Another Interview.

This one from the lovely (for REAL, she has a picture!!) Nanette at Underachieving Mommy.

Her blog is thoughtful and well written, with stimulating and interesting topics. Certainly not what you are used to reading here.

She was kind enough to give me questions...four of the regulars with a "zinger" for me.

Thank you, Nanette. My place gets a little more class for you having been here.

As always...for an interview read the "meme" and ask me to interview you in the comments! I'd be honored.

1. You are given the choice between:
   a)Having one question--i.e. What is the origin of life?--of your choice answered with absolute certainty.
   b)Receiving a briefcase with One Million Dollars.
   Knowledge or Money?

The Money. No problem. I can live with the ambiguity of life’s origin…actually I prefer it that way. You talked about exploring religions and spirituality and I’m not atheist, I’m not religious (recovering Catholic) but I am spiritual. I belive the life force is in here somewhere.

So gimme the dough. Please (it will make #3 easier).

2. What characteristics(of others) do you absolutely despise?

Arrogance and hypocrisy (which is odd I know coming from an admitted hypocrite) in public office. Those that say they know best for everyone then create disaster upon disaster. Those that perpetrate misery and suffering upon literally millions of people in the name of some moral code that SPECIFICALLY prohibits that kind perpetration. Those that say they represent the public trust then line their pockets and those of their cronies, callously putting innocents in harms way.

3. If you were were told tomorrow you had to choose between the following:

a)You only have one year left to live.
b)You can live for 50 more years in good health if you totally abandon all family and friends--no email, no phone, no visits, nada. Assume you could start a new life in a location of your choice.
Which would you choose and how would you live out the remainder of your days?

I would take “A”. “B” isn’t even close. I would spend my time, and the money from #1 with my S4O, my kids and grandkids and my great friends. Hanging out, traveling and making music. Then I would gladly slough off this mortal coil.

4. If you had to choose between losing your vision or losing your hearing, which would you choose and why?

Vision. I have GOT to be able to hear. Music is my one true overriding passion and comfort and avocation and everything else to me. And equally important...hearing what people say and how they say it, hearing the music in voices…I’d miss my sight terribly (see #5), but I’d miss hearing more.

5. Do you think pornography is degrading to women? Why or why not?

Short answer…No.

Longer answer…compared to the number of women populating the earth, those that work in the sex industry are an infinitesimal percentage. The publicity that the sex image industry receives is absurdly out of proportion simply because it’s easy to point to pictures of naked women and men and say that no moral person could, should or would take their clothes off and fuck in public. And LOOK…they are so bad. And they MUST have been forced to do these awful things. And that’s BAD, too. So YOU are bad for looking at it. And our society is BAD for allowing it and women (and men?) who participate are being degraded by thier participation.

But what about laws restricting women’s rights to choose whether to have a baby or not? Or whether to even get contraception? Or a decent, fair living wage? How is THAT not degrading? Or affordable child care? Or protection from battering spouses or family members? Or protection against rapists? Or protection against harassment in the workplace or in society…and these are just a few of the issues confronting women in THIS country. Do we need to get into things like rape as a weapon in civil conflicts, or ethnic cleansing, or women and children as property with no rights. This stuff effects almost EVERY woman alive almost EVERY SINGLE DAY, and yet I see no moralistic hue and cry over THESE issues. In fact…progressive people usually have to fight tooth and nail to make even the slightest incremental progress.

I suppose I could be accused of arguing “moral equivalence” here, and I tip my hat to the point that porn can be considered part and parcel of an entire "degradation of women" problem; but I would argue that a society that has places and ways for pornography…by that I mean a way for images of nudity and sexual acts between consenting adults (child porn specifically excluded)…to exist and be seen for what they are, and seen by those of an appropriate age to understand what they are looking at, can actually serve as a way to counter the degradation and exploitation of women.

Please don’t feel I am considering you a moralist for asking the question. It is a fair and real question for this and any other time.

And thanks again ms. Nanette!