Scylla Rhiadra

When I find myself sliding down, I frequently try to dig in with my nails to arrest my fall. We ARE talking about sliding down a hill or something, right?

You'll only encourage him.

Yes, agreed. I guess I'm asking why this is the case, in RL or in SL? Why is the initiative for making contact left to men? Or, when women are doing it (as surely must happen), why are they not using "pick up lines"? What do women characteristically do instead, when wanting to make contact? (And can men maybe learn from our different approach????)

Actually, you're almost right. But I've got button #1 AND button #2 working now!

Why do these sorts of things happen to me? WHY?

But . . . but . . . but . . . ?

I haven't read carefully through the entire thread, but I've read enough of it that two things stand out: 1) Is it not possible to IM someone without it being a pick-up attempt, or read that way? Is it not possible to respond to an IM without leaving the impression that one is at least possibly interested in being picked-up? 2) I'm not sure if all of the accounts of receiving pick-up lines here are from women, but certainly the vast majority are. Why?

I quite like Horace's poetry, especially his satires (which I mostly read in translation), but yeah, he was a time-server and more than a bit of a kiss-ass. Nicer than Juvenal, though.

Thanks for this. Your account is so alien, in most ways, to my own experience and way of thinking that it would be difficult for me to respond directly to it. But that, of course, really should be the point of the discussions we have here: they allow us to break out of our own little echo chambers sometimes, and be exposed to new, surprising, and challenging perspectives. Your own story is really useful, too, in that it reminds us that there must have been (and continues to be) almost as many reasons for soldiers to fight as there are soldiers. In the great conscript armies of WWI and WWII there must have been many who didn't want to be there, but even in such cases the attitudes towards the fact that they were likely were hugely variant. As for volunteers -- well, John McCrae was a fervent believer in the British Imperial enterprise, and had also volunteered to fight in the Boer War. Wilfred Owen seems not to have been so starry-eyed, but also volunteered for what he clearly see as a worthwhile cause: he was a poet and a truth-teller about war, but never, I think, a pacifist. On the other hand, my own great grandfather lied about his age to enlist, and ended up a career soldier, the only one in my family. I suspect he enjoyed the life, but for a man of his class -- the labouring poor -- it must have provided not merely security but also a certain amount of social prestige and recognition (he retired a regimental sergeant major). It was a good job. But how many other reasons must there be to join up?

Pfffft. Perfectionist! He's an adorably cute, round little dwarf of a person. He gets a free pass from me!

That seems a pretty valid criticism, I suppose. On the other hand, if the focus was on the experiences of those involved, the "grand narrative" might be less important? I say this, though, as someone who hasn't seen the doc (but is now absolutely desperate to watch it). Also . . . I know a fair number of professional historians. They are, as a breed, a cranky and cantankerous lot. Sooooo . . . ?

I think sometimes it can be valuable to remind modern audiences that, as they say, the past was a different country. But there are definitely advantages, too, emphasizing our kinship with the past. The filter of grainy old photos and film footage sort of drops a veil between us and our own past, and insulates us comfortably from it. Sometimes removing that sense of distance and comfort is valuable.

I don't know if this thread is going to end up locked or not -- maybe that danger is passed, and it will be allowed to linger into a peaceful and nostalgic old age, as one might hope for the men and women whose lives it celebrates. On the off-chance, however, that I can't say so later, I want to thank everyone who contributed meaningfully to this, and especially to @Skell Dagger, @Innula Zenovka, and @Selene Gregoire for contributing text and video that made me smile and, on a couple of occasions, tear up a bit. (And if anyone does know if the Oxford Great War Poets sim is still around, or if there is anything similar, please let me know!)

I get that, and am somewhat in agreement, although I think it depends much on the intended audience and purpose. You could say that it's like the editorial or analytical work people do on ancient manuscripts, statuary, and so on, to reconstruct as best they can what is missing?

My great grandfather served in the British Army in the Great War. He was shot through the head, but survived -- although my grandmother (and my mother has confirmed) have told me he was a bit "odd" after, perhaps because of it. It would hardly be surprising, I suppose. I think my mother has his medals somewhere. I never met him. Odd or not, he was apparently a very kind man. I'm sorry I never had the chance.

Hah! Again, this reminds me of an early scene in All Quiet on the Western Front. I love how he was faced down by "one of the ladies"!!

Wow. Yeah. It's astonishing how that brings the film alive. I've never been a fan of colourized versions of old films and such, but that's really effective. *coughs* Canadian TV. Although actually I don't have any kind of TV. But I wonder if it's available for rent through YouTube or elsewhere? (My uni library also has a pretty good collection of online documentary video.) I'd pay for this in a shot. I didn't realize Peter Jackson was behind it! It would be good, then. My god yes. And the look on their faces.

This is brilliant (and this part really amusing), Selene. Thank you for sharing!

