Last year, I mocked this extraordinarily stupid joke and the radio host who told it. I guess the radio personality was still feeling the sting — either that, or he wanted the traffic — since he brought it up again today, and also complained about the way I ridiculed the Maine Republican party platform (Remember that one? No gay marriage, global warming is a myth, Austrian economics, immediate arrest of all illegal aliens, etc.?)
So now he wants to know what you think of that teabaggin’ Republican platform. He thinks it is just ducky. Most of his listeners agree. I think he’s about to discover that the rest of the world thinks he’s a lunatic.
Does This Sound Wingnutty To You?
Count me as a wingnut — that all sounds fine by me!
84.34 %
These tea-bagger ideas are crazier than Ron Paul is — and THAT’S pretty crazy!
15.66 %
Maybe? Oh noes, uncertainty!
C’mon, Scott Voorhees: I thought you teabaggers had the balls to stand up for your convictions.
Yet another reason that the teabaggers’ official colour should be yellow.
Oh, oh! He caught a typo in your original post (and made a point of pointing it out). I think (he thinks) that completely invalidates your argument! (Now I’d better check this for typos.)
[I’ve voted in the poll and will vote again from my school address. Time to show the wingnut some reality-based love.](
He wouldn’t dare run a poll asking if he, or his sanctimonious joke, were funny.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p
Oh yeah, that joke. Nothing says infinite love and compassion like assault and battery.
Well that’s weird, The first time I went to the site it didn’t let me vote. Then it did twice and now it won’t anymore.
*cracks knuckles*
You think they would have learned by now.
Does This Sound Wingnutty To You?
Count me as a wingnut — that all sounds fine by me!
48.08 %
These tea-bagger ideas are crazier than Ron Paul is — and THAT’S pretty crazy!
51.92 %
Like Doug Little, I didn’t get to vote first time. If this happens, come out and try again. Sanity is nearing 60% now.
Just keep refreshing the page and voting. It’s up to 60/40 split now.
It appears he’s already disabled the poll, once the side of sanity crept up past 50%. that’s what, 10 minutes or so? That must be some sort of record.
I think he may have disabled the poll. When I went to the site, it showed the poll results, but there were no buttons for voting.
If you get the results instead of the poll, open up a new browser window and copy-paste the link.
I suspect that there’s a “referrer/no” from scienceblogs as a ham-handed attempt to prevent our voting.
Twit.
Yup! Typical chickenshit teabagger. All for democracy when the result goes his way, but crying to the Supreme Court when it looks like it might not. Fucking limpdick.
I suspect the site is just having problems with the amount of traffic and voting. I just went back and forth a couple of times until I got the poll rather than results.
Better yet, how about a poll asking whether Scott Voorhees stop hiding behind his “right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot” on the radio, and join the Marines he loves so much.
How about it, Scott? Or are you only as tough as the soldiers you hide behind, you chickenshit?
(I must admit to a certain bias here. My dad was one of these ‘tough-guy’ conservatives, and he sure was a toughie to the women and children in the house. One day I’d had enough of his physical abuse and intimidation, and I laid him out with the only punch I’ve ever thrown in anger. Of course he hid behind the cops once he realised he couldn’t shit-kick with impugnity anymore. But he sure ‘liberalled’ up in a hurry after that incident. Then it was all about ‘talking through our issues.’ I’m pretty sure 99% of these empty-scroted yapping dogs are similarly cowardly, as evinced by their miniscule rates of military service. I have nothing but contempt for these shitheads.)
He is definitely trying to block anyone coming from this site. The attempt is rather pointless since all you have to do is paste the url. Works fine if you do that.
Maybe the site is not allowing to vote if you have been redirected fron Pharyngula :) I was able to vote when I copied and pasted the link.
Elitist? What a dumbass.
It would do to remind him of Miss Manners’ definition of elitism: “The espousal of any standard but the lowest.”
Sanity is just over 70% now. 70.54% to be exact.
