A few weeks ago I mentioned to fellow blogger and ex-standup comic* Suzy Soro that I don't have a blogging "persona." Sure, I go by the name "Diesel," which makes it sound like I'm compensating for my weak chin by pretending to be some kind of tough guy, but I carried that nickname over from real life. I didn't create a Diesel persona for the blogosphere.
Suzy disagreed. "You definitely have a persona," she said. "It's 'very smart Internet guy with self-deprecating humor.'"
I'm not sure where she got the "very smart" bit from, but the fact that Suzy thinks its part of a fictional persona presumably leaves open the possibility that in real life, I am in fact a moron. Similarly, perhaps I'm a humorless prick right up to the point where I log into Blogger and become Mr. Witty Self-Deprecation.
Actually, Suzy is right. To some degree my blogging persona is an amped up version of the real me. But mostly what separates the online Diesel from the offline Diesel is what I leave behind when I enter the blogosphere. You see, in real life I'm a bit of a pedantic crank. I periodically launch into animated tirades about politics or religion or whatever, subjecting those around me to tiresome explications of my worldview. I'm ruthlessly analytical, and I'm just about impossible to beat in an argument. That's not to say that I always win; it's more accurate to say that I'll keep finding loopholes in any contrary position so that I can keep arguing forever, like the knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail who keeps fighting even after his limbs have all been severed.
This fiercely argumentative nature almost propelled me into law school when I was in my 20s, but I think on some level I realized that this course of action would only legitimize and exacerbate a pretty serious character flaw. That's why almost all lawyers are assholes: Rather than dealing with the fact that they are pedantic, argumentative jerks, they go to a special school to be more effective pedantic, argumentative jerks.
When I started blogging, I decided to leave out that part of my personality. I figured that there were plenty of serious political commentators out there already, many of whom were better informed than I was. Besides, when you argue about serious issues, it's really easy for people to misunderstand you and get their feelings hurt -- or, for that matter, to understand you perfectly and get their feelings hurt. I didn't want to spend my time worrying about who I was offending, and explaining and re-explaining my positions ad nauseum. And I wanted to force myself to let go of the idea that I needed to bring people around to my way of thinking. Make 'em laugh, I thought. Maybe hit 'em with a serious idea once in awhile, but rule number one on this site has always been Make 'em laugh.
I think it's worked out pretty well. You get to laugh, and I get to not take myself so seriously. Because trust me, I can be a pretty intense person, and it's good for me to be forced out of my circle of obsessive analytical thinking.
But I have to tell you, some days it's not easy to maintain my good-natured "persona." I don't get offended easily, but there are a few sure methods of pissing me off. And by "pissed off," I don't mind the kind of mild grumpiness that results in a delightfully sardonic post. I mean pissed off. A few of you have witnessed this side of me in my comments on a few blogs lately, which is what prompted this post. I think we can all agree that the delightfully sardonic Diesel is more fun than the pissed off Diesel, so I thought I would post a few simple guidelines that will help you to not piss me off:
1. If you're going to write a blog post comparing someone to Hitler, that person had better have killed at least a million people. Otherwise you're insulting the memory of the millions of people methodically slaughtered by the Nazis and the thousands of brave men who risked their lives to stop them. Get your head out of your ass and open a book.
2. If you're going to write a post calling some historical figure a "hero," make sure that that person wasn't in fact a repressive dictator or terrorist who murdered scores of people in cold blood. Good examples include Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
3. If you're going to bash George W. Bush, try picking a tack that hasn't been used 100,000 times before. I get it, you think he's stupid. I'm not defending him, but holy crap come up with some new material already. A few months ago I read a post referring to him as a "drunken frat boy." Really? You have to go back 30 years to find something you can insult him for? He's basically admitted that he's a recovering alcoholic, so extra class points to you for picking on him for that. Also, stop saying that he was never elected. You can quibble about the first election, but he was overwhelming elected by the popular vote in 2004. Try picking up a newspaper, dumbass.
4. Don't tell me who I am or what I believe. When you tell me that conservatives are greedy, selfish bastards, guess what? That's me. When you talk about how stupid Bush voters are, hey guess what? Me again. I'm not thrilled with the kind of president Bush has turned out to be, but don't think I'm stupid just because I didn't vote for your pompous ass of a candidate. Oh, and when you slam the "religious right"? Hey, me again! In fact, I happen to be the treasurer for an extremely conservative Christian church, and there's nothing I love more than spending four hours counting a hundred thousand dollars worth of charitable contributions from our members and then coming home to read some idiot blogging about how conservatives only care about themselves. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the reason we don't want to fund your stupid government programs is because we're already giving a lot of money to programs that have proven to be a lot more effective than government bureaucracies? Blog all you want about your own opinions, but don't pretend that you know someone because of where they go to church or what box they check on a ballot.
Let me make it very clear that I have no problem with differing opinions. I don't think I've ever made fun of someone on this blog just for having a different opinion from my own. I make a distinction, however, between the voicing of an opinion I disagree with and the exhibition of willful ignorance. I skewer fundamentalists because I think they ignore the reality around them in favor of dogmatic nonsense, and I feel the same way about people who call George W. Bush a Nazi. Maybe it makes you feel better to demonize the man in this way, but that doesn't excuse the deliberate dissemination of gross historical inaccuracy across the internet. Once you hit the age of seven, you're expected to take some responsibility for your words.
