Lysistrata

[helen99]

For some reason, the name of an ancient Greek play popped into my brain this morning and wouldn't leave. I did a search on the name and found Lysistrata by Aristophanes (and read it).

Well then...

Suspending a few areas of culture shock and a few other areas where the author obviously erred on the side of whimsy, it was delightful... Sample:

"MAGISTRATE (addressing the women)
I would ask you first why you have barred our gates.

LYSISTRATA
To seize the treasury; no more money, no more war.

MAGISTRATE
Then money is the cause of the war?

LYSISTRATA
And of all our troubles. It was to find occasion to steal that Pisander and all the other agitators were forever raising revolutions. Well and good! but they'll never get another drachma here.

MAGISTRATE
What do you propose to do then, pray?

LYSISTRATA
You ask me that! Why, we propose to administer the treasury ourselves.

MAGISTRATE
You do?"

Yep, they did...

Comments

Hmmm

[kraftykity.livejournal.com]

Think it would work? We'd need someone who was good w/ coding.

Freeze the national assests. I like the idea. Then everyone would have to petition for whatever they needes (government wise). No one in power currently would be allowed to decide how it was distributed of course.

Might work.

Wish I knew coding. . .:) Oh well, sadly the United States Government is quite safe from me. ::slump, sigh::

Re: Hmmm

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I don't think it would work. The fact that the distributors would not be the current government wouldn't exempt them from the ultimate folly that would ensue when their absolute power corrupted them absolutely (yes, I read a lot of George Orwell).

The means used in Lysistrata to freeze the ass-ets (heh) would not work for more obvious reasons... (practically everyone I know is bi, gay, an expert masturbator, just doesn't care, or would think of something to withhold from me in retaliation). So some sort of coding would probably be the way. Not that I'm advocating this, by the way, in case any spooks are reading!!

Re: Hmmm

[kraftykity.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of a purely monetary freeze.
Witholding of sex is against my personal morals. Not that I'd sleep with any of those jerks, but you get the idea.
But still, freezing the money of the government does have a certain appeal, even though you're right. Even if I knew how to do it, there's nobody I trust enough (self included) to manage that mess.

Re: Hmmm

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

freezing the money of the government does have a certain appeal

Hmmm... can we make the argument that their stupid policies are threatening stabilization efforts in Iraq?

Re: Hmmm

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Congress wouldn't approve Bush's war budget, so he vetoed the whole budget. The entire government's funds have been frozen, so to speak, and it wasn't by us... All funding for my job, for example, is frozen (so in effect he's already done this to me.)

The link is rather frightening. Once again, they've left the language too unspecific providing way, way too much leeway to the executive branch. Also, giving the executive branch the power to freeze someone's funds without trial or any legal recourse for ANY reason whatsoever, let alone a poorly defined one, sounds rather ... biblical.

Revelation 13: 17: "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

Re: Hmmm

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Withholding sex is not so much against my personal morals as I just don't think that way. What would be against my morals would be to be ultra enticing (as if I even could), and then stop as a form of blackmail (do this or I don't continue). That has always been a distinct no-no in my life.

Besides, I'd be more inclined to fear that love would be withheld from me than the other way around. I'm usually the one who says "I'm sorry" in any argument (either because I've been a jerk or to avoid further conflict). This occurs with anyone, not just a significant other.

Anyway, I don't even own any diaphanous silken gowns...

[dogemperor.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, Lysistrata :3 (I remember reading that in high school, and being highly amused at the concept of a sex strike by a pacifist women's movement :D)

I really should re-read that one of these years :3

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Wow - your highschool blows mine out of the water. We were lucky to read "Catcher in the Rye" which to me isn't that great a book.

Also, there was a big to-do about making tenth graders read Aristotle several years back. They thought their tender minds weren't ready for something like that.

I think they should make them read all of Aristotle, all of plato, all the mythology, and all the plays. And shakespeare too. Keepem off the street...

[dogemperor.livejournal.com]

I *should* note that my high school was *not* typical. (I attended a local gifted/talented magnet school, in part because the school system did *not* know what the hell to do with me :3)

Another teacher at the same school had an especially inventive approach with "MacBeth"--to teach students that witches were NOT old croney things, the teacher literally had students prancing in circles with paper flowers merrily skipping along and singing "Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble! Fire burn and cauldron bubble!" :D (Gods, if the dominionists had know about that, they'd have gone into APOPLEXY :D)

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you were able to go to a school like that. A few well-timed, inventive teachers can make a big difference in someone's life.