Some cold war insight from Paulsc May 13, 2007 8:14 AM Subscribe
... and we love him.
posted by Methylviolet at 9:19 AM on May 13, 2007
posted by Methylviolet at 9:19 AM on May 13, 2007
I know any time I see Paulsc's name pop up, especially on AskMe, it's going to be worth reading. This one is obviously no exception.
posted by exlotuseater at 9:31 AM on May 13, 2007
posted by exlotuseater at 9:31 AM on May 13, 2007
I would have missed these, thanks for highlighting them here.
posted by teleskiving at 9:49 AM on May 13, 2007
posted by teleskiving at 9:49 AM on May 13, 2007
More lifestories from Paulsc!
posted by typewriter at 9:58 AM on May 13, 2007
posted by typewriter at 9:58 AM on May 13, 2007
If your machines weren't getting enough compressed air, it was your responsibility to demonstrate that your air filters were clean, and your flexible hoses impervious to leakage, before anyone could possibly be dispatched to see what was wrong with the hall air compressors.
Sounds just like dealing with Sympatico tech support.
posted by Chuckles at 10:05 AM on May 13, 2007
Sounds just like dealing with Sympatico tech support.
posted by Chuckles at 10:05 AM on May 13, 2007
Thanks for highlighting these comments. paulsc is one of the reasons that MeFi is always worth checking out.
posted by ibmcginty at 10:58 AM on May 13, 2007
posted by ibmcginty at 10:58 AM on May 13, 2007
Paulsc loves America.
Yes, because describing the rigmaroles of pre-1989 totalitarian bureaucracies is of course synonymous with loving America.
posted by peacay at 11:32 AM on May 13, 2007 [2 favorites]
Yes, because describing the rigmaroles of pre-1989 totalitarian bureaucracies is of course synonymous with loving America.
posted by peacay at 11:32 AM on May 13, 2007 [2 favorites]
Paulsc knows everything.
posted by MadamM at 12:00 PM on May 13, 2007 [2 favorites]
posted by MadamM at 12:00 PM on May 13, 2007 [2 favorites]
I love the fascinating diversity of people here on Metafilter.
posted by caddis at 12:25 PM on May 13, 2007
posted by caddis at 12:25 PM on May 13, 2007
Of course he loves America. And those are both great stories.
Anyone else notice how the similar the long waits and dismissive treatment at the the hands of faceless Commie bureaucrats in 1967, is to the way we're all treated when we go to the airport in the US of A in 2007?
posted by orthogonality at 12:41 PM on May 13, 2007 [2 favorites]
Anyone else notice how the similar the long waits and dismissive treatment at the the hands of faceless Commie bureaucrats in 1967, is to the way we're all treated when we go to the airport in the US of A in 2007?
posted by orthogonality at 12:41 PM on May 13, 2007 [2 favorites]
Paulsc deserves a medal, or at least a wii, for all the great answers he gives on askme. Seriously. He is awesome.
posted by vronsky at 12:54 PM on May 13, 2007
posted by vronsky at 12:54 PM on May 13, 2007
When the shit hits the fan, I'm heading up to Jacksonville to bunker down with paulsc. It wouldn't suprise me if he could make a mean stroganoff out of old shoe leather and heinz ketchup, and his stories will entertain me during the long bleak nuclear winter. He could rig up his sterling engine (he has one in his garage, I just know he does) and we will watch old french movies while we make our own penicillin.
posted by brain cloud at 1:06 PM on May 13, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by brain cloud at 1:06 PM on May 13, 2007 [1 favorite]
Of course he loves America
Oh I presume he does but that's not a conclusion that can really be drawn from those (excellent) descriptions in isolation. The inference here is that the experiences laid out by Paulsc are uniquely American. I'm saying they are not. I can confirm from my own very short experience in Russia just before the wall came down that Paulsc is accurately describing the annoyingly bureaucratic processes that affected anyone from the west. I'm suggesting that this is not an Americocentric phenomenon.
Paulsc lovesAmerica freedom.
posted by peacay at 1:10 PM on May 13, 2007 [2 favorites]
Oh I presume he does but that's not a conclusion that can really be drawn from those (excellent) descriptions in isolation. The inference here is that the experiences laid out by Paulsc are uniquely American. I'm saying they are not. I can confirm from my own very short experience in Russia just before the wall came down that Paulsc is accurately describing the annoyingly bureaucratic processes that affected anyone from the west. I'm suggesting that this is not an Americocentric phenomenon.
