Shit that Pissed me off – 2/6
A Totally Insane Video By a Gamergater
Brianna Wu is a frequent target of Gamergate supporters because she, rightly, thinks they are idiots. They have countered with death threats because that’s proven to be the most effective way to fight for ethics in game journalism.
This kook had an accident because he was driving too fast in slippery conditions. Somehow, he seems to think that Wu had something to do with the fact that he can’t drive and has decided that she tried to kill him.
That’s right – all ice storms are plots to kill members of Gamergate
Because he seems like a really important guy. The kind of guy who it would be important to kill by magically summoning up an ice storm and making him forget how to drive.
Or maybe Wu was his driving instructor and she did a really shitty job.
This video is made by a crazy person and the only thing that bothers me more than the crazy person is the ones that take him seriously.
Shit that Pissed me off – 9/12
Ray Rice and the NFL
Even if you don’t follow sports, you probably know about the video that shows Ray Rice hitting his then fiancée and knocking her unconscious. Lots of people have offered their opinion, including Keith Olbermann, John Stewart, and Peter King.
What is messed up is the idea that the NFL, which is one of the most powerful corporate entities in the world, somehow didn’t get a copy of the video first. I don’t even understand how that is possible. Admitting such a thing means they are either lying or they didn’t really give a shit about what was on the video.
If they gave a shit about what happened to Janay Rice, they wouldn’t have interviewed her about the incident while she was sitting next to the man who had hit her.
If they understood anything about the mental state of an abuse victim, they would have recognized the behavior of someone who has probably been struck more than once. They would have interviewed her on her own, hopefully with a counselor present. Not only didn’t they understand, they didn’t care.
Just forget about it and watch football, folks! Nothing to see here!
That’s the crux of all of this. They don’t give a shit about the abuse. They give a shit about their image. So long as we didn’t have video showing the actual punch that knocked Janay Rice out, the NFL thought they could get away with a two game penalty because the public would be too focused on the game to think about domestic violence
The failure here was caused by a bunch of people who cared more about their business than anything else. Keep that in mind as this situation continues to unfold. Any decision they make will not be governed by what is best for Janay Rice. Or even Ray Rice.
It will be governed by what is best for the NFL.
Shit that Pissed me Off This Week – 9/28
A Story from Inside the Westboro Baptist Church
The Story is one of the finest radio programs on the air. Dick Gordon is one of the best interviewers I’ve ever heard and he finds amazing subjects every single episode. If I didn’t have a life, I would be listening between 9:00 and 10:00 PM every night.
This week he interviewed Nate Phelps, one of Fred Phelps’ sons. I’ve said for a long time that I’m going to maintain strict radio silence where the Westboro Baptist Chuch is concerned because talking about them gives them power and attention and that’s exactly what they want. I’m breaking my vow of silence to talk about the one thing we don’t really understand about these people.
Listening to Nate talk about the history of intellectual and physical abuse that he was subjected to at the hand of his father, I came to understand the tragic nature of the world Fred Phelps has created. He creates hateful, awful people by creating a world that makes that behavior seem normal.
Kids don’t think this without a trusted adult force feeding it to them
When you hear Nate’s description of that insular society, you almost feel sorry for the people who have been, quite literally, brainwashed into doing what they do. Worse, every one of them is being taught how to make sure the next generation does the same thing.
It’s a never ending cycle of hatred and we all feed into it by hating them right back. I wish I knew the solution. I wish I could figure out how to rescue these kids from the cycle of hatred and abuse that Fred Phelps has created.
I don’t know how to do that. I just fear that every time those hate filled people are met with (deserving) hatred and anger, we are perpetuating the problem.
You want to know how I define evil? Fred Phelps.
Grail Diary 