RE: A Protestation of Faith

Crosby_M (CrosbyM@po1.cpi.bls.gov)
Tue, 26 Nov 1996 11:35:06 -0500


I wrote about a potential Transhumanist Trilogy: THE Power, Omega and the
Singularity.

Lyle fussed:
<Excuse me, but this is not poetry. It doesn't scan. It has no structure.
Writing prose in short lines doesn't make it into poetry.>

Eric Watt Forste warned:
<Once upon a time, in the extropians FAQ, I wrote "extropians have no sense
of humor, none whatsoever". Of course, I intended this as a joke [snip] But
then again, Lyle doesn't consider himself an extropian, so maybe he really
does lack a sense of humor.>

However, on another recent thread, Lyle wrote:
<Chris, why don't you go to the L.A. airport, wearing an Extropy t-shirt or
some kind of Extropian costume (use your imagination), and ask for
donations? [snip, and] One afternoon I was approached five different times
by Christians who wanted me to come to a revival meeting. The fifth time,
when the guy asked me if I was a Christian, I said "No, I'm a Satanist,"
and a very interesting conversation ensued.>

Lyle hasn't lost his sense of humor - that's what parody is, twisting
things out of the context they're normally seen in, just as Lyle recently
asked David Musick to substitute "corporations" for "highly advanced
beings" in his The Power of Symbiosis thread to see what it sounded like.

Mark Crosby

Kennita wrote:
< Personally, I believe that there _is_ such a thing as free verse; the
lines must not just be short, they must have rhythm to them.>

P.S. Hint for any unconverted athiests: a surprisingly similar rhythm can
be heard at any Catholic mass. Wasn't trying to be cruel or bitter though,
just a playful challenge...