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Comments by Dr Benway


251. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #157827 by Dr Benway on April 9, 2008 at 3:16 pm

Corylus: The nasty implication from this poster being that "I am disrespecting another woman (who doesn't know about it) whilst at the same time hassling you... Bitch."

I could hear the vile laughter and felt sick.
You'd make a good shrink.

Character disordered people are profoundly ambivalent in their attachments. They hate and love at the same time, or they alternate from idealization to devaluation, or they create triangles - i.e., "You are special; she is not."

The triangles are everywhere. Drama drama drama. After years of dealing with this stuff, I assure you, it gets pretty dull.

Funny thing about RM's avatars. The bouncing tits and the globe alternating with the sudden flash of a woman's ass were pretty awful. But the painting of the angelic figure kissing the bare breasted girl really creeped me out. Perhaps because it was less jokey than the porn.

252. Fleabytes

Comment #157795 by Dr Benway on April 9, 2008 at 2:36 pm

Steve: I do think "evil" is a bit strong. I get worried when words like that are used.

I can put myself in the place of someone who has screwed up on a site or forum and has an "I wish I was never there" attitude, wanting to erase their presence. I can imagine it being a form of self-destructive behaviour, part of wishing to hide from the world, perhaps out of embarassment.

It may be lacking in consideration for others, and it may be childish and petulant. But I would take a lot of convincing before I would accept the use of the term "evil".
I think you misunderstood me. I'm not saying that deleting posts is evil. I'm saying that deleting the past so you can misrepresent it without challenge and at the expense of the memory and sanity of others, is evil.

253. Fleabytes

Comment #157775 by Dr Benway on April 9, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Thanks for the info, Brian. I don't have a problem with your deleting posts for whatever reason. I hope you understand why it seemed a bit alarming, given the timing of your deletions.

We know David Robertson quote mines this site. He quoted a positive comment from RD.net on his book cover, which apparently isn't here any longer. He seems to feel that the post was deleted intentionally.

Recently Richard Morgan was posting as himself and a sockpuppet Diogenese2008. He wanted to boost the appearance of consensus for his side of an argument regarding the general moral fiber of the people at RD.net. He felt people were too heartless toward something in the news.

When RM's sock puppet was uncovered, he deleted his posts to hide the evidence of his deception. For reasons beyond me, he also deleted a number of posts from other threads. He then appeared on David Robertson's message board complaining about the RD.net community.

When a couple of hundred posts disappeared from this thread, it made me wonder if Richard Morgan or some friend of his, or some other sockpuppet(s) of his were removed. I can't really imagine what Richard or Robertson might seek to gain by removing posts. But seeing Robertson behave like an ass toward Paula made me a little worried.

Mystery solved, nothing to wonder or worry about.

ps: I liked your puppets.

254. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #157746 by Dr Benway on April 9, 2008 at 1:51 pm

Ah MaxD proves that chivalry is not yet dead.

255. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #157739 by Dr Benway on April 9, 2008 at 1:39 pm

A toupea in England is refered too sometimes as a rug. I think i have also heard it used in a coen brothers film but i might be mistaken. It's a blokes hairpiece. Have i been taken into darker territory by dark minds? I don't understand the offense. I just don't get it.
I've been trying to figure out why that is offensive. And imagining someone in that position? What position? I think my comment has possibly been taken amiss. I'm serious. I don't want to think the worst until someone enlightens me.
mikejswalker, you remind me of the Black Knight. There really isn't much point in further argument here, is there?

Well perhaps there's a drop of entertainment to be wrung from the textual analysis you suggest. Your comment:
Gentlemen, gentlemen, There there now. What a fuckin hornets nest this is.... ...Now, breathe boys breathe, feel the wind in your rugs and curl them little toes to the sky.
Prior to this post you'd been criticized for using the term 'ladies.' So the phrase 'Gentlemen, gentlemen' was a bit of defensive humor on your part. English lacks a gender-neutral second-person-plural pronoun. This is a source of frustration for many writers. But it occasionally provides an opportunity for humor. Haha.

Enjoying your "Gentlemen, gentlemen" joke, you pushed it a bit further by combining the second-person plural male pronoun "boys" with a distinctly feminine imago.

