Funky Winkerbean by Tom Batiuk Sunday Strip for September 9, 1974
In the spirit of the season I thought I'd make a light hearted post of two Funky Winkerbean Sunday Newspaper Strips from the 1970s dealing with the new phenomenon of computer technology. In those days desktop computers were hardly dreamed of; computers were huge automatons that cost a fortune, no thought yet of moniter screens and only big business or a very rich school could possibly afford one. This made them serious business, and remote from most people's life, and therefore prime material for cartoonists. Here Tom Batiuk takes a couple shots. Happy Holidays!
Funky Winkerbean Sunday Strip for February 9, 1975
people 000 consumption 001 production 002 service 003 manufacturing 004 accounting 005 finance 006 government 007 fiduciary and economic issues 008 Federal Reserve 009 politics 010
Of course this spectrum represents the economy of the United States. If the numbers seem arbitrary they are meant to imitate the form of the spectrum of reflected light waves. Here they reflect an interpretation of the values of the denoted elements. The lowest numbers notes the most valuable aspects of the economy; while the highest numbers are least valuable or useful.
I see this as a spectrum, rather than a list, because each part blends as an inseperable whole entity. Each of the eleven components of the spectrum may certainly be considered to have it's own properties and function, but there is no effective way to isolate one from the others; or make changes or adjustments in one that do not in some important way affect all of the others.
The individual is the basic cell of the body of society. It is useful to remember that it is a multiplicity of individuals that make up our entire economy. It is in the interest of government, corporate interests, law enforcement, media and financial interests to put persons into homogeneous groups that can then be dismissed as sub-human. If we allow ourselves to see others in this way we are being manipulated by forces we do not realize, and we will surely be ourselves portrayed similarly in time.
Consumption and production are as two sides of the same coin. These are the basic building blocks of every economy. Service, manufacturing and accounting are also key, crucial elements that all combine to provide employment throughout the economy. This in turn allows consumption of goods and services by people. These six elements are completely inter-related in a healthy economy. It is clear that none of these parts can exist by itself; and also no fraction of the them can function without all of the others.
Finance and government are two institutions entirely dependant upon the previous numbers for their creation and continued existance. Theoretically these two are responsive to economic issues and offer transparent oversite in maintaining fiduciary responsibility to keep the public trust. But the complexity that has grown around the present economy has obscured this function of transparancy in finance and government.
Politics today are archaic, dishonest and wholly ineffective in service of the people of the United States. Politicians today resemble pigs at the trough of political contributions largely from corporate and financial instutional sources. With the only concern being their own re-election politicians tell an endless stream of lies to profit their financiers. In lock step groups politicians, aids and spokes-people repeat their lies and distortions to malleable media outlets; in effect creating 'truth,' 'facts' and 'answers' to further their corrupt agenda. This in direct disregard for the best interests of their constituants, whose vote they learned long ago that they can have for only lies and money.
***************************************************************************** My purpose in composing this work is to make a complex expression with clarity and brevity. Allthough parts are provocative, I believe they are irrefutable. Any expansion of this consideration can only lead to distortion and loss of clarity. All of the missing 'hows' and 'whys' must come from within you the reader. This work is in effect a 'driver,' or bit of software to connect the information already in your brain and lead to a useful perception.
There are no 'facts' or 'answers' in this work, it does not pretend to solve any of the injustices described, except perhaps one tangentially: this is a very complex expression but it can be grasped with only a little effort. It is this extra effort put forth beyond our daily life's concern that we need to keep us free from the oppression born of our own indifference. In our short form, sound byte, keep it simple culture I will not stop attempting to expand our collective attention span.
I suppose this chapter must serve me in lieu of proper credentials. I do see the unevenness in this part, and it's construction came very much from my subconscious. It exposes my mind's process in a way sure to confuse and make readers uneasy with the examination of love and abuse, punishment and rehabilitation.
