RE: [Re: RAT Reading Series --What Brecht thinks TO LEE]

[LeeWochner@movingarts.org (Lee Wochner)]

Exactly right. People who exalt their confusion over language confuse
stupidity with wisdom. (Sort of like on the one hand comparing me to an
academic, but then comparing me to a TV executive. What do the two have in
common and how could they both be present in the same person? I have no
idea. But then, the argument wasn't built. Y'know. In English.) Mark Twain
and Geoffrey Chaucer and James Joyce completely understood the rules of the
English language -- that's what allowed them to transform it. Do I worry
about artistic directors and literary managers who can't punctuate, spell,
or ever settle upon the right word? Sure. These are people who make
artistic judgments about writers. If they can't write a simple sentence
themselves I doubt they can understand the nuances of a script. The
oh-so-precious "I don't use capital letters" movement is irritating, but I
usually just ignore it, except when the one thing the artistic director
capitalizes, over the name of his much-vaunted literary director, is the
name of the theatre. That kinda makes you wonder how much they value the
volunteer.

Lee

p.s. Please note that "kinda":  I know the rules, so I'm free to break
them. Isn't English a glorious language?

p.p.s. Brecht "thinks" nothing to me. (See the subject heading.) 1. He's
dead. 2. His thoughts were private.


At 9:13 AM 10/19/99, Sylvain, John wrote:
>WARNING:
>When you don't use the language correctly and/or carefully, that's the
>English Language I'm talking about, you:
>a) make it difficult for people to understand what you are trying to say
>b) open yourself up to ridicule
>
>God is in the details. So is the devil. So is the Buddha.
>
>This comment from you is, I know, just a defensive reaction to Lee's snide
>comments about your last posting. I shouldn't take it so seriously but the
>more I think about this the harder it is just to push send. I want to go on
>and on about this. About the importance of care in communication and the
>disintergration of language and the reintergration of language and how there
>is a difference between slang and slackness. Shakespheare invented new
>language and in the process invented new ontologies. This is what we
>can/are/should/might do as theater artists at the beginning of the
>millenium. But Old Will didn't do it carelessly and neither should we. This
>listserv is amazing in its ennounciation and invokation of a new theater. It
>is a sacred and profound space.
>
>Whew! I really went off didn't I?
>
>The other thing is just because someone makes comments on your incorrect
>grammar doesn't mean they are
>a) smarter than you
>b) an academic who is "apathetic to ART"
>c) pretending to be uptight or anal
>
>I care about grammar and I might make gentle fun of a grammatical or
>spelling mistake but if anyone calls me an academic who is apathetic to art
>I will get so angry I just might break a few linguistic laws in response.
>
>Ya'know, that's probably why I'm going off. That comment got my dander up.
>
>Thanks for reading.
>
>Love
>John "Grammar Is My Life" Sylvain
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: DennisLMo@aol.com [SMTP:DennisLMo@aol.com]
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 1999 4:12 AM
>> To:   rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
>> Subject:      Re: [Re: RAT Reading Series --What Brecht thinks TO LEE]
>>
>> snide non art on the screen. how do you punctuate stage dialogue. let's
>> see,
>> the artists that worry so about punctuation, spelling, and grammar. hmm.
>> who
>> are they. academics antipathetic to ART or is it artists.are you in school
>>
>> somewhere. probably not. stop pretending to be uptight and anal. or are
>> you
>> just that way.suddenly i'm sentimental about T.V.
>> HI
>> dennis

______________________________________________________________________
www.movingarts.org

Internet access for Moving Arts generously provided by MindSpring.  For
more information, call (800) 719.4664.