What do you assign to Mordor?

[Diane C]

I assign Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Visual Studio 2008 - all useless and full of bugs and bloatware. Even Sauron himself would probably dispair after a while

[Lindale]

Originally Posted by Diane C

I assign Windows Vista

Gee, Diane, you make a user of Windows XP 2003 feel quite good.

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by Lindale

Throw in Daddy Karl (Marx) as well. And all those intellectuals, who are the cause of my pain.

I can second that, Lindale. I also assign Marxist professors who give you a failing grade on a paper just because you disagree with Marxism and are promoting the designs of Capatolism! I assign teachers who indoctrinate you instead of teaching you!

All the universities in this nation stink! The only good colleges left are the Hillsdale College and the military institutes.

[Gollum the Great]

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

I can second that, Lindale. I also assign Marxist professors who give you a failing grade on a paper just because you disagree with Marxism and are promoting the designs of Capatolism! I assign teachers who indoctrinate you instead of teaching you!

All the universities in this nation stink! The only good colleges left are the Hillsdale College and the military institutes.

I agree with the stuff about Marx; but I think you exaggerate Groin, when saying that all the universities are flawed. There are a few (smallish sized ones) which provide a decent education. Though certainly, I wouldn't go to most of the colleges in the U. S.

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Diane C

I assign Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Visual Studio 2008 - all useless and full of bugs and bloatware. Even Sauron himself would probably dispair after a while

That's why I switched to Linux.

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

I can second that, Lindale. I also assign Marxist professors who give you a failing grade on a paper just because you disagree with Marxism and are promoting the designs of Capatolism! I assign teachers who indoctrinate you instead of teaching you!

All the universities in this nation stink! The only good colleges left are the Hillsdale College and the military institutes.

While I do not wish to turn this thread into a political debate, I must say that giving you a failing grade just because you disagree with the teacher sounds pretty unlikely to me. Are you sure it was not because of the fact that you disagreed but the way you disagreed? Say, if you were a teacher and someone wrote a paper strongly criticizing Capitalism without giving (in your opinion) proper reasons for it, would you be tempted to give them a failing grade?

[Diane C]

I would also like to offload commercial terrestrial TV to Mordor!

Gollum doesn't know the depths of torture & misery until he's watched ITV1 for a day, especially Daytime TV

[Lindale]

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

I can second that, Lindale. I also assign Marxist professors who give you a failing grade on a paper just because you disagree with Marxism and are promoting the designs of Capatolism! I assign teachers who indoctrinate you instead of teaching you!

All the universities in this nation stink! The only good colleges left are the Hillsdale College and the military institutes.

I'll take that as the term-paper-hangover, wherein suddenly philosophers and thinkers you love reading about you just suddenly want to toss into the fiery pits of Mordor because you just hafta articulate things and your interpretations on them.

If you are saying that your professors (I assume you're in US or Europe?) indoctrinate you instead of teaching you, try University of the Philippines, Diliman campus (the other campuses are sissies!). A semester would perhaps drive you insane. Our college is notorious for producing the likes of founders-of-Communist-parties and students who would eventually go to the mountains as guerillas against the government, usw. Try googling Jose Ma. Sison, formerly a professor of English. But I also have one professor, and I'm almost tempted to write his name, who does not have a political stance, and it reduced him into a thing-of-the-past, a professor never promoted, despite his good teaching skills and his lifetime ambitions to learn Aramaic (to read the Bible) and to go to the places his heroes Aeneas and Odysseus have been (which I think he already has done).

I for one am not Marxist, but I enjoy reading Marx once in a while. In fact I became so amused with it I actually decided to take German as language elective so that I can read it in its original language.

And now that I've gotten past all my papers and exams, Edward Said and Daddy Karl no longer belong in Mordor! Yay! They'll be back here maybe next semester.

But if you want a Marxist into Mordor, then Althusser. Really large nutcase. I suppose geniuses are all nutcases. Which should relieve me a bit.

[Lindale]

Domestic violence is something assigned to Mordor, no questions asked, no excuses needed. And above all, no traditions blamed--it's tradition for the men to discipline their wives! DV is DV is DV is DV and shall be DV till the end of the world.

[Mithennor]

hear, hear!! I whole-heatedly agree with you

additionally I also assign:

*sorority girls
*gross stupidity (though I might be repeating myself here)
*country music
*Hannah Montana
*My university's president
*Peppers
*my crazy (abusive) ex b/f
*the mechanic who ruined my alternator.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign lit and art theorists and critics.

