"From an evolutionary standpoint, it doesn't seem plausible that Mother Nature would have purposely allowed secretion of concentrated nitrate in the mouth if it were harmful to us."
While reading an article someone e-mailed me about nitrates and potential health benefits, I came across the above statement. It actually took me a while to figure out why exactly it was that this bothered me, but I finally came to it.
Here was someone who was not making wild claims about a 6000 year old earth or building strawmen about evolution and monkey or parroting on about some false micro/macro dichotomy, yet who was expressing an ignorance of evolution all the same.
Of course it is possible that this was simply someone engaging in poetic license, but still, I find myself as disturbed by the implication of this statement as I do in the ID/Creationism movement.
I wondered to myself why that was and low and behold, the angel of reason spoke down upon me...
The statement above speaks of some form of intent.... and misses the most basic of concepts inherent in the Theory of Evolution ... that evolution does not care about us... it has no design.
The statement above give the mental image of some format, some direction, when in fact, 'evolution' is nothing more than a label we give to a phenomenon that happens because one organism dies, while another lives.
Evolution... the change in genetic frequency over time.... whether or not an organism has a genetic makeup which gives that organism the ability to pass along its genes to the next generation, that is ALL that evolution (indulging my poetic fancy) 'cares' about.
From an 'evolutionary standpoint' it is completely plausible that we would have evolved with a secretion of something that was harmful to us... as long as it did not interfere with our ability to reproduce and pass those genes along, 'Mother Nature' would have nothing to say about it at all.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Man and God -Times Online
Just anther example of how people NOT subscribing to a believers faith is somehow 'persecution'
Man and God -Times Online: "Man and God
How should faith respond to the onslaught of atheism?"
My response:
I am an agnostic atheist. I am not militant nor am I a 'profit' of godlessness... I do not claim that god 'does not' or 'can not' exist. I simply see no evidence that would lead me to a belief in god. That is all.
I do not preach an atheist doctrine (whatever that might be), I do not strap a bomb to my chest with the intent of killing others in the name of no-god. I do not ask others to stop believing in their god. I do not ask others to stop worshiping their god. I do not ask others to refrain from praying to their god. I DO request that people not force their personal beliefs on me whether through preaching to me or making laws intended to make me act as they think I should based on their arrogant belief that, if there is a god, they have the ability to know what that god wants from me.
But apparently, my not wanting others to feel justified in shoving their beliefs in my face makes me militant. Apparently, asking others to keep their pray privately or with others in their church and NOT in the schools I pay for and send my children to is trying to take their rights away. Apparently, expecting someone to respect that I am NOT a christian and wish me a happy holiday instead of Merry Christmas means that I am intolerant to their religion, but if I wish them a Happy Holiday instead of Merry Christmas I am persecuting them.
The very fact that the author listed as evidence of this vast atheist conspiracy the fact that a politician was honest about not having a belief in a god as opposed to lying about it to make he and his 'feel' better says a lot more about his religion and values than any atheist could ever say.
The sad fact is that the best argument against christianity are the believers themselves. It is not what the atheists are saying that is problematic to the theist... it is what they are doing... pointing out the disparity between what the religions put forth in their PR pamphlets and how their adherents actually act.
It is simple... I could not care less what someone believes... and if they are not telling me all about it, I would have nothing to say at all on the subject.
Man and God -Times Online: "Man and God
How should faith respond to the onslaught of atheism?"
My response:
I am an agnostic atheist. I am not militant nor am I a 'profit' of godlessness... I do not claim that god 'does not' or 'can not' exist. I simply see no evidence that would lead me to a belief in god. That is all.
I do not preach an atheist doctrine (whatever that might be), I do not strap a bomb to my chest with the intent of killing others in the name of no-god. I do not ask others to stop believing in their god. I do not ask others to stop worshiping their god. I do not ask others to refrain from praying to their god. I DO request that people not force their personal beliefs on me whether through preaching to me or making laws intended to make me act as they think I should based on their arrogant belief that, if there is a god, they have the ability to know what that god wants from me.
But apparently, my not wanting others to feel justified in shoving their beliefs in my face makes me militant. Apparently, asking others to keep their pray privately or with others in their church and NOT in the schools I pay for and send my children to is trying to take their rights away. Apparently, expecting someone to respect that I am NOT a christian and wish me a happy holiday instead of Merry Christmas means that I am intolerant to their religion, but if I wish them a Happy Holiday instead of Merry Christmas I am persecuting them.
