Monday, August 04, 2008
Makaveli in this
The other day I was hanging out with FalloniusMonk and we were talking about our usual nerdtastic selection of topics (ie: history, classical literature, office politics, and lesbian sex), when she suddenly got very excited and said, "Oh my God, DUDE, you have to see this!"
She dove into her hipster bag and whipped out a book. It was a copy of Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince.
"Uh, dude, did you take a history class in high school? Because I've read that," I said. "Several times, in fact."
"NO, dude, I know you've read it. Look at the fucking picture on the front!"
At first I was like, "What? It's just the usual Penguin Classics appropriation of some random Botticelli portrait or something." For a minute I felt like I was playing some European history-oriented Renaissance painting version of Erotic Photo Hunt. Then FalloniusMonk shouted "WEST SIIIIIDE!" and I instantly realized what was going on. I've seen this hand gesture before:
Now I know why Tupac was so into calling himself "Makaveli" and frankly, why he probably picked up his first copy of The Prince from the prison library in his first place. Certainly the Westside Connection's designs on world domination are in keeping with Machiavelli's political theories, although I certainly wonder these days how O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson is going to accomplish that lofty goal via films like Are We There Yet? I can't really see it, but maybe it's how he reconciled the question as to whether it is better for a leader to be loved or feared. He's feared by studio gangstas, police, and Jerry Heller, and loved by children under the age of twelve. It's not really what springs to mind when I think of the word "Machiavellian," but I guess it works.
Labels: FalloniusMonk, hilarious shit, librophilia, nerd alert, rap
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Normally I find that you have a pretty decent idea of what you're talking about, but not the case with Tupac. He attended Baltimore's School for the Arts where he studied such subjects as classical literature, Shakespeare, and even ballet. Give the man the respect he deserves. He was a smart man, very cultured, and one of the most creative minds of the 20th century.
# posted by 
: 8/04/2008 7:13 AM
: 8/04/2008 7:13 AM
Believe me, I am happy to give Tupac the respect he deserves. I certainly appreciate and recognize his great intellect. I specifically mentioned that about prison because Tupac discussed repeatedly that he spent his incarceration studying Machiavelli in depth. I meant no disrespect.
It's all good. Sorry I took it the wrong way, I'm just a huge Tupac fan. Love your blog by the way Razzy. Keep up the good work.
# posted by : 8/04/2008 1:18 PM
: 8/04/2008 1:18 PM
No worries at all! I like getting corrected because, believe it or not, sometimes I do actually fuck up and write something wrong!
However, in this case it was just a misunderstanding. And as a rabid Tupac fan, not only are you right to correct me, you also have great taste. Thanks for reading. XOBJBS.
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However, in this case it was just a misunderstanding. And as a rabid Tupac fan, not only are you right to correct me, you also have great taste. Thanks for reading. XOBJBS.
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