I'm afraid I don't believe your claim that "rug" means "toupee" here. It seems more likely that "rug" is a reference to the pubic hair surrounding the vagina. Similar terms include "muff," "bush," "carpet," "minge," and "pubes." Example usage: "Wonder why that crowd of rug munchers is standing outside city hall. Oh, there's a debate over civil unions tonight."

"Toe curling" is a jokey allusion to sex or orgasm. Reportedly humans tend to curl their toes during orgasm. "Curling them little toes to the sky" places the happy woman on her back, knees up. The woman must be very young or very small as her toes are "little."

Very funny. But not very chivalrous.

256. Fleabytes

Comment #157490 by Dr Benway on April 9, 2008 at 7:04 am

Over 200 posts from just this thread missing? That's rather Orwellian. Someone wants a bit of elbow room to disrupt our shared recollection of the past.

Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who distorts the past? Someone shreds the evidence and tells you that you're not remembering things correctly when in fact you are? Someone who encourages you to doubt the testimony of your own eyes and ears? The word for that is "mindfuck." It's a truly awful experience.

Never in a million years would I do that to someone. I think it's evil.

If someone wants to delete their posts because they regret them, I'd rather they say this up front and point out what they're deleting, so we have a sense why it's happening.

257. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #157327 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 11:33 pm

Quetz, I checked out that link to RM posting on flea's page. LOL. He's a cagey old bugger. Too easily injured, too rigid at times, and yes, a bit pervy (those T&A avatars are cringeworthy). But he's bouncy. He'll bounce back.

I think he's playing MI5 deep cover agent.

258. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #157208 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 5:07 pm

mikejswalker:

The wind in your rugs etc was just a shitty comment with absolutely no wierdness attached whatsoever.
Imagining you in that position? What the fuck are you on?
Apology accepted.

259. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156730 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 8:01 am

Quetz: ...then how do you modify a narcissist's behaviour?
Insist on corroboration for anything they say. Set up points of reference they can't weasle away from. Get things in writing. Estabish concrete consequences for failures to hold up their end of an agreement. Disabuse them of the notion that you can be made to feel guilty for their suffering early and often.
MaxD: I hope I didn't say I wanted to kill these people.
Best not to speak of killing, as anything you say can and will be used against you. But in private with your sensei you will practice killing.

Q: Why bother engaging with a narcissist when nothing you say can change them?
A: Sparring practice.

Speaking of, where are Annabananna and Sharon McT? It might do them good to be told to relax and "feel the wind their rugs and curl their little toes to the sky."

260. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156715 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 7:22 am

Oh I can't help narcissists. Don't send them to me.

In my experience, narcissists aren't open to modifying their own behavior without external coercion. From their point of view, they're fine. It's everyone else who has a problem.

Therapy only adds a patina of normalcy to their behavior. This is bad for the rest of us, who want to spot them before they get too close.

261. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156705 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 7:06 am

I don't want to kill these malignant narcissists. I just want to identify them and raise everyone's awareness of what they do, and how much misery they can create if we let them.

Like sharks, they have their charms. And they likely fill some ecological niche. But they're best appreciated from a safe distance.

262. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156671 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 6:03 am

OT:

I love the edit button as much as anyone. Sometimes I'm doing five things at once or the phone rings. I save my post, read it, realize it's not clear or has typos, or I have a bit more to add. It's nice to fix it.

But perhaps there should come a point when our shared past can't be re-written. Perhaps the option of editing or removing posts should only be available for an hour or a day or something.

It's a little weird opening a thread and finding several posts from weeks ago missing. Imagine if a certain pastor's posts all vanished, for example, how difficult it would be to call him on his own words.

ADDENDUM:

219. Comment #156172 by mikejswalker on April 7, 2008 at 2:34 am: This guy's a troll, that guys a troll, concern troll, a nanny, etc etc. What is it with the labels?
I chided Richard Morgan for his net nanny personna; didn't chide mikejswalker. The word "nanny" appears in:
175. Comment #155719 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 11:17 am:

The sock puppet is a nice touch.

What happened to the "I'm an asshole, just ask my ex-wives!" personna you were wearing a few months back? I found it more winning than this recent net nanny gig of yours.
mikejswalker claimed in
263 Comment #156460 by mikejswalker on April 7, 2008 at 3:30 pm: Dr benway, I just read RD's/diogenes' post. This was the first i had seen of this. So i did not understand the sock puppetry talk.
Pretty amazing he trolled this thread for upsetting comments to quotemine, but somehow missed the posts about the sock puppet. Pretty cool he heard me say "nanny" even though he hadn't read my post to Richard Morgan.

