Topical Guide 152
Mark Dorset
Unintended Consequences
I told Clarissa about Spike’s threat, and she seemed quite worried for me. She reached across the table and put her hands on mine. I told her about what had happened in Veronica’s closet, and she blushed, just as I had known she would. I told her about Veronica’s threat, and in her eyes I could see shock and, to my shock, a cold fury.
Then I told her that I had decided to give the part to Veronica. …
She stood and stamped her foot. “You fool!” she screamed. … “You lunatic!” … “You treacherous villain!” … “You milk-livered coward!” she cried. … “You—you—you—” she stammered in her fury, stamping her foot as she spoke. … “You!” she shrieked, and when she brought her foot down on mine, her eyes fulgurated.Little Follies, “The Girl with the White Fur Muff”
One of life’s most pervasive dilemmas is the unintended consequences of our actions. Historian Daniel Boorstin observed that “the unintended consequences of man’s enterprises have and always will be more potent, more widespread, and more influential than those he intended.” …
Sometimes unintended consequences are catastrophic, sometimes beneficial. Occasionally their impacts are imperceptible, at other times colossal. Large events frequently have a number of unintended consequences, but even small events can trigger them. There are numerous instances of purposeful deeds completely backfiring, causing the exact opposite of what was intended.William A. Sherdan, Best Laid Plans: The Tyranny of Unintended Consequences and How to Avoid Them
I don’t worry ’bout a thing,
’Cause I know nothin’s going to turn out right.
[more to come on Wednesday, December 15, 2021]
Have you missed an episode or two or several?
You can begin reading at the beginning or you can catch up by visiting the archive or consulting the index to the Topical Guide.
You can listen to the episodes on the Personal History podcast. Begin at the beginning or scroll through the episodes to find what you’ve missed.
At Apple Books you can download free eBooks of “My Mother Takes a Tumble,” “Do Clams Bite?,” “Life on the Bolotomy,” “The Static of the Spheres,” and “The Fox and the Clam,” the first five novellas in Little Follies.
You’ll find an overview of the entire work in An Introduction to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy. It’s a pdf document.
The Fine Young Cannibals followed by Mose Allison; Mark has universal taste in fine music