Writers are Forged in Injustice

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» The Effect that Injustice has On You

I find it interesting that Hemingway clarifies what he means by writers being 'forged in injustice' when he adds » "as a sword is forged."

Many different things are forged, but he chose the sword. A sword is a weapon.

A sword is forged by heating iron and coal in a furnace to produce carbon steel. This steel is then hammered into a blade. The final polishing probably feels good by comparison.

Sometimes I feel like this. I feel like my ass has been roasted in an oven for a long time and then hammered repeatedly.

The thing is that .. once you have actually lived through and survived this roasting and hammering ..

.. now you can actually speak to this thing, to this situation or circumstance .. because you have already been through it. You have lived through it.

And you have gleaned the insights that come only from firsthand experience. Is someone who has never experienced such a thing going to tell you what such an experience feels like? I think not.

I could easily start to sound like a nut-case right here .. but I somehow feel that you know what I am talking about.

I am talking here about writers and the forging of swords (using very high heat and repeated hammering) and the effect that injustice has on you.

» Something Mentally Wrong with Kanye

That was not cool when Kanye snatched the mic away from you during your speech. Not cool at all.

I think that there is something mentally wrong with Kanye .. mentally or emotionally. Or psychologically.

Something about him seems broken .. thought I am not sure what it is.

I am not the first to suggest that he has real mental problems. Whatever meds he is on, he really needs them.

» Obama's Dis is the Reason Why Kanye Loves Trump

Loni says that Obama's dis, after the incident where he snatched away the microphone from you, is the reason why Kanye loves Trump.

See here (at t=1:25), where she says:

Kanye, at first, he was saying, "George Bush dont like black people." Remember that? Then Obama became president. Then Kanye took the award (microphone) out of Taylor Swift's hand. Because he did that, President Obama called Kanye a jackass. Because of that, Kanye was never in with the Obama crowd. This is my opinion from what I see. I think now that Trump is in office, and Trump was his past friend, he thinks that this is his time to ride with somebody.

That is an interesting perspective. I never thought of that. But it does make sense.

» Kanye Should Stick to the Music

Here is Pete Davidson speaking (7 Oct 2018) on Kanye's bizarre Trump rant at the end of the SNL season opener last week.

He is telling Kanye to stick to the music .. because he sounds crazy when he starts talking politics.

He is telling him, "Take the meds. You really need them, Kanye."

I have been taking some meds myself .. the last couple of months.

I remember a recent thing that would normally produce a degree of anxiety .. where I thought, "I dont think I could feel anxiety if I tried."

Some days I feel more medicated than others.

There is a stigma associated with psychological problems that makes some people adopt a denial mindset.

But there should be no shame. Mother's little helper.

» The Seventh Sign of the Apocalypse

Here is an interesting piece titled » I Loved Kanye West and Hated Taylor Swift. Then 2018 Happened. Subtitled » Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would ever side with Swifties (11 Oct 2018).

Here's a piece from the LA Times (11 Oct 2018) that says:

The seventh sign of the apocalypse has arrived. It's a triangulation of illogical events that would give the "Twilight Zone's" Rod Sterling reason to pause: an urban rapper shilling for David Duke's party of choice while a country-rooted pop star advises Middle America to vote blue.

Talk about the revaluation of values.

» Giving Birth to Writing vs the Romantic Idea of Being a Writer

I saw this 5-min video done by School of Life titled » Why so Many People Want to be Writers (31 May 2018).

I normally enjoy these School of Life videos, but I thought this title was stupid. I mean, I dont know many people, personally, who want to be writers. I am talking about real, no-shit writers. (I know of only two.)

And even the two that I know of are drawn more by the IDEA of being a writer .. the romantic concept of it .. than by being a real, no-shit writer.

It's a very costly thing .. this writing thing. You must give birth to your writing. It is soul-wrenching thing.

If somebody really wants to be a no-shit writer, let them walk a mile in Cormac McCarthy's shoes. We'll see how much they really want it.

I think that I am feeling a thing with you here. I may have to lift out this section on writers .. and transfer it to its own page. Because the subject is so different. [ Done 9 June 2018. ]

» The Thing that Really Transforms the Writer

While injustice may indeed be the thing that forges a writer .. I differ with Hemingway and feel that Dostoevsky was "made" a writer by facing the firing squad (mock execution) more than he was by being sent to Siberia.

Facing your own mortality, up close and personal .. this is the thing that kicks you over into an existential mind-set .. because your very existence is threatened. This is the thing that causes you to see life and the world differently .. in more starkly realistic terms.

Selena knows what I am talking about. (I hope you said hi for me.)

