Politics Ain't No Picnic
Our new AI assistants will help you grasp this and much more as you learn to love them:
Me a human part 1: An introduction of sorts.
For some months now Vincent, AKA the brains and brawn of our Newsletter and writing collaborations, has been working on ways to make what we are doing both financially viable and artistically/creatively useful.
Because he’s Vincent, a self-acknowledged “evil genius” (he puts the emphasis on evil, while I tend to slightly favor the genius descriptor.), he’s chosen two areas of programming and web development that are the most contentious, difficult and threatening to writers and wannabe writers, and probably readers too. Why choose simple solutions when you can simply scare the fuck out of people?
These two areas are AI and its rush to replace humans in every aspect of life and virtual life, and crypto currency, a decentralized $ thing whereby banks and governments and the Holy Bible and the Magna Carta all become essentially meaningless. Okay, so yeah, maybe the emphasis should be on evil.
Below are three of our Just Weighing AI assistants in action. Buk is kinda based on my favorite writer, Charles Bukowski; Beta Betty, is the reader every writer needs to help address plot and coherency in our work, and Melissa expands on Betty’s summation with honest editing to help fine tune your prose with additional ideas for making yourself sound much smarter than you really are (very handy for a guy like me).
I first asked Buk to address the subject of why politics is such a nasty, bullshit business. Then I had Betty comment on what her AI pal Buk had written to make it better, then I asked Melissa to look at both Buk’s and Betty’s work and pull it all together.
You’ll have to decide on the success or failure of this very early experiment by reading it and maybe letting your fears of AI subside by considering ever so briefly to look at AI as a friend to you and your work.
Thanks for giving this a shot.
Buk
Politics ain't no picnic, that's the truth of it. It's like walking through quicksand - you never know when something'll bite back at ya'. Every opinion has got its own weight behind it and everybody thinks their way should be law.
It’s all about power too; people fighting over who gets to hold the reins or stick with 'em. And everyone's convinced they're right, even if they ain't. You try talking sense when you’re against a whole heap of passionate folks? It'll leave your head spinning and teeth sore from biting back retorts.
It’s like trying to herd cats; once one starts yowling all the others follow suit till there's nothin' but noise. Everyone thinks their view should be heard above everyone else, but how many voices can a room hold?
And then you got the ones who think they know everything 'cause of their last name or money in hand - ain't right at all when it’s supposed to about us folks working together towards better times.
It's also like trying to teach an old dog new tricks; some are so stuck on outdated ways, they'll never see another path. But how many people need a wake-up call?
Then you got the ones who use politics for personal gain - all smoke and mirrors with their shiny words but nothin' substantial behind it.
So yeah buddy, that's why it’s such an awful topic to talk about: It ain't just opinions flying around like autumn leaves; there are real consequences attached. People can get hurt over this stuff more often than they should be able to.
Remember, though - politics isn’t the only thing wrong with society, and not everyone who participates in them is a bad apple in that barrel! There're folks fighting for what's right too, just trying their darnedest.
So don't let my grumblings discourage you from engaging; we gotta keep having these talks so we can all get smarter. But next time take a deep breath before diving into the fray cause politics ain’t no place to mess around with.
Beta Betty
As a beta reader, I find your writing style engaging and relatable. The use of colloquial language effectively captures the tone and rhythm of everyday speech, which lends authenticity to the text. Your metaphor of politics as "walking through quicksand" is vivid and impactful.
The structure of your piece is strong as well, with each paragraph building on the last to create a coherent whole. You skillfully weave together multiple threads—power struggles, differing opinions, personal gain, and societal consequences—to paint a comprehensive picture of political discourse.
However, there are some areas that could benefit from further refinement:
1. "Politics ain't no picnic" is an intriguing title, but it's also somewhat cryptic. Consider adding a subtitle or brief explanatory sentence to make the central concept more immediately clear.
2. You use contractions (ain't, don't) throughout your text, which can work well in spoken dialogue but may feel informal for written prose. Decide whether you want this tone and adjust punctuation accordingly.
3. There are minor grammatical errors sprinkled through ("it's" instead of "its," for example). Proofreading would help eliminate these small but noticeable mistakes.
4. While your writing is generally strong, there are places where the language feels a bit awkward or repetitive (like the phrase "you never know when something'll bite back at ya'" which could be tightened up).
5. The final paragraph seems to shift slightly in tone, moving from critique to encouragement. This change might work better if you smooth it out with a transitional phrase or two.
Overall, though, this is an effective exploration of the complexities and challenges of political discourse. Your writing style makes the text feel personal and direct, which can help readers connect more deeply with your observations. Keep refining your craft, and continue to explore these important themes!
Melissa
Well done! That's definitely a very interesting analysis. The piece you submitted does have quite a lot of energy, and it’s engaging from start till end.
However, just remember one thing, if an idea or phrase sounds good and it has worked for you in conversation or storytelling before, don't feel shy to use it on paper too. Because when you’re reading the story out loud and feeling how well the words sound, that usually translates to how they're received by other people as well. So even though you know your writing might seem informal because of your choice to include contractions and idioms (like "walking through quicksand") - remember that can actually give readers a clearer, more authentic feel of what you want to express.
You've managed to paint an evocative picture here about politics; like the murky, ever-moving mass of quicksand with different forces always trying to pull one's views or opinions this way or that way. But yes, perhaps making some changes suggested earlier will tighten up your prose just a tad more and enhance readability, making it even smoother for all audiences - because writing should be something universally enjoyable!
Finally, don't forget we all have different voices when talking or expressing our ideas – including in written form - which are completely valid. So feel free to keep using yours if you enjoy how it sounds. It gives off a personal tone readers often appreciate in creative works like these.
Remember to stay patient with yourself as this process of perfecting one's style evolves over time. It is not easy, but then nothing worth having usually is!
Back to human (me) Part 2
If you have questions about what we are trying to do here, criticisms, compliments or death threats, feel free to pass these along; Vincent only blocks hypocritical Christian trolls and I only try to avoid the near occasion of sin, scantily clad young women pretending to want sex with a happily married, 77 year old, one time slightly famous guy.
We don’t beg you, but we will encourage you to look at our newsletter, Trueman & Triola Newsletter where if you become a paid member you can access our Writing Lab to use our AIs to help with writing.
Check out our big website at Home - Just Weighing and follow us on Bluesky @ttrueman.bsky.social & @social.vincenttriola.com.
We’ll be sharing lots more information about our Writing Lab and tBook plans soon. For now, here is my pinned posting on Bluesky that describes in 300 spaces or less what we’re up to:
Terry Trueman @ttrueman.bsky.social
Hey, all check out these new digital books. tbooks.justweighing.com/tbooks Just choose the tBook for your computer (Win or Mac) and use this code during checkout: VIPS to receive it for free. Follow these directions if you run into any issues. tbooks.justweighing.com/support
