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| Pictured: Technically poetry (?) |
I then saw a lively discussion about contemporary philosophy with the same people.
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| One of these things is not like the other~ |
And honestly, I didn't need Stan Apps to tell me that. The only difference I found between my daily browsing of the hate-filled depths of the internet and "Annoying Diabetic Bitch" was that "Bitch" had slightly less of a narrative behind it. And yet, there were lines in "Bitch" that went deeper than I thought. I mentioned this in class, but I'll mention it again. The line(s):The poems in Sharon Mesmer’s collection Annoying Diabetic Bitch are constructed out of typical bits of found internet language, especially the language of exasperation, irritation, outrage, and collegial raunch. Virtually every poem is a sort of post-human rant (a rant made out of the high points of numerous source rants, with an intensity greater than any single ranter could sustain). [link]
The last thing I need to find out is that I am diabetic,...are about more than just diabetics hitting each other. Diabetics lose their feet (sometimes), and thus don't need their shoes. There is a tiny bit of meaning there. I can't say that I found this depth in every poem in the book, but it leads me to believe that it is there, somewhere inside of it. I wouldn't dismiss "Annoying Diabetic Bitch" for its seemingly hate-filled, purposeless prose unless I was able to debunk every line as being thoughtless. As it is, I can see meaning where meaning appears to have vanished — ghosts of intention within a pile of admittedly violent language.
someone with six diabetic relatives who beat each other to death
with their own shoes.
Not everyone has thick skin or spends their time surrounded by some of the worst language and vivid opinions the world has to offer, though. I think nothing less of anyone for being offended. Personally, I found the poem (not the book) "Annoying Diabetic Bitch" to be completely hilarious; so over the top that I (a diabetic) could not help but give a hearty laugh. And really, that is what the entire book felt like it was about.
If you were offended by "Annoying Diabetic Bitch," I'd tell you to relax and eat a snickers, but... well, you know.
DA, a perfect response post to one of our course texts: detailed, humorous, and referencing a legit out there source of info! Your response is generous in its expression of confidence in the author and its suspension of easy disbelief or disgust. I still wonder if the pairing of randomish sculpting and offensive language works, in part, to diffuse the power of typically hateful words by removing the original contexts and original intentions and original typers. in a sense, what readers have is just the language, not the full associations, like repeating a word over and over to yourself until it begins to sounds foreign and benign. so that emptying such words from their meanings to give, as you say, "purposeless" verses, is exactly the intended effect, like ejecting a whole clip sideways right out the chamber, rather than firing the bullets at a specific target. oh, and excellent closer.
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