Suppose that both good queer people and bad not-queer people do the exact same thing. You want to yell at bad not-queer people, while specifying that good queer people are fine and it’s not about them. The way in which queer people can prove they’re good is to out themselves. And you’re surprised and offended when queer people yell back at you? Get the fuck over yourself.
(no subject)
Jan. 27th, 2023 11:26 pmRelated to one of tonight’s earlier rants: my biggest problem with being told that I’m being condescending or holier-than-thou or whatever is that I don’t see what it has to do with what I said. If I’m being condescending when I say the capital of the U.S. is Washington, D.C., that doesn’t make me wrong, and if I’m not being condescending when I say the capital of the U.S. is New York, that doesn’t make me right. I’m not trying to make a statement that I’m smart or talented or whatever. I’m trying to make a statement about the thing I made a statement about. And I’m sure it’s condescending to explain that, but at that point, fuck you.
I recognize the hypocrisy of arguing this while also arguing that you need to be able to convince people to listen to you. But a lot of the time, it doesn’t seem like there’s a way to state my case without being called condescending. The only thing I could possibly do that wouldn’t get called condescending is say nothing and pretend to agree. I play the social game because there’s at least a theoretical possibility of winning, and if I can’t ever win, I might as well flip the board over.
I recognize the hypocrisy of arguing this while also arguing that you need to be able to convince people to listen to you. But a lot of the time, it doesn’t seem like there’s a way to state my case without being called condescending. The only thing I could possibly do that wouldn’t get called condescending is say nothing and pretend to agree. I play the social game because there’s at least a theoretical possibility of winning, and if I can’t ever win, I might as well flip the board over.
(no subject)
Jan. 27th, 2023 10:47 pmEvery person says stupid things sometimes. Therefore, if you bite people’s heads off for being “stupid,” nobody will want to talk to you.
(Today this is about Demily, but it could just as easily be about Coelasquid, Darwin Candidate, or Scott Adams.)
(Today this is about Demily, but it could just as easily be about Coelasquid, Darwin Candidate, or Scott Adams.)
(no subject)
Dec. 12th, 2022 04:40 amIs it just me, or are the people who’re against AI art starting to talk about pro-AI art conspiracies in the same writing style, and with the same word choices, that some people talk about conspiracies funded by George Soros? Like, some of the replies to that Jason Lefkowitz tweet use the kind of language I would expect from people who use triple parentheses.
(no subject)
Dec. 9th, 2022 10:33 amParaphrasing a really annoying Tumblr argument.
What A says to B: “You can’t make it so that nobody on the Internet is ever mean to you.”
What B thinks A said: “You can’t stop me, A, from being mean to you.”
B: “You, A, can stop yourself from being mean to me.”
Yes, but A can’t stop the entire Internet from being mean to you.
What A says to B: “You can’t make it so that nobody on the Internet is ever mean to you.”
What B thinks A said: “You can’t stop me, A, from being mean to you.”
B: “You, A, can stop yourself from being mean to me.”
Yes, but A can’t stop the entire Internet from being mean to you.
(no subject)
Nov. 6th, 2022 01:14 amWhat they say: “we shouldn’t do this specific thing to support group X.”
What group X hears: “we should exterminate group X.”
Unless group X is pandas, I don’t think it’s that hard to keep them alive.
What group X hears: “we should exterminate group X.”
Unless group X is pandas, I don’t think it’s that hard to keep them alive.
(no subject)
Oct. 22nd, 2022 01:53 amAn exchange between two blogs I don’t follow:
Person A: corsets are bad because their only purpose is to make you look fuckable to other people.
Person B: corsets are good for supporting your boobs so your shoulders don’t have to carry the weight.
Person A: look at this asshole defending corsets! He thinks women need to constantly look fuckable to other people!
Person A: corsets are bad because their only purpose is to make you look fuckable to other people.
Person B: corsets are good for supporting your boobs so your shoulders don’t have to carry the weight.
Person A: look at this asshole defending corsets! He thinks women need to constantly look fuckable to other people!
(no subject)
Oct. 14th, 2022 09:35 amThere’s this thing one of my mutuals does.
—
Mutual M: Nobody ever responds to my question about subject S. It’s a major social issue, and I ask what can be done to solve it, and people just avoid the issue.
Random stranger: I have an answer. [Something that sounds reasonable when I read it].
M: That’s not actually an answer, because [reasonable-sounding explanation of how the stranger is missing the point of the question.]
Other random stranger: My answer is [sounds reasonable].
M: That’s also not an answer, because [sounds reasonable].
