Stuck on Repeats

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Atticus Grinch

(1) She made this Slateworthy by saying it's from members of her "own community." I think she's discovered, as many before her, that you don't have some greater right to dignity and respect within a self-defined community as without. It's wrong to be rude; it's not wronger to be rude to someone "in your community." It's that type of insider/outsider bullshit that leads to privilege, and excuses terrible things like FGM and hazing. There is no higher standard; the standard is the same.

(2) She misread the tweet she quoted. It was an unfunny joke. It's illegal to grope someone in an elevator; anonymity is the only reason the crime even occurs. A person who publicly claims an intention to do so actually drops to the bottom of the list of people likely to do it. To demand additional security from conference organizers is a bizarre response.

(3) I think she's misreading Dawkins. His point was about the relative superiority of life in a Western secular democracy, and he's right about that. Anytime you say "We're lucky to have such problems" you're minimizing the experience of the victim, but that's the entire point. Dawkins wants to destroy theocratic thinking; it's exactly his point that we should all live in a world where women getting asked for sex is the worst problem we face. I have a hard time seeing him as a bad guy in this. [ETA: or, what Sidd said.]

2. She's the kind of dull, tone-deaf-to-irony sort who makes the rest of us Who Don't Believe look like kids who never learned anything beyond what the silliest of our most liberal college professors told us.

Dawkins soiled himself engaging a person so obviously unqualified to communicate with him.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

2. She's the kind of dull, tone-deaf-to-irony sort who makes the rest of us Who Don't Believe look like kids who never learned anything beyond what the silliest of our most liberal college professors told us.

Dawkins soiled himself engaging a person so obviously unqualified to communicate with him.

Of course, Dawkins also soiled himself by writing such a dumb-ass email.

Devoted skeptics strike me as akin to the Ayn Rand fan club: people who believe in nothing looking for something to believe in that is still nothing.

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

people who believe in nothing looking for something to believe in that is still nothing.

We believe in nothing, Lebowski. Nothing. And tomorrow we come back and we cut off your chonson.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Of course, Dawkins also soiled himself by writing such a dumb-ass email.

Devoted skeptics strike me as akin to the Ayn Rand fan club: people who believe in nothing looking for something to believe in that is still nothing.

Almost everybody wants to be a member of some tribe.

There are some non-believers, however, whom I think get a kick out of robbing others of their beliefs. I think Dawkins is quietly one of those. He seems to relish causing others to lose faith. That's a good thing, generally, as I can't think of any form of questioning that isn't worthwhile. But he's still a bit demented to get his kicks that way. If a harmless guy wants to believe silly stuff on his own time and isn't proselytizing, I'm don't think he should be subjected to atheist proselytization.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?

We believe in nothing, Lebowski. Nothing. And tomorrow we come back and we cut off your chonson.

I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I've worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I heard that, I gave Jesus a chance. But it just didn't work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology. You see, there's no guilt in baseball, and it's never boring... which makes it like sex. There's never been a ballplayer slept with me who didn't have the best year of his career. Making love is like hitting a baseball: you just gotta relax and concentrate. Besides, I'd never sleep with a player hitting under .250... not unless he had a lot of RBIs and was a great glove man up the middle. You see, there's a certain amount of life wisdom I give these boys. I can expand their minds. Sometimes when I've got a ballplayer alone, I'll just read Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman to him, and the guys are so sweet, they always stay and listen. 'Course, a guy'll listen to anything if he thinks it's foreplay. I make them feel confident, and they make me feel safe, and pretty. 'Course, what I give them lasts a lifetime; what they give me lasts 142 games. Sometimes it seems like a bad trade. But bad trades are part of baseball - now who can forget Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, for God's sake? It's a long season and you gotta trust it. I've tried 'em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Devoted skeptics strike me as akin to the Ayn Rand fan club: people who believe in nothing looking for something to believe in that is still nothing.

Hold everything. Did you make this up? If you did, it's the best thing you've ever written and I'm stealing it without crediting you. If you didn't, I'd like to know where it came from so I can take credit for finding it.

TM

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

Hold everything. Did you make this up? If you did, it's the best thing you've ever written and I'm stealing it without crediting you. If you didn't, I'd like to know where it came from so I can take credit for finding it.

TM

That's mine. Do with it what you like.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

Think of how many jobs we could all create if not burdened with regulations on things like jaywalking, dangerous exotic pets, or public nudity?

Amen, brother.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

I see your point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ8MvnEVCqM

Still my all-time favorite Stones track.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

I get the impression that Dawkins is a god to a lot of these people, so if he says "this lady is over reacting" they take it to mean "launch the torpedoes." My guess is that if he'd taken her complaint a little less cavalierly (or didn't say anything), then it probably wouldn't have been as bad.

At any rate, the "you got what you deserved" crowd hit the Slate article's comments's section too.

I hate the Westboro Baptist Church with the fire of a thousand angry gods, but I can't really imagine taking the time or energy to making their lives miserable.

Nothing is more dangerous or vicious than an "enlightened" person who has been called an "-ist" of any sort.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Atticus Grinch

(1) She made this Slateworthy by saying it's from members of her "own community." I think she's discovered, as many before her, that you don't have some greater right to dignity and respect within a self-defined community as without. It's wrong to be rude; it's not wronger to be rude to someone "in your community." It's that type of insider/outsider bullshit that leads to privilege, and excuses terrible things like FGM and hazing. There is no higher standard; the standard is the same.

(2) She misread the tweet she quoted. It was an unfunny joke. It's illegal to grope someone in an elevator; anonymity is the only reason the crime even occurs. A person who publicly claims an intention to do so actually drops to the bottom of the list of people likely to do it. To demand additional security from conference organizers is a bizarre response.

(3) I think she's misreading Dawkins. His point was about the relative superiority of life in a Western secular democracy, and he's right about that. Anytime you say "We're lucky to have such problems" you're minimizing the experience of the victim, but that's the entire point. Dawkins wants to destroy theocratic thinking; it's exactly his point that we should all live in a world where women getting asked for sex is the worst problem we face. I have a hard time seeing him as a bad guy in this. [ETA: or, what Sidd said.]

I don't know. He seemed like a right prick to me.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Please welcome Krystal Forscutt.

http://www.lawtalkers.com/forums/sho...postcount=1408

http://www.lawtalkers.com/forums/sho...postcount=1409

http://www.lawtalkers.com/forums/sho...postcount=1410

http://www.lawtalkers.com/forums/sho...postcount=1411

TM

[Hank Chinaski]

Stringer Bell may become a police.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

Stringer Bell may become a police.

You must not pay attention to Thurgreed's television recommendations because Idris Elba has been playing a police for two years now.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by Sparklehorse

You must not pay attention to Thurgreed's television recommendations because Idris Elba has been playing a police for two years now.

I do think he'd be a fun Bond though.