I recently read People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck, a book which discusses the link between psychology and evil. The author identifies the root of human evil as narcissism and the absolute horror of others finding out one is not perfect, so one has to constantly maintain the lie and in so doing, harm those around them. The ones around them, especially
their dependents, are only so many objects to be used. It's very similar to psychopathy. The 'evil' appear to be normal and can function very well in society, but are unable to really perceive others as being important. Only their wants, their needs, matter. They are their own universe. (And it's a cold, dead one, too.)
While reading, I was reminded strongly of Vennavora from A Billion Days of Earth gasping, "My unconquerable will!" The human "gods" were all narcissists, weren't they...I hadn't really understood why Sheen was trying to "eat" them until now, or why the Earth cast them out. He/the Earth was trying to re-establish contact between them and their world.
Their massive egos, bigger than their big human rears (which DP pokes fun at), were insulating them from actual life. The adamant "I will" excludes all possibility of growth...they were just big infants, demanding without giving. All the envy that the rat-humans had for them should have evaporated right then and there.
My old point of view was: "If Earth's first children, the humans-turned-Gods, couldn't grow up and leave the nest, why is she bothering to raise kids? Kind of selfish if you ask me...and Sheen is Satan?! Wha-?" but I believe I get that segment now.
All right! [More substantive comments to follow]. Unfortunately you got a double-post. This has come up before--where I see the red ink as [2 posts] rather than one and the post is repeated on the page. Two possible reasons: You hit the "post now" button again while your post was still loading, or there's a bug. Could you try posting again, so we can nail it early? "Testing 123"--or whatever--is fine.
Here's what I did to cause the latest incident of double-post, written up in my best SEGA-trained bug reporting style...
On the weblog page, if the user selects "post," the posting screen appears. If the user types a post and selects "preview" from the drop-down menu, and clicks the Post button, a post is added to the weblog, entitled PREVIEW. If the user then clicks the browser's Back button, selects "post now," and clicks the Post button, the post appears twice.
Suggestion: Remove the Preview option from the posting screen, or at least reduce its functionality so that it does not post to the weblog.
That makes sense. The way we've been avoiding that happening, and I should have mentioned it, is not to use the back button in the editing process. After previewing the post--which isn't actually posted to the weblog; when the text is green it's invisible to everyone but you--you click [edit] rather than use the back button. Make your changes, then select "regular post" from the drop-down menu. When you click the Post button, the text is updated and becomes visible on your page. I'll point out this thread to Jim, he might be able to explain the whys and wherefores better. He appreciates feedback on the system.
I'm watching.
I didn't get the double post in the first place. In fact, I got no mention of new post. Hmmm.
When you see a double post when you click through on the [x new posts] link from the front page, it's not really a double post. I know that's confusing. I mean it's not really a double post in the sense that an anonymous surfer would not see it doubled. Or more technically, there aren't two identical posts in the database. It just appears that way to you because somehow the post got added twice to the list of your unread posts. This happens sometimes in the editing process.
In any case, this has all been rewritten in the new system to avoid this problem. So I'm not going to worry about it here until the new software is in place. I'm planning on switching over this weekend.
I'd say don't worry about this little problem too much. The data is stable underneath. Outside viewers don't see any problem. And even for members the doubling (when it occasionally happens) isn't real (it doesn't stay doubled in the archive, for instance.)
Excellent bug report by the way. Welcome.
Returning to the subject at hand, I agree with your diagnosis of the Gods but I'm not sure I agree that Earth "cast them out," or that Sheen is any kind of Earth spirit other than an aberrant or malevolent one. He wants to do the same thing to the Gods that he does to the rat-men, dog-men, and the rest of Earth's species: eat them and dominate them. I see the book's main characters as trapped between a rock and a soft place: the silver being who's eating everything, and the Gods--evolved humans--who are, as you say, worthless narcissists. From the beginning, they have cast themselves out (of Earth's affairs) and when they leave Earth for Andromeda at the end, it's because they're afraid of Sheen, unlike some of the supposedly-lesser-evolved characters who stand up to him. I tend to read the book in terms of DP's agnosticism--she admits the presence of evil but suggests we have no one to lean on but ourselves to combat it. Of course, this interpretation could be wrong: for someone who professes no religion her books are full of religion.
