A Teenagers MSN Conversation (Alternatively titled "Much Ado About Nothing")

Teenager A: what do u reckon real power is?

Teenager B: in what sense?

Teenager A: exactly; in what sense do you think somebody has real power over somebody/thing

Teenager B: when they can make it do whatever they want
Teenager B: or whatever they choose

Teenager A: yes, thats a good idea
Teenager A: how do u get it?

Teenager B: depends on what you have power over, i guess

Teenager A: ok; lets say a person
Teenager A: or people

Teenager B: 'a person' and 'people'
Teenager B: are very different
Teenager B: person - you'd have to charm them, so they're attached to you in some way
Teenager B: and be willing to do something for you

Teenager A: aha, thats interesting
Teenager A: most ppl think that power is gotten through violence
Teenager A: but you reckon that if you can get somebody to do something willingly, that is true power?

Teenager B: Hmm

Teenager A: thats good

Teenager B: maybe not

Teenager A: not?

Teenager B: depends WHY that will to do it is there. if its because they "have" to i.e. following a teachers orders, as opposed to someone doing a favor for a friend

Teenager A: which one carries more power u reckon?
Teenager A: from those two examples?

Teenager B: the teacher, because they can enforce it, the favor is also a choice on the 'friends' part, not so much the power of the person over thier friend

Teenager A: thats a good conclusion
Teenager A: but i reckon true power is shown when nobody knows theyr controlled

Teenager B: is that REALLY relevant? does it matter?

Teenager A: well lets say you wanted to rule a government that way
Teenager A: people follow your orders because YOU are in control
Teenager A: its only a matter of time (a VERY short ammount of time, i reckon) before people go "wait a minute, i dont WANT to be controlled! i rebel!"
Teenager A: and then they rebel
Teenager A: we see it in school kids all the time
Teenager A: but with friends
Teenager A: ur on their level
Teenager A: why would they want to rebel?
Teenager A: and yet the'll do what u want them to do
Teenager A: if u phrase it right

Teenager B: thats not a difference in power, just the consequences of how you use it. Say if someone was controlling a government (yeah all of it - far fetched, i know, but just for this example) and people knew, his power would be no different than if people didnt know. its just that they can react to that knowledge and decide wether they want it to be that way or not

Teenager A: oh k, i see what ur saying
Teenager A: like Bush; people complain about being controlled yet it makes no difference, he still has power
Teenager A: is that sorta what u mean?

Teenager B: well sorta. though in that case, his power IS restricted, because people are watching him, and he has to adhere to some code of conduct

Teenager A: exactly
Teenager A: when people are KNOWN to be in power
Teenager A: rules become applied

Teenager B: hehe, i knew you would bring this up
Teenager B: but his power is the same as someone in the same position when people dont know about it, its just that he chooses not to do some things. like nuke the world.

Teenager A: thats interesting
Teenager A: if Bush said "nuke the world" what do u think would happen?

Teenager B: it wouldnt happen, the people below him wouldnt do it
Teenager B: aw
Teenager B: maybe
Teenager B: who knows? depends on how he justifies it

Teenager A: well what about if when he said to do it, Greenpeace said to do it as well
Teenager A: and so did all the TV personalities

Teenager B: people can make their own decisions, it still depends on where the missiles are headed. if it wasnt something so grave as launching nukes
Teenager B: then people would go with the crowd

Teenager A: i agree with u; but i reckon if the right people say to do it, something as grave as nukes could happen JUST as easily

Teenager B: yeah thats true, but the people you mentioned arent 'the right people'

Teenager A: yes; that’s true
Teenager A: for US
Teenager A: for THEM though

Teenager B: Hm

Teenager A: we dont have the power

Teenager B: sorry? we dont have the power for what

Teenager A: to control who shoots the nukes
Teenager A: for Bush (who does have the power) he would b looking at those kind of people
Teenager A: so he can retain an image

Teenager B: yeah, true
Teenager B: we don’t have enough influence

Teenager A: we are the governed body
Teenager A: nothing else
Teenager A: thats obvious from all those 'Rock Against Bush' things and protests and all
Teenager A: we can try; but we have no power
Teenager A: myself; i dont really care
Teenager A: but its interesting to think about

Teenager B: what if bush was going to rain nukes on us then?

