midwestgak 7/6/2020 6:31:42 PM

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Quiet in here.

Mythology is important to know (or not) because . . .

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 6:35:08 PM

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We need some music

RIP Charlie Daniels - may your fiddle playing save your soul - jukebox

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 6:35:56 PM

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In #1 midwestgak said: Mythology is important to know (or not) because . . .

Becauth if you don't know mythology, you can't hit anything; you'll always myth./

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 6:42:11 PM

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In #1 midwestgak said: Mythology is important to know (or not) because . . .

Serious answer, from someone who had to study Bullfinch in high school.

Civilizations are built on myths, and from those myths they make reality. Sometimes that reality is an improvement on what came before. But without it, we can't understand the history of those civilizations, including ours.

Some of those myths are about gods and goddesses who created and favored nations and people.

Some are about historical figures. Yes, the American forefathers aren't the saints they have been portrayed as, but they greatly improved civilization. And that needs to be recognized. 

All people have faults. If that is all that is recognized, we have nothing but failure to emulate.

We've come to Marc Antony's speech for all our forefathers:

The evil that men do lives long after them. The good is oft interred with their bones. 

We are now interring all the good they have done with their bones - and statues. 

And that leaves nothing but evil.

buzzsawmonkey 7/6/2020 6:42:13 PM

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In #1 midwestgak said: Mythology is important to know (or not) because . . .

Because mythology provides lessons in life.  For example, the tale of Cadmus has much to teach about political strategy, as does the tale of Heracles' defeat of Antaeus.

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 6:43:02 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 2:

I'll leave Buzz to post his parody. I have two. Here is the first one:

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 6:44:44 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 6:

And my other one (slightly different from the day thread)

buzzsawmonkey 7/6/2020 6:44:56 PM

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In #4 Kosh's Shadow said: Serious answer, from someone who had to study Bullfinch in high school.

I strongly recommend that anyone interested in mythology read, if not study, Robert Graves' examinations of the Greek myths. It is his contention that they are symbolic descriptions of the invasion of the Greek peninsula by the Achaeans, and the subsequent replacement of the pre-existing Goddess-based religion with the male-dominated Olympian pantheon.  

It may or may not be true, but it is extremely interesting reading.

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 6:51:40 PM

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In #8 buzzsawmonkey said: I strongly recommend that anyone interested in mythology read, if not study, Robert Graves' examinations of the Greek myths. It is his contention that they are symbolic descriptions of the invasion of the Greek peninsula by the Achaeans, and the subsequent replacement of the pre-existing Goddess-based religion with the male-dominated Olympian pantheon.  

Sounds interesting.

I had the closest to a British classical education you can get in an American public school.

buzzsawmonkey 7/6/2020 6:56:12 PM

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buzzsawmonkey 7/6/2020 7:03:02 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 9:

My first year of high-school English, we studied Greek myths and Bible stories, on the theory that if we were not familiar with these things, we'd be unable to understand much of classic English literature, both English and American.

Our Greek myth section was half-Bulfinch and half-Edith Hamilton.  I was reading Graves at the time, and provided a number of I-thought-interesting, but possibly-annoying, interjections into the class.  When we went to Bible stories, I had a dual-language Hebrew/English Bible in hand, and had some choice things to add to the conversation also.  In between times, I was drawing pictures instead of taking notes to the sometime-annoyance of the teacher; I remember doing a formalwear ad when we were studying the story of the spies sent to investigate the Promised Land; the formalwear shop's slogan was, "And Joshua and Caleb Rent Their Clothes."

My end-of-semester essay was a comparison of the flood stories of Deucalion, Noah, and Gilgamesh, which was a little outside the actual course of study.

lucius septimius 7/6/2020 7:04:17 PM

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Reply to midwestgak in 1:

I've been watching The Time Machine (1960).  It holds up remarkably well.  Youngest boy had many, many questions afterwards.

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 7:04:54 PM

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In #11 buzzsawmonkey said: "And Joshua and Caleb Rent Their Clothes."

+++++++++++

PaladinPhil 7/6/2020 7:07:45 PM

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Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 7:10:16 PM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 11:

I did nothing special in those courses, but I did take advantage of the fact a rich alumnus rented a computer for general student use.

A modern digital watch is way more powerful. That had 16 K 16-bit words (32K bytes), a 1 MB disk (14" diameter aluminum $120 disk about as slow as a floppy), and a card reader and line printer, plus keypunches.

It rented for the price of a VW Beetle a month.

However, I did complete all 5 years of Latin successfully; the last year by using the same interlinear translation of The Aeneid as everyone else.

Monty Python had Latin teachers down pat. One threw a student into a blackboard; another said how he wanted to take his gun to class.

Monty Python sketch

lucius septimius 7/6/2020 7:15:55 PM

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buzzsawmonkey 7/6/2020 7:17:39 PM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 16:

I don't know what a "23 and me" even means.

I will, however, observe that if you say you "identify as" something, that is an admission that you are not that thing.

midwestgak 7/6/2020 7:25:10 PM

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In #17 buzzsawmonkey said: I don't know what a "23 and me" even means.

I will, however, observe that if you say you "identify as" something, that is an admission that you are not that thing.

Your first sentence. Me either.

