Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

[Couch]

From the comments at Lousy Canuck's latest, replete with pit references and Thibeault's hyperbolic nonsense: https://archive.is/XWwge

The one aspect of this that John Oliver completely missed and that you just barely touched upon its the extent of the terroristic harassment of male feminist allies by the slimepit dudebros. I would like to commend you for being a good ally, Jason. The amount of bullshit you have to deal with sometimes is incredible. They lengths that the slimescum terrorists have gone to try to terrorize you into silence are despicable. They disrupted your online conference by trolling, and they have even affected your blogging, by bombarding you with their hate filled comments. Please don’t stop blogging, I don’t want to see the terrorists win again.
You are not the only one they have tried to bully, and they have won far too many times. One of my favorite bloggers here was Avicenna, and they successfully silenced him with their false rape allegations and lies about his blog. They lied about him because he stood up to their bullshit, and I am still shaking with anger because. he was silenced by malicious lies. There is no lie too awful for the misogynistic terrorists to use.
Please don’t stop fighting Jason. The slimey MRA dudebros will not stop trying to silence good people like you with their misogyny and discursive violence. Don’t ever let them win. It certainly doesn’t help that the atheist c community has terrorist supporters like Hemant Mehta encouraging the harassers by pretending to care about journalistic integrity.
One minor quibble though. Can you reword the part about “possessing a white penis”? That is extremely heteronormative and erases trans experiences. I know you didn’t intend harm but please correct it.

I’m not sure how to reword it other than how I already did, with “being perceived to be such”, which I thought would help considering how un-nuanced Oliver’s throwaway phrase (for laughs, of course) was. Considering being trans on the internet is a subversion of that, in that some women do have white penises but get none of the benefits of being part of perceived-as-male because of the ambiguity, it’s obviously going to be problematic.
I get it, though. Penis != male. Male != penis. The problem people seem to have with non-white-males on the internet doesn’t map exactly to non-owners-of-white-penis. It’s a close map, but not exact. And where it fails, seems to be exactly where the harassers are no longer sure about the penis-having. Do you have any recommendations for better wording, other than the notes here?
As for Avicenna, he actually plagiarized a good many pieces of writing. His heart was in the right place generally, but he was willfully ignorant of the actual problem of plagiarism even after it was pointed out. Avicenna got what he deserved in being kicked off FtB.
He did NOT deserve the slime pit, though. His crimes didn’t justify a cadre of people rifling through everyone’s drawers and garbage for years on end, harassing them to no end, *just in case* we turn out to be bad in some way. Especially since they were targeting him for a very long time before they found something actually objectionable.
None of us deserve this. Not even the absolute objectively worst of us deserves a cadre of stalkers, ideologues, papparazi and “lulz”-mongers targeting them for years on end.

There is no way Canuck can have overlooked that this is a poe. But what could he do? He's risking ideological purity if he calls them on it, versus looking foolish (mainly to non-SJW), if he doesn't. He went the latter, but def should've gone the former, and made up some shit about recognising their slimer IP address; he's not above doing that.

I'd feel a bit sorry for some people wedged like this. But not Canuck. He's a dishonest 'a-few-lies-are-justified-by-the-greater-good' type. Worst kind, in my view. Suffer in yer jocks, Canuck

[paddybrown]

The problem is that there's a lot of moving parts here. Everything from women tending to be more "risk-adverse" (Magic, if you've never played, as there's a lot of hidden information in terms of what's in your opponents hand, every play has a significant amount of risk) to social pressure on women to not engage in low social status activities (of which Magic certainly is).

Words like "nerd" and "geek" have lost a lot of their sting lately, but the nerds were always the kids the cool kids didn't want hanging around, and nerd activities are what the nerds ended up doing instead. If you're going to start complaining about the lack of gender balance in nerd communities, perhaps you should blame the cool kids for the lack of gender balance in who they bullied.

[Scented Nectar]

Lately Billy bin studyin' them there "Hegel'yan Dia-lick-dicks", and tryin' t' apply itta ev'ryday situations. Billy also found out 'bouta Jacky Glen posin' inner underpants fur PlayBoy; Billy also know thatta O-feel-ya Benson hate Jacky Glen witta venom.

Thesis: Jacky Glen
AntiThesis: O-feel-ya Benson

That one's easy. Next one lil' harder, but Billy settle onna answer

Thesis: PlayBoy
AntiThesis: Reader's Digess

So whattabouta SinThesis? Mrs. Benson getta pose inna underpants onna cover ov'a Reader's Digess. This'a solution thatta make ev'rybody happy.

Help help! My brain's not working. It's getting harder and harder to translate the third-person exaggerated southern slang and intentional misspellings. And google translate is not cooperating either. :)

Don't look at me. I just find the shit annoying.

It's alright, I know it's #notallsoutherners. :)

[Karmakin]

The problem is that there's a lot of moving parts here. Everything from women tending to be more "risk-adverse" (Magic, if you've never played, as there's a lot of hidden information in terms of what's in your opponents hand, every play has a significant amount of risk) to social pressure on women to not engage in low social status activities (of which Magic certainly is).

Words like "nerd" and "geek" have lost a lot of their sting lately, but the nerds were always the kids the cool kids didn't want hanging around, and nerd activities are what the nerds ended up doing instead. If you're going to start complaining about the lack of gender balance in nerd communities, perhaps you should blame the cool kids for the lack of gender balance in who they bullied.

Pretty much.

I mean, it's a WONDERFUL idea to use the same social dynamics that created the problem in order to fix the problem...right? Right?

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

None of us deserve this. Not even the absolute objectively worst of us deserves a cadre of stalkers, ideologues, papparazi and “lulz”-mongers targeting them for years on end.

Everyone's ever been the subject of criticism and mockery on FTB or Skepchick could say the exact same words.

But no doubt according to Canuck those people do deserve the "stalkers, ideologues, papparazi and “lulz”-mongers" because they're Evil. While FTB is Good.

Thibeault's point is that he and the people he likes should be above criticism because they're fighting the fight for Good.

I bolded and underlined the most salient point of Thibeault's argument.