Although I address several very important subjects plainly and without equivocation, I make all of the assertions in these sections only as my considered observations that come from a lifetime's experience of the world I live in. I do not assert 'facts' or 'answers' at anytime, because these terms are missleading and even harmfull to our perception of reality. Do not let the thing you know, blind you to the thing you do not yet know. Amen
Shaman: For the love of thought
Industrial progress has co-opted the artist in common culture. Painters are required to coordinate their palette to the client’s rugs and furniture, or to mimic popular forms or other native cultures in multiple versions to pay the bills month to month. Comic books are expressive, but their labor is too great to justify the paycheck for most creators, but still they do it for love. Art Schools put a mouse in your hand, and it is all about design, which means all our precious work is only to sell someone's something else.
The place of the artist in culture has always been that of a fancy whore. In demand she can maintain a veneer of independence and prosperity, but if the money dries up and another new artist becomes the vogue she can be painting caricatures at the local street market. It was the camera that put the nail in the painter’s coffin, it was only a matter of time until pictorial representation was obsolete. The skills of the painter; chiefly keen observation, the acquisition of multiple points of perspective and an incessant need to learn about everything around her are hardly in demand in common culture for the reasons that evolved over the past 500 years. The artist’s role in society today is that of Shaman. To be apart from and outside of common culture and see it’s remedies, and express them to the few who are looking for alternatives.
It is not without trepidation that it must be stated the role of Shaman is the province of the male human being. There are certainly very wise and able female persons who have similar knowledge and ability as a Shaman. The essential difference stated simply is that the male can relentlessly pursue his equation to the exclusion of all else. Suffice that for this meditation dear one, and do not create a structure of resentment that blinds you to these expressions. The male/female dichotomy will be addressed at length an the treatment of Human Equivalence.
A man may possess a single mindedness of purpose that allows him to forgo everything, literally everything else he ever desired to have the object of his mania. This itself may not seem so remarkable, Moby Dick notwithstanding, but a Shaman will work relentlessly to root out the ’why.’ For a concept in his head that no one else can see a value of. For one it is to seek the essence of the function of his own brain.
Having gone through the stages of seeing the variables of existence and the nature of reality, a Shaman reaches an understanding of truth that aids his quest and those aspects of life that are a hinderence. Thus is born the perception of the Vows a Shaman adapts and will not break, for they are the armor in his battle for reason. Priests and Monks of all descriptions and other Holy Men and Women make many Vows for this purpose. The key distinction is that Priests, Monks and others have a structured dogma surrounding their practice; while a Shaman has none of that, but only his own personal equation of purpose.
Often the first vital Vow evolves from a selfish desire to avoid the responsibility of family and persistent female concern; and finally to never be bound in that way to a need for an income of money. This is only the first step towards more binding Vows. This step is usually made by young men without really intending a specific purpose, and mostly for no honorable one. Instead it is a gut level instinct that guides him in this direction. It is foolish and even dangerous for a man to take a Vow of celibacy or poverty without having had real experience with both young women and earning and spending money. A Shaman must typically learn to have his way with both of these elements on his path that will lead him to the ability to have anything he wants. The key to this is to see the way to gain anything he desires; and in time; more valuable, the gift of knowing what to want, and what to pass by.
Of course we learn the thing of greatest value is love and affection. Sure, everyone knows this, and the road nearly everyone goes down is to: love, penetration and reproduction. This can only lead us to many responsibilities that can only take one off of the path. In time we may come to recognize that with each initial penetration comes an essential change in the woman that cannot be reversed to the time of the ‘before.’ This change is not a function of what comes after, or how she seems or acts or says she feels later. From the moment of penetration a clock starts ticking and a man must choose. If things are not to her liking she will eventually split; or he will run out: our they will come together.
The sweet new love of youth, when we can steal away and make out like wild animals, and it only leads to snacks after while. The elevated feeling of well being that comes of thinking about each other can be like a spinning top at times, on and off an amazing feeling. How can one be married forever and perhaps feel only occasional sparks of this feeling? If we feel anything at all. This is the reason so many persons cheat on their spouses; because they cannot resist this ‘new love buzz.’ This is why Vows are so important in maintaining a truth in ones actions and continuity in life. Each to their own perspective of course, but a Vow of celibacy has little purpose if one is not commonly with naked young women.
Upon attaining the point of perception allowing us to transcend time, money and sexual desire one moves directly into the realm of perceived mental illness. One’s perceptions form observations of increasing complexity, and result in increasing difficulty in coherent communication with others. Also one is likely to adopt behaviors that seem strange and inexplicable to others. One particular aspect of this sort of mania is the need to verbalize the stream of thought that is racing in the mind. The author, when experiencing this condition; would commonly self medicate with cigarettes and talking to young women.
