On the dance floor of “What difference does it make!” I met someone whose take on common interests were so different from mine, it made all the difference.
How two people from the humanities can amazingly miss the connect:
Concerning Hegel:
Me: I took a class on his Phenomenology.
Literature: I took a class on his Logic.
(the phenomenology / logic divide)
Me: Did you know Hegel’s writing desk is in the main Humboldt university building?
Literature: You mean the building next to a sculpture of his bust?
Me: What sculpture?
(the desk / sculpture divide)
Concerning French Philosophy/ Literature
Literature: I started a Lacan reading group.
Me: I only vaguely remember Foucault. I’m into French literature.
(his literature was German and philosophy French, my literature was French and philosophy German)
Concerning Art
Literature: What do you like doing?
Me: I like going to galleries for contemporary art.
Literature: Did you see the Mondrian exhibit at the Martin-Gropius-Bau?
Me (thinking): shit I missed a Mondrian exhibition… there is a gap is my information flow
Literature: I guess Mondrian is modern and not contemporary
Me (still thinking): I can’t believe I missed that
(the modern/ contemporary art divide)
Concerning German Romanticism
Me: I like German Romanticism.
Literature: Brentano?
Me: Brentano is the one Romantic I haven’t read.
Literature: His style is similar to Tristram Shandy…
Me (thinking): I tried to read that once and couldn’t stand the writing…
(the Brentano/ all the other Romantics divide)
Concerning the Application of Trust
Literature: I translated an academic paper on “trust” today.
Me: I used to sell “trust” to e-commerce retailers.
Literature: How do you sell trust?
Me: with a feedback management system… customer and product reviews
(the translation/ selling of trust divide)
Concerning Quentin Tarantino
Literature: The only Tarantino film I thought was good was Reservoir Dogs.
Me (thinking): That is the one film I am not interested in seeing I haven’t seen that one.
(the Reservoir Dogs/ all other Tarantino films divide)
Concerning Politics
Me: Do you know Nate Silver?
Literature: Never heard of him.
Me: All my information on politics comes from Nate Silver.
(the political information divide)
