A Game of Rome House of Thrones

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What defining characteristic is it that these series all do share in common?

Other than the fact that they all are glorified soap operas, that is.



And besides the obvious sleaze factor, of course.

Two words:

          Gutter Machiavellianism!



Think of it as the opposite of Bertrand Russell's enlightened self-interest.

While some critics have praised the make-believe Leo-Straussian fictional universes of these series for their cynicism and self proclaimed "gritty realism" (they wish), the description is mostly misleading. And realistic they are not.



David Farland refers to it as the dark side of wisdom:



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Bill Clinton Castigates the 47 Percenters

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For all the attention Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's infamous comment demeaning the 47 percent of the country “who believe that they are victims” has received—deservedly so—this kind of condescension toward half the country is sadly too prevalent a thing in Washington.



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How to Keep a Straight Face

A few of these tips from wikiHow may come in handy:

- Focus on relaxing all the muscles of your face. Its easy with a little practice.

- Immediately think of a math problem that you don't readily know the answer to and try to solve it in your head. Seven times thirty-eight. One fifty-four divided by six. This will keep your brain just distracted enough until the moment passes.

- Bite the side of your cheek, or the inside of your top lip really hard. If you bite the inside of your lip it will look like you are concerned. (It worked for Bill Clinton).

- Clench your teeth and don't let your mouth open. If you do, then the greater the possibility that you will burst out laughing.

Keep at it. Don't give up. Practice makes perfect.

Look, these two guys from Utah seem to have mastered the techniques with no problem at all:



But then again, there is no knowing how many tries it took the photographer to get this one perfect shot.

You've got to love the book description, especially number seven on the list of miracles:



The last best hope of Earth? No less. Who would have thought?

It does make one wonder, doesn't it?


Doth God have a sense of humor?
Apparently so.

But can he keep a straight face?

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