Either he is Richard Morgan. Or his head is filled with wool. Or something else.

263. Get out of here, atheists!

Comment #156663 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 5:47 am

I'm glad the moderator didn't let the hearing wander off the point any further by allowing a rebut to all those personal attacks. Unless that Sherman guy is very polished, calm, and brilliant, there's a good chance he'd have said something provocative, such that Davis' supporters would feel her tirade had some justification. People don't always remember who said what to whom first.

Cutting Sherman off allows him the chance to compose the best response from a number of angles, on the web and in the press. If I were in his shoes, I'd be grateful to the moderator.

264. Richard Dawkins: 'Growth in creationist beliefs a problem for schools'

Comment #156646 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 5:21 am

yussel123: If Dawkins wasn't so "in-your-face" about his atheism, perhaps people on the "other side" would give him a hearing. The problem is that he set up and "either/or" situation. Either you believe in God or you accept science and there's no middle ground. When asked about people such as Polkinghorne, Dawkins answers that they have sealed off the religious delusion from their scientific thinking. Dawkins presentations of his case give an opening to critics to claim that he is blind to any evidence against his position. He's an easy target for religious people.
I have the impression that with respect to the "NOMA" proposition, Dawkins is going to forget politics and say what he feels is true. He's going to let Eugenie Scott and others speak for the middle road position. He seems to be glad others are out there supporting the middle position, as it probably is important politically.

265. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156641 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 5:03 am

It's a matter of context, peacebeuponme.

But there's no context wherein I will accept someone telling me to "feel the wind in my rug and curl my little toes to the sky."

He imagines me in that position, then has the nerve to complain that I'm trying to "control" him.

Utter, utter, horrible wanker.

266. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156632 by Dr Benway on April 8, 2008 at 4:49 am

mikejswalker: And so i am the hater.
Highly sensitive and over the top don't quite make it. Insulting? ofcourse. We expect that. Trying to own the debate? Maybe.
You are,
A concern troll,
a twat,
a hater,
a nanny,
a mirror blind,
Labels that one makes to define someone else to such an extent are lame attempts at control.
I, for one, can see past them. Would be great if you would stop that.
I don't care what your intestinal condition is or how bad off your childhood was, you must stop spraying your shit about the room. You're far over the allowable quota for 2008.

Occasional clods aimed at a specific person, with cause, may be permitted, provided they do not draw undue attention to your smugly superior self, which we would rather not dwell upon.

You have been identified by the concern troll police who will be on the lookout for further infractions.

267. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156510 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 5:22 pm

mikejswalker:

Dr B, Quite.
You're the hater in this room.

The mirror blind are strangely fascinating. How can they not see themselves?

Give me the flea who wears his contempt on his sleeve over this bloke hiding behind false "concern."

268. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156504 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 5:08 pm

So much hatred... *sigh, compassiony face, sigh*

269. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156492 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 4:44 pm

mikejswalker: Now, breathe boys breathe, feel the wind in your rugs and curl them little toes to the sky.
I am trying to understand. Is it deep seated anger? What the fuck makes an apparently civilised person condescend to repeadedly post such belittling and insulting words to a group of people on an Internet message board? The anger seems deep seated enough to ridicule anything that moves.
mikejswalker: Dr Benway, That was lame.
That was you. You don't like the taste of your own words, well, blame the cook.
mikejswalker: Can't we debate this stuff without going fuckin nuts or trying to project some freudian bullshit or try to equate harmless banter with extreme calumny?
You are mirror blind.

270. Get out of here, atheists!

Comment #156487 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 4:34 pm

phil rimmer, there are likely several factors responsible for the growth of the religious right.

Strength begets strength. Power begets power. Money begets money.

Imagine getting up in the morning, turning on Fox News and hearing how proud, free, and God-believing your country is. On the way to work you listen to Christian radio. At work, Rush Limbaugh is on in the background. Driving home you listen to Focus on the Family. Sundays you're at church for the morning and evening service. Wednesday night there's a Bible study.

