He did it first!

I don't really understand your third paragraph (about non-violence also being a reprisal).

Don't mean to get the thread bogged down in this bit, sorry.

I remember George Melly telling the story of how he repulsed a couple of attackers in a London alley with surrealist chants. If he'd shouted some traditional challenge like 'Have at ye lads!' or some victimlike cry of 'Help, police!' the assailants would have known where they stood, and slashed him. As it was, he quoted some Kurt Schwitters in a high, spooky voice and the boys bolted. There's a lot to be said for this. (George Melly, the Mike Hanley of his day!)

God, that's always been one of my ambitions / intended experiments! Often I see a gang of nomarks hanging around in my darkened path and wonder whether it would be possible to confuse them into leaving me alone. They seem to pick up on the vibe and never bother me anyway though.

this isn't 100% related to your concept of "he did it first" "no you" etc etc but there is a fairly recent and decent book by Joseph Nye entitled The Paradox of American Power: Why the World's Only Superpower Can't Go It Alone in which Nye proclaims that in order for the US to retain it's stature as the most powerful nation in the world, it must become more "sensitive," less arrogant and unilateral, and must begion to adapt itself to the information age... Bush wants to spent billions of dollars on weapons technology to fight terrorists who slipped through the cracks with nothing but box cutters...

i'm not a very political person, and i don't read much in the way of political literature, but i actually enjoyed this book...

just thought i'd make a recommendation.

living in a cubist, nonsensical, oxymoronic society would be appealing for about a day at most. nonsense and decontextualizeation can be glorious things but living in a society in which they are the foundations would simply get annoying. the nation as a whole would be reduced to the level of kindergarteners simply because communication would deteriorate. as much as i love the abstract, i need concrete thought and comprehension as a balance or else i'd simply go insane out of inability to communicate. i have enough trouble when i say sincere things which people take as sarcasm or disbelief, and trying to assure such people that i am indeed being sincere is annoying enough. to have to constantly deal with "i know you are but what am i"s would just get irritating. perhaps you want the world to be reduced to the level of kindergarteners. do remember thoguh, nick, that for every fair, honest child there are a dozen spoiled brats who always get what they want no matter what.

we all know that the current political situation is being controlled by overgrown spoiled brats who learned NOTHING in kindergarten.

while your concept is somewhat appealing, nick, it definately would not make for a creative utopia. it would make the world a classroom of toddlers arguing over who's going to clean up the paste and construction paper.