Because the cerebral cortex, located in the frontal lobe, is not yet fully formed in young people until typically, the age of 22 or so; they are better able to listen to a Shaman’s complex equations without the distress commonly experienced by older persons. Young persons are capable of understanding great complexity, especially when exchanging questions and answers. Much of the expressed complexity is embedded in their forming synapses and may connect past and future learning in time. This personal interaction is very much a two-way street of comprehension. The Shaman gains equally important perspective from the apprentice as he imparts; and when it is shared, it is a mutually enjoyable and beneficial experience for both.
Perhaps it may be useful to compare the mentoring of a Shaman with the ministering of a clergyman who has taken similar Vows: a Catholic Priest. A Priest is very similar in development and perception to a Shaman but with a number of fundamental differences. A Priest has a Cannon of belief and a place in a structured hierarchy, and a sacred credential to his faithful. His work is rigidly defined before him. A Shaman may or may not maintain a faith in God, and in some theology that is above him; but he is completely master of his earthly Vows, actions and decisions.
A Priest makes Vows of Celibacy and Chastity, also of Poverty that are proscribed and institutionalized by the Church he serves. As a young man decides to follow the path of priesthood he often adopts the forms of respectability expected of his future position. When at last he becomes a Priest he may not have adequately experienced the venal lusts a human man must know to have a basis to dogmatically forsake them. The Shaman is iconoclastic and pragmatic by nature often mentoring strangers by slight and fleeting interactions; a smile to uplift, a word to diffuse conflict, a bit of advise where evidently useful, listening to persons who have been neglected. From the destitute to the wealthy, all persons may have their sorrow.
A Priest lives a life of service to his flock of faithful, young and old all receive his ministrations and often return gratitude and love. That has naturally formed countless bonds of trust and love. For the Priest there is no proper or possible physical interactions between himself and young or old person. All the love he feels he must internalize and dissipate as best he may. A Shaman evolves into his Vows by the urgency of his own obsession. His actions are essentially in service of himself and his equation. In that service, and that of his apprentices and acquaintances he finds his share of trust and love as well. At times he can properly share love and closenesswith another within the bounds of his own Vows.
It is the fidelity to one’s sworn Vows, in the practice, of a life, that determine their efficacy. If they are taken in form and in service of a dogmatic hierarchy, they are only as binding as a human being can cling to them against human desires. No one stands to hold a Priest to his Vows day to day and person to person; in interacting with especially young and helpless parishioners. The widespread abuse that Priests have caused for decades, even Centuries, came about as a fundamental human failing. When we experience new-young love from a person or persons who are essentially in our power and control, it is a clear road to abuse. We begin to feel entitled to do anything we wish with them; and more we ourselves come to believe that our victims are asking for our abuse and want it to go on as long as they cannot escape us. These acts, individually, may go unreported even for years. In fact only after many serial abuses for long years and many transfers from place to place do abusers feel any serious consequences at all.
The mental process that evolves in Priests, abusers or not; is largely free to exhibit any behavior within broad limits because they enjoy a hierarchic status that keeps their actions nearly unquestionable. A Shaman behaving much less outrageously is soon diagnosed and medicated. A Shaman is careful not to interact with children without their parents present today because of the Scarlet Letter of child abuse laws. It is necessary to maintain clear personal standards of behavior, especially in urban settings if one is to remain master of his life and actions. There is a legal proper window of interaction with teen age young women. Artist/Shaman persons may crave interactions with naked young women within the perimeters of his Vows. Understand that a Shaman, together with a naked young apprentice, may feel every desire and interest in her naughty parts and be with them closely without breaking his Vows; because those Vows are what allows him to carry on with his work. It is the release valve that makes celibacy useful and healthy, to go to the brink and pull back.
Love runs a course in our lives. If we can mate and it sticks, it is only because both persons toil to make it work. The natures of men and women are very different, one from another. perhaps they are complimentary in some way, but this is not clearly, explicably evident. For a successful marriage to be at all happy the woman must take charge in the majority of all decisions, and the man, if he can hope for peace, must allow her to have her way, even to the brink of disaster. He must not simply roll over, but instead take stock of her decisions so that at the crucial point, if it is reached at last; he is able to assert himself to affect. Please choose wisely when, and not often, for often our fears of our wife’s poor judgment are unfounded. In this balance lies a breath that can keep a love alive in a marriage.
