Lenny Bruce (22nd March 2011)

I've mentioned my fondness for Dustin Hoffman before. He's one of those people I am a true and proper fan of. The sort whose character and persona(lity) influences you on an unconscious level... and in that way, becomes a little of who you are.

That ellipsis (...) I used there may just be incorrect. It's something I must work on, if I'm truly about to embark on a nobler profession soon. Grammar Nazi.

Words I learnt today are:
1. Sophistry: The use of fallacious arguments, esp. with the intention of deceiving.
2. Solecism: A grammatical mistake in speech or writing OR A breach of good manners; a piece of incorrect behaviour.
3. Specious: Superficially plausible, but actually wrong OR Misleading in appearance, esp. misleadingly attractive.

By the way, I'm mildly lying about the second and the third word, because I knew them before... but I thought they were pertinent to this series of S-lettered words I just created. Let's just say I re-learnt them today, with respect to context.

I like these words because of the nature of truth within them. Their endemic interest in truth, depiction and portrayal seems to resonate with my ideas about this tepid lifestyle of mine lately.

And with that same motivation, along with the one I introduced at the beginning of this post, came today's cinema selection: Lenny.

"The story of acerbic 1960s comic Lenny Bruce, whose groundbreaking, no-holds-barred style and social commentary was often deemed by the Establisment as too obscene for the public."

Fantastic film. Dustin Hoffman predilection aside, this movie is about Lenny Bruce and his amazingly impactful life. It's about the guts involved in pointing a mirror straight at yourself, or your group or your clan or your tribe or your country or your society. And looking hard enough to see the clear and present hypocrisy, no matter what the odds. It's about pursuing honesty and feeling strong enough to purge the filth to find it.

I've had many conversations about the importance of honesty over sensitivity; deliberating either party's goals of social harmony and physical co-existence...

What works, what doesn't, what needn't, what shouldn't. What prevails. What's practical. Not to mention whether they are distinct and stark to even call separate parties. I personally find sensitivity a little dull... even though I am aware of the significance of empathy in our lives today and in our semblance of future–

That there, is an aposiopesis. My word for the week.

"Aposiopesis (pronounced /ˌæpəsaɪ.əˈpiːsɪs/ from Classical Greek, ἀποσιώπησις, "becoming silent") is a rhetorical device wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or inability to continue. An example would be the threat "Get out, or else—!" This device often portrays its users as overcome with passion (fear, anger, excitement) or modesty. To mark the occurrence of aposiopesis with punctuation an em dash or an ellipsis may be used."

Source: Wikipedia, because it's on its way to becoming a legitimate source now.
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I'm in the process of combining a few broad tenets and putting together a formidable life-stance. I'll put it up soon... it's all too overwhelming to do in 30 minutes, like these posts (rants).

In the meantime, watch Lenny. And listen to Tame Impala to get a taste of this Monday I just had. Here, I'll even put it on for you.