Realism Has Many Flavors

source: http://thehipflask.wordpress.com/saint-benedicts-brews/

A friend posted on facebook a partial answer from a student: "Realism has many flavors."  And my response was: of course, it does.

• Classic Realism tastes like sherry because ye olde Realists reclined in ye olde academe, chock full of tweed and sherry hours.
• Structural Realism tastes like beer (note: this is a change from my original fb post) as it takes a bit of getting used to.  Which kind of beer?  A stout, most assuredly because it is has a bitter taste, just like the security dilemma.
• Offensive Realism tastes like stale cigarettes.  Why?  Because it is offensive.
• Defensive Realism tastes like structural realism but perhaps a sweeter beer like a trappist beer. 
• Neoclassical Realism tastes like sherry but has a strong vinegar taste.  Why?  Because it is actually aged classic realism.

The good news is there are plenty of new flavors as people come up with new variants of realism or resurrect old ones.