I cut my wrist/palm so typing is difficult. Nothing major, but it's were I rest my hand for typing.
Anywho, lots of crap this week:
You should all be proud to know, I made it though the whole thing without yelling! My favorite part is the end when we get to hear how a great benevolent theocracy brought us out of the dark ages and invented Western Civilization! Horray for Toquemada! Via Pharyngula
This one I love, a group of Strippers are protesting a church! Let there be boobies! (hey, if that stupid R&B song can say it, so can I;)) Found over on DotCW
Sex toys infographic! Saucy! Via Pharyngula
Hey kids! What time is it? Why it's time for some crazy Muslim wibbley-wobbly, timey -whimey fun! Looks like a Muslim group has decided that they need to one up the British and build a huge fricken clock and take Greenwich Mean Time away from Big Ben. Only problem with that. Big Ben isn't in Greenwhich, and of course, we use atomic clocks now. They be trippin', crazy Muslims! Once again via Pharyngula.
One more thing. I watched a documentary last night called Born Again. I quite liked it. It's about a born again family where the daughter looses her faith and comes out as gay along with her brother (the loosing the faith thing not the gay thing) and how this effects their relationship with their fundamentalist Brother and Parents. One thing I learned, the fundies might teach tolerance but they don't practice it (who would have thought!) I might make fun of religion but I won't force you to stop. That's tolerance. Taking away rights of non believers or secularists because your religion says so is the opposite of tolerance. If it doesn't effect you it's not your decision to make.
Best,
Brett
6 comments:
How'd you cut your wrist?
I actually went to a comic shop today and couldn't find anything of yours. Is there anything out right now that you pencilled?
I kind of wanted to see that Born Again film, can't find it anywhere. I realize it was made by a lesbian as sort of a "screw you" toward her family, their values, and Christianity. So I'm not shocked that she shows Christians as being intolerant. So t must be true. lol. Why can't they be tolerant like the gay activists asking people to burn down Mormon churches? I guess maybe intolerance is a human condition, not strictly a religious characteristic.
Steve
That's a problem in many documentaries, no matter the subject material, the bias will shine through. Take Michael Moore for example, he is so biased that its dumb, and he has been known to hire actors to star as major heads of corporations, or just imply it. Get someone to stand there, say something, and not name them. It implies power of authority, but there is none. He's an actor saying a line.
I'd still like to see Born Again, just to see how much is true and how much is biased.
One of the more boring documentaries I ever saw was Religulous with Bill Maher. IT wasn't the material that bored me,it was the obvious bias. He asked the man on the street why they believed, and mocked them, but he gets to the Vatican, and asks absolutely nothing that contributes to the doc.
One of the better docs I saw was Four hours in My Lai. Its about an absolute horrific incident during the Vietnam war, and how the main man in charge, Sergeant whats his face, served only a few months for ordering a mass murder. MyLai, the name of the village used in the title, and where the massacre occured, was wiped out. Innocent people, without guns or weapons, were killed. Women and young girls were brutally raped. Others died later from horrific injuries such as their abdomens being cut up in case they had bombs or other devices hidden in them. Its an example of Mob mentality, but what I found noteworthy is that it spoke to a number of soldiers who were there, and who regret their actions, and people from the village who survived. Its strange to see both sides of such a horrific crime, without any propaganda from either side.
Intolerance is a human condition, yes, and not religious, because we all find something to be intolerant of. Such as different races, different beliefs, omnivorous humans versus vegetarians/ vegans, Sports teams, American Idol contestants, PETA versus the sane, but it is nearly always manipulated, and many times borne out of fear (Except for PETA, who are just intolerant of anything they do not like, and oft times dangerously ignorant). If one takes the time to educate onesself on the subject, they find themselves completely turned around. Opening the door and going outside is one method, books and articles are others, but each to their own. Except Peta, they never learn (Yes, I have a thing against PETA). Just an example of uneducated ignorance, an Irish model, Katy French (died a few years ago from bad cocaine, a week after going into a coma. She died on my birthday too)was criticised by the fashion media and animal activists for wearing fur, yet she compared it to people using wool taken from sheep. The fur thing don't really bother me, what bothers me is that she actually thought, and many other people do also, that the sheep dies when it is shorn. No, it doesn't, it gets up and walks away, like many of us do after a hair cut.