Thats strange, the link seemed to work for me, and I voted when it was past 70%, maybe it is a traffic issue after all?
They have a clumsy referral blocker, just copy-paste the URL and you’ll be fine. There’s also this addon for Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1999/
They also don’t have any sort of IP or cookie filter controlling how many times one can vote. So very open to abuse.
Pointless poll, indeed. But what would you call a poll that lets you vote as many times as you like?
What would you call any internet poll?
Not sure, but a poll that doesn’t let you vote if you vote the wrong way is called a win for GWB in Florida.
It doesn’t look like he needed much help.
75:25 in favor of the people who think he’s a wingnut, last time I checked…
re 26:
yes, exactly 25.00% and 75.00%, seems fishy to me.
It appears to have peaked out at 75/25, accurate to two decimal points. Coincidence, I am sure
Too bad it doesn’t show the number of votes. I’d like to see how many people voted initially for the first option. At any rate, it looks like Scotty “Empty Teabag” Voorhees isn’t the voice of the people he likes to think he is.
There’s no option for “I was a Ron Paul supporter for years, but I wouldn’t touch your platform with someone else’s ten-foot pole”, but that would totally be me.
Re: 26,27,28
Something fishy there. I’ve seen it come up a couple of times exactly 25.00 to 75.00 even after the sane choice was higher.
If you’re interested in cheating:
http://www.kfab.com/cc-common/polling_tool/insertPoll.php?poll_id=159960&optionID=746843
for the sane option. Replace “76843” with “76842” if you want to flood the dumb one.
Count me as a wingnut — that all sounds fine by me!
19.82 %
These tea-bagger ideas are crazier than Ron Paul is — and THAT’S pretty crazy!
80.18 %
Appears to still be alive.
I got 19.77% and 80.23%.
I’m attempting to understand the jargon used by these American wingnuts. There are a few words and phrases that come up again and again, and two are present in the text that accompanies the poll.
First he calls PZ a “bleeding-heart” – which seems to be a very common thing for American right wingers to call those to the left of them. I guess that it is meant to be an insult and that it means something like “He actually cares about people other than himself – what an idiotic bleeding-heart liberal”?
Well, anyway, the term I hear even more often, and which I have no idea about what they mean by in their context, is “elitist”. The guy calls PZ elitist and I have no idea what that means here. How is elitism connected to the quote he has from PZ?
Is “elitist” now a word completely void of meaning which they just automatically attach to anyone they disagree with? Or am I missing some point he has in calling PZ a “liberal-elitist”?
I just successfully voted. The good guys (i.e. us) are now over 88%.
It’s a hat tip to the anti-intellectualism that thrives throughout the American right wing.
Anyone who is highly educated is an elitist and thereby out of touch with joe-six pack ‘Merican. It is also a way to try and tie liberals to the Hollywood “elite” who are completely unconnected with the plight of the average working American.
While none of the above may be true, it’s the lie that the right winger “elite” have to push to keep their followers punch drunk enough to not realize how badly they are getting fucked by the true elite. The corporate shilling ultra rich and their trained monkeys who they help get elected so they can keep consolidating both wealth and power.
This is two nutty premises in one. One not only has to first accept the notion that global warming is a myth, but one then has to go farther and believe that there is some kind of conspiracy between government and industry to falsely promote the concept of global warming.
Wait a minute! I thought that the climate change deniers were associated with certain industries, mostly fossil-fuel-related. So why would the Maine platform disparage the role of industry in framing this issue? Do they have any idea of what they’re talking about?
@Zabinatrix – In this case I think elitist stands for “has an advanced degree”. The uneducated project their own inferiority complex onto the educated, assuming that if you have a college degree you must think you are “better” than someone with only a high school diploma.
One of the funny (ironic?) things about the use of “bleeding heart” as a pejorative is its relation to the classic Catholic devotion to the “Sacred Heart of Jesus.” The Sacred Heart is typically depicted as wrapped in thorns (looks unpleasant) and bleeding. It is therefore particularly inappropriate when Catholic thugs like Bill Donohue use it. They’re criticizing someone for being too much like Jesus.
