Kent Pitman

Kent Pitman
Location
New England, USA
Title
Philosopher, Technologist, Writer
Bio
I've been using the net in various roles—technical, social, and political—for the last 30 years. I'm disappointed that most forums don't pay for good writing and I'm ever in search of forums that do. (I've not seen any Tippem money, that's for sure.) And I worry some that our posting here for free could one day put paid writers in Closed Salon out of work. See my personal home page for more about me.

MY RECENT POSTS

MAY 9, 2009 5:05AM

Gray Matters: Let OS Be Your Last Battlefield

Rate: 34 Flag

This is a response to Rob St. Amant's Friday Night Frivolity ...

[ funny comic ]

Inspired by the great Star Trek episode:
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield


If you got a laugh from this post, please "rate" it.

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Comments

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got the laugh, rated the laugh...
Oh good. I was a little worried it would be too obscure.
Kent, I have thought for quite some time that everything I needed to know I learned from Trek. Now your artistic expression confirms it.
oh, i get it!! I feel so with it.
Excellent use of graphics to make an important point.
was it Frank Gorshin that played that part in the original ST episode? He of Batman TV Riddler fame...

I remember it, just not clear on the details.
Rated for reality - unfortunately
bbd, you can click through to a summary of it at Memory Alpha, but yes, it was Frank Gorshin, who played the Riddler in the old Batman TV series with Adam West. It was a real eye-opener of an episode for me in terms of race relations. Anyone who has not seen this episode really should. It's one of those things that is presented just perfectly.
Just when I think I have you figured out, (kind of sort of), you mix things up again. Very funny!
Rated for the lesson and the laugh!
Cartouche, glad to know I'm still keeping at least a few secrets hidden so that I can still surprise once in a while.
Kent--I remember that Star Trek episode and have thought about it so many times over the years. It was a very profound --what? Parable? Allegory? Analogy? I don't know what to call it. But I know it had a moving and profound effect on me--and I never looked at race the same way again. You captured all this and more with this. So thanks for bringing it back into my memory! Rated.
Yarn, I think the word parable works. Many of the Star Trek episodes are also called morality plays—a form of allegory. Allegory, as I recall, leans pretty heavily on the symbolism. In the case of that particular episode, the symbolism was not much different from the reality, though was sanitized in a certain beautifully constructed way that allowed people to confront the utter arbitrariness of it. So I think you're on generally safe terminological ground with your intuitions there. And I'm glad you liked the comic.
I definitely got it right off and laughed my little non-gray head off :)
If I may be allowed to highlight my middle aged-ness, does anyone remember the episode of Dick Van Dyke when Laura is certain that the baby they brought home from the hospital is not really theirs? The other couple that gave birth that night shows up at Rob and Laura's house to sort out the possible baby mix up... and they are black. It was a daring bit of race relations commentary (and humor) for the early 1960s.

Side note: television at that time was still black and white. Take that, you gray-headed avatars!
Are you blind?! Can't you see I'm white on the right side?

Great social commentary!
very funny - love the last frame, it's the perfect ending.
That was such an awesome episode. Yup on the Frank Gorshin part, too.

Thanks for the guffaws, Kent. Trek on. :-D
Larry, in the interest of avoiding that question, the original series was careful to make sure they were both guys, so we can't be sure. But I'd be rooting for a swirly, spiraly effect like the Time Tunnel.
Kent,
This is very good. Wry and funny. The Star Trek emblem was a great touch.
A great episode. Frank Gorshin was great in that "duo" part. Frank passed away not to long ago. He was also a great impressionist and comedian. Great Post.
The Star Trek emblem was a great touch.

Yes! I forgot to mention really liking this. Not a hand-drawn emblem, but a good quality grayscale image. It gives the comic a nice mash-up feel.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Stacey has picked up the meme...
And I'm chortling along too.
Love the little Trek badges on their chests. Too bad you can't make them click like they do on the show when we put the arrow over them! Very funny :D