The Universe is Absurd, and it Starts in LA

[elfs]

Those of you who've read David Weber may remember The Committee On Public Safety. Believe it or not, such committees actually exist and I can't help but wonder if they're peopled by folks similar to the bloodthirsty loons Weber described.

The Los Angeles Committee On Public Safety has just drafted and sent to the city council a new proposal requiring strippers to stay six feet away from the patrons, to perform "in public view" (banning "private room" dancing), and that all financial transactions that take place be mediated by a mananger or security representative.

In Los Angeles???

---

On the flip side, if you haven't seen it, check out Exactitudes, a photo montage website of subcultures. Some of them not work safe, but you can tell which ones by the thumbnails. It's an amazing collection showing how people identify with their subculture and dress like their peers.

Comments

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

You have noticed how much Weber has borrowed from the French Revolution?

These loons don't seem to know the history of what they call themselves. Do they realise they're bloodthirsty revolutionaries?

Weber and the French Revolution

[(Anonymous)]

Okay, near as I can figure, this is the deal with Weber's Honor series and the French Revolution:

1) Several of the Peeps chose their names fully conscious of the history of those names (i.e. Rob S. Pierre, IIRC Oscar St.-Just, etc.)

2) There were one or two Manties who had French Revolution names (IIRC, they were generally the bad guys), and they were uniformly ignorant of the significance of those names. So those names were just a Weberian in-joke. Especially since none of the main chars. commented on the significance.

3) Of course, you should take this with a grain of salt: I haven't studied the French Revolution extensively, and this is based off of dim recollections of my history classes.

-Malthus

Re: Weber and the French Revolution

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

There's more to it than just the names, and Weber has been pretty open about the inspiration from the history of that period: not just the revolution, but many other characters. HH has some very obvious echoes of Nelson, for instance.

And some of the references are a little more obscure. Most people won't notice the tennis court, for instance, and there's at least one character who has echoes of the Scarlet Pimpernel in their actions.

But having a character, at the end of a book, sign himself "Rob S. Pierre" is almost as wince-inducing as the infamous picture of the author in a kilt.

Dave Weber knows what he's doing. The nutcases in LA don't.