There is so much that a couple face together and individually that may bind or drive them apart. It is only natural that one or the other plays the alpha role in public, but if one or the other is truly dominant in a real and persistent sense; the relationship is unbalanced, and it is sure to be unsatisfactory to both spouses. Without exception spousal violence is inexcusable, even one time. These broad strokes of a typical relationship are a simple framework on which love may grow. In the wake of the new love buzz a much quieter and perhaps mundane sort of love takes over. One that tends to fluctuate over the years. It is a sad fact that the ‘god’ money intrudes here all too often.
The title ‘husband’ is no joke and no coincidence. For a marriage to work the man must find joy in himself in serving his wife, and do all that he can to give her the things she desires. It is his personal dedication and labor that wins the prize. If one fends off her concerns and anger with mere cash deposits she will devolve to places that make for nightmarish marriages and bitter divorces. All fights, anguish, bitter feelings and even violence come from leaving the path described above.
Children are a great asset in generating love in a marriage. A Shaman is no person to tell anyone how to raise their children, but perhaps he may make some useful observations. Children are not to be underestimated, they possess a wisdom and fresh perspective that can rejuvenate their parents, siblings, teachers and all who share time with them. Even very young, pre verbal children show great personality and perception if observed and considered. If these traits are not recognized and acknowledged regularly, this is a source of bad behavior, petulance, failure to learn and to behave. As one interacts with children of all ages on an equal footing, without condescension or superiority they will blossom, interacting with great enjoyment and love. An adult may have their young love and perspective as a tremendous reward in their own life.
Without an answer of the why; observation leads to the conclusion that love is the road to abuse. It is thought to be generational. If one was abused as a child, we are likely to be abusive in turn as adults. However this is not always the case, many work through their abuse and are able to become kind persons. Also some may become abusers without having that in their past at all. It seems likely that many abusers never learned how to approach and interact with their target gender. This may lead to isolation, social ostracism, unbalanced/abusive relationships, stalking behavior or predation of adults or children.
In working with young people in a compassionate manner and as a figure of authority it is common for them to react in a kind and loving manner. This is true of all ages and genders, and our Vows are our shield from misbehavior and abuse of powerless young people in our charge. Although in common culture young children and teens may become sexualized in their behavior, this is not always the case. Still young persons commonly react to attention in a loving manner that may affect a Priest, teacher, or other regular or occasional caregiver with the ‘new love buzz’ that may skew their perception and can lead to them feeling justification for what is actually abuse. Perhaps evolving from this behavior, other factors may cause predators to develop twisted desires for specific crimes against innocent victims. This is a subset of humanity that certainly exist, and their numbers are very large, and are spread world wide.
These predators exist and are a concern, especially to women and children who are their common prey. It is very important to not be ruled by fear of these persons. This societal problem can never be solved by police action and punitive punishment. To significantly reduce recidivism these offenders must either be executed or rehabilitated. Any other action will lead to continued abuse of new innocent persons. Execution may seem like an attractive option to do to many serial offenders. They surly each have a sad story of their origins as offenders, but after some number of offences it must be considered a wash. Capital punishment will not deter these offenders, but if widespread perhaps it could have a cumulative effect. Remove X number of predators from the gene pool we may spare X(Y) number of potential victims, some number of which being candidates for becoming future abusers. This is only a possible intended result, and very likely the true result would be different, and possibly/probably would be worse than anticipated.
Rehabilitation is a preferable alternative, but as this is not highly prized by society it is unlikely to be funded in the United States. Effective treatment will require long term treatment in a compassionate and nurturing environment. The very opposite of our penal system of enforced misery. Our structures of criminal ‘justice’ and penal servitude are not serving us in a real way. Our society likes to feel criminals are severely punished, but the results do not serve us well, and the cost is astronomical. It is not that rehabilitation cannot be accomplished; it is only that society can’t accept that we can and should change the nature of our structures.
