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By: Ralf
Date: 3/22/00 8:05:29 AM
# Replies: 23
Sometimes you find inspiration in the strangest places.
Below is the vality card for last night's episode of Dharma & Greg, a silly sitcom on ABC. I find it (the card, not the series) particularly profound.
Vanity cards are those logo-things that flash on the screen after a show, giving credit to the companies that make & distribute the product. Chuck Lorre, the producer, has a habit of changing his vanity card every week... a new one for every episode.
Instead of a cute graphic or animation, Lorre's cards are always a solid block of text, top to bottom, side to side. Far too much to read in real-time, as the thing flashes on-screen for half a second. Naturally, internet subcultures have evolved to screen-capture these and display them on websites so people can actually read them.
Anyway, this is Chuck's vanity card from last night.
--
Chuck Lorre Productions #47
Shown with Episode #59: "Looking for the Goodbars"
Original Vanity Card Airdate: December 14, 1999
I recently found myself in a room with a group of complete strangers.
As each one spoke, I noticed I was making a snap judgement about that
person. Sometimes the judgement was warm and appreciative. But more
often, it was of the "Geez, what a vacuum tube this guy is" variety.
At first I was troubled by this ugly mental reflex. But then I was hit
with a flash of insight. As I gazed around the room I realized that if
each person was animated by the same energy -- call it God, call it
carbon based, chemical doowhackies -- then each person was essentially
life doing the best that it can. Suddenly my judgements were replaced
by a pervasive feeling of love. Emboldened by my epiphany, I meditated
upon a TV executive with whom I'd recently had difficult relations. I
visualized this person not as an arrogant prig, but as "life doing the
best that it can." Which is when my insight grew deeper. I now believe
that the ability to suspend judgement and flow love, works really well
with complete strangers.
Response #1
By: rorschach
Date: 3/22/00 12:07:39 PM
so if you once know them it becomes much harder to think of them as something other than a waste of good air?
I guess that makes sense....
Response #2
By: Da Sissop
Date: 3/22/00 3:01:25 PM
Hey! That arrogant prig Chuck Lorre stole my philosophy!
Response #3
By: Gowan McGland
Date: 3/22/00 3:51:09 PM
Hell is other people.
Response #4
By: Homer The Brave
Date: 3/22/00 4:17:38 PM
My problem is that I love humanity too much to let it get away with anything but the highest of standards. I find myself saying things like: "How can you *do* this with your life? Don't you respect yourself AT ALL?"
People find me annoying.
Response #5
By: sooz
Date: 3/22/00 7:15:53 PM
There was a guy a long time ago that beat y'all to this earth-shaking thought... he said, in a nutshell, "I leave you with this one thought... love one another."
Dude's name was Jesus.
Homer... one fun thing I did was realize that I spent way too much time trying to make everyone agree with me. Suddenly, it occurred to me that people are often just fine JUST LIKE THEY ARE. Sounds silly, but that was a life-changing revelation for me.
Response #6
By: The Sorcerer
Date: 3/23/00 4:39:33 AM
Homer. Similarly to what Sooz was saying, one thing that will lead you to grief and trouble with that philosophy is that in order to hold humanity to the highest of standards you have to *KNOW* what's best for everyone. That (IMHO) is not possible. The only little corner of the universe that you can know what is best for it is you (and even that can be questionable sometimes) the rest is just opinion...which should come with a liberal dose of doubt.
Even this view of mine that the philosophy you stated will lead you to grief and trouble is just my opinion, based on my personal experience. It may not true. Even if my opinion is true, it may still be The Way you should follow...if you get my meaning.
And here is where I become potentially confusing. :) You have your way, I have my way, everyone else has their way. As long as we are following our True way (divergent and conflicting as they be), we're all still following The Way. A bird must be a bird, a sheep must be a sheep, a wolf must be a wolf, and a lion must be lion.
That's just how *I* see it...and I could be wrong...but I'm ok with that. :)
Sorc'(Rev)
Response #7
By: Ralf
Date: 3/23/00 5:10:23 AM
Dagnabit, can't we have one conversation without Jesus in it?
Response #8
By: Gowan McGland
Date: 3/23/00 6:47:38 AM
He's such an attention hog.
Response #9
By: sooz
Date: 3/23/00 8:44:53 AM
Sorry. Del Jesus*.*
Response #10
By: Seventh of Seven
Date: 3/24/00 12:35:45 PM
um, let's ctrl-z that...
my latest version of newsweek is showing the cover, "JESUS: how other religions view him." basically it says all the other religions think jesus was one heck of a dude. kinda judeo-christian-centric an article. did anyone else see it?
i'm still waiting for "DAVID KORESH: what other cult leaders think of him."
