there's nothin' wrong with the capitalism if it gives me Sprite

[kleenexwoman]

I rock. I got metaquoted and quoted on mock_the_stupid all in one day. I should be interesting more often, it makes me new friends. Hi! I’m mostly too lazy to leave individual comments, but if you’re reading this you probably added me, and so I added you back. ‘Sup.

Went to Poetry Collective last night, brought Every Friday for them to red-pen. Very few changes were suggested--the main criticism was for the last two lines of the first stanza and that I might want to delete "He’s gone./Ginger chicken and your love/will not suffice to pull him back." Tried reading it without--the deletion of those lines make the poem a little creepier than I’d originally meant it to be. Am wavering.
The general verdict was that it was a neat poem and that the bit about the rats was subtle. And also, Lew: Aaron (who tends to write poems that are the thematic and tonal equivalent of Casey’s skullfucking stories) thinks your name is awesome. I promised him I’d tell you, so...
I’ve also started cmu_poetry for the Poetry Collective. This is going to go along with cmu_writers for the Fiction Collective, as well as the plot_exchange, which doesn’t seem to be working out (but I still think it was a good idea). Here’s how the poetry journal will work: We’ve got open posting, so anyone who feels like it can post a poem (preferably before each Wednesday), and receive constructive criticism. You don’t have to go to CMU or live in Mt. Pleasant or even live in Michigan. The world needs more poetry.

Have also just come back from classes, which, considered collectively, make my head spin. The problem with having “Anthropology: Hispanic Studies”, “Sociology: Liberalism, Socialism, and Facism”, “Intro to Logic”, and “Behavioral Economics” is that almost half of what each professor says in their class is going to blatantly contradict something very important that at least two other profs in two other classes have said. (Music Appreciation doesn’t do that; polyphonics and rhythm are nice and non-controversial. :pets Music Appreciation:)
My Econ prof is very much for the free market, and likes to demonstrate to us how well it works by making us pretend to sell apples. One of the things he likes to talk about is how a free market isn’t always fair, but it’s the best possible economic system because it encourages liquidity of assets. Which is in semidirect contrast to my terribly charismatic Soc prof, who thinks that Cuba’s a great place because everyone has somewhere to live, even if where they live is a rathole and personal wealth is highly discouraged. (He says it smoothes out the differences.) And then of course my Anthro prof has to tell us about how Miami is such a Hispanic city because of the influx of immigrants from Cuba who hate Castro.
And Logic isn’t helping me any here. I can see both sides of the argument, but then I’m supposed to make a value judgment, and Logic isn’t really concerned with that particular type of value. It is, however, marvelous for determining that cats are not dogs, even though both are mammals. Which I did not know and is indeed a major revelation.
I suppose the question would be whether fairness is better than freedom—but right now I seem to be mixing up economic freedom with intellectual freedom. Do they really have anything to do with each other? Ayn Rand (blech, blech, blech) and P.J. O’Rourke say yes. I can’t cite any authorities that specifically disagree, but I’m sure there’s a very good counterargument somewhere. Links would be appreciated, people.

I did win at Econ today, though. Last class, the free-market experiment involved government taxes. I was lucky, for when it was my turn to be a Supplier, I got a Seller Cost of $3, and when I was a Buyer I got a Buyer Value of $25, and I didn’t have to pay the 10% tax either time. Lowest one in the class. So I bought low and sold high, and I made $64 profit. Today, I got a can of lukewarm Sprite (which I appreciated deeply) and a certificate. Here is what the certificate says:

Congratulations
RACHEL WEISSERMAN
For coldly calculating the impact of the government’s decision to tax apple sales
(insert picture of striped hand holding a dollar bill here)
and prospering in the turmoil created by a changing taxation environment. Your wallet is fatter because of your diligence.

Bow before my propensity to make pretend money (no Jew jokes please, Brian). Who’s the John Galt? I’m the John Galt! High-five.

Comments

[kleenexwoman.livejournal.com]

Somewhere, I have a Magic Markered T-shirt that says "John Galt is the walrus."

Guess that answers that once and for all.

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

Bow before my propensity to make pretend money (no Jew jokes please, Brian).

I'm not Brian, so I consider myself exempt.

I'm Scottish. I throw myself and my heritage up against my (Jewish) boyfriend's alleged proclivities on a regular basis.

Ummmmmm. I don't have any Jew jokes to make here, I just wanted to say my piece.

[kleenexwoman.livejournal.com]

S'cool. Not sure what the Scottish stereotype is besides...er...kilts?

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

The primary Scottish stereotype is that we're frugal cheap. The difficult to understand, kilt-wearin', golf-club-swingin' images are also all there, but we're known for being cheap.

[thatnoise.livejournal.com]

What's faster than a speeding bullet?

A Jew with a coupon.

[kleenexwoman.livejournal.com]

Dammit, I said no Jew jokes.

The Jew's greatest dilemna: Free pork.