Comments

  3. changeable moniker says

    makeup/nail-polish […] femme-paints

    I got some Goths in the corner who’ve taken offense. ;)

  4. says

    Dhorvath – “Horses seem scary, I think it’s the one eye treatment they always give me just before whickering.”

    Ahh, the Frau Blucher treatment.
    +++++++++++++++
    Minnie – “tight lack leather” is my favorite kind. Also, too, if it’s black.

  5. Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart OM, liar and scoundrel says

    I ate so much that I think my innie is now an outie.

    I really REALLY don’t want to go to work tomorrow. :(

  6. Carlie says

    That was a great dance!

    The family illness has spread. Child 2 and I both have been feeling poorly all afternoon and evening, and didn’t eat anything at all the rest of the day after the big lunch (which was just a single normal plate each for us, which was still more than the other two managed to get down). Hopefully the fact that it’s spreading fast means it will also go away fast.

  11. says

    Sorry to contaminate TET with this, but it’s more about my feelings about the issue than the issue itself…

    Okay folks, I’m not planning to go back into the latest crapstorm. I can only take so much and this is really disturbing for me. I can’t express how disappointed I am with PZ’s latest. All these guys, supposedly friends and allies, and they’re all just the same old sexist jerks: Dawkins, Mehta, Laden, and now PZ too. It just hurts. It’s like there’s nowhere left.

  17. Philip Legge says

    Ibis3, this isn’t the first time PZ has missed the ostensible point – which to me, was the complete unreasonableness of the disproportionate reaction that ensued from an observation of a sexist trope portrayed in the comic (comment #2, “Please tell me… Because that would truly suck.” comment #11, “Fuck you. Paranoid killjoy.”)

    The predictable thing is the trolls dig themselves into their reason-proof bunker. And then derail the thread harder and harder, with longer and longer defenses of their original blather. And it happens over and over and over again.

    What trolls rarely do is to stop doubling down on the offence and admit they’re wrong – one guy who had said some silly things early on in the piece did make a belated apology that he’d contributed nothing worthwhile and had only served to continue the needless derail and escalation. Good for him.

    Otherwise, this male obliviousness (and sadly, it is very frequently posters with masculine names/nyms) is a characteristic property of these sorts of feminism and sexism-related thread derails: “you’re oversensitive”, “but that happens to men also”, and “you’re as bad as the others are” were all on derailing duty; and we even had a round of Oppression Olympics and the chronic stupidity of “the word ‘cunt’ isn’t a gendered slur where I live so what’s the problem with me using it on the Internet?”, until PZ closed off the train-wreck with yet another derail: “don’t you have more important things to be getting on with?” Arrrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh.

  20. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    With just the two of us, the Redhead cooked a turkey breast and four legs. After dinner, I deboned and cut the remaining meat into small shreds/cubes for the pasties, which are scheduled for Saturday. Her version uses parsnips and rutabagas along with potatoes, onions, and carrots. Also made some turkey gravy, as pasties are a bit dry without gravy or ketchup. There was also some mention of tetrazini with any leftover turkey, including some in the freezer. I think I’m gaining weight just thinking about it.

  21. happiestsadist says

    Beatrice: I rarely wear red, but when I do, I always wonder why I don’t more often. I usually go for silvers/greys/blues for polish. I also recently discovered that I like a French manicure, provided the nails are natural and not crazy-long. And the colours are weird. I tried one the other day for the first time, with Uncanny Valley Peach (my skin colour) and silver chrome tips. It’s a cute lethal-cyborg look. And I did it freehand, Aww yeah. Still need to use reinforcement stickers for a half-moon mani, though.

    Cicely: I love all manner of pigments on skin, so butterflies on the face are definitely cool. :) If I went out like I used to, butterflies would feature more.

    Also, it seems I have broken a few asshole’s brains with my gender. Moar than two? How can this be?! Bear is driving!?

  22. says

    @ Lipwig

    Your linky: “The URL contained a malformed video ID.”

    Kak news from SA. That is an old RWA tactic to cover corruption. (And since when can a court case not be held on camera when sensitive information is being discussed. Now everything (Streisand Effect) will get posted to international media rather than getting resolved within the country.

    @ Therrin

    Computers can turn off?

    Heretic!

  23. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    Your barley-pop of choice tonight?

    Had an Allagash Hugh Malone Belgian IPA and then a couple dogfish head Immort ales.

    now…. whisky

  25. says

    I am jealous, Reverend BDC.

    Yah, me too. The Dogfish Head Immortal Ale seems like a really good one. Alas, no can get in the Blasted Wasteland™ of North Dakota.

    Blasted Wasteland™ owned by Jadehawk. Used without permission.

  27. says

    Ibis3, I’m sorry about what’s happened to your hopes here. I was reminded last year that the only rationalization I can maintain for being here is that among the celebrity atheists, this guy is the least worst. Today has been another reminder that I’m safest when I remain pessimistic and wholly distrustful.

  28. happiestsadist says

    You could strike relaxation and comfort, with some anxiety if red wine is being drunk, Ariaflame.

  29. happiestsadist says

    Ibis3: As much as it really depresses me, I kind of agree. I think Ahs is correct in terms of a less crushing attitude to have. Cautiously pessimistic?

