You told me I was delusional, you didn't ask me if I was, but nevertheless I appreciate the thought. That was yesterday's outrage, there'll be more today to seize on.
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Aw man... I feel a group hug coming on. Yuck!
Jerk. (There, got you out of it.)
Thanks... er, I mean, stick it where the sun don't shine douchebag!
(Whew! Glad everything is back to normal.)
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About a year I to him as "Miss Lindsay" and several other readers jumped all over me. It was pretty annoying.
However, after thinking it over I decided that if my comment style was offensive to even a single person then I should change my style.
The Internet makes no allowances for the communication cues that all of us subliminally rely on in our day to day conversations. There is no visual or auditory information available to us as we make comments that will be viewed largely by others who are not known by or familiar with us. We're not really "communicating" at all, just swapping data.
I will continue to step over the line of decent decent snark in my daily life with people who know me. But not on the internet where my intent can be easily misconstrued.
But if I really really feel the need to royally piss off others I can always go participate on Yahoo!
Just not on TPM. We have a different caliber of participant here, and I like it that way.
Please note that i'm just speaking for myself here, I'm not the type to tell others how they should behave here or in daily life. But I do hate trying to keep updated on the current Politically Correct norms. Who needs that shit.
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So the guy is a point man for all that is toxic in the world, and I don't think I'm exaggerating, and all we can do is call him a sissy because he has "effeminate mannerisms"? If it was just trash talking on the court, I wouldn't give a shit about it. Everybody's got elbows. But seriously, the GOP is destroying the world. If you want to call him names, call him a hideously poisonous evil lying scumbag. Take him seriously. But limp wristing him? It only serves to (potentially) offend people for to no good end. It is almost gay bashing, which has no place here. I think @Publishermike is right to warn on this.
What about Santoruming? I would be sorry to see it go. Everybody has a favorite vulgarity I guess.
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I think it's the constant repetition of the meme that starts to make me uncomfortable. Someone will come up with a good zinger and the next thing you know the Internet is full people riffing off of it but not from a good place.
I was watching twitter when Justine Sacco made a terrible joke then hopped on an airplane. I got in on the #HasJustineLanded hashtag with a couple of jokes but started to feel ashamed of myself as the "jokes" became more vicious.
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Yes. It could be "being a girl" or just part of my personality, but I find reading the comments on regular threads very stressful. The rage that people freely express (often through misogyny) makes me anxious. And I cringe every time someone says Chris Christie is fat - of course he knows he's fat and it has nothing do to with anything he does in terms of policies and politics. It's just mean.
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Who's making such a claim? Certainly not I.
I hardly see "hideously poisonous evil lying scumbag" as any more enlightening or serious about how Lindsey and the GOP is destroying the world, but fine. Venting has it's place. Some people vent with humor. I hardly see a problem with laughing at and poking fun at 'the enemy'. And apparently you don't either ("Santorum").
It seems that you really only take issue with "Miss Lindsey" because it could potentially offend some people who don't understand the etymology of the meme. And that's fine.
But then, apparently, I need to clarify that my comment was not intended to be dismissive of how some people might perceive the "Miss Lindsey" meme. No. I'm attempting to point out the way in which this very likely has a legitimate humorous application without any gender or sexual-orientation bias in it's origins, but rather, taps into the southern-belle stereotype and applies it in a rather fitting way. That doesn't negate concerns like yours. But I think it's an interesting study in how humor can be perceived in different ways.
It also doesn't negate @Doremus_Jessup's observation that good jokes can devolve into something ugly.
But what do we do about it? Should we all stop making jokes online for fear of how others might riff off of it and let their inner ugly show? I don't think that's my responsibility. I'm responsible for my own comments. If they hurt someone, I'll take responsibility for that, learn from it, adjust and move forward. But I'm not going to overly concern myself with all the various ways in which others can go off on ugly tangents. I might as well just shut off my computer and go curl up in the fetal position for fear that anything I say or do could inspire others into something I never intended. We can't live like that.
Life is like jazz. Play, riff, and see what you end up with. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Some people you want to play with, others you don't. But we shouldn't stop playing for fear we might occasionally hit the wrong note.
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One of my friends has a Japanese wife. One of his favorite things to do is when out side point to the sky and say to Kieko.."crowdy day" she gets it and always replies "yes, another crowdy day in Oregon!" with a smile.
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Was agreeing with you.
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Nice post AD.
While I sure don't want to make comments that offend anyone by filtering ourselves we're just showing a sub-set of our core selves here.
It becomes a pretty bland experience when everyone is monotone.
But, at the risk of offending others more sensitive than myself I'll show just that sub-set. And hope that their daily life has it's own protective bubble.
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That's a good thought actually.
I learned a new word the other day. Schadenfreude is pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. The opposite of that is MuditÄ, the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people's well-being. Like a personal protective bubble.
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New for me also, I like it!
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Very cool. How is that pronounced?
With some trepidation I step back into the water.
Doremus, I agree with you about originality. Someone commented that The Daily Show must really irritate me. No, I enjoy it a lot. Yes, they make throw-away barbs about people's appearance, but witty ones, and they are just a side dish to the more substantial handling of that segment's topic. If they did nothing but dole out zingers, or all the zingers were hackneyed, they'd lose me as a viewer.
Often I laugh at the clever turns of phrase that people come up with against Obama, even if we are on opposite sides of the issue. The tenth time I see it, not so much.
Time was when others might not agree with what another person said but they'd fight in defense of that person's right to say it. And leave it at that.
I'm older now and must say that I'm glad to have been raised in that America. And not the present thin-skinned America that finds offense in every damn little thing.
Words can certainly be hurtful but when we lash out at another persons words or deeds we continually miss the mark. We should not let ourselves bask in the false glory of calling out what others say or do when opportunities present themselves daily to demonstrate by our own actions and deeds that better world to which we aspire.
The most powerful agent for positive change, and one that humans most ignore is giving positive reinforcement for behaviors that make this world a better place for all. More often we seek to invoke change through chiding, attacking or in general doling out negative reinforcement.
All that accomplishes is a general pissing off of all parties concerned. And no behavioral changes.
Bark less.
Wag more.
Make it your habit.
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I like that one. Works for my kid, I can tell you that.
Oh yeah. A sense of humor to bullshit ratio is pretty much how I judge conservatives.
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