a Christmas message for abitagirl

[Earl]

Well, abitagirl, once again the holiday season is upon us -- a special time of great spiritual enrichment, happiness, and contentment for so many of us; and I certainly don't need to tell you that that special time approacheth. You know what I mean. I'm referring to that special night when, after much anticipation, you will finally hear the familiar sound of reindeer prancing on your rooftop as you receive a very special visitor, indeed. Of course, in your excitement, you will cry out, "Wh --

[Earl]

This is Mrs. Earl. This public service announcement has been canceled.

[abitagirl]

Ha! Merry Christmas Mr. and Mrs. Earl! (Oh, and I happen to know Earl will be getting coal from Santa this year, so he will be justly punished.)

[Fat Man]

Good evening abitagirl, and Merry Christmas!

Good to see you again! Where have you been?

[abitagirl]

Yeah, I guess I haven't posted much lately. I'm still around though, mostly lurking.

[i_like_1981]

Yeah, I guess I haven't posted much lately. I'm still around though, mostly lurking.

Well, I hope you had a good Christmas. I did as well, in case any of you were wondering. I noticed that my post rate's gone down quite a bit over the year as well. Once I was on an average of 5.10 posts a day during the early stages of this year... now I've gone down to about 3.8. I suppose that when all the trolls and jocks are gone, there just isn't so much to post about, is there?

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[Earl]

Hope springs eternal. Who knows what the new year will bring? Perhaps another Samdaman . Wouldn't it be funny if hawkeye10, fbaezer, kuvasz, or Cycloptichorn came over here to harass us? I'm surprised we've been left alone by those guys. (Incidentally, i_like_1981, if you think hawkeye10's comments about bullying were bad, you ought to see his thread on rape. Come to think of it, maybe better if you didn't. I don't have the stomach for that one.)

[Fat Man]

Hope springs eternal. Who knows what the new year will bring? Perhaps another Samdaman . Wouldn't it be funny if hawkeye10, fbaezer, kuvasz, or Cycloptichorn came over here to harass us? I'm surprised we've been left alone by those guys. (Incidentally, i_like_1981, if you think hawkeye10's comments about bullying were bad, you ought to see his thread on rape. Come to think of it, maybe better if you didn't. I don't have the stomach for that one.)

Well Earl, you must have a much stronger stomach than I have.

Because when I read the comment made my Hawkeye10 - AKA - Myopic Dodo Bird, about rape "being a blessing" I ,like, totally lost it!

I still hope that Hawkeye10 gets beaten to death with a lead pipe on his Mama's porch with his Mama looking on!

I won't go back to the Able2Know forums ever again.

I don't swim in sewers!

[i_like_1981]

I occasionally visit the able2know forums to check out what exactly is going on when, say, I get given a link to a particular thread. I don't plan on posting there again, though. I can remember meeting one nice guy there, called OmSigDAVID - a most delightful and interesting chap. But there seems to be a lot of hardliners and unpleasant characters there who will shit all over your posts if they don't contain what suits them.

And Earl, I would be interested to see that thread you mentioned. As much as I dislike hawkeye10 and his rather abhorrent views on various social issues, I'm willing to see just how far he goes in what he says. It's best to know your enemy instead of shying away from them. Maybe one day, I'll return to that site and confront him. Just maybe...

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[Earl]

Well Earl, you must have a much stronger stomach than I have.

Because when I read the comment made my Hawkeye10 - AKA - Myopic Dodo Bird, about rape "being a blessing" I ,like, totally lost it!

I used to refer to hawkeye10 as "bloodshotbuzzardeyezero."

I occasionally visit the able2know forums to check out what exactly is going on when, say, I get given a link to a particular thread. I don't plan on posting there again, though. I can remember meeting one nice guy there, called OmSigDAVID - a most delightful and interesting chap. But there seems to be a lot of hardliners and unpleasant characters there who will shit all over your posts if they don't contain what suits them.