  34. Crudely Wrott says

    Right now I am Khaki Space Heater, able to calm the shivers and warm the cockles.

    Earlier, on a trip to market featuring a round about and (quasi) random return trip, I was Khaki Eldest Daughter. (She graced the passenger seat.) In this incarnation I am able to instill a sense of deep wonder in anyone who gazes at her beauty, poise and all around delightfulness contrasted with my craggy countenance and dubious demeanor.

    Such are life’s small graces.

    Hope all who feasted and thanked have had a fine and memorable day. For those who need it, Tums are available via USB magic by entering the secret code.

  35. says

    After reading through some of original bunny sexism thread, I’m pretty disappointed with how PZ reacted.

    PZ said:

    I refuse to consider their sex until they are stripped, flipped over, and I get to poke around with a teeny-tiny toy speculum.

    I thought this statement was particularly ridiculous. If you saw a person wearing female clothes (in a way that indicates that’s what they normally wear, and they’re not cross dressing for fun) you would probably assume the person is female (or would like to be considered female).
    Or, if you like to stick to toys, you know toy dolls are male or female mostly based on what they’re wearing (toy makers generally don’t like to make mini genitalia on their children’s toys).

    Sorry I’m so late to catch up with this (it’s the holidays and all) and sorry I posted it here. I just wanted to share my disappointment and it was already talked about up thread.

  36. happiestsadist says

    I have now become my even more terrifying form: The Green Cup-of-Hot-Spiced-Soy-Milk-Because-Fuck-Insomnia.

  37. happiestsadist says

    Quite right, StarStuff. Stripping and speculum-ing me would result in an incorrect answer and blood EVERYWHERE.

    I was also deeply disappointed.

  38. Pteryxx says

    StarStuff! …it’s horrible of me, but now I kinda want to see what happens if you blog about this. >_> I’d bet it turns into another 40-commenter…

  40. happiestsadist says

    Oh, and Pteryxx: I just have to say that you are all kinds of awesome, and maybe I get a little happier every time you comment.

  41. happiestsadist says

    Discovering StarStuff’s blog is not helping my insomnia. In the best possible way, though.

  44. says

    I should be asleep because I have work again tonight, but just saw this :

    Ibuprofen is quite a bit safer than Aspirin, considering the reversible nature of the antiplatelet effects

    Citation needed for the first part, and “this is incorrect” for the second part of that sentence. Since when is the antiplatelet effect reversible ? If it was, we wouldn’t have people bleeding out who are on the stuff.

  45. The Laughing Coyote (Papio Cynocephalus) says

    I admit to being a bit out of the loop but what did PZ do now?

    It sounds to me, from what I’m gleaning here, like another reminder that no human being should be held up on a pedestal and expected to be 100 percent perfect and consistent all the time.

    We’re all just tool using apes after all. It’s not like we’re made in the image of some god or something.

  46. Pteryxx says

    *blush* thanks, happiestsadist and StarStuff! I guess the overlap of art critique and gender coding just fell perfectly in my strike zone tonight.

  47. says

    I deliberated on it for a while then I let the Internets decide. I did a few searches to confirm my suspicions: women are more likely to believe in god… so girl bunny lost this round.

    Now THAT’s a smoking gun. OK, point accepted: the cartoon was originally made with part of the point being perpetuation of a sexist stereotype gleaned from the internet. In light of the evidence, I change my mind.

    What was the guy thinking? He let the internets decide? Stupid. And then he puts another datum on the internets to further bias the case.

    All is well(ish). PZ admits that this cartoon presents sexist stereotypes!

  48. says

    @ happiestsadist

    If you don’t mind, I’d like to use this bit that you said in the other thread for my post about the sexist bunnies:

    Nude adorable toy bunnies, green/yellow/purple/peach speech bubbles, and we’d have all agreed on a cute comic being pretty excellent.

    Sexism is why we can’t have nice things.

  49. says

    Good morning
    Yes, those bunny-threads are disappointing.
    I’m getting definite coffee-vibes:
    Oh, but the bunny in pants could be a girl, too! How sexist of us to think that only because of dress/trousers-pink/blue they are boy-girl!

    Hey, see the upside: All the regulars were cool and good from the beginning

  53. Beatrice says

    happiestsadist,
    I don’t play with combining colors much. French manicure looks great, but I usually don’t have enough patience to do it properly. And I keep my nails pretty long, so I like them just in bright colors. French looks better on shorter nails, as you said. That last combination, peach + silver sounds great.
    My latest fad : dark green.

  54. pelamun says

    Well, I’ve said in the past that having a super-majority of parliament elect supreme court judges would safeguard against the politicisation of the judicial selection process, but today such a super-majority elected a former state governor to be one of Germany’s constitutional court judges. He is actually one of the very very few politicians from the conservative party I’ve respected (but maybe Giliell can tell us if the guy did some not sooo great stuff locally, seeing as it’s her ex-governor), but it’s troubling that they’d elect a former politician irrespective of their accomplishments in the field of law.

