After yesterday’s blog post in which the featured image had David Bowie as Hamlet turning the skull to his audience, I determined to commit myself to referencing his artistry with respect to boundary disputes this month. To this end my initial thought was to conduct analysis of the Super Tuesday results and what it all means especially with respect to Trump going beyond proper boundaries with his Jersey Boy Chris Christie in pursuit of – drumroll please … Fame.

However, I’ll let that go at present because I note a trickle of new comments are yet dribbling in at the particular Survey Connect site to which I have been referencing. See [HERE]. Towards the end of that site there appeared to have been an exhortation by “billvhill” in which similar to Rodney King he essentially queries: ‘Can’t we all just get along.” The ‘Pleas’ express language – “I thought the purpose of this site was for the exchange of ideas, opinions, and knowledge, not to attack other members” – also appears to request continued meaningful conversation.

Unfortunately, the return appears likely – though perhaps not certainly – to have been a rebuke designed to score points instead of to indicate a principle by “James Fleming”. Specifically, he posted a picture of Spock indicating [to billvhill] “SO … YOU’RE NEW TO THE INTERNET, AREN’T YOU?”

Question: What is the principle conundrum?

Answer (by reframing the question to): How do you enter in and participate in a public discourse in an effort to learn by an exchange amongst peers, WHILE at the same time being sufficiently respectful that principles are not allowed such dominant force as to crush people’s willingness to engage in exchange because it may be hurtful to the subjective – i.e. feelings?

James Fleming cleverly seeks to push this hard aside by referencing a quote in Pulp Fiction.

Let’s put that quote up again and then instead of under the microscope, let’s pull back and look at it with a macroscopic view. So, first the quote …

VERN
So if you’re quitting the life, what’ll you do?
JAMES
That’s what I’ve been sitting here contemplating. First, I’m gonna deliver this survey to Marsellus. Then, basically, I’m gonna walk the earth.
VERN
What do you mean, walk the earth?
JAMES
You know, like Caine in “KUNG FU.” Just walk from town to town, meet people, get in adventures.
VERN
How long do you intend to walk the earth?
JAMES
Until God puts me where he want me to be.
VERN
What if he never does?
JAMES
If it takes forever, I’ll wait forever.
VERN
So you decided to be a bum?
JAMES
I’ll just be James, Vern – no more, no less.
VERN
No James, you’re gonna be like those pieces of s#&t out there who beg for change. They walk around like a bunch of f#@$in’ zombies, they sleep in garbage bins, they eat what I throw away, and dogs piss on ’em. They got a word for ’em, they’re called bums. And without a job, residence, or legal tender, that’s what you’re gonna be – a f#@$in’ bum!
JAMES
Look my friend, this is just where me and you differ –
VERN
– what happened was peculiar – no doubt about it – but it wasn’t water into wine.
JAMES
All shapes and sizes, Vern.
VERN
Stop f#@$in’ talkin’ like that!
JAMES
If you find my answers frightening, Vern, you should cease askin’ scary questions. 
[1]

All appears well and good, right? Yea, OK … Yet, I would suggest that everyone note this quote is only a portion of the second half of the dialogue that Vern and James are having in the restaurant. If we want to be faithful as to the “boundary” to which they are speaking we should first go to the scene showing the miracle to which has James realizing God has intervened. You will recall that James puts it upon himself to quote Ezekiel 25:17 before any execution style kill.

Notably, this is the perspective initially allowed the moviegoer of the scene which later provides the miracle. [2]

But, it’s not the only one. Later, there is a repeat from the perspective of one of the roommates of “MR. WHAT” who after beseeching “OH GOD, I DON’T WANT TO DIE”, bursts through the bathroom door with something straight from Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry gun collection and pops off as many shots as possible.

None of them hit though! [3]

Segueing now to the scene which includes the dialogue in the restaurant quoted above, we find it starts with banter typifying the stupid stuff of religion. These are the doctrines which doesn’t seem to get you any closer to God … nor your fellow man. The specific conversation is about bacon, Judaism, filth and filth’s exceptions. It is with this background in place that we can now have an intelligent conversation about the above quote. [4]

Notwithstanding the fact that he is a hit man, Travolta’s character of Vern is someone who ‘lives’ his life in fear. He’s afraid to embrace life and so is willing to simply do his job.

Yet, because he is someone who is afraid, to have his partner recognize that there is something more to life — or more particularly death — makes him especially unsettled. Essentially, he’s hoping to convince James as a proxy for himself that indeed religion – with all the heaven and hell nonsense as is ascribed to it – is bullocks.

So, the line: “If you find my answers frightening, Vern, you should cease askin’ scary questions.” while appearing to be used by James Fleming at Surveyors Connect in an attempt to mock “billvhill”, appears to me to actually self-impugn the very one who cloaks himself with its use in the post. … Of, course I MIGHT be wrong.

But I don’t think so. Why? Because Taylor Fleming has seen Pulp Fiction. And as a result of that we know that he has viewed the film’s final scene in which James “purchases” Ringo’s life.

Well boys and girls guess what? After having spent a good portion of my life on and off as a China-Hand who is now trying to draw down conflicts, that’s me … “I’m trying real hard.”

“Now, Go [and watch the final scene] [HERE].”

If you have never watched Pulp Fiction for fear of its violence, you are missing a lot.

Separately, and to tie this to David Bowie, perhaps because I have never watched Inglorious Bastards – which is another Quentin Tarantino film – it is me who has also missed a lot.

Regardless, I intend to have a post on Bowie’s song “Putting Out the Fire” prepared for Good Friday.

Preview Inglorious Bastards’ song video  [HERE].

[1] See James Fleming’s post Today [03.02] at the current end this Survey Connect thread [HERE].

[2] See execution scene from outside the bathroom door [HERE].

[3] See execution scene redux starting from inside the bathroom door [HERE].

[4] See the scene of the discussion in the restaurant from which James Fleming quotes [HERE].