Think about it: PZ is too much like Jesus.
“Elitist” is just the same old schoolyard taunt “smarty-pants.” And yes, like all of the other taunts out there, is empty of meaning and is just a way of separating “us” from “them”.
It’s also primarily used to indicate that someone is out of touch with the average ‘murrican, because most of us are, um, dumb? I don’t know, it really doesn’t make sense. But it doesn’t have to when it’s just a form of name calling. Might as well be poopy-heads.
No!
I’ve always found that insult to be rather telling, and one no intelligent person would ever make the mistake of using.
It’s an interesting way to say something good about another person and something rather poor about yourself, while making it sound insulting.
For the person using it, bleeding heart = gives a shit about the plight of other people = nothing they’re remotely interested in.
Is that really something you want to boast about?
@ Zabinatrix
I suspect ‘elitist’ is now applied to anyone with a decent education :-(
Oh, Internet Poll, did you really think you could escape, or that you’d be of any use to your dunderheaded master?
BTW, I’ve been able to vote after redirection from the above link – don’t know if it’s my work or what.
Count me as a wingnut — that all sounds fine by me!
14.93 %
These tea-bagger ideas are crazier than Ron Paul is — and THAT’S pretty crazy!
85.07 %
“While none of the above may be true, it’s the lie that the right winger “elite” have to push to keep their followers punch drunk enough to not realize how badly they are getting fucked by the true elite. The corporate shilling ultra rich and their trained monkeys who they help get elected so they can keep consolidating both wealth and power.”
Could we get that as an option on this poll describing the Maine Republican platform?
Looking over the poll options again on this poll and the torture one from last year, I think I may have found another sub-definition of “elitist”: “Capable of modes of speech and writing OTHER THAN conversational bee-essin’ with my drinkin’ buddies.”
I still prefer the Get Your War On definition of “elitist” though: “Not the dumbest motherfucker in the room.”
@31: Oh my god. Are they seriously submitting votes via GET instead of POST? I think the poll deserves to be crashed simply on the basis of horrible design.
Like a site that doesn’t sanitize its input is begging for a nice little SQL injection.
@Zeno
My dad has a t-shirt of Jesus/the Sacred Heart with the words “Bleeding Heart Liberal” written underneath.
Something like this: http://www.zazzle.com/bleeding_heart_liberal_jesus_flyer-244831144805368579
Unfortunately, it’s marked as not working with Firefox 3.6.3 (the latest version).
From Celtic_Evolution at #42,
I believe there is a little more to it than just that.
There is a phrase which still crops up on occasion, “My heart bleeds for you.” It suggests that you feel emotional pain at the description of the troubles/pains of others. (It’s often used satirically to mean quite the opposite.)
The phrase, “bleeding-heart” is applied pejoratively to suggest that the person feels too much emotion, so much emotion that it blinds that person to reality.
A bleeding-heart liberal is someone who feels such strong emotions when they are exposed to other people’s problems that they are no longer in touch with reality. At least that’s what the conservatives are trying to claim.
There are some rather vicious undercurrents within this phrase which imply that;
1) People in need are there for a reason; i.e. they screwed up, they didn’t work hard enough, they made poor life-style choices, they are the wrong race, religion, gender, ethnicity, etc. Choose whichever bigoted opinion suits the subject. Thus, a bleeding-heart liberal is blinded by their emotional response to the ‘fact’* that these people belong where they are.
2) There is a commonly belief that helping out the needy prevents them from bettering themselves. They will come to rely on charity. Requiring the poor to work is the best thing for them. A bleeding-heart liberal, giving them all the food and shelter (and now health care) that the needy need is actually acting against the best interest of the poor. (Blinded to the ‘reality’* that the poor are better off without charity.)
