Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.08.2010, Blaðsíða 50

34
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12 — 2010
So far poetry has proved far more adapt-
able to a higher-and-higher high-tech
world than prose fiction, which clings to
the book as if the only thing justifying its
existence were the bar-code and ISBN-number (not
to mention the price-tag). This would be relatively
easy to explain away if we were only talking about
longer fiction—novels and novellas—since they de-
mand more attention for longer and more numerous
time periods than are comfortably provided on our
laptops, smartphones and (most) other electronic
data readers. But this also goes for shorter fiction,
which has very little room on blogs or Facebook (let
alone Twitter) compared to poetry. Prose of similar
length—non-fiction articles, whether on blogs or
news sites—is the most popular text online while
comparably lengthed fiction is probably the least
popular.
And it makes you ponder.
For one thing: almost everyone’s a poet. As I may
have mentioned before, poetry’s the lazy man’s art
form. So blogs and online poetry forums are easy to
fill up with, excuse my French, emotional drivel in
pretty little words. Any teenager with a laptop and an
emotional problem; any middle-aged used-to-wan-
nabe with a drawer full of anything from a lifetime’s
worth of occasional quatrains to half a manuscript
of semi-serious yet dated modernist verse; anyone
who’s tired of solving Sudoku while the laundry
dries—i.e. anyone without the time or the patience
to write longer works (or more ambitious poetry)
can self-publish online. And by jolly, let’s not forget
that while this may make horrible poetry available to
an unsuspecting (and sometimes unsavvy) general
public, this is (in itself) nevertheless a good thing—
überdemocratic and pretty like peaches.
Another thing: the writers most interested in
the possibilities of text, and hence with the hard-
est hardons for the textual, social and lingual pos-
sibilities available online, usually call what they do
poetry rather than prose—since prose is somehow
supposed to be a story while poetry can (at least pe-
ripherally) be whatever the hell it feels like being. So
the people who want to make movable or moving
poems, who want to make self-generating or inter-
active texts, who want to write for a new venue—in
short, the people who fall f lat for the innovative are
less likely to wanna constrict themselves to a one
thousand year old Arabic invention. For prose, any
medium is a vehicle. For poetry, any medium is a
limitation on the path towards divinity.
Third: while length does not explain why people
read the New York Times online and not the short
stories of Jorge Luis Borges; while it does not explain
why fiction can’t keep up online with non-fiction,
length may explain why poetry beats fiction. You
can get snippets of poems—but not stories. You can
have a minute of poetry. Or half a minute. A second
of poetry. Add to this the fact that a lot of poetry can
be disjuncted, spastic and humorously dysfunc-
tional like comedy—it can be very audience friendly.
Anyone who’s attended poetry readings and prose
readings can attest to the fact that poetry readings
are usually much more enjoyable—poetry is (by na-
ture) more performative than prose; by origin it is
a spoken or chanted artform. And on the internet
you can find anything, save for patience—hence the
popularity of short fun.
Fourth: while there is no money in poetry and
(for some reason) people have no compunctions
about giving away non-fiction, or republishing it on-
line a few weeks or months after it’s printed equiv-
alent hit the streets, the world of prose fiction has
been sufficiently conservative and self-protective to
avoid both the blogosphere and the webzines—nor
has it much of a presence within the (semi-legal)
world of peer-to-peer networks.
Much of this may change with the advent of the
e-book, which so far is mostly designed around lin-
ear prose fiction. For one thing the books of many
popular and/or respected writers are now available
(illegally, in most countries) in various e-reader for-
mats through torrent-sites. They’re not available in
the same enormous way as music or film, but the
files are there and they’re much smaller than music
or film and therefore more expediently download-
able. Although e-reader platforms are mostly geared
towards longer works of prose fiction (including col-
lections of short stories), non-fiction does have some
presence, while poetry—with all of its line-breaks
and weirdo layouts—will have to adapt (and become
more adaptable) if it wants to fit in.
Poetry | Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl
There’s A New Screen In Town
Go Fish!*
Poetry | a.rawlings Opinion | PC
Sometimes in recent years I’ve heard
a question that seems fair to me from
people I consider fair. It is only fair to try
to answer this question. It goes like this:
“What the fuck do people mean when they say some-
thing is `PC`?” Sometimes the question is followed
by the suggestion that the term PC—political correct-
ness—is a phrase deployed by conservatives to label
all left-winged opinions.
Possibly so. Sometimes. But PC is a very real
thing and can be defined. In fact, the world is getting
very much PC these days; it takes more courage every
time to go up against PC. PC is going up to a new
level. It’s scary. It’s scatter-brained. It’s PC.
