Re: Evil [was: Help needed with expletives

On May 1, 9:05 pm, Aqua <a...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Will in New Haven wrote:



On May 1, 3:21 pm, zebo...@xxxxxxxxx (Zeborah) wrote:
Bill Swears <wswe...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Zeborah wrote:
Bill Swears <wswe...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
He was out of line, but instead of calling him on his specific
offense, you chose to defend his right to take the polemic to the point
of personal attack.
Two things:

1) Intent.

a) If the intent of Nicky's kids matters to how we judge their word
choice, then the intent of Mateo matters to how we judge his. Darkhawk
has explained, and I have accepted, how the intent of his word choice
was not "evil evil EEEVILE" but rather "thoughtless or lazy or stupid or
malicious, whatever -- but in any case hurtful". This latter is
accurate. If then we judge by intent, there was nothing wrong with what
he said.

We haven't heard or read his intent. We have read someone else's
statement about his intent. Does Darkhawk claim to be able to read his
mind? Besides, when you call "thoughtless or lazy or stupid" by the
same name that you call evil you weaken your ability to call out
evil.

It does? Could you please point me to examples where thoughtless or
lazy or stupid behaviour did damage to other people, and calling that
consequence "evil", made it harder to name "real" evil? Whatever
that's supposed to be, given the amount of evidence for "real" evil
being perpetrated by the thoughtless or lazy or stupid.

If you keep pointing at shadows and calling them wolves, well that's
an old story. If you prefer labelling kids who use the word gay
carelessly homophobes, are people going to listen when you identify
someone who actively hates gays and wants to hurt them.

Maybe people will listen but you make it less likely.

I was saying elsewhere, I'm beginning to understand why I'm reading so
much less fantasy/sf these days. I'm bored with universes where "real"
evil is this magical discrete thing from ordinary people doing ordinary
things, because my world is far more complicated and interesting than that..

But you want to point your finger and use the same word for different
phenomena. Because your world is so complicated and interesting. And
because you are so mahvelously broad-minded also.

But if my tolerance for fictional evil has gone down, my tolerance for
applying fictional rules of evil to real life is even lower.

Sigh. I really think you believe that kids using the word gay in that
fashion are as bad as people generally get. Would that it were true.

–
Will in New Haven
"I am thus far a Quaker, that I would gladly argue with all the world
to lay aside the use of arms and settle matters by negotiation, but
unless the whole will, the matter ends, and I take up my musket and
thank Heaven He has put it in my power."
-Writings of Thomas Paine 56 (M. Conway ed. 1894)
.

Relevant Pages

  • Evil [was: Help needed with expletives
    ... Intent. ... was not "evil evil EEEVILE" but rather "thoughtless or lazy or stupid or ... when you call "thoughtless or lazy or stupid" by the ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
  • Re: French military closes Bit Torrent site
    ... It's also a bigoted, ignorant thing to say, comparable to calling all ... Americans loud, lazy, and stupid. ...
    (rec.arts.anime.misc)
  • Re: Davros??
    ... human as the daleks, suddenly introducing humanity that that is ... It's lazy writing to ... daleks to have Davros. ... He was cunning and evil. ...
    (uk.media.tv.sf.drwho)
  • Re: Stupidity and Evil; Heroism and Holiness (Naomi Ragen)
    ... Or are they instigated by a stupid, ... evil press corps who failed to mention the following history when ... Reporting on Israel does not do that. ... journalism has chosed again and again to abet that pathology. ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: Smash a babies head on a rock become a muslim God
    ... He was a filthy stupid muzzie pig following the orders ... FUCK ISLAM IS EVIL, believe me not ... muslim on earth will some day rot in hell. ... muslims are evil and they will burn in Hell. ...
    (alt.religion.islam)
Loading