The very fact that the author listed as evidence of this vast atheist conspiracy the fact that a politician was honest about not having a belief in a god as opposed to lying about it to make he and his 'feel' better says a lot more about his religion and values than any atheist could ever say.
The sad fact is that the best argument against christianity are the believers themselves. It is not what the atheists are saying that is problematic to the theist... it is what they are doing... pointing out the disparity between what the religions put forth in their PR pamphlets and how their adherents actually act.
It is simple... I could not care less what someone believes... and if they are not telling me all about it, I would have nothing to say at all on the subject.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Family sues insurer who denied teen transplant - Health care- msnbc.com
Family sues insurer who denied teen transplant - Health care- msnbc.com
As I started reading this, a very cynical thought occurs to me. How very stupid they are to have reversed it in the last minutes. If they had simply stuck to their original decision and said "We are sorry, but that is the way it is" they would probably get away with this if they originally had as leg to stand on in the denial.
If they did not, nothing would help them, but in reversing their decision, they open the door for accusations that they made a mistake in denying it in the first place, making them liable for the death.
Now... I think this before actually having finished the article to know whether or not they had grounds in the denial in the first place. That in itself brings up so many issues; primarily, what right does the insurance company have to make medical decisions in the first place.
If the patients doctor says it is a viable option, what right does the insurance company have to deny the treatment? No one with half of a brain-cell can argue that they do it for any reason OTHER than money. "It has a low chance of success" is nothing more than saying that "There is a good chance that the money would be wasted".
The argument that someone else could use that organ is an emotional appeal, but not a legitimate argument, because the doctors on the transplant teams are the specialists. They know the risks, they know the chances, they know the patient. And they know that there are more people than available organs.
Additionally, just because there are other people on the list who are a match for that organ, that does not mean they are necessarily in competition for that organ. Sending a fresh organ across the country to someone else, means that the organs chances of being accepted are dropping... usually to the point where a patient with a 'better' chance of survival with a FRESH organ looses that edge with an organ not so 'fresh'.
I think it comes down to something very simple. If the insurance company can show that THEY had another patient with an over all better chance of survival and made the choice based on that, then they are off the hook... if they are going to pay for it, they are justified in choosing the person with the best chances of survival based on the doctors judgement. If that is the case and they denied it simply based on HER chances, then they should be treated the same way a bank robber would be charged if a teller were killed during the commission of their crime.
As I started reading this, a very cynical thought occurs to me. How very stupid they are to have reversed it in the last minutes. If they had simply stuck to their original decision and said "We are sorry, but that is the way it is" they would probably get away with this if they originally had as leg to stand on in the denial.
If they did not, nothing would help them, but in reversing their decision, they open the door for accusations that they made a mistake in denying it in the first place, making them liable for the death.
Now... I think this before actually having finished the article to know whether or not they had grounds in the denial in the first place. That in itself brings up so many issues; primarily, what right does the insurance company have to make medical decisions in the first place.
If the patients doctor says it is a viable option, what right does the insurance company have to deny the treatment? No one with half of a brain-cell can argue that they do it for any reason OTHER than money. "It has a low chance of success" is nothing more than saying that "There is a good chance that the money would be wasted".
The argument that someone else could use that organ is an emotional appeal, but not a legitimate argument, because the doctors on the transplant teams are the specialists. They know the risks, they know the chances, they know the patient. And they know that there are more people than available organs.
Additionally, just because there are other people on the list who are a match for that organ, that does not mean they are necessarily in competition for that organ. Sending a fresh organ across the country to someone else, means that the organs chances of being accepted are dropping... usually to the point where a patient with a 'better' chance of survival with a FRESH organ looses that edge with an organ not so 'fresh'.
I think it comes down to something very simple. If the insurance company can show that THEY had another patient with an over all better chance of survival and made the choice based on that, then they are off the hook... if they are going to pay for it, they are justified in choosing the person with the best chances of survival based on the doctors judgement. If that is the case and they denied it simply based on HER chances, then they should be treated the same way a bank robber would be charged if a teller were killed during the commission of their crime.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Whining.. more entitlement?
What an interesting world we live in when someone needs to actually point out that whiners and the "I will rise above all this negativity (that I bring upon myself)"-ers need to seriously get a life.
I used to care what others opinion of me was... and then I reached a point where I realized how exhausting it was trying to make myself something that was not offensive to anyone. Exhausting and futile. By being what one person wants, you most likely are offending another... and in just the process of trying to be everything to everyone, you offend yourself.
