Comments on: TAL: pro & con http://realfake.org/blog/2007/03/24/tal-pro-con/ the tao that can be blogged is not the eternal tao Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:55:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Ezra http://realfake.org/blog/2007/03/24/tal-pro-con/#comment-13647034969908858445 Ezra Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:52:55 +0000 http://realfake.org/blog/2007/03/24/tal-pro-con/#comment-13647034969908858445 I was thinking exactly the same thing about the interviewee's bogus conclusion about the camera story. There would have been a circle of cheering kids around the figting kids on my elementary school playground, too. The cameras would have been a civilizing influence, if anything. I do love how one kid makes a camera, and then suddenly, making cameras becomes a "thing". That is totally how things spread among kids. I also love Ware's somewhat snarky commentary on the guy who's talking ("Totally 100% TREND!"). I was thinking exactly the same thing about the interviewee’s bogus conclusion about the camera story. There would have been a circle of cheering kids around the figting kids on my elementary school playground, too. The cameras would have been a civilizing influence, if anything.

I do love how one kid makes a camera, and then suddenly, making cameras becomes a “thing”. That is totally how things spread among kids.

I also love Ware’s somewhat snarky commentary on the guy who’s talking (”Totally 100% TREND!”).

]]> By: Marco http://realfake.org/blog/2007/03/24/tal-pro-con/#comment-13647034969908858407 Marco Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:15:15 +0000 http://realfake.org/blog/2007/03/24/tal-pro-con/#comment-13647034969908858407 Reading those articles made me glad to know that I'm not the only one who finds himself occasionally annoyed by TAL. Mind you, I've never heard a "bad" episode of TLA (and most of the times they're one of the best radio shows around) but they do occasionally seem forced and formulaic. I liked the story that Chris Ware animated but the "oh my god, cameras changed us" conclusion didn't strike me as being as revelatory as the commentator clearly intended. I've seen enough school yard fights to know that most kids just stand around and watch anyways, cameras or no cameras. Usually, a few of them are actively egging the fight on. The others look on with curiousity or don't want to get involved lest they get hurt or in trouble. The majority of them actually find it entertaining. About two weeks ago I was driving home when I saw two homeless guys rolling and punching on the grass by the busstop. Nobody (including me) said or did anything, we just sat in our cars during rush hour and rubbernecked or stared ahead. There was a man and a woman sitting at the busstop. They also appeared to be homeless. The woman was pointing and laughing at the two guys rolling in the grass. Reading those articles made me glad to know that I’m not the only one who finds himself occasionally annoyed by TAL. Mind you, I’ve never heard a “bad” episode of TLA (and most of the times they’re one of the best radio shows around) but they do occasionally seem forced and formulaic.

I liked the story that Chris Ware animated but the “oh my god, cameras changed us” conclusion didn’t strike me as being as revelatory as the commentator clearly intended. I’ve seen enough school yard fights to know that most kids just stand around and watch anyways, cameras or no cameras. Usually, a few of them are actively egging the fight on. The others look on with curiousity or don’t want to get involved lest they get hurt or in trouble. The majority of them actually find it entertaining.

About two weeks ago I was driving home when I saw two homeless guys rolling and punching on the grass by the busstop. Nobody (including me) said or did anything, we just sat in our cars during rush hour and rubbernecked or stared ahead. There was a man and a woman sitting at the busstop. They also appeared to be homeless. The woman was pointing and laughing at the two guys rolling in the grass.

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