Yackity-Yack

[Gweener]

I'm half deaf in one ear. Some chic was harassing one of my best friends in high school, and she couldn't get into any kind of trouble or her parents threatened to send her away to military school. So I had confronted the girl and told her to just leave my friend alone. She was a tough chic, walking around brandishing large wooden pimp cane after school. But I must have freaked her out, because she went and told her cousin. I was walking with a friend and heard running behind me but didn't think anything of it. And she slapped my in my ear from behind. I came out of the fight with no visual damage, while I busted her face up pretty good, especially since I wore lots of rings at the time, one of them being a very large birthstone ring that my Aunt who died from cancer had passed to me. A couple of football players broke up the fight. He even said I tried to take a swing at him when he tried to pull me away. I don't even remember that! But she fought like a girl... pulling my hair. After the fight, I went back and found all my earrings. Thank goodness I didn't have any tears in my earlobes probably because I wore hook ones, post, and a cuff. I was considered the victor, but I had no idea the ringing in my ear meant permanent damage and impaired hearing.
I've never started a fight, but I've never back down from one either. ANy one else have any fight stories? let's hear some about how catty girls can be!  

[E i J i-A c r o b a t i c]

@Gwener - Haha lol! I don't usually start fights either, i prefer mental damage to physical damage, since I'm not a very strong person. D;
Yeah, well since this girl spread rumours about me and ex [she WAS my bestie before] and let out all my secrets, so I let out hers and th list goes on.
I admit I'm just as bad at her, but childish as this sounds.

She started it! DDD;  

[ChainsawDooM]

Right... As an FYI, there's a giant rant coming.
There is swearing in this rant. I'm only cutting out the "F" words, since cutting out anything else takes away from the overall... substance, spirit and forcefulness of the rant.
It's really good to finally say this crap. I think this is a pretty good way of saying it all.
Sure, I could have put it in Marie's rant section, or my sub-forum, but in my opinion, it deserved to be read.  

[ChainsawDooM]

You know, I've got something that's been bugging me, and I've had just about enough of it. I think it's time to do a little rant. Let me just say beforehand, that this rant WILL use some 2nd person language, and is liable to offend some of you. However, I'm not necessarily directing this rant at everyone who reads this. There's a rather simple way to know whether or not this rant is directed at you. If this rant offends you, IT'S PROBABLY DIRECTED AT YOU. And frankly, if it offends you, I don't f***ing care, because frankly, I think you deserve it for being a bigoted piece of s**t.

So, I was walking around me college campus today after a test, having a nice talk with a classmate about the Calculus test we just had. As we were walking, we happened to come across a religious group talking to a gathering of people. Normally, I wouldn't care, it's none of my business what other people believe in, and truly, I mean that, even though what I'm about to say may seem hypocritical. In fact, let me explain to you what exactly I think about people's right to believe in whatever you want. Here it is, "Believe whatever you want, but don't you dare try to impress your ideologies onto others." Oh sure, you may call me a hypocrite because you think I'm trying to impress my beliefs on others. Using persuasion is NOT forcing conformity. Look, unlike some of you guys, I know it's your choice whether or not to read this and change your minds. I'm sure most of you who think this way and read this aren't going to change. Hell, you probably won't even read it the whole way through. What makes me different from the people I'm referencing is that I respect your choice to be however you want to be, it's your choice, and I don't think anyone has a right to force you to change that choice. Do I think it's wrong, yeah, and people who are like this piss me off, but I'm not going to FORCE you to act the way I want you to act like these people try to do.

Anyway, I was simply going to pass by, when the speaker for the religious groups said something that royally pissed me off. He started talking about homosexuals.

Now, I'm not a homosexual, nor do I ever intend to be one. However, That doesn't mean I don't think a person has the right to do whatever the hell they want to do with their life, as long as it doesn't hurt others. I say "hurt,” not "offend", because I'll be damned if I think someone has a right not to be offended. That is NOT a right. The right of free speech does, and will always overrule your "right" not to be offended, I'm sorry. That's one right that others' have that DOES NOT end where your rights begin.