It's possible to be a fundamentalist Christian completely enveloped socially, economically, and politically, by people who share your same batshit ideas. Moreover, you see your president as one of your own.

This level of communal reinforcement did not exist even 10 years ago.

Rep. Davis seems to feel personally afraid of any threat to this church. Of course she must advocate for her base, which likely includes members of the church. But ordinary politicians usually can pander to their base without loosing their minds.

Until it can be ruled out, I think we must suspect that she (or a close family member) has a material interest in the church-school deal.

Our country is still all fucked up over race. That atheist in there is totally screwed, IMHO.

We need a sexy, smart black dude. We need sent2null in there.

271. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156473 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 3:44 pm

mikejswalker: Now, breathe boys breathe, feel the wind in your rugs and curl them little toes to the sky.
I am trying to understand. Is it deep seated anger? What the fuck makes an apparently civilised person condescend to repeadedly post such belittling and insulting words to a group of people on an Internet message board? The anger seems deep seated enough to ridicule anything that moves.

272. Get out of here, atheists!

Comment #156453 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 3:18 pm

Quetz: In America people seem to think that you have to respect religion, and people without it are subversive, that they lack something. It's very sad.
From comments in other threads, I've realized that many Brits think this is how America has always been. However, in the 1970s and early 1980s, it was not like this. Many people openly said they weren't religious, including politicians. Creationism was associated with the lunatic fringe.

The Moral Majority evolved into a powerful political lobby during Ronald Regan's tenure. By the mid-1990s, a network of talk radio stations filled with God, apple pie, and self-congratulatory patriotism really took off. Now we have this media mega-monster of disinformaton feeding upon itself.

I can hardly talk to my family now, thanks to the crap they've been listening to.

It wasn't always like this. It's not an American quirk. It can happen in your country, too.

273. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156380 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 12:33 pm

Steve you twat,

You have every right to express your reactions and feelings to comments here. In fact, I agreed with you, that saying too bad the guy didn't die is over the line, in my opinion. But the matter is a molehill. People are bound to have different reactions to a story in the news, due to different life experiences.

What annoys me is mikejswalker's effort to transform this molehill into a mountain of moral outrage and blanket condemnation of the people posting at RD.net:

It feels like lord of the flies here sometimes. The anger seems deep seated enough to ridicule anything that moves.
WTF?
I think what happened here was wrong. I think freed children have been released and are biting on questions they don't fully understand yet.
WTF?
Just had to make my point after the mini mass exodus. I hope those guys come back and give you lot a damn good thrashing;)
"Mini mass exodus"? Does he mean Richard Morgan deleting his posts? Or the sockpuppet?

Mike's a pretty moral guy. But he apparently has no problem with someone using a sockpuppet to create the appearance of consensus in a heated argument. And he has no problem with someone deleting posts to hide evidence of the sockpuppetry and manipulation once discovered.

If stranded on a desert isle, I'd much prefer the honesty , clarity, and directness of Diacanu to the mikejswalker's wooly self-interested "compassion."

274. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156303 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 9:36 am

MaxD: Later I will post a huge summary of this post and the website. It will be condescending and hurt in tone and will clamor for equal time.
Well if you want to be really nasty in your final harumph, adopt a caring demeanor. Say you don't want to slag anyone; you simply seek to understand.

To get the biggest bang from your entertainment buck: don't address a specific person regarding something that person actually said. Be vague. Ask, "Why so much hate?" or "Why the utter contempt for human life?" Talk to the group as a whole. If someone tries to pin you down, say, "the ones I'm talking about know who they are."

The game is called, "Let's you and him fight" or "Stir the pot" or "Triangulation." A favorite passtime on Internet message boards, workplaces, and dysfunctional families everywhere.

BTW, if you happen to have a friend or relative with schizophrenia, you can predictably ratchet up their psychotic symptoms by playing games like this. Vague statements of worried interest about vaguely defined behavior can drive 'em nuts - e.g., "I don't know why you're so full of anger lately." And here's the coolest part: people hearing your expressions of "concern" will think you're caring and empathic, when in fact you're acting a right twat!

