Moby Dick -warning: sexual content-

So there is this "classic Moby Dick Joke" that goes something like this;
A young smart person will be reading Moby Dick, and then a Prim and proper much older person comes by and says "oh my you are reading A Dirty Book!" ... and then hilarity ensues.

This is a funny joke because the prim and proper person is assuming that the Title must refer to male genitalia, and is supposedly ignorant that it is the Title of Herman Mellville's epic whale hunting adventure novel.

I used to laugh at these sorts of jokes, however I recently read Moby Dick and it is a great book. It is also full of sexual content. I no longer can laugh at those sorts of jokes because it really is a book full of disturbing, deviant, and even predatory sex.

So this "classic Moby Dick Joke" is really only funny for people who;
1. Know that Moby Dick is a classic piece of literature
2. Have not read it
3. Think it is about Whaling

Book review:

The book begins with QueegQuay having relations with Ishmael in the 'Spouter Inn'. There is implied rape at first, but just as the two friends learn to eat both Clam and Cod chowder, Ishmael learns to be "not so prejudiced" and he and Queegquay declare themselves "married" then spend all day in bed together where, as Ishmael says, "he would throw his legs over mine in the most friendly manner", Afterwhich Queegquay gives Ishmael some money.

Yeah.

Here I began to suspect that Ishmael was perhaps inviting us to read between the lines to catch the real meaning of the story. As the story progresses, the sexual scenes become more explicit and awful.
The history and science of whaling are described extensively. Every type of Whale is described, as well as their harvest and useful parts. Notably absent is the fact that at this time, the valuable spermaceti found in the forehead of the Sperm whale was believed to be the Whale's sperm. This helps us understand the double meaning, not so secretly concealed in Chapter 94, The men are said to sit around and squeeze the spermaceti with their hands, Then they sqeeze each others' hands..... then they say they should squeeze their hands into each other. As you have probably guessed, they aren't really talking about hands.

In addition to their regular group sex, The men are often portrayed as being mean to a fellow crew member, and ganging up to make fun of him. The implied meaning is that they gang rape their fellow crew members, including the elderly alcoholic blacksmith, the cook, and the brain-addled Pip. Eventually the brain-addled Pip becomes Ahab's sexual partner, after a rather disturbing conversation about Ahab's "old rope".

There is a lot of biblical imagery in the book. The ship eventually becomes a floating Soddom and Gomorrah. The final sin is when the ship has a chance to help save some fellow sailors and it refuses. The crew has then become so hopelessly sinful, that the Whale comes and justly destroys them.

The book was well written. It is absolutely brilliant. I felt drawn in, and though the sailors on the ship were bad people who hurt each other and didn't help others, I still wanted them to live and be successful. Perhaps this illustrates how we tend to justify our own sins as well as those of our friends and family.

the stench of a giant carbon footprint

I often run with my jogging stroller, and I like to run to the store or the park, but I am self conscious about this practice because I smell sweaty when I arrive. I look around at the other Moms, usually wearing matching clothes and fun looking shoes, and I feel conspicuous.

I like to think of myself as morally superior because I am exercising, however I am about 20lbs overweight so the sweatiness would be the only clue that I am physically fit. My own smugness is only so effective.

To get my courage up to, I say to myself that I have a sweaty smell, but those who drive cars have the stench of a giant carbon footprint. And if we all had to drag around a record of our environmental impact, more people would be inclined to bike, run, take the bus, recycle, etc. Perhaps instead of me feeling silly for wearing sweaty spandex at the park, nicely dressed, recently showered people would make excuses like "oh yeah, well I am feeling sick to day, and I had to drive the carpool, hence the gasoline guzzling car."

If this model could be expanded, perhaps we could acknowledge our actions in other areas of our lives. Perhaps clothing made in countries with fair labor practices (like Laos) could become a huge fashion trend and have a special label. People who wore anything else might be publicly shamed by their non-progressive shopping choices.

I am not sure exactly how to bring about a fashion revolution, but this sort of thing has been done before. Public pressure against the cruelty of the fur industry has pretty much shut it down. People who wear fur have to make an excuse for their choices. Perhaps it is ironic that our culture is so anti-fur while we eat chicken nuggets and sit on leather couches, but it is a step in the right direction.

When the consuming public has a compelling reason to be environmentally conscious, real change can take place, and it could take place quickly.