Of ‘board monkeys’ and other creatures on this blog
Wikimedia Commons
Your daily Letter to the Columnist — Jan. 28, 2013
Gotta tell you, Dan,
I’m a “newbie” to your daily blog, but I’ve become intrigued by it in the last week or so. I’ve lived in the general area (Pulaski County) for seven years, and I’ve read your column from time to time online. You do have a way with words, and I find you, at times, right on brother – tell it like it is, a little too off base for me, funny, always caring about humanity, and always, always, always, plain hitting with your words and beliefs.
I can’t comment on how things are in Roanoke, since I live an hour away, and in a mountain community. I do, however, enjoy your columns dealing with every day life and humanity.
But I must confess, I never followed your blog online until I read your “pimping” column. That’s when I decided to read it a few days before barging in, before I give some of your far out bloggers whose brain swings directly opposite of mine a chance to say I’m trolling. Well, all I have to say about that is, “everybody’s got to start sometime.”
I’ve been a regular blog commenter on another newspaper in another state for several years until recently. When that newspaper went behind a pay wall, it lost many of its more colorful commenters (I like to think I was one), because we objected to having to pay to read a newspaper few people thought was intelligent enough to present a well written or truly factual reporting – and both sides agreed on that.
It was a fun time, but certainly not for onion skin commenters. The insults could fly faster than a greased pig can slide down a striptease pole. Reading the various commenters on this board – another internet blogger I follow calls all internet commenters “board monkeys” — convinces me we all fall in the same categories, no matter what newspaper we choose to honor with our wise opinions.
Depending on how the brain’s pendulum swings, and who is doing the judging, most of us who love to blog on boards are called liberal left, right wing nut, Democrat, Republican, Tea Partier, Bible thumper, atheist, unreasonable, dreamer, comic, or whose greatest joy is insulting others (one who eats nails for breakfast and drinks sauerkraut juice absent reasoning skills).
There are also a few in between who can see both sides of an argument and present valid reasons for each, plus a few who try to keep us all from taking ourselves too seriously (and that really sets off some far out minds).
You are really good, you know, to keep all these bloggers coming back so many times and for so long. I guess that’s what I really wanted to say. It’s rare that a blogger can get “Fifty Shades of Board Monkeys” to come back day after day after day, even if they want to reserve you a room at the Space Planet Hilton.
Congratulations on your longevity, and you continue to run up the blood pressure of a few conservatives, Tea Partiers, and Bible thumpers for the next however-long-you-want-it-to-be years.
Shirely in PULASKI
—————————————-
Response: Shirley, I hope you join the fray soon!
January 28, 2013 - 1:30 PM
Come on in Shirley, the banter is fine…sometimes.
And don’t call me Shirley
Thanks Sandi. And thanks, Dan for printing. Guess I’m officially on now!
I prefer the term “groundlings,” as we’re all down here picking our collective noses watching Shakespeare at the Globe. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Au contraire mon frère, I believe we are freewheeling or unconventional especially to the point of outrageousness: Gonzos!
I dislike metaphors that in which humans and monkeys are compared. It is inevitably disparaging to monkeys.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Comment by Pirengle
Maybe Pirengle, but when the ODS trolls and pro-violence gunkissers get going it often seems to be half of one, six dozen of the other.
You’re right about that. Monkeys are very intelligent. Some of us humans don’t act like we are sometimes.
Gonzos it is! Welcome Shirley.
Sandi: Au contraire mon frère, I believe we are freewheeling or unconventional especially to the point of outrageousness: Gonzos!
Heh. I think it would be funny if Dan Casey went to some local function and reported back a la Hunter S. Thompson. (Minus the substances, of course.)
Thompson’s “The Battle of Aspen” is worth a read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Aspen
Warren: Maybe Pirengle, but when the ODS trolls and pro-violence gunkissers get going it often seems to be half of one, six dozen of the other.
I’m getting picky about what I read on the blog. I look for thoughtful responses to the OP (original post) or links to good reads. These days, if I want to read Dave Hicks’ links, I have to ctrl+f to find them because the page is too crowded.