    However, here’s another good thing, in Germany they don’t hold get to be constitutional judges for life, but for one term of 12 years (or they have to step down once they turn 68, but can stay on until a successor is elected). So if he turns out to be a blatantly partisan and/or incompetent judge, he’ll be gone after that.

    (No link because this didn’t get reported in the English language media as far as I can see)

  55. pelamun says

    but it’s troubling that they’d elect a former politician irrespective of their accomplishments in the field of law.

    please replace “irrespective of” with “even if they have”

  56. says

    Well, I’ve said in the past that having a super-majority of parliament elect supreme court judges would safeguard against the politicisation of the judicial selection process, but today such a super-majority elected a former state governor to be one of Germany’s constitutional court judges. He is actually one of the very very few politicians from the conservative party I’ve respected (but maybe Giliell can tell us if the guy did some not sooo great stuff locally, seeing as it’s her ex-governor), but it’s troubling that they’d elect a former politician irrespective of their accomplishments in the field of law.

    Aaaargh, I’ll have to continue the “Fremdschämen” for 12 more years.
    I have no respect for him at all. Populist, conservative, corrupt, tax-money wasting liar.
    Not so cool things he did: Actually breaking the state constitution.
    During the last state election he and his administration used the official government publications to remind people how great his government actually is. Yep, they got convicted and had to pay for the publication and a fine.
    The constant waste of tax-payer money on their buddies and prestige objects while the state-employees are facing severe cuts is another thing and don’t get me even started on education
    His relevant experiences as a judge are neglegible, he was, and is, a conservative politician.
    I don’t trust him one iota to uphold the constitution if it gets in the way of his party.

  57. SteveV says

    Vileness
    Via vanitas (PET)

    “We are not the Healer; God is the Healer. Never a sickness God cannot heal. Never a disease God cannot cure. Never a burden God cannot bear. Never a problem God cannot solve.

    “To His power, nothing is impossible. We have not done anything to bring about healing, deliverance or prosperity. If somebody is healed, it is God who heals.

    “We must have a genuine desire if we come to God. We are not in position to question anybody’s genuine desire. Only God knows if one comes with true desire. Only God can determine this.

    “That is why, if anybody comes in the name of God, we pray for them. The outcome of the prayer will determine if they come genuinely or not.”

    (From the story)

  58. Birger Johansson says

    “I have no respect for him at all. Populist, conservative, corrupt, tax-money wasting liar.”

    -What is a Republican doing in Germany?

    — — —
    A way to avoid unnecessary controversies: Next time you have dolls acting out anthropomorphic roles, have the female bunny replaced by an Alien. And the other one -being the champion of secular reason and science- should be Ripley. Or have the woo championed by Mulder and the reason by Scully.

  60. says

    he was, and is, a conservative politician.

    No doubt about that. Hence my qualification “one of the very, very few”. When Roland Koch conducted his blatantly xenophobic campaign for governor of Hesse and not only got away with it, but even won the elections, I was so aggravated that I told my friends that I wouldn’t date anyone who was a member of the conservative party….

    I mean, from all the Pacto Andino (Catholic West German male circle waiting to succeed the “eternal chancellor” Helmut Kohl, only to be outmaneuvered by a Protestant, East German woman) members, I think Peter Müller and Christian Wulff were the least bad of the bunch… I guess P.M. succeeded in projecting a moderate and competent image nationally, sorry to hear what he did locally.

    Birger, there’s no German party, except for the Hessian fringe of the CDU, and maybe some parts of the CSU that even come close to the madness that is the G.O.P.

    If you want to get a brain freeze by looking at crazy Michelle Bachmann like German politicians at the national level, have a look at

    – Norbert Geis, CSU
    – Martin Hohmann, CDU (Hesse), though he was thrown out of the party.
    – Alfred Dregger, CDU (Hesse), though he finally died in 2002. Good riddance.

  61. says

    Via Right Wing Watch:

    Pat Robertson – Is Mac and Cheese a “Black Thing”?

    Pat Robertson continued to amuse on The 700 Club today, asking host Kristi Watts following her interview with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, “What is this ‘mac and cheese,’ is that a black thing?” Watts and Rice agreed during the interview that macaroni and cheese is their favorite Thanksgiving dish. Robertson said that he never had macaroni and cheese and seemed utterly confused as to what it was.

  62. says

    Coyote:

    It sounds to me, from what I’m gleaning here, like another reminder that no human being should be held up on a pedestal and expected to be 100 percent perfect and consistent all the time.

    I can’t speak for anyone else, but I don’t have PZ on a pedestal and I’ve never expected him to be perfect. In the bunny thread, however, it was more like Pod PZ. It’s hard to describe, but there’s a reason some of us are feeling deep disappointment over the whole thing.

    SteveV:

    Never a sickness God cannot heal. Never a disease God cannot cure. Never a burden God cannot bear. Never a problem God cannot solve.

    And God has the same solution to all those problems: death. Yeah, great going, God.

  65. says

    – Norbert Geis, CSU
    – Martin Hohmann, CDU (Hesse), though he was thrown out of the party.
    – Alfred Dregger, CDU (Hesse), though he finally died in 2002.