Whew. Ok, that should do it for me for a while. Now I can go back to being cheerfully absurd Diesel for a while.
Just don't piss me off.
*Corrected 12:18pm. Sorry, Suzy. I thought you were retired like me....
Listed on humor-blogs.com.
Suzy disagreed. "You definitely have a persona," she said. "It's 'very smart Internet guy with self-deprecating humor.'"
I'm not sure where she got the "very smart" bit from, but the fact that Suzy thinks its part of a fictional persona presumably leaves open the possibility that in real life, I am in fact a moron. Similarly, perhaps I'm a humorless prick right up to the point where I log into Blogger and become Mr. Witty Self-Deprecation.
Actually, Suzy is right. To some degree my blogging persona is an amped up version of the real me. But mostly what separates the online Diesel from the offline Diesel is what I leave behind when I enter the blogosphere. You see, in real life I'm a bit of a pedantic crank. I periodically launch into animated tirades about politics or religion or whatever, subjecting those around me to tiresome explications of my worldview. I'm ruthlessly analytical, and I'm just about impossible to beat in an argument. That's not to say that I always win; it's more accurate to say that I'll keep finding loopholes in any contrary position so that I can keep arguing forever, like the knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail who keeps fighting even after his limbs have all been severed.
This fiercely argumentative nature almost propelled me into law school when I was in my 20s, but I think on some level I realized that this course of action would only legitimize and exacerbate a pretty serious character flaw. That's why almost all lawyers are assholes: Rather than dealing with the fact that they are pedantic, argumentative jerks, they go to a special school to be more effective pedantic, argumentative jerks.
When I started blogging, I decided to leave out that part of my personality. I figured that there were plenty of serious political commentators out there already, many of whom were better informed than I was. Besides, when you argue about serious issues, it's really easy for people to misunderstand you and get their feelings hurt -- or, for that matter, to understand you perfectly and get their feelings hurt. I didn't want to spend my time worrying about who I was offending, and explaining and re-explaining my positions ad nauseum. And I wanted to force myself to let go of the idea that I needed to bring people around to my way of thinking. Make 'em laugh, I thought. Maybe hit 'em with a serious idea once in awhile, but rule number one on this site has always been Make 'em laugh.
I think it's worked out pretty well. You get to laugh, and I get to not take myself so seriously. Because trust me, I can be a pretty intense person, and it's good for me to be forced out of my circle of obsessive analytical thinking.
But I have to tell you, some days it's not easy to maintain my good-natured "persona." I don't get offended easily, but there are a few sure methods of pissing me off. And by "pissed off," I don't mind the kind of mild grumpiness that results in a delightfully sardonic post. I mean pissed off. A few of you have witnessed this side of me in my comments on a few blogs lately, which is what prompted this post. I think we can all agree that the delightfully sardonic Diesel is more fun than the pissed off Diesel, so I thought I would post a few simple guidelines that will help you to not piss me off:
1. If you're going to write a blog post comparing someone to Hitler, that person had better have killed at least a million people. Otherwise you're insulting the memory of the millions of people methodically slaughtered by the Nazis and the thousands of brave men who risked their lives to stop them. Get your head out of your ass and open a book.
2. If you're going to write a post calling some historical figure a "hero," make sure that that person wasn't in fact a repressive dictator or terrorist who murdered scores of people in cold blood. Good examples include Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
3. If you're going to bash George W. Bush, try picking a tack that hasn't been used 100,000 times before. I get it, you think he's stupid. I'm not defending him, but holy crap come up with some new material already. A few months ago I read a post referring to him as a "drunken frat boy." Really? You have to go back 30 years to find something you can insult him for? He's basically admitted that he's a recovering alcoholic, so extra class points to you for picking on him for that. Also, stop saying that he was never elected. You can quibble about the first election, but he was overwhelming elected by the popular vote in 2004. Try picking up a newspaper, dumbass.
4. Don't tell me who I am or what I believe. When you tell me that conservatives are greedy, selfish bastards, guess what? That's me. When you talk about how stupid Bush voters are, hey guess what? Me again. I'm not thrilled with the kind of president Bush has turned out to be, but don't think I'm stupid just because I didn't vote for your pompous ass of a candidate. Oh, and when you slam the "religious right"? Hey, me again! In fact, I happen to be the treasurer for an extremely conservative Christian church, and there's nothing I love more than spending four hours counting a hundred thousand dollars worth of charitable contributions from our members and then coming home to read some idiot blogging about how conservatives only care about themselves. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the reason we don't want to fund your stupid government programs is because we're already giving a lot of money to programs that have proven to be a lot more effective than government bureaucracies? Blog all you want about your own opinions, but don't pretend that you know someone because of where they go to church or what box they check on a ballot.
