Categories
Diversity

Doing a Cartman

According to Melinda Casino, I gather my response to Mary Hodder’s post is a case of my doing a “Cartman”. Since I don’t watch the show, I checked what Wikipedia has to say on this character:

Cartman’s personality has notably changed over the course of series. While always self-centered and bigoted, he was portrayed as more of an immature brat in the earlier seasons. As the seasons progressed, his personality became more aggressive and cunning, eventually crossing the line into outright sociopathy, while his bigotry morphed seamlessly into Nazi-like hatred. His abilities to manipulate other people into doing what he wants have become keener, along with his overall intelligence. He has expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler in several episodes. Cartman’s pet peeves throughout the show have been hippies, whom he despises for a number of reasons, and Jews (especially Kyle Broflovski).

I really do appreciate the comparison. Perhaps Melinda will follow this clever bit of journalism with something more substantial, because I’m not sure if I earned the comparison because I was critical of Mary Hodder’s post, or because I could not throw aside my book, and my only source of income, in order to lead a session at a BarCamp.

Categories
Political

Evolution and fact

The Kansas State Board of Education removed the ‘intelligent design’ propaganda from the state’s school system, but that won’t end the battle. I don’t think people fully understand how rabid some of the fundamentalist are here in the Kansas/Missouri area. It doesn’t matter what the populace wants; it doesn’t matter what the majority believe; it doesn’t even matter what the Supreme Court rules: these folks are right, everyone else is wrong.

In Missouri, even after the vote that allowed for stem cell research, state representatives want to place another vote on the ballot in 2008 on this issue again. The only way to stop this is to stop putting these people into office, or barring that, stop giving them any power.

Categories
Weblogging

It’s cold and I’m cranky

I wish I could write a post like Kathy Sierra’s, full of love for my readers, but I’m cold and I’m cranky, really tired of being stuck at home and working on the book, and the most I can summon up is that I respect you, or at least those of you who make yourselves known.

Love implies that we can share our most intimate details of our lives, and frankly, you don’t want to get that intimate with me, and I know I don’t want to get that intimate with you. Sharing life’s little farts with each other isn’t necessarily entertaining, and why on earth would you want to read this site unless you received some enjoyment from the experience?

The same for me: why would I write just for you? No offense, but readers never stop demanding, have the patience of gnats, and flit from Big Thing to Big Thing, worse than a fly flits between piles of shit. I know, I’m a reader, too.

Every once in a while, we connect. I say something that works for you, or you write something in comments that works for me. Then the moment passes. While there are enough of these moments, you’ll find it worth your while to continue reading, and I’ll find it worth my while to continue writing.

Respect, yeah, that’s important. Agreement? Ha! Admiration? Preferably not, because the inevitable end for admiration is disappointed disillusionment. Can’t we skip the appetizer and just go straight for the disillusionment?

Like is good. We can like each other, but unless you’re telling me you’ll fund my long-fantasized trip to Australia, loan me the money to pay my taxes, or that I can come live with you, let’s not get mushy.

Not mushy, that is, unless you are willing to fund that trip to Australia, then hell yes, I love you.

Categories
Weblogging

It’s cold in Hell, too

Rogers Cadenhead:

Dave Winer is one of the best bloggers out there. He makes love to us with every post.


Ground control to Major Tom
Your circuit’s dead, there’s something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you….

Here am I floating round my tin can
Far above the moon
Planet earth is blue
And there’s nothing I can do.

David Bowie, Space Oddity