Because of everything I've ever read (a lot), that which is written by these people is most likely by far to contain untranslated quotes in other languages and alphabets. Seriously, guys? Okay, well, I'm sure that sentence just totally explained everything you've otherwise been trying to tell me, but if you're going to assume your audience speaks/reads English, what with the fact that you're writing your essay or book in English, then WHY are you including untranslated fragments of French and Greek? Because 'it loses something in the translation'? Yeah, well, it loses everything in the lack of translation because if you not only don't know what the words mean but can't even figure out what they words are, you're probably not gleaning a whole lot of meaning. *angst*

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by Lindale

I'll take that as the term-paper-hangover, wherein suddenly philosophers and thinkers you love reading about you just suddenly want to toss into the fiery pits of Mordor because you just hafta articulate things and your interpretations on them.

Nay, I don't think it's even necassary to write about Karl Marx in an marketing class! The professor told me to my face that I was "ignorant of the genius of Marx" and that he would not tolerate me writing about a "corrupt" system of marketing! It that's not indoctrination than I would like to know what is.

Yes, you're right Gollum. I was speaking out of frusteration back then and I'm sure that there are lots of great Universities in the America, but private colleges are better.

Originally Posted by Mithennor

*country music

Not all Country Music I hope, just the newer rockier bands.

[Lindale]

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

Nay, I don't think it's even necassary to write about Karl Marx in an marketing class! The professor told me to my face that I was "ignorant of the genius of Marx" and that he would not tolerate me writing about a "corrupt" system of marketing! It that's not indoctrination than I would like to know what is.

One cannot deny the "genius" as your prof put it, of Das Kapital. I'm even taking German so I can read it in its original. Having full or nearly-full knowledge of what Marx theorizes about the system of capitalism is not the same as screaming Revolution! Workers of the world unite! Why, if I did that, I'd be destructing myself, being a very small-time "capitalist" (I manage bazaars every Christmas or whenever an occasion presents itself, which is not a very rare thing). Marx gave a very good theory of economics that rivalled Adam Smith with his theory of the invisible hand and the unpredictability of market forces.

Don't worry Groin. Every single day of my life at UP Diliman, I meet red-heads who keep screaming revolution! but who end up deconstructing themselves anyway. It's not only you who's annoyed at those revolutionaries who in fact just dwell in their darling ivory towers. Yay for sembreak!

[Gollum the Great]

Rock. Anything that has no rhythm or beauty, no worth-while attributes and -when in a generous mood- can best be described as "catching", distracts one from his duty and mocks or plays down upon lawful authority is best for orcs. I can't believe any person with any form of honour would lower himself to listen to that trash.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Gollum the Great

Rock. Anything that has no rhythm or beauty, no worth-while attributes and -when in a generous mood- can best be described as "catching", distracts one from his duty and mocks or plays down upon lawful authority is best for orcs. I can't believe any person with any form of honour would lower himself to listen to that trash.

Hmmm...as far as rock, I wouldn't assign as Mordorion a slap at authority like The Who's 'Won't Get Fooled Again', Dylan's 'Hurricane' or 'Masters of War', Peter Gabriel's 'Biko' or The Clash's 'London Calling' (Mordor is fascistic and despotic by design; ergo, there can be no dissent against authority). Revolt against authority is not Orkish, particularly when authority is often Sauronish itself. As far as rock lacking rhythm, beauty or other attributes, which genre are you referring to, as the term 'rock' encompasses innumerable offshoots and branches?

I would like assign the 2008 Presidential Debates to Mordor. Never have so few said so much about so little. Like the Roman god Janus, the politicians face in opposite directions but are joined at the hip, mutually mouthing specific sound-bytes palatable for their partisan public.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Gollum the Great

Rock. Anything that has no rhythm or beauty, no worth-while attributes and -when in a generous mood- can best be described as "catching", distracts one from his duty and mocks or plays down upon lawful authority is best for orcs. I can't believe any person with any form of honour would lower himself to listen to that trash.

There is great beauty in discordancy (listen to some Drum 'n' Bass or maybe some Stockhausen); the 'catching' rhythm of music is also found in poetry; being distracted is a wonderful thing (Tolkien was completely distracted - he could have been writing academic papers instead of trinkets about Hobbits); and authority must always be mocked in case it gets too full of itself

I'm happy to go to Mordor though, if my record collection must be sent there - I couldn't live without it!

[Diane C]

A one-way ticket for Paris Hilton & Jodie Marsh. I think they'll both fit in to their new surroundings in down-town Mordor.

