tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post3975941319717687793..comments2023-06-28T22:58:28.247+10:00Comments on Sixth In Line: My mother's pianoElisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-12274016263979921262012-02-07T11:01:51.453+11:002012-02-07T11:01:51.453+11:00The sort of conflict you describe, Kass, is the so...The sort of conflict you describe, Kass, is the sort I'd rather do without for all my attempts at consensus in my comment to Syd above. <br /><br />That sort of bible bashing, trying to force someone into agreeing with your point of view, espousing your religion etc is not a fair expression of conflict in my view. It involves bulling and bludgeoning another and it's not helpful. I reckon that sort of confrontation needs a solid defense. Good on you for not giving in. <br /><br />On a lighter note, I'm glad the image of my mother's piano bought back good memories of your mother's piano.<br /><br />Thanks, Kass.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-75751282002932131702012-02-07T10:57:06.492+11:002012-02-07T10:57:06.492+11:00I'm with you about the savagery of confrontati...I'm with you about the savagery of confrontations, Syd but sometimes it is necessary to express disagreement. In my view it's not so much the conflict as how we deal with it. <br /><br />If we bury our anger too much it can sneak out when we least expect. Therefore I'm all for a slow and steady recognition of our disagreements and efforts to share some understanding of them without bloodshed, real or virtual. But it's never easy<br /><br />Thanks, Syd.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-69235333598718082212012-02-07T10:53:33.378+11:002012-02-07T10:53:33.378+11:00And yours is another household without a televisio...And yours is another household without a television, Isabel. My goodness there are more of us than I had imagined. <br /><br />I'm late in responding here, Isabel. This comment ran away from me. looking ahead to future posts, I hope you enjoyed your birthday. <br />Thanks, Isabel.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-84734862637557892562012-02-07T10:50:53.240+11:002012-02-07T10:50:53.240+11:00I'm sorry to have so long getting back to you ...I'm sorry to have so long getting back to you here, Jane ad Lance. Sometimes my blogs get away from me. <br /><br />It's good to read from you that ours is not the only household without a television. It's strange how little I miss it, though my children would prefer to have one despite its absence over the years. They watch DVDs and download stuff from the computer but it's not quite the same. Even so none of us miss the advertisements. <br /><br />Thanks, Jane and Lance.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-15142784000650597952012-02-07T01:51:45.742+11:002012-02-07T01:51:45.742+11:00Don't know how I missed this post.
Your mothe...Don't know how I missed this post.<br /><br />Your mother's piano is so much like my mother's. I'm flooded with memories right now.<br /><br />I didn't read the confrontational piece. Yesterday, I sat with a friend who lectured me on her politics for an hour and then filled the next hour with why I need to return to the Mormon church. Too much confrontation.Kasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05233330248952156754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-69105686415697420102012-02-05T14:01:29.420+11:002012-02-05T14:01:29.420+11:00I don't like confrontations and do my best to ...I don't like confrontations and do my best to stay away from those who seem to get enjoyment from conflict. I feel sorry for what we do as a species to other animals and to ourselves.Sydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05642843245634635843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-81826240585404500742012-01-29T20:14:07.847+11:002012-01-29T20:14:07.847+11:00I was intrigued by your line referring to your fat...I was intrigued by your line referring to your father's cries for attention in the midst of the cacophany ... you rarely write of your father in such a tone (I understand some of the reasons why) - it added a new dimension to the complexity of family.<br /><br />We have a television here, but no service, so we only use it for playing (imported) DVDs, usually documentaries. While our children were growing up, we never owned one. I think you are right in your view that they interfere with learning. They certainly interfere with playing for small children.<br /><br />Best wishes IsabelIsabel Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974989548030799086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-27906037403314620882012-01-28T21:02:51.761+11:002012-01-28T21:02:51.761+11:00Hello Elizabeth:
