MDMD Dixon's nonviolence

[Dave Monroe]

'Round and 'round ...

--- David Morris <fqmorris at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Er, actually you wrote (dissembled):
> 
> > "But while Dixon, man of science, here, Newtonian
> > mechanics, that he is, would presumably presume
> > the imminent collision here, there is a certain
> > passivity about his action here nonetheless.
> > It's not QUITE as if he'd thrown a punch, although
> > one COULD rewrite the equations as if he had."
> 
> What is one to make of such equivocation?  Again, I
> say this is your typical full-of-shit tactic, trying
> to eek out some respectability for the true 
> buffoon, Mr. Millison.

Well, if y'all'd read these things a little more
carefully, I'm pointing out there that Dixon has every
reason, whether or not he actually throws a punch, to
expect his fist to collide with the Slave Driver's
face.  The interesting thing that Doug latches onto
there is that he DOESN'T throw the punch.  But even if
the effort isn't quite made, the effect is inevitably
the same.  And that's my point about Newtonian
mechanics.  Dixon'd be familiar with 'em, they'd make
the outcome inevitable here, and, from the point of
view of (any given point on) the face, the fist is as
much coming towards it a it is headed towards the
fist.  The equivocation, if there is one, is,
interestingly (Doug would say pointedly, Terrance
perhaps negligibly) Pynchon's, not mine ...

Again, Terrance had a point, esp. in light of
Robinson's rather less equivocal account, an account
which, again, likely served as the inspiration for
Pynchon's own.  And Doug had a point, esp. in light of
Pynchon's divergence from that likely source.  From
perhaps any source (are there any more anyone has at
hand?) for the incident.  Everything else is their own
damn argument, though, as I've mentioned a coupla
times here at least, I've no particular disagreement
with terrance's characterization of Dixon.  It's
apparently not only one embedded in the Mason and
Dixon legend (vs. what relatively little is known of
"the historical Mason and Dixon"), but part of a
complemtarity with no shallow roots in literature,
drama, film, teevee, et al. ...

> >And then there's fq(say it out loud ...)morris.
> 
> Oh, you are so clever.

Thanks for noticing.  Flattery, Mr. Morris, will get
you everywhere ...

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