[Billy The Hillbilly]

Now Billy a reasonable feller (onna good day) and some folk complainin' that Billy's word's a bit hard t' unnerstand. So Billy asked some folk and Billy bin told of'a "Spell Checker" onnis Intranet box. Please note that'a Billy got a coupla lernin' disabilities 'cos some dopey fucker dropped a log on Billy's head when he was'a little boy, so some compromise is'a needed cos Billy also a creature of a habit.

Billy see his "Spell Checker" is'a workin cos theres red squiggly lines all over the joint.

[Easy J]

Does calling us North Americans Southerners erase the Aussies? And is "Aussie" anything like "Paki" yet?

[Scented Nectar]

Now Billy a reasonable feller (onna good day) and some folk complainin' that Billy's word's a bit hard t' unnerstand. So Billy asked some folk and Billy bin told of'a "Spell Checker" onnis Intranet box. Please note that'a Billy got a coupla lernin' disabilities 'cos some dopey fucker dropped a log on Billy's head when he was'a little boy, so some compromise is'a needed cos Billy also a creature of a habit.

Billy see his "Spell Checker" is'a workin cos theres red squiggly lines all over the joint.

Don't take me too too seriously. I'm just a bitch sometimes. :)

[Scented Nectar]

Does calling us North Americans Southerners erase the Aussies? And is "Aussie" anything like "Paki" yet?

I forgot to check my northern hemispherical privilege. :oops:

[comhcinc]

Now Billy a reasonable feller (onna good day) and some folk complainin' that Billy's word's a bit hard t' unnerstand. So Billy asked some folk and Billy bin told of'a "Spell Checker" onnis Intranet box. Please note that'a Billy got a coupla lernin' disabilities 'cos some dopey fucker dropped a log on Billy's head when he was'a little boy, so some compromise is'a needed cos Billy also a creature of a habit.

Billy see his "Spell Checker" is'a workin cos theres red squiggly lines all over the joint.

Don't take me too too seriously. I'm just a bitch sometimes. :)

A sexy bitch.

[Parody Accountant]

I miss slyme chat with vacula

You can always follow him on Twatter. You'll know the exact moment he goes into Planet Fitness or what his poker scores are. Sometimes there's heavy metal! Too exciting for you? Who can blame you!

no no, i mean when he did that podcast there was a chat room. That chat room was a million times better than the podcast.

[Parody Accountant]

Not to go all steersman here but I am watching the daily show and they are talking about the confederate flag thing. I know this is connected to that shooting but I don't know how. Anyway I want to make a point.


This is the confederate battle flag that everyone is talking about.
http://www.bndflagpoles.com/750_500_csu ... 1747286463


This is the stars and bars.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gacgr/starbars.jpg


If you are going to be high and mighty about this shit take five minutes to search wikipedia and get your facts straight.

Right about stars and bars, but dead ass wrong about confederate flag.

From the wikipedia article you suggest:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_ ... erate_flag

The "Confederate flag"

The rectangular battle flag of the Army of Tennessee
Designed by William Porcher Miles, the chairman of the Flag and Seal committee, a now-popular variant of the Confederate flag was [b]rejected as the national flag in 1861[/b]. It was instead adopted as a battle flag by the Army of Northern Virginia under General Lee.[30] Despite never having historically represented the CSA as a country nor officially recognized as one of the national flags, it is commonly referred to as "the Confederate Flag" and has become a widely recognized symbol of the American south.[31]

All the southerners with their stupid southern pride are flying the wrong fucking flag.

[TiBo]

If you want to go into a little more depth:
[youtube]InaGWwt5hWk[/youtube]
It's odd how the conspiracy theory types grab onto the worst tragedies to peddle their demented wares, there are tons of thes nuts going after these type of horrible events, I'm sure it's already"proven" that Obama was behind the recent church shootings to take away our guns, our (Confederate) flag, our religion, etc.

Frustrating. This kind of anti-semitism is nothing but a mental illness, but will never be treated as such because it's too widespread and has instated itself as a cultural meme.

[Billie from Ockham]

Here's what they saw as their key finding:

Accuracy Women’s and men’s accuracy scores (along with other dependent variables of interest) for each condition are presented in Table 1. Regression analyses of accuracy yielded a main effect of gender, β = .22, p < .01 (men outperformed women), and a main effect of own vs. fictitious name contrast, β = .22, p < .02, which was qualified by the predicted interaction between gender and own vs. fictitious name contrast: β = −.17, p < .03. Specifically, women who used their own name were less accurate (M = .44) than men who used their own name (M = .61), β = .31, p = .001. However, women who were assigned a fictitious name (M = .51) performed significantly better than those using their own name, β = .17, p < .05, and equivalently to men in the fictitious name conditions (M = .60), β = .10, p > .20. Men’s performance was unaffected by the use of a different name, β = −.07, p > .30.

Here's my problem with the above: the use of unique error-terms (or the complete fudging of the analysis).

Note that the .07 difference (.51 vs .44) for women using a fictitious vs their own name is reliable (β = .17, p < .05). They wanted that one. [Note also that this beta is as small as the previous betas (not in my quote) that were brushed off as not meaningful. I have no problem with brushing off small effects (even when significant) in huge, applied studies, but only when the authors are consistent.]

Bit a moment later, the .09 difference (.60 vs .51) for men using a fictitious name vs women using a fictitious name is not reliable (β = .10, p > .20). They didn't want this one.

I'm sorry, but there's only two ways for a .07 to be p < .05 while a .09 is p > .20: you used unique error terms for the tests or you fudged the analysis. Neither of these is acceptable, so floooosh.

[Billie from Ockham]

Blech, in the math test / name paper there were more key findings than just math test solution accuracy. I was inaccurate in saying that was the key finding - but it was one of them.

'Night, all.

Any errors in what I wrote are also due to Skep Tickle's lack of sleep. :D

[Billie from Ockham]

Beating the same drum, mended or otherwise.

It annoys me so much that this is not an anagram.

Easily fixed. :)

Anagrams for: The Mended Drum
295 found. Displaying all:

Thudded Mermen
Ended Thrummed
Trended Hummed
Deeded Hmm Runt
Deeded Hmm Turn
Denuded Them Mr
Thudded Men Rem
[snip]

Anyone else notice the huge and negative correlation between SN using the on-line anagram generator and the appearance of new posts from Steersman? Can't be a coinky-dink, can it?

Oh, and by the way ... the generator missed two (but I'm not saying what they are).