Now, this guy starts bashing this guy in the crowd, simply bombarding him and giving him no right to defend himself. Unfortunately, I decided to walk away, as I felt I was far to angry to hold a heated debate, and I also know how God-damned futile it can often be to have a philosophical or theological discussion with a religious zealot. More often than not, they subscribe to one of the most idiotic schools of debate: he who shouts his opinion loudest and therefore deprives his opponent the chance to speak is always right. This is absolute f***ing bullshit, and has always and will always piss me the f*** off. Forgive me for this instance of Godwin's Law, but I think we all know one very famous person who subscribed to this school of debate. Oh, I think some of you can guess who he was. I'm speaking of course, of Adolf Hitler. Oh yeah, no one can argue that that man screamed his f***ing brains out every time he gave a speech. Most people would also agree that pretty much all of the s**t he said was definitely not true, although, by God, he sure as Hell shouted it louder than anyone else did.

Before I continue, I would like to note that I am not a religious person by any stretch of the term, and I do NOT claim to know all the intricacies of the Bible or the Christian faith (or any faith for that matter). I don't believe anyone does. I merely find that you're all too often unlikely to get ANYWHERE in a theological debate with a religious zealot without using the teachings of their own holy writ against their arguments. People like this tend to hide behind the sayings of their faith and have the startling ability to resist even the most irrefutable logic if even a single saying in their little book says something to the contrary. Sometimes the only way to get them to think is, in a sense, to use their faith against them.

Now, here comes the rant. I'm sorry, but who the f*** are you to pass judgment on others. You think just because the Bible says somewhere in it's pages that a man may not lay with another man that it gives you the RIGHT to persecute others who don't follow your beliefs? I'm sorry, but I don't believe the Bible says anywhere in there that you should take the judgment of people who don't follow its writ into your own hands. That sounds pretty f***ing high-and-mighty to me.

Oh, I never said it wasn't frowned upon somewhere in the Bible, I know that it is. I'm saying that it is not written in the Bible that you, or anyone else, have the right to press your beliefs on others just because what you think they're doing is wrong. I'm sure there's probably something in there about justice... yeah, when someone else actually HURTS SOMEONE. Tell me, how does being a homosexual actually hurt anyone, hmm? Oh, they aren't allowed to do it because you say it's akin to spitting in the face of God? Well, I happen to remember you believe in a little gift that your god gave everyone. I think was something called... Oh, hmm... what was it... Oh, yes, FREE WILL! That's right, according to you, God gave us the choice to choose to follow his rules as well as the choice to disobey them. You know, come to think of it, I think the responsibility of judging a man for his deeds in life belongs to... Oh right, God. Hmm... I wonder what makes you think that you have the right to judge a man for his actions, and even persecute an entire group of people, just for exercising their God-given right of free will. That seems pretty f***ing arrogant to me.

What's that? You think that these people are spitting in the face of God for doing what you think are these sinful, horrific deeds? Let me tell you what I think. I think your act of violating what you say is God's most precious gift to mankind – taking the God-given right of another man to do as he pleases in life – is more of a spit in the face of your God than any of these so called sins you hate so much. You can believe whatever you want, I don't care, but don't press your beliefs and ideologies on others, and don't force them to conform to what YOU think is right through your supposed "righteous laws". If you believe it's so wrong, then you should just let face whatever judgment you think your God may give them. It's not up to you to judge a man's deeds in his life. It's the duty of whatever higher power or powers that might exist. And don't you dare have the gall to claim that you know who is getting a first class ticket to damnation or salvation. I'm sure claiming you know what your God has in store for all of us is some sort of blasphemy, is it not? Nobody knows what lay in store for us... for any of us. To even SUPPOSE that you know another man's fate, or even your own, is to pass judgment on that man, and to top it off, it's f***ing arrogant as hell.

This does not just go for your views on homosexuals, but any group you knowingly and willingly oppress, persecute, or ridicule just because they believe in something different than you. Lay the f*** off.  

[ChainsawDooM]

Right... I'm sure some of you will appreciate that rant much more than others... But I had to say it. I don't care whether people find what I wrote agreeable or not. I won't even press the issue further... unless you start to debate with me. I won't back down from a debate, because any statement or idea, all the things just said I believe in will seem meaningless if I don't defend it if the need arises.  

[Gweener]

Yeah, I can feel that.
I wonder... when I was in college, there was this group with a guy as their speaker that stood right in the middle of the commons, just purposely insulting people, screaming that we're all fornicators, fagots, etc, etc.... I wonder if it's the same group.