I am pretty sporadic about this blogging thing. And I am probably a little more open about what I say since I know that I am probably the only one who will ever read this thing. A spate of entries over two days every year and a half does NOT a following make. But I really do not care. That is not why I do this.
Frankly, I blog (when I blog) because I am bored stiff at times. So, by extention, if I am blogging because I am bored, chances are that anything I have to say will be.. yeap... boring.
So I do not blog for others to read. I blog to amuse myself, to practice my english skills and to keep my typing fingers limbered up . But lets face it... I am not writing this down in a private place. I am not writing this by hand in the journal I keep in my underwear drawer... I am not typing this into a private WORD document. I am typing on an Internet blog... which, by definition, people have access to read. Dur...
So when someone starts talking about how boring I am, how I am typing words of tedium and minutia... my response will be:
And maybe sometime in the future my life will again be so meaningless that I feel the need to type every moment of my life out so that others can validate me.
Maybe... but I am an optimist enough to hope that someone will have shot me by then and put me out of my misery.
I used to care what others opinion of me was... and then I reached a point where I realized how exhausting it was trying to make myself something that was not offensive to anyone. Exhausting and futile. By being what one person wants, you most likely are offending another... and in just the process of trying to be everything to everyone, you offend yourself.
I am pretty sporadic about this blogging thing. And I am probably a little more open about what I say since I know that I am probably the only one who will ever read this thing. A spate of entries over two days every year and a half does NOT a following make. But I really do not care. That is not why I do this.
Frankly, I blog (when I blog) because I am bored stiff at times. So, by extention, if I am blogging because I am bored, chances are that anything I have to say will be.. yeap... boring.
So I do not blog for others to read. I blog to amuse myself, to practice my english skills and to keep my typing fingers limbered up . But lets face it... I am not writing this down in a private place. I am not writing this by hand in the journal I keep in my underwear drawer... I am not typing this into a private WORD document. I am typing on an Internet blog... which, by definition, people have access to read. Dur...
So when someone starts talking about how boring I am, how I am typing words of tedium and minutia... my response will be:
"Yah, you are completely correct... which is why I pointed out that this is not intended for others to read... what part of 'typing practice' is not clear?"But will it matter to me what they think? It might have years ago... but then again, years ago I might have been typing in this blog with the intent that others actually read it and be enthralled by every aspect of my life...
And maybe sometime in the future my life will again be so meaningless that I feel the need to type every moment of my life out so that others can validate me.
Maybe... but I am an optimist enough to hope that someone will have shot me by then and put me out of my misery.
Personal Responsibility
What are two words, often heard, that everyone gives lip service to, yet few actually follow?
Yeap.. Personal Responsibility.
I think if I had to pick ONE thing that royally frustrates and pisses me off, this would be the one.
"I hate my life"
"So change it... "
"I would, but... but... but... "
"Dude... you need to take personal responsibility for your life..."
"I do... It is just that everyone is against me, circumstances make everything (except whining) impossible... no one will give me what I need to get out and nothing is my fault."
A recent conversation:
"I beat my kids because my parents beat me... I know it is wrong but just can not seem to stop."
"So go to some parenting classes and learn how to break the cycle..."
"I can not afford it..."
"They are free..."
"I can not get a babysitter..."
"They have a sitting service during the classes..."
"There is too much to do at night... "
"So why do you beat your children?"
"Because my parents beat me... I know it is wrong but just can not seem to stop."
Or another favorite:
"I have a drug problem..."
"Do you want to stop using them?"
"Yes... it is fucking up my life... my husband is about to leave me, my kids hate me... I am a mess..."
"What can I do to help?"
"I have tried everything... "
"Have you tried counseling?"
"No... but that will not do any good... they will just tell me I have a problem."
"How do you know if you have not tried it?"
"I just know..."
"How about a treatment facility?"
"Then everyone will know I have a drug problem..."
"I hate to tell you, but everyone already knows..."
"Still... I do not want everyone to know... "
"How about AA?"
"They are just a bunch of whining druggies..."
"Honey... you are a druggie... and right now you are just doing a lot of whining... "
"If you do not want to help, just leave me alone... "
"Ok.. ok... so how can I help?"
"There is nothing you can do... I have a disease and there is no cure."
So I get really frustrated at peoples inability to take responsibility for themselves... but then I look around me and wonder how it can be any different...