[Parody Accountant]

I'm a masochist, a glutton for punishment, I've contradicted my own suggestion, I know this going to hurt me, but seeing the Steersbot misinterpreting Croom again triggered this post. Sorry.

I think you, and no few others - both here and among the FftB Horde (hello Jadehawk) - are completely missing my point - and largely that of Adam Croom. Which is that it you need to differentiate between whether the epithet is targeting an entire group, or merely one member or smallish subset of it. Of course, arguably, the former case qualifies as racism or sexism as the case may be, but decidedly moot, in my humble or not-so-humble opinion, whether that is true in the latter case. Do read Croom and get back to me with a rebuttal - which no one else, with the possible exception of Kirbmarc, has yet managed to do.

Rebuttal of your point by Croom himself in another article

Slurs possess interesting linguistic properties and so have recently attracted the attention of linguists and philosophers of language. For instance the racial slur nigger is explosively derogatory, enough so that just hearing it mentioned can leave one feeling as if they have been made complicit in a morally atrocious act.

(Jennifer Hornsby has suggested that slurs might count as “hate speech” and so raise questions “about the compatibility of the regulation of [hate] speech with principles of free speech” (2001, p. 129). Chris Hom further suggests that, “the use of an epithet may count as a literal threat, and hence no longer merit freedom of speech protection under the First Amendment” (2008, p. 440).

A close analysis of slurs is clearly required before we can make informed decisions about this serious issue.) Indeed, the very taboo nature of these words makes discussion of them typically prohibited or frowned upon. Although it is true that the utterance of slurs is illegitimate and derogatory in most contexts, sufficient evidence suggests that slurs are not always or exclusively used to derogate.

In fact, slurs are frequently picked up and appropriated by the very in-group members that the slur was originally intended to target. This might be done, for instance, as a means for like speakers to strengthen in-group solidarity.

So an investigation into the meaning and use of slurs can give us crucial insight into how words can be used with such derogatory impact, and how they can be turned around and appropriated as vehicles of rapport in certain contexts among in-group speakers.

In this essay I will argue that slurs are best characterized as being of a mixed descriptive/expressive type. Next, I will review the most influential accounts of slurs offered thus far, explain their shortcomings, then provide a new analysis of slurs and explain in what ways it is superior to others.

Finally, I suggest that a family-resemblance conception of category membership can help us achieve a clearer understanding of the various ways in which slurs, for better or worse, are actually put to use in natural language discourse (note that in this article slurs will be mentioned but not used. Although I have considered not even mentioning such a derogatory term as nigger in the first place, I chose it because on the one hand there is a substantive literature on the term upon which to draw to aid in the analysis of slurs in general, and on the other hand, this term highlights the fact that slurs possess a forcefully potent affective component that is clearly a key aspect to their employment).

The part in bold is the key to understand Croom's point.

What's happening is that Croom is arguing for reappropriation:

In sociology and cultural studies, reappropriation or reclamation is the cultural process by which a group reclaims—re-appropriates—terms or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group. For example, since the early 1970s, attempts have been made to reappropriate terminology referring to homosexuality—such as gay and (to a lesser extent) queer and poof.

Another relevant article.

Sure seems to me that the use of "cunt" is analogous to the use of various racist epithets such as "nigger", and "raghead" as each relies on some pejorative connotations associated with personal features or attributes that define or delineate certain subgroups of people: if the first is intrinsically sexist then - mutatis mutandis ("double your word score!") - then the latter two are intrinsically racist; if the first isn't sexist then the latter two aren't racist. Seems to me that "you" can't really have your cake and eat it too.

"Cunt" isn't used as a slur. It's against men and women in equal measure. Language use defines meaning.

A relevant article.

Wittgenstein’s shift in thinking, between the Tractatus and the Investigations, maps the general shift in 20th century philosophy from logical positivism to behaviourism and pragmatism. It is a shift from seeing language as a fixed structure imposed upon the world to seeing it as a fluid structure that is intimately bound up with our everyday practices and forms of life. For later Wittgenstein, creating meaningful statements is not a matter of mapping the logical form of the world. It is a matter of using conventionally-defined terms within ‘language games’ that we play out in the course of everyday life. ‘In most cases, the meaning of a word is its use’, Wittgenstein claimed, in perhaps the most famous passage in the Investigations. It ain’t what you say, it’s the way that you say it, and the context in which you say it. Words are how you use them.

My very own corpora analysis.

Total: On a sample of 1283 uses of word "nigger" in both British and American English, only in 14 cases the word is used by a speaker, writer or POV character to identify themselves, and only in 9 cases as a term of endearment.

On the other hand on a sample of 200 uses of the word "cunt" in both British and American English the word is used with the meaning "rude term for vagina" in 59 cases, and with the meaning "rude, obnoxious or pathetic person" (either in a joking or serious way) 119 times, out of which 59 referred to someone clearly identified as male.

In lights of these numbers if we assume that BNC and COCA corpora are good samples of the contemporary use of English in both the USA and the UK it's really hard to argue that "cunt" is a sexist slur, since it has at least two different meanings: rude term for vagina (neutral or slightly negative connotation; anyway, not a slur, since a vagina isn't a person) and obnoxious person (negative connotation, but pretty gender neutral in the UK, where 49 out of the 73 uses of this nature refer to males; in the US the majority of the uses of this kind refer to women but 10 out of 46 of them refer to males).

There's no doubt, on the other hand, that the number of times where "nigger" is not necessarily used as synonym of "black person" (because the skin color of the speakers or the addressee is not known) and also with a neutral or positive connotation are very rare: 23 out of 1283.

Do read ALL of this AND THEN come back with a rebuttal.

I don't know why, but I'm betting steersman will actually agree that he was wrong the whole time. This post was definitive.

I suck at betting, btw.

[Billie from Ockham]

Lately Billy bin studyin' them there "Hegel'yan Dia-lick-dicks", and tryin' t' apply itta ev'ryday situations. Billy also found out 'bouta Jacky Glen posin' inner underpants fur PlayBoy; Billy also know thatta O-feel-ya Benson hate Jacky Glen witta venom.