It changes your whole outlook and perspective on life, and what is important (priorities) to such a degree that you can never go back to your old ways of thinking and perceiving and valuing.

» Up In the Air Already

Speaking of writing from a transformed perspective .. what do you think, Tay, about the four pages that I wrote regarding Kanye?

1. More at Stake than Selling Albums (23 April 2018).
2. Feeling Betrayed by Kanye (25 April 2018).
3. A Strikingly Ignorant Thing to Say (01 May 2018).
4. What is this Unrecognizable Thing that Kanye has Morphed Into? (07 May 2018)

I certainly wasnt planning to write those pages.

Can you see how the writing I was doing to you before .. about the mic-snatch moment .. set me in position to address and speak to these strikingly absurd statements from Kanye?

» A Bird of Prey Up in the Air Already

In Ariana's video » God is a Woman (13 July 2018) she has this screaming varmint appear out of nowhere. All the reaction videos have people saying, "WTF?"

I dont think that it registers upon them .. the sound of a bird-of-prey up in the air already.

This is why the mangy varmint is screaming so loudly and obnoxiously .. because he knows that his ass is about to be had.

This is like our own little secret thing .. that nobody else knows about.

» What Does that Even Mean?

Along the lines of being "made" as a writer, I remember reading about Dostoevsky .. that he was » "one of a handful of thinkers who helped forge the modern sensibility" .. and wondering, "What does that even mean?" .. forging the modern sensibility.

I was talking to Ariana about this.

» Kendrick Gets a Pulitzer

What do you think of Kendrick winning the Pulitzer?

Recording released on April 14, 2017, a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.

You cannot talk about the complexity of modern life for the black man in America .. without talking about injustice.

I bet that Paul Bloomfield knows what I am talking about.

This thing that Meek Mill does here (26 Nov 2018) .. this is remarkable. Which is why I am mentioning it here .. where I address the injustices visited upon the black man in society.

I love the way he speaks so plainly. He is breaking it down for you .. so that you dont misundersand him.

He speaks from experience .. firsthand experience. More than he would ever wish for.

» I See Where this Thing is Going

Speaking of Kendrick and the injustice visited upon the black man in America .. ask him, next time you see him ..

.. ask him what he thinks about the passage where I use the sentence » "I see where you are going with this thing."

This was part of an inner dialogue where I was talking to my inner writer.

I am also curious about what he thinks about this.

» Have You Completely Lost Your Mind?

More than once, the voice in my head has said, "Dude, you are writing to Taylor fucking Swift .. have you completely lost your mind?"

Sometimes I think about crazy shit .. things that you cannot really share with very many people. But I somehow feel that you are able to feel me here .. with some of these more esoteric types of topics.

I can certainly see that you are ready for it.

Few dudes possess the huevos rancheros necessary to hang with a secure, confident, competent, powerful, ass-kicking woman. Their 'nads shrivel right up.

What has been your experience along these lines?

» Real Men Send Paragraphs

I noticed that Iggy says here (at t=0:45) "A real man sends paragraphs." She actually let out a little hoot .. to express her sense of delight at receiving an entire paragraph.

Have you seen her new video? .. which is racking up a large number of views. I could write a paragraph about that. Though I probably wouldnt stop at just a paragraph.

Can't say that I really understand it .. but my experience has been that girls really like it when a guy is able to put things into words for them.

And dont think I havent tried .. to understand it.

» Not as Easy as I Make it Look

What do you think about what Katy Perry said here » "You think you signed up for one thing, but you automatically sign up for a hundred others. And that is why you see people shaving their fucking heads."

» The Olive Branch on Opening Night

I saw that olive branch she sent you for opening night of your Reputation tour (8 May 2018).

That was cool .. very cool. That's not easy to do.

Outstanding timing. You can feel the good intentions behind it. I am impressed.

Say hi to her for me .. next time you talk to her. We go way back .. all the way to Page Three.

More than any other artist at One Love .. she impressed me.

And I am not even a big Katy Perry fan.

» Pattern Matching

While I have you, Tay .. I want to ask you about this pattern that you are wearing here.

Do you think that your pattern matches the one I chose here? Red and black with shades-of-gray. Probably just a coincidence.

» Shades-of-Gray at Play within Socio-Erotic Power-Dynamics

Speaking of shades of gray .. I am familiar with the subtle nuances between the various shades of gray.

During my time studying the differences between the lighter shades and the dark shades .. I was repeatedly assured that I had much promise and potential ..

.. if only a skilled and devoted practitioner would take the time necessary to help hone my rudimentary potentials into something more erotic.