In a way, the christians are correct when they say this is a christian nation. This is a nation of people who have been trained from an early age that there is no need for them to be responsible for themselves. Why should they be? If they do something good and right, it is 'god' who did that through them. If they do something 'bad' or 'wrong', they are simply living up to what they have been told is human nature. And why should they change, since it is only through a god that they can 'overcome' the nasty, dirty, evil morass that is human nature?
How do we expect our children to stand up and take responsibility for their behavior and actions, when we are so busy filing lawsuits against the school system for having the audacity to 'label' a child a troublemaker when they pull a knife on a teacher? When we encourage our children to be disrespectful of all authority figures in the name of 'individuality'?
There is a huge difference between teaching our kids that they are not required to respect someone unless that respect is earned and teaching them that it is ok to be disrespectful.
There is a huge difference between teaching our children that there are methods and means of standing up for what is right and just through the system, or, if that fails them, through civil disobedience, without letting that become nothing more than an excuse for them to turn into little assholes with no concept of how to be a member of a community for no other reason than they are lazy and 'do not want to".
But there again... why am I surprised? How can I complain about the kids having no concept of personal responsibility when most of their parents do not either... 2000 years of teaching people that they are worthless pieces of shit and that it is better to ask forgiveness of an invisible sky buddy than it is to just do the right thing to begin with... what do we expect?
Yeap.. Personal Responsibility.
I think if I had to pick ONE thing that royally frustrates and pisses me off, this would be the one.
"I hate my life"
"So change it... "
"I would, but... but... but... "
"Dude... you need to take personal responsibility for your life..."
"I do... It is just that everyone is against me, circumstances make everything (except whining) impossible... no one will give me what I need to get out and nothing is my fault."
A recent conversation:
"I beat my kids because my parents beat me... I know it is wrong but just can not seem to stop."
"So go to some parenting classes and learn how to break the cycle..."
"I can not afford it..."
"They are free..."
"I can not get a babysitter..."
"They have a sitting service during the classes..."
"There is too much to do at night... "
"So why do you beat your children?"
"Because my parents beat me... I know it is wrong but just can not seem to stop."
Or another favorite:
"I have a drug problem..."
"Do you want to stop using them?"
"Yes... it is fucking up my life... my husband is about to leave me, my kids hate me... I am a mess..."
"What can I do to help?"
"I have tried everything... "
"Have you tried counseling?"
"No... but that will not do any good... they will just tell me I have a problem."
"How do you know if you have not tried it?"
"I just know..."
"How about a treatment facility?"
"Then everyone will know I have a drug problem..."
"I hate to tell you, but everyone already knows..."
"Still... I do not want everyone to know... "
"How about AA?"
"They are just a bunch of whining druggies..."
"Honey... you are a druggie... and right now you are just doing a lot of whining... "
"If you do not want to help, just leave me alone... "
"Ok.. ok... so how can I help?"
"There is nothing you can do... I have a disease and there is no cure."
So I get really frustrated at peoples inability to take responsibility for themselves... but then I look around me and wonder how it can be any different...
In a way, the christians are correct when they say this is a christian nation. This is a nation of people who have been trained from an early age that there is no need for them to be responsible for themselves. Why should they be? If they do something good and right, it is 'god' who did that through them. If they do something 'bad' or 'wrong', they are simply living up to what they have been told is human nature. And why should they change, since it is only through a god that they can 'overcome' the nasty, dirty, evil morass that is human nature?
How do we expect our children to stand up and take responsibility for their behavior and actions, when we are so busy filing lawsuits against the school system for having the audacity to 'label' a child a troublemaker when they pull a knife on a teacher? When we encourage our children to be disrespectful of all authority figures in the name of 'individuality'?
There is a huge difference between teaching our kids that they are not required to respect someone unless that respect is earned and teaching them that it is ok to be disrespectful.
There is a huge difference between teaching our children that there are methods and means of standing up for what is right and just through the system, or, if that fails them, through civil disobedience, without letting that become nothing more than an excuse for them to turn into little assholes with no concept of how to be a member of a community for no other reason than they are lazy and 'do not want to".
But there again... why am I surprised? How can I complain about the kids having no concept of personal responsibility when most of their parents do not either... 2000 years of teaching people that they are worthless pieces of shit and that it is better to ask forgiveness of an invisible sky buddy than it is to just do the right thing to begin with... what do we expect?
How I got here...
