project rednoW - I am America...

УThe most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.Фа - Albert Einsten

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I am America...

The Absurd General
Written by Gabe Knipp
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Description Brooke and I were sitting at Chipotle this past Sunday afternoon, and she mentioned seeing Stephen Colbert on Meet the Press. Now, I've seen clips of his show, The Colbert Report, but we only have basic cable, so we don't get Comedy Central (I know, it's hard). BUT, we do have internet access, so I was able to check out the segment on Youtube. Briliant Comedy. It fits perfectly with the "Absurd" that we here at Rednow have been wrestling with. Why? Because like most things absurd, it both makes you laugh and wakes you up. Take, for example, his new book: I am America (And So Can You!). The title first made me chuckle out loud, but underneath there is a subtle critique of our culture. He's asking the question how we view America...do we view it as a government, a group of states, a corporation-dominated country? (Not to mention a host of other options.) In this critique we see the statement that America is a group of people, that maybe we shouldn't view America as a "place" or "government" but people - simply a group of people, where our thoughts and ideas make up the country. I am America. Funny and thought-provoking. In his Meet the Press interview, he rants on about wanting to run for President (but not wanting to win...which, incidentally, is another critique on the large numbers of candidates, many with no real chance of winning, who basically want to get their names out there so in four years they might be front-runners) but also points out other absurdities in the press and in politics. At one point, he eggs on Tim Russert to talk to a puppet, clearly hoping to not only provide humor, but show the bizarre things that the media sometimes does. (Unfortunately, Tim didn't talk to the puppet.) So, watch the clips and think about what he's satirizing, let them help you see the political process in a new light. But, most of all, laugh. Colbert, who suffered from tragedy at an early age, said, "Not living in fear is a great gift. And do you know what I like about comedy? You can't laugh and be afraid at the same time -- of anything." Bookmark or Share This Article Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Website Title Comment

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About "The Absurd"

When we think of the wondrous and the mysterious we often think of the deep and the profound. The deep and the profound obviously create a sense of wonder in us and move us in ways that we can't explain. But there is another aspect of wonder that often gets overlooked-the ABSURD. In the same way that there are things that move us because of their profundity and beauty, there are other things that move us to a joy that cannot be intellectualized, a sense of enjoyment that has no explanation. The author G.K. Chesterton describes this inability to explain these things that move us to joy as the "problem of pleasure."

"Why is sex fun? Reproduction surely doesn't require pleasure: Some animals simply split in half to reproduce, and even humans use methods of artificial insemination that involve no pleasure. Why is eating enjoyable? Plants and the lower animals manage to obtain their quota of nutrients without the luxury of taste buds. Why are there colors? Some people get along fine without the ability to detect color. Why complicate vision for all the rest of us?"

It is this pleasure and joy that we cannot begin to explain (why the lip gloss song is so catchy, why Strong Bad's randomness is so funny, why Sufjan's costumes and inflatable props make the concert so much more than a concert, etc.) that we hope you can experience in the Absurd section of this site. There are many times when exploring mystery and wonder expand our understanding... but there are also times when we must revel in the absurdity and let a piece of art, a song, a video, etc. simply be what it is and to enjoy it at that level.

Welcome to the Absurd section of rednow.