Catch-22

It comes from the book of the same name.

Anyone who flys missions must be crazy. Anyone that's crazy can ask to be grounded. But if you ask you mustn't be crazy so you can fly missions but then you must be crazy....and so on.

The reason the author called it Catch 22 was because he pitched it to 22 different publishers before it was finally accepted.

Yo Adrian...I didn't know that...about the publishers.
Joe vete a ver la pelicula...it's good also.

Panzade-

I only heard that a few weeks ago in a show about Australias favourite books. Don't know if it's definitely true....could be one of those urban legend thingys.





No hablo espanol, amigo.

But I'll take your word that it's good.

In the novel 'Catch-22' becomes a phrase that covers anything that's the result of big institutions running roughshod over people. The horrible old Italian man gets killed by the MPs and they just tell the old woman they can because of 'Catch-22'.

It is one of the finest books written in English.

But it's used as a word, am I right?

Movie? I was aware of the book, but not of the movie.



Is that an example of a catch-22?

Ah, thanks Mr. Stillwater.

what does MP stand for?

The author coined the term. He put in the American vernacular. You've GOT to see the movie, and or read the book. FABULOUS! Joseph Heller.


Go here.

Sorry, 'Military Police'. When Yossarian goes back to Rome at the end of the book, the town is being run by the MPs under Milo's 'command'.

The movie was directed by Mike Nichols, released 1970. It starred Alan Arkin and had a role played by Art Garfunkle too!


The 'catch' part is that those with the power can do whatever they like and find/make up a rule to justify it, no matter how illogical or unfair it is.

The Airforce keeps on increasing the number of bombing missions the crews have to complete before they can go home. Yossarian wants to know what he can do to get out of them. He's told that if you are insane, AND ask the doctor to stop flying, you will.

BUT there's a catch, if you ASK to stop flying, you can't be INSANE because only a SANE man would want to avoid flying. So either you're loco and WANT to fly or you are sane and they MAKE you fly!!!!

Its enough to make you insane, which it does, actually...

Hiya lashgoth/sofia/lash! Long time!

Hiya handsome.

Green is SUCH a great look!

Great!

I'm thinking of reading the book then the movie, if I can find it in a local rental site.

Bye all means read the book first...

Ok.. see if I can find will to read it while on vacation.

the original movie set is still standing and very much intact just north of Nuevo Kino Mexico on the Mar De Cortez (and it's a damn beautiful beach, it is, it is)

After visiting the Mediterranean I found the sets a little hokey...but...what the heck.

I thought it was the beach of San Carlos, near Guaymas, Sonora.
Or maybe we are talking about the same place (at least it's the same sea).

Joe, Trampa-22 is an elegant, bureaucratic, way of applying what we know in Mexico as "La Ley de Herodes".

ah fbaezer you may be right, I forget if san carlos or nuevo kino. (they are not that far apart)