OmSigDAVID is a really nice guy. I've corresponded with him frequently via PMs. His political views are interesting. He's extremely conservative politically, but he's also a staunch libertarian. He defines political conservativism as strict adherence to the U.S. Constitution, which leads him to take some interesting stances. Since he views the televangelist Pat Robertson as favoring a theocracy, he calles him a liberal. In other words (according to his political definitions), one who deviates from the U.S. Constitution. I'm sure that Robertson wouldn't take so kindly to being labeled as such. David is a defender of both Joseph McCarthy and Augusto Pinochet, and admires Hugh Hefner. (For the record, I don't admire any of them.) But this doesn't matter. I've disagreed with several of his posted statements, but I just haven't had the heart to disagree with him in the forum because he's such a nice guy. Besides, he's witty and can be funny . Edgarblythe is also a very nice guy at A2K. I've also corresponded with him a number of times via PMs. As a liberal, he's David's political opposite. The point is that nice guys can have opposite political views, including some that we disagree with.

And Earl, I would be interested to see that thread you mentioned. As much as I dislike hawkeye10 and his rather abhorrent views on various social issues, I'm willing to see just how far he goes in what he says. It's best to know your enemy instead of shying away from them. Maybe one day, I'll return to that site and confront him. Just maybe...

Best regards,
i_like_1981

The topic I was referring to is entitled "Hey, Can A Woman 'Ask To Get Raped'?" The OP is dated July 16, 2010; and the topic is still ongoing! The last reply was posted today. As of now, it's now on its 332nd page. I've posted a link to the first page of this topic, which I don't recommend for light reading. I'm sure parts of it are quite upsetting. Reader, be aware! Proceed at your own risk.

http://able2know.org/topic/158723-1

I've not read through this topic because I'm afraid that if I did, I'd lose my temper again and call someone a bad name (like I did the last time, when I called fbaezer "a sports fascist" ). Seriously, rape is a topic that disturbs me. I have no doubt that this crime is underreported. Some victims don't even bother trying to get justice. I read somewhere that some notable political figure in British history once said that rape is the only crime where the victim is put on trial. I have no doubt that that's true. What is significant is the fact that rape victims act in certain ways after the crime that show that women who claim that they were raped and manifest these symptoms very likely were raped. This crime is very difficult to prove in court. The rapist often seems to have the advantage. I'm not a student of the law: so, I don't have any answers. Anyway, that's why I haven't read the entire thread. It probably would make me mad, if not sick at my stomach. I probably shouldn't have to point this out, but hawkeye actually is quite unpopular at A2K. But I don't know of anyone who's actually been banned from A2K.

[recovering_fan]

But I don't know of anyone who's actually been banned from A2K.

I heard that "Wilso" managed to get himself banned, temporarily, for six months.

Don't read that guy's posts unless you enjoy listening to screamo.

I sometimes check in on him, mostly for comedic purposes.

--RF

[Earl]

I've noticed that kuvasz has a bad habit of personally insulting people even when he's not been provoked. Here's the latest example in which he insults chai2 in a topic of her own entitled "Depression - self centeredness?" He had personally attacked her on at least two previous occasions (having to do with sports, incidentally).

Do you find, or do you know if depression causes, or has the side effect of a person being more self centered than the usual person?

Those folks who I have seen depressed sure seem like they are more self centered than average. btw: being your husband would depress anyone.[my italics]

What a jerk.


And here's another A2K item that's rather startling. It certainly shocked me. You're not going to believe this, but there's actually a football player whom Cycloptichorn hates. I kid you not. I thought he put all of them on a pedestal. Notice the reason Cyclo gives for hating this guy.

Man, I hate Tebow. Not because he's a bad player - he isn't. But because I'm so sick of hearing about his goody-goody ass and his 'faith.'[my italics] ESPN wrecked the guy for me.

