Lists that Make a Man With Qualities of Life Out of Me

These organization men want the honest intellectual to expose himself for them, but as soon as they only remotely fear having to expose themselves, they see him as a capitalist, and the same honesty on which they were speculating, as ridiculous sentimentality and stupidity.
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Normality is death.

Theodor Adorno Minima Moralia


Two kinds of normality. In the tumble of these temperate/icy days, all my attempts to cut costs floundering in an inexplicable heating bill, the continuous struggle to even communicate an honest feeling, to make it carry some semblance of the feeling that inspired it, all I can do is go back over these lists. The first is from a former student of mine. Here are the classic definitions of what it is to be a man:

adventurer: brave and courageous
the best, #1 : "I can't" is not acceptable
breadwinner : cash, not nurturance
control : control your job, your emotions, your woman
hurdles : pass all the tests of manhood
money : a man is judged by how much money he makes and the status of his job
playboy : sexually aggressive, muscular, attractive
president : always pursue power and status
self-reliant : never ask for help
sports : enjoy the thrill of victory, and always compete
superman: be perfect
tough guy : show no emotions
warrior : take death-defying risks
work ethic: work for a living, do not take handouts

List #2: A list of social indices that determine your quality-of-life level--

1. an absence of sexism and racism
2. an absence of age-ism
3. cultural diversity
4. health
5. access to open spaces
6. adequate nutrition
7. regular physical activity
8. level of literacy
9. periodic holidays
10. quality of your environment
11. adequate income levels
12. a long life span
13. leisure in abundance
14. opportunity for travel
15. educational opportunities
16. novelty
17. freedom of movement
18. employment
19. enjoyment of basic rights.

and to complete today's randomness:
those days that fall outside of the calendar are the epagomenal ones.

And don't forget the brand new Endocrinology poetry plus! open-mic reading series at Sugar City, Feb. 19, 7:00 p.m. $3 donation. Look for flyers in Buffalo, and a myspace page in cyberspace SOON!

Have an epagomenal day.


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