05 September 2007

this great Kingdom.

ahem.

When the sexes differ in more important structures, it is the male which is provided with special sense-organs for discovering the female, with locomotive organs for reaching her, and often with prehensile organs for holding her.

why, charles, stop it! you'll make me blush.

8 comments:

Frank Charlemagne said...

He should give awards.

From my readings of the evening:

We are not sufficiently sensible to the benefits that would accrue to society if the half of Mankind [1] which governs the other were given a better education.

[1] He means the girl half.

Frank Charlemagne said...

Incidentally, today's band name?

Locomotive Organs.

Lindsay: said...

rousseau?

Anonymous said...

My band name for today is Disintegrating Sphenoid. And my readings for the day WOULD make you blush, but only because it was a trashy novel. :)
Miss you.

furious_rose said...

i like the new colors/layout. glad i got to see you why you were in town with band boys this past weekend. just wanted to say as such.

Frank Charlemagne said...

Rousseau, indeed, who continues in a similar vein:

Men will always be what it pleases women that they be: so that if you want them to become great and virtuous, teach women what greatness of soul and virtue is.

Thank goodness THAT never caught on....

[validation word: wtwha?]

Lindsay: said...

so, uhm, does greatness of soul and virtue (according to Man) not include getting drunk and taking your pants off at parties?

or making out with strangers at the mall (not that i've ever done that)?

or like, bringing home eight boys from the theatre in one night?

get rousseau on the line; i think we've got some mix ups.

Frank Charlemagne said...

No no no, I read that differently (with benefit of context).

He's saying that if women wanted their men with greatness of soul, if they were looking for that in guys, we'd have more greatly-souled guys.

He seems to feel that the issue is that since women aren't taught [1] what greatness is, they don't expect it. Thus the planet gets none of the greatness from the boys, 'cause we're all out trying to give the chicas what they do expect.

It ain't about how you act, it's about what you want. So be virtuous however you like, but be sure to want boys that help the planet.

[1] Or weren't taught; times, in theory, have changed. If I understand correctly, however, simply educating women has not improved men much at all. [2]

[2] I am now including footnotes in blog comments; reading Rousseau has, to that extent, destroyed me.