Men of Violence

"And faced now with the failure 

of their discredited cause, 

the Men of Violence have chosen, 

in recent months, to play what may well 

be their last card -- They have turned 

their violence against themselves, through 

the prison Hunger-strike to Death --

They seek to work on the most basic 

of Human Emotions, Pity, as a means 

of creating tension and stoking the fires 

of Bitterness and Hatred --"

-- Thatcher.

Maybe you're the 

one that's afraid.

Cassian: 

Of course I'm afraid! 

But there's a difference between Fear, 

and losing your nerve! 

...You want out of this? Make a choice. 

Don't use me as an excuse.

Hunger (2008) — The priest tries to talk Bobby Sands out of his protest

The Rt.Hon. Bobby Sands M.P. : 

Have you been to 

Guidor, in Donegal?

Father Moran : 

Aye.

The Rt.Hon. Bobby Sands M.P. :

I went there when I was twelve. 

Big cross-country race for the boys, 

and we were all in the back of a minibus 

headed towards Derry one morning. 

And this is big time. I mean, this is like 

International Athletics for us, 'cause we're 

racin' against boys in The South, and we have 

this thing to do, "Belfast Pride". 

Two of the boys are Prods; 

the rest of us are Catholics. 

It's a cross-community event; 

I suppose the 'good people'

on the side think 

this is great stuff : --

"Let’s get this wee team 

over from Belfast!" 

and all that patronising shite. 

Anyway, we're through The Border; 

the boys are all singin' pop tunes and all, 

but I'm just in the back of the bus 

lookin' out the window --

We're going through The Mountains. 

You know where Mount Errigal is and everything? 

It's a beautiful sight, Dom. Donegal has to be 

the most beautiful place in Ireland, I reckon.

Father Moran : 

Aye...

The Rt.Hon. Bobby Sands M.P. :

Anyway, we've arrived at Guidor, what a place, 

and it's hoppin' with about two hundred boys, 

and they're getting into their gear 

and membering up --

The whole event's run by Christian Brothers 

and they're clapping young fellas around 

the back of the ears, basically trying 

to maintain some Order. 

Our team goes off for a wee jog to stretch out the legs. 

We're surrounded by fields of barley, and 

we dip down into a wee valley where there's 

a stream and woods running through it. 

The woods and stream are 

out of bounds, so naturally, 

us Belfast boys have to go check them out. 

Woods and the stream seem 

just like the Amazon to us. 

And we come across these young fellas from Cork, 

and there's some banter about our accents; 

they could barely talk; we couldn't understand 

a word they were saying. 

We had the idea that They're lording it over us a bit, 

you know; looking down on us; I'm sensing it, anyway. 

We run along, and we come up with this idea 

to go down to the stream and check it out for fish. 

So we're down by the river, downstream. 

There's half a foot of water in there. 

Little silver fish, but nothing substantial, 

'til one of their boys calls us further down --

Lying in the water is a wee foal, 

four or five days old. --

He's all skin and bones, gray collar, and 

he's got flecks of blood on his coat, 

'cause he's cut himself up really badly 

on the sharp rocks --

We're just standing over him and 

you can see his back leg's snapped --

And he’s breathing, he’s alive, but just about. 

So this big conversation gets started up 

between the boys who suddenly 

reckon themselves The Leaders, 

and they're deliberating as to 

what we should do --

Someone says "Drop a rock on his head", 

but I'm looking in their faces and I can see 

they're either scared stiff or 

clueless; it's all bravado. 

And this foal on the ground, in real pain, 

all this chitchat going on, going nowhere. 

Next thing, one of the priests sees us, sees the foal, 

tells us not to move and we're 

done for, really done for. 

Group of boys will always get 

the blame for hurting a foal. 

Group of Belfast boys will 

get a hammering for sure. 

So it's clear to me in an instant, 

and I'm down on my knees, and 

I take the foal's head in my hands 

and I put him underwater. 

He's thrashing around a bit to start, so 

I press down harder until he's drowned. 

Priest arrives, though. 

He's grabbing me by the hair, 

dragging me through the woods, 

promising me a proper hiding, but 

I knew I did the right thing 

by that wee foal, and I could take 

the punishment for all our boys. 

I had the respect of them other 

boys now, and I knew that. 

I'm clear of the reasons, Dom. 

I’m clear of all the repercussions. 

But I will act, and 

I will NOT stand by 

and Do Nothing.