Let me make it very clear that I have no problem with differing opinions. I don't think I've ever made fun of someone on this blog just for having a different opinion from my own. I make a distinction, however, between the voicing of an opinion I disagree with and the exhibition of willful ignorance. I skewer fundamentalists because I think they ignore the reality around them in favor of dogmatic nonsense, and I feel the same way about people who call George W. Bush a Nazi. Maybe it makes you feel better to demonize the man in this way, but that doesn't excuse the deliberate dissemination of gross historical inaccuracy across the internet. Once you hit the age of seven, you're expected to take some responsibility for your words.
Whew. Ok, that should do it for me for a while. Now I can go back to being cheerfully absurd Diesel for a while.
Just don't piss me off.
*Corrected 12:18pm. Sorry, Suzy. I thought you were retired like me....
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You're up early? What gives?
I think I like you grumpy.
Ahh, I see the problem now. You need to wait until the afternoon to post. You're cranky in the morning although that is just my opinion of you.
This post has been removed by the author.
This Che Guevara person remind Kalfu'ur of this guy:
http://www.threadless.com/submission/
101790/che_bacca
that's ok. i seem weird in my blogosphere. in reality i am a raging lunatic. if i blog THAT people won't come back anymore :(
It's interesting to reflect on how my blog persona differs from who I am in real life. I think I'm less whiny on the blagoblog. I mean, I still complain on my blog, but because I don't write all the wooorrrds with draawwwn out voweeeeeel souuunds, then I sound slightly more upbeat, I think.
I hear you though, on the rest of the post. Judging somebody on where they go to church or what box they check on a ballot? That's a pretty good line. My residence is Mennonite affiliated- though we have many denominations of Christianity and even two Buddhists! I love it- soooo many differing points of view. One guy thinks women shouldn't be pastors- he was my favourite to fight with for a while... until our fights turned into pretty great conversations. Now I like to go fight with the girl that thinks males are going to be useless in the future, and that we'll slowly evolve into just producing females. It's interesting!
Anyway- great post. But get back to funny, already.
Actually, you are pretty funny when you are pissed off, too.
But, Diesel, "overwhelmingly elected" in 2004? Come on - 3 million sounds like a big number, but what matters is the percentage. He wasn't overwhelmingly elected - it was a close vote. When almost 50 percent of those who voted did not vote for him, it means that even though he won, there is not a "mandate" for his policies which reward the rich, alienate most of the world, and trash the environment. (Okay, so I don't like his policies much - how did you guess?) It means that almost half the voters disagree with him, and a smart political move (that would have benefited the Republicans in 2008) would have been to try to bridge that divide rather than figuratively thumbing his nose at all those on the other side.
So I was disappointed in him, can you tell? I want a uniter, not a divider.
That said, the Democrats couldn't pick a decent candidate (i.e., one that doesn't come across as an intellectual know-it-all snob) if their lives depended on it. It's painful to watch. And they cannot seem to address people's legitimate concerns that if the voters give the government more money to spend, it will waste it. Until they can do that, their social programs won't go anywhere.
Whew! Got that off my chest. Now I will go back to blissfully ignoring all the election coverage, thank you. There should be a law that none of it can start until 3 months before the election.
Dude. Has somebody got a case of the Mondays? ;-)
EX-standup comic? I'm guessing you didn't read last Thursday or today's posts?????
I'm a little bit scared right now...
I love you!!!
I voted for Bush (the first time only) only to feel later on like I had made the wrong choice - although I've never felt like I HAD much of a choice in the first place.
I give you credit for being willing to alienate a portion of your audience in the name of standing up for your beliefs and speaking your mind. Even though it might not be the best thing for your blog, it definitely shows your character.
I look at it this way: someone can insult my beliefs all they want as long as they don't restrict my right to believe in them.
If you take something personally I have always felt the issue is in your head not theirs.
Especially stuff said on the internet. The fact that a complete stranger can piss you off with words on a computer screen means they have more control over your emotions then you do.
That is not a good thing.
Bossy's note to self: Stay on Diesel's good side.
Additional Note To Self: find out which side that is.
Note to Bossy: the right side. Not the wrong side, the right side.
Diesel - want to stop back by my place and let me know if there are any rants of mine that cross the line? I wouldn't want to wake up some morning to find a Wookie head in my bed.
Interesting post. Glad you wrote it. I find the the man behind the man fascinating, too.
Hope I never piss you off - not because I couldn't handle the backlash - just happen to be a little weary these days of any and all backlash.
(Gordon? Sesame Street? Thought you looked rather familiar.)
Mmmmmm.... love this post. In fact this post, while it might be you, is also me and yes, I'm sick of unoriginal skewering of conservatives and Christians as well.
I knew there was a reason I loved your blog.
Personally, I don't care if you're mad, grumpy, sleepy, dopey or any of those dwarves...just please be original and creative. It's all I would ask of anyone. I'm the reader and I'll determine if I want to read your blog, your post or simply flush you down the blog loo. It's all I would expect from my own stuff or anyones too.
Politics and religion - two very dangerous subjects at the best of times. My blog persona is the me I like versus the me I have to pretend to be in the real world because of my job.
I agree, nice to meet the "man behind the man." A little peek into The Diesel.
My thoughts, it's your blog and you can say what you want and if someone doesn't like it they can hit the Back button on their browser. It's still a free country and you can believe in and talk about what you want. That's why it's called an OPINION or a PERSONAL BELIEF. If we all had the same opinions or beliefs, it would be a pretty dreary world.