So what is PC? Here is a definition: Being PC is
having opinions that you think are generally consid-
ered proper and pious. Being PC is the cowardice of
going for the norm, for the healthy, harmless, sane
and accepted view. Being PC is having opinions with-
out true conviction. Being PC is having opinions that
are considered right—not opinions that you your-
self think are right: it is acquiring opinions without
thought or consideration, making sure they offend
absolutely no one. PC is effortless and comfortable.
And what’s more, once you’ve gone PC (with the
level it has reached today) you get a Carte Blanche
(no, not the American actress): you can now join the
constant search for the politically incorrect. There is a
new game going. You can Go Fish!
Let’s have some guidelines on this search. Re-
member: Do not confuse it with critical thought. Be-
ing critical is difficult, while being a PC-seeker is easy.
‘What is right is right,’ is now your motto. You start
off by setting your frame from narrow to very narrow.
Then off you go scrutinizing the media: newspapers,
TV, radio, the internet, in search of something that
from your new perspective shows lack of considera-
tion to anyone or anything. Don’t worry, you will find
it and you will always be in the right, every spoken or
written word is now a possible threat to the new frame
you defend.
People are ill informed and tactless—and defi-
nitely prejudiced. If you’re lucky, somebody will use
a degrading word on black people in the newspaper
(those words are upgraded frequently so don’t worry,
you’re on the safe side). If there is no such thing today,
you will definitely find some comment in the media
possibly degrading to women. Remember: Define
‘degrading’ freely. Nudity in newspapers is a sure
thing to go for—especially if you’re male and not re-
ally that into women’s rights. You don’t actually have
to go against real issues, like the fact that women get
less wages than you do, and there is no need to ex-
amine your own views on gender issues. Scorn your
fellow males praise of ‘pretty girls,’ it is chauvinism.
Find somebody critical of the church. Why do those
people want to repress people’s right to practice reli-
gion? Scorn them for lack of tolerance. Everything is
biased, always.
Why go for blind Justice when you can settle for
just plain stupid Justice? Keep narrowing your frame,
constantly. Keep searching. Is somebody making fun
of Muslims? Look for a columnist condemning radi-
cal Muslims. Racism! Is somebody airing a negative
view on the government of Israel? Anti-Semitism!
Somebody critical of Palestinian violence? Arab-ha-
tred! Is something that could possibly be conceived as
impolite being said of the obese, of the mentally ill, of
homosexuals? Phobia! Is mockery being made of pu-
ritans? Intolerance! You can go against child abuse,
searching for words in the media that may seem posi-
tive towards it, that is if you twist them well enough.
As this practice has few defenders (in their right
mind, at least) you will have to resort to more creative
intentional misunderstanding, but on the other hand
you are sure to gain some credos. Interpretation is
everything here. Remember: Everything can be said
to be biased.
Make yourself a list of clichés to use as weapons,
be prepared to be offended every second of your life.
Practice by nagging to yourself if nobody is around.
Find in your face the muscles that make a proper
grimace of indignant repulsion, a hallowed expres-
sion of scandal and of scorn. You will discover the
pleasure of accusing. It makes you feel very good
about yourself. Did you hear that the French just
banned the burqa? Take a definite stand, damn them
for their intolerance to other cultures (block out the
possibility of other factors of the issue, such as Islam-
ic female repression). Be surprised (strive to make
surprise and shock your innermost attitude towards
life). When nothing is happening, resort to searching
for petty typos. Aren’t they, after all, in a way, a form
of prejudice and phobia? Make a list of words you
can use in every occasion: Nationalism, xenophobia,
discrimination, clique... Narrow your frame, narrow
your frame. Remember, nobody is innocent. And you
have a cause.
Now, for an outlet for your bickering. You al-
ready have a blog, don’t you? Use that. It will make
you more PC as you go along. Make every status on
your Facebook wall your input to the battle for a pur-
er, healthier, smoother, flatter, more prejudice-free
and more PC world. Make your morning ceremony
a small search for links that show prejudiced views.
Put them on your wall along with a few well-chosen
words that brilliantly expose just how bigoted the
opinions of all those hypocrites out there are. Write
letters to newspapers. Phone them. Email them.
Write articles in the papers, if you get there. If not,
keep up the good work, make the media more PC.
The media is actually getting rather lenient and
scared, constantly afraid of being exposed as bigoted,
trying to walk the straight and narrow road, trying
to fit into the narrow, narrow frame. But there is still
work to be done. The search goes on. Do not listen
to critical voices. Do not believe them if they say you
are becoming just another narrow-minded gladiator,
dogmatic happy hunter. Do not believe them when
they call you a self-righteous, up-tight prick. Oh, no.
Don’t listen to that. Go fish!
*I apologize if anything in this article has offended any-
one in any way.

ICELAND.
