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The Truth is in the Delivery

from Blood Meridian by damezumari

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about

I love ironic humor, but I have a deep sense of ambivalence about the way I and others use it. (This ambivalence is of course ironic). It frequently provides a convenient way to voice thoughts without endorsing them as a genuine beliefs, and that is fine if everyone involved, especially the speaker, knows and is confident about what those genuine beliefs are, but when any imperfection in the state of knowledge is present, then that irony constitutes a barrier to communication, and a often a means of expressing superiority over others, of excluding others, etc. These situations may be rather rare, but they can easily arise in situations where they might do some harm. For instance, David Cross does a routine about a dessert at a restaurant made of edible gold. He describes the labor chain that brought that gold from some mine in south Africa to the table in this rather posh restaurant near wall street in new york, and ironically and cynically voices the metaphoric social attitude contained in the act of eating something that could potentially feed the families of all the virtual slave laborers involved. Now, the bit is funny, don’t get me wrong, and the audience laughs, but then do they do anything about it? Shouldn’t they? I don’t mean to make this point too significant, but I think it is worth observing how ironic humor over an otherwise serious subject can defuse and distract and absolutely fail to motivate any action where one might otherwise want some. I think that humor plays a vital role in one’s life, and I know it can be depressing to be serious all the time, but I think that often humor serves as a steam valve for social anxieties and pressures that might more usefully be used to power progressive action. At the end of the day, the audience probably acted the same way they would have any way, with respect to those poor people in south Africa, but their laughter was a sign of their agreement with David’s own attitude towards the inequity and absurdity of this product. In that way, irony can also serve as a means of recognizing the people that are already in on the joke, as it were, and these people should be the easiest to motivate. I’m realizing now that I got off on a huge tangent, and this really has little to with the song at this point, but I still think it’s interesting, so it stays, and you can just stop reading if you want!

lyrics

Flirt with the truth through gentle irony avoid attachment and deflect in subtlety If I admit it, am I absolved? or acquitted of this middle brow, middle class, half caring, and half-assed, cowardly bravery

sharp witted and forked tongue, thick skinned, with mask on cutting to protect, to shelter and deflect this parade of cynicism is wearing thin

broken homes make broken bones, too late and so long just move along, why try to belong if community is (just) monotony? Are there worse things to be?

Where is fulfillment if this is my penitence? just stay what you are

to think and say, and just make do

these swords won’t help they only open wounds you can’t mend with irony the truth is in the delivery

just say it but don’t mean it just say it but don’t believe it just say it and hide in the irony

credits

from Blood Meridian, released October 1, 2009

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damezumari Tulsa, Oklahoma

the band - started march 2003, from tulsa,OK. and san diego, ca
in its last recorded form:
craig maricle - drums
chris skillern - bass, voice
stephen paul - guitar, voice
eric titterud - guitar, voice
the band has previously included:
doug johnston (drums) and daniel sutliff (bass), who both played on the first three demos,
blake foster (drums), and aaron thornhill (bass) and mike laughlin (drums)
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