Teenager A: then we'd better find some shelter *looks for shelter*

Teenager B: Hahaha

Teenager A: lol other then that; not much else
Teenager A: i found some shelter; some conspiracy theory nerds who were hacking into our convos had beat me there

Teenager B: Hehehe
Teenager B: sex is not the root of all desire

Teenager A: no?
Teenager A: sex is the root of pleasure
Teenager A: pleasure is the root of desire

Teenager B: not all desire stems from pleasure
Teenager B: the desire for a big house
Teenager B: the desire for a warm fire to sit next to
Teenager B: the desire to earn lots of money
Teenager B: ambition, pride, comfort

Teenager A: lol i reckon u could relate the 'big house' to a phallic symbol
Teenager A: desire for a warm fire is just like a warm body; same perceptual response
Teenager A: money is one of the symbols of sex; used ALL the time in literature

Teenager B: i disagree on all three counts. a house is a house, make it represent whatever symbols you want, but its a physical thing, a building. warmth is a basic human yearning, not necessarily for another body. money may be a symbol for sex but its much much more, its also how we live

Teenager A: everything is symbols; all perception is symbol

Teenager B: thats a big call tommy boy

Teenager A: im well aware of that
Teenager A: but i reckon it is
Teenager A: because everything physical is a symbol for an emotion or stimuli
Teenager A: like u said; fire is warmth
Teenager A: but u can feel that same warmth another way
Teenager A: in which case; fire became a romantic symbol
Teenager A: open fireplace makes u think of romance
Teenager A: its used all the time in movies to give an emotion; to evoke feeling
Teenager A: u do have a point though; throughout time we are slowly becoming dulled of emotion

Teenager B: so what? fire is used as a romantic symbol. nothing more
Teenager B: still doesnt change the human NEED for warmth

Teenager A: nope; dosent change it at all
Teenager A: warmth IS needed
Teenager A: which is why sex is so important
Teenager A: in 1984; sex is taken away
Teenager A: there is no warmth in that world
Teenager A: there can be none; for warmth is dead
Teenager A: and if there is no warmth, there is NO desireTeenager A: nothing TO desire

Teenager B: warmth isnt just sex

Teenager A: but sex was the root of warmth

Teenager B: sez who

Teenager A: tell me what was?

Teenager B: Fire
Teenager B: Clothes
Teenager B: Bed

Teenager A: humans existed before fire

Teenager B: the sun!

Teenager A: haha; the sun

Teenager B: INTI

Teenager A: clever
Teenager A: INTI INTI INTI
Teenager A: thats the other warmth
Teenager A: God

Teenager B: hey, but there can be warmth without sex
Teenager B: sleeping with, as in, next to a person

Teenager A: yes thats true
Teenager A: but its that physical act
Teenager A: the statement i was TRYING to make from the start, Villac, was that sex was INTERESTING because it encapsulated all these emotions

Teenager B: because it CAUSED so many emotions?

Teenager A: over time; yeah u could say that

Teenager B: over time?
Teenager B: one night stand = emotions the next day

Teenager A: dont think of it like a one night stand
Teenager A: ur taking the Modern Lit Concept

Teenager B: think of it as?

Teenager A: u have to think of it symbolically
Teenager A: the act of two people shedding pride and becoming one

Teenager B: oh and btw, i reckon your two categories arent completely correct
Teenager B: why shedding pride?

Teenager A: pride is the wall of the soul
Teenager A: baring ur body is the closest thing to losing that wall (if at all)

Teenager B: you and your symbolisistic statements

Teenager A: i mean; what else have u got to lose after showing urself naked?!

Teenager B: but that could be seen as, as you said, giving yourself to that person
Teenager B: why does that entail loss of pride?

Teenager A: it dosent to you?

Teenager B: nope

Teenager A: hmmm; well all perception is individual anyways :D

Teenager B: lol, thats your wy out of anything isnt it?
Teenager B: hehe, true though

Teenager A: hahaha! *throws symbolic smoke bomb and runs*

Teenager B: *shoots tom in back*

Teenager A: ah! a bullet in the back! my only weakness!

Teenager B: what about a hammer to the head?

Teenager A: oh yeah
Teenager A: and that
Teenager A: nothing else though

Teenager B: Lol
Teenager B: anvil on head?

Teenager A: nah; i have an umbrella

Teenager B: lol

Teenager A: hehehe yesssss

Teenager B: exaplin that new idea of yours

Teenager A: well u know; so much blood and violence and terror over time (and being broadcast into our homes) along with black comedy and ironic veiws of life
Teenager A: empathy is becomin a thing of the past

Teenager B: i disagree

Teenager A: good boy

Teenager B: Lol
Teenager B: i can see your point, and it seems true at the outset

Teenager A: but "true love triumphs"?
Teenager A: "we all really DO feel, and we all live happily ever after?"

Teenager B: its not so much that empathy is becoming a thing of the past, its that people use it more sparingly because we do see more violence and sadness
Teenager B: no, most definately not lol

Teenager A: ah yes yes, i see what u mean
Teenager A: good point
Teenager A: so we put up WALLS
Teenager A: empathy is simply USED less
Teenager A: the world is too much for us to emphasise with

Teenager B: it always has, BUT now we're aware of it

Teenager A: a Darwinist would say that we are evolving to deal with the influx of information we recive now compared to 50 years ago

Teenager B: i would tell him to shut up

Teenager A: haha lol
Teenager A: brilliant