Most people didn't bother to engage the guy. And I couldn't help but wonder how they had permission to be there!? Another student said that these same people were there the year before, and students had complained and wanted them removed, but administration said that they had the right to be there, the freedom of speech.

But wait. There's a line here! It's not a freedom to preach messages of hate! What the hell!?  

[LittleTnCo]

Well, it's about time! Long over-due in fact. I totally and completely agree with both Chain and Gwee. As most of you know; I have a strong belief in God and love Jesus with all my heart. But, I do not go around telling someone how they are going to die and go to Hell because of their sin. I mean; s**t. I have sinned several times over. Sometimes I feel really horrible about it; other times I shrug it off. Who the heck doesn't? I completely and totally agree with Chain that people should not persecute other people or do that "name labeling" thing. I despise that s**t. I am not a homosexual and don't think I would ever become one. Though, I must be completely honest and say that when I was younger; during my adolescence stage, I considered it once or twice. But never experimented with the notion. I have no problems with those that are. Only those that try to persuade someone to become one; just like it's wrong for a heterosexual to try to persuade one to not be a homosexual. I'm just as hard on those assholes who like to talk down or mock people that have a lower IQ. I just love it when someone pokes fun at one of them and then in the distant future, possibly same day; they're sitting in an art class or wood shop and they get an "F" on their project that they claimed to have worked on for weeks maybe even months. And that same "retard" as they are often labeled; gets an "A" and only worked on it during class time because they weren't trusted to take it home for sake of loosing it. Way to go "retard." You loose, Mr "IQ." Well, I could go on and on; but then I'd end up turning into one of them complainers or naggers and be stooping to their level. With my Osteoarthritis, I don't have the liberty of stooping. It hurts like a M..F'er!!  

[ChainsawDooM]

I'd like to state that there is a difference between being offensive and being insulting. I'm pretty sure most of us can see the difference in our heads, but it's one of those things that differs from person to person, and also get really hard to actually put down on paper.

Anyway, you have a right to offend people. You also have the right to apologize or not after you offend them. Insulting people on the other hand... that can easily cross the line into harassment.

It's an entirely different thing to say the potentially offensive statement "I think homosexuality is a sin," as compared to insulting someone... for example, saying "You are a f****t, and you and all the repugnant homosexual f****ts like you will burn in Hell for the blight you put upon this Earth in the eyes of God."

You see the difference, right? It can get hard to distinguish between the two sometimes, even though one of these is protected under the first amendment and the other isn't. This is the main reason most institutions let things that are blatantly insulting slide sometimes: they don't want to be sued for repressing your freedom of speech. It's a thin line they have to toe, and they prefer to take the path with the least risk of losing them money.

*Chain would like to note that he used these sentences as an extreme example in order to better illustrate what he was talking about. These statements and the ideas they may carry do not necessarily represent the opinions of the poster (just to be clear... they don't).  

[Hazumu-san]

Right On Chain! I also happen to agree wholeheartedly with you three. The level of which, the things Chain discribed above seem to be increasing (at least to me). It scares me that so many people can be abusive, disgusting and bigoted. It makes me want to hide in my house and never come out of it again.

On a side note, religious zealotry is anathema to me, I've left places because it made me physically ill to witness it. Even over-zealous religiousness gives me the heeby-jeebies. confused  

[Hazumu-san]

Gweener

I'm half deaf in one ear. Some chic was harassing one of my best friends in high school, and she couldn't get into any kind of trouble or her parents threatened to send her away to military school. So I had confronted the girl and told her to just leave my friend alone. She was a tough chic, walking around brandishing large wooden pimp cane after school. But I must have freaked her out, because she went and told her cousin. I was walking with a friend and heard running behind me but didn't think anything of it. And she slapped my in my ear from behind. I came out of the fight with no visual damage, while I busted her face up pretty good, especially since I wore lots of rings at the time, one of them being a very large birthstone ring that my Aunt who died from cancer had passed to me. A couple of football players broke up the fight. He even said I tried to take a swing at him when he tried to pull me away. I don't even remember that! But she fought like a girl... pulling my hair. After the fight, I went back and found all my earrings. Thank goodness I didn't have any tears in my earlobes probably because I wore hook ones, post, and a cuff. I was considered the victor, but I had no idea the ringing in my ear meant permanent damage and impaired hearing.
I've never started a fight, but I've never back down from one either. ANy one else have any fight stories? let's hear some about how catty girls can be!

