Anyone is welcome to listen in, but this entry goes out particularly to the Discordians out there - who are, after all, nice.

When the tenth-largest object in our solar system was named Eris, and succeeded in dethroning Pluto, there was much rejoicing among Discordians everywhere.  In particular, your humble correspondent became marginally less likely to go on a cross-country killing spree, which had been a risk when the name "Xena" was being widely, and prematurely, used in the media.

And yet, in our glee, we seem to have neglected certain (rather obvious) implications of the choice of Eris.  There are lots of unemployed Greco-Roman goddesses hanging out in the wings waiting to get something celestial named after them.  Why this one?  Let's face it, in the original context (that's Ancient Greece, kids; keep up!), Eris was small potatoes.  One might ask where Athena's name, say, falls on the astronomical "to do" list.  (Okay, Pallas and Minerva got asteroids. but, still...)

Though odd luck is rather a suitable trait for Discordians, singly or collectively, I doubt "Eris" was a random pick.  The most reasonable hypothesis is the simplest:  Astronomers Get It!

Or, to put it another way:  The memetic experiment begun in the late 50's by Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst, and later extended and propagated by many others - succeeded.  The idea of Eris (like the number 23, or the Myth of Alamout) is simultaneously a sort-of Shibboleth, a sort-of rebus, and a sort-of Trojan Horse - and as such, it has penetrated so far into Western Christendom that Eris appears with alarming frequency in cartoons, music, popular fiction, popular culture generally, and now - in the heavens.

Such are some implications of the fact; now consider the consequences.  Any modestly curious and capable youth will, betimes, look up the origin and meaning of a commonly-encountered word.  And anytime someone asks "I wonder why they call it 'Eris'?"  ....  Well, consider that the planet is named after the Goddess, and since the Christianization of the West, the only notable thing to happen to Her has been - us.  Any thorough article on Eris, in any context, has to mention Discordianism.  And since Discordia is a gosh-darned sexy deity, and we're all so charming and witty and what-not... (and apparently deeply embedded in various mass-media reality studios.)  It is not impossible to imagine that from Wikipedia alone - the inevitable first stop of high-school students doing their homework - untold numbers will be recruited.  A small percentage, of course, of those who read about Eris and Discordianism will be converted, but we are, as of now, talking about a very small percentage of a big fucking number - for better or worse, of course.

Overall, we have confirmation of our shadowy power network, (apparently including our own Bohemian Grove), a memetic coup, and the most brilliant marketing strategy ever devised!

Why did Bodhi Dharma come to China?  Five tons of flax.  Let us put the Five-Fingered Hand of Eris to work!

In related news, I must commend the work of the PRKA - People Reluctant to Kill for an Abstraction.  (Courtesy of Discordian Research Technology.)