What Is To Be Done?

In response to the persistent demands of an ever increasingly flabby and hirsute body politic, I have finally created an entirely new and utterly negative political ideology that I am calling Nocialism.
Nocialism takes inspiration from the seventeenth-century agricultural Naysayers' movement, and absolutely should not be confused with Notionalism, which is Nocialism's antithesis.
Bartleby the Scrivener is a Nocialist hero and consequently Nocialists prefer not to have ideas nor promote any kind of agenda whatsoever. We also prefer not to run candidates for government office or local council. The Nocialist's final answer is always "no."
For as that civil service sage Sir Humphrey Appleby once said: "Many, many things must be done, but nothing must be done for the first time."
How very true.

Meanwhile, Lynn Sislo, probably accurately, envisages this blog in terms of television programming: "a bizarre one man show on PBS or perhaps some obscure cable channel. Nobody understands it but it has a small cult following."

Comments

[lemuel kolkava]

- Nocialist's final answer is always "no."

Ah, but once again the great danger of extremism rears its ugly head. What IF the political classes ask the question "Should we cease and desist?"

I therefore propose a platform of moderate nocialism (notice the small n), which would fully disassociate itself from all the utopian and bitterly extremist naysayers. Our definite answer will most likely be "Maybe... it depends. What was the question again, please?"

[stephenesque]

Heretic! Trotskyite counter-novolutionary!

[Bleak Mouse]

Yes, Lemuel sounds like a deviationist, and insufficiently moderate. A true maybeist knows the only acceptable answer to "How would you like a punch in the face?" Somehow, I suspect Lemuel would falter if tested.

Lynn is on to The Cult.

[DarkoV]

I've made my annual donation to THAT station and am eagerly awaiting your signal. Even brought out the old manual tv, you know the one with a channel dial selector. Figure the signal's the strongest when I have turn the dial to sit between channels 12 and 13. No TV Guide listing yet, though. I'll just leave the set on until the fuzz clears up with your image.

[Mortimer Shy]

Perhaps another candidate for a Nocialism hero status would MONSIEUR TESTE (Paul Valery's creation in the book by that name). Another original, as a man of total self-effacement has to be JONAH, who must have been a real person, because who else can get themselves swallowed by a whale, and survive! Pretty close is the hero of Italo Svevo's CONFESSIONS OF ZENO. Which is set in Trieste-- for as one famous blogger commented to another famous blogger, "all novels are really about Trieste." Good luck, I assume nobody will ever hear about this again.

[stephenesque]

And, of course, there is also comrade Oblomov, from the novel of the same name, who is head of the Nocialist Ministry of No-information.
(All the other ministers are without portfolio)

[Bleak Mouse]

The trick at the Ministry of No-information is to avoid making appointments, filling out forms, waiting in line, etc.

Just go immediately to one of the windows marked "Closed."

[Mortimer Shy]

This new and negative ideology could really go somewhere. Whoops! What am I saying!

[DarkoV]

This No Non Nil "Ni!" is getting me tired. I'll repair to a similar bed as occupied by Mr. Oblomov.

And Trieste?

Trysts in Trieste tryeths the soul. Sometimes I think it's just a swankier version of Coney Island.

[Bleak Mouse]

But a tryst on a trestle in Trent is trenchant.

[stephenesque]

I'm glad you all find my historic socio-political struggle a source for fun and games.
Come the non-revolution you will all be the last to placed against the non-existent wall and not shot!
That'll learn yer.

[Quicquid]

Say it's not so.

[Bleak Mouse]

Yeah, and who's going to pay for this non-existent wall? I'll tell you who: the untaxed non-working stiff, that's who!