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I recently read People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck, a book which discusses the link between psychology and evil. The author identifies the root of human evil as narcissism and the absolute horror of others finding out one is not perfect, so one has to constantly maintain the lie and in so doing, harm those around them. The ones around them, especially
their dependents, are only so many objects to be used. It's very similar to psychopathy. The 'evil' appear to be normal and can function very well in society, but are unable to really perceive others as being important. Only their wants, their needs, matter. They are their own universe. (And it's a cold, dead one, too.)
While reading, I was reminded strongly of Vennavora from A Billion Days of Earth gasping, "My unconquerable will!" The human "gods" were all narcissists, weren't they...I hadn't really understood why Sheen was trying to "eat" them until now, or why the Earth cast them out. He/the Earth was trying to re-establish contact between them and their world.
Their massive egos, bigger than their big human rears (which DP pokes fun at), were insulating them from actual life. The adamant "I will" excludes all possibility of growth...they were just big infants, demanding without giving. All the envy that the rat-humans had for them should have evaporated right then and there.
My old point of view was: "If Earth's first children, the humans-turned-Gods, couldn't grow up and leave the nest, why is she bothering to raise kids? Kind of selfish if you ask me...and Sheen is Satan?! Wha-?" but I believe I get that segment now.
- Joanna 3-27-2002 2:31 am
All right! [More substantive comments to follow]. Unfortunately you got a double-post. This has come up before--where I see the red ink as [2 posts] rather than one and the post is repeated on the page. Two possible reasons: You hit the "post now" button again while your post was still loading, or there's a bug. Could you try posting again, so we can nail it early? "Testing 123"--or whatever--is fine.
- tom moody 3-27-2002 3:30 am [add a comment]
Here's what I did to cause the latest incident of double-post, written up in my best SEGA-trained bug reporting style...
On the weblog page, if the user selects "post," the posting screen appears. If the user types a post and selects "preview" from the drop-down menu, and clicks the Post button, a post is added to the weblog, entitled PREVIEW. If the user then clicks the browser's Back button, selects "post now," and clicks the Post button, the post appears twice.
Suggestion: Remove the Preview option from the posting screen, or at least reduce its functionality so that it does not post to the weblog.
- Joanna 3-27-2002 8:01 am [add a comment]
That makes sense. The way we've been avoiding that happening, and I should have mentioned it, is not to use the back button in the editing process. After previewing the post--which isn't actually posted to the weblog; when the text is green it's invisible to everyone but you--you click [edit] rather than use the back button. Make your changes, then select "regular post" from the drop-down menu. When you click the Post button, the text is updated and becomes visible on your page. I'll point out this thread to Jim, he might be able to explain the whys and wherefores better. He appreciates feedback on the system.
- tom moody 3-27-2002 9:09 am [add a comment]
I'm watching.
I didn't get the double post in the first place. In fact, I got no mention of new post. Hmmm.
When you see a double post when you click through on the [x new posts] link from the front page, it's not really a double post. I know that's confusing. I mean it's not really a double post in the sense that an anonymous surfer would not see it doubled. Or more technically, there aren't two identical posts in the database. It just appears that way to you because somehow the post got added twice to the list of your unread posts. This happens sometimes in the editing process.
In any case, this has all been rewritten in the new system to avoid this problem. So I'm not going to worry about it here until the new software is in place. I'm planning on switching over this weekend.
I'd say don't worry about this little problem too much. The data is stable underneath. Outside viewers don't see any problem. And even for members the doubling (when it occasionally happens) isn't real (it doesn't stay doubled in the archive, for instance.)
Excellent bug report by the way. Welcome.
- jim 3-27-2002 2:40 pm [add a comment]
Returning to the subject at hand, I agree with your diagnosis of the Gods but I'm not sure I agree that Earth "cast them out," or that Sheen is any kind of Earth spirit other than an aberrant or malevolent one. He wants to do the same thing to the Gods that he does to the rat-men, dog-men, and the rest of Earth's species: eat them and dominate them. I see the book's main characters as trapped between a rock and a soft place: the silver being who's eating everything, and the Gods--evolved humans--who are, as you say, worthless narcissists. From the beginning, they have cast themselves out (of Earth's affairs) and when they leave Earth for Andromeda at the end, it's because they're afraid of Sheen, unlike some of the supposedly-lesser-evolved characters who stand up to him. I tend to read the book in terms of DP's agnosticism--she admits the presence of evil but suggests we have no one to lean on but ourselves to combat it. Of course, this interpretation could be wrong: for someone who professes no religion her books are full of religion.
- tom moody 3-27-2002 4:52 pm [add a comment]