further to bill griffiths
abstract nouns i guess develop fairly inevitably through cultural evolution
& social differentiation - hierarchies always redfine terms to bolster
power, however, using an abstraction like "communist" or "philumenist" or
"dentigerous" to denigrate one's opponent is no different in kind from
using a more physical noun such as "pig", "donkey's bottom" or "washstand
marble" as a term of abuse, in either case the term is drained of its
meaning, and the physical noun is no more virtous a spouse than the
abstract. if bill griffiths feels there is innate deficiency in the
abstract as opposed to hard-edged sister then i feel he's close to the
thinking of william barnes - perhaps instead of physical nouns one could
say "hand-nouns" (nouns pronounced "knowns")
for one of mr griffith's much displayed sensitivities i am dismayed at his
closing passage - i reproduce:
"My point being that abstract words have little definition other
than the wish to promote one's own virtue or molest others.
Indeed, given his association with Andrew Duncan, and his own fine
skill in using 'Angel Exhuast' to satirise and vilify, I could not
imagine anyone better qualified than David Bircumshaw to run
a witchhunt."
my association with andrew duncan consists in having a few poems published
in angel exhaust over the last few years, indeed, we could walk past each
other in the
street without recognising one another. about mr griffith's final phrase i
can only say he knows nothing about me.
& i stopped believing in witches when i was 5.
david bircumshaw
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