The Good Post Gallery

[Antonio the Sixth]

Oh, come off it.  That thread was insanely inappropriate.  How insulting is it to the gay and lesbian community to try to link a despicable excuse for a human being like Ann Coulter to them?

[Antonio the Sixth]

I don't support Berlusconi "as much as" I used to. Ok, you're slowly getting there. Maybe by the next post, you'll fully come around and just admit fault.

The rest of your post is the usual silliness. "Santorum picking on the disabled that support this." I must have missed where he kicked Dole's wheelchair or something. Whatever. You're tiring. Go dig up another Santorum hit piece article and try to pass it off as news.

i'm still waiting for you to defend his obnoxiousness over lgbt rights.

That's nice.

or is santorum some sort of messianic figure to you who is incapable of being wrong?

I think Phil knows Santorum is no messiah.  As for some of the supporters here of the Obamessiah...

There is none of the sort since late 2009-early 2010.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Memphis, for all your ridicule of womens' studies, and I say this as someone who has done his fair share of ridiculing of those things, you seem to have a very limited understanding of how patriarchal structures are supposed to work. I say supposed in order to facilitate a common ground here.

It's not about legal or physical barriers. Have you never known a woman intimately? And I don't necessarily mean sleeping with one. Just knowing a woman pretty well is sufficient to see this. I had a girlfriend who avoided working for investment banks. Not because she didn't want to, because she did. Not because they said they didn't like women, because they actually did the opposite, claiming to want more female employees. But because she very acutely felt the barriers of the sexist culture of those places and the way society expects men to do such jobs better. That's just a tiny anecdotal example from a country usually considered one of the most gender-equal in the world.

You're clearly viewing this from the perspective of a man. Which is natural since you are one. But the whole idea of tolerance and human rights is that we attempt to understand those coming from other positions in life. Not only do you fail in that but you seem uninterested to even try, content to retain misogynist positions. You should really reconsider that. 

[Antonio the Sixth]

I should clearly post more about womens' issues if it makes even Antonio like my posts.

That's what I found particularly infuriating about our post-DSK affair feud. I have for long been a passionate advocate of gender theories, and very sensitive to displays of patriarchal/reactionary mentalities, so being cast as a sexist or even a rape apologist was truly unbearable to me.

(I will admit that some of my comments, in the wake of the shock that the affair was to me as a French leftist, have been poorly thought or misguided - but I also maintain that you have a disturbing tendency to judge people very early and to argue against strawmen instead of against them)

[Antonio the Sixth]

I should clearly post more about womens' issues if it makes even Antonio like my posts.

That's what I found particularly infuriating about our post-DSK affair feud. I have for long been a passionate advocate of gender theories, and very sensitive to displays of patriarchal/reactionary mentalities, so being cast as a sexist or even a rape apologist was truly unbearable to me.

(I will admit that some of my comments, in the wake of the shock that the affair was to me as a French leftist, have been poorly thought or misguided - but I also maintain that you have a disturbing tendency to judge people very early and to argue against strawmen instead of against them)

Well, when someone opens a discussion by labeling me a bigot I become a lot less inclined to be charitable in debate. One might even think of such behaviour as a disturbing tendency to judge people very early and arguing against a strawman.

But I can't say I care that much about how you rationalize that exchange afterwards. If you want to think that I'm characterized by judging people or debating strawmen, that's fine. I'm sure Memphis would agree with you by now...  

And I labeled you a bigot after how made a comment about how this wasn't surprising since DSK was French, a comment which you later explained was humorous and admitted that, if serious, it would indeed have been a sign of bigotry. I think my misunderstanding of the tone of your comment is fairly understandable in context.

Now, I admitted I did overreact in certain instances, but I encourage you to also face your own issues and flaws - unless you prefer to think everything was my fault.

Your post against Memphis was substantial, comprehensive, and went deep to the core of the argument, hence my posting it here.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Anyways...

Discrimination on the basis of race: reprehensible.
Discrimination on the basis of gender: reprehensible.
Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation: reprehensible.
Discrimination on the basis of weight: hahah fatty go kill yourself

[Antonio the Sixth]

Nothing of this makes discrimination and bullying against fat people OK. Also, not everybody "chooses" to be fat.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Also there's no need to be so condescending.

Well, maybe but you need to understand that it is very provocative when you talk about prostitution in terms of "not all jobs are fun" etc. Whatever you write about prostitution please remember that selling your body is a fundamentally different thing from selling your labour. Using that comparison is both disrespectful and absurd.  