We live in a time of rapid acceleration of the constant evolution of perception of reality. So many of common culture’s unsolvable problems are becoming understood. Their causes are found to be the very structures we have set up to treat them. It is not the way of the Shaman to involve himself in political forums, or even to vote or express who he is except to apprentices and to cronies. The process of the Shaman is perhaps the definition of mental illness. Health workers cluck and check the box marked ‘grandiose’ when examining persons who ‘believe’ they know the answers to many or even all of life’s broad problems. The funny thing is that most of these shabby street persons perhaps actually do understand the root causes, these are not difficult to grasp really. The problem is that most of these persons are unable to express these answers clearly and in concise English that the hapless, underpaid and overworked health worker can understand them.
Ask any mother who spends her days with small children about the frustration of unexpressed mental capacity. Televised media carefully restricts stories to a single subject in a short amount of time. An interested conversation among friends might touch on a series of subjects that circle a single theme. Sports enthusiasts may delve deeply into five or six aspects of the game or team on a regular basis. The average very intelligent person can concentrate on as many as seven variables and maintain clarity and leaving only minor loose ends.
If a person is capable of and commonly thinks in terms of a number of variables greater than seven, she de facto departs from ‘normalcy’ both socially and intellectually. These persons, once rare and esteemed for their value to civilization, are today only too common, jumpstarted into existence by the prevalence of popular culture and the pseudo half knowledge to be derived from movies, television, popular song, books and other sources. There are truly remarkable minds to be found on the streets of every major city. Mischaracterized as ‘homeless,’ these people have turned their backs on common culture; in favor of the freedom from money and bills that eat away the thing they hold most valuable: their fleeting time.
Unfortunately the deficit so many of these persons share is a serviceable grasp of the English language, and a basis of distinction to edit the ‘crap’ out of their own equations. So many people, and not only ‘street persons,’ build their understandings on vicarious experiences gleaned from popular culture. We all have some of this in youth, and ideally we go on to have experiences of our own that are a more reliable basis to understand new experiences. For instance it is better to actually talk to and date actual woman than to model our female understanding on movies, popular song or pornography, as far too many sad people do.
The sad case of grown up women is that they exist in a world that worships their teen age past. Oh but the young women and even girls are exploited to see their future as only fashion and sexual function. Doctor? Lawyer? Business person? all in designer wardrobe and 6 inch heels, tricked out cosmetics and tanning bed complexion. Plastic encouragements to study and achieve in school become betrayal if she excels mentally by ignoring trends of appearances and social interaction. When she applies for positions she is perfectly qualified for she finds she must fit into the sexually charged atmosphere of office culture.
The beefed up persona women project make it ever more difficult for men to step up and speak to the women they admire if they do not see themselves as conventionallyattractive or excessively wealthy. Because simply saying hello seems a high stakes proposition it takes on an ever greater emotional investment to walk over and take a chance. Since an unbalanced emotional investment goes into every approach, rejection can be devastating, and even worse, a somewhat neutral or positive reaction from the woman can be blown up beyond the reality of the situation, and men often develop inflated expectations of a relationship, or even stalker behavior.
In working to expand my chapter contrasting the ephemeral with the optomal my thoughts seemed unable to to come to a clarity that satisfied me. I was expressing elements I thought were pertainant but it remained rather dull and not quite what I was driving at. I had thought to use an analogy of Apple Corp vs PC technology, a subject that I had thought about for decades, and I saw as a clear parallel to my theses. However, with the demise of Steve Jobs I feel reluctant to pursue an unflattering train of thought because I feel my point will be discounted. So, cast adrift I drew a new equation as a stream of consciousness that I found a bit surprising when I considered it the next day. Parts are purely subconscious, and I am not yet completely sure that all variables are in the proper place.
For the record I feel very strongly in favor of the ephemeral aspect of Art, because it is a better fit for me, and those who look beyond the flash of optomal design that expect buyers to conform. Still as I looked and thought about it the equation seems to resemble something like chaos theory. So I went to the library and got some books on complexity to see what has been off my radar. It's a blast to find something new to absorb.
A word about this equation; I can't really explain the crown, it came last. The bottom center triangle reads "matter of individuality." The last line reads "can anything be explained without the only thing that is understood." By which of course I mean money.
