Why didn’t you remind me it’s Molly time?

October 7th, 2012 by PZ Myers

You probably did, but I’ve been so swamped with outrageous amounts of work I didn’t notice. But I had a little quiet time yesterday, and I remembered! So here we are!

The way this works is that in the comment thread to this post you will put links and quotes and effusive praise for great comments that were left in the month of September. In a few days, I’ll review them and pick a few that I agree were pretty darned great, and then I’ll let you vote on the best comment of September 2012 from my winnowed list.

So remind us all: who said good things last month?

Posted in Admin | 25 comments

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25 comments on this post.

  1. Rodney Nelson:

    October 7th, 2012 at 9:20 am

    I nominate thecynicalromantic for post #313 in the “Yep, that’s the debate right now” thread. Here’s an excerpt:

    Unfortunately, we have multiple stripes of “offenders.” The hardcore misogynist rape-threat-spewing hate-driven trolls are a minority. And if the rest of the community were against them, we might be able to drive them out.

    However, regular old run-of-the-mill “I don’t hate women; that would require paying attention to them, and I’d rather spend my time talking about how smart I am” moderate sexists who don’t really give a shit about doing anything about the trolls… we appear to have a metric fuckton of those. They are really, really not a minority in the movement. They are likely the New Atheist base. And that sort of bullshit enables the really serious MRAs and trolls. Finding out that those people don’t care about us and don’t have our back in the face of mistreatment is disheartening. The oblivious, genteelly sexist types go all the way up to the “leaders” of the movement, to the degree that we have leaders (see: Dawkins mocking Rebecca Watson for pointing out that atheist men can do stupid shit too).

    It’s the best description of the sexism in the atheism movement that we’ve been seeing ever since Rebecca Watson uttered “Guys, don’t do that.”

  2. drosera:

    October 7th, 2012 at 10:24 am

    What, Ichthyic isn’t an OM yet? How unfair. I gladly nominate him for this epic comment:

    What the fucking fuck?

    see?

    surely there must be people actually deserving of the rusty blade/necrotic porcupine treatment?

    I mean, just for irony’s sake alone, I would use it on dross.

    oh, right, I better get to it then:

    Dross…

    may a necrotic porcupine fester, unremovable, in your bowels.

    One never forgets one’s first porcupine.

  3. Brownian:

    October 7th, 2012 at 10:44 am

    What, Ichthyic isn’t an OM yet? How unfair.

    In too much of a hurry to post your smug whinery to do even the most basic of research? He got his the month before I got mine.

    So, is this all you’ve got to contribute? Crying over how mean everyone is to little ol’ ad hominem-spewing, non sequitur-dumping, derailing you?

  4. Olav:

    October 7th, 2012 at 11:06 am

    PZ:

    I’ve been so swamped with outrageous amounts of work

    Work has a way of getting in the way of more worthwhile pursuits like blogging, hasn’t it? ;-)

    Of course your readership is glad for it. Me too. Carry on.

  5. McC2lhu saw what you did there.:

    October 7th, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    Crudely Wrott brought this up in the Lounge last night, but I think a special Molly needs to be given to Lynna for the amazing amount of first rate reporting that she has done, and continues to do. The volume of material she posts would drown a small town newspaper editor, and the amount of mind numbingly awful she brings to our attention without losing her sanity is truly inspirational. I am aware she has a molly already, but this is for all the ”more” she contributes to this space and its discussions.

  6. PZ Myers:

    October 7th, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    Mollies are now awarded to specif comments, not commenters. Suggest a representative comment!

  7. Menyambal --- Sambal's Little Helper:

    October 7th, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    sarc> I want to nominate the troll who popped up in a thread, babbled all sorts of crazy statements, without a speck of supporting evidence, and persuaded the fuck out of me. /sarc

    Which is to say that most people here deserve a Molly.

