#61812

[leomacgivena]

現今の日本社会は、世界的に見てもこういう階層／階級間の生活構造の差がほとんどない珍しい場所なので、よくわからなくなってるのかもしれませんが、いいのか悪いのか、米国の保守、リベラルというのはもう、生活文化のあり方が根底から違う、みたいところがあるんですよ。考う方の差だけじゃないの。

XユーザーのOGAWA Kandaiさん

[outragedtortilla]

iu

[doublefeaturetheater]

The short story that formed the basis for Bartleby, available here, for free, to read online or in ebook format.

[doublefeaturetheater]

Bartleby

Boss (voiceover): Lately, I had fallen into the involuntary habit of using the word "prefer" on all sorts of not-exactly-suitable occasions.

Ernie: Boss, uh, I was thinking last night about Bart here, and it occurred to me that it's possible that he has Attention Deficit Syndrome. So, if he would prefer to get a good buzz every once in a while, I mean strictly medicinal, of course.

Boss: You're using the word, too.

Ernie: What word?

Bartleby: I would prefer to be left alone.

Boss: That! That's the word, Ernie.

Ernie: Oh, prefer. Strange word. I don't use it myself. Anyhow, what I was saying was that if Bart would prefer...

Boss: Ernie, please, just get back to work.

Ernie: Oh, sure, if you would prefer that I would.

Vivian: Excuse me, sir. Would you prefer to take a call from the landlord?

Boss: We're all using it now!

Vivian: I beg your pardon?

Boss: That word! "Prefer."

[doublefeaturetheater]

Office Space

Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?

Lawrence: I'll tell you what I'd do, man: two chicks at the same time, man.

Peter Gibbons: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?

Lawrence: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I were a millionaire I could hook that up, too; 'cause chicks dig dudes with money.

Peter Gibbons: Well, not all chicks.

Lawrence: Well, the type of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.

Peter Gibbons: Good point.

Lawrence: Well, what about you now? What would you do?

Peter Gibbons: Besides two chicks at the same time?

Lawrence: Well, yeah.

Peter Gibbons: Nothing.

Lawrence: Nothing, huh?

Peter Gibbons: I would relax. I would sit on my ass all day. I would do nothing.

Lawrence: Well, you don't need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Take a look at my cousin: he's broke, don't do shit.

[doublefeaturetheater]

[doublefeaturetheater]

And yet there is a kind of uncompromising, implacable simplicity to "Bartleby" that inspires admiration. In a world where most movies are about exciting people doing thrilling things, here is a film about as job that is living death, and a man who prefers not to do it. My friend McHugh worked his way through college at Acme Pest Control of Bloomington, Ind. One day while he was crawling under a house with a spray gun, a housewife invited him into the kitchen for a lemonade. As he drank it, while covered in cobwebs and mud, she told her son, "Study your lessons hard, Jimmy, or you'll end up like him." Or like Bartleby.

Roger Ebert, Bartleby, The Chicago Sun-Times

[doublefeaturetheater]

Office Space

Peter Gibbons: So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.

Dr. Swanson: What about today? Is today the worst day of your life?

Peter Gibbons: Yeah.

Dr. Swanson: Wow, that's messed up.