[kj] OT: Are we still talking about Evanescence here?

[culture.virus]

At 09:44 PM 12/19/03, you wrote:
>Just a couple of points.....
>1. I think we should probably leave off getting excited about Peter West
>now, as the whole thing was obviously quite a leg-pull.. and some of us at
>least have twigged who was probably behind it. As usual, some are too dull
>to get the joke....

If you are implying that I am too dense I assure you that it would not 
surprise me to see Rangecroft pull such a joke. he's proven himself to be 
more than capable of such a ply. But I have not seen any indication that it 
was in fact him. Perhaps I missed the post, if so please point it out to me.

But the point remains that the responses to the situation do show how 
people feel about prejudice against folks on purely religous or racial 
grounds is deemed seriously undesirable by members of this least. These 
incidents have occurred often in the past and I've commented on them before.

>2. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED (thought I would try capitals, as this phrase is
>obviously otherwise invisible to some eyes) the whole notion of 'tolerance'
>has to do with living and letting others live, and not that much to do with
>the peculiar notions of the few thought-police hanging around here who seem
>inordinately concerned that we think the 'right' things.

On the whole I'm not interested in thought policing. As a matter of fact I 
stayed out that entire thread even though I had thoughts of my own on the 
topic. Nor am I suggesting that Alex shouldn't post how he feels about a 
topic, even if it may be disruptive to people on the list. But I do feel 
that I have a right to express my opinion of what I see just as others have 
in regard to the Peter West fiasco.

>I happen to carry
>around a whole bag of rather unwholesome prejudices, and I frankly doubt if
>there are many of us who have thoroughly exorcised these ....I despise all
>forms of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and rarely have much time for
>their adherents.

How very sad for you.

>I also hate the falseness of the term 'Xtian' - why fly in
>the face of history and obscure an intelligible term with a silly neologism
>that adds nothing? Or is the 'x' a kiss for a man betrayed by one?

I'm not sure what you mean by falseness here Ross. The neologism as you put 
it isn't that horribly new. IIRC X is the first letter of "christ" in 
greek. The term is often used in it's shortened form on discussion lists 
where spiritual matters are discussed. It also is why Christmas is 
sometimes shortened to Xmas. It just makes it quicker to type.


>I find most queers extremely dull and irritating company, and would like to
>see all the modest head-scarved women of Islam and their cloistered
>Christian counterparts stripped naked, horsewhipped and gang-raped by herds
>of goats in public. I won't even get started on the Jews....( I find most
>Buddhists amiable fools, and have little beef with Hindus)

Ugh, seek help :^)

>BUT....THE POINT IS......FREEDOM &TOLERANCE ( on my terms, of course) are
>the ONLY social principles worth having, and they encompass all others.

They are without a doubt the cornerstone of western civilization as we know 
it and too a great degree civilization as a whole. Maybe I'm just too 
hippy/universal nice guy for my own good, but I don't see what you're 
saying above or Alex's comment as being particularly "tolerant" in fact 
quite the opposite. Notice that you've wished the greatest ill (even in 
jest) on the monotheists above while allowing that "queers, Buddhists and 
Hindi's" are merely annoying. BTW do have an extreme dislike of neopagans, 
Qabbalists, Crowleyites and other practitioners of high magicks as well?

>I
>would be the first to take up arms and leap into the trenches in defence of
>the rights of any of the above-mentioned  pains-in-the-fecking-arse to
>continue to add to my existential discomfort. This doesn't actually  require
>that I like any of them. (Jacques Chirac should be shot).
>So, now, take it easy : we're not the same.

How gracious of you to let them live. But you wouldn't want them living 
next door right? BTW I'm not particularly would up at the moment.
>Ye have been warned!

Uh, thanks

>Ross.

I am culturevirus