Thesis: Jacky Glen
AntiThesis: O-feel-ya Benson

That one's easy. Next one lil' harder, but Billy settle onna answer

Thesis: PlayBoy
AntiThesis: Reader's Digess

So whattabouta SinThesis? Mrs. Benson getta pose inna underpants onna cover ov'a Reader's Digess. This'a solution thatta make ev'rybody happy.

The "SinThesis" of Jacky Glenn's soft-porn shoot and O-feel-ya Benson is the picture of Greta Christina in that calendar. Remind me of it again and I break the banjo on your head.

[windy]

His crimes didn’t justify a cadre of people rifling through everyone’s drawers and garbage for years on end, harassing them to no end, *just in case* we turn out to be bad in some way. Especially since they were targeting him for a very long time before they found something actually objectionable.

Criticism of public articles and comments and the claims contained in them is rifling through drawers and garbage according to Thibeault.

He may have a point there, he is talking about FTB after all.

[Scented Nectar]

Now Billy a reasonable feller (onna good day) and some folk complainin' that Billy's word's a bit hard t' unnerstand. So Billy asked some folk and Billy bin told of'a "Spell Checker" onnis Intranet box. Please note that'a Billy got a coupla lernin' disabilities 'cos some dopey fucker dropped a log on Billy's head when he was'a little boy, so some compromise is'a needed cos Billy also a creature of a habit.

Billy see his "Spell Checker" is'a workin cos theres red squiggly lines all over the joint.

Don't take me too too seriously. I'm just a bitch sometimes. :)

A sexy bitch.

You know, you're only going to make me wish I still had a sex drive! I'm like a dog chasing cars - I wouldn't know what to do with it if I caught one. :)

[Scented Nectar]

Anyone else notice the huge and negative correlation between SN using the on-line anagram generator and the appearance of new posts from Steersman? Can't be a coinky-dink, can it?

Oh, and by the way ... the generator missed two (but I'm not saying what they are).

Ahhh, but I'm curious. Sometimes the anagram thing misses some words, but there's a field where you can tell it to only show ones that contain a certain word and then they'll show.

I should share the link. I've been keeping it to myself too long. http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/advanced.html . Make sure you change '1000' to 'All', and you're all set.

[Parody Accountant]

[jimthepleb]

Yeah that's a poe.

[John Greg]

katamari damassi, summer colds are different from winter colds -- they're a different kind of viral thingy I think (Skep can confirm or rebut this, I hope).

Apparently, summer colds can last 2-3 times as long as winter colds, but appear to come and go, and so may appear to be more than one cold.

[John Greg]

Regarding the latest LousyCanuck bullshit, well, that's his thing. He's pathologically dishonest -- knowingly so, I believe -- and he is quite incapable of seeing the mote in his own eye, so to speak.

Also, of interest to me, Lousy has, after all these years, finally decided to actually full-on ban me. For years now, he has selectively banned me -- that's what I label his form of editorial manipulation, wherein he will let pass a comment from me that he knows will stir up angry busy busy bees, and then will not allow my rebuttals and/or defense comments.

The guy's an intellectually stunted shrew, basically.

[Guest]

For another view of the John Oliver segment, focusing not on the SJW/gamergate aspects but on what it was really about, promoting a Federal Law against revenge porn, see Scott Greenfield discussing Elizabeth Nolan Brown's (Reason) post about Oliver.

Greenfield, the lawyer, isn't as sanguine as Brown, the writer, who herself is writing to condemn the need for Federal Laws is about how well any law would work or be constitutional and not be harmful and explains why:

blog.simplejustice.us/2015/06/24/revenge-porn-the-funny-and-the-true/

Brown raises a good point on the issue of overcriminalization, our impulse to use the bludgeon of criminal law to eliminate Bad Things from happening, and she borrows John Oliver’s funny opening line to make her point. Good stuff. But not adequate, and that’s a problem.

One of the issues that lawyers, Mark Bennett in particular, have tried hard to convey is that the constitutional rights involved, the unintended consequences, the chilling effects, go far beyond what can be easily seen on the surface. It can be hard to appreciate problems that aren’t obvious to the shallow observer, but laws aren’t parsed for their obvious purpose, but the unintended harm they will cause down the road.

While advocates harp on the worst harms, bringing tears to the eyes of many at the horrors of revenge porn, the laws being promoted by a small coterie of lawprofs, Mary Anne Franks and Danielle Citron at their lead, encompass far more than their teary-eyed appeals to emotion, to a broad swathe of conduct that harms no one, is perfectly normal and is, in fact, constitutionally protected.

They never mention this stuff. Brown, apparently, has accepted that their laws are directed toward the extreme, the horrible behaviors, and doesn’t appreciate that the law would also criminalize lawful conduct, so she makes no mention of it.

Greenfield's issue with Oliver's segment is that it was "framed by the pro forces of Franks and Citron, and the tepid and less than adequate anti force of Rowland" (Rowland is a female ACLU lawyer who seems to try and take a middle ground, but who is failing at that (in ways that critics of the ACLU (like former ACLU National Board member Wendy Kaminer) say represents how the ACLU is letting social justice issues cloud, morph, and pervert their defenses of civil liberties.)

I was glad to stumble into Greenfield's post, Danielle Citron works hard to come across as respectful of 1st Amendment rights as she tries to "balance" privacy rights and civil rights. Greenfield explains his position on balancing efforts:

Balancing (like “reasonableness”) is an effective gimmick as it smacks of fairness, and who doesn’t like to be fair? But it’s a gimmick because it’s normative, it’s whatever someone feels (note the word “feels”) is fair, which may well not be the same as what others feel is fair.

On the bright side, there is no First Amendment exception for “privacy” or hurt feelings, and based upon recent precedent, the Supremes are not inclined to start carving out new categorical exceptions. These laws are blatantly unconstitutional.

It's a short post, and he doesn't really dig into the problems with Citron's approach, but it's clear his past blog posts will.

[jet_lagg]

Regarding the latest LousyCanuck bullshit, well, that's his thing. He's pathologically dishonest -- knowingly so, I believe -- and he is quite incapable of seeing the mote in his own eye, so to speak.

Also, of interest to me, Lousy has, after all these years, finally decided to actually full-on ban me. For years now, he has selectively banned me -- that's what I label his form of editorial manipulation, wherein he will let pass a comment from me that he knows will stir up angry busy busy bees, and then will not allow my rebuttals and/or defense comments.