    To add o that list:
    Jörg Singhammer, CSU, horrible pro-lifer

    Yeah, Müller acted quite clever on the national level, and he managed to leave when the shit really hit the fan with several scandals. Thing is, since we’re so small, our scandals tend to be rather small, or have you ever heard of the Gondwana disaster or the trouble around the “Stiftung Saarländischer Kulturbesitz”?
    That means the rest of the republic probably didn’t get to notice those things.

    Yes, Wulff seems to be rather reasonable, too. I respect his decission to have the first minister with a migratory background, who also wasn’t a 100% assimilated more-German-than-thou politician.

  66. says

    Jörg Singhammer, CSU, horrible pro-lifer

    Do you mean Johannes Singhammer? It’s been a loooong time since I’ve last followed Bavarian “national politics”, but Munich is a strange place politically: the local SPD is moderate, while the rest of the state party is fringe, and it’s reversed with the CSU (and this is why the SPD has always governed Munich, while the CSU had a chokehold on Bavaria as a whole). He’s from the Munich CSU, and IIRC, he was one of the more moderate ones, but that’s doesn’t say much.

    Yeah, Müller acted quite clever on the national level, and he managed to leave when the shit really hit the fan with several scandals. Thing is, since we’re so small, our scandals tend to be rather small, or have you ever heard of the Gondwana disaster or the trouble around the “Stiftung Saarländischer Kulturbesitz”?
    That means the rest of the republic probably didn’t get to notice those things.

    No can’t say I have. State level scandals must involve fake Jewish inheritances (though there was a national element to it) or relationships between a 40y.o. candidate for governor and a 16y.o. to register on the national level….

    Yes, Wulff seems to be rather reasonable, too. I respect his decission to have the first minister with a migratory background, who also wasn’t a 100% assimilated more-German-than-thou politician.

    Well, that minister in question was from Hamburg, I believe, and the Hamburg politicos didn’t have too many kind things to say about her, but I’m not sure how valid that criticism was. I still find it a disgrace that to date there hasn’t been any minister at the federal level whose parents were migrants from a different culture. There is one minister, actually the vice-chancellor, who was born in Vietnam, but because he came to Germany due to adoption, he doesn’t really have the same experience children of migrants went through.

  67. says

    Is mac & cheese a black thing? WTF?

    Is there something I’m missing, like perhaps when I thought that “fried chicken and watermelon” just sounded like delicious food? (Still does, actually. omnomnom. But now I know the history.)

  68. says

    oh, on the state level there have even been actual migrants as ministers, like in Hamburg the senator (Hamburgese for “minister”) for economic development under the old CDU-senate (Hamburgese for “government”).

    http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Karan
    (born in Sri Lanka. His life story is like the rags-to-riches stories that are usually part of American mythology)

  69. says

    I just got to the part of the second Discworld novel where they describe Herrena. That may be the single best description of a character I’ve read in a LONG while.

    @Alethea:

    I have nooo idea. Pat Robertson’s just an ignorant moron. He probably thinks “comfort food = black thing” without the realization that macaroni and cheese is an Italian dish. He’s a racist, homophobic bigot, and he’s a complete idiot too.

  70. Beatrice says

    I have bought American Gods today.
    Just bragging.
    Btw. I probably wouldn’t have any idea about authors like Pratchett and Gaiman if I hadn’t heard about them here. Thanks!

  74. says

    pelamun
    Johannes, of course. Jörg is a friend of mine with a rather similar last name *shame*
    He’s a MdB by now and responsible for some of the most vile anti-choice legislation we have, targetting the small and vulnerable group of women who have late-term abortions.

    Katherine

    without the realization that macaroni and cheese is an Italian dish.

    Citation needed.
    Not that there’s anything wrong with mac and cheese, but Americans sometimes have strange notions about Italian food ;)

    beatrice
    Look forward for the Queen of Sheeba

  75. says

    Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort, what does Blizzard charge for monthly gameplay? Someone just gave me the WoW Battle Chest and I was wondering if it was worth messing with.

  76. says

    Giliell,

    Macaroni is mentioned in various medieval Italian sources, though it is not always clear whether it is a pasta shape or a prepared dish. However, pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded in cookbooks as early as the Liber de Coquina, one of the oldest medieval cookbooks.

    Pffft.

  77. says

    @Giliell:

    Well, not macaroni and cheese in the sense of Kraft “macaroni and ‘cheese’ sauce” but in the sense of “pasta noodles with a Mornay sauce.” As for a [citation needed] – it’s apparently a recipe in the Liber de Coquina – a 14th century cookbook. (American style mac and cheese is from New England, likely. There’s a legend that Thomas Jefferson brought it back from Italy, too.)

    @Cosmic Snark:

    $15 a month. Too much for me, and I haven’t played a long time. It’s lost a lot of its interest for me, grown too easy, too grindy…

  78. says

    “Just ’cause I eat chicken and watermelon they think that something’s wrong with me. Let me tell you something: if you don’t like chicken and watermelon, something is wrong with you.” — Dave Chappelle

    +++++
    Well, I don’t eat animals anymore, but it’s not because of the taste.

