[lbo-talk] vanishing warrior spirit

[Michael Simkin]

> As for "warrior cultures" -- it has a fine ring to it -- Tolstoy was
> impressed, but in reality is it not simply another form of  parasitism?
>And isn't the longing for it simply a nostalgia for "those times" when
those
>who rule do so by some "natural" right like physical prowess and
> courage...rather than by the (unmanly) virtue of financial speculation
> (theft) and exploitation (theft).
>

Well, if you call financial speculation "theft", than you may consider
calling
militarism "butchery" (think of Agincourt).

Albeit you correctly identified the tendency. I've heard that Grand Prince
Romanov works as a broker in London Stock Exchange.

Yukio Mishima, who in 197? committed hara-kiri to complete his literary
work,
shortly before his death complained that nowadays the only Japanese who do
possess the Samurai Spirit are members of Yakuza gangs.

I read an article in Soaring magazine about making of the movie "Thomas
Crown Affair". They shot some of it at a glideport. And the chief actor,
Pierce Brosnan (also known as James Bond)  never flew a glider even as a
passenger.
An understudy of the chief actress  was the only one to actually
fly the glider. Now think: if you are at a glideport and
they offer you a free ride, why not go? Acrofobia?

Mikhail Simkin
---
http://www.ee.ucla.edu/~simkin/