Somewhere between 5 and 7 years ago, I started getting involved with atheists on the internet. It started with me going to a web tool called PalTalk. I have no idea how I ended up in the atheist rooms, but I met a few wonderful people, two of whom I now consider my best friends. Since I can think of maybe a handful of people I consider 'friend' (as opposed to 'fond aquaintance') you can imagine that the term 'best' is applied judiciously.
As the conversations swirled about madly, I discovered (among the theist-baiting) that there were some very basic concepts I had never really explored completely. I found concepts about myself challenged and I found myself forced into developing a cohesiveness of thought on subjects I had not even considered that I needed to consider.
I was asked... "What are you?"
"What do you MEAN what am I?"
How in the world can they be asking me to define myself when I am so many things? I am... well... I... hummmm... what AM I?
I discovered that I did not really know...
Oh... there were the obvious ones... so I thought I would start with those... I am an animal... I am a member of the human race.... I am of a gender... I am of a nation...
As I started listing these things, I realized that none of these labels were sufficient within themselves to label myself... so I started the search to see what label was...
Because of who I was socializing with, I guess it was natural that one of the things I started exploring was what my beliefs were regarding a god or gods...
I had never really thought about it much... is there a god? I had not seen any evidence of one, but a lot of people believed in one, so that made it real enough...
This is not to say that I have ever believed that a god exists... but I DID feel that a god CONCEPT existed and that really is the same thing... it does not matter if someones action is based on a belief in a god or not... it is still their action... and I will still hold them responsible for their actions, make my judgements based on what they do, etc, whether or not THEY hold THEMSELVES responsible for their actions or not.
But as time continued and I had more interaction with the theists and atheists of cyberspace, it became clear that life did not really work out like this.
As I was sorting through things, I went through various phases of 'belief'... at first, I was surprised to see that there was even a reason to have a discussion. How in the world can a belief in something for which there is no evidence of existence be of influence in peoples lives?
Until that point, while I knew that individual faith could be irrelevant or a driving force depending on the individual in question, I had never really thought about how it effected me or others. Probably because my lack of belief does not effect those around me, it never occurred to me that others might effect me.
But then I was exposed, through PalTalk and then the Atheist Network, to the most offensive and foul creature out there... the Fundy.
It does not matter what religion (or lack thereof) we are speaking of... all have their fundamentalists. But it seems that there is definitely a larger percentage of fundamentalist christians trolling the Internet looking for someone to force their beliefs on than any other group one could name. I have been utterly shocked at the absolute lack of integrity and manners exhibited by these 'people'.
People who come to a space labeled "Atheist Network", without invitation, of their own volition and then tell us how offensive it is to them that we are atheists. They came to the site (as if the title of the site was "Please come and convert us" to tell us that we, as atheists, are the worst sort of human on the planet. Lower than those of other (false) religions... lower than the worst murderer, the worst child molester. To tell us that we are not worth the air we breath and that we pollute the land we stand upon.
Yet... when asked why they were subjecting themselves to such evil, said "Because we love you... "
We are told that we have no morals... before they have even bothered to find out who we are, what our lives are about. Based on NOTHING MORE than the fact that we do not believe that their god exists, we lack all morals. When asked to tell me specifically what immoral behavior I engage in, I am usually told
After a while, I started wondering what I was missing out on due to my god belief. So I asked "The Question". It seemed to me that there must be some grand benefit to society in people believing in this entity, considering there is zero evidence for its existence. As of yet, no one has presented any credible evidence of existence and no one has provided me with a benefit to society that would make me belief even in the absence of evidence.
But I DO get prayed for an awfully lot.
So who am I? What am I? I went through my phases, but in the end, I am the same as I have always been... an animal of the human species who lives in a nation on this earth. I take my showers, brush my teeth... I wear clothes in order to be socially acceptable and I attempt to get my body into a state acceptable to me for my health and to my mate for his pleasure. I go to work, I raised my children. I swim, I read, I fish.
Oh yah... an I just happen to not have a belief in a god.
As the conversations swirled about madly, I discovered (among the theist-baiting) that there were some very basic concepts I had never really explored completely. I found concepts about myself challenged and I found myself forced into developing a cohesiveness of thought on subjects I had not even considered that I needed to consider.
I was asked... "What are you?"
"What do you MEAN what am I?"
How in the world can they be asking me to define myself when I am so many things? I am... well... I... hummmm... what AM I?
I discovered that I did not really know...