If only SocialFixer worked for WordPress. Imagine tabbed browsing by keywords. Simply designate a tab for all the words and phrases you don’t want to read, and voila, a blog full of stuff you want to read.
Pirengle, this one is for you.
“We were somewhere around Charlottesville on the edge of the Blue Ridge when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like “I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive….” And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Richmond. And a voice was screaming “Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?”
Then it was quiet again. My state delegate had taken his shirt off and was pouring beer on his chest, to facilitate the tanning process. “What the hell are you yelling about?” he muttered, staring up at the sun with his eyes closed and covered with wraparound Spanish sunglasses. “Never mind,” I said. “It’s your turn to drive.” I hit the brakes and aimed the Great Red Shark toward the shoulder of the highway. No point mentioning those bats, I thought. The poor bastard will see them soon enough.”
(With apologies to Hunter Thompson.)
ALSO: The Battle of Aspen is a great read. So is HST’s account of the Roxanne Pulitzer divorce trial. That’s the best thing he wrote in his latter years, when he was mostly going downhill.
Yeah, no need to disparage monkeys by claiming they behave like we do.
My favorite thing that HST wrote in his later years were his ESPN columns about gambling and the degenerates in the sporting world. That stuff was amazing. I worry that they will be lost to time as the webmaster over there never bothered updating old content and pages to newer site designs.
You can still find many of his columns by googling Hunter S Thompson and ESPN.
Soo…..it turns out that Gov McDonnell did some speechifying at the National Review Institute this week and he seems to be channelling none other than Saul Alinsky.
And what did Gov McDonnell say that would leave one to come this reasonable conclusion:
“I know this might sound strange, but I think we need to be better community organizers. I know that was funny, I guess, five years ago but it’s not so funny now. Community organizers have raced some pretty good elections.”
Pretty sure I got that quote right, and you can google Bob McDonnell Endorses Community organizing to see a video watch his lips moving as he makes the statement. Next thing you know he’ll be quoting Rules for Radicals. Strange times indeed.
Sounds like McDonnell has realized that “community organizer” is code for “election ass kicker”. Too had the rest of the GOP is still oblivious.
Shirley: Welcome to the blog! When we’re not textually cannibalizing each other, we’re actually a great group of people. I look forward to your contributions.
There is certainly something intangibly addictive about Dan’s blog.
I hope Shirely posts more!
Shirley,
Cold n P is one of our other regulars from Pulaski.
Dan, I am now tickled pink. Thanks.
Dan and other readers, many thanks for the warm welcome! I hope you still feel that way when my liberal streak starts showing. I actually live in Parrott in Pulaski County on a “one way in, one way out mountain road” that few people know where it is, much less drive. But hey, we actually have internet up here, so you all will hear from me once in a while!
Dan, I watched the last 24 hours of Hunter Thompson’s life on BIO this weekend. Powerful, yet sad. I didn’t realize he ran for Sheriff in Colorado and almost won. The story was a bit sad but powerful.
I read fear and loathing in Las Vegas and loved it.
What do you think of his book on the Hell’s Angels? I’m thinking of picking it up.
Cold, in a lot of ways Hell Angels is better than Fear and Loathing. It was published in the pre-Gonzo Fear and Loathing days.
For a great retrospective of Thompson’s work, pick up The Great Shark Hunt. That’s a collection from the beginning of his career up to around 77 or 78. You can truly get a flavor for his evolution from that.
Thanks Dan, Good stuff. I will take you up on your suggestions.
Dan, I watched the last 24 hours of Hunter Thompson’s life on BIO this weekend. Powerful yet sad.
The guy lived a godless drunken drugged life. The correct response to a life like that is one of regret, sorrow, and sympathy.
Shirley, welcome to Dan’s humble blog, where new voices are always welcome. As you can already surmise, we value diversity!
diversity only if you agree with commie policy…intolerance only if you agree with liberals. if you dont agree with them they will call you names, insult you and the like, its all part of the liberal class..which is classless
Wait! Was that pammala accusing people of calling others names? Snicker, snicker.
LOL pammala, you just never disappoint, or surprise.
Yeah, we will “call you names” like pammala does if you dare to disagree with her. But it is OK when she does it.