The guy's an intellectually stunted shrew, basically.

The root of the disconnect between sjws and myself can be seen in the moderation policies we gravitate towards. The pit and 8chan are ideals. In the pit's case you can put people on ignore if you'd like (though generally I don't think you should, I only have Jester blocked as he was essentially just a spambot). In 8chan it's easy enough to form your own board and the capitalism of ideas basically sorts itself out.

You'll often hear the argument this is akin to letting people shit on your carpet, but that's fucking stupid, because it's not supposed to be your living room. It's supposed to be a public venue. Now if you want your blog to be your safe space, fine, but if you stay there and there alone others will accurately say you're too scared to venture out of your own house.

[Guestus Aurelius]

On the Confederate Flag:

A) blech;

B) but progressives are misguided (IMO) in thinking that they're doing something productive by focusing on it in the wake of a lone racist lunatic's killing spree. I'm reminded of the feminists' reaction to the Elliot Rodger incident.

This "blame the culture" game is dangerous, because it's only a matter of time until conservatives catch on and pull the same shit when the psycho killer is a liberal. As I've pointed out before, they could have done it after the Virginia Tech massacre, since the killer explicitly blamed rich people in his video manifesto:

You had everything you wanted. Your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats. Your golden necklaces weren't enough, you snobs. Your trust fund wasn't enough. Your vodka and cognac weren't enough. All your debaucheries weren't enough. Those weren't enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You had everything.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/18/vtech. ... index.html

Clearly he was just taking progressives' heated anti-rich rhetoric to its logical conclusion, right? RIGHT???

One thing all these cases have in common is that NOBODY IS STANDING UP IN SUPPORT OF THE KILLINGS. Nobody says, "Yes, the VA Tech shooting was justified, because rich people." Nobody says, "Yes, the Isla Vista shooting was justified, because women." Nobody is now saying, "Yes, the Charleston shooting is justified, because black people."

("Nobody" is hyperbole, but you get the picture.)

Recently there's been much noise again about the word terrorism and how it's not typically applied to cases like the ones I've just mentioned. And sure: definitions, semantics, Steersman, and all that. But I do think there's a difference between the universally condemned actions of a deranged and impressionable individual—"political purposes" notwithstanding—and the coordinated actions of militants with wide support.

[jet_lagg]

Is it hyperbole to say nobody? I know technically you can never rule a possibility out, but I've not heard, or even heard of, anybody saying the massacre was just

[Karmakin]

Regarding the latest LousyCanuck bullshit, well, that's his thing. He's pathologically dishonest -- knowingly so, I believe -- and he is quite incapable of seeing the mote in his own eye, so to speak.

Also, of interest to me, Lousy has, after all these years, finally decided to actually full-on ban me. For years now, he has selectively banned me -- that's what I label his form of editorial manipulation, wherein he will let pass a comment from me that he knows will stir up angry busy busy bees, and then will not allow my rebuttals and/or defense comments.

The guy's an intellectually stunted shrew, basically.

The root of the disconnect between sjws and myself can be seen in the moderation policies we gravitate towards. The pit and 8chan are ideals. In the pit's case you can put people on ignore if you'd like (though generally I don't think you should, I only have Jester blocked as he was essentially just a spambot). In 8chan it's easy enough to form your own board and the capitalism of ideas basically sorts itself out.

You'll often hear the argument this is akin to letting people shit on your carpet, but that's fucking stupid, because it's not supposed to be your living room. It's supposed to be a public venue. Now if you want your blog to be your safe space, fine, but if you stay there and there alone others will accurately say you're too scared to venture out of your own house.

The analogy I've always used is that if you're sitting on your front porch yelling nasty stuff at everybody that walks by, don't be shocked when someone stops and yells something back. If you want it to be a private venue, that's great. Put it behind a password-wall, hell, at least don't make it "front-facing" (for example the 'Pit and other open forums)

Along those lines I've always been a BIT uncomfortable at watching what the people at the actual A+ forums do, as that isn't a front-facing internet property, by and large. IMO they deserve a bit more privacy than something like FTB, which IS a front-facing internet property.

[Karmakin]

On the Confederate Flag:

A) blech;

B) but progressives are misguided (IMO) in thinking that they're doing something productive by focusing on it in the wake of a lone racist lunatic's killing spree. I'm reminded of the feminists' reaction to the Elliot Rodger incident.

This "blame the culture" game is dangerous, because it's only a matter of time until conservatives catch on and pull the same shit when the psycho killer is a liberal. As I've pointed out before, they could have done it after the Virginia Tech massacre, since the killer explicitly blamed rich people in his video manifesto:

You had everything you wanted. Your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats. Your golden necklaces weren't enough, you snobs. Your trust fund wasn't enough. Your vodka and cognac weren't enough. All your debaucheries weren't enough. Those weren't enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You had everything.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/18/vtech. ... index.html

Clearly he was just taking progressives' heated anti-rich rhetoric to its logical conclusion, right? RIGHT???

One thing all these cases have in common is that NOBODY IS STANDING UP IN SUPPORT OF THE KILLINGS. Nobody says, "Yes, the VA Tech shooting was justified, because rich people." Nobody says, "Yes, the Isla Vista shooting was justified, because women." Nobody is now saying, "Yes, the Charleston shooting is justified, because black people."

("Nobody" is hyperbole, but you get the picture.)

Recently there's been much noise again about the word terrorism and how it's not typically applied to cases like the ones I've just mentioned. And sure: definitions, semantics, Steersman, and all that. But I do think there's a difference between the universally condemned actions of a deranged and impressionable individual—"political purposes" notwithstanding—and the coordinated actions of militants with wide support.

Elliot Rogers was the extreme version of Neo-Hipster culture. Spoiled trustifarian who demanded that the world kowtow to his inherited wealth and status.

[Parody Accountant]

Is it hyperbole to say nobody? I know technically you can never rule a possibility out, but I've not heard, or even heard of, anybody saying the massacre was just

The massacre was just... tragic.

[comhcinc]

So yeah maybe this flag thing is getting a little out of control?

http://www.ultimategeneral.com/blog/our ... m-appstore

As you may have been already informed (Read Facebook link), Apple has removed our game from AppStore because of usage of the Confederate Flag. Ultimate General: Gettysburg could be accepted back if the flag is removed from the game's content.