Oh... there were the obvious ones... so I thought I would start with those... I am an animal... I am a member of the human race.... I am of a gender... I am of a nation...
As I started listing these things, I realized that none of these labels were sufficient within themselves to label myself... so I started the search to see what label was...
Because of who I was socializing with, I guess it was natural that one of the things I started exploring was what my beliefs were regarding a god or gods...
I had never really thought about it much... is there a god? I had not seen any evidence of one, but a lot of people believed in one, so that made it real enough...
This is not to say that I have ever believed that a god exists... but I DID feel that a god CONCEPT existed and that really is the same thing... it does not matter if someones action is based on a belief in a god or not... it is still their action... and I will still hold them responsible for their actions, make my judgements based on what they do, etc, whether or not THEY hold THEMSELVES responsible for their actions or not.
But as time continued and I had more interaction with the theists and atheists of cyberspace, it became clear that life did not really work out like this.
As I was sorting through things, I went through various phases of 'belief'... at first, I was surprised to see that there was even a reason to have a discussion. How in the world can a belief in something for which there is no evidence of existence be of influence in peoples lives?
Until that point, while I knew that individual faith could be irrelevant or a driving force depending on the individual in question, I had never really thought about how it effected me or others. Probably because my lack of belief does not effect those around me, it never occurred to me that others might effect me.
But then I was exposed, through PalTalk and then the Atheist Network, to the most offensive and foul creature out there... the Fundy.
It does not matter what religion (or lack thereof) we are speaking of... all have their fundamentalists. But it seems that there is definitely a larger percentage of fundamentalist christians trolling the Internet looking for someone to force their beliefs on than any other group one could name. I have been utterly shocked at the absolute lack of integrity and manners exhibited by these 'people'.
People who come to a space labeled "Atheist Network", without invitation, of their own volition and then tell us how offensive it is to them that we are atheists. They came to the site (as if the title of the site was "Please come and convert us" to tell us that we, as atheists, are the worst sort of human on the planet. Lower than those of other (false) religions... lower than the worst murderer, the worst child molester. To tell us that we are not worth the air we breath and that we pollute the land we stand upon.
Yet... when asked why they were subjecting themselves to such evil, said "Because we love you... "
We are told that we have no morals... before they have even bothered to find out who we are, what our lives are about. Based on NOTHING MORE than the fact that we do not believe that their god exists, we lack all morals. When asked to tell me specifically what immoral behavior I engage in, I am usually told
"You do not believe in god"The conversation usually continues along the lines of:
"But you said I am lacking in morals. So you are saying that the ONLY moral that exists is 'belief in god'?"
"No... there are other morals"
"So what are the 'other' morals that, as an atheist, I do not have?"
"I do not know specifically about you, but as an atheist, you are immoral."
"But HOW am I immoral?"
"You do not believe in god..."
"You already said that... "
"I will pray for you... "
After a while, I started wondering what I was missing out on due to my god belief. So I asked "The Question". It seemed to me that there must be some grand benefit to society in people believing in this entity, considering there is zero evidence for its existence. As of yet, no one has presented any credible evidence of existence and no one has provided me with a benefit to society that would make me belief even in the absence of evidence.
But I DO get prayed for an awfully lot.
So who am I? What am I? I went through my phases, but in the end, I am the same as I have always been... an animal of the human species who lives in a nation on this earth. I take my showers, brush my teeth... I wear clothes in order to be socially acceptable and I attempt to get my body into a state acceptable to me for my health and to my mate for his pleasure. I go to work, I raised my children. I swim, I read, I fish.
Oh yah... an I just happen to not have a belief in a god.
"The Question"
For many years, I have been asking "The Question" and, as yet, have only had one person answer it. I am putting it here on the off chance that someone might see it and give it a go.
What is it that a theist can do that is beneficial to society, that I, as an atheist, am unable to do.
So far, the only person who did not ignore the question said "Absolutely nothing. Faith is not about society, but about each persons individual soul."
This theist I can respect for their honesty and integrity in not simply blowing off the question.
Anyone else?
What is it that a theist can do that is beneficial to society, that I, as an atheist, am unable to do.
So far, the only person who did not ignore the question said "Absolutely nothing. Faith is not about society, but about each persons individual soul."
This theist I can respect for their honesty and integrity in not simply blowing off the question.
Anyone else?
Friday, June 15, 2007
Blogging - Back to High School? or "I know you are, but what am I?"