3) That because the down-to-earth people are indifferent to helping people who need help, said bleeding-heart liberals are going to try to force them to help the needy, mainly by raising taxes on the rich and providing state support to the needy. Thus increasing the size of government and impoverishing the nation. Again, the bleeding-heart liberal is blinded by their emotions to the ‘reality’* that helping the poor will hurt the rest of society through higher taxation.
*’fact’ and ‘reality’ in scare quotes to be clear that I don’t agree with them.
Zabinatrix @ #34:
Yes. In fact, the biggest insult you can hurl at someone in the US is “liberal.” It means: this person doesn’t believe in exactly the same things I do, and therefore does not deserve to breathe air.
Flex –
I agree with all that you said in #51, and am aware that that’s what’s ostensibly being portrayed when a right winger uses the term “bleeding heart”… what I was getting at is more that I believe that the truth of it is, quite simply, bleeding-heart = gives a shit about other people, and they simply couldn’t give a damn and don’t think anyone else should either, because as we all know only lazy, manipulative drug abusing thieves are so badly off that they require the assistance of the government to live a decent life.
I’ve been called a “bleeding-heart liberal” for supporting even the most basic social programs and efforts…
Fuck, I’ve been called a “bleeding heart liberal” for daring to suggest that employers might have some motivation to pay employees as little as they can, women might have the right to decide whether to be pregnant, and that it might be a good idea to promote the general welfare and ensure the blessings of liberty to the nation by trying to make sure everyone is healthy enough to enjoy the privileges of citizenship.
I have obeyed out Overload’s command and voted in the poll.
Celtic_Evolution,
I did realize when writing that I might be giving the impression that I thought you didn’t recognize the implications of the term.
That was not my intent, and I’m sorry if it came across that way. My post was not a suggestion that you were unaware of the all the meanings of the term, but an expansion of your definition for those who were asking about it.
The phrase ‘bleeding-heart liberal’ is a fnord for conservatives and liberals alike. It used as a pejorative by the conservatives to suggest that the subject of their abuse can no longer see reality. It raises the hackles of liberals who see reality all too clearly and are angered at the implications of the phrase.
If you can, over time, change the meaning of the phrase to suggest that it’s really the flint-hearted conservatives who are blind to reality more power to you.
Check this out for a laugh:
http://www.theintercessors.com/index.php
You can enter your “prayer” and then see the other ones that have been left.
Oh and don’t attempt to use proper punctuation,for some reason it won’t take it. I’m not kidding.
Seems there are a few people that post the same prayers almost everyday. One girl seems to be getting it on with “David” on the weekend and wants our prayers that it will keep on going, lol.
Flex –
No worries… we’re on the same page.
Had to jump on board finally for this one. Checked out Pharyngula in the past and couldn’t contain myself no longer, no how – poor grammar intended.
It is very encouraging that a pole, thought by the originator to be tucked away out of harms reach and far from the reason that so plagues the advancement of bullshit, can be pounced on by places like this.
A true candle in the dark, Pharyngula.
Glad to be given an opportunity to be counted as one of the bleeding hearts.
The poll’s up to less than 10% for the numbnuts and his neuronally-challenged teabagger pals. Perhaps they should amend the Maine GOP’s platform to include an investigation between gubmint and PZ Myers to fuck with online polls.
Oh, and Scotty? If you’re reading this and wondering why we decided to kick your prissy little ass around in your poll; maybe you should consider that God sent us, you douche.
We;re only up to 91.7 %. Damn, guess we’re getting slow or lazy.
It’s like what I tell anyone that gets “concerned” about cheating in these polls: exploiting the flaws to expose them isn’t dishonest. Pretending a flawed poll means something is.
a’ or ‘1’=’1
Does This Sound Wingnutty To You?
Count me as a wingnut — that all sounds fine by me!
6.98 %
These tea-bagger ideas are crazier than Ron Paul is — and THAT’S pretty crazy!
