vital interests?

Update:  While many passengers may feel safer knowing everyone has gone through a scanner, many others believe there are more efficient and effective ways to prevent terrorist attacks than forcing every flier to submit to body scans or the equivalent to what would be illegal molestation if done by anyone else. Submitting to this huge invasion of privacy, verbally might be expressed this way:  "I, the passenger, know what I must do.  I behave in a manner expected of me.  I can be depended upon and am beyond reproach.  I am obedient and therefore I have the right to be left in peace (after I'm scanned or groped.)"

Let us take note: if the greengrocer had been instructed to display the slogan "I am afraid and therefore unquestioningly obedient;' he would not be nearly as indifferent to its semantics, even though the statement would reflect the truth. The greengrocer would be embarrassed and ashamed to put such an unequivocal statement of his own degradation in the shop window, and quite naturally so, for he is a human being and thus has a sense of his own dignity. To overcome this complication, his expression of loyalty must take the form of a sign which, at least on its textual surface, indicates a level of disinterested conviction. It must allow the greengrocer to say, "What's wrong with the workers of the world uniting?" Thus the sign helps the greengrocer to conceal from himself the low foundations of his obedience, at the same time concealing the low foundations of power. It hides them behind the facade of something high. And that something is ideology.

Update:   Let us take note: if the passenger had been instructed to sign a loyalty oath,  "I am afraid and therefore unquestioningly obedient;' he would not be nearly as indifferent to its semantics, even though the statement would reflect the truth. The passenger would be embarrassed and ashamed to sign an unequivocal statement of his own degradation, and quite naturally so, for he is a human being and thus has a sense of his own dignity.

 But there's no ideology in this case, you say, it's just safety.   In this case it's fear fueled by the ideology that proclaims Islam a terrorist religion that lives to destroy freedom and capitalism. Look, even if ten planes crashed killing 3000 people, it would still be less than  10% of the annual US traffic deaths.  So it isn't concern for lives or we'd allow cameras to catch red light runners.  But that would be an invasion of privacy and freedom.  (More than these body scans??!!)  Or we make sure people with two or three DUI's could not drive again. 

There are better ways to save lives than these scanners.  There are better ways to prevent terrorists on planes than these scanners.  But someone is making a fortune selling scanners to airports.  In the meantime, as Havel suggests, when the government treats us all as they treat terrorist suspects, we are closer to a totalitarian regime.  And when we comply against our will and without protest, we help the government get there.  

I'm hoping to develop a list of alternatives in a coming post.  

See also:
Why Would TSA Delete These Images?
Creating Child Porn to Stop Terrorists

Murkowski Moves the End of Don't Ask Don't Tell Closer

From KTVA's interview with Lisa Murkowski on Thursday, November 18:

On the Don't Ask, Don't Tell vote
[Murkowski] I have said that I would work to make sure that as long as it is supported by the troops, as long as it doesn't hurt the performance or the morale, or the recruitment -- these are all things we have to take into consideration -- I think we will see that play out in this report.
If in fact don't ask don't tell is included in the Defense Authorization Act and we get to the point where we can move that bill through - I would not oppose the defense authorization act because the Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal of it is included in it.

Rachel Maddow discussed the implication of this announcement along with word of other Republican senators who are said to be willing to vote to end DADT. This is a long (ten minute) video that starts with the Murkowski story and then looks at the DADT vote overall in context of the Defense Authorization Act.  There are still a number of issues surrounding the Defense Authorization Act and how it is handled that could hold things up.  But there seem to be enough Republican senators willing to go against their party on this so that not just one can be attacked. 

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If, in fact, Murkowski's conditions are met and she votes to end Don't Ask Don't Tell, this would be one clear example of the difference between a vote for Murkowski and a vote for Miller.