Howard - I wrote it this weekend and then spent about 5 minutes this morning deliberating whether I should post it. :)
Jeannie - Thanks. That's actually most of the time.
Kalfu-ur - Very nice.
Blancodeviosa - You'd be surprised.
Lisa - Exactly. Thanks!
Suburban Correspondent - Good points. I should have said "incontrovertibly elected."
Jay - More like a case of "If I bite my tongue any longer it's going to fall off."
Suzy - Sorry! I'm a bit behind (and a bit of an ass). I've corrected it.
Madmad - Just a little?
ADW - Why, thank you. :)
Jeff - Thanks. I actually voted for him twice, the first time with high hopes and the second time with grudging resignation. And I don't want any readers who would be alienated by this post, to be honest. I'd just have to worry about offending them later on.
Chris - They piss me off because they are spreading lies, not because it threatens me personally. And again, I have no problem with differing opinions, but I think pretentious dickwads need to be taken down a peg.
Bossy - I don't think you need to worry.
Jami - I've never seen anything on your site that really pissed me off. When I think you're dead wrong, I let you know. But I respect your intelligence and your opinion.
Beth - I'm weary of it too, which is why I try to stay light-hearted. But I don't want people to mistake light-heartedness with acceptance.
QOFD - Right, it's the lack of original thinking that I think really bothers me. Fundamentalists and the people who call Bush a Nazi are both following someone else's lead in propagating nonsense, and I'm just sick of it.
VE - Exactly.
Kat - And that's why I try not to foist my beliefs on anyone. But I would like people to think for a few seconds before posting ridiculous, misleading, mean-spirited garbage.
Angie Lee - I agree, although again I think there's a difference between voicing your opinion and being a pretentious dickweed spewing idiocy. Although anyone who thinks I'm a pretentious dickweed is, of course, free to leave....
Thanks for the correction Diesel. ANYWAY, as a comic, I will always say X is a Nazi because hyperbole is God to comedians. I will always slam ANY president because that's my job.
This is a joke from my act, "My first boyfriend used to shave his head to make his head look bigger. I suggested he shave another part of his anatomy and make THAT look bigger." No matter where I do that joke, men groan and women laugh.
They take it personally even tho I'm talking about someone who is NOT IN THE ROOM. Such is the nature of having an opinion. Fortunately, I get paid for mine.
did i miss something??
for the record, i lovelovelove Pissed Off Diesel almost as much as Delightfully Sardonic Diesel, but then, i'm not your "Crazy Aunt Bea" for nuthin'... ; )
Okay, I was SO gonna take you on when you said, "I'm just about impossible to beat in an argument." But then I read the rest of what you had to say and I was 1) cowering from your fierce pissed-off-ness and 2) finding my self agreeing with you. NOT that I agree with your political leanings at all, but I DO agree with what you're saying, particularly about "hitler" and "hero" and "drunken frat-boy", etc. Those things are totally unnecessary and show a total lack of thought or even intelligence on the part of the person saying those things.
So, I guess no Brllig vs. Diesel fight for today. But come on, wouldn't that be fun sometime?
"They piss me off because they are spreading lies, not because it threatens me personally."
They are not doing it to spread lies, they are doing it to get attention.
How is it any different from Sally Fields slamming Bush on the Emmys just to bring attention to her show which is sagging in the rating?
Or Bill O'Reilly interviewing the host of the show on Nat Geographic where he got attacked by a python on camera? A show that happened to be on the next day and was heavily promoted via ads during the breaks.
Or having a caption contest using a picture from Heroes, a show which is at the top of internet searches.
Or posting a halloween blog entry on 10/31. Or a 9/11 post on the anniversary date. Or a top-ten list.
We are all doing the same thing, looking for attention. Otherwise why would we care about attracting readers?
It all depends on your moral code really in your approach. But the reality is any of us who blog all do things to get attention in some way.
Look, I'm not trying to critize you or anything, just saying that any means of attention-getting is pretty much the same and that we are all doing it.
To critize that is to critize ourselves.
Hmm...I think it's a sign that the only things I've agreed with GW Bush on have been ideas his party have been overwhelmingly against.
I don't have a blog persona. WYSIWYG. Or what you would get anytime what I say is being broadcast to the masses...
Oh, and I think your wife is a saint.
8-]
okay...I'm moving you on my Reader from "pending" to "members of the tribe"
and I might send the link to a couple people....
Suzy - Yeah, I'm not talking about the Soup Nazi here. I'm talking about people who in complete seriousness call W. a fascist. All that does is blur the difference between W. and actual fascists. These people aren't trying to be funny. And again, it's not the opinions I have a problem with. It's the self-righteous, willfully ignorant posturing.
C.A.B. - Nope, you didn't miss anything. Well, you missed the slow burn that's been going on in the back of my head for several weeks, but you can't really be blamed for that. Glad you enjoyed it. :)
Brillig - Exactly. For all I know, you and I disagree on absolutely everything. But frankly I couldn't give a shit as long as you don't go telling me that I'm an idiot for believing differently. :)
Chris C. - You're confusing motivations with outcome. I couldn't care less what their motivation is; all I know is that they are spreading mean-spirited, ignorant nonsense. Your argument is equivalent to saying, "Hey, you sell magazines and I sell black people. We're both selling stuff, so what's the difference?"