Involved

Andor has been arrested - Andor S1

Tom :

Listen -- are you really 

set on going to Gallifrey?

The Boy : 

Yes.

Tom : 

Oh.....

The Boy : 

That is where we're 

going, isn't it..?

Tom : 

That's one of the questions I was just pondering --

There's bound to be an awful lot of fuss about Romana.... 

Why she stayed in E-Space; 

official investigations, that sort of thing.

The Boy : 

The Time Lords 

won't approve?

Tom : 

-- What...? She has broken 

The Cardinal Rule of 

Gallifrey — She has become 

involved; and in a pretty 

permanent sort of way -- 

[Cassian looks left and 

right while walking]

Shoretrooper : 

What do you think 

you're doing?

Cassian Andor : 

Excuse me?

Shoretrooper :

You keep looking around.

Cassian Andor :

I'm just trying to figure 

out what's going on --

Shoretrooper: 

You a part of it?

Cassian Andor :

Part of what?

Shoretrooper :

Don't play dumb.

Cassian Andor :

No, I'm on my way to the store.

Shoretrooper: 

You need to back up. Stand right there.

[Shoretrooper points. Cassian 

walks backwards and stands]

Shoretrooper: 

You look like you're sweating.

Cassian Andor :

Well, it's hot.

Shoretrooper: Or you've been running.

Cassian Andor :

Why would I be running?

Shoretrooper: 

Because you're a part of it.

Cassian Andor :

Part of what?

Shoretrooper: 

I'll ask the questions.

[Several people run by. Shoretrooper radios in]

Shoretrooper: 

Pier 9, Pier 9, runners heading South.

Cassian Andor : [Looks at runners] 

I can wait for you here if you want.

Shoretrooper : 

Friends of yours?

Cassian Andor :

What?

Shoretrooper: 

You heard me.

Cassian Andor :

[KX Unit walks toward them] 

Wait, no... uh...

[chuckles]

Cassian Andor :

I don't know anybody 

here. I'm a tourist.

Shoretrooper : 

Tourists don't run.

Cassian Andor :

But I'm not running.

Shoretrooper: 

You got that right. 

That window is shut.

[KX Unit is shown carrying two people, another KX unit throws a man across the ground]

Cassian Andor: I'm just going to the store, it's right there!

[Points to building]

Shoretrooper : 

You need to calm down, sir.

[to KX Unit]

Shoretrooper : 

Droid assistance, please.

Cassian Andor :

[KX Unit drops two people to the ground 

and walks toward them] 

Uh... What? Wait. What is he... 

No, this is crazy

[laughs]

Shoretrooper : [to droid] 

Hang on to this one for me. 

I wanna check the shelter.

[Shoretrooper walks away]

KX Unit: 

He said hang?

[Slowly walks toward Cassian]

Cassian Andor :

What? No, no, no. No. No, 

you misunderstand. No, 

he... he meant 'watch'.

KX Unit: 

Hang?

Cassian Andor :

No, no, he means 'watch' --

[KX unit lifts Cassian by the neck 

and slams him against a wall. 

Cassian gasps and chokes]

KX Unit: Hang.

Cassian Andor: [Yells to Shoretrooper] Tell him!

[Gasps]

Cassian Andor: Tell him you mean watch!

Practice Training Exercise Simulation

......it was a Dream.....!!

We LIVE, inside 

A Dream..!!

What’s the Difference Between Your 

Imagination and Unconscious Mind?

The Dream is how 

the implicit structure 

of Your Perception 

and Value-Hierarchy 

reveal themselves to you --

John McKittrick: 

It all flows into this room and then into 

what we call The WOPR-Computer.

Lyle Watson: 

WOPR? What is that?

John McKittrick: 

It's a War Operations Planning Response. 

This is Mr. Richter. Paul, would you like to 

tell these gentlemen about The WOPR.

Richter: 

Well, The WOPR spends ALL it's time 

THINKING about World War III.

Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, 

it plays an endless series of WarGames using 

all available information on 

The State of The World --

The WOPR has already fought 

World War III as a GAME, 

time, and time again -- 

It estimates Soviet responses 

to our responses to their 

responses and so on -- 

It estimates damage, counts The Dead, and 

it looks for ways to improve The Score....

Shall We Stop this Bleeding?

🕯️ MESMER 🕯️ (1994)

"It may be you're right -- but say all we done is show the world that Democracy isn't chaos. That there is a great, invisible strength in a people's union. 

