Wisdom of Calvin And Hobbes

{Backpost: Started this Jan 24, 2009; This is a huge topic, so I'll cut this post off and try to finish the whole thing later.}

Is Calvin & Hobbes the best comic strip ever? Someone has claimed that, and it may actually be true. This came up because, in my Sociology of Gender Theory and Time Warp to Second Wave Feminism class, I found myself quoting/referring to the following, timeless, wisdom from the modern day philosophers of Calvin, Hobbes, via Watterson:

An example of a permanent, useful, strip (from Feb 23 1994): So I have a long discussion on this topic (so long that I had to stop writing it three months ago) and I hope to restart it in the sake of time-wasting, procrastination, and comprehensiveness.

Argument for Disco

Warning: this is a treatise to defend (some aspects of) Disco. Everyone is entitled to their own sense of taste (as can be seen from the Latin maxim: De gustibus non est disputandum - a.k.a. "there's no accounting for taste.") This is a crucial concept of life and wisdom, and it's well worth remembering. [Yeah, I can be this supercilious even when defending Disco.]

OK. Everybody knows that Disco is an easy musical punchline. However, in my extensive music listening, I have come across quite a few disco songs that are worth salvaging (the rest, like any 'pop' genre, can be ground into guano).

Note, one shouldn't lump the whole "Seventies" into the Disco heap. There were many quality music movements in the 70s, and many purely 70s bands, that redeem the decade (put another way, the decade ain't all the Bee Gees). Funk was basically the R&B version of Disco, and a far superior genre.

And 70s Rock bands are some of the best. For example, while Zeppelin acted as unreformed hippies, they were a pure 70s band. Same with Black Sabbath, Elton John (till 1975 he's incredible), AC/DC (even though they're identified as an 80s band, more on that another time; though the same holds for Aerosmith), Queen, Chicago, The Eagles (yeah, I know, but I like 'em), ELO (technically not disco and if you don't think they're good, listen again to "Evil Woman"), Boston, the best of Springsteen, the Doobie Brothers, Jethro Tull, and the heilige ZZ Top.

Anyway, here's the decent disco list (and this website is the final arbiter as to what counts as Disco, and the list is basically in their order; not every song is on this list, but I'm only one blog):

1. That's the Way I Like It, K.C. and the Sunshine Band
   
2. Stayin' Alive, Bee-Gees [can't use this song to hate on Disco, even if you hate the song, it's very good quality]
   
3. Born To Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez
   
4. Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind and Fire [I actually consider this song 'funk' but I'll include it here to (a) pad out the list, and (b) to prove to you skeptics that funk is just Afro-Disco]
   
5. Funkytown - Lipps Inc. [You can still buy shares]
   
6. Take Your Time (Do It Right) - S. O. S. Band
   
7. Dancing Queen - Abba [sorry, it has to be said, even if they are they Mayors McCheese, many of their songs are good]
   
8. Knock On Wood - Ami Stewart
   
9. Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
   
10. Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry [one of my favorites of all time; it's funny because it's true]
    
11. Y.M.C.A. - Village People [It's good, just admit it!]
    
12. Get Down Tonight - KC & The Sunshine Band
    
13. September - Earth, Wind and Fire [The official song of the 9th month; I just love EWF]
    
14. Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb [face it, sometimes your groove thing does need shaking]
    
15. Your My First, My Last, My Everything - Barry White [yeaaaah. This is not really disco, either, but I ain't arguin']
    
16. Thank God It's Friday - Love and Kisses [especially the intro]
    
17. Celebration - Kool And The Gang
    
18. Macho Man - Village People [or this version]
    
19. Open Sesame - Kool And The Gang
    
20. Call Me - Blondie [yeah, why not]
    
21. Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe - Barry White
    
22. Brick House - Commodores [Even the Muppets know]
    
23. Don't Stop Till You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
    
24. Theme From S.W.A.T. - Rhythm Heritage [neh-neh-neh, neh-neh-neh...]
    
25. Upside Down - Diana Ross
    
26. It's Raining Men - Weather Girls ["not no more it ain't"]
    
27. Flashdance - Irene Cara [Did I ever tell you that I'm a gen-Xer? Well here's proof]

First pic is the album cover for Sesame Street Fever. Second pic from Basic Instructions about the Bee-Gees. Backpost finished 2009-12-06.

Childrearing in the Old Days

I've heard from old timers, thank God not my parents, who denigrate the new rules and restrictions for child safety. These "old wives" say that in their day they would put a child to sleep on his/her stomach, or not use a child seat, or feed a child grapes/peanuts/broken glass - and it would be fine! They would emphasize that "I raised my child this way" somehow assuming that their lives, and those of their immediate circle, create the entire cohort for the law of averages.

I think it's important to remember that infant mortality rates in America have fallen precipitously in the past few decades. To quote the CDC:

At the beginning of the 20th century, for every 1000 live births, six to nine women in the United States died of pregnancy-related complications, and approximately 100 infants died before age 1 year (1,2). From 1915 through 1997, the infant mortality rate declined greater than 90% to 7.2 per 1000 live births, and from 1900 through 1997, the maternal mortality rate declined almost 99% to less than 0.1 reported death per 1000 live births (7.7 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1997)

As such, even though we must respect our elders when they have opinions that reflect their years of accumulated wisdom, the 'elders' often know diddly about medicine. And when an elder is clearly confusing nostalgia with knowledge, then smile politely and whistle a tune in your brain until they stop talking and then say "Thank you" and walk away...

{2009 Update: Child labor picture from here, which captions the photo thus: "[Two girls wearing banners with slogan "ABOLISH CH[ILD] SLAVERY!!” in English and Yiddish, one carrying American flag; spectators stand nearby. Probably taken during May 1, 1909 labor parade in New York City. George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).]"}

This is as Cheezy as I get

As with any American with a mailbox, I receive loads of mail order catalogs. I wrote below about Harriet-Carter, and I have a feeling HC sells their customer list to make a few more bucks because once the snag a mail-order-sucker (visual: my head), they can all benefit. That's my suspicion, anyway, because why do we get so many catalogs?

A recent one that arrived is from "What on Earth" and I guess they specialize in truly useless trash instead of stuff which disguises its crumminess. For example is the Hillary Clinton Nutcracker which is about as tasteless as it sounds.

Anyhoo, back to my point (and I do have one): is where my cheesiness comes in. There are some good slogans on their T-shirts/bumper stickers. In general, as a scholar of proverbs, I am fascinated by the subject of brief, even poetic, wisdom. This is found in literature with aphorisms (often found in quote books, which I collect). In popular culture, these are found on the bumpers and t-shirts.

The cheese? I'm going to list my favorites. Sorry, gotta do it. [Text in brackets denotes that the text on the shirt is in smaller letters... a common tool in these visual/language jokes]. Language will be changed for taste.

• God Loves You [Satan thinks you're a wuss]
  
• Life is Tough [But it's tougher when you're stupid]
  
• I'm not lazy, you're just bossy
  
• Welcome to the Dark Side of the Force... we have cookies {there's a good pic}
  
• Forget a therapist, what you need is an exorcist
  
• Yet, despite the look on my face, you're still talking
  
• Here I Am [now what are your other two wishes]
  
• Times up. What's your point.
  
• OK. Now *you're* on the list.
  
• Note: I am not listening to you.

Now we will return to non-cheese.