[Rikae]

Originally Posted by Lindale

Aww, Rune. Maybe after my exam I'll throw Daddy Karl back to Isengard. But not right now. He belongs to Mordor right now. For all his lovely ideas, which I have to study in relation to Said, Bhabba, those people whose names I can't pronounce.

Oh, Bhabha. Did I mention that some of those "works" I was assigned two weeks ago were written by that lovely fellow? To Mordor with him and all his beloved jargon!
I also assign the practice, on the part of politicians, of attempting to show one's alignment with the ordinary 'folks' by invoking the most insulting and shallow set of stereotypes ever gleaned from network TV...

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

I'm happy to go to Mordor though, if my record collection must be sent there - I couldn't live without it!

That was exactly my thought when reading the offending post, and it was the reason I asked GtG exactly which genre was being referred to. Conversely, I'd like to know which form of music GtG feels is 'correct' as far as having attributes worthwhile enough to save it from the slag heaps of Mordor.

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Gollum the Great

Rock. Anything that has no rhythm or beauty, no worth-while attributes and -when in a generous mood- can best be described as "catching", distracts one from his duty and mocks or plays down upon lawful authority is best for orcs. I can't believe any person with any form of honour would lower himself to listen to that trash.

Believe it. I am particularly honorable, and I also listen to rock on a regular basis. It can be done.

I will assume that you have a very specialized definition of rock, because your description of "rock" sounds very little like the music I listen to.

[skip spence]

Yeah, rock belongs in the Shire, although I bet an Orc-band out of Mordor could do decent trash metal if only Sauron would allow them but he wouldn't - Sauron hates rock'n'roll!

Originally Posted by Mithennor

Country music

Country music I assign to the Shire too, but then I mean real country music, not Garth Brooks and his likes who belongs in Mordor together with lawful authority. Stick it up to the man!

Btw, wasn't the pounding, sexually alluring rhythm (and Elvis' pelvic thrusts) the very thing about rock'n'roll that offended 'respectable' people most back in the days?

No rhythm or beauty in rock... *sighs and shakes head*

[Lindale]

Originally Posted by Gollum the Great

Rock. Anything that has no rhythm or beauty, no worth-while attributes and -when in a generous mood- can best be described as "catching", distracts one from his duty and mocks or plays down upon lawful authority is best for orcs. I can't believe any person with any form of honour would lower himself to listen to that trash.

Gollum, please don't tell me you're including Nightwish or anything like that lovely Finnish group with a lovely Swedish singer in your list. Nah, on second thought, it's metal, isn't it? If you do, the most I can do is tell you, don't listen to rock if you don't like it but don't tell anybody else not to listen to it.

Though if you're referring to MCR or its likes, I wouldn't have a problem, but maybe Volo might.

Maybe there are crapheads out there who listen to rock all day and do nothing else but breathe and bang their heads, but there are also decent people who like rock. In my senior year at high school we used some rock songs to discuss sound.

Originally Posted by Rikae

Oh, Bhabha. Did I mention that some of those "works" I was assigned two weeks ago were written by that lovely fellow? To Mordor with him and all his beloved jargon!

My prof did some "dumbing-down" of Bhabha when we discussed it, relating to postcolonial theory eros and fetishism. It was so fun and made a hell lot of sense, I never bothered to read the original text, but I attempted twice.

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by Rikae

I also assign the practice, on the part of politicians, of attempting to show one's alignment with the ordinary 'folks' by invoking the most insulting and shallow set of stereotypes ever gleaned from network TV...

But if they didn't, what would happen then? People always complain that politicians lie, scheme, polish everything up and never tell them the whole truth or gives a straight answer to anything. But if a politician once in a while speaks straight from the heart and gives the people a naked truth the media pounces on it and all hell breaks loose. To Mordor I assign the fact that people in general actually want the kind of politicians they get.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by skip spence

But if they didn't, what would happen then? People always complain that politicians lie, scheme, polish everything up and never tell them the whole truth or gives a straight answer to anything. But if a politician once in a while speaks straight from the heart and gives the people a naked truth the media pounces on it and all hell breaks loose. To Mordor I assign the fact that people in general actually want the kind of politicians they get.

Politicians that cater to the lowest common denominator serve the dining public in shallow bowls.

[Lindale]

Originally Posted by skip spence

But if a politician once in a while speaks straight from the heart and gives the people a naked truth the media pounces on it and all hell breaks loose. To Mordor I assign the fact that people in general actually want the kind of politicians they get.

Oh, would that I see that politician at least once in my lifetime. Though to be fair, I think this guy would be close to that.