Paulsc loves
posted by peacay at 1:10 PM on May 13, 2007 [2 favorites]
Thanks for pointing those out, they were great reads.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:30 PM on May 13, 2007
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:30 PM on May 13, 2007
Yeah, I really don't understand the "loves America" thing in this post. But those comments were great. Although I'm sure there are mefites who had wider experience in those countries beyond what was, really, paulsc's very limited ones.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:25 PM on May 13, 2007
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:25 PM on May 13, 2007
Loving freedom is the same as loving America, Peacay you big silly.
posted by Methylviolet at 2:26 PM on May 13, 2007
posted by Methylviolet at 2:26 PM on May 13, 2007
paulsc is one is one of the only MeFites with whom I fought, ending in us ceasing all communication. Reading his top notch posts here, I feel deeply sad about all that bad blood. Someone should publish a "Best Of Metafilter" anthology featuring these paulsc's fine writing.
posted by grumblebee at 5:01 PM on May 13, 2007
posted by grumblebee at 5:01 PM on May 13, 2007
Excellent stuff; much appreciated.
My wife got to go to the USSR before it fell apart, and her stories of visiting the place are eerily similar.
posted by chuckdarwin at 5:34 AM on May 14, 2007
My wife got to go to the USSR before it fell apart, and her stories of visiting the place are eerily similar.
posted by chuckdarwin at 5:34 AM on May 14, 2007
I don't get it - those are great stories but I don't see how they answer the question. They are simply accounts of encounters with govt/bureaucracy and don't necessarily illuminate attitudes about America or Americans. An Englishman would probably encounter the same treatment.
posted by spicynuts at 6:53 AM on May 14, 2007
posted by spicynuts at 6:53 AM on May 14, 2007
"Why should we find this important?"
posted by davy at 3:32 PM on May 13
No reason you should, if you don't, davy.
To the rest of you, thanks for the kudos, and comments. For grumblebee, I'm always ready for dialogue, but if you're not, me neither. The quality and extent of your contributions to this and other sites speak for themselves.
As others have noted, it's interesting what gets broad interest in the Green, and that these little stories did surprises me.
"Paulsc knows everything."
posted by MadamM at 3:00 PM on May 13
What's great about the Green is how it constantly reminds me how damn little I know.
And, for big music, yes, I suppose, finally, that I have come to love this country, and wasn't always certain I did. It's not the dewy eyed idealistic patriotism of youth that is sure of itself and the political theories that support it, but more the worn, comfortable recognition that comes of traveling the Blue Ridge, and the Ozarks, the Adirondacks, and the Rockies, and a lot of blue highways in between. It's a careful respect for the water I've scooped out of the Columbia to wash my sweaty face, and finding Kansas and Nebraska again 35 years after I left them and not thinking of them ever as "fly over states." It's knowing how a good New Orleans oyster poboy is supposed to taste, and how bright burley smells hanging in a curing barn. I love this country like you love an old friend's face, for the lines put there by stories you know, and for the memories of the unlined face it recalls. But there's nothing particularly romantic about it, on any given Tuesday.
posted by paulsc at 7:12 AM on May 14, 2007 [4 favorites]
posted by davy at 3:32 PM on May 13
No reason you should, if you don't, davy.
To the rest of you, thanks for the kudos, and comments. For grumblebee, I'm always ready for dialogue, but if you're not, me neither. The quality and extent of your contributions to this and other sites speak for themselves.
As others have noted, it's interesting what gets broad interest in the Green, and that these little stories did surprises me.
"Paulsc knows everything."
posted by MadamM at 3:00 PM on May 13
What's great about the Green is how it constantly reminds me how damn little I know.
And, for big music, yes, I suppose, finally, that I have come to love this country, and wasn't always certain I did. It's not the dewy eyed idealistic patriotism of youth that is sure of itself and the political theories that support it, but more the worn, comfortable recognition that comes of traveling the Blue Ridge, and the Ozarks, the Adirondacks, and the Rockies, and a lot of blue highways in between. It's a careful respect for the water I've scooped out of the Columbia to wash my sweaty face, and finding Kansas and Nebraska again 35 years after I left them and not thinking of them ever as "fly over states." It's knowing how a good New Orleans oyster poboy is supposed to taste, and how bright burley smells hanging in a curing barn. I love this country like you love an old friend's face, for the lines put there by stories you know, and for the memories of the unlined face it recalls. But there's nothing particularly romantic about it, on any given Tuesday.
posted by paulsc at 7:12 AM on May 14, 2007 [4 favorites]
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posted by cortex (staff) at 8:37 AM on May 13, 2007