Thread: Airline Lunches

Originally Posted by rustynail

I had never heard the story before. I happened to like what I read. It concerns me not the origin of a good deed.

Even when said good deed is most likely fictional and purely designed to elicit an emotional response?

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Even when said good deed is most likely fictional and purely designed to elicit an emotional response?

Isn't that what good fiction is all about?

Originally Posted by Big Shed

Isn't that what good fiction is all about?

Yes, but not when it's being portrayed as factual.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Even when said good deed is most likely fictional and purely designed to elicit an emotional response?

isn't this what most stories and the internet are all about?

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Even when said good deed is most likely fictional and purely designed to elicit an emotional response?

I am not privy to the origin of the story and again I point out my lack of concern for same.
It is somewhat saddening that a cynical view has to be taken from what may well have been a valuable lesson, be it fiction or fact. Why so? What is it about the story that requires trawling through the archives to denounce the tale as a myth?
As stated earlier, "Its the thought that counts."

Originally Posted by rustynail

I am not privy to the origin of the story and again I point out my lack of concern for same.
It is somewhat saddening that a cynical view has to be taken from what may well have been a valuable lesson, be it fiction or fact. Why so? What is it about the story that requires trawling through the archives to denounce the tale as a myth?
As stated earlier, "Its the thought that counts."

The problem with this sort of saccharin patriotism is that it contributes to the Americanisation and militarisation of Australian culture. Once Australians had a healthy disrespect for authority, the military etc. It's only recently that the "my country right or wrong" attitude seems to have been seeping in. Anzac day used to be a low key event honouring people like Weary Dunlop or Simpson and his donkey - it seems to have become (together with Australia Day) a celebration of Australian military prowess and jingoism. "Australia, best country in the world" and so on.

Denouncing this particular instance as a myth and an imported and doctored one does a little to stem the tide. John F Kennedy said "made up stories on the internet are the last refuge of a patriotic scoundrel"

Australia was a militaristic nation long before the American influence. It inherited its' militarism from our English forefathers, an ingrained love of uniforms being one of the outward tokens. Uniforms everywhere, Scouts, school uniforms, school cadets, I could go on.
Another very prevalent sign of this militarism is the fact that Australia was able to field a sizeable force in WWI without having to institute conscription. There is hardly an Australian town that doesn't have a very prominent war memorial, mostly erected after WWI, but some after the Boer War (another English war we joined in).

So, patriotism and militarism have always gone hand in hand and it isn't the preserve of our American cousins, it existed in England (and their German cousins) long before that.

Talking about patriotism, it is "the last refuge of the scoundrel" and that wasn't coined by JFK or Albert Einstein.

This term was actually first coined by another founder of the internet, Samuel Johnson

"What is it about the story that requires trawling through the archives to denounce the tale as a myth?"
It is so blatantly the poo of the male moo.
We get so much of it dished up.
Regards

This

I also just have a low tolerance for stupid bulls*** in general. One of the main reasons I'm not on facebook or any other form of social media

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

This

I also just have a low tolerance for stupid bulls*** in general. One of the main reasons I'm not on facebook or any other form of social media

Of course this forum is just another form of social media, isn't it, and we do get our fair share of stupid bulls***.

You just can't get away from it any more.

Originally Posted by Big Shed

Of course this forum is just another form of social media, isn't it, and we do get our fair share of stupid bulls***.

One of the reasons I joined these forums was because by and large when wood and metal workers see bullpoo they will go out of their way to point it out.

Unless they do this their work generally won't be successful given that most poo is a pretty poor glue.
Humm . . . . come to think of it, the klingons that stick on the back of my toilet bowl might have other ideas about that.

If a member makes a claim about price, sizes, flow rates, power, source etc and it can be demonstrated to be false or misleading, then it is only to the benefit of others, especially newbies that the calm be disputed.

I also like the way we used the mantra of "Photos or it didn't happen" - of course its not perfect but it helps keeps a lid on spurious claims.

So my take is that by and large WWF is a semi-quantitive low-bullpoo site and I wouldn't like to see it wander too far from this.

Of course there is always room for a joke or story or two, I've posted a few myself.
But like anything else posted It does not surprise me if the origin or sources are disputed and I for one welcome that.

Originally Posted by Big Shed

Australia was a militaristic nation long before the American influence. It inherited its' militarism from our English forefathers, an ingrained love of uniforms being one of the outward tokens. Uniforms everywhere, Scouts, school uniforms, school cadets, I could go on.
Another very prevalent sign of this militarism is the fact that Australia was able to field a sizeable force in WWI without having to institute conscription. There is hardly an Australian town that doesn't have a very prominent war memorial, mostly erected after WWI, but some after the Boer War (another English war we joined in).

So, patriotism and militarism have always gone hand in hand and it isn't the preserve of our American cousins, it existed in England (and their German cousins) long before that.

Talking about patriotism, it is "the last refuge of the scoundrel" and that wasn't coined by JFK or Albert Einstein.

This term was actually first coined by another founder of the internet, Samuel Johnson

There is a difference between military and militarism. Militarism = "domination of the military man over the civilian, an undue preponderance of military demands, an emphasis on military considerations" So for eg Prussia and subsequently Germany = militarist society, Japan in the period before the 2nd world war = militarist. Australia has a military but it's not been put on a pedastal above civilian society. All the things that make Australia a good place to live today (free education, health system, universal suffrage, federation etc) have been created without the intrusion of the military into civil society.

Thanks for correcting those quotes. I think it was Thomas Jefferson who said that "the only thing we have to fear is fear of made up quotes on the internet"

Thank you moti, you are of course entitled to have your own favourite meaning of "militarism", but this is what the Oxford Dictionary has to say


militarism - definition of militarism in English from the Oxford dictionary



But I fear we are straying rather far away from a simple airline lunch

not long after Ansett first introduced inflight dining I was flying from Melbourne to Canberra

After eating the dinner serving a hostie took away the leftovers and asked me how it was
I replied "Edible"
she said "It's getting better then"