Second sentence.  +++++++

lucius septimius 7/6/2020 7:25:22 PM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 11:

Because of the peculiarities of Zion I was far better versed in the OT than the NT, though I do remember in seventh grade our confirmation teacher -- a seminarian back when they had to learn such things -- brought in a Greek Bible and took us through various passages.  it was fascinating, at least for me.  I always was a bit envious of my Jewish friends for being taught Hebrew -- the best I could get was what I gleaned from watching "The Magic Door"  on Channel 2 -- I'd watch it while I ate breakfast before we went to church.

We also did Greek mythology freshman year of high school, but I knew most of it by then.  Don't know how -- I just picked it up.  We read Grave's summary of the Greek Myths and then the Odyssey.  Junior year we did the Iliad, the Oresteia, and the Oedipus cycle in ancient lit.

But it doesn't always take.  When I was in grad school and we all had to teach the intro classes -- comp, Western Civ, art appreciation, etc. -- there was one particular student who was the bete noire of the TAs.  At one point she went to complain to the professor of art history about his class.  She complained about all the "Christian" stuff in there, that she didn't know any of it, and since she was Jewish he couldn't expect her to know any of it, and on in that vein.  Mind you, this was specifically a class in medieval art.  Eventually, having worked herself into a lather, she blurted out "and who is this King David person anyway?"

lucius septimius 7/6/2020 7:28:02 PM

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In #17 buzzsawmonkey said: I don't know what a "23 and me" even means.

It's one of those DNA things that tells you what your ancestry is -- like "20% Irish, 20% Khazar, 60% Giant Ground Sloth," that sort of thing.

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 7:32:25 PM

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In #17 buzzsawmonkey said: I don't know what a "23 and me" even means.

23 and Me is a DNA testing company. (Humans have 23 chromosomes)

So the complaint is that "identifying" as something did not change the DNA.

I identify as a vastly powerful alien (actually both a Vorlon and a Shadow), but my DNA will likely turn out to be human./

lucius septimius 7/6/2020 7:34:46 PM

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In #21 Kosh's Shadow said: Humans have 23 chromosomes

Obligatory.

Occasional Reader 7/6/2020 7:34:56 PM

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In #14 PaladinPhil said: we have a diagnosis. Level 2 autism.

I'm not familiar with the levels; what are the implications of that?  

And sorry to hear your job is in jeopardy.  

Occasional Reader 7/6/2020 7:36:15 PM

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In #20 lucius septimius said: It's one of those DNA things that tells you what your ancestry is -- like "20% Irish, 20% Khazar, 60% Giant Ground Sloth," that sort of thing.

I guy I went to law school with used to cheerfully declare, "I'm half-Italian, and half-human."

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 7:38:04 PM

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In #15 Kosh's Shadow said: Monty Python had Latin teachers down pat. One threw a student into a blackboard; another said how he wanted to take his gun to class.

The teacher who wanted to take his gun to school also was advisor for the drama club, until he got tired of having to front the money for rights to plays. He also was an actor in a local TV show.

He said that Shakespeare should not be taught by reading it. The plays only show their genius when performed.

The more I thought about that, the more I agree. Shakespearean actors are the top of their art. But we expect teenagers to read the plays and visualize the performances. I reached that at one point, with King Lear railing at the wind. But I doubt most students even can see one scene as it should be performed. 

He also drove a Studebaker.

PaladinPhil 7/6/2020 7:41:11 PM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 23:

1 is good (functions well on own in society)

2 needs help and therapy

3 Practically non functional and needs lots of help

Not a permanent situation, levels can change for the better or for worse depending on the child. 
How it will impact my job is that if the schools aren't fully opened and they go for some sort of on and off situation I won't be able to work a steady full time job. Daycares are going to be hammered no matter what the situation is going to end up. Not to mention the fact that there are still massive waiting lists for normal daycare as it stands.

midwestgak 7/6/2020 7:41:52 PM

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In #20 lucius septimius said: Giant Ground Sloth

LOL!

Was never, am not interested in, receiving a fictional story about my ancestry from an app. written by. . . . I make ancestrystoriesup.net.

lucius septimius 7/6/2020 7:48:26 PM

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Reply to PaladinPhil in 26:

Most schools aren't prepared to deal with it.  Hopefully you won't have to fight like I have to get appropriate (and legally mandated) services.

Other things you get used to.  Number 2 son has been walking around in circles through the kitchen, living room, and dining room for an hour now.  He does it all the time -- I hardly even notice it any more. On the other hand, he's on the brink of having his own car, which is cool.

lucius septimius 7/6/2020 7:49:38 PM

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In #15 Kosh's Shadow said: he wanted to take his gun to class

I always thought discussion would go better if I held a 9 mm up to the kid's forehead when I asked a question.

Occasional Reader 7/6/2020 7:50:41 PM

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Reply to PaladinPhil in 26:

May your son improve on that scale now that he’s getting the right kind of attention; and I hope the school and work situation works out for you. Your son is so fortunate to have you as a father, and it seems he is very fortunate with his “new“ stepmother, as well. 

Kosh's Shadow 7/6/2020 8:02:04 PM

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In #28 lucius septimius said: Other things you get used to.  Number 2 son has been walking around in circles through the kitchen, living room, and dining room for an hour now.  He does it all the time -- I hardly even notice it any more. On the other hand, he's on the brink of having his own car, which is cool.

Jukebox