There’s a program that the local idiot morning guy on the radio has started, and he’s got the otherwise mostly harmless governer to particpate.
It’s called “One State! One Book! One Fuhrer!” (well, not the last one). The idea is to choose one book that “you would like every Coloradoan to read and review”. In addition, (not listed on the website) he’s gotten the governer to agree to make (or push for it to be made) the “Official State Book”. I see it as being very divisive, rather than uniting, especially since idiot-moring-guy keeps saying “We should make everyone read the bookwe choose!” and “We should have the schools teach it!” and he keeps saying it with the creepy Nazi-esque punctuation “One State! One Book!” uber alles.
Granted, the books he chose are ok, if unimaginative and dully mainstream, but why in the world would we want an “official state book”? What does it do? What if I don’t agree with the book chosen?
I am not claiming that there is anything even remotely Nazi-like about the idea (especially since Nazis were book burners), just that the wording of the phrase (that he constantly uses on the air) “One State! One Book!” just has a creepy Nazi associations to me. YMMV
Fenris
I wonder if this is anything like Mayor Daley’s Chicago Book Club, which had everyone reading To Kill A Mockingbird last year and columns in the Tribune were actually discussing it. Kind of a citywide Book Review. It didn’t really seem very NAZI like to me, but I’m not sure we’ve selected a second book…so perhaps others were opposed, or perhaps, like a lot of ideas, it lost steam along the way.
I was, however shocked that so many people hadn’t read To Kill A Mockingbird, one of my favorite books of all time.
While I like the idea of getting everyone in the state to read more, I don’t see the point of having an Official State Book. Wouldn’t you have to decree a new OSB every time the good citizens of Colorado finished the previous one?
Having a Colorado State Book isn’t Nazi-esque. However, if the governor sends the Colorado state milita to invade Poland, then I’d worry.
Just to be clear (I’m not sure I was in my original post) I don’t care for the idea (why do we need an “Official State Book”?) but there’s NOTHING Nazi-esque about it. It’s just the way Idiot Morning Guy is presenting it that gives off that vibe to me.
Is it totally wrong that I spent ten minutes that I should be working just giggling at the title of this thread? The mental pictures it conjures of hitler holding a copy of “To Kill A Mockingbird” with a confused look on his face is just too much
From what you are saying he is presenting the idea in a very poor manner. It may or may not be reminiscent of the nazi’s but it does sound very totalitarian. Big brother wants you to read this book.
[hijack] Which morning show is this? It isn’t one of the two I listen to.[/hijack]
Well, let’s see, Gregory Peck starred in the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird, and he also played Josef Mengele in The Boys from Brazil so, does that count?
Well, Chicago’s program is called “One City, One Book” but I think that’s meant to emphasize that across the city, thousands of people from various backgrounds are all reading the same book, not that everyone in the city shall read only this one book.
Anyhow, Chicago’s selections were “To Kill A Mockingbird” (as stated above) and Elie Wiesel’s “Night”. The latter especially proves that this is Nazi-esque. Not to mention that Daley is definitely no Hitler – at least not Daley the Second.
Oh, Fenris, you are absolutely correct. It’s positively totalitarian! Imagine it! People from all walks of life having some cultural connection through thought-provoking, worthwhile literature! Saints forfend, total strangers might actually be able strike up intelligent conversations! :eek:
This kind of thing eats at the very basis of our culture and poses the greatest threat to Western society since the foundation of National Public Radio. Wake up, America!
Ya know, whenever I hear about an ‘official state anthrapod’ or whatever, there’s just insufficient :rolleyes: to convey my interest.
I keep thinking ‘I’m **payin’ ** these dweebs (lawmakers, mayors, governors, whatever) to come up with this??’
From Michigan, home of the state bird, state tree, state fossil, state stone, state song, state motto, state flag, state flower, state mammel, state symbol, state insect…
Somewhat overdone (“greatest thread to Western…”) and sadly reminiscent of the sort of over-the-top sarcasm (“I’m the Magical Man from Happy-Land…”) used by Homer in an episode of the Simpsons, but you used “forfend” instead of “defend” which has to be worth something.
On a Zero to Five scale, (zero being the worst and five being the best) I give it a 1.
“Forfend” won you points, but the over the top nature of the second paragraph, coupled with a complete failure to address the fact that I repeatedly said that despite my complete lack of interest in a “State Book”, there was nothing inherently wrong with the idea, just the idiot morning guy’s presentation, cost you.
In the future, to improve, please read the actual words written, not just the ones that make your knee jerk.
This might not be such a bad idea…provided, of course, that the One Book (or series of books) is The Straight Dope. Since I regularly hear that we’ve got oodles stocked in a warehouse somewhere, I think that we need to contact this guy. I’m of the opinion that EVERYONE needs to read The Straight Dope. Especially the people who don’t WANT to.
Fenris
I must protest. First, you assigned no points for the subtle commentary in the subject line blending a reference to National Socialist artistic theory with a comment on the stultifying effect of popular culture.
Second, the very parapraph of which you complain is not “overdone” as you put it, but is, rather, an integral part of, and dare I say, triumphant conclusion to, the work as a whole. Intended as a parody of various far-right and fundamentalist fund-raising letters, it links their anxiety concerning the post-modern kulturkampf with one of their favorite bugaboos, the Corportation for Public Broadcasting. The final exhortation is, once again, a reference to a common fundamentalist battle cry which is, or so I’m told, oft repeated on the 700 Club.
It is quite obvious to me that the “fix” is in and that you have intentionally reduced my technical score because of outside pressure. I will be appealing your decision and demanding a full investigation as well the award of duplicate medals.
Shocked! Shocked, am I at this horrid accusation. If I weren’t such a gentle, sensitive guy, I’d ask Esprix and Scylla to come in here and teach you a lesson.*
But I refrain.
How DARE you imply that I, Fenris, am subject to outside pressure!
Your score stands, sir!
Fenris, no relation to the French Judges.
*The fact that they’re in a vanity-search fight right now and will therefore notice and perhaps comment on this thread, assuring it instant stardom has NOTHING to do with the my reasons for mentioning their names. And I won’t permit you to say otherwise.