  79. amc says

    Sorry to intrude on the endless thread, but it upsets me that a legend like Freddie was so sad in real life just because he didn’t fit into the society norms. He was lonely throughout his life, but that was largely down to the stigma attached to being gay. Even his reluctance to publicly state that he had AIDS boiled down to that stigma, and it royally pisses me off that something as trivial as gender attraction can cause so much suffering.

    But please accept my toast to Freddie, and I apologise for not reading the whole thread before commenting.

  84. Beatrice says

    But please accept my toast to Freddie, and I apologise for not reading the whole thread before commenting.

    I’ll join you in that toast.

    Hm, I gave Freddie’s biography to a friend who is his huge fan, for her birthday last year. I should really ask her to lend it to me for a read.

  85. Father Ogvorbis, OMoron says

    if you don’t like chicken and watermelon, something is wrong with you.”

    I detest watermelon. But then, I also like peas, so . . . .

  86. Birger Johansson says

    You may need a bit of good satire to get you through the weekend:

    Signature Wound: Rocking TBI (Doonesbury Collection)
    -This completes a trilogy of Doonesbury books that examines the impact of combat on American soldiers in Iraq http://www.bookcloseouts.com/Store/Details/Signature-Wound-Rocking-TBI-Doonesbury-Collection/_/R-9780740791963B

    Tee Time in Berzerkistan: A Doonesbury Book (Doonesbury Collection) http://www.bookcloseouts.com/Store/Details/Tee-Time-in-Berzerkistan-A-Doonesbury-Book-Doonesbury-Collection/_/R-9780740773570B
    (the scary part is that this is not too far from real-world lobbyists in the era of Dubya)

    Nighthogs (Pearls Before Swine) http://www.bookcloseouts.com/Store/Details/Nighthogs-Pearls-Before-Swine/_/R-9780740750090B

    OPUS: 25 Years of His Sunday Best http://www.bookcloseouts.com/Store/Details/OPUS-25-Years-of-His-Sunday-Best/_/R-9780316107143S
    (Some of you may be too young to know Berkeley Breathed. He is much recommended)

  88. ChasCPeterson says

    quake before the power of Monkeyshit-brown Filefolder-full-of-as-yet-ungraded-midterm-exams!!!!!!!

    fuck, guess I ought to get to it

  89. Ing says

    Holy fucking shit! People go absolutely insane when someone actually responds to their keep Christ in Christmas spam.

  90. SteveV says

    Beatrice:

    I have bought American Gods today.

    Ooh, that’s a good one, have fun reading!

    Huh.
    I’ve just been given the ‘(company name) Anti-Bribery Compliance Handbook’

    Wanna swap?

  93. Ing says

    Someone else on a family list on FB put up an agressive nasty keep Christ in Christmas daring people if they’re brave enough to repost it and telling folks who don’t like our customes and traditions to leave the country and acting all outraged that people aren’t saying Merry X-mas.

    On Thanksgiving. Which I see when I go to wish my friends and family well. The first time this happened I was polite and informed the person (older) that there are going to be non-christians on their message list by either conversion or marriage and they probably don’t want to be so excluding.

    This one I thanked the person for shitting on my Holiday by having that appear on my feed, and for being a fucking bigot who is throwing a hissy fit because everyone isn’t like them and pointed out that they’re not upset that people don’t say Merry Xmas, they’re literally pissed off that people say anything else.

    After which I was prepared to just go log on and leave the family serve, cause after two times I’m feeling unwanted. No flounce was just going to unjoin.

    Then I see they posted a huge hissy fit on the group about how everyone (read: me) made them feel unwanted and called them a bigot just for sharing their views on Christmas and that they’re going to cut off ties to THE ENTIRE FAMILY. I replied to them asking if they honestly thought asking people who are different to GTFO wasn’t bigoted and that as a fucking Catholic they’re in the majority that keeps spamming me with bull, if anyone I am really being made to feel unwanted…you know due to all the spams saying “You’re kind is unwanted”. Oh and btw the mature thing to do would be to apologize for shitting all over someone’s good cheer and try to be more empathetic with the people who share your world.

    And now they blocked me and deleted my comments and presumably left the group. So hey, win-win all around.

    You just know that story is going to be the PR police bullying them in the retelling.

    I hate the holidays because of this. Because now Merry Christmas is said to basically mean Fuck You. Thanks for shitting on the cheer and goodwill for the season I had as a child and would like to still have. Hope it was worth it to make sure Walmart is rude to Jews. Assholes

  95. says

    Giliell,

    let me take the Astrid Lindgren discussion over here, I don’t want to derail it any further.
    Giliell,

    The same one’d have to do for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

    As the linguistics prof I gave you the link to mentions somewhere, this is not a valid comparison because Mark Twain was actually portraying the situation in the South, and it can be used to demonstrate to talk to your children about what actually happened in American (and elsewhere) history, while Astrid Lindgren was describing a fantastical place unfortunately replete with racial stereotypes.

    But my bio-son is still too small for stories, I’ll take another look at them later, and especially the one with the negerprinsessa and negerkung, I’ll probably skip.

    But I think the Madita book didn’t have these problems, so I’ll definitely dust it off when the day comes.