Say we've shown that a people can endure awful sacrifice and yet cohere. Mightn't that save at least the idea of Democracy to aspire to? 

Eventually to become worthy of? 

At all rates, whatever may be proven by blood and sacrifice must have been proved by now --

Shall we stop this bleeding?"

Hysterical Blindness

"It's unhealthy to be so obsessed with sickness. 

"We're the only animal that knows 

it's going to die, Madame. 

Uh, yes... And yet we're also the only species 

that has some faint sense of perfection. 

Oh, yeah... philosophy! Hence our inner 

rage at sickness. We could hear The Music 

of the heavenly spheres... if only 

we strained to Listen."

🕯️ MESMER 🕯️ (1994) Watch FULL MOVIE 

subtitled in English (ALAN RICKMAN,...

Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer :

What are we doing? Treating 

Great ladies with small diseases? 

And every silver spooned 

hysteric in Paris. 

I cure The Sick, Charles, because 

I can reach into their souls -- 

This is just Play-acting. 

Not anymore. 

The Royal Society has 

set a date for The Hearing. 

They're not interested in My Theories. 

They just want to make me look a Fool. 

One day We shall all come to acknowledge 

that Our Emotions and Our Bodies... 

...are not separate -- WITHOUT 

the blessing of The Royal Society. 

What's happening? Paris. 

The Capital of Reason. 

And half-digested Ideas 

come back up like vomit. 

Liberty is not a thing 

The Poor half-digest, Charles;

They swallow it WHOLE.... 

Especially when there's 

nothing else to eat... 

Franz Anton... 

When A Society is sick... 

ALL it's Members are ill, too. 

Including Us -- And 

always Look-out. 

But I can also Look IN. 

Maria Theresa Paradies :

How did you know?

 

Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer :

I don't know how I do. 

Maria Theresa Paradies :

You abandoned me;

-- I cannot see. 

Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer :

Do you want to see? 

Maria Theresa Paradies :

No. I would rather not see 

what there is to see -- 

When I could see the notes 

on the piano, I made mistakes. 

I could not bear to 

lose that one thing. 

My Music... 

The one pure -- 

Clean thing. 

Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer :

.....I wish didn't know 

what you mean. But I do. 

I do. When I was a boy, I would 

climb The Mountain. 

And I could see that all 

around me, from one horizon 

to the other -- everything was 

in Harmony. In Balance. 

Except Human Beings. 

Except Us. And I want... 

I could not bear to 

Do nothing about it.

Rood Little Boys

That’s an absolutely fascinating observation, and I think you’ve tapped into something quite deep about Pinocchio’s nature as both an animate tree and a character with an external conscience. Let’s unpack this idea, layer by layer, and explore what this might suggest :

1. Pinocchio as the Tree of Knowledge:

• Pinocchio’s Creation: The fact that Pinocchio is literally a wooden puppet—an animate tree, made from wood—has strong symbolic ties to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In the biblical narrative, the Tree is a source of transformation, representing the moment of awareness when Adam and Eve eat from it and are suddenly given the knowledge of right and wrong. Similarly, Pinocchio, being an animate tree, symbolizes a transition from innocence to knowledge.
• The Tree of Life and Growth: Trees often symbolize life, growth, and potential. They reach upward—growing toward the light, just as Pinocchio’s journey is a movement toward moral awareness and humanity. The wooden puppet transforming into a real boy mirrors a shift from a static, inert form of being into a dynamic, self-aware state, much like how the act of eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden grants humanity the ability to understand and choose between right and wrong. Pinocchio’s growth—from wooden puppet to real boy—is a symbol of maturation and the gaining of wisdom, which is akin to gaining the knowledge of good and evil.

2. Jiminy Cricket as an External Conscience:

This is the intriguing part—the fact that Pinocchio’s conscience is external to him, embodied in the character of Jiminy Cricket, who serves as his moral guide. This introduces an interesting dynamic of external versus internal guidance in relation to moral development.

• The Nature of Conscience: In many narratives, the conscience is viewed as something internal—a voice within that reflects one’s moral compass. However, in Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket is a separate entity that guides Pinocchio from the outside. This could reflect a psychological process where moral development is not fully self-formed in the beginning, but requires external influence and instruction—much like how children learn about right and wrong through external guidance (from parents, society, culture, etc.).
• The Need for Guidance: The fact that Pinocchio, a character that represents growth and transformation, has an external conscience speaks to the idea that moral understanding is learned over time, often through interaction with others. Pinocchio, in his early state, is a puppet—a being without the internal structure to make wise decisions. He needs Jiminy’s guidance to grow, just as we, in our early years, often rely on the guidance of others to help us form our own internal moral compass.

