Ex-Post Asshole
I recieved some seriously backdated comments just a few minutes ago, and I wanted to clarify the motivation behind my early January post, "Offend Everyone".
But first, let's go line for line :
"I am STUNNED at how you think your right to free speech means that you don't claim responsibility for upsetting people with your words."--Part of my intention in writing this post was, actually, to bring some of that responsibility onto my own head. The whole Angelman's fiasco was getting far too much attention, and it was becoming an emotional burden too heavy to bear. I aimed (and failed, I might add) to attract some of the attention away by writing an even more venemous and blindly ignorant rant. Is this not claiming responsibility? Was I not fully aware of the potential negative effects?
"Right to say what you want does NOT give you immunity from criticism."--I didn't say, or even imply, that it did; nor did I say or imply that the Angelman's fiasco was undeserving of criticism. What you may not know is that the Angelman's parents group went through three stages : first, they harassed and threatened; second, they petitioned the school to revoke student status and/or scholarships; third, they tried to inflate the issue further by getting a pointy-headed Post-Dispatch op-ed columnist to write about miscontextualized quotes. By all means, what is said can and SHOULD be criticized, but the behavior of the Angelman's parents goes far beyond mere criticism. Or wouldn't you agree?
"I find it funny that you and you fellow bloggers aren't making racial slurs, or slurs against ethic minorities, or slurs against homosexuals or any other marginalized group. Why?"--This is actually a sore point for me. I had intended to "Offend Everyone" but the process was so long and tedious (and, at times, heartwrenching) that I gave up on my greater goal and stuck to the birth defects. If you'd like me to write a post full of racial slurs, slurs against ethnic minorities, slurs against homosexuals or some other marginalized group, I'd be glad to do so, you nigger kyke fag with a lisp (just a guess).
"Yeah, the KKK marches in my town. That's their right. So does Fred Phelps and his bunch of idiots. That's their right.
And yes, I lump you into that group."--Who, me?
" Just because you can say something doesn't mean you should. And if you do, well, be prepared to deal with the consequences, which include pissed off people."--I beg to differ on the first line; I think no stone should go unturned, no hateful thought should be supressed, no inkling of resentment for another should go unexplored. If we give in to the society of political correctness, we'll reach a point where nobody can take a joke, or where there are certain colors of people who you feel you aren't allowed to criticize. If you keep all of your worst thoughts inside, they begin to rot and cause damage, and that's where the truly troubling thoughts come from.
You can hide your explicit thoughts, but you can't hide your feelings. I, for example, have a latent fear of African-Americans; the truth of my fear is that I feel guilty for being white, and I am constantly afraid of being criticized for the sins of my people (and myself. We all perpetrate these crimes, no matter how small). But, if I hide that thought away, don't allow myself to think about it, then I'll just be left with a fear of black people and no way to explain it. Sooner or later, I'll rationalize my fear with some ludicrous theory about the width of their noses being intimidating, or their preternatural strength being a constant threat to my well-being.
All of the worst, most misguided and irrational ideas come from not saying what you really think. If you get your tiny, stupid little hangups out of your system, then they can't grow up into bigger, more vehement ones. For everyone's information, I haven't had a malicious thought about the genetically disadvantaged since writing my post, where I used to be a strong advocate of late-stage abortions and post-natal euthenasia for socially non-functional genetically disabled children. Who knows what latent hate I had in me towards these children, but it seems to have been flushed out.
*Sigh* Another anonymous comment. I wish you people would at least use a pseudonym. Otherwise, you just come across as a torso with a metal rod up your ass.
That is all.
But first, let's go line for line :
"I am STUNNED at how you think your right to free speech means that you don't claim responsibility for upsetting people with your words."--Part of my intention in writing this post was, actually, to bring some of that responsibility onto my own head. The whole Angelman's fiasco was getting far too much attention, and it was becoming an emotional burden too heavy to bear. I aimed (and failed, I might add) to attract some of the attention away by writing an even more venemous and blindly ignorant rant. Is this not claiming responsibility? Was I not fully aware of the potential negative effects?
"Right to say what you want does NOT give you immunity from criticism."--I didn't say, or even imply, that it did; nor did I say or imply that the Angelman's fiasco was undeserving of criticism. What you may not know is that the Angelman's parents group went through three stages : first, they harassed and threatened; second, they petitioned the school to revoke student status and/or scholarships; third, they tried to inflate the issue further by getting a pointy-headed Post-Dispatch op-ed columnist to write about miscontextualized quotes. By all means, what is said can and SHOULD be criticized, but the behavior of the Angelman's parents goes far beyond mere criticism. Or wouldn't you agree?
"I find it funny that you and you fellow bloggers aren't making racial slurs, or slurs against ethic minorities, or slurs against homosexuals or any other marginalized group. Why?"--This is actually a sore point for me. I had intended to "Offend Everyone" but the process was so long and tedious (and, at times, heartwrenching) that I gave up on my greater goal and stuck to the birth defects. If you'd like me to write a post full of racial slurs, slurs against ethnic minorities, slurs against homosexuals or some other marginalized group, I'd be glad to do so, you nigger kyke fag with a lisp (just a guess).