  96. says

    @ Coyote

    No pedestal, just reasonable expectations based on past behaviour. This bunny thing is (nearly) no different than EG. It’s almost an exact parallel.

    1. Something happens. That something does not happen in a vacuum, divorced from all context. It is part of a pattern within our society or community.
    2. Person or persons point out that what happened demonstrates sexism. What level of consciousness or deliberateness on the part of the actor is not at issue. Intent isn’t magic and the idea is to raise consciousness so that people act to prevent the sexist behaviour in the future.
    3. A bunch of people deny that there is sexism going on. Why they are so invested in beating down the people who venture to note it is unclear (unless it’s because they are misogynists, and like the status quo).
    4. Person who has shown himself to support feminism in the past says “sometimes a coffee bunny is just what it is, and I’m sure you ladies can think of some real oppression to talk about if you must”.

    Just imagine for a moment what a slap in the face that is for the people affected by sexism and misogyny every day. You think, “Ah, this guy gets it. He’ll have my back if I call foul. Even if he’s too privileged to see what we’re talking about at first, he’ll trust us and give us the benefit of the doubt. He’ll listen. He won’t be like all the other assholes who deny and apologise and excuse and deny and whinge and deny.” And then it turns out he won’t stand behind you. That friend? that ally? Tomorrow, he’s just gonna be another person on the enemy’s side.

    Denial is the worst. If your friends refuse to believe that you’re telling the truth, you can’t ever have a hope for justice.

  97. says

    Fixing my last post…

    (The context was the stories of Pippi Longstocking, and the use of racial stereotypes therein. This has sparked debates in various countries, including Sweden and Germany)

    As the linguistics prof I gave you the link to mentions somewhere, this is not a valid comparison because Mark Twain was actually portraying the situation in the South, and it can be used as a starting-point for talking to your children about what actually happened in American (and elsewhere) history, while Astrid Lindgren was describing a fantastical place unfortunately replete with racial stereotypes.

    But my bio-son is still too small for stories, I’ll take another look at them later, and especially the one with the negerprinsessa and negerkung, I’ll probably skip.

    But I think the Madita book didn’t have these problems, so I’ll definitely dust it off when the day comes.

  100. says

    Ibis3, I get it, I disagree, please stop dragging that shit into TET.

    If you can’t make your point in that thread you shouldn’t be dragging it into this thread.

  101. Beatrice, anormalement indécente says

    I’ve just been given the ‘(company name) Anti-Bribery Compliance Handbook’

    Wanna swap?

    *points and laughs*

    That was a no.

    (sorry, I’m in a mean mode today)

  104. broboxley OT says

    too lazy to look at the bunny thread but from the comments here Im reminded of a George Thorogood song
    “He said I don’t know man
    ah she kinda funny, you know
    I said I know,
    everybody funny, now you funny too”
    One bourbon one scotch and one beer

  106. Mattir says

    I haven’t been posting much lately, but I wanted to pop in to say how astonishingly grateful I am for the people I’ve met through TET. The last few weeks/months have been pretty painful and filled with Relationship Stuff™, and the community of people here have helped keep me sane and aware of my own priorities. (Yes, it’s really easy for me to get sidetracked into thinking that other people’s ideas of who I should be are more important. That’s my confession of the day.)

    My friend Corbie gave me a really crappy (literally) meat-breed fleece about a month ago. After much picking over, removal of bits of poop and thorns, and aerobic processing with my Indigo Hound viking combs, I have a lovely spinnable bunch of yummy smelling fluff. I highly recommend Viking combs to anyone experiencing relationship conflict. Even if you refrain, as I have, from imitating the ancient Romans in their use of combs on people they disliked, you end up with stronger arms and fluffy piles of warmth.

  107. says

    Comment from an ex-mormon about attending Brigham Young University:

    And for those exmos who defend their academic education and condemn the rest of the BYU experience, consider this: You had less of an education because of the mandatory church classes. Your academic classes were plagued with mormon thought. Including the math and sciences. Don’t tell me your programs were “light years ahead” of other institutions when you have instances like discussions of entropy and Jesus’ “atonement” in Thermodyanimics or that Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle is “the veil”.

    Give me a fucking break.

    http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,348342,348631#msg-348631

    I knew BYU placed many roadblocks to adulthood in front of students, including their bigoted and anti-human honor code, but I never realized the extent to which the university integrated mormon theology into science course. Troubling.

    There are other comments in the same thread that reference abuses prompted by the school’s honor code:

    Gay friend of my brother was caught in a sting at BYU. Straight (security guy?) does the toe-tap thing in the men’s bathroom stall. Friend taps back and is ordered out of the stall, investigated and expelled. Nice, huh?

  108. Janine, Clueless And Reactionary As Ever, OM, says

    Broboxley, give credit where it is due. That is John Lee Hooker.

  109. The Laughing Coyote (Papio Cynocephalus) says

    Ibis3: Well, I suppose my next step is to look at the thread and see for myself. I’ve been a bit distracted.

  110. The Laughing Coyote (Papio Cynocephalus) says

    Hey Mattir!

    You must show me how this is done in the future, if we ever get the chance.