Icelanders don't really
believe in Ice- land's still-sink- ing
economy by the Icelandic an-
imals, Ice- landic horse, Icelandic
whimbrel, Icelandic, Iceland's grocery stores,
Icelandic Travel Industry, Ice- lan- dic Hamburger, Icelandic Lam-
burger. * ICELAND. Ice- landers for Ice- land. Iceland or Icelanders. Iceland is Ice-
land that Iceland. Iceland never Iceland is not Ice- landers. Iceland is Iceland, Icelandic women, Iceland, Iceland, but
then accuses ev- ery- one and blames Ice- landic Parliament, Icelan- dic assistant, Iceland's natural resources. Iceland. Iceland's government:
ICELANDERS ASK YOU Icelandic gov- ernment Iceland? Iceland should. Icelandic venture capitalists, Icelandic natural resources, Iceland?
Iceland through Iceland not Iceland. Icelandic na- ture. Ice- land. Icelandic Loans, Icelandic Supreme Court, Icelandic contracts, Icelandic króna, Iceland's
three major banks. Icelanders, alone in the world. Icelandic regulators. Iceland. Ice- land excursions Iceland. ICELAND EXCURSIONS ICELAND. Icelandic
Gam- ing Industry. Icelandic Gaming Industry sounds odd. Icelandic Gaming Industry Icelandic Gaming Industry Iceland. Icelandic Gaming Industry Icelandic Gaming
Industry Awards Iceland, and a free Iceland. Icelandic Gaming In- dustry Icelandic gaming companies; something quite unexpected in the aftermath of the kreppa. * ICE-
LAND. Ice- landic history, Iceland's most awe in- spiring Iceland: hot Iceland. Iceland's most famous, Iceland's most famous, Iceland's natural wonders, Icelandic Sagas, Iceland's South,
Icelan- dic financial bubble. Ice- land 2015. Icelandic businessmen, Icelandic values, Iceland after the turn of Icelandic historical tradition. Iceland was again Iceland, was all the more Iceland, had
historically Iceland's most re- spected historians. Ice- land was by Iceland's history Icelandic history for Iceland. The industrial Iceland had Icelandic people, Iceland's national character, Icelandic masculinity, Ice-
land. Ice- landic invasion to Iceland had been Icelandic market. Icelandic companies were Icelandic business community and Icelandic economy. Icelandic economy was Icelandic busi-
ness. Iceland went to Icelandair, went to Iceland, now found themselves Icelandic stock market. Iceland. Icelandic economy. Icelanders. Icelandic Design. * Iceland Iceland Ice-
land and Ice- land. Iceland: a veritable Iceland -- I've been experiencing these sensations Iceland has to Iceland, but Iceland is Iceland's best Iceland. Iceland is Iceland peo-
ple. Iceland different Iceland? Iceland is Iceland and Icelandic Sheep Icelandic Sheep. Icelandmemorabilia. Iceland's hairdressing. Iceland in Icelandic design, Icelandic beer, Iceland
Iceland. Iceland. Icelan- dic Naming Iceland is Icelandic Naming Iceland. Icelandic language Icelandic genitive Icelandic language Icelandic. For Iceland's grammatical Icelandic orthogra-
phy, Iceland's 32-letter Ice- landic language, Icelanders to Icelandic name Iceland and Iceland can Icelandic name Icelandic forename Icelandic standards. Icelandic name. Icelandic name Icelan-
dic one. Icelandic name Iceland, everyone's Icelandic last Iceland's progressive Iceland. Iceland. Icelandic Association. * Iceland's economy? Icelandic economy. Iceland's first Iceland at Icelandic
econ- omy. Icelandic, creative Iceland for Icelandic economy, Icelandic society, Icelandic workforce, Icelandic companies. Iceland. Iceland that creates Icelandic creative Iceland. Iceland. Ice-
landic gaming Icelandic Gaming Iceland two Icelandic Gaming Icelandic authorities don't seem to recognize that possibility. Iceland. Icelanders don't. Icelandic Merchant's Iceland's
northern ICELANDIC SUMMER Icelandic SUMMER Iceland! Iceland fashion, Icelandic music, Icelandic music, Icelandic Settlement, Icelandic folktale. Iceland's own Iceland is Icelandic and
Ice- land. Icelandic Folk, Icelandic Settlement, Iceland's settlement, Iceland's most Icelandic designers. Icelandic and Iceland. Icelandic Wonders, Icelandic ghost, Icelandic Wonders. Iceland's most Iceland. * Iceland's
hip Icelandic café. Iceland. Iceland Park. Icelandic Parliament. Iceland. Icelandic phonebook, Icelandic fish, Icelandic Travel, Icelandic Travel, Iceland this, Icelandic artists. Icelanders. "Icelanders" by Iceland. Icelandic filmmaking Ice-
land -- 90 Icelandic Love Iceland. Iceland is Icelandic nation. Iceland to Iceland. Icelandic art. ICELAND. Iceland's most beloved Iceland. Iceland. Iceland. ICELAND. Iceland. Icelandic Art. ICELANDIC SPECIALITIES. Icelandic
FISH. Ice- landers, with Icelandic pizza. Iceland tend Icelandic Icelandic Fish, Icelandic Beer, Icelandic lobster, Icelandic indulgence for Iceland. Let ICELAND ICELAND Iceland. Iceland inspired you? *
Icelandic start-up community has Iceland, because Icelandic gaming industry outside Icelandic market to Icelandic companies, Iceland, this would be Iceland, there are Icelandic au-
thorities. Icelandic funding Icelandic start-ups, Icelandic market, Icelandic Film, Icelandic state, Icelandic movie, Icelandic film, Icelandic Film. Iceland, but Iceland Airwaves is Ice-
land, taking Icelandic Music, Iceland and Icelandic audiences. Iceland-based Iceland. Icelandic Rock, Icelandic rock, Iceland's rock, Icelandic group, Icelandic classic, Icelandic
music, Icelandic teen punk, Icelandic Film, Icelandic president's Icelandic releases. Iceland in Iceland, where Icelandic scene Iceland and Iceland, after Iceland. Icelandic Cuisine.