I will admit that you can find several studies that disagree with the majority view.

One important thing to consider when evaluating studies of prostitution is that the worst psychological problems with prostitution are not related to shame, stigma etc. but to the simple fact that a prostitute has to have sex with someone he or she doesn't want to have sex with. In order to cope with this you need to disconnect your mind from your body and it is this process that in the long run is very harmfull and dangerous. Since we are talking about long term injuries it is not necessarily relevant how the women (and men) currently working in the sex industry are doing, since they may not yet have been damaged enough to have the problems.
Remember that psychological damages can potentially occur decades after the actual event.
(think war veterans, victims of violent crime etc.).

Another problem is that many prostitutes are former victims of sexual abuse and they have already had to build up the defence mechanisms I was talking about in my last post in their childhood making the consequences of having to prolong this process in adult life even more problematic.

Prostitution is a complex issue. It can never be fully eradicated and I am not necessarily against legalization (for people over 21, you are generally not mature enough to make that choice earlier) under all circumstances since it might be the least bad option.
If I were to support legalization it should be combined with an active effort to discourage young people from entering into prostitution and attractive exit offers to the ones already in the trade offering an alternative (including rehab programs for drug addicts) + a strict control with the industry including a license to buy prostitutes given only to people without a police record of being charged or convicted of violent and/or sex related crime.
This is hardly realistic in a US context, where the authorities are not exactly known to be generous regarding social work and it would obviously create a black market for unlicensed, prostitution and underage, but at least make it safer for the regulated trade. The penalties for customers enganging in illegal prostitution should be very harsh in this scenario (comparable to rape).
 
What made me angry was therefore not your support for legalization, but this callous comparison of menial work and prostitution and the general carefree attitude in your post.

[Antonio the Sixth]

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=167382

Disliking Romney States is indeed very good.

[Antonio the Sixth]

What is twitter and tweet?

A way for hep youngsters to talk to each other that a lot of people who aren't hep youngsters use. It's designed in such a way as to hinder, but not necessarily render entirely impossible, the development of complex thoughts.

[Antonio the Sixth]

eegads man....the fear is stong with this one


Ok, how's about something you think might actually have a change at getting passed?

But that's the issue: Nothing that would seriously help solve the problem has even a remote chance of being passed.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Came here to post that.

[Antonio the Sixth]

First off, the district is D+5, no Democrat with that high of a PVI district should be voting against necessary aid to those effected by Sandy, it's totally unacceptable. It's not like Republicans are winning that sort of seat, so a primary isn't a risk.

This little attempt to flip the script is a fail, which is no surprise coming from the poster. Your party threw out a 30 year senator for being too conciliatory and ended up with the nominee that believes that rape is a gift from God, who went on to lose.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Eastern Poland wasn't founded on ethnic cleansing (or if it was, it didn't occur in the 20th century), so Eastern Poland.

What is now 'Eastern Poland' used to have the largest Jewish population on the planet. I gather that this is no longer the case. Of course it wasn't the Poles that did that, but then it mostly wasn't the Poles that removed (in an infinitely less evil way, of course) the Germans from Silesia and so on. Pretty much the entire of Central and Eastern Europe was 'founded' on 'ethnic cleansing.' Thank you, nationalism.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Man, making fun of folks who are old enough to play with computers but who also actually enjoy My Little Pony is a bit like making fun of people in wheelchairs, or of retards. Sure, we all do it, but only among close friends and certainly not in public.

Seriously, dude, you seem to be an awful person. Making fun of people in wheelchairs is not even close to acceptable, and we sure don't "all do it". Retards is an insult. As to making fun of people who enjoy a girly cartoon, this is perfectly acceptable, you can do it all day, go on.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Users who disapprove of Al should be banned on sight.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Considering the circumstances, I allowed myself to exceptionally troll the thread a bit (ie what many posters do on a regular basis).

[Antonio the Sixth]

OK, I'll redeem myself:

One of the more disgusting things about a crisis like this is that you always have people who feel a need to prove just how clever they are at the expense of the actual people living without food or petrol in the bombed remains of their city. The Assad regime is not intent on 'stability' (even the idea of a continuation of the status quo is absurd at this point, really), it just wants to annihilate its opposition or, at the very least, take as many people as possible down with it. From the beginning of this mess Assad has shown himself to be ruthless and ready to employ whatever force necessary to stay in power (and a good deal more if people also need to be taught a lesson).