» I Want to Know All the Dirt on Jake (Babe)

And dont let me forget to ask you about Jake. I want to know all the dirt. All the juicy stuff.

He is an impressive actor .. and he goes after the challenging roles. How can you not admire someone like that .. who goes for the gusto?

I was just writing about something that his sister had said .. which struck me. There were actually a number of things that she said .. that struck me.

She is an interesting girl .. and she knows it.

Oh, I just noticed that both Jake and his sister went to Columbia. (Just like Katie Holmes.)

When I saw you featured in this new Sugarland video titled » Babe (9 June 2018) .. I knew I would have to respond.

I am not really sure yet how I am going respond .. but I can see that I will.

Sometimes we have to do things that we would rather not. Sometimes we have no choice.

» The More Years Between You, the More Difficult it is to Make it Work

There are nine years between you two. That is a lot of difference. The years have a lot of effect on you. I would've been surprised if you were able to make it work with such a large age difference.

I have dated girls with such an age difference. You can feel the chasm of the years (of experience) between you.

The church-singer girl was one such example. You can see them operating in and moving in things that you have long outgrown.It smacks of childishness .. because I had long outgrown such (seemingly high-schoolish) behavior.

I tried to bring her up to speed, but it was just not possible. It was too many years for her to make up for. Too many experiences that were very different.

Her mom actually got me better than her daughter did. Her mom was trying to coach her in the right direction with me .. but she was simply not able to go there. And I could totally understand why.

» I've Already Been Through All that Stuff

Back when the Dog was at Columbia, after first spending six years in the military, I asked him about his super-smart Ivy League classmates, and whether he was hanging out with them.

I remember him telling me, "I've already been through all the stuff that these kids are going through."

He said that he was hanging out more with actors in the City than his younger classmates .. because he had more in common with the actors.

Speaking of actors, I see that you are dating a British actor. He is your age, but there are also challenges that arise due to the differences in the cultures that you grow up in.

You might do something that you view as harmless, but which his culture might deem offensive. And vice versa.

This is why clear lines of communication are important in cross-cultural relationships .. what works for you, and what doesnt work for you.

Different cultures bring different expectations and different norms and even different values.

Even people who grew up in different parts of the same country face some of these same challenges .. so growing up in different countries is going to be even more challenging.

I bet that Prince Harry and Meghan (now the Duchess of Sussex) know exactly what I am talking about.

Myself, I am intrigued by the way that different cultures view the world (and why).

Speaking of lovers from different cultures and different countries .. I think that I saw your squeeze in this trailer (t=1:50) for Operation Finale.

Wow, that looks good. Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) wrote Eichmann in Jerusalem (1963). [ At Amazon. ]

She also wrote the book on Totalitarianism (1951) .. which suddenly becomes relevant again with Trump.

» Say Hi to Camila for Me

I see that you are on tour with Camila. Please say hi for me and give her my best. We go back a ways.

» Newport, Rhode Island

You know, Tay .. I read somewhere, or heard somewhere, that you live in Newport, Rhode Island.

Newport is one of my favorite places on the planet. I remember feeling very much at home there .. comfortable, relaxed and in my element.

Newport has a very masculine feel to it .. with its rugged, weather-battered coastline. I did the tourist thing while I was there, and toured a number of the mansions.

I normally avoid these touristy types of things, but I genuinely enjoyed these tours .. and it helped my imagination when I was reading Gatsby, which is set in the life of the hyper-wealthy.

Though I am much more familiar with the Newport Beach that is on the Left coast. Lauren knows the place I am talking about. Kobe knows the place I am talking about.

» One Degree of Separation

I saw that you invited Kobe to one of your shows .. which I think was at the Staples Center. That was cool. Everybody likes Kobe. (This gives us 1-degree of separation.)

Did you see that he won an Oscar this year?

Good for him. You could see how stoked he was to win that statue.

» Let the Games Begin Reputation Tour Intro

I love the intro for your Reputation tour. It made me smile. "Baby, let the games begin."

I love the way the energy builds. Once they start hearing that heavy boom .. then they know that the shit about to get real in a hurry.

Which begs the question » "Are they ready for it?"

Oh, I just saw this. That was very cool .. how your stage is assembled. That kind of thing gives me a total boner .. so to speak.

» Briana Goes to the Rose Bowl

Speaking of people being ready for it .. have you seen this vlog with Briana .. who went to see you at the Rose Bowl?

Murrieta is not far from here. It's right up the road. Which is why I chose this particular vlog. Plus, she is so dang cute that you can hardly stand it.

This is the end of this page. ■

This theme continues here » Taylor's First Steps into the Political Pond Signal the Approaching Apocalypse (11 Oct 2018).

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