Robin - Actually, I may have used some of that, ahem, self-deprecating humor in this post to make myself look like more of an ass than I really am. That said, I really was that much of an ass at one point. I've just mellowed a bit, thanks in no small amount to Mrs. Diesel. :)
Katherine - Cool! I hope you balance out the people who just moved me from "pending" to "complete wanker."
persona?
i don't get that persona thing. so i have a persona going on too but i'm still as me as i ever was without it
or somethin'
by the way please 4give my asking but where in the world are you?
i am revamping my links with every person listed by country then the city or state or province in brackets and i honestly have no idea whatsoever to put for you ... also I cannot find any profile for you either
maybe i am being more technologically illiterate than usual today...
i dunno
Gledwood - Yeah, I didn't realize I had a persona until Suzy told me. Maybe you have one too. You should ask around.
I'm in Ripon, California, U.S., btw.... If you can't find it, it's right in the middle of the state, in the part where you didn't think anybody lived.
Diesel, U R a bombass smartypants dude! What's NOT to love???
Yeah Diesel!
Diesel Diesel, he's our man
If he can't make U laugh
No one can!
(cheerleaders leave the field...)
Now there's somethin' to like about football.
It is marvellous to see Mr. Diesel using the word 'wanker' with such aplomb just a few posts above this one.
Hurrah!
Throw in some f-bombs and Emperor Misha tells me your hired. I think I'll sum it up best by quoting myself.
"Don’t like it, there’s an “X” in the upper right corner. Click it."
I think half the time I write something about politics I'm trying to say most of the things you pointed out in this post. I just tend to say the opposite in attempting to illustrate it.
Wow. You're scary when you're mad. I'll try not to piss you off.
People don't like my serious side that much, either. Dorks.
Wait...Che Guevara killed people? Why the hell did I buy that T-Shirt at Hot Topic then?!?
I really don't like reading blogs that discuss politics. If i wanted something serious I'd just read a newspaper.
People will always have differing opinions and you're right about that. There are also a lot of ignorant people in the world who will mouth off on anything. I just generally don't pay attention to them. Not worth it.
...I'm...back...hi, Diesel...!
(tiptoes back into place in comments section, with flapping hand gestures that say "I'm going to try not to knock anything over or bump anyone, SHHHH, don't mind me.")
You know what I like? I like it when I like someone over the internet and they turn out to have very differing beliefs from my own and then I still like them anyway and rainbows fly around.
Don't ever get mad at me.
P.S. A friend of mine had this excellent rule of thumb. It was this:
Never argue with stupid people because
a. You won't learn anything
and
b. They never know when you've won.
But the thing is they only care about one outcome: traffic. They could care less who they offend as long as they get people to visit their blogs. I don't think they believe they will change people's thinking to their awful skewed viewpoint.
I agree with you that it is a messed-up way to do things but their goals and ours are the same in the end as crazy as that sounds.
It is a sell out that is for sure, but there are success stories using the mean angle.
Just ask Ann Coulter or Tucker Max
I don't mean to be a comment whore hehe but I had an idea a minute ago...
How about some kind of thing bloggers can sign online to show their integrity and that they research their work as well as fact check.
Throwing that out there...
Hello! I am a new member to Humor Blogs and thought I'd stop by and pay you a visit.
Glad I did! LOL
Chris C. - Yeah, and Ann Coulter's a blight on political discourse in this country too. How about if I just get to be in charge of who gets to say what?
Preposterous Ponderings - Welcome! Sorry about the mess. Things aren't usually like this.
Tina - (Nice to see you!)
Well said, my lad.
I constantly fight the good fight in real life to get people to understand the difference between calling the President "Chimpy McHitler" and having a coherent couple of sentences to state their opinion backed up by actual, verifiable fact, but I don't do it on my blog, too many trolls out there.
I especially liked your point about conservative Christians and their generosity, as I have also seen it first hand.
I know I won't make you mad for two reasons: first, I am a rational creature not disposed to hysterical, illogical rants; I prefer reasoned, fact-based discussions. And second, I pretty much agree with 99.9% of what you said. And it needs to be said every so often. Good on you.
Oh, and I'm the Treasurer of my church as well!
Keep up the good work, both the funny and the serious.
I like 'pissed off' you :)
Keshi.
Uhhhh, almost all lawyers are assholes.... come on you know they all are.
Remind me never to piss you off. I don't like offending people, but I probably have unknowingly done so more than once. I'm with you on not putting up serious political or religious views on my blog, at least not most of the time, because that would only end up in a stupid argument, and nobody wins. If you were serious on your blog, I probably wouldn't read it, because I have the feeling we have really different ideas. The great thing about your blog is that no matter what our views are, you make us laugh. And I'm glad you didn't decide to become a lawyer, the blogworld wouldn't be the same.
hmmm...I think the problem with people pissing you off is that people are usually unaware off their own assumptions, prejudices and simply daft comments. Now breathe!