  112. Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart OM, liar and scoundrel says

    Kat re: WoW:
    You should be playing something better than WoW, anyway. ;) But, yeah, Chuck Norris does kind of ruin everything.

    Speaking of, I’m currently stuck at work (bah) while Mr Darkheart is sitting on the couch playing Skyrim. *shakes fist!*

  113. The Laughing Coyote (Papio Cynocephalus) says

    Isn’t Chuck Norris a fundie? or am I misremembering?

    Here’s a Chuck Norris fact they don’t tell you: Clint Eastwood is better.

  116. Janine, Clueless And Reactionary As Ever, OM, says

    Isn’t Chuck Norris a fundie? or am I misremembering?

    He writes columns for the WorldNewsDaily. That should answer your question.

  119. says

    @Audley:

    Oh and re: the Chuck Norris thing –

    Play a game where the publishers thought it would be nice to invite a rabidly homophobic jerk to do their commercials… no, I don’t think so. Thanks Blizz, but no thanks. Oh and I’m not buying Diablo 3 anymore cause fuck micro-transactions that let people do better at a game for spending more money.

  120. says

    @TLC:

    Yep, he’s a homophobic asshole fundie.

    And yes, Clint Eastwood is better, have you seen his quote re: gay marriage?

    “I don’t give a fuck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We’re making a big deal out of things we shouldn’t be making a deal out of … Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want.”

  124. Rey Fox says

    Isn’t Chuck Norris a fundie? or am I misremembering?

    Raging.

    I caught one of those commercials (on mute, of course) during a football game yesterday, and I thought, “Internet From Four Years Ago, please get off my TV.”

  130. Dhorvath, OM says

    Play a game where the publishers thought it would be nice to invite a rabidly homophobic jerk to do their commercials… no, I don’t think so. Thanks Blizz, but no thanks.

    Did you miss the Cannibal Corpse debacle? Marketing is not going well for them right now.
    _

    Doing well at a game like Diablo has always been a question of buying your way to success, those who have the best gear have the most resources to spend on the game. There is nothing more pure about spending the long hours playing to find your gear than spending money from some other time spent to get that same gear. If the game rewarded skill, rather than just investment, then I might be on side with you about that. But as it stands, it’s a slot machine, you either pump the coins in or you bypass, but either way it’s basically inevitable that you will be on par.

  134. Janine, Clueless And Reactionary As Ever, OM, says

    Dhorvath, I have posted a number of songs. Which ones are you asking about?

  135. Dhorvath, OM says

    Ah hell, you did it twice. Maybe making a point?
    Flaming lips links to Jesus Shooting Heroin for that and for Sunday Morning.
    Quasi links to Our Happiness Guaranteed for that and for A Fable with no Moral.

  137. says

    @Dhorvath:

    The difference is that it’s real money, not in-game money. Blizzard is allowing you to buy and sell items from in game for real-life money. It’s something they said they’d never do, but apparently the monetary lure of micro-transactions was too much for them. The only thing introducing actual money to a video game does is tank its economy. Look at WoW for Pete’s sake, you should not be running around able to sell a couple silver item for several hundred gold on the auction house, but people do all the time.

    And yea, I must have missed Cannibal Corpse. They got some morons behind the scenes working for them – I got pissed when they were going to put real names on the forums. I got annoyed when they shifted from a game that required skill to a game that’s basically pointless to try to an even EASIER game (they’re honestly making it easier to play WoW… and it’s already ridiculously easy!) Blizzard’s seriously been disappoinying recently. Aside from Starcraft 2, I’d have no reason to even buy their games, and I’m not even happy with Starcraft 2 anymore.

  140. Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart OM, liar and scoundrel says

    Kat:
    I ♥ Mass Effect. It’s seriously one of my all time favorite game series. In fact, I bought myself an N7 hoodie from the Bioware store this week just so I could nerd out all the freaking time. :)

    Speaking of Clint Eastwood, not only is he cool with marriage equality, but one of my favorite quotes from him is, “I tried being reasonable. I didn’t like it.” XD

  142. Dhorvath, OM says

    Katherine,
    I played DII from release and still fire it up regularly because the game play is fun, at least from my perspective. I get a sense of urgency mixed with unpredictable rewards. For me, that’s what I want. There were always ways to buy my way into better characters, pretty nearly anything I could have desired I could also have purchased. That is what happens when hundreds of thousands of people play a game, real world money becomes an aspect of game play.
    Thing is, my pure SP playing experience was also imbalanced, I spent more resources: time. Thereby I had better shit and my characters were more powerful. I am unsure why money providing the same benefit concerns you.

  143. Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan says

    I’m staying away from that bunny cartoon thread. I will only say that I agree with happiestsadist: Sexism is why we can’t have nice things.
    ——————————————-

    Hugs to Ing. It’s bad enough that this type of bullshit ruins life outside the family. It’s even worse when such comes [i]from[/i] family.
    ——————————————–

    No, macaroni and cheese is not a black thing, Robertson. It’s a people thing. And it’s delicious. Maybe you ought to try some while you’re still alive to taste food.