*sigh* Can you believe that? Yeah, we don't want any football players to have high moral standards. That's just not macho. (sarcasm intended)

[recovering_fan]

Do you find, or do you know if depression causes, or has the side effect of a person being more self centered than the usual person?

Those folks who I have seen depressed sure seem like they are more self centered than average. btw: being your husband would depress anyone.[my italics]

What a jerk.

One can never be sure at that site. The woman may have recently been attacking someone else in another thread for all you know, someone too rhetorically weak to defend himself. A2K is a rough place, and I think it is unfair to single out kuvasz in particular. There are feuds there that stretch back since before A2K began in 2002.

And here's another A2K item that's rather startling. It certainly shocked me. You're not going to believe this, but there's actually a football player whom Cycloptichorn hates. I kid you not. I thought he put all of them on a pedestal. Notice the reason Cyclo gives for hating this guy.

Man, I hate Tebow. Not because he's a bad player - he isn't. But because I'm so sick of hearing about his goody-goody ass and his 'faith.'[my italics] ESPN wrecked the guy for me.

*sigh* Can you believe that? Yeah, we don't want any football players to have high moral standards. That's just not macho. (sarcasm intended)

Cyclo appears to be an atheist who dislikes the way ESPN has handled the whole Tebow craze. I don't imagine he likes having Christianity shoved down his throat any more than you or I like having sports shoved down our throats. Anyway, I'm sure he doesn't really "hate" the guy. You know how he attacks everything that bothers him in the strongest language possible. Personally, I like Tebow, because he is cutting a very original path for himself through life. But then, I don't watch ESPN any more.

--RF

[Earl]

Man, I hate Tebow. Not because he's a bad player - he isn't. But because I'm so sick of hearing about his goody-goody ass and his 'faith.'[Earl's italics] ESPN wrecked the guy for me.

Cyclo appears to be an atheist who dislikes the way ESPN has handled the whole Tebow craze. I don't imagine he likes having Christianity shoved down his throat any more than you or I like having sports shoved down our throats. Anyway, I'm sure he doesn't really "hate" the guy. You know how he attacks everything that bothers him in the strongest language possible. Personally, I like Tebow, because he is cutting a very original path for himself through life. But then, I don't watch ESPN any more.

--RF

Of course, Cyclo has absolutely no problem with sports being shoved down anyone's throat, including nonathletic boys who are forced to take sports-based P.E. instead of genuine fitness classes. Cyclo has proven that as a political liberal, he's a flaming hypocrite because he has no compassion for guys who were bullied by jocks in school. That doesn't bother him at all, but what does bother him is the very idea that any victims of such bullying would be prejudiced against jocks. Bullying is not so bad, but prejudice against jocks by those who were bullied by some in school is outrageous. What does this say about Cyclo's character? It certainly doesn't speak well of him at all.

While I may not agree with all of his religious views and actions, I strongly support Tim Tebow and wish him the best. He's certainly preferable to guys like Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, Ryan Tucker, and Christian or Jason Peter. But you won't hear Cyclo express any disdain for Roethlisberger or any other current or former players whose character is less than sterling (to put it mildly), will you? All that matters to Cyclo (and many other football fans) is how well a player can perform on the gridirion. How a football player treats others off the playing field is a matter of complete indifference to him.

[Earl]

Continuing the train of thought from my post above ...

Cyclo appears to be an atheist who dislikes the way ESPN has handled the whole Tebow craze. I don't imagine he likes having Christianity shoved down his throat any more than you or I like having sports shoved down our throats.

Recovering_fan has presented a comparison of two phenomena; to wit, having Christianity shoved down one's throat versus having sports shoved down one's throat. The implication seems to have been made that the two are synonymous in extent and effect and that therefore Cyclo is deserving of much understanding. So, let's examine the two phenomena, shall we?