Not everyone has read the books you have read or clearly viewed postions from different angles. Some average Joe might just have finally taken up the opportunity and checked the person called "Hitler something" everyone keeps talking about. His/Her ideas are new to him at the time and maybe he might just blog about it. Granted he is 50 years behind, but at least he started somewhere. If we can never have an idea that is not fully researched or utterly devoid of emotion, I guess we might just close the bloggosphere down. You are here, and around to go to those posts-get wonderfully pissed off- and say: "Did you just discover Bush's drunkeness yesterday, you moron...we know this for decades now, why don't you focus on something newer!?" Affronted, that person might just open a second book. A job well done.
You might think it is not my responsibilty to educate the dumbest person alive. Yes it is, if you chose to be upset by it.
That's why I like this post.
You want informed comments? Man I'm in trouble.
First I have to say I love howard's avatar photo.
Okay, interesting that you say that about your blogger personality. I would have to agree that my "personality" online is basically me, minus the negativity.
I guess that makes it Cardiogirl Lite. I often wonder what my friends think of my writing based on knowing me.
Thought provoking post. Are you quick and witty in person, or does it take you time to come up with a come back.
Frequently I'll be sitting on the couch a day after I visit my parents and think, "That's what I should have said."
I adore this post!!!
I think I might just buy your book now...hm, where is my wallet?
The Hitler comment reminded me of something I heard recently. Someone calling Cheney the Devil. Really, he is the prince of darkness in human form?!
Overexaggerators!!! :-)
Rock on Diesel!
I sure don't want to piss you off, although I think I sort of already did, with my 'fucktard dingleberry' comment, which of course we managed to resolve (like adults or something I think it was).
ANYWAY, the point I'm trying to get to is, everyone keeps saying if you don't like/agree/care/whatever for someone's blog, just give it the 'x', or be called a troll (been there, done that). So, if you didn't like these blog's posts, why did you bother to get angry and leave a comment? I did that on your site and got my blog/public person taken apart and sneered at by a number of your commenters. I realize we are comparing apples and oranges here, but the underlying principal is the same. The message I've gotten from every critical comment I've ever left anyone was: you are a troll, move on, don't read it if you don't like it, never come back, you're banned, get out of my face, I can say what I want, I like her better than you so get lost, I sold her to you for a hundred bucks I knew I should have collected first.
Of course, that means you can rant your heart out and if people don't like it they can leave. In fact the 'if you don't like it you aren't worth my time troll so leave' vibe permeates the comments section of most blogs (with large comments sections) and the rush to annihilate an offending commenter is interesting, if a little appalling, if you happen to be the annihilatee in question.
Blogs are just opinions. So, I voted for both the Georges, and I cringe everytime I see GW making a speech, because I KNOW he is going to deviate from his written pages and inevitably say something dumb. If Hitler had done stuff like that, he would've spent his life painting crappy pictures while bumming around Europe.
The End
Sparrow - Thanks!
Keshi - Thank you, but I think it would wear on you after a while. :)
Pope Terry - Probably true.
Theresa - Yeah, I think humor is a nice way of finding common ground. Plus, when I say something serious, you're more likely to pay attention, because I've already sucked you in. ;)
Minka - Is that really you? Where are the transposed letters?
Nessa - Nah, I just don't want retarded ones. You don't need to worry.
Cardiogirl - I have my moments, but I'm much wittier in print. That Howard is a silly monkey, isn't he?
CC - Cool! Just don't expect much stuff like this in the book. It's a lot less angry and a lot more funnier.
Sarah - I know, it's just stupid. When you've called someone the devil, it doesn't really give you a lot of room to converse.
Karen - Actually I agree with you. I don't buy the whole "just click the X" theory. When somebody is spreading lies and nonsense through the internet, somebody needs to stand up and say, "Look, this is just WRONG." Again, I don't feel that it's my responsibility to correct everyone's opinions, but if somebody says the holocaust never happened, the answer is not "click the X and make it go away."
And no, you didn't piss me off. If I thought you were one of those willfully ignorant jerkwads, I would have just ignored you, because there would have been no point in conversing with you. Just thinking that I'm a f---tard dingleberry doesn't make you a bad person. :)
I too have no real persona. Except I just do whatever the heck I feel like doing or saying. I try to be respectful of other's opinions, but I got opinions as well. The funny thing is - many people think everyone else MUST respect their opinions, but they themselves do not have to return the favor.
Anyways - I agree with you right down the line. Except for the hating Sliders. Oh insidious Evil one. :-)
Your blog is awesome! It is one of the only blogs I read regularly.
Diesel,
I respectfully disagree and would invite you to read a couple of books on the subject, “House of Ill Repute”, by William Rivers Pitt, or “American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century” by Kevin Phillips or maybe “Armed Madhouse” by Greg Palast. I had to step out of my comfort zone on some of this reading but I found them very compelling.