ICELAND! ICELAND Icelandic Filmmaking ICELANDERS—AN Icelandic nation. Iceland. Then Iceland. Oh Icelandic style Icelandic band Icelandic. Not ICELAND! Icelandic cham-
ber Icelandic and Iceland and Iceland and Iceland. Iceland's no. 1 Iceland Vacations. Icelandic Tourist Iceland on Iceland on Iceland on Icelandic designs. Icelandair Iceland a
few Iceland at Iceland, you'd think Icelandic rock Icelandic for Icelandic. Icelandic Icelandic twist. Iceland for Iceland a Iceland? Both Icelandic, Agnieszka Iceland-
enough Icelandic that Icelandic textbooks Iceland you ask? Icelandic café Icelandic in Icelandic necklaces. Icelandic Tourist Icelandic Tourist Icelandic Tourist Ice-
land jointly Icelandic notes Icelandic sources Iceland's main Icelandic literature Icelandic home Icelandic beers Iceland OPENING Iceland's extraordinary Ice-
land's most awesome Icelanders are proud. Icelandic festival is Icelandic origin. Icelandic festival... Icelanders already Iceland. Iceland's most favou-
rite Iceland. Icelandic folk tales come to Iceland. Iceland. * IcelandTM and Icelandic Icelandic? It confuses Icelandic name, Icelandic because
Iceland. Iceland. Iceland. Icelandic and Iceland from Icelandic seafood, Icelandic schnapps. Iceland's most innovative Iceland at Iceland.
Try Icelandic Gourmet Icelandic spirit, Icelandic sea-trout with Icelandic lamb. Iceland but ICELAND. ICELAND. Iceland's Iceland Excur-
sions. Icelandic waffles? Icelanders assured Iceland. Iceland's deepest Icelandic baking, Icelandic waffles, Iceland. Reykjavík is Iceland,
is Ice- land's glaciers, Iceland Excursions, Iceland or Iceland's fashion designers. Iceland is where Iceland's fishing Icelanders. Have Iceland forced
Iceland. Iceland for Iceland's amazing Icelandic pools, Icelandic hip hop songs. Iceland. Iceland. Iceland. Iceland without Iceland. Icelandic food. *
Icelandic Queen of Iceland in Iceland is Icelandic authors. Iceland, she is Iceland, has Iceland. Has Iceland, presumably. Icelandic landscape. Ice-
land in- volves Icelandic versions. Iceland has collapsed. Iceland and China. Icelandic Cultural Fund. Icelandic small-
town Icelandic culture. Icelandic social-democrats. Iceland Cultural Fund. Icelandic artists.
Iceland. Iceland Culture. Icelanders believe Iceland, too. Icelanders have.
Icelanders are. Icelanders used Icelanders, too. Iceland. And Ice-
landic point of view. Icelandic point of view. * Iceland is Ice-
land, Icelandic artists, Icelandic artist. Iceland is Iceland
people, Icelandic drinking, Icelandic name.
Icelandic names. Iceland's
largest Iceland.
ICELAND
by a.rawlings
All text sourced chronologically from The Reykjavík Grapevine [Issue 10 (July 16-29, 2010)],
which included 352 uses of the word 'Iceland' and its derivatives
All text for a.rawlings' poem "Iceland" sourced chronologically from The Reykjavík Grapevine [Issue 10 (July 16-29,
2010)], which included 352 uses of the word 'Iceland' and its derivatives.
ICELANd
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