We have so enjoyed reading this w...Hello Elizabeth:<br />We have so enjoyed reading this wonderfully evocative post with its haunting descriptions, not least the hearse-like instrument and the poignant image of those poor, dead African elephants whose tusks supplied the ivories.<br /><br />Like you, we tend to avoid if at all possible confrontation and, unless a dearly held principle is threatened, believe that life has so much more to offer than to engage in unnecessary argument. But in our case this may well be simply becoming older!!<br /><br />Reading your replies to others who have commented, we discover that you too do not have a television; we have been without for over thirty years and miss it not one iota.<br /><br />Thank you so much for visiting our blog and signing up as a Follower which has led us to your own - a splendid discovery and a joyous way to start the weekend. And thank you too for your comment to which we will make reply later this morning.Jane and Lance Hattatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16831890261259302647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-20821249785541132342012-01-28T13:48:59.108+11:002012-01-28T13:48:59.108+11:00You're right I reckon, Eryl. Stephen king cou...You're right I reckon, Eryl. Stephen king could probably write a great novel about such characters - shades of his book Misery - all that effort to force people into seeing one's own point of view, even if it kills them. <br /><br />Thanks, Eryl.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-26889091975841379782012-01-28T13:46:27.464+11:002012-01-28T13:46:27.464+11:00Some people do enjoy a battle, metaphorically spea...Some people do enjoy a battle, metaphorically speaking, Jozien and we need them. If every one reacted like me and shied away from conflict where would we be? I suppose the issue though is how we fight: whether fairly or deceitfully. I reckon you'd be fair in so far as you could. <br /><br />Thanks, JozienElisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-12000317025219134272012-01-28T13:44:05.939+11:002012-01-28T13:44:05.939+11:00I imagine today's piano keys are made from som...I imagine today's piano keys are made from some synthetic material, Juliet, but when I was little I was so aware of the nature of ivory. It both appealed to me in its beauty and horrified me, all those dead or tuskless elephants.<br /><br />Thanks, Juliet.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-30698404906773795972012-01-28T13:41:54.428+11:002012-01-28T13:41:54.428+11:00Thanks for your thoughts on this difficult debate,...Thanks for your thoughts on this difficult debate, erin. MTR perhaps assumes too much for too many and I'm with Jennifer Wilson about the bullying nature of using threats of legal action as a silencing mechanism. You and I both know full well how dangerous silencing can be.<br /><br />Thanks erin.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-42785444444490077362012-01-28T11:41:25.773+11:002012-01-28T11:41:25.773+11:00I clicked on the link and read Jennifer's post...I clicked on the link and read Jennifer's post and some of the comments. Not knowing anything at all about the woman in question made this reading a rather peculiar, if fascinating, experience. I'll have to google and see what I can find, from the comments she sounds like a religious fundamentalist trying to use feminism as a tool to further her agenda. I'm sure Stephen King could write a great novel about such a character!<br /><br />I used to hate conflict, too, but don't mind it now.Erylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06008344023000459577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-27000653990765843912012-01-28T11:31:43.501+11:002012-01-28T11:31:43.501+11:00wonderful Elisabeth!
so much i could say, recogniz...wonderful Elisabeth!<br />so much i could say, recognize.<br />But i love to fight and will go read that discussion you suggest :)<br />thanksjozienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10212900310477832041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-36758748237688932312012-01-28T09:29:39.879+11:002012-01-28T09:29:39.879+11:00This is so moving Elisabeth. My mother had a piano...This is so moving Elisabeth. My mother had a piano very like that, and of course back then it never occurred to me that the keys were made from elephant's tusks. You pack so much richness into these pieces of writing - conflict, music, feminism, elephants, piano-makers . . . Thank you.Juliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01542985048406828693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-46771096364759214322012-01-28T02:05:22.691+11:002012-01-28T02:05:22.691+11:00your piece, is a soft hand, elisabeth, important, ...your piece, is a soft hand, elisabeth, important, resonating. so many voices present to be heard. <br /><br />i've just come from listening to the news interview. what i reject mostly is MTR's desire to censor all pornography. let's be brave enough to look at the underlying and complicated issues and elevate sexuality to a new level<b> while addressing equality and human rights</b> at the same time. let's not blanket everyone with a phrase like all pornography is evil. that would be as foolish and wrong as saying, all christians are evil. only the ones that want to proselytize and impose, pornographer or christian. i am not saying pornography is good. i am saying there is goodness to be found in an exploration of sexuality. i am not saying christianity is bad, but i am saying no one has the right to dictate prudence to the world. fundamental rights, yes, but not prudence.