Einstein’s Theory of Relationships

Submitted by Matt on Mon, 2013-08-19 02:07

Article here. Excerpt:

'FULL TEXT: Berlin, July 7. – Dr. Albert Einstein, the famous scientist, made an amazing discovery relative to America on his trip which he recently explained to a sympathetic-looking Hollander as follows:

“The excessive enthusiasm for me in America appears to be typically American. And if I grasp it correctly the reason is that the people in America are as colossally bored, very much more than is the case with us. After all, there is so little for them there!” he exclaimed.

Dr. Einstein said this with vibrant sympathy. He continued:

“New York, Boston, Chicago and other cities have their theatres and concerts, but for the rest? There are cities with 1,000,000 inhabitants. Despite which what poverty, intellectual poverty! The people are, therefore, glad when something is given them with which they can play and over which they can enthuse. And that they do, then, with monstrous intensity.

“Above all things there are the women who, as a literal fact, dominate the entire life in America. The men take an interest in absolutely nothing at all. They work and work, the like of which I have never seen anywhere yet. For the rest they are the toy dogs of the women, who spend the money in a most unmeasurable, illimitable way and wrap themselves in a fog of extravagance. They do everything which is the vogue and now quite by chance they have thrown themselves on the Einstein fashion.'

Like0 Dislike0

Comments

He was opinionated, yes. But sccchhhmmmart people often are, though they don't always share them. Eienstein wasn't like that, though.

I've seen those bumper stickers that read "Well-behaved women rarely make history". Actually, quite true. Marie Curie (a name I have mentioned in other posts) I suppose being a notable exception. But I'd like to point out that well-behaved men rarely make history, too, Einstein among them (notorious philanderer, probably contributing to the demise of his marriage). Think: Thomas Jefferson: Very badly-behaved. He was a "bloody revolutionary", primary author of the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms and the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, a declaration of war if ever there was, but one that merely lacked the actual words: "We hereby declare war...". He had children with a slave he owned, her by definition incapable of giving consent; thus even if from an emotive perspective she assented, she could not as long as she remained his legal property give legal consent, or moral assent, to having sex, much less kids with him. This pretty much makes him a rapist as far as I'm concerned. But, facts don't lie: he made history. John Adams: also badly-behaved (a revolutionary, by definition, a badly-behaved person, at least as far as the overthrown powers are concerned). He, too, made history. Of course there are more "routine" history-makers that don't seem like they were badly-behaved. But for most such men (and women), look closer: Bet you can find some reeeaaallly bad behavior somewhere there. :)

Point is, most people play by "the rules". And indeed, they probably ought to. That's because if you don't do so, you leave yourself vulnerable to exposure-- legal, personal, etc. So you have to be the type of person who intimidates others into staying quiet about your "badness" if you're going to *not* play by "the rules". You may not have to actually work at it. Sometimes, you just have to be you. Plenty of examples exist where no words need be spoken; The Boss wants it this way, and even if it's a bad idea, somewhat shady, or downright illegal, it gets done anyway. Think banking crisis and toxic mortgage assets. History got made there, but in a way none too good for the average person. But no one said if you "make history", you do so on the "right side" every time.

I can think of a few latter-day feminists who fit that pretty well.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by Matt on Mon, 2013-08-19 02:49