We accept Apple's decision and understand that this is a sensitive issue for the American Nation. We wanted our game to be the most accurate, historical, playable reference of the Battle of Gettysburg. All historical commanders, unit composition and weaponry, key geographical locations to the smallest streams or farms are recreated in our game's battlefield.

We receive a lot of letters of gratitude from American teachers who use our game in history curriculum to let kids experience one of the most important battles in American history from the Commander's perspective.

Spielberg’s "Schindler's List" did not try to amend his movie to look more comfortable. The historical "Gettysburg" movie (1993) is still on iTunes. We believe that all historical art forms: books, movies, or games such as ours, help to learn and understand history, depicting events as they were. True stories are more important to us than money.

Therefore we are not going to amend the game's content and Ultimate General: Gettysburg will no longer be available on AppStore. We really hope that Apple’s decision will achieve the desired results.

We can’t change history, but we can change the future.

[ThreeFlangedJavis]

Right, caught up after a gruelling rehearsal schedule. First off, my condolences to SN, sounds like a horrible situation.

Second, in checking out Avery Richmann on Twitter (no way he's genuine), I discovered that in response to this tweet from the Dawk:

The Oaf said:

Um, "victim blaming" anyone?

<snip>

Worse than victim blaming, it's mob rule apology.

@TheLaw: "Organized crime is terrible, whether it's the Mafia, the Russian mob, or some more small scale organization. Please think twice before supporting organized crime"

@TheGodfather: "Please think twice, thrice, seventy times seven, before pissing us off"

@Morality: "Racism is terrible, whether it's the KKK, the Nation of Islam, or single racists. Please think twice before supporting racists"

@TheKKK: "Please think twice, thrice, seventy times seven, before pissing us off"

Ophelia is saying that might makes right, that the outrage of a powerful movement is beyond judgement and that you should be careful not to upset this movement before they'll be coming for you.

Perhaps you misunderstand. I think our aged friend is suggesting that RD is wont to give aid and support to us harassers and abusers by not silencing himself to order. Stochastic terrorism and all that. Yes, she is that moronic, should you ask.

[jugheadnaut]

Not to go all steersman here but I am watching the daily show and they are talking about the confederate flag thing. I know this is connected to that shooting but I don't know how. Anyway I want to make a point.


This is the confederate battle flag that everyone is talking about.
http://www.bndflagpoles.com/750_500_csu ... 1747286463


This is the stars and bars.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gacgr/starbars.jpg


If you are going to be high and mighty about this shit take five minutes to search wikipedia and get your facts straight.

Right about stars and bars, but dead ass wrong about confederate flag.

All the southerners with their stupid southern pride are flying the wrong fucking flag.

I don't see where com got anything wrong. He said it was the Confederate battle flag, not the official flag of the Confederacy. And from my admittedly limited experience, Southerners who brandish it do so to celebrate Southern fighting spirit, not nostalgia for the old Confederacy. They are displaying the flag that is consistent with that, whether or not they know the history. That it may be the most visually striking flag ever designed doesn't hurt. The mistake they make is believing the fight and the cause can be disentangled.

[Billie from Ockham]

Anyone else notice the huge and negative correlation between SN using the on-line anagram generator and the appearance of new posts from Steersman? Can't be a coinky-dink, can it?

Oh, and by the way ... the generator missed two (but I'm not saying what they are).

Ahhh, but I'm curious. Sometimes the anagram thing misses some words, but there's a field where you can tell it to only show ones that contain a certain word and then they'll show.

Note to all hoping to get SN's attention: dangle a red herring meant (only) for Steersman in front of her and she'll bite.

[Billie from Ockham]

Is it hyperbole to say nobody? I know technically you can never rule a possibility out, but I've not heard, or even heard of, anybody saying the massacre was just

I think it would be hypobole, since you're under-estimating.

(Steersman: if I'm not doing this correctly, be sure to explain it to me ... and then make sure that someone else quotes it.)

[Parody Accountant]

Not to go all steersman here but I am watching the daily show and they are talking about the confederate flag thing. I know this is connected to that shooting but I don't know how. Anyway I want to make a point.


This is the confederate battle flag that everyone is talking about.
http://www.bndflagpoles.com/750_500_csu ... 1747286463


This is the stars and bars.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gacgr/starbars.jpg


If you are going to be high and mighty about this shit take five minutes to search wikipedia and get your facts straight.

Right about stars and bars, but dead ass wrong about confederate flag.

All the southerners with their stupid southern pride are flying the wrong fucking flag.

I don't see where com got anything wrong. He said it was the Confederate battle flag, not the official flag of the Confederacy. And from my admittedly limited experience, Southerners who brandish it do so to celebrate Southern fighting spirit, not nostalgia for the old Confederacy. They are displaying the flag that is consistent with that, whether or not they know the history. That it may be the most visually striking flag ever designed doesn't hurt. The mistake they make is believing the fight and the cause can be disentangled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_ ... attle_flag

That is not the battle flag either. And it would have made a lot of sense if he had at least named a particular state's battle flag. There isn't a 'the battle flag'.

The confederate flag image that everyone is familiar with was created later. It is *based* on a single state's battle flag, but is a different shape altogether.

[comhcinc]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_ ... attle_flag

That is not the battle flag either. And it would have made a lot of sense if he had at least named a particular state's battle flag. There isn't a 'the battle flag'.

The confederate flag image that everyone is familiar with was created later. It is *based* on a single state's battle flag, but is a different shape altogether.

Lol you are right but so I am. I never said it was the only confederate battle flag. I said its the flag everyone was talking about which Stewart kept referring to as the "stars and bars". jugheadnaut is also right in the fact that is is maybe the coolest fucking flag every. The thing is for so many young southerners it's become a thing of pride because A. its cool, B. they are told it's not cool, and C. still to this day the south is the butt of so many jokes.

So go fuck yourself. :lol:

[Matt Cavanaugh]

Thank you, my dear fellow; all these years I was wrong - I thought a PAK was one of these:

http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt0 ... titank.jpg

WANT!

[Scented Nectar]

Anyone else notice the huge and negative correlation between SN using the on-line anagram generator and the appearance of new posts from Steersman? Can't be a coinky-dink, can it?