  146. says

    @Audley:

    Bioware is an awesome gaming company. Quickly replacing Blizzard as my top (which is starting to show that it’s not exactly welcoming of its gay / lesbian fans…) I’m playing a Paragon Infiltrator right now and totally kicking so much Geth ass!! Still not very far into the game though. I have to beat a whole lot more.

    I seriously must see this hoodie though!

    @Dhorvath:

    Diablo 2 is fun. I love rogue-likes. It’s a little bit different from a typical rogue-like (I think the quote goes something like “In a rogue-like you’ll die a lot. That’s normal.) but it’s still tons of fun.

    The difference between time and money serving the same purpose is that if you spend time at the game, you’re getting better at it. You’re learning how to use your character, you’re learning how your character’s spells work, you’re learning the skill differences. It may take you a couple months to get that high-level sword, but while playing the game trying to get that high-level sword, you’re getting better at the game. A noob buying a sword for 40 bucks is worthless cause they suck at the game.

    It’s entirely greed. Blizzard realizes they can make so much more money on micro-transactions than without.

    (That combined with the fact that the only way you can play single player is if you’re also hooked up to an Internet connection…)

    @PTI:

    Maybe we should send him a recipe for macaroni and cheese – like Alton Brown’s… yummy.

  147. Janine, Clueless And Reactionary As Ever, OM, says

    Moves-The New Pornographers

    Yes, I know it is used in an ad. And yes, I fucking hate the Vevo ads.

  149. Dhorvath, OM says

    Katherine,
    Thanks, that actually clarifies well. Would it surprise you to hear that I don’t think Diablo and it’s ilk requires much, if any, skill to play? It kind of makes some sense of the differences in our perspectives I think.

  150. Dhorvath, OM says

    Ibis3,
    I am sorry to read your lament, I am feeling pretty odd at the moment and a little distracted from matters here, but that situation keeps bubbling up to knock some wind out of me. I don’t have much to offer, just some commiseration. Hugs if you want ’em.

  153. says

    @Dhorvath:

    Diablo 3 got rid of a lot of the skill involved, unfortunately. You did used to have to have some strategy and knowledge of what the skill points and abilities would do, and could seriously mess up a character if you leveled them improperly. Now the level ups are automatic.

  154. Dhorvath, OM says

    Does it bother you that people can go and read strategy guides to learn how best to level and equip their characters? Is that not bringing resources in as well? I am just trying to wrap my head around this, I have a very different perspective and the game, well, it’s one I am in deep with.

  156. Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan says

    Katherine,

    Maybe we should send him a recipe for macaroni and cheese – like Alton Brown’s… yummy.

    Good idea, but do you think he’d accept it? I don’t recall ol’ Pat being friendly to the idea of men working in the kitchen (plus, AB uses *gasp* science! Ebil science!)

  157. Janine, Clueless And Reactionary As Ever, OM, says

    Testify-Eleventh Dream Day

    The volume is too low, the video is from a VHS tape. But I love this song and this band.

  159. chigau (本当) says

    There should be a more obvious link to the Standards and Practices.
    What newbie would think to look in something called “Dungeon”?
    —
    The freezing is wearing off and my face is driving me nuts.

  162. Carlie says

    May I talk about blankets for a moment? Because I’m in sensory heaven. This morning I bought a down alternative comforter with one of those “sherpa” sides that’s like a fake wool fleece (on super sale!), and hot damn. It’s the softest warmest snuggliest thing ever. Sadly for me, I bought two of them, and they were bought for my children’s beds to keep them warm this winter. None for me. Except when they’re not using the blankets and I steal them for awhile to hide from the world.

  163. says

    Caine, way up thread somewhere:

    She [Classical Cipher] hasn’t been here lately, but she’s been on FB and PET, I think.

    I can signal her over here if you want, since she’s still active on the PET chat.

  164. says

    @Dhorvath:

    Bringing in a strategy guide doesn’t have the possible impact of destroying the in-game economy of a video game. You remember what happened to the online Diablo 2 community, how gold became pointless and was replaced by Staves of Jordan? Imagine that same exact debacle returning, but sanctioned by Blizzard. They broke their word, they said it wouldn’t ever happen that people would be able to buy their way up ranks.

    Contrast this with League of Legends. In LoL you can buy things for real money – namely Champions, Skins, Rune Pages, and Influence Point / Experience Point boosts. There are also Runes you can buy – but only for IP. Getting new champs and skins changes no gameplay. More rune pages make it so you don’t have to constantly clear and reset your runes when changing champs – doesn’t change gameplay. IP/EXP boosts give you more IP and EXP after matches, but doesn’t change gameplay. Runes are the only thing that change gameplay and you need to play the game to get them.

    To buy and sell weapons and armor changes the gameplay of the game. It puts the strongest and most powerful items not in the hands of the greatest players, but in the people with the most money. That’s wrong. That’s where micro-transactions fail. If it was all cosmetic, I wouldn’t care. WoW has micro-transactions for pets and mounts, but they’re cosmetic changes. I also don’t see anything stopping Blizzard from deciding to allow micro-transactions in WoW of the sort like D3. The day of needing to play to be good will be over and WoW will be a noob-fest.

    And I may want to play WoW again someday!

    @PTI:

    Mmm… true. Maybe hide the fact it’s from AB?