Passover thoughts and more

[blimix]

At a Passover Seder, there is a custom to set a place and pour a glass of wine for the spirit of Eliyahu (Elijah), who is basically like a Santa Claus who eats your milk and cookies but leaves no presents.

It seems to me that the total value of all the wine given to Eliyahu in even a single year is far greater than the monetary value of a human life. So, at your next Seder, poison Eliyahu's wine and get rid of him for good. You'll be doing the world a favor.

(Disclaimer: Don't actually do this.)

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Okay, so Memories Pizza keeps making the news as it rakes in the dough from its GoFundMe campaign. But remember, that's one single bigoted business that is $842,592 richer. Meanwhile, its 29,166 bigoted contributors are collectively $842,592 poorer. Because money is more useful to people who have less of it, this crowdfunding is causing a decrease in the utility of that money for the bigot community as a whole. Good job!

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I recently helped my friends make this collaborative music video of "Love Is an Open Door" from "Frozen".

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I also recently tried to buy gaffer's tape. Apparently, it's too "music/electronics" to be found at a hardware store, too "electronics/hardware" to be found at a music store, and too "music/hardware" to be found at an electronics store. (So I ordered some online, but I still have no idea where people typically buy it.)

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Gratuitous links:

TIE Fighter (short animated film) (Thanks, Jason O.!)

Phoebe and her Unicorn, a webcomic by Dana Simpson (author of "Ozy and Millie") that is a spiritual successor to "Calvin and Hobbes," is going into print in newspapers! I am pleased.

5 Brainwashing Tricks That Work No Matter How Smart You Are

Things My Male Tech Colleagues Have Actually Said to Me, Annotated

Now on Display: Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet (Thanks, Brian!)

Want to Find Terrorists? Check Out Your Church. (Short; please read through to the end, or you will miss the point.)

Comments

Re: Name calling and identity politics

[beth_leonard]

I think it's like the other article you pointed to -- I see different facts. You see bad behavior rewarded by crowdfunding and label the crowdfunders bigots. I see bad behavior that is a product of the culture in which it was raised, being punished disproportionately, and the second wrong being righted through crowdfunding. The first wrong still needs to be addressed, but it can be done through compassionate dialog, not threats.

My claim is that asserting that all the people who helped the pizza chain are bigots is treating them as a class and incorrect labeling. Helping the injured party, regardless of the injured's beliefs or status, does not make the helper a party to those beliefs, nor does it make the helper cause harm to others.

If a liberal believes that the hate mail and death threats which were heaped upon the pizza company were a punishment unfitting the crime, and that person wishes to mitigate the damage done by their peers, it does not make the liberal who contributed to the campaign a bigot by definition.

If someone marching for better policing in Oakland is a part of a demonstration where some people do irreversible violence to the Oakland police during the demonstration, and that person later contributes to a financial campaign helping the families of the officers injured, it does not mean that the giver thinks that the police are always right; it means that the person thinks that the damage done to the officer was wrong.

--Beth

Re: Name calling and identity politics

[blimix.livejournal.com]

This is true. Oakland is probably a poor example for many reasons that are fairly irrelevant, but I see your point. I would, however, be willing to bet that at least 99% of the contributors are bigots. There are far better donation opportunities available for people with decent values.