COMMENSAL ISSUE 96

Here is my last contribution to Commensal. My subscription is up soon and I won't be renewing it. You've gotta ask yourself what am I getting for forty quid? The squabbles at head office are a piss off and I fear Mensa magazine coming through the front door. I've paid for it so I feel I have to read it. Some of it anyway. Arrgh!. Nuff said. I can spend forty quid better than this.

I have enjoyed Commensal however and the SIG's in general deserve praise. Little credit appears due to head office for this, however.

As you can see I have now joined the human race and own a PC. Hopefully I'll find something like Commensal out there on the web. I think you published some links a while back. Might see you out there.

Anthony Owens (C95/11 and before) : You're still writing twaddle, Anthony. I've been arguing for the last few months that just about everything we create and most of the destruction we cause is at some level an artistic act. You're still going on about art as if its only painting. Even if you don't agree with me surely literature and music must come under art's umbrella. Your protestation "Sorry; but I can't understand art, except as a residual activity from a once useful procedure" is an artistic act in itself. More act than art I'd say.

Valerie Ransford (C95/37 and before) : Valerie, yet another well thought out response. Yes I am a bit mixed up and confused. I just don't understand why you bother to write such incoherent babble. You state that you think I am mistaken about mathematics being "just another medium" (C94/13) taking three words out of context like this slightly misconstrues what I was saying. That aside, you then fail to give any reason why you think I am mistaken. Did it come as a revelation ?

Albert Dean (C95/26) : On artists and how "rarely we see any of the initial rubbish from their youth"; yet how often we see the rubbish of their later years, Albert !

Alan Carr (C95/28) : Actually the debate on the "purpose" of art started as a reply to a question from the late Eric Hills. So there you go; same origin as the Ireland article. How come, then, that you appear to think our humble offerings are in some way beneath yours ? There's plenty of art going on in Ireland. The art of war, the art of torture, the art of diplomacy, the odd phone call, heh !

Michael Nisbet (C95/31) : "Art is the process whereby the subject imposes itself upon the world". Oo er. I like this. I like this a lot. I'd leave it at this if I were you, Michael. I thought your attempts to define the differences between art and craft were a bit dodgy. Art, its place and purpose in society is sexy. The art vs craft debate is just a subject the anally retentive use to induce nausea. Leave it. Trust me, you have more important things to debate. I thought there was much of merit in the rest of your article by the way.

John Stubbings

John : I agree with you that SIGs are what make Mensa worthwhile, so aren’t you cutting off nose to spite face? However, your comments above on our members’ offerings are somewhat less than appreciative, so maybe you are disillusioned with SIGs as well ?! Nothing like going out with a bang and ensuring no-one will miss you when you depart ! I expect we will though.

Theo