Oh, and by the way ... the generator missed two (but I'm not saying what they are).

Ahhh, but I'm curious. Sometimes the anagram thing misses some words, but there's a field where you can tell it to only show ones that contain a certain word and then they'll show.

Note to all hoping to get SN's attention: dangle a red herring meant (only) for Steersman in front of her and she'll bite.

I'm confused. The letters of "the mended drum" don't contain any g's or i's. You can't spell out 'ginger' with them. :lol:

[Billie from Ockham]

Along those lines I've always been a BIT uncomfortable at watching what the people at the actual A+ forums do, as that isn't a front-facing internet property, by and large. IMO they deserve a bit more privacy than something like FTB, which IS a front-facing internet property.

I mostly agree. I see at least four levels of privacy:

lowest/none: anyone can read and post; e.g., here

2: anyone can read, but must join/register to post; e.g., FTB

3: must join to read or post; [can't think of an example]

highest: must be invited to read or post; e.g., back-channels

If A+ doesn't want non-members reading about their latest toe-stubbing or other victimization by the world, they should move up a level, but we still shouldn't do much with what we read there. It's related to my position on SecretEdSnowden: if it was clearly intended to be private, it should only be used to expose true hypocrisy or upcoming evil action.

[comhcinc]

3: must join to read or post; [can't think of an example]

Kevin Smith requires a one time payment (that is giving to charity) to join his forums. It's a very effective anti troll measure.

[NoGodsEver]

And from my admittedly limited experience, Southerners who brandish it do so to celebrate Southern fighting spirit, not nostalgia for the old Confederacy. They are displaying the flag that is consistent with that, whether or not they know the history.

I am sure some Southerners do see it as representing 'fighting spirit' or whatnot, but don't kid yourself, there are plenty who are straight-up fucking racists assholes who fly it because they know it will raise the hackles of non-racists.

[comhcinc]

And from my admittedly limited experience, Southerners who brandish it do so to celebrate Southern fighting spirit, not nostalgia for the old Confederacy. They are displaying the flag that is consistent with that, whether or not they know the history.

I am sure some Southerners do see it as representing 'fighting spirit' or whatnot, but don't kid yourself, there are plenty who are straight-up fucking racists assholes who fly it because they know it will raise the hackles of non-racists.

Yeah it's both. The flag shouldn't be flown over government buildings. I agree with that 100% and always have. Unfoutainly do the Klan and others it has a racist taint to it that I don't think will be washed away in my life time.

That said I do think the current backlash is starting to get to the point of being fucking stupid. They are now some people talking about removing statues and monuments to confederate soldiers and leaders.

[CaptainFluffyBunny]

Thank you, my dear fellow; all these years I was wrong - I thought a PAK was one of these:

http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt0 ... titank.jpg

WANT!

Good lord, what for? Putting down wounded animals? Squirrels, wasp nests? Annoying possums? Okay, that would be cool, but I am pretty sure it would spook the horses, Matt.

[Parody Accountant]

Anyone else notice the huge and negative correlation between SN using the on-line anagram generator and the appearance of new posts from Steersman? Can't be a coinky-dink, can it?

Oh, and by the way ... the generator missed two (but I'm not saying what they are).

Ahhh, but I'm curious. Sometimes the anagram thing misses some words, but there's a field where you can tell it to only show ones that contain a certain word and then they'll show.

Note to all hoping to get SN's attention: dangle a red herring meant (only) for Steersman in front of her and she'll bite.

This is the scariest kind of evil - boring evil.

[jugheadnaut]

That is not the battle flag either. And it would have made a lot of sense if he had at least named a particular state's battle flag. There isn't a 'the battle flag'.

The confederate flag image that everyone is familiar with was created later. It is *based* on a single state's battle flag, but is a different shape altogether.

In square form, it was the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, the primary Confederate army, and in rectangular form it was the battle flag of the Army of Tennessee, the second most important Confederate force. This Wikipedia article just calls it (in square form) the battle flag of the Confederate States Army.

[Easy J]

We need to hurry up & ban the United States flag, too, before the Native American Suey Parks of the world catch the scent.

[Parody Accountant]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_ ... attle_flag

That is not the battle flag either. And it would have made a lot of sense if he had at least named a particular state's battle flag. There isn't a 'the battle flag'.

The confederate flag image that everyone is familiar with was created later. It is *based* on a single state's battle flag, but is a different shape altogether.

Lol you are right but so I am. I never said it was the only confederate battle flag. I said its the flag everyone was talking about which Stewart kept referring to as the "stars and bars". jugheadnaut is also right in the fact that is is maybe the coolest fucking flag every. The thing is for so many young southerners it's become a thing of pride because A. its cool, B. they are told it's not cool, and C. still to this day the south is the butt of so many jokes.

So go fuck yourself. :lol:

I'm from the south and fuck you too you bumpkin. YEHAWWW MOTHERFUCKER.

I mean I get southern culture, I really do. I have a hot sister too.

[jugheadnaut]

And from my admittedly limited experience, Southerners who brandish it do so to celebrate Southern fighting spirit, not nostalgia for the old Confederacy. They are displaying the flag that is consistent with that, whether or not they know the history.

I am sure some Southerners do see it as representing 'fighting spirit' or whatnot, but don't kid yourself, there are plenty who are straight-up fucking racists assholes who fly it because they know it will raise the hackles of non-racists.

Oh, sure, I don't doubt that, although I may quibble with "plenty". And I bet many of the non-racists who bear it also know it will raise hackles and revel in the indefensibility of the cause. To them, it says that right or wrong, Southerners will fight. Pretty crappy ideal, if you ask me.

[Easy J]

It's more about the galling insipidness of the opposition than any real merits of the cause itself.

[Karmakin]

Along those lines I've always been a BIT uncomfortable at watching what the people at the actual A+ forums do, as that isn't a front-facing internet property, by and large. IMO they deserve a bit more privacy than something like FTB, which IS a front-facing internet property.

I mostly agree. I see at least four levels of privacy:

lowest/none: anyone can read and post; e.g., here

2: anyone can read, but must join/register to post; e.g., FTB

3: must join to read or post; [can't think of an example]

highest: must be invited to read or post; e.g., back-channels

If A+ doesn't want non-members reading about their latest toe-stubbing or other victimization by the world, they should move up a level, but we still shouldn't do much with what we read there. It's related to my position on SecretEdSnowden: if it was clearly intended to be private, it should only be used to expose true hypocrisy or upcoming evil action.