First, having Christianity shoved down one's throat. (But before I continue, let me say to any members of a church of Christ, such as my own congregation, that when I use the word "Christianity," I'm speaking accomodatively. I'm not endorsing any sect or cult based upon unscriptural doctrines.) What is the worst that one may expect in this regard? Encountering a proselytizer (for example, Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons knocking on your front door). Many proselytizers are polite people. Making an effort to convert others is a major part of their religion, as it is of mine. Some proselytizers are pushy or even rude. A few are even self-righteous. (Needless to say, as a Christian I don't condone pushiness, rudeness, or self-righteousness. If someone is not interested in spiritual concerns, I drop the subject.) This is what Cyclo objects, as if this were the most onerous burden in life that anyone could possibly experience.

Now let us look at the phenomenon of having sports shoved down one's throat. How are young boys who have no interest in sports often treated? They frequently end up being bullied. Such nonathletic boys receive a message from others (in fact, the popular culture) that they are unmanly and deficient. Athletic participation and prowess are held up as the standard of masculinity, even though the assumptions that are often made to justify this point of view are demonstrably false. The process of stigmatization often begins before the boy reaches his early teens. Sometimes this results in the internalization of self-hatred that can have a psychologically crippling effect later in life. And for what purpose?

Unless their school districts have better programs, nonathletic boys go through the hell of mandatory sports-based P.E., which does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to encourage them to become physically active and attain a level of fitness beneficial to one's health. Historically there seems to have been more bullying in mandatory sports-based boys' P.E. than in all the academic classes combined.

By the time they're in high school (unless there have been policies enacted to ensure that other students receive sufficient recognition for their own accomplishments), nonathletic boys receive the message that the most important students at their schools are the members of the football team. They will witness the fact that football players are not judged as individuals, but are automatically elevated to the top of the social hierarchy as a group (regardless of whether or not they as individuals respect others). They are often forced to attend pep rallies, regardless of whether they're even interested in football or not. The main purpose of a high school seems to be to have a winning football team. If a local high-school football player has just recovered from a serious illness, the city's daily will have an article about it right in the middle of the front page (among news reports of "less" important items -- such as election results, crimes, terrorist threats, etc.). But if another student at the same high school receives a prestigious award for being able to do college-level work in physics, the only recognition he'll receive will be only two sentences without, of course, a picture of him. If he had just recovered from a life-threatening illness, I guarantee you that there would be no article about him in the local daily because, after all, he's just a nerd, a "pencil-necked geek." (And, please, I'm not saying that football should be taken out of high schools. I'm not saying that at all. My current best friend, who is one of the deacons of my congregation, played football when he was in high school.)

Let me say that I'm not about to make a negative stereotype. I want to make that absolutely clear. I'm simply going to present a hypothetical. Suppose a young woman has been gang raped by several college football players or a young nonathletic man has been beaten so badly by a football player that at one point he's even expected to die. (The beating scenario actually happened. I'm referring to the Ryan Tucker case. The victim survived, but has suffered physical impairment that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.) Let me repeat, I'm not making a negative stereotype. Of course, the majority of football players do not commit felonious crimes against others. But in this hypothetical look at the point of view of the victim. Does the rape victim stand much of a chance of getting any justice? Are you kidding? Of course, not! Very likely, she won't receive any sympathy at all. All the defense attorney will have to do is pack the jury with football fans. (Can you image Cyclo on a jury in a case of this sort? Actually, I don't like to think about it at all.) Regarding the beating case, did Ryan Tucker spend a single day in jail? NO! The judge let him off, despite the fact that the doctors treating the victim at one point had expected him to die. You could say that our hypothetical rape victim (Incidentally, there are such victims in real life) and our real-life beating victim had sports shoved down their throats in a rather painful way. Do any such acts of gross injustice disturb Cyclo the self-professed "progressive"? I doubt it.

So, there you have it. Two phenomena: having Christianity shoved down one's throat versus having sports shoved down one's throat. Which is worse by far? I'll let you decide.