The Catholic guy shoulda given up after 46 seconds, while he still had a point. In democracy, everyone should pay attention to the candidates. Howard Stern had a clip where he interviewed a number of people on the street, and, intentionally, attributed John McCain's government plans to Obama, and also said Sarah Palin would be Vice President as Obama's running mate, among other silly statements. The people he interviewed said yes, to the most ridiculous questions. They were just voting for the guy cos they liked him, a similar situation to why people voted for Bush. That's not a good sign for people who want to avoid another war, or another Katrina. The rest of Catholic guy's argument is so full of holes,it would make a sieve jealous.
Take Care Brett. Bet now would be a great time for a healing factor. How long until Evolution/ God/ Vishnu/ Allah/ Xenu come up with one? I mean, reptiles have em, as do Salamanders. That said, I would settle for a tale, because sometimes two hands aren't enough. :)
There's another video that the guy did at this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBYk9htG2v8&feature=related
This is one of the few videos that is not crazy...well, a number of his views in the vid are crazy, but anyway, the subject is not. The video in question talks about the hypocrisy of religion (Ironic, I know). Its about a Muslim chaplain at Harvard who supports beheading of people who either convert or lose faith in Islam, despite denouncing murder.
Anyway, the news media won't touch the story (Since those cartoons, and bombings by certain extreme Islamic groups, and a Jihad being placed on Salmon Rushdie, The Pope's speech, etc), but they attacked a former head of Harvard for saying there might be a difference in men and women in terms of subjects they excel in, and subjects they fail in-it was something about Math, that boys were doing better than girls, on average, in Mathematics. I can't answer that question, cos I suck at maths but know guys and gals who kick butt at the subject.
However, it does raise questions about the supposed news media. Shouldn't they be absolutely going after this guy for saying such an idiotic, sinister statement? Call on Harvard to denounce his opinion? Something.
Michael Voris, the Vortex dude, is making sense until about the 2:45 mark. He identifies one of the problems of a democracy, but he totally flubs the solution. Catholicism hasn't proven to be a purifying governmental force. He makes the mistake of the "us against them" argument. He somehow believes Catholic religious people to be less corrupt than non religious. He doesn't get that all people are fallible and with the Catholic historic track record it is insane to suggest a Catholic monarchy. He does do a nice Bill Reilly impression though, eve has the little pencil swirl thing down.
Nice well thought out M.O.R.
Jonestown:the Life and Death of People's Temple is one of my favorite documentaries. It is a super scary look at a cult and what a false religion does by manipulation and control. It is one of those sad stories which shows the real differences between good religion and bad religion and clearly all faith systems are not the same. It totally destroys the "whatever you believe is okay" idea.
Steve,
The documentary isn't that heavy handed. Really. I was surprised and not surprised, since this is her family and she's still close to them. It was the things her brother said that when taken together lead to intolerance. I agree that intolerance is a human trait, the fear of the different, the unknown. The way to get over that fear is to actually learn about it. But the one thing this showed me that too much of a good thing is bad, including religion.
M.O.R. I liked Religulous, not a very good documentary but it did make me laugh. Maher has some strange views on other things so I take him with a grain of salt, a very large grain:)
Steve and M.O.R.
I agree with M.O.R. on this , should have stopped way early. It was amusing that someone who is obviously not real up on the issues has that kind of nerve. But look at the Catholic Church, the Pope telling the EU not to forget the poor when he lives in a fricken palace and has gold robes.... so it's not unexpected.
I loved when he asked for money at the end! Sooo Funny!
M.O.R.
Free speech works both ways. He can say what he wants in the US. It might be disgusting and vial but he can say it. You have to take the good with the bad on that stuff. Like Glenn Beck;) Of course without him and Bill the Daily Show wouldn't be nearly as funny and the Colbert Report wouldn't exist.
I agree with free speech and all, I do. But what I find questionable is how the news media would not touch the subject, with little to no coverage about the topic, the old Islamic tradition of "Apostophe" otherwise known as murder, or beheading for losing faith or converting. Any sane person would denounce those comments, yet the news media seems to be running scared when it comes to making any sort of comment about Islam, ever since the furore around the Danish Mohammed cartoons, and Pope Benedict's speech about Islam.
It just seemed altogether weird that the then head of Harvard college, who happened to say Men and women are different in terms of how they approach learning, was persecuted, dogged and savaged by the media. He happened to say that women and men excel in certain subjects and fail in other subjects because of their genders, and evolutionary aspects.
Instead of saying they are equal, like the media likes, he happened to say they are different.
Then he was forced to resign after being hounded, yet this guy made comments that would, potentially, allow mass murder. And he is employed at one of the most prestigious colleges in the world.
Maybe I am getting older, but this makes no sense. Harvard should have distanced themselves from his comments, but yet they do not.
Just strange.
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