I agree, I just largely see the tiers a different way, in terms of reading and not necessarily posting. So for me the tiers are:

1. For-profit enterprises designed to gather eyeballs (Newspapers, Blog networks like FTB)

2. Not-for profit platforms designed to gather eyeballs (Personal blogs, Tumblr, social media and so on)

3. Posts that are behind some sort of "click" wrap not related to the OP. So that would be, for example, Reddit comments on Link posts, Forums where you have to click on a topic to see what people are saying, I.E. this place. A+ forums also qualify.

4. Posts in areas that are password protected, including private e-mailing lists. Certain forums still do this, as an example.

IMO, as you go down the list there's more expectation of privacy.

[Dave]

And from my admittedly limited experience, Southerners who brandish it do so to celebrate Southern fighting spirit, not nostalgia for the old Confederacy. They are displaying the flag that is consistent with that, whether or not they know the history.

I am sure some Southerners do see it as representing 'fighting spirit' or whatnot, but don't kid yourself, there are plenty who are straight-up fucking racists assholes who fly it because they know it will raise the hackles of non-racists.

Yeah it's both. The flag shouldn't be flown over government buildings. I agree with that 100% and always have. Unfoutainly do the Klan and others it has a racist taint to it that I don't think will be washed away in my life time.

That said I do think the current backlash is starting to get to the point of being fucking stupid. They are now some people talking about removing statues and monuments to confederate soldiers and leaders.

Anyone who refers to it as the "Stars and Bars" is wrong. Period.

I am less concerned about people referring to it as "the Confederate Flag." In addition to using it, with different geometries, as the battle flag for its two largest armies, the freakin Confederacy went through three flags in its brief existence and incorporated the same image into the latter two of them and as its naval jack and naval ensign for the second half of its existence. Although never used alone as a national flag, the blue saltier with white stars on a red field was was a part of two of its national flags and was thoroughly associated with the Confederacy by its own actions.

I am totally fine with the symbol being used on graves and memorials to fallen Confederate soldiers. Personally, I think they are traitors who deserve little memorialization, but then Im an asshole. But if youre going to do it, the symbol they fought under seems perfectly appropriate.

I am completely at a loss why any government agency would fly such a flag in any other circumstances.

Any private individual who wants to fly such a flag is perfectly entitled to. As Ive said in other forums, "The First Amendment -- Making it easier to identify idiots since 1791."

The idea that Warner Bros would remove the image from General Lee toys seems absurd. Dudes, the car is named the General Lee for fucks sake! Unless you want to tell me it was named after someone other than Robert E, having the battle flag of the army he led for most of his Civil War career adorn its roof seems entirely appropriate.

[NoGodsEver]

And from my admittedly limited experience, Southerners who brandish it do so to celebrate Southern fighting spirit, not nostalgia for the old Confederacy. They are displaying the flag that is consistent with that, whether or not they know the history.

I am sure some Southerners do see it as representing 'fighting spirit' or whatnot, but don't kid yourself, there are plenty who are straight-up fucking racists assholes who fly it because they know it will raise the hackles of non-racists.

Oh, sure, I don't doubt that, although I may quibble with "plenty". And I bet many of the non-racists who bear it also know it will raise hackles and revel in the indefensibility of the cause. To them, it says that right or wrong, Southerners will fight. Pretty crappy ideal, if you ask me.

Yeah, that doesn't really stand up to what many non-Southerns see when they see it, which is treason, defeat, and racism. All that said, I agree with Com that the backlash is getting out of hand. As these things tend to do.

[piginthecity]

Right, caught up after a gruelling rehearsal schedule. First off, my condolences to SN, sounds like a horrible situation.

Second, in checking out Avery Richmann on Twitter (no way he's genuine), I discovered that in response to this tweet from the Dawk:

The Oaf said:

Um, "victim blaming" anyone?

<snip>

This is why I oppose SJWism.

The most sinister and chilling aspect of it is the cynical populism. PZ, Ophie, Canuck in particular view 'the Mob' as something to be nurtured, fed, controlled and directed by them. They take pride in it. They have utter contempt for its members and see themselves as the elite class who lead the mob. The mob is their cannon fodder.

The strategy is to empower 'the Mob' as an entity, while at the same time disempowering its individual members. Emphasise its anger, revel in its inarticulateness. Speak for it. There's never any attempt to engage with individuals in the mob, only to keep them in a perpetual state of inchoate anger, of needing a leader to speak for them.

This is why Ol' Dillahunty, for all his faults isn't an SJW and will never be. His foray into A+ was an attempt to treat with them as individuals and as equals. He respected them enough to expect them to be reasonable and to take advice on how to move forward in a sensible direction. It was heroic but doomed. Canuck, on the other hand weighed in with advice on how to placate, condescend and manipulate them.

This is why I'm on the Slymepit (well, that plus Godfrey and the shoopers)

[Easy J]

Right, caught up after a gruelling rehearsal schedule. First off, my condolences to SN, sounds like a horrible situation.

Second, in checking out Avery Richmann on Twitter (no way he's genuine), I discovered that in response to this tweet from the Dawk:

The Oaf said:

Um, "victim blaming" anyone?

<snip>

Someone should throw her shitty quote right back at her next time she complains about a muslim lynch mob rioting over cartoons or stoning some woman to death.

[CaptainFluffyBunny]

Poor Ophelia is desperately trying to remain relevant. How the co-author of "Fashionable Nonsense" manages to avoid terminal cognitive dissonance in the PoMo world of her choosing is beyond me.

[paddybrown]

Right, caught up after a gruelling rehearsal schedule. First off, my condolences to SN, sounds like a horrible situation.

Second, in checking out Avery Richmann on Twitter (no way he's genuine), I discovered that in response to this tweet from the Dawk:

The Oaf said:

Um, "victim blaming" anyone?

<snip>

Someone should throw her shitty quote right back at her next time she complains about a muslim lynch mob rioting over cartoons or stoning some woman to death.

Or throwing abuse at, say, Anita Sarkeesian.

[Parody Accountant]

paddybrown is comhcinc's dad