Part two - (For part one, see below)
There is ONE place on the Internet that I have been a regular poster over the years… I read there, I post there… a large number of people from there have become real friends. I just do not have the time, energy or inclination to go to other sites on a regular basis… certainly not enough to spend the time to leave comments… but this… oh man… THIS was amazing enough to shock me into comment land.
All over the Internet, people are obsessing over this woman. Or is she? A woman, that is… because this seems to be one of the burning issues.
People are actually spending their time coming up with all the reasons she could not be a woman. "There is no way a woman would not have noticed that the woman was 100-lbs."
WTF?!?! Ignoring for a moment the incredibly flimsy straw man arguments used in all the speculation, who the hell put these people in charge of what woman will and will not do? These people are so busy trying to say that 'she' is actually a misogynistic male, that they buy right into these stupid, and frankly insulting, stereotypes. Forgive me my hyperbole, but… misogyny, thy name appears to be "Bloggers against VA".
In addition to the "V is a man and I can prove it.." nuts, there are several who have dedicated an enormous amount of time to talking about her ... here is someone who even breaks down her writing style and discusses how it compares to Wuthering Heights... in a post called "The mendacity of violent acres - part 8"
No... I am not kidding... Wuthering Heights...
And yes... Part 8!
And another...
What is it about someone talking about PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and STOP BEING A FUCKING VICTEM that pisses people off so bad?
And from her article “Image is everything”
Exactly… she is plain spoken about things that irritate her so she must be fat? Only fat people get irritated by screaming children and welfare abuse?
If it turns out ‘she’ is a ‘he’, does that invalidate ‘her’ points? Only woman are allowed to have an opinion?
And then there are the really stupid attacks...
So what does her template have to do with anything? Way to take a completely valid point and invalidate it through stupidity.
Does the phrase "Symbolism over Substance" mean anything to anyone?
There is ONE place on the Internet that I have been a regular poster over the years… I read there, I post there… a large number of people from there have become real friends. I just do not have the time, energy or inclination to go to other sites on a regular basis… certainly not enough to spend the time to leave comments… but this… oh man… THIS was amazing enough to shock me into comment land.
All over the Internet, people are obsessing over this woman. Or is she? A woman, that is… because this seems to be one of the burning issues.
People are actually spending their time coming up with all the reasons she could not be a woman. "There is no way a woman would not have noticed that the woman was 100-lbs."
WTF?!?! Ignoring for a moment the incredibly flimsy straw man arguments used in all the speculation, who the hell put these people in charge of what woman will and will not do? These people are so busy trying to say that 'she' is actually a misogynistic male, that they buy right into these stupid, and frankly insulting, stereotypes. Forgive me my hyperbole, but… misogyny, thy name appears to be "Bloggers against VA".
In addition to the "V is a man and I can prove it.." nuts, there are several who have dedicated an enormous amount of time to talking about her ... here is someone who even breaks down her writing style and discusses how it compares to Wuthering Heights... in a post called "The mendacity of violent acres - part 8"
No... I am not kidding... Wuthering Heights...
And yes... Part 8!
And another...
“I like how V is the moral one.And then in this article she says:
I also had an idea that V is really a lesbian. I ‘know’ she has said she is a married, female, but she also has said she goes to pains to disguise her true identity.
She just writes in a male voice, but also has female observations. What do you think? She just ain’t some married women with step-kids - not buying it.” -- VA - come out and play
“If you are the patron…Blunt, yes... but would you disagree? Apparently, some do since it got this response:
Get a fucking babysitter. If I wanted to listen to shrieking children, I would have had my own. Don’t cry to me about how you need a break but you can’t afford one, either. You should have thought about that before you had children. The very least you can do is take the little fuckers outside when they start acting up. Do not ruin the evening of an entire restaurant of people because you couldn’t figure out how to properly utilize a condom.”
“# Lisa Says:Boy-oh-boy... how Christian… someone not wanting to have their dinner intruded upon by ill mannered (or even simply tired) screaming children because their parents are too self-absorbed to consider anyone else in the world around them deserves eternal damnation and torment… lovely.
February 24th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
For the cunt that happens to think her opinion matters….where the fuck do you live that makes you so fucking important? If you truly believe you are someone important then why don’t you yell this out in a restaurant and Im sure about 95% of the people there would be happy to beat the shit out of you and then you can tell your parents that someone bat the fuck out of their precious child, cause noone else will care. Why don’t you go talk this shit with your friends instead of acting like you know one fucking thing about anything..burn in hell you stupid bitch”
What is it about someone talking about PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and STOP BEING A FUCKING VICTEM that pisses people off so bad?