[Kath]

Fillings.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Wrongfully assuming your professor wouldn't have papers due two class periods in a row. Realizing your wrong assumption two hours before class... when you haven't even done the reading yet that you're supposed to write about.

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by Kath

Fillings.

I feel your pain.

[Lindale]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

Wrongfully assuming your professor wouldn't have papers due two class periods in a row. Realizing your wrong assumption two hours before class... when you haven't even done the reading yet that you're supposed to write about.

Yeah, that kinda sucks... when that happens, I feel like committing seppuku already, or just plain jumping from the fourth floor of our building. But worse is when it's a major exam, and you had no idea until two hours before the class--that's the exact moment when I want to just meet Morgy in the Void rather than risk tarnishing my record.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Lindale

Though if you're referring to MCR or its likes, I wouldn't have a problem, but maybe Volo might.

All this 'emo' stuff can go to Mordor (it's not 'rock' to me, sorry emo kids) but my Pixies LPs can only go there over my dead body

I am assigning stupid people at work who ask stupid questions.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I'll defend Metallica like it's my job. Same goes for Opeth. And I've recently fallen completely in love with Dropkick Murphys, so hands off.

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

And I've recently fallen completely in love with Dropkick Murphys, so hands off.

As long as you don't try to tell me that they are the heirs apparent to The Pogues.

[Peregrin Took]

People who do not signal in their cars. Horrendous. Biggest pet peeve. Road Rage Danger.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by Gwathagor

As long as you don't try to tell me that they are the heirs apparent to The Pogues.

Immortal nature precludes the necessity of heirs.

[Lindale]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

I'll defend Metallica like it's my job. Same goes for Opeth.

Opeth.... *drools* About Metallica, I don't really care too much, never got too much into it, but I can share your sentiment.

My, Gollum the Great sure has sparked a lot of replies...

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Lindale

My, Gollum the Great sure has sparked a lot of replies...

That usually occurs when a poster infers that a large number of folks on the forum lack honor.

Originally Posted by Gwathagor

As long as you don't try to tell me that they are the heirs apparent to The Pogues.

I don't think any one band can be rightly acclaimed Pogue-apparent. There are several Poguelets who have touched on their style: Dropkick Murphys represent the wild side, The Waterboys the more lyric (at least on Fisherman's Blues and Room to Roam), and etc., but the band's style variations are too manifold. Unfortunately, what made the Pogues great is what also led to their demise, or at least to the loss of Shane MacGowan's teeth.

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

I don't think any one band can be rightly acclaimed Pogue-apparent.

Certainly not. While I will continue to maintain that The Pogues are inimitable, there are a few bands whch approximate aspects of their style or spirit even more closely than Dropkick Murphys: Josh Lederman Y Los Diablos, The Tossers, and Filthy Thieving Bastards (I'm thinking of this song in particular). Even Flogging Molly seems more Pogue-like to me than the Dropkicks. I'm not familiar with The Waterboys, though. I should take a gander at them on youtube.

[Diane C]

The so-called Credit Crunch

[Lalaith]

Hey, can't you just see Merry and Pippin kicking their heels up to "Sally Maclennane"?

As for this bizarre debate about rock...well music is just music. There´s fantastic stuff to be found in every genre. And dreadful stuff. My personal mordor music would range from classical like Boulez (nails down a blackboard) MoR like Celine Dion and (sorry guys) quite a lot of metal which I just don't dig.
But surely it's a question of taste, not honour.

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Gollum the Great

Rock. Anything that has no rhythm or beauty, no worth-while attributes and -when in a generous mood- can best be described as "catching", distracts one from his duty and mocks or plays down upon lawful authority is best for orcs. I can't believe any person with any form of honour would lower himself to listen to that trash.

As soon as I read this post I could sense that there would be trouble, as a sizeable number of Downers (including me) listen to rock. I wouldn't describe rock the way you do. But then again, as Morth said, it is a very wide genre.
I will hapily echo:

Originally Posted by Gwathagor

I will assume that you have a very specialized definition of rock, because your description of "rock" sounds very little like the music I listen to.

Originally Posted by skip spence

Btw, wasn't the pounding, sexually alluring rhythm (and Elvis' pelvic thrusts) the very thing about rock'n'roll that offended 'respectable' people most back in the days?

I read that as Elves' pelvic thrusts

[Lindale]

I assign to Mordor colorless contact lenses that make it almost impossible for me to know if they're on the right side up. Also, rubbing and storing and all those trouble to maintain them. I never know how others manage to love it.