3. The Symbolism of External vs. Internal Conscience:

• External Conscience as Instruction: Jiminy represents the external influence that shapes and teaches Pinocchio about what is right and wrong. Jiminy is the moral voice that Pinocchio learns to listen to, and through this learning, Pinocchio begins to internalize these lessons. In a sense, Pinocchio’s conscience is external because he is not yet capable of making moral decisions on his own, and the external moral guidance provided by Jiminy represents an early stage of moral development—just as children learn from their parents and teachers before they develop their own independent understanding.
• Pinocchio’s Transformation: Over time, as Pinocchio matures and grows, Jiminy’s role lessens, because Pinocchio internalizes the lessons of right and wrong. The external conscience becomes more of an internal one. This parallels the journey of human moral development: children begin with external guidance (from adults), but as they grow, they internalize that guidance and make moral choices independently.

4. Pinocchio as a Symbol of Moral Growth:

• The Role of the Puppet: The fact that Pinocchio is a puppet made from wood suggests that he begins in an unformed or immature state, much like an unfinished moral being. He lacks the capacity for independent moral judgment, and so he needs the external conscience of Jiminy Cricket to help him navigate the world. The puppet nature of Pinocchio can be seen as symbolic of immaturity—he’s still learning, still dependent on external forces to guide his actions.
• The Role of the Conscience: Jiminy, as Pinocchio’s conscience, is a guide that helps him develop his own morality. In this way, Jiminy functions like the lawgiver or the divine authority that helps humanity (represented by Pinocchio) move from innocence to maturity, from being driven by impulse to acting with responsibility and moral choice. Just as humans learn right and wrong through societal structures, Pinocchio learns his moral lessons through the guidance of Jiminy Cricket.

5. The Deep Psychological Meaning:

The fact that Pinocchio’s conscience is external could suggest that in the early stages of moral development, the ability to make moral decisions is not intrinsic, but needs to be learned. His journey from a puppet to a real boy represents the maturation of the individual, in which the external voice of authority (Jiminy) eventually becomes internalized as the child grows into an adult with a fully formed conscience.

• Symbolizing the Journey from Childhood to Adulthood: The external conscience (Jiminy) helps Pinocchio mature into someone who can make independent moral decisions. This process mirrors the psychological journey of a child who gradually internalizes the lessons and rules they are taught, ultimately becoming a self-guided individual capable of making their own moral choices.

Conclusion:

In a symbolic sense, Pinocchio being an animate tree and having an external conscience (Jiminy Cricket) suggests that moral knowledge is something that is not innate or immediately internalized. Just as trees grow and develop, so does Pinocchio’s conscience, and the guidance of Jiminy Cricket plays the role of the external moral influence that teaches him the difference between right and wrong.

The separation of conscience and individual—where the conscience is an external entity—represents the early stage of moral development, where guidance from external sources (parents, mentors, figures of authority) is necessary before the conscience can be internalized. Pinocchio’s eventual transformation from puppet to boy represents a growth not only of his physical form but also of his moral capacity—from being guided by an external conscience to having his own internal moral compass.

What are your thoughts on this interpretation? Does it resonate with the ideas you were exploring?

Now, What Seems to Be The Trouble?

A-ha! Antisemitism!!

(There is a knock at The Door --)

Harley Street Specialist : 

Come in --

(The Door opens and 

Raymond Luxury-Yacht enters.

Mr. Luxury-Yacht has his enormous 

polystyrene nose. It is a foot long.)

Harley Street Specialist : 

Ah! Mr. Luxury-Yacht; 

Do sit down, please --

Mr. Luxury-Yacht :

Ah, no, no -- My Name is spelt

'Luxury-Yacht' but it's pronounced, 

'ThroatWobbler-Mangrove'.

Harley Street Specialist : 

Well, do sit down then, 

Mr. ThroatWobbler-Mangrove.

Mr. Luxury-Yacht :

Thank you. (So, he does.)

Harley Street Specialist : 

Now, What seems 

to be The Trouble?

Mr. Luxury-Yacht : 

Um, I'd like you to perform 

some plastic surgery on me --