"Yeah, the KKK marches in my town. That's their right. So does Fred Phelps and his bunch of idiots. That's their right.
And yes, I lump you into that group."--Who, me?
" Just because you can say something doesn't mean you should. And if you do, well, be prepared to deal with the consequences, which include pissed off people."--I beg to differ on the first line; I think no stone should go unturned, no hateful thought should be supressed, no inkling of resentment for another should go unexplored. If we give in to the society of political correctness, we'll reach a point where nobody can take a joke, or where there are certain colors of people who you feel you aren't allowed to criticize. If you keep all of your worst thoughts inside, they begin to rot and cause damage, and that's where the truly troubling thoughts come from.
You can hide your explicit thoughts, but you can't hide your feelings. I, for example, have a latent fear of African-Americans; the truth of my fear is that I feel guilty for being white, and I am constantly afraid of being criticized for the sins of my people (and myself. We all perpetrate these crimes, no matter how small). But, if I hide that thought away, don't allow myself to think about it, then I'll just be left with a fear of black people and no way to explain it. Sooner or later, I'll rationalize my fear with some ludicrous theory about the width of their noses being intimidating, or their preternatural strength being a constant threat to my well-being.
All of the worst, most misguided and irrational ideas come from not saying what you really think. If you get your tiny, stupid little hangups out of your system, then they can't grow up into bigger, more vehement ones. For everyone's information, I haven't had a malicious thought about the genetically disadvantaged since writing my post, where I used to be a strong advocate of late-stage abortions and post-natal euthenasia for socially non-functional genetically disabled children. Who knows what latent hate I had in me towards these children, but it seems to have been flushed out.
*Sigh* Another anonymous comment. I wish you people would at least use a pseudonym. Otherwise, you just come across as a torso with a metal rod up your ass.
That is all.
posted by Alfonzo Debussy | 5:48 PM
7 Comments:
And you come across as a fifteen-year-old who thinks he's hilarious.
Oh yeah, that was me.
Lesley in Arkansas who left the anonymous post.
I didn't click on the right radio button.
I agree with many of your ideas in theory. Yes, we should explore our prejudices. But do you honestly think that you are doing so, or just making a point that you have the right to do so?
What you call political correctness, I call respect. It's why people don't do blackface humor anymore.
---- quote---
All of the worst, most misguided and irrational ideas come from not saying what you really think. If you get your tiny, stupid little hangups out of your system, then they can't grow up into bigger, more vehement ones.
------------------
oh, I see, you are teaching all of us a lesson. I disagree. Talking about things and respecting the dignity of other people is one thing. Being an ass about it in order to offend on purpose and then claim some higher first amendment intellectual privilege is bullshit. Trying to hide behind the fact that you think there is a higher reason for this sort of hate doesn't make it not hate. It's condesending and offensive -- maybe even more so because it was done to provoke as retaliation for the backlash that Larkin inspired.
I really wish some of the Angelman parents had been better behaved about the whole thing, but it's like saying "I wish the person didn't punch back after I spit on them." I can't blame them.
What makes you think it's okay to use people lives like this?
I am choosing to reply because you seem much more reasonable than Larkin, who only deleted all the thoughtful comments and left the hateful ones.
I'm asking you nicely to please remove your post. It simply is hurtful for the sake of being hurtful, and that's, well, not nice. If you were debating something thoughtfully, even if I didn't like it, I wouldn't be offended. But this post is offensive. Please consider removing it.
I am a parent of an angelman child and all I can say is dude you have to be kidding. Everything you write is so ridiculous. It's like some type of game of extreme. It's obviously a game. All I can say is WOW dude. Go smoke a joint, it would be time more worth while spent. Cripes.
I agree everyone has the right to express their opinions. I agree getting things out of your system is a wonderful way to help deal with everyday crap. You are not and have never been in my shoes, so I simply accept your post as an uninformed rant. People rant in negative ways about things they have no personal knowledge of all the time. My six year old daughter has Angelman Syndrome, and just for the record, I do not think protecting her from the ugly things in the world will somehow "fix" her disability. That having been said, does not make me want to protect her any less than any loving mother would a typical child, simply because she has a disability. She cannot speak for herself, so I am forced to speak for her. When a child cannot defend themselves should we protect them, or let them be brutalized by society? I choose to defend my daughter as much as I can, but I am not disillusioned enough to think I can protect her from everyone who will hate her for being different. I simply hope to shield her from the worst of it.
Aren't you afraid that someone will seek you out and harm you? It's very possible you know. There are many strange people out there besides just you, you know?
I met an Angelman's child today. I kicked him in the teeth and stole his lunch money. I don't think he noticed that his teeth were missing. No harm, no foul, right?
I just wanted to be a torso with a metal rod up my ass *chuckle*
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