Response #11
By: Homer The Brave
Date: 3/24/00 1:38:09 PM
Could it possibly BE a mystery as to what other religions think of Christianity?
Response #12
By: Ralf
Date: 3/25/00 4:21:24 AM
Which religions? The ones attacked during the Crusades, or the ones suppressed during the Inquisition?
Response #13
By: Da Sissop
Date: 3/25/00 7:18:32 AM
Response #14
By: Ralf
Date: 3/26/00 6:25:37 AM
Blahahahahaha!
"Oh, Lord, hear our pray--" [FYEEEOOOORRRRRRRT!!!]
Response #15
By: Homer The Brave
Date: 3/27/00 2:32:25 AM
Do any of you folks ever listen to This American Life on NPR?
This week's show features a story about the effort of a huge church in Colorado Springs, CO (where else?) to pray for everyone and every thing in the city. Church members go on Prayer Walks and pray at and for everything. They have rotating teams of people who pray for 24 hours at a stretch. Right now, at this moment, someone is praying for Colorado Springs.
Response #16
By: Ralf
Date: 4/12/00 6:13:11 AM
Chuck's at it again.
--
Chuck Lorre Productions #56
Shown with Episode "Big Daddy"
Original Vanity Card Airdate: April 11th, 2000
Let's try a little experiment. Turn and look at someone near you -- a loved one, a friend, a co-worker, a stranger -- it doesn't really matter. Now, as you look at this person, consider this: he or she is a completely unique, never - before - in - the - history - of - the - universe - has - there - been - anyone - exactly - like - this - person... person. Reflect on the fact that you are gazing at an impossibly complex and totally original work of art which will never be duplicated. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this. We so easily lose sight of how truly magnificent we are. Which is something to keep in mind if you chose to look at a stranger for this exercise. Even though he's looking back at you with grinning, spittle-covered lips that are a miraculous construct of living tissue -- even though perverse thoughts of what he'd like to do to you are racing through a meat-based computer that no Pentium chip will ever approximate, he is a masterpiece. If he were hanging in a museum, a security guard would most likely tell you, "Don't touch."
Response #17
By: Gowan McGland
Date: 4/12/00 8:16:36 AM
If he fits the description Chuck gave, I don't think the guard would have to tell me ANYTHING.
Response #18
By: Ralf
Date: 4/12/00 4:26:05 PM
I guess there are limits to any philosophy.
Sincerely thinking "Gee, it's just life doing the best it can" while being bludgeoned to death would be a stretch.
Response #19
By: Roxanne
Date: 4/16/00 10:53:37 AM
If you start thinking too deeply about philosophy, you'll generally get a headache. So, when this happens, just rub your eyes really hard until you see the pretty colors.
Well, that always makes me feel better anyway.
Response #20
By: Tess Trueheart
Date: 4/18/00 3:25:58 AM
At times like that I usually call my friend at the legal dept for more information...then shake my head wildly to mix up all the data..and then..then..implode.
It's not pretty..but it is affective.
Response #21
By: Da Sissop
Date: 4/18/00 5:27:04 PM
Shake, implode, repeat.
Response #22
By: Homer The Brave
Date: 4/19/00 2:03:37 AM
Waitasec...
Is Chuck Lorre related to Peter Lorre?
Response #23
By: Ralf
Date: 4/19/00 4:20:14 AM
Dunno. Possibly. It's not a terribly uncommon name.
Here's the one from last night. I'm becoming more and more impressed.
--
Chuck Lorre Productions #42
Shown with Episode #54: "Fairway to Heaven"
Original Vanity Card Airdate: November 2nd, 1999
Thirty thousand feet in the air. Strapped into a seat that doubles as
a floatation device. Thinking about faith. Faith in airplanes. In jet
engines. In pilots. Faith that the sullen, unshaved guy across the aisle isn't the mindless pawn of a master terrorist with a deep hatred for America, the Great Satan. Then, assuming a safe landing, faith that the cabbie didn't have a fight with his adultress wife who hides her deceit behind sly jokes about his unremarkable sexual prowess forcing him to soothe his anguish with that fifth of Jim Beam he keeps stashed beneath the seat. And, of course, faith that the doorknob leading out of the public bathroom isn't tainted with a flesh-eating bacteria that came to Earth imbedded in a small, flat meteorite that some unsuspecting child picked up to skip across the surface of a lake. Yes, faith is a wonderful thing. Without it, this world would surely be a fearful place. Once again, thanks for reading my vanity card. Have a nice day.