And from her article “Image is everything”
“That’s one of the reasons I get so annoyed when people read my writing, disagree with my attitude and always make the assumption that I’m overweight. I mean, what are you trying to say about fat people anyway? Does a person have no worth if their dress size is in the double digits?”
Exactly… she is plain spoken about things that irritate her so she must be fat? Only fat people get irritated by screaming children and welfare abuse?
If it turns out ‘she’ is a ‘he’, does that invalidate ‘her’ points? Only woman are allowed to have an opinion?
And then there are the really stupid attacks...
“... first of all, this is not news, it's a shitty blog using a crap generic template.”Ok... the first point is valid... "this is not news, people"... this is an anonymous person, on an anonymous blog, giving an anonymous opinion ... and ADMITTING that it is nothing more than her opinion... holding no more validity than any OTHER opinion.
So what does her template have to do with anything? Way to take a completely valid point and invalidate it through stupidity.
Does the phrase "Symbolism over Substance" mean anything to anyone?
Plain Spoken or Bitchy?
Part 1
I recently spent some time in a little corner of the Internet called "Violent Acres". And an interesting piece of property it is, too.
For those who have never been there, it is inhabited by an person who maintains her anonymity, yet manages to give a lot of information about themselves. She has been writing this blog since October of last year. She is VERY blunt, opinionated and sometimes, cruel. Basically, she is what I want to be when I grow up.
She points out things about our culture which most people avoid pointing out because they do not want to be 'mean'… things that have often frustrated me. She says things that most people would never say… because they want people to label them 'nice'. What would V say? Fuck 'nice'…
Have you ever wanted to say to the lady at the table next to you "Do you REALLY have to be such a bitch?" as she is being… well … a bitch… to the overworked, underpaid server? Did you say something or did you do the 'polite' thing and just looked away?
Do you get ticked off that people are having children because they WANT to, even when they can not afford to support them? Have you ever wanted to say "THAT IS CHILD ABUSE! STOP IT!"?
Are you a step-parent who has over and over (and over and over…) bitten your tongue, taken the high road, turned the other cheek… to avoid saying anything negative about the child's deadbeat bio parent, while enjoying the fruits of them trashing you? Do you fantasize about telling them what you REALLY think?
Take a trip to VA land… a place where 'nice' is not a boundary and 'blunt' is an understatement… I love it there…
But, worthy as the place is of praise, that is not really what made me come out of blogging hibernation…
And yes… I AM aware that it has been more than 7 months since my last visit… real life has been good to me… I LOVE that…
While VA quickly caught my interest and admiration… and occasionally my funny bone… what has REALLY amazed me is all the reactions people have to her posts. (Continued)
I recently spent some time in a little corner of the Internet called "Violent Acres". And an interesting piece of property it is, too.
For those who have never been there, it is inhabited by an person who maintains her anonymity, yet manages to give a lot of information about themselves. She has been writing this blog since October of last year. She is VERY blunt, opinionated and sometimes, cruel. Basically, she is what I want to be when I grow up.
She points out things about our culture which most people avoid pointing out because they do not want to be 'mean'… things that have often frustrated me. She says things that most people would never say… because they want people to label them 'nice'. What would V say? Fuck 'nice'…
Have you ever wanted to say to the lady at the table next to you "Do you REALLY have to be such a bitch?" as she is being… well … a bitch… to the overworked, underpaid server? Did you say something or did you do the 'polite' thing and just looked away?
Do you get ticked off that people are having children because they WANT to, even when they can not afford to support them? Have you ever wanted to say "THAT IS CHILD ABUSE! STOP IT!"?
Are you a step-parent who has over and over (and over and over…) bitten your tongue, taken the high road, turned the other cheek… to avoid saying anything negative about the child's deadbeat bio parent, while enjoying the fruits of them trashing you? Do you fantasize about telling them what you REALLY think?
Take a trip to VA land… a place where 'nice' is not a boundary and 'blunt' is an understatement… I love it there…
But, worthy as the place is of praise, that is not really what made me come out of blogging hibernation…
And yes… I AM aware that it has been more than 7 months since my last visit… real life has been good to me… I LOVE that…
While VA quickly caught my interest and admiration… and occasionally my funny bone… what has REALLY amazed me is all the reactions people have to her posts. (Continued)
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