Whilst the world falls apart, I'm actually enjoying myself.

[tcpip]

greylock informs us that if you're a fundamentalist Christian the latest invasion of Lebanon by Israel is cause for celebration because the Rapture is coming! zey provides this image of the special love that Israeli children are being enculturated with. Let's sort this out. Hezbollah kills eight and captures two Israeli soldiers. Israel responds with an invasion of Lebanon, killing almost three hundred civilians, wounding a thousand and displacing half a million. Strikes on Lebanon's civilian infrastructure include Beirut airport, ports, grain silos, bridges, roads, factories, medical and relief trucks, and the country's largest dairy farm Liban Lait. If Israel wants to deal with Hezbollah they should offer military and police support to the Lebanese government, not launch an invasion of a sovereign state that has a tenuous religious balance and semi-democracy. As Antony Lowenstein points out, this action will to generate more terrorists.

Back at home, Wealth gap in Australia. Latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that almost 60 per cent of Australian households' wealth is owned by the richest 20 per cent of households, while the bottom 20 per cent own just 1 per cent. I'd bet my meagre dollars it's even more disproportionate in land values too. Appropriately from the cream of society (the rich and thick) Young Liberals chant "We're racist, we're sexist, we're homophobic". Malcom Fraser's takes Trotsky's dictum of equating the head of a facist with the pavement. "Where people are being racist or discriminatory in their comments or policies, wherever they are, they ought to be clobbered," he said..

So whilst all these disasters are happening I've been having a great time. Work this week at both Borderlands and Naturelinks has been interesting; the former involving some great hardware repairs and the later required moving and re-establishing a network and associated remote desktop requirements and so forth - there's even a 80 metre trench being dug to connect two buildings. Further, I've been working on yet another website this time for a PR company who pay quite well indeed. Off-hours, The Norman Britian RetroAD&D game continues to be great fun and this Sunday we're playing Cybernoia, which imajica_lj has been saying very nice things about. Also on Sunday, a person of no less greatness than claudine_c is speaking at the Melbourne Unitarian Church on her rural health work in India. Finally, the bunny, Astaroth from the second summoning, is doing well. And whoever the anonymous stranger who sent me a dozen virtual red roses, thanks!

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

You better be careful. They may label you anti-semitic.

*snerk* Would you believe that I'm in the midst of debate on the anarchist's community (FFS!) for calling those who are engaging in the bombing as 'fucktards'. Apparently 'retard' is not politically correct in the United States anymore.

I responded that I think the sand niggers and hook noses should stop killing each other ;-)

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

GOLD hahahaha...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Not surprisingly, it's been a conversation killer ;-)

But seriously, words are contextual. I mean, there's a negro band called Niggers With Attitude, feminist Inga Muscio has a reclaimed the word 'Cunt' in her book of the same title and so on.

[splodgenoodles.livejournal.com]

Cunt is one of my favourite words.

I own my cunt. So if I call you a cunt, well...

And no one minds when we call people dicks.

Class distinctions

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

It is interesting that all the "rude words" come from the anglo-saxon working class roots; cunt, fuck, shit etc and such terms are consider vulgar.

But if we use the Latin equivalents as practised by the ruling class; vagina, coitus, faeces etc. we're simply being educated.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Not surprisingly, it's been a conversation killer ;-)

I spoke to soon. They're still going on about it.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

Where is this 'debate' occurring?

'Slow' = offensive?

[omnot.livejournal.com]

'Retard' simply means 'slow'. "Abnormally low temperatures can retard crop growth." etc. When used to describe people with assorted mental deficiencies, it's quite mild. Almost sweetly euphemistic, in a way.

'Fucktard', though is a beautiful word in context.

Re: 'Slow' = offensive?

[zey.livejournal.com]

IIRC, a 'fucktard' is a retarded person used for sexual recreation purposes. The story going that, while they might drool a bit, they're awfully enthusiastic.

Re: 'Slow' = offensive?

[omnot.livejournal.com]

*boggle*

I'm just going to sit and blink and hope that someone verifies or otherwise.

Re: 'Slow' = offensive?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Retard means not just slow, but backwards, retrograde.

It still works with crop growth being retarded.

Apparently I missed the revolution when it came to mean something politicall incorrect.

Enjoy!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

http://community.livejournal.com/anarchists/1845580.html

Re: Enjoy!

[omnot.livejournal.com]

*facepalm*

That's 'special'.

[kits-the-dm.livejournal.com]

Y'know, they're right though.
There's no need to be degrading about it. Or for that matter to bring those mentally incapable of defending themselves into the debate.
Especially when such words as "Asshat" and "Cock-jockeys" are perfectly suitable :) [1]




[1] Though I'm not sure if the sex industry would have anything to say about that.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

Surely, if retard has been abandoned due to PC concerns, then the word is up for grabs? Can we not re-appropriate it to it's original meaning?

Thus can we not use fucktard as an insult against whoever we wish?

Personally I prefer clustercunt. It's general use.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

"Cock-jockey" iirc, is supposed to represent women and gays, i.e., those who ride cocks, and especially who do so for financial recompense.

[kits-the-dm.livejournal.com]

Also applies to flyboys. :)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Now that I didn't know..

[kits-the-dm.livejournal.com]

fighter jets are awfully phallic don'tcha think?
I mean honestly, its bad enough they all want to be each other's wingman. ;)

Sorry, bias showing there. And its not even sexual bias. ;)

[longhairedbum.livejournal.com]

I just peeked in on that discussion. Hi-larious. This is one of the many facets of the modern US left-anarchist movement that made me facepalm in anguish and run away: Rabid PCness, xenophobia, masturbatory political discussion, and anti-intellectualism. Ugh!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I know, for the seriousness of the event they're caught up in the appropriateness of the word 'fucktard'.

Wow, real anarchistic.

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

'asshats' is another good one starting to make the rounds...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I really don't get "asshat". What is an asshat? A hat that you put you ass (or arse) into? Is it a hat that looks like an arse?

[amazinggoatgirl.livejournal.com]

An asshat is someone who has their head up their ass, thereby wearing it as a hat.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Makes perfect sense now. Except you will excuse us Commonwealth English speakers if we use "arsehat". An ass is something quite different to us.