Wow Gwee! you are tough! smile heart I've never been in a fight, I don't think I am all that strong. I can be particularly hard-headed and snotty though! blaugh  

[LittleTnCo]

ChainsawDooM

It's an entirely different thing to say the potentially offensive statement "I think homosexuality is a sin," as compared to insulting someone... for example, saying "You are a f****t, and you and all the repugnant homosexual f****ts like you will burn in Hell for the blight you put upon this Earth in the eyes of God."

You see the difference, right? It can get hard to distinguish between the two sometimes, even though one of these is protected under the first amendment and the other isn't. This is the main reason most institutions let things that are blatantly insulting slide sometimes: they don't want to be sued for repressing your freedom of speech. It's a thin line they have to toe, and they prefer to take the path with the least risk of losing them money.

Oh my; yes. I'm so glad you felt the need to elaborate. Though; I'm sure a lot of us already knew this. However; there are those who have no clue at all. Some that know and understand how wrong or hurtful it is, do it anyway because they get a "high" or "thrill" from it.

So, do you think I may have gone over board with my ranting? I thought yours was right on target. Great job. I give you an A++ exclaim  

[LittleTnCo]

Hazumu-san

Right On Chain! I also happen to agree wholeheartedly with you three. The level of which, the things Chain discribed above seem to be increasing (at least to me). It scares me that so many people can be abusive, disgusting and bigoted. It makes me want to hide in my house and never come out of it again.

On a side note, religious zealotry is anathema to me, I've left places because it made me physically ill to witness it. Even over-zealous religiousness gives me the heeby-jeebies. confused

Yeah; me knows exactly what you mean. The odd thing though; is that a lot of these people who intentionally go around abusing, discriminating, violating, and so forth; are the same ones' that cry wolf when they think they are being left out or have a similar wrong done to them that they are imposing on their victims. scream  

[Gweener]

I'm glad you shared that, Chainsaw, about the difference between offensive & insulting. I never really thought about it like that, but that describes the line that was crossed exactly. It figures that it all comes down to money, though. cry That makes me sad. Here we're going to college to better ourselves, paying to be there may I remind, and we're subjected to that mind-muck!

redface Hazumu-san, I've never thought of myself as being tough! xd But I do know that I'm fiercely protective,... and sometimes my hot temper gives me courage to stand and fight instead of flight. xd

Speaking of pushing religions... last weekend I had some women come to my door. I don't know what religion/church they were selling. They just caught me of-guard in my own home, I had the door open because it was a beautiful day. I just stood there, with my dogs going crazy, just in shock or something like that. She kept beginning her spiel and I'd look back to my dogs then back at her, not knowing what to say, wanting to chose my words carefully as not to give her an opening to continue the conversation but not wanting to mean at the same time, but nothing would come out. I finally just said I was going to step back inside to settle my dogs down.
It felt so intrusive! Here I've been to several churches and have always been met with stares that said "who are you!?" and "what neighborhood do you live in?" All I ever felt was people being judgemental, not open and caring and happy to be broadening their spiritual family. And now they want to come to my house!? Can you imagine if I just showed up to their house unexpectedly asking questions. Something tells me that I wouldn't be too welcome, but they think it's ok, what they're doing!?
(Phew, that felt like a rant!?)  

[Hazumu-san]

I am terrible during confrontations, I mostly just wilt. redface

A friend of mine from college had that happen to him. When he opened the door they started to go into their spiel. Before they could go to far though, he asked them to hold on for a moment because his animal sacrifice was waking up. The person stopped and stared at him, then turned around and left. He said that was the fastest he got rid of a Jehovah's Witness. blaugh  

[Gweener]

Hazumu-san

I am terrible during confrontations, I mostly just wilt. redface

A friend of mine from college had that happen to him. When he opened the door they started to go into their spiel. Before they could go to far though, he asked them to hold on for a moment because his animal sacrifice was waking up. The person stopped and stared at him, then turned around and left. He said that was the fastest he got rid of a Jehovah's Witness. blaugh

xd blaugh rofl
That's hillarious!