There used to be . . . I don't know, 7 years ago? . . . a sim set up by Oxford University that was devoted to the poets of the Great War, and that featured a sort of recreation of the trenches of the Western Front. I've got a pic somewhere of me dressed in a nurse's uniform that was freely available there. And it had interactive elements that included excerpts from both poems and, I think, war diaries. Anyone know if it, or anything like it, is still around?

From the Diary of Sgt. Henry W. Tisdale, 35th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (pub. 1926) This is all good, but I've italicized a bit in the middle that I found particularly affecting. From the entry for October 29, 1862 "At near 4 PM September 14th our brigade was ordered to the front, a rough march of some 4 miles brought us to the scene of conflict, climbing steep hills, some almost mountains crossing rough fields through corn fields and some of the way at double quick. On our way meeting many wounded being carried to the rear and as we neared the battleground here and there a dead body was to be seen. At little after 5 PM were upon the ground where the booming of artillery the screaming of shot and shell and rattling of musketry told us we were mid the stern realities of actual battle. The sight of the wounded sent a kind of chill over me but in the main feelings of curiosity and wonder at the scene about me took hold of my mind. Were drawn up in the line of battle in a cornfield and then advanced through a sort of wooden field to a thick wood where we met the rebels or a few scattering ones for their main body was on the retreat. In entering the wood came upon a large number of rebel dead lying in a ravine, presenting a sad and sickening sight. They were making an advance upon our lines, but when crossing the ravine, were met by a volley from the 17th Michigan which so thinned their ranks that on that part of their line they made a precipitate retreat. Just after we entered the wood was wounded by a rifle ball passing through my left leg just opposite the thighbone. As the ball struck me it gave me a shock which led me to feel at first that the bone must have been struck and shattered and for a moment did not dare to move for fear it was so. Found on moving that the bone was not injured and that I had only a flesh wound, which relieved my mind and thankfulness to God that I was not maimed or dangerously hurt came. I think that the shot must have been fired by some straggling rebel or sharpshooter in a tree, as we had not yet got up to within reach of the rebel lines. Found myself in a few moments growing weak and tying my towel above the wound to stop its bleeding tried to make for the rear where the surgeons were. As I was limping off a wounded rebel who was sitting against a tree called me and asked me if I did not have something to eat. Exhibiting a loaf and going to him I opened my knife to cut off a slice when he placed his hands before his face exclaiming “Don’t kill me” and begging me to put up the knife and not to hurt him. Assuring him I had no intention of hurting him I spoke with him a little. Found he had a family in Georgia, that he was badly wounded and was anxious to have me remain with him and help him off. But found I was growing weaker from loss of blood and that the surging to and fro the troops about us made it a dangerous place so limping and crawling was obliged to leave him and move for the rear. Soon came across some men detailed to look out for the wounded who placed me in a blanket and took me to the rear to the surgeon. The place where the wounded were brought was near a cottage, near which had been the battle- ground of the forenoon. Was fortunate enough to be placed upon a straw bed in the garden just outside the house and had my wound promptly dressed. The cottage had a memento of the fight in the shape of a hole through its roof made by a cannon ball. The fighting continued till late in the evening, our regiment losing but a few wounded among them our colonel lost his left arm and George E. Whiting of our company one of his feet. He bore the amputation manfully. The house and outbuildings and the ground adjoining them were filled and covered with wounded rebel and union mingled, all being cared for as best they could be, many moaning piteously throughout the night or until death put an end to their sufferings. Friend Sabin R. Baker of our company took care of us of the regiment doing what he could and adding much to our comfort amid the confusion and suffering existing about." http://www.civilwardiary.net/

These are wonderful, and upsetting, all at the same time. And the colourized (?) footage is astonishing.

@Phorumities -- I want to be constructive about this. If you really do want to contribute to this thread, why don't you search out some diary or journal entries (in text or video form) written by Confederate soldiers, and excerpt them here? See for instance the posts by Skell and Innula above. That would do much to humanize them, to give us some insight into who they were, as individuals. It would make it much easier to mourn their loss if we knew more about them. That would be a contribution that is interesting, instructive, and entirely in keeping with the spirit of this thread.

You're really kind of hellbent and determined to start a fire here, aren't you? Please stop baiting Luna and Love. No one here has suggested restrictions on who gets memorialized. How they get memorialized, and the function of the statues that you mention, is quite another issue, and has nothing to do with what we've been discussing here. In fact, it deserves its own thread: why don't you start one?

I love the hair!!! (Also the jeans.)

A friend put me on to collabor88 last night. As it turned out, the items he thought I'd like (and I did) weren't available in (for me) the right sizes and appliers, but I did find this kind of funky 70s thing by Fashionably Dead. Probably about right for hanging out at the coffeehouse and listening to Joni Mitchell sing?