From a theoretical point of view, the comparison between Bush and Hitler has some merit. Many political scientists have described Nazism as a terrorist dictatorship of corporate expansionism. Bush, by putting himself beyond the law and invading a defenseless nation which it had not attacked in order to take over its oil wealth, the second largest on the planet, and then stating that other oil-producing nations will follow, comes close to the definition of a corporate terrorist dictatorship. Even though he may not like to admit it. Dictatorships thrive on secrecy. The ability to operate free of public scrutiny, oversight and accountability is the cornerstone of a totalitarian state. Such is the case with the Bush administration. Everything it has done over the past six years — from unauthorized wiretapping of Americans, to the suspension of habeas corpus, to the detention of prisoners is the legal limbo that is Guantanamo — has been cloaked in secrecy and shielded from public oversight in the name of national security. Hitler reached power in clean elections (sort of like Bush), but then found that the Constitution of the Weimar Republic placed limits which his omnipotent desires refused to accept. Similar to Bush’s declaration that the Constitution is just a gosh darn piece of paper and now that he has declared war, he can do whatever the hell he wants.
In response to your "...better have killed one million people..." I say how many innocent Iraqi citizens have been killed? Some estimates are as high as 650,000.
(Also, as an interesting side note: GWB’s grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a partner in Brown Brothers Harriman and one of the proprietors of the Banking Corporation Union. Both companies played a key role in financing Hitler on his way to power in Germany.)
There is so much more to say on the topics you have just mentioned but I'm sure I've angered everyone enough.
One more thing real quick (Ha!)...
I also recommend "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It" by Jim Wallis.
REVIEW FROM AMAZON.COM:
Secular liberals and religious conservatives will find things to both comfort and alarm them in Jim Wallis's God's Politics. That combination is actually reason enough to recommend the book in a time when the national political and theological discourse is dominated by blanket descriptions and shortsightedness. But Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine, offers more than just a book that's hard to categorize. What Wallis sees as the true mission of Christianity--righting social ills, working for peace--is in tune with the values of liberals who so often run screaming from the idea of religion. Meanwhile, in his estimation, religious vocabulary is co-opted by conservatives who use it to polarize. Wallis proposes a new sort of politics, the name of which serves as the title of the book, wherein these disparities are reconciled and progressive causes are paired with spiritual guidance for the betterment of society. Wallis is at his most compelling when he puts this theory into action himself, letting his own beliefs guide him through stinging criticisms of the war in Iraq. In his view, George W. Bush's flaw lies in the assumption that the United States was an unprecedented force of goodness in a fight against enemies characterized as "evil." Indeed, although both the right and left are criticized here, the idea is that the liberals, if they would get religion, are the more redeemable lot. Wallis's line between religion and public policy may be drawn a little differently than most liberals might feel comfortable with, and while he pays some lip service to other faiths most of his prescription for America seems to come from the Bible. Still, for a party having just lost a presidential election where "moral issues" are said to have factored heavily, God's Politics is a sermon worth listening to. --John Moe --
Diesel, that was well written and well thought out. Gee, i never would have taken you for conservative. I guess your just not conventional. I go for people who are not conventional. I like Grundil too and his arguments with the Wookie from Crummy Church Signs. Y'all have sensibilities that are adorably masculine.
Daveman - Maybe I need to give it another chance. When is it on?
Sandi - Thank you!
Ashbrook - Well, your well-thought-out comment is a long way from the kind of knee-jerk name-calling that I was talking about. That said, I still think you're wrong.
I'm not going to get into a big argument here, because that's not what this blog is about. However, I think your bias is evident in statements like:
"Bush, by putting himself beyond the law and invading a defenseless nation which it had not attacked in order to take over its oil wealth, the second largest on the planet...."
Iraq was defenseless? Tell that to the Iranians. Or the Kurds. Or the Kuwaitis. And you presume the worst possible motives for Bush, of course. And even if you are correct about his motives, and if you assign the blame for EVERY Iraqi civilian death to Bush, he's still not in Hitler's league. Oh, and you might recall that Iraq tried to assassinate Bush Sr., and routinely shot at our planes (which were keeping them from slaughtering the Kurds). Those are generally considered acts of aggression. I just don't understand why people insist on making that comparison. It's pure rhetorical laziness.
Anne - Thanks! I thrive on confounding expectations. :)
An argument was not what I had in mind either. Everyone has bias. I’m a liberal through and through. Of course I am going to see things with a liberal bias, just like you would see things with a more conservative bias. (That is why I recommended the book “God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It”, written with a more moderate viewpoint by Jim Wallis)
What I was trying to emphasize with the term defenseless was that their “military” was not even on the same level as ours. Poor word choice on my part.
I still think the comparison has merit especially since we are in the middle of, in my opinion, a huge intellectual void in American society that has created a silent majority in favor of the horrors of war,and a state of mind driven by disinformation, and fear.
It's perfectly fine. It's gonna be alright. Just don't look at my bag, I think I still have a couple of Che button from my wild youth (only a couple of years ago). But I don't call people I don't like "Hitler" - European take that seriously. I was actually surprise to hear "jokes" about Nazi Germany here in North America. It's totally taboo in Europe.
We're all different when we blog. Somehow more honest... I found. Sometimes more grumpy too ;)
But nothing major is wrong with you. ;)
Deep cover bubbling up?
Ah, I love a good rant! It's a bit light on the profanity, but it's still very nice. I would definitely come back for seconds.