93.02 %
Or Ohio. Or, probably, West Virginia, to name just one…
The poll is apparently closed, at 7.06 % : 92.94 %.
#64 why do you think it’s closed? See #63.
I just voted (via I Has a Hotdog—cute poster here for dog lovers) and it’s now over 93% for sanity.
I did my bit! Wingnuts down to 6.46% and dropping…
Hello to the gathered Pharyngulites! I have been lurking for a couple weeks and finally decided to sign up and jump in. Hi, PZ! Big teddy bear fan over here! Not so big on the fuzzy sweaters and bowties, though. :)
Janey Mack
Welcome. Just watch where you jump. The Pullet Patrol™ has been wandering more than normal since the Princess of Pullets became distracted…
@ Janey Mack #67
Go get ’em.
As a Mainer, I must unfortunately report that the Republicans are being even more embarrassing than was reported in national news. The Knox county delegation was using a school classroom for a meeting area during their convention. They stole a poster, searched the room, and left nasty notes. And then they collectively gave one of those fantastic nonpologies that tried to pretend they didn’t do anything wrong.
Here’s a link to the relevant Bangor Daily News article.
Scott Voorhees?
Any relation to Jason, perchance?
Sanity now up to 95.98%. I wonder how long it will take the loon to whinge about sane people voting in his poll?
well done PZ – another lunatic Pharyngulated – just jumped over 96%
Had to copy and paste the URL to vote. Must have dropped 1/2% since it was at 95.5%
That prayer site is awful. Ugh. Depressing in any number of ways.
There’s something like that in Catholicism…. in order to ask a saint of choice for favours, one has to publish a prayer in a local newspaper for 3 weekends running or some such.
I only vaguely remember this, because it’s been yonks since I had anything to do with the RCC.
I don’t know if Jesus has a racket going with the newspapers or what.
But I would guess that posting on a free website wouldn’t cut it for the Cat-lickers to get considered for miracles; I’m pretty sure that part of the task is giving up hard-earned money.
Speaking of amnesty, from Dan Savage’s blog.
from coolmoss:
“Had to jump on board finally for this one. Checked out Pharyngula in the past and couldn’t contain myself no longer, no how – poor grammar intended.
It is very encouraging that a pole, thought by the originator to be tucked away out of harms reach and far from the reason that so plagues the advancement of bullshit, can be pounced on by places like this.
A true candle in the dark, Pharyngula.
Glad to be given an opportunity to be counted as one of the bleeding hearts.”
Exactly. I live in Omaha and occasionally listen to Scott, and I appreciate a number of things he says, though sometimes he can be little more than a sycophant (like here. his base audience is…conservative nebraskans. to his credit you almost have to be a hard-line con to have a talk show here)
It’s the times where he mutters exactly what Glenn Beck or Palin would say, when his words go unchecked, that I can only think “what good does this do for Nebraska?” all it does is reinforce the backwardness that way too many here are proud to “progress”. I genuinely like Scott, but his ass needs to be put to the fire when he spews incendiary barbs like this. If he truly believes what he says, then being “pharyngulated” shouldn’t phase him. Otherwise, he should wake his lazy-ass up and stop parroting party lines for listeners.
I love your links to wingnutty polls. Everytime I see one I go to the link. At the time of your post the nuts are always running way ahead. By the time I get there the pharyngulistas have overwhelmed the numbers to make the nutters a significant minority. When I did this one it was like 93% for the sane vote. Good job P.Z.
Ok.. I have been lurking and this is my first post.
What really confuses me (especially after reading about the Bat Sex post,) about these ‘Tea Baggers’ is this: Why are they going around calling themselves after an oral sex act? (or a favorite drunken fratboy photo opp) Also – Why are people not pointing this out to the Right Wing “wingnut” sexphobes more?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_bag_(sexual_act)
I am pretty sure this slang meaning was around before the right wing extreemists took it.
I want a T-shirt that says “Teabagging = Fellatio”
I guess we could also submit that Bats have been proven to be teabaggers.