275. Fleabytes

Comment #156195 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 4:31 am

robotaholic: Surely Dr. Benway you would prefer that people not be taught lies and consequently their view of reality become deminished as a result? (especially children)- I mean techincally they're actively teaching untruths- and you're ok with that?
No I'm allergic to bullshit. However, I can't stop people spreading it. All I can to is speak against it when I've got the time and energy.

Typically when the door-to-doors appear, I'm doing something more interesting and would rather not be bothered. Those of you who can take them on have my admiration.

276. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156192 by Dr Benway on April 7, 2008 at 4:07 am

mikejswalker: What is it with the labels?
They save time. Bag, tag, release.

You're looking for the poetry nook or creative writing 101, not a clear thinking oasis.

277. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156121 by Dr Benway on April 6, 2008 at 8:51 pm

^When people address the person who said something offensive and they explain what they didn't like about the comment, that can be productive.

General criticism creates confusion. People who might not be the actual targets can feel included in the criticism. They get defensive. Round and round the whole thing goes.

Yeah the birds are waking up. I meant to clean my nest boxes this weekend, but it was raining.

278. Fleabytes

Comment #156113 by Dr Benway on April 6, 2008 at 7:40 pm

I thought bullshit was the vaseline of social intercourse.

279. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156109 by Dr Benway on April 6, 2008 at 7:31 pm

Yeah MaxD, you see gallows humor among people dealing with the public in difficult circumstances. It's a bonding thing.

And you see a kind of reflexive harshness from some when they hear stories that remind them of abusive people from their past. That fight-flight feeling is survival. It's necessary. Because each time the past is brought to mind afresh, they have to fight a brief inner battle with themselves or perish. That's how it feels. So they might say, "Good riddance!" or "I wish the fucker was dead!" or something cruel like that. But typically, they're not likely to hurt anyone.

Mikejswalker provokes me to wonder:
1. What crawled up his ass and died?
2. Why does he hang out with people he dislikes so much?

117. Comment #155501 by mikejswalker on April 4, 2008 at 3:25 pm

To laugh because it is far away, because it's disconnected from our 'reality', to infer manipulation, to get angry for being 'lambasted' not for finding the 'comic tragedy' of the scene, but for the scorn and ridicule and utter contempt for a human life so lost and lonely, is so weak i cannot bring myself to look at this thread further.
3. And why do people who quit threads predictably return to troll them?

Mike, if you wanted a conversation with actual people, you would direct your comments to actual people. But you don't want to do that.

280. Fleabytes

Comment #156107 by Dr Benway on April 6, 2008 at 7:04 pm

Paula: By the way, the publisher's disdain at my review doesn't preclude him from featuring on his website's home page my comment that The Dawkins Letters was the best of the 4 books covered by Fleabytes!
On my little red flag list, I include "oddly unself-conscious hypocrisy."

Nobody's perfect, and a little "do as I say, not as I do," is likely part of the human condition. Point out such things to normal humans, and they cringe and say, "Well, you have a point."

Then there's the other kind. The astonishing kind. The kind that makes you feel confused and unable to speak for a few moments.

Imagine someone condemning people who eat chocolate, while, at the same time, eating a chocolate candy bar. You'd think, "Surely something's wrong with this picture. He couldn't mean what he just said. Is this a game?"

This kind of corruption of character isn't limited to religious people. You see it in many people overwhelmed by some need. Substance abusers, for example.

That's why I feel that the truth has to be the top value on the list. Now, by that I don't mean that one always must tell the truth. I mean, one must want to see the truth for what it is, no matter how unpleasant.

281. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156102 by Dr Benway on April 6, 2008 at 6:28 pm

mikejswalker:

Dr,
I figure these cats are adult enough to know what quote is what.
The Thread was re-vamped into " it's ok to laugh at misfortune.'
Well, I admitted that I laughed briefly at that log bit. Although I'm not specifically quoted by you, I get the feeling you're telling me I'm a horrible person for that, because your criticism is so general.

Frankly, I'm getting sick of listening to you telling me how I ought to feel.
A friend of mine used to get mad at people when they made him feel guilty for abusing them. I tried to point this out to him but he went nuts at me.
And I smell bullshit.

282. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156076 by Dr Benway on April 6, 2008 at 4:12 pm

Mike, quote mining several posts from different parties is not an effective way to communicate. The people here are independent individuals. They do not form a syncytium.

If someone says something that upsets you, quote that person and address that person directly.