Third random stranger: I have an answer. [Sounds reasonable].
M: Nobody is answering the question I asked! That’s not an answer, because [sounds reasonable].
—
All of the answers seem to me like they do answer the question, but when M explains why they don’t, it always makes sense why he would say that. But if all these different answers from all these different people don’t answer your question, maybe the problem is on your side.
—
Mutual M: Nobody ever responds to my question about subject S. It’s a major social issue, and I ask what can be done to solve it, and people just avoid the issue.
Random stranger: I have an answer. [Something that sounds reasonable when I read it].
M: That’s not actually an answer, because [reasonable-sounding explanation of how the stranger is missing the point of the question.]
Other random stranger: My answer is [sounds reasonable].
M: That’s also not an answer, because [sounds reasonable].
Third random stranger: I have an answer. [Sounds reasonable].
M: Nobody is answering the question I asked! That’s not an answer, because [sounds reasonable].
—
All of the answers seem to me like they do answer the question, but when M explains why they don’t, it always makes sense why he would say that. But if all these different answers from all these different people don’t answer your question, maybe the problem is on your side.
(no subject)
Oct. 8th, 2022 06:13 amThere were these interviews with the scriptwriter for 12 Years a Slave where he talked about how horrifying it was that this intelligent, accomplished person could be enslaved. I saw one person react by saying he was putting a weird amount of emphasis on social status, as if it would be less messed-up to enslave a lower-class person.
I don’t expect people to know that several years prior, he argued that poor black people were only poor out of laziness. He never wrote anything like that again after the backlash. But it felt frustrating to see someone groping for the reasons why his other statements felt odd, knowing there was a missing piece that put it all together.
Sometimes people talked about how a certain rationalist blogger’s political statements seemed questionable at best and heartless at worst, and I remembered the time he told me genocide was a good thing. Or . . . I know some of you won’t be as offended by this as I was, but there was this one rationalist blogger who told me disabled people should be paid less for the same jobs as abled people, and in my worldview, that was the unforgivable statement that made all his other questionable statements make sense. I can’t have any reasonable expectation for people to know they said those things. It’s just frustrating sometimes.
I don’t expect people to know that several years prior, he argued that poor black people were only poor out of laziness. He never wrote anything like that again after the backlash. But it felt frustrating to see someone groping for the reasons why his other statements felt odd, knowing there was a missing piece that put it all together.
Sometimes people talked about how a certain rationalist blogger’s political statements seemed questionable at best and heartless at worst, and I remembered the time he told me genocide was a good thing. Or . . . I know some of you won’t be as offended by this as I was, but there was this one rationalist blogger who told me disabled people should be paid less for the same jobs as abled people, and in my worldview, that was the unforgivable statement that made all his other questionable statements make sense. I can’t have any reasonable expectation for people to know they said those things. It’s just frustrating sometimes.
(no subject)
Sep. 30th, 2022 05:24 pmAn indirect thought on Steven Universe:
There was this thing on TV Tropes a while back where some people kept adding Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants to the Complete Monster page, and other people kept deleting him. The people who added him cited that he did this and that and the other that were Complete Monster things. The people who deleted him didn’t seem to think an argument was necessary. To them, it was obviously silly to call this character a Complete Monster. I’d stopped watching Spongebob at this point, but it felt strange to me that people didn’t even conside it worth addressing whether the character’s behavior could actually merit the Complete Monster tag.
I’m one of the people who argues that Homeworld in Steven Universe does some spectacularly messed-up things, in ways that go beyond the usual cartoon villainy. The general response to this is “you’re crazy.” I feel like I’d be more satisfied with it if the argument was more “Homeworld really isn’t that different from a lot of other cartoon villains,” and to be fair, I do see that sometimes. But more often, the reaction is that it’s too stupid to bother arguing with, and that just annoys me.
(TBF, I also disagree with the folks who compare the Diamonds to Nazis. The Diamonds are a hybrid of multiple different kinds of terrible government, from kleptocracy to Communist dictatorship, without clearly matching any one real-life society.)
There was this thing on TV Tropes a while back where some people kept adding Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants to the Complete Monster page, and other people kept deleting him. The people who added him cited that he did this and that and the other that were Complete Monster things. The people who deleted him didn’t seem to think an argument was necessary. To them, it was obviously silly to call this character a Complete Monster. I’d stopped watching Spongebob at this point, but it felt strange to me that people didn’t even conside it worth addressing whether the character’s behavior could actually merit the Complete Monster tag.
