CronoDAS comments on Rationality Quotes April 2012 - Less Wrong

4 Post author: Oscar_Cunningham 03 April 2012 12:42AM

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Comment author: CronoDAS 13 April 2012 05:50:27PM *  -2 points [-]

Maybe this song won't get downvoted? It's a little more on-topic for LessWrong, even if it does get political at the end. ;)

It was back in 1941.
I was a member of a good platoon.
We were on maneuvers in Lou'siana one night
By the light of the moon.
The Captain told us to ford a river.
That's how it all begun.
We were knee deep in the Big Muddy,
And the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure
This is the best way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, go on, I've forded this river
About a mile above this place.
It'll be a little soggy, but just keep sloggin'.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were waist deep in the Big Muddy,
And the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, with all this equipment,
No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nelly,"
The Captain said to him.
"All we need is a little determination.
Men, follow me. I'll lead on."
We were neck deep in the Big Muddy,
And the big fool said to push on.

All at once the moon clouded over.
We heard a gurglin' cry.
A few seconds later the Captain's helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, "Turn around, men.
I'm in charge from now on."
And we just made it out of the Big Muddy
With the Captain dead and gone.

We stripped and dived and found his body
Stuck in the old quicksand.
I guess he didn't know that the water was deeper
Then the place he'd once before been.
Another stream had joined the Big Muddy
About a half mile from where we'd gone.
We were lucky to escape from the Big Muddy
When the big fool said to push on.

Now I'm not going to point any moral —
I'll leave that for yourself.
Maybe you're still walking, you're still talking,
You'd like to keep your health.
But every time I read the papers, that old feeling comes on,
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.

Waist deep in the Big Muddy,
The big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy,
The big fool says to push on.
Waist deep, neck deep,
Soon even a tall man will be over his head.
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy,
And the big fool says to push on.

-- Pete Seeger, "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy"

Comment author: CronoDAS 13 April 2012 08:51:55PM 0 points [-]

Quick question: Is this getting downvoted because of the quote or because I talked about downvoting?

(The song itself is a rather amusing lesson in escalation of commitment and sunk cost fallacy, among other things...)

Comment author: ArisKatsaris 14 April 2012 10:36:28AM *  11 points [-]

It's too long. This thread is about quotes, not about making others read a whole piece of work you like. Perhaps use the monthly media thread for that purpose?

For this thread you could have perhaps reduced the quotable to this:

But every time I read the papers, that old feeling comes on,
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.

or perhaps possibly even two verses would be acceptable like this:

The Sergeant said, "Sir, with all this equipment,
No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nelly,"
The Captain said to him.
"All we need is a little determination.
Men, follow me. I'll lead on."
We were neck deep in the Big Muddy,
And the big fool said to push on.

All at once the moon clouded over.
We heard a gurglin' cry.
A few seconds later the Captain's helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, "Turn around, men.
I'm in charge from now on."
And we just made it out of the Big Muddy
With the Captain dead and gone.

and just linked to some other page where one could see the whole song.

But not the whole damn thing.

Comment author: CronoDAS 14 April 2012 09:54:31PM 3 points [-]

It's too long. This thread is about quotes, not about making others read a whole piece of work you like. Perhaps use the monthly media thread for that purpose?

Thanks.

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