    Lynna, OM, deserves even more recognition. http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/10/05/lounge-372/comment-page-1/#comment-468062

  8. Chris Clarke:

    October 7th, 2012 at 4:28 pm

    So, is this all you’ve got to contribute? Crying over how mean everyone is to little ol’ ad hominem-spewing, non sequitur-dumping, derailing you?

    Don’t forget sullying the name of a lovely and innocent genus of carnivorous plants.

  9. Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:

    October 7th, 2012 at 4:33 pm

    This comment by Anteprepro is my Molly nom.

  10. Ichthyic:

    October 7th, 2012 at 4:35 pm

    Lynna, OM, deserves even more recognition

    to be clear, not for what is mentioned in the first part of your comment, right?

  11. Ichthyic:

    October 7th, 2012 at 4:37 pm

    One never forgets one’s first porcupine.

    OTOH, people like dross are entirely forgettable.

  12. Ichthyic:

    October 7th, 2012 at 4:38 pm

    I agree about Lynna.

    she has for years, been my go-to source on the whacky world of mormonism. The attack dog I sick on mormon apologists wherever I see them pop.

    she needs something more than a Molly in recognition of that very valuable and tireless service.

    seriously.

  13. strange gods before me ॐ:

    October 7th, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    anteprepro for this reply to Pete Rooke:

    [Pete:] Very droll, I don’t pray to let God in on a secret. I pray to develop a relationship.

    [anteprepro:] “Hi there God. I know I haven’t called in a while. I just assumed, with you being omniscient and all, that you would know what I was up to anyway. Anyway, how’s the kid who is also you? Still perfect in every way? Great.

    I won’t copy it all here. Go read the whole thing!

  14. strange gods before me ॐ:

    October 7th, 2012 at 4:55 pm

    Oh, for the newer readers, some history of Pete Rooke may be helpful.

  15. Menyambal --- Sambal's Little Helper:

    October 7th, 2012 at 5:00 pm

    Ichthyic:

    to be clear, not for what is mentioned in the first part of your comment, right?

    Ha, no. It was a troll I’m not going to link to, not even as an example of trolling.

  16. Menyambal --- Sambal's Little Helper:

    October 7th, 2012 at 5:04 pm

    I’ll second comments #9 and #13 for anteprepro.

    Lovely stuff.

  17. Ichthyic:

    October 7th, 2012 at 5:08 pm

    Ha, no. It was a troll I’m not going to link to, not even as an example of trolling.

    ;)

  18. Merrily Dancing Ape:

    October 7th, 2012 at 6:31 pm

    Oh, hey, I like that. I’ll second the vote in #9 for Anteprepro.

  19. Jerry:

    October 7th, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    Yes, I remember Anteprepro’s comment, so I also strongly concur with Katherine’s recommendation in comment #9. Definitely Molly-worthy.

  20. blogofmyself:

    October 7th, 2012 at 8:36 pm

    I want to nominate Improbable Joe’s comment #393 in Lounge 364. Here’s an excerpt:

    …funny how all these various and sundry assclowns “care” about women’s issues when it comes to drawing a dividing line between them and their opponents, and then magically find those issues out-of-bounds as soon as it becomes an internal discussion.

    It’s an incredibly succinct comment, but I think it’s rather effective.

  21. chigau (悲しい):

    October 7th, 2012 at 11:37 pm

    anteprepro
    “Hi there God…”
    http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/09/25/around-ftb-4/comment-page-1/#comment-462438
    and
    Crip Dyke
    “As for judges and dispassion:”
    http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/09/11/what-can-you-do-about-a-rebellious-woman-who-will-not-submit-to-her-husbands-authority/comment-page-1/#comment-453395

  22. SQB:

    October 8th, 2012 at 3:01 am

    I nominate Chris Kluwe’s epic “Lustful Cockmonster Letter”, his response to Emmett C. Burns Jr.’s call to censor fellow NFL player Brendon Ayanbadejo endorsement of same-sex marriage. I don’t give a shit he’s not a commenter on Pharyngula; he should be a blogger on FTB!

