Time to Exchange Screen Names

babybird87
Sat, 11 Dec 2004 01:10:06 +0000

^ Ever read Cat’s Cradle?

Vonnegut puts forth that people try to be as broad as possible in their descriptions of where they come from in hopes of trying to identify with a broader cross section of people. If you say, for example, “I’m from McKinney, a suburb outside of Dallas” you are going to get a lot fewer people lighting up with recognition than if you say “I’m from Dallas”. So soon where you come from becomes broader and broader until it’s simply “I’m an American” and that group that you claim to belong to and that others also claim to belong to forms a false brotherhood of people who just want to feel connected somehow.

interesting book.