Here are a few threads I've commented in over at Alas. One involves the impact of small advantages (a cartoon) and another involves cartoon wives at home (another cartoon). They are sorta related (at least my comments are).
The third thread is new and is about left-wing activism and shades of grey.
I leave them here without comment - mostly because all of my writing energy (what little there is of it) has gone there for the moment.
I'm rather tired - not much sleep - my wife is in Florida for a professional conference, so I've been alone with the two-month-old and my two-year-old since Sunday afternoon. Well, except when there's been a sitter over or day care during the day Monday and today. What is hardest is the night. My baby boy was up at 5 this morning and never really went back to sleep. He wanted a fresh diaper, a bottle, and then to be held. But then that left my toddler daughter alone in bed and when she figured that out she wanted to be with me, too. It is rather hard to hold them both. I need a nap.
Reminder
12 years ago
10 comments:
And now you're barred from half the threads at Alas for the thoughtcrime of dissenting from the "anti-racism" ideology. Those folks are getting so morally pure they absolutely blind me. Fortunately, there are fewer of them every day, since they keep expelling the heretics.
Really, I'm barred? I haven't had a chance to check back there. Now I wonder if I should even bother.
Ok, I saw the shades of grey thread. I wonder if Mandolin at least has enough dim self-awareness to note the irony of banning me for disagreeing in a thread imploring people to see things not in black and white but in shades of grey. Probably not.
Since I'm banned, I guess the conversation is over. My apologies to those who responded to my comment - I can't go back to answer them. Though I do want to say that my discussion about not calling people racist or sexist is not to "walk on eggshells" or excuse the behavior, but instead to foster dialogue instead of shutting it down. That was the whole point of the thread.
Which just goes to prove BB's point - he noted that being an atheist doesn't prevent one from being an idiot about other things - it just means you have one less stupid idea than most people. I say that applies equally to various stripes of progressives.
Granted, I spent my entire work day doing literary criticism and close reads of various texts, but isn't there more than one shade of irony in the statement, "I feel like liberals are always trying to make conservatives understand that the world and the actions in it are not black and white"?
GOD, anyone who makes blanket statements is the biggest moron ever.
it just means you have one less stupid idea than most people
Or perhaps one more ;)
It has been observed (by me among other things) that both right-wingers and left-wingers seek converts. Right wingers seem to spend more of their energy convincing marginal cases "you're really right wing". Left wingers seem to spend more of their time convincing marginal cases "you're an unworthy heretic, get out".
I love that it that you were banned -- it gives you that whole "rebel bad boy appeal". Rahr. ;-)
It looks like I've been the victim of moderation, too. Here is the comment I left:
"Because bigotry HURTS PEOPLE. In fact, it has been known on many occasions to have killed people."
Yes. Calling people things that are weighted with semantical baggage is very damaging.
And calling someone a racist or a bigot or a sexist is charged with meaning in the same sense (if not the same degree) as calling them out for their race, religion, or ideology, and the anonymity of the Internet especially reduces people's identities to these labels, exactly the bigoted behavior you seem to be lobbying against. I can't tell you how many times I've seen rational dissent posted in various comment threads, only to see that person labelled a troll or racist or woman-hater or male oppressor or godless atheist---and it's astonishing how quickly this poster's contributions (their entire identity, as far as this particular arena goes) are colored by whatever label someone has slapped on them. After a few posts, the troll or racist or woman-hater or male oppressor or godless athiest is eventually made to feel plain unwelcome or barred from further participation.
And how is that not bigotry?
Maybe it is an odd cosmic coincidence, but in the last few places I've been "thrown out" based on a comment the whole discussion has ground to a complete halt after that - One could conclude from that that some people would really rather end a conversation than even let other people talk about something in a non-approved of way. It was not like I had gone on and on or the thread had exhausted all avenues of discussion - I made one post, a few people followed up, then I was banned and the thread basically ended. Nice way to have a conversation, eh?
I don't understand the mentality of it.
Man, my post sat at the end of this thread for so long, I was afraid that's what had happened to me, too!
Erin, I still don't see your post there - I guess it didn't survive moderation.
I'm sorry to say that now my general impression I get from this is that Mandolin is an asshole.
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