Shit that Pissed me Off This Week – 7/27
Some guy kills a bunch of people in a Movie Theatre and Some other guy on Facebook has a Solution
So first off, thanks for taking a horrible tragedy and making it all about your agenda. Well done.
This is not a guns are awesome/guns are awful thing. I’ve talked about that before. This is a “what are you – stupid?” thing.
You don’t know what the fuck you are talking about because the guy released tear gas into the theatre and then opened fire. If you were in that theater with a gun, you would have needed to get a clear shot at the killer so that you wouldn’t kill any of the panicking crowd that is all around him. In a theatre filled with tear gas. Your odds of killing an innocent bystander are probably just as high or higher than your odds of killing the bad guy.
It’s great to think that if you were there, you would have saved more people. We all want to believe that. It’s bullshit. John McLean is a character in a movie.
A guy walks into a packed theatre, fills it with smoke and starts shooting, a bunch of people are going to die. If you were there and you had a gun, you wouldn’t have stopped it from happening. You are not Rambo.
Teen Victim of Sexual Assault may go to Jail for Outing her Attackers
This is a pretty complex situation but here’s the thing. A young woman was raped and then her attackers shared naked pictures of her with anyone who wanted to see them. She pressed charges, her attackers pled guilty and negotiated that their names would not be revealed. She decided that she didn’t like the deal and so outed them on Twitter.
Legal or not, I admire her for choosing to be something other than a victim.
Of course, now the attackers’ lawyers are taking her to court in hopes that she will face fine and/or imprisonment for her actions (the charges were dropped later in the week). So this young woman was standing up against her attackers and she could have ended up going to jail. For being raped.
Because, it would appear, the men who attacked her have more rights to their privacy than they felt she had to hers.
This! This is why I’m intolerant of Creationists! THIS!!!!!
If you link to the article, you will find a scientist who has been asking the Discovery Institute for evidence of a claim they are making that “proves” Intelligent Design.
Let me do an aside here: Intelligent Design and Creationism are not quite the same thing. I understand that. However, using scientific arguments to claim that evolutionary theory is wrong is really just wrapping Creationism in slightly different clothing. Believing evolution was not an accident is one thing. Claiming you have evidence that proves your statement is quite another.
As far as I’m concerned, if you are using bad science to back up claims on the origin of life, you are a creationist. ID = “old earth” creationism but it is still creationism.
So the Discovery Institute makes an extraordinary claim.
Carl Zimmer says “where’s your evidence?”
They say “buy our book.”
Look at the wookie!
He says “I shouldn’t have to buy your book. You should be able to point me to the research you use to make whatever crazy ass claims you make in your book”
I should note that I’m paraphrasing.
The response is “hey, how about a debate on our website?”
LOOK AT THE WOOKIE!!!!
He says “Hey, how about your fucking evidence???”
Again, I must stress that I’m paraphrasing.
On and on it goes. The Discovery Institute has devoted most of it’s time to complaining that Zimmer is being a jerk when all he’s saying is “Where’s your evidence” and they are responding “STOP BULLYING US!!!”
Why do I hate creationism in all forms? Because you have to lie to promote it as truth and if you don’t lie by providing false evidence, you lie by refusing to reveal your evidence. They only reason to do that is if you know your evidence is faulty.
Anther Example of a Bad Rape Joke
The blog to which I link is by an old friend who writes for FreeThoughtBlogs and she begins by telling you some stories about the wonderful ladies over at skepchick.org.
I know most of them myself and they are pretty awesome, funny folks.
Stephanie writes about them because of this post:
Would it be immoral to rape a Skepchick?
Post by Pappa » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:46 am
Not for sexual gratification or power or anything like that, just because they’re so annoying.
I’m really torn on this one. :dunno:
See, this is supposed to be a joke.
I don’t know a lot about being a woman. I’m somewhat ill-equipped in that arena. I do my best to pay attention to women when they tell me what it’s like to be a woman because it seems fair to think they would have some first hand knowledge.
I know a lot more about comedy. I know about telling jokes.