<br /><br />xo<br />erinerinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16636371927224076866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-16395159924936325012012-01-27T20:43:26.738+11:002012-01-27T20:43:26.738+11:00Ivory tusks evoke images of a bygone era for me, ...Ivory tusks evoke images of a bygone era for me, River. <br /><br />A time when our ancestors were less likely to think of the damage done. They'd wade in head first and feel entitled to the kill - perhaps. I can't say, but I'm with you on avoiding conflict wherever and whenever possible, though sometimes conflict's unavoidable and necessary, but not to the point of murder real or virtual.<br /><br />Thanks, River.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-83364501049951346842012-01-27T20:39:33.152+11:002012-01-27T20:39:33.152+11:00Pianos are so evocative, Pandora. They bring back ...Pianos are so evocative, Pandora. They bring back rich memories from the past. And yours of your grandmother's piano in Philadelphia seems all the more poignant , especially given the location, this sense of other worlds and other times. <br /><br />Thanks, Pandora.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-17889440996254571202012-01-27T20:37:09.693+11:002012-01-27T20:37:09.693+11:00I'm glad you enjoyed this trip down memory lan...I'm glad you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, Cuban and that you took a look at Jennifer Wilson's blog. I think it is a good blog, a thoughtful place where a degree of heat is inevitable I suspect. After all Jennifer herself claims the place is not for sheep.<br /><br />Thanks, Cuban.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-88827708454741242652012-01-27T20:35:10.877+11:002012-01-27T20:35:10.877+11:00That's sad, too, Cuby Poet. The noises you re...That's sad, too, Cuby Poet. The noises you remember of your childhood, not music but ranting.<br /><br />Thanks.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-46215566715348880952012-01-27T20:33:55.564+11:002012-01-27T20:33:55.564+11:00It seems to me it's good to allow yourself to ...It seems to me it's good to allow yourself to be stirred up in the face of another's anger, Rose, but perhaps not to be too overwhelmed by it. Not that you suggest you are. <br /><br />When I get overwhelmed I can't think for myself, at least not temporarily. It's hard to hold onto your head when others are losing theirs.<br /><br />Thanks, Rose.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-47447317500478293912012-01-27T20:30:37.549+11:002012-01-27T20:30:37.549+11:00My childhood had its ups and downs, Zuzana, as I e...My childhood had its ups and downs, Zuzana, as I expect most childhoods have, but I tend to remember the more dramatic moments, which is also not surprising. Such moments are the most emotionally laden. <br /><br />I see myself as strangely both thin skinned and thick skinned, Zuzana - if such were possible. Perhaps you are similar. I cannot imagine you as purely thick skinned given the sensitivity of your blog.<br /><br />Thanks.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-73343983885715636042012-01-27T20:26:14.116+11:002012-01-27T20:26:14.116+11:00Thanks for alerting me to the distinction between ...Thanks for alerting me to the distinction between trunks and tusks, Mary. You're right. It's funny that I didn't notice it earlier, but it's easy to overlook such bloopers when you're the writer. <br /><br />As for the bombs dropping during the second world war, they happened before my time and therefore only in my imagination. <br /><br />Thanks, Mary.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-91798289084905213202012-01-27T20:23:24.954+11:002012-01-27T20:23:24.954+11:00'Soul-suckingly exhausting' is a great way...'Soul-suckingly exhausting' is a great way to describe the impact of the awful battles some folks get into, especially when they are threatened with legal action. I know myself to some extent , I've been there, for daring to speak out. <br /><br />And because I despise certain 'conspiracies of silence' I'm grateful for the likes of Jennifer Wilson, only I cannot stand up and yell out loud with the rest of them for fear of sounding inarticulate and under theorised. <br /><br />Most tend to wax eloquent on theory. I take a personal, non-theoretical approach and it does not work so well under the ravages of intellect and the academy.<br /><br />Thanks, Kath.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-17532097684923962362012-01-27T20:18:52.850+11:002012-01-27T20:18:52.850+11:00It is amazing how loud certain silences can be, Ja...It is amazing how loud certain silences can be, Jane, especially when they emanate from important people like our mothers. And when we try to protest at this unspoken hostility it can sound high pitched and therefore in vain. As for feminism, it can run the sad fate of so many causes, it can become exaggerated and therefore less likely to be heard, like a good whinge, despite the validity of its efforts, namely to emancipate women. <br /><br />Thanks, Jane.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.com