I’m one of the people who argues that Homeworld in Steven Universe does some spectacularly messed-up things, in ways that go beyond the usual cartoon villainy. The general response to this is “you’re crazy.” I feel like I’d be more satisfied with it if the argument was more “Homeworld really isn’t that different from a lot of other cartoon villains,” and to be fair, I do see that sometimes. But more often, the reaction is that it’s too stupid to bother arguing with, and that just annoys me.
(TBF, I also disagree with the folks who compare the Diamonds to Nazis. The Diamonds are a hybrid of multiple different kinds of terrible government, from kleptocracy to Communist dictatorship, without clearly matching any one real-life society.)
(no subject)
Sep. 1st, 2022 09:24 am“Culturally Christian” is a failure to respond on the object level. “You believe false things Christians believe.” Okay, so what was the false thing I said?
(no subject)
Jul. 17th, 2022 07:30 amHot take: when you post about someone who made a callout post about you, that can potentially count as a callout post against them.
(no subject)
Jul. 10th, 2022 03:01 pmI still haven’t gotten this out of my head: A argued with B. B threatened to call A’s job and get them fired. People yelled at B for doxxing. B repeatedly posted that doxxing is looking things up, and since they got all that from A’s profile, it wasn’t doxxing. So if it’s not from the doxxing region of France, it’s just sparkling threatening to have someone fired for arguing with you?
(no subject)
May. 25th, 2022 07:42 pmI saw someone spend multiple forum pages complaining about how Monster Girl Encyclopedia has poorly thought out socioeconomics. Dude, just watch Spice and Wolf instead.
(no subject)
May. 16th, 2022 05:32 pmOP of a certain thread is asking to “please let it end for the love of God,” so I won’t link it. I’ll just analyze from a distance.
The OP, hereinafter called A, made a post about a fandom argument. B, C, and D misinterpreted the post, and posted in disagreement. E misinterpreted, but agreed with what they thought the post meant. F, G, and H disagreed with what E posted. E argued with them some more. I, J, and K popped up to argue with E as well. E kept arguing . . .
E thinks they’re on A’s side. But it seems like E is being the biggest nuisance towards A.
The OP, hereinafter called A, made a post about a fandom argument. B, C, and D misinterpreted the post, and posted in disagreement. E misinterpreted, but agreed with what they thought the post meant. F, G, and H disagreed with what E posted. E argued with them some more. I, J, and K popped up to argue with E as well. E kept arguing . . .
E thinks they’re on A’s side. But it seems like E is being the biggest nuisance towards A.
(no subject)
May. 4th, 2022 11:08 amThe anti-space crowd has moved past “you’re a colonialist.” We’re fascists now.
The perfect win for a diplomat would be “my country gets everything, and your country gets nothing.” A diplomat can propose more than they think they’ll get away with, but they can’t really propose more than they want. But I’m not a diplomat, and I’m not trying to benefit a country or a faction. If I propose that something is the best choice for everyone involved, it’s because I actually think it’s the best choice for everyone involved, with no intention to rip anyone off.
(no subject)
Jan. 30th, 2022 02:47 pmOne of the other things I think people don’t get about ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
argumate: somehow, a lot of people have convinced themselves that centrists don’t have strong beliefs. They think they can present their own strong beliefs, and centrists will just melt away under the pressure. So when he says what he believes, and their own statements don’t immediately change his mind or embarrass him into ending the argument, they get furious. It’s like they think they’re Christians in a Chick tract.
argumate: somehow, a lot of people have convinced themselves that centrists don’t have strong beliefs. They think they can present their own strong beliefs, and centrists will just melt away under the pressure. So when he says what he believes, and their own statements don’t immediately change his mind or embarrass him into ending the argument, they get furious. It’s like they think they’re Christians in a Chick tract.(no subject)
Jan. 25th, 2022 08:15 pmFrom your perspective, I switch back and forth between a more defensible argument and a less defensible argument. Therefore, I must be lying when I support the more defensible argument.
From my perspective, you’re fractally wrong, and I keep trying different arguments in the hopes at least one of them will get through to you.
From my perspective, you’re fractally wrong, and I keep trying different arguments in the hopes at least one of them will get through to you.
(no subject)
Jan. 12th, 2022 12:01 pmWhen someone is Just Asking Questions about male crimes, think of when a person is Just Asking Questions about black male crimes. What do you think that person trying to do? Where is the conversation going to go?
And if you think that’s not fair because institutional power: do you really think someone who’s JAQing off about male crimes is going to allow AMABs to be called anything other than “male”?
And if you think that’s not fair because institutional power: do you really think someone who’s JAQing off about male crimes is going to allow AMABs to be called anything other than “male”?