While this troll has no intention of raping anyone, his statement is problematic because even as a joke, it implies a threat, right? He’s saying “You chicks are so annoying that if you don’t shut up, I’m gonna rape you” and, he further “jokes,” it might not even be immoral.
So there is nothing funny about what he’s saying and even if I accept that he has no intention of raping these (or any other) women, he is devaluing their opinion by suggesting the only possible response to that opinion is violent physical assault.
There is no universe where this kind of “joke” is OK.
You can tell a funny rape joke. They exist. They are risky and I probably wouldn’t tell one unless I was 100% convinced it was drop dead hilarious.
This “joke” is not funny in part because the person who wrote it is serious. He does think the Skepchicks are annoying and that makes the rest of what he says creepy and fucked up.
Another Batshit Crazy Conspiracy Theory
Not even a week since the massacre in Aurora Colorado and there are already people claiming the whole thing was a conspiracy. You know why?
Because they are nuts, that’s why.
What frightens me is the number of people who make this assumption about everything. To them, there is no such thing as a single nutjob doing something that doesn’t make any sense. Because it doesn’t make any sense, they have to construct an elaborate conspiracy theory that makes even less sense.
You will never find a way to make sense out of an action like this. You will only make yourself crazy by trying. Want proof? Click on the link.
Chick Fil-A Engages in Idiotic Damage Control
After Chick Fil-A’s President admitted that their corporation was against Gay Marriage, the Muppets pulled their endorsement deal (bad call to have one in the first place.) Rather than being honest about the whole thing, Chick Fil-A announced that they had pulled the Muppets toys for “safety concerns.”
They got caught in that lie so they decided to try another one. They had PR reps go out onto Facebook to tell people that they had pulled the Muppets toys weeks ago.
Except this is the internet and if you are going to try a ruse like that, you can expect it’ll be exposed. Like this.
Nice try. Thanks for the bible verse, though!
If avoiding Chick Fil-A because they are creating a corporate culture of homophobia isn’t enough for you, how about the fact they are creating a corporate culture of being lying idiots?
Men’s Right’s Dude said Something Stupid to me on Twitter
I blocked the guy because he’s clearly just trolling anyone who makes any observation that suggests feminists might have a point. After a while you get tired telling him he’s stupid.
His first salvo came after I observed that almost all the commenters on a “Harassment isn’t that big a deal” post were men. Because they were. Believe it or not, that says something pretty important about those people.
If women aren’t feeling they can be part of the dialogue unless they are agreeing with what the men are saying, what does that say about the argument being made?
Having made that observation, I got the following tweet:
and that renders them irrelevant? Men and boys are half the world’s population.
WHAT????? Half of the world’s population is male??? Where do you get these crazy statistics?
On a Snapple cap? Off of Wikipedia? From a peer-reviewed article in a respected scientific journal?
I’ll bet it was a Snapple cap.
7 responses to “Shit that Pissed me Off This Week – 7/27”
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Grail Diary 
My brother’s response to the Colorado shootings was to get a concealed carry permit. Now, he’s a former Marine, did two deployments- one in Iraq, the other Afghanistan- and believes he’d have had a clear shot if he had been there. I didn’t want to speak up to him because, being a former Marine, he’s got a temper problem. I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to do that. He argues that his buddy, Goldy, has a concealed carry and he has PTSD, so my brother should be able to, too. No, that just makes the idiots who handed over the permit certifiably insane.
And on the Chik-Fil-A issue; I was just down South this past week visiting family. At one point my aunt wanted us all to head down to a Chik and have lunch. My mom explained that her gang (kids) wouldn’t go because of what’s been going on recently. My aunt’s response was, “I don’t like mixing politics and food.” Really? The fucker’s did it for you already! It doesn’t help she’s married to a priest that doesn’t support gay marriage on the grounds that it is unnatural and would re-define the word marriage.
The harassment post you made the other day I couldn’t respond to, being in a car, so I’ll put my piece here.