    No choice excerpts; here’s the complete thing in all its glory!

    Dear Emmett C. Burns Jr.,

    I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of Maryland’s state government. Your vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed and disgusted to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy at any level. The views you espouse neglect to consider several fundamental key points, which I will outline in great detail (you may want to hire an intern to help you with the longer words):

    1. As I suspect you have not read the Constitution, I would like to remind you that the very first, the VERY FIRST Amendment in this founding document deals with the freedom of speech, particularly the abridgment of said freedom. By using your position as an elected official (when referring to your constituents so as to implicitly threaten the Ravens organization) to state that the Ravens should “inhibit such expressions from your employees,” more specifically Brendon Ayanbadejo, not only are you clearly violating the First Amendment, you also come across as a narcissistic fromunda stain. What on earth would possess you to be so mind-boggingly stupid? It baffles me that a man such as yourself, a man who relies on that same First Amendment to pursue your own religious studies without fear of persecution from the state, could somehow justify stifling another person’s right to speech. To call that hypocritical would be to do a disservice to the word. Mindfucking obscenely hypocritical starts to approach it a little bit.

    2. “Many of your fans are opposed to such a view and feel it has no place in a sport that is strictly for pride, entertainment, and excitement.” Holy fucking shitballs. Did you seriously just say that, as someone who’s “deeply involved in government task forces on the legacy of slavery in Maryland”? Have you not heard of Kenny Washington? Jackie Robinson? As recently as 1962 the NFL still had segregation, which was only done away with by brave athletes and coaches daring to speak their mind and do the right thing, and you’re going to say that political views have “no place in a sport”? I can’t even begin to fathom the cognitive dissonance that must be coursing through your rapidly addled mind right now; the mental gymnastics your brain has to tortuously contort itself through to make such a preposterous statement are surely worthy of an Olympic gold medal (the Russian judge gives you a 10 for “beautiful oppressionism”).

    3. This is more a personal quibble of mine, but why do you hate freedom? Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you? How does gay marriage, in any way shape or form, affect your life? If gay marriage becomes legal, are you worried that all of a sudden you’ll start thinking about penis? “Oh shit. Gay marriage just passed. Gotta get me some of that hot dong action!” Will all of your friends suddenly turn gay and refuse to come to your Sunday Ticket grill-outs? (Unlikely, since gay people enjoy watching football too.)

    I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your children. They won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won’t even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population—rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children. You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you?

    In closing, I would like to say that I hope this letter, in some small way, causes you to reflect upon the magnitude of the colossal foot in mouth clusterfuck you so brazenly unleashed on a man whose only crime was speaking out for something he believed in. Best of luck in the next election; I’m fairly certain you might need it.

    Sincerely,
    Chris Kluwe

    P.S. I’ve also been vocal as hell about the issue of gay marriage so you can take your “I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing” and shove it in your close-minded, totally lacking in empathy piehole and choke on it. Asshole.

  23. theophontes (坏蛋):

    October 8th, 2012 at 4:00 am

    @ SQB

    Hehe. I enjoyed that letter. For GAWD ™ ‘s sake don’t read the responses though. (The catlicks: “Think of Teh CHILDREN!!!)

    We could of course create a reward for non-pharyngulites as a show of support (actually a nefarious ploy to lure them in, but I digress) for their work on behalf of the cause.

    “Keys to the Thunderdome”    , or something…?

  24. theophontes (坏蛋):

    October 8th, 2012 at 4:01 am

    reward award

    (Though we could finance a few Pharyngula coffee/beer mugs from the slush fund… ne pas?)

  25. opposablethumbs:

    October 9th, 2012 at 8:10 am

    Love the idea of sending Chris Kluwe some kind of Pharyngular expression of appreciation, should our Squidly Overlord deem it meet, even though he’s not a Horder; his writing is bloody fine stuff.