Several posts in this thread have been deleted, making it somewhat more difficult to follow the context of certain posts.

283. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #155785 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 7:56 pm

So much trollin' of late...

284. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155775 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 6:03 pm

Dunno about Brian; wasn't paying attention. Which sockpuppet(s) did he own?

285. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155772 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 5:23 pm

Hmm. Now that Richard Morgan and his sockpuppet, Diogenes2008 have deleted their posts, this thread has become difficult to follow. So to recap for the latecomers:

Chorus: OMG!!1! Man hits head wif log to kill self?!! WTF?
Richard Morgan: This site is sullied day after day by this sort of heartless reaction.
Chorus: We're not mean. We're just sayin'.
Richard Morgan: You would never see David Robertson laughing and jeering at an atheist's anguished distress and madness. Never.
Chorus: Well... log part was funny.
Diogenes2008: You people are appalling and your behavior is inadmissible. Shame!
Chorus: Ok, but log bit made us laff. Not all day, just a little.
Diogenes2008: I can't bear to read this thread further.
Chorus: ?
Diogenes2008: Earlier I said I'd rather hang with Robertson than you lot. That got no reaction. Did you not hear me?
Benway: Ha!
Richard Morgan: D'oh! *delete, delete, delete*

The moral of the story: Do not fuck with the human beings. Eventually they will suss you out.

286. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155719 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 11:17 am

Richard/Diogenes:

To be honest, what so saddened me about the reaction of certain posters was the fact that it was so predictable: "Let's all laugh at another dumb faith-head."
Your criticism would be more useful if it were directed specifically at the person who offended you, with an excerpt from the post that bothered you.

But you do like to stir the pot. And nothing provokes a reaction more predictably than a generalized insult against the people posting at RD.net.

The sock puppet is a nice touch.

What happened to the "I'm an asshole, just ask my ex-wives!" personna you were wearing a few months back? I found it more winning than this recent net nanny gig of yours.
I notice with interest that nobody seems to have reacted to my remark to the effect that David Robertson (WeeFlea) despite his many faults, would never have been heard making fun of a suicide attempt (and worse).
LOL.

287. Beware the Believers

Comment #155704 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 9:38 am

WWF is on now, rockman. Whaddaya doin' here?

288. Fleabytes

Comment #155703 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 9:31 am

I smile and politely tell the door-to-doors I'm not interested, buh-bye.

They're entitled to talk to people who want to talk to them, so I can't see any point in being rude.

It takes a long time, hours, to work a conversation with a believer to the point where the subjective basis of belief must be admitted. From that point, there's hope for political freedom of belief, which is all I want. I certainly don't expect someone who prays and feels God's loving arms to become an atheist thanks to something I say.

Or you can strangle them with a Mobius strip and smash them over the head with a Klein bottle.
A slide rule to the nuts sends a message.

289. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #155695 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 9:22 am

Pascal's closing argument:

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the defense has argued that I have not provided enough evidence to prove my case. Nonetheless I urge you to find the defendent guilty of murder in the first degree. For if the defendent is a killer and you allow him to go free he may kill others, perhaps someone in your family or even you, yourselves. On the other hand, if you wrongly convict him of murder, well, you and your loved ones will still be safe.
We have rules of evidence for a reason. And so we've a duty to shit all over Pascal's wager each time it rears its evil head.

290. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #155686 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 8:42 am

I am a pathetic fawning sycophant, I know...
But your glasses are fabulously stylish.

291. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155682 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 8:14 am

I was just reflecting on the neurological problems in my own family. There seem to be a lot of them. Off the top of my head:

Autism
Aspergers
Mental retardation
Muscular dystrophy
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Spastic dysphonia
Trigeminal neuralgia
Migraine
Depression
ADHD
Multi-infarct dementia
Schizophrenia
Alcoholism
Anorexia nervosa

I have to conclude that brains are dodgy things prone to a few problems.

292. Fleabytes

Comment #155677 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 7:51 am

Anyone check out "Casimir Pulaski Day"? (see above post)

It has an honesty that lifts it above more typical Christian music. I think it's really beautiful, but I'm curious to hear how it strikes others.