When I got to CON this year and saw the posters on the mirrors and such that costume is not consent, I at first thought it was a joke and an add for a party room. Reading the somewhat fine print had me realize it was an actual PSA for CON goers. And, I agreed with it. I don’t like being touched, even when it’s something as simple as a tap on the shoulder. I can remember half my time at CON last year was spent making sure no one got near me. I was sitting at Cow Asylum for a majority of the time, and the folks there recognized that I didn’t want to dance for that very reason so they constantly checked to make sure no creeps were messing with me.
Only one thing I saw this year made me go, “What the actual fuck, you guys.” and it was at about 2 AM at Cow Asylum on Saturday night. Two women, obviously drunk of their asses, were nearly getting it on. The older one was doing a motor boat to the younger one. Usually, you know, I wouldn’t give two shits, they’re having a good drunken time, whatever. But what bothered me was that the older woman’s husband was standing there practically cheering them on. I know all three were drunk, but c’mon.
I’m a bit of a self-sheltered kid, so I’m not too used to seeing blatant displays like that, so it just freaked me out a little and I had to leave for a bit. Might actually be normal for CON, I don’t know, but it just bothered me. I don’t know if it was harassment, or there was some form of consent, but it basically just went: Chick comes up to other chick, motor boats her for at least a minute straight, husband looks on approvingly in the background.
If it’s something that’s common, then I apologize for making you read that long ass post.
I don’t think that kind of interaction is common. At 2:00 in the morning, I would expect it is *more* common but I still don’t think it happens too often. I don’t think sexuality is something that should be hidden. At the same time, there needs to be a recognition that blatant public behavior can make those around you uncomfortable. You have to strike a balance.
They had one guy in the crowd that night. He was the shooter.
The rape/Twitter thing I think shows there should be a law: under-18’s can’t be identified, over-18’s can. That way, nobody can negotiate and it wouldn’t have happened. And, even if an under-18 committed a crime and a victim (or anyone else who is not a police/teacher/politician outed him on Twitter/Facebook/to friends, they shouldn’t be taken to court. Because its free speech. And because outing them to your friends on your Twitter feed is not exactly the same as putting their names (and PHOTOS!) in a national paper or on the TV news, is it? Future employers aren’t going to know. Agree with everything you said, you can’t use tragedies to further your agenda – I’m anti-guns but wouldn’t use Colorado to illustrate it. And yeah Chick Fil-A started a politics fight, they knew what they were doing, it was the goddam PRESIDENT that said it! Not some employee. He said it in his official capacity, not to his mum/best mate/whatever.
Hi, Tim.
The Aurora incident is even worse. Not only did Holmes throw “tear gas”, he was also covered in body armor, from a helmet down to armored boots. If you shot at somebody in the crowd, you would be shooting at either (a) unarmored innocent civilians, or (b) a bulletproof maniac.
Oh, and when the police (90-second response time) enter the room and see you there with a sidearm, they are not going to tap you on the shoulder and ask politely whether you’re with the other armed guy. They will shoot you.
The conspiracy theorists, I think, assemble their ideas because the only thing scarier than a world where evil corporations and evil governments manipulate and control things, and hold themselves to be so far above the law that they would kill people in a theatre to advance their agendas — is the idea that we’re all here alone, fending for ourselves in a universe that doesn’t care, and just lets horrible things happen for no agenda at all.
–+–
And, as somebody who has *defended* the Chick-fil-a management, on the basis of “being rich means you can spend your money however you want to”, I have to say, you’ve convinced me. People who believe that what they’re doing is right and above-board don’t tell lie after lie about it.
Here’s the thing about the right of a rich person to spend money any way they want: I agree. The owners of Chick Fil-A can spend their money any way they want. However, they have to accept that there are consequeses for doing so. Especially if you proudly declare your increasingly unpopular position on a hot button issue.
Go ahead, spend your money how you want. But you’d be completely blind to expect there will be no ramifications for the action.
Good for Savannah D. Let the punishment fit the crime: put those two guys on the main street of their town, naked, with a big-ass sign that says WE ARE RAPISTS. Put pictures in the newspaper. Then maybe they’ll start to get it.