Phew. I enjoyed that. Maybe folks call Bush a drunken frat boy because nobody wants to have sex with him. We're a simple people. Drugs or sex or--eek!--real issues? Nah....
Oh my god. Was this post always called Help Me Help You?
I am a dork. Because I just posted this retarded quiz on my blog and it was called "help me help you" and then it didn't work right and I retitled the post "help me pretend to help you" and now it looks like I'm copying you or skewering you or something!
Dang it.
Watch me accidentally retitle my blog "Mattress Police" next. Butterfingers!
If a common ground, let's say "sense of humor," which, under no circumstances should be spelled "sense of humour," can be found, a mutually respectful relationship becomes possible between the ignorant and the educated, the surrealists and the logicians, the people and the other people.
Allright - I posted another review at Humor-blogs! Calm down.
Boy do I relate to this post. When I first started blogging, I became apoplectic at the ignorance and hatred masked as enlightenment on many blogs. I even took on one or two such enlightened individuals and then realized it was futile. I don't agree that you can have conversations with some of these individuals - they are already inculcated...I mean educated, educated to their viewpoints. I am not averse to other people having other points of view - otherwise this registered Democrat (who voted for Bush time #2 and shares your disappointment in how things have gone) wouldn't be married to her registered Republican husband.
And now I'm going to curse - it's not fucking funny to compare someone (i.e., Bush) who obviously is not in league with such monsters to Hitler! Not at all. Use of term Nazi in a lighthearted way, (see soup Nazi), not funny. Ask my MIL what it takes to make someone a Nazi or never mind, just look at the numbers on her arm. Having said that - Larry David did do a funny sendup of a mixup of surviors vs. someone from the show Survivor on Curb Your Enthusiasm, but I digress.
I don't even know what my point is because I'm all steamed up again, except to say that I couldn't agree with what you've said more. Even though I am sure our viewpoints wouldn't always mesh, I appreciate someone who can dialogue and not attack. Well done Diesel. And look, don't get me wrong - you're not exactly Mr. Sunshine, it's just Grundir seems to be taking the heat lately.
Hey, have a nice day.
Wow, that was a rant! Sorry, but I do feel better.
Diesel, do you still have that picture of Mr. Sunshine? If only g could see the real Mr. Sunshine...
Who are you?
Who do you think you are?
Who do others think you are?
Who do you think others think you are?
Are you old enough to respond, "Who cares?"
Diesel, despite popular opinion I am perfectly capable to write coherent and correctly-spelled comments. I usually don't bother re-reading my comments, and my ten-finger sytem of typing is more of a "whatever-finger-gets-there-first"-method. When I care about a comment though, and I am trying to convey my thoughts just right...I tend to re-read and edit :)
If I told you what time Sliders was on - and actually decided you liked it.., then I would lose my fun in tormenting you about hating Sliders. And trust me, I have so few things in life to rag over - so don't spoil my fun; it adds depth to my existence on this planet hitherto referred to as Earth. Terrafirma will do as a nice substitution.
Uhm - wow! I just looked and they don't show Sliders any more anyway. Looks like your out of luck. :-)
Glacial Spain, I must admit that you've piqued my interest.
G - I'll post a pic of "Mr. Sunshine" one of these days. Heh, heh, heh....
Amen, Diesel. I'm new to blogging, and am grateful that no one has posted anything terribly ignorant (yet). I'm sure it will happen, since I'm a teacher and not so fond of NCLB and stupidity in the education system. But if I'm ever attacked by any memes, I know who I'm calling. You and Grundir should, uh, team up for the destroying. Just saying.
Well, I'm keeping my persona as a moderately adequate humorist online. In real life, I'm truly hysterical. But the blog persona keeps the pressure off. Yep.
Cool post. I love it and I don't think we'd agree on much politically. How did you manage that?
I don't usually read anything over two paragraphs long......but I read the whole. frickin. post. today. I'll be expecting my T-shirt that declares in big letters, "I Can't Believe I Read THE WHOLE THING!"
I couldn't stop reading because we're exactly alike. This both frightened and interested me. I no longer feel guilty turning down people seeking charitable donations because I'm giving a whopping 10 percent of all the money I work really hard for. And you know what? We pay taxes and homeschool our kids because the school system around here is overwhelmed with illegals and can't properly educate the students anymore. My kids missed out on free pre-school because my Papi and I work our azz off to keep our heads above the poverty level. Meanwhile our neighbor's got in because they told their kids to only speak Spanish. I got my almost paid for truck wiped out by an uninsured illegal immigrant 6 weeks ago. Don't tell me it's not a problem and they're just 'hard-working' folks. You bring out the venty side of me, Diesel.
Oh, and when I first started blogging I thought it would be funny to do political comedy occasionally. I had a piece called Crackertopia that smacked down the idea of having special interest history months and people who want to hyphenate themselves instead of just being an American. Ummm, I also had a funny post about the Port Securities Deal and I used hot dogs to represent the port cities being turned over to the United Arab Emirates to patrol. That got me monitored by every governmental acronym for a month following. I even got scrutinized by the Canadian gov., Mexico City gov., and the department of homeland security.
I've never blogged political again.
Damn man I dodn't know we had so much in common. I thought I was uniquely weird ;)
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