None of this is news. The Assad family hasn't exactly a very glorious history when it comes to maintaining 'stability' or respecting human rights. Are there tactical considerations behind the West's support for the rebels? Possibly, but that's highly irrelevant. It's not as if Russia and China are being objective observators in this whole mess. Really, arguing in favour of Assad because of what you *think* may happen when he goes down, is beyond the pale. Yeah, I know you know all these cool facts about shi'a and sunni muslims (and alewites! and suriacs!), but the way people throw around religious divides as the be-all and end-all of politics in the region is about as absurd as it would be for a student of the 19th century to look at the relations between the Great Powers exclusively trough the spectre of catholic vs. protestant nations. It is also a good deal less innocent.

[Antonio the Sixth]

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[Antonio the Sixth]

I'd like to see Inks give a serious response to this one.

Why is it that when Alcon was the sole moderator of FC and OT, these scuffles rarely, if ever, happened?

The forum has not gotten worse.  In fact, things that used to slip by regularly are all locked up tight before anyone can blink now.

Inks, this moderation business is ruining your reputation here.  And that's sad, because we've lost any semblance of you as a poster and now see you only as a full time moderator.

Someone, I'm guessing you, deleted one of my posts recently as well with no mention of it to me.  The post simply disappeared.  Sure, it was a very fat woman sitting on a bench with her gunt hanging out and wasn't necessarily on topic... but I'm pretty sure it was in the OT board, where fat woman with exposed gunts are wont to be.

In all seriousness, Phil and the others have a point.  You take your post way too seriously as moderator and it's actively taking away from the forum.  I'd simply ask you to resign as moderator.. but I think you can be part of the solution.

And if you can't, then maybe you should resign and let this fall in someone else's lap.  There's no shame in that.

I think what most people want is a return to the days where Alcon only moderated the most blatant trolls or insults.  Trashing your moderating style is not grounds for infraction.  Joking around where both parties are totally aware it is a joke... is not grounds for infraction.. etc etc

The job requires some intuition.  You can't just go by the book.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Every single person here should be incredibly concerned about the growth of Facebook, it's integration into virtually all aspects of life, and how it provides a means for corporate interests -- or really, anyone with money to spend -- to track every public movement and thought of yours at all times.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I'm just going to come out and say it without sugarcoating things. 

Cars are killing machines.  No matter how much you like them or find them indispensable, they just are.  They kill people, they kill cities, they kill the climate, they kill the millions of years of stored fossil energy we've been living high on for the past century (and may not be able to rely on much longer).

It is a matter of grave public importance that we make the automobile less popular, and less prevalent, and less necessary.  Our very civilization depends on it.

[Antonio the Sixth]

This "show" should be turned off. It's a disgrace that a such an immature, hopeless, and thoroughly sheltered individual should have a venue to trouble the world with his pathetic sob story. Stop clogging this forum with your pathetic excuses and recriminations about a life you have squandered. Change or not, we shouldn't care anymore. You got your chances, put up or sh**t up.

I second this.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The whole thing comes out of a misguided rationalization for their having no abortion exceptions for rape. It is obviously a very unpopular position to say the government should force rape victims to have the babies of their rapists, so they justify by saying 'but rape babies dont really happen so dont worry about it'

I don't think these people actually understand truly how awful saying this stuff is. Their position is popular, at least, in the ultraconservative circles these anti-science nimrods run in. They see the media blowups over rape and write it off as liberal media nonsense.

"Of course we're anti-rape! Of course. It's just gotta be a legit rape, where a girl was forced in an alley at knife point and she almost died and the dude doing it was ugly or poor or black or unpopular."

[Antonio the Sixth]

Right. Imagine you are a minor, giving a presentation to a governmental legislative body full of respected adults on a matter very important to you. And you receive a remark that imparts that the legislator is just thinking he wants to be sexual with you. First of all, with one word it's a dismissal of whatever you've said as unimportant. Two, it's imparting that at that moment, they see you more as a sexual object than a human being. Three, it's their presumption that it's appropriate for them to let you know this (not sure which is more insulting; assuming that you'd be flattered by such a comment, or that it doesn't matter how you feel about it). Four, you know that a man much more powerful than you wants to have sex with you that you would never consent to, which can be intimidating. There's all kinds of layers of fycked up in that one little comment.