For mixmaster's project: Bowie's "Loving the Alien": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkd1uGonwG0

293. Beware the Believers

Comment #155667 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 7:19 am

Kardashovel said this:

How on earth could I presume to speak for God? That is madness.
Assuming he means what he says, he's our ally.

I've no problem with any believer who affords me the right to have my own inward relationship with God in whatever form that might be, including the "God who is not there."

I've no problem with any believer who recognizes that humans "see through a glass darkly." Humans are fallible. When humans hold power over others, they ought to do so lightly.

I've no problem with a believer who uses evidence rather than scripture and metaphysics to explain his moral positions.

294. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155655 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 7:01 am

Steve: Laughing at this fellow for too long does seem to be wandering away from that ethical approach.
It's kind of a stretch, isn't it, guessing how long the laughter for some poster lasts?

295. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155652 by Dr Benway on April 5, 2008 at 6:35 am

Steve: When I mentioned this to my husband, he said that one laughs for a second or two at first, as the image (hitting the head with a block of wood) is cartoon like.
The words "All kids love log!" went through my head. The word "log" itself is somehow funnier than "block of wood."

Steve: I can't even watch a film like Star Wars without feeling a twinge of regret every time a stormtrooper was killed - "what about his wife and kids?" I thought (I also wondered why that armour was so useless).
I had a hard time with the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon. I got feeling sorry for the cat who gets the shit kicked out of him over and over.

The same sort of thing happens in the Bugs Bunny cartoons. Woe to anyone who fucks with that rabbit. But the situations never seemed to cross over the line into discomfort. Perhaps because Bugs' enemies are more effectively portrayed as pompous jerks.

I agree with you Steve, that saying one wishes the cult leader killed himself crosses a line. In fact if the story were about the man's death, the humor would be muted.

Maybe the discussion would have taken a different course if the focus were more on statements about wishing someone were dead rather than on laughter. Laughter, like farts, can be controlled. But not perfectly.

Once I got a page that went like this:

operator: Dr B you taking care of Mr D?
me: Yes.
operator: Mr D in room 209?
me: Yes.
operator: Well your patient just exploded.
me: Whaa?
operator: You know he's on oxygen, right?
me: Uh oh.
operator: Seems he decided to have a smoke.
me: Shit!
operator: He's okay. But that nice moustache he once had isn't there anymore.

296. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155549 by Dr Benway on April 4, 2008 at 7:37 pm

If one poops on someone for pooping on those who poop on a guy hitting his head with a log, does that break the irony meter?

297. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #155278 by Dr Benway on April 4, 2008 at 9:45 am

Artful Dodger:

If he does not, not all that much is lost by believing in Him.
JUST YOUR OWN PERSONAL INTEGRITY! IS THAT NOTHING?! IS YOUR ONE CHANCE TO SEE THIS LIFE FOR WHAT IT IS NOTHING?! IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH OTHERS IN A GENUINE WAY, WITHOUT THE DISTORTIONS OF INFANTILE FANTASIES NOTHING?!

I dunno. Maybe shouting will work?

298. Fleabytes

Comment #155224 by Dr Benway on April 4, 2008 at 8:45 am

Comment #153727 by clearthinker on April 2, 2008 at 12:23 am:

Nice people can be more dangerous than any hot-headed bloke who throws a punch without thinking.
So now I am nice? I thought I was a nasty, mean-spirited troll. Can you make your mind up? I just don;t know which persona to adopt.
You forgot something:
Remember Nurse Ratchet from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? Never a harsh word from her mouth. A woman who might kill you with her kindness.

Nice people can be more dangerous than any hot-headed bloke who throws a punch without thinking.
Thanks for lending us the right to cherry pick. I'm sure we'll have fun.
clearthinker #153727: Why do I keep getting things wrong?! I know - its because I'm an asshole.

299. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #155153 by Dr Benway on April 4, 2008 at 7:48 am

If there is no God, theology is a non-subject Dodger.

Say, any chance you'll enlighten us with your method of sorting metaphor from literal truth in the Bible?

300. Protests no concern for outspoken atheist

Comment #155126 by Dr Benway on April 4, 2008 at 7:32 am

But it seemed an odd premise, since all the cells in our bodies are constantly renewing themselves and are therefore nowhere near that old.
Not all cells. Boys make new sperm all the time. But the eggs in your ovaries are as old as you are. They decline in quality with each passing year.

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