For the third time, I have been accused...

[Mythsaje]

...in not quite so many words, of being a brainless partisan.

There's a fellow on the local pagan list, an intelligent guy, but known for being terribly pedantic. He comes across like he's smarter than everyone else, and lectures people frequently about everything. He's knowledgable enough, in his particular fields of expertise, but if you get him started, you cannot get him to shut up.

He's a liberal, of a milquetoast, "don't rock the boat" sort, really. He also once spouted the very same accusation against atheists as the fundies use--that atheism is responsible for millions of deaths.

Militant atheists often irritate me. I don't know and neither do they. Religion annoys me, but militant non-belief is just as ludicrous. Don't pretend to knowledge you do not possess and try to tell ME what to believe. No one knows anything about god, gods, or any prospective afterlife. But that shit just pisses me off, because I don't blame the acts of communist radicals on atheism. And neither should anyone else.

I'm on a pagan list because my wife's a witch. :shrug: She's pagan and I'm okay with that. She believes things I do not, but she doesn't try to tell me that "this is so."

Anyway... So I made a comment on list about the corporate media and he launched into me about how I'm just some kooky wingnut (not in so many words) and that I should just try to get by without corporations for a month. Blah-blah-blah.

I swear, he argues like a fucking Republican. Throws out a lot of republican memes. But claims to be a Democrat, at least. He's a proud union member, yada-yada.

He also thinks DU is a big echo chamber and everything I have to say is just repeating what I hear here...as if I have no mind of my own.

Pissed me off.

This was my response.

******************

The members of DU are either all Democrats, or supporters of Democratic ideals. Which are, in general, a belief in open government, fair elections, universal acceptance of natural human differences in race, gender, and sexuality, (and to some extent religion, though fundamentalists of any stripe are rarely able to manage the rest of it and aren't well tolerated in return) and providing a solid social safety net for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Outside of that, everything else is pretty much fair game.

As far as corporations go--the trouble began when they were illegally given the status of artificial "persons" and it was decided that it meant that money = free speech and they were given the power to directly affect our legislative process by donating massive amounts of cash to help political campaigns as if it were the same as "free speech."

It isn't.

Large corporations are obviously a necessary evil, but one whose power should be restrained as the founders originally intended it to be. Their influence on our political system has gone way beyond what should have ever been allowed. Industry lobbyists have been writing bills for this administration and working behind closed doors to influence legislation and government policy for the past several years.

As the planet suffers from a massive climate change caused by human negligence and greed, the same industries that have led us to this brink are spending money like mad trying to influence matters to the point that they can continue in much the same way as they always have.

When the CEOs are making up to 200 times the pay of their lowest paid workers, and deliberately firing those underlings who are making "too much," outsourcing our jobs to places that utilize slave labor to produce all-too-often toxic or dangerous products, there's a problem. When they try to push through immunity for telecom corps that illegally aided in the wire-tapping of citizens, or threaten the continued openness and freedom of the internet, it's cause for serious concern.

When they engage in massive buy-outs of media organizations, combining into a few well-heeled monopolies, what suffers is the public's access to the truth. It's the media's job to report the news, not comment on it. Not pretend to "balance" it by providing the truth and the nutcase version as if they were in any way comparable.

It's like the notion of teaching Intelligent Design in schools along with evolution. There's no evidence for Intelligent Design, but who cares about THAT? Must keep the wingnuts happy.

Or what about Global Warming? Nearly every scientist in any connected field believes in it, but the media has to tell us that it's "debated," even though only a couple of wingnuts actually deny it. They don't even tell us the ratio of scientists who accept it's happening compared to those who don't.

You don't buy what I'm saying? You should read some of what Dan Rather and many of his peers have to say about what's going on in the media today. It's doesn't paint a pretty picture.

Yes, I'm outraged. Question is, why aren't you?

On second thought, never mind. Nearly everything you address to me I find condescending in tone and, frankly, more than a little offensive for that reason.

I'd actually prefer you not address me at all.

*******************

My wife's the moderator of the list. She didn't seem offended by my response, and believe me, if I go to far, she'll slap me down just like anyone else.

Anyone think I was a bit too harsh?

This isn't the first time this fellow has talked down to me and I really, really don't like it.


Edited to finish a thought I forgot to finish the first time through about atheism.

[some guy]

1. I don't think you were too harsh.

You barely reference the other person at all, and then only to say you you find him somewhat offensive (and why) and that you would rather he put you on ignore. :)

edit: changed my thought in mid-type, so it came out wrong. :blush:

[cleveramerican]

2. You've done well

but don't be surprised if it has zero impact on mr. smartypants