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]

And like mugging, if a person doesn't want to be labeled a bigot, all they have to do is refrain from engaging in harmful behaviors (including the spread of malicious lies) toward an entire group of people.

I would that the above assertion were true. Unfortunately, it's not. The term is loaded and has been frequently misused. People have been called bigots for engaging in scientific research to see if it is possible that there may be genetic differences in learning styles and outcomes. People have been called bigots for failing to contribute to whatever the current cause is, even if they happen to disagree with the methods used. Autism Speaks comes to mind as a "good" cause that some people disagree with the tactics of. Merely having different priorities for different ways to solve problems can get someone labeled a bigot.

This brings us to what I like about the word "bigot": When someone takes personal offense at it, they are admitting their own hypocrisy by revealing their understanding of bigotry as a negative thing.

I'm not sure if you're attempting to label me either a bigot or a hypocrite in this statement. I don't think so, as I'm not taking personal offense that the word was used, but more I'm pointing out that I think it hurts your cause to use it.

I believe that I have a consistent moral code which is born out through my words and actions. In High School, I attended 6 weeks of lectures on sexuality and the church that was offered by my church and included both a gay priest and a member on the Episcopal Synod (anti-gay branch). (Those were each on different days.)

I made up my mind then that homosexuality was not a sin. It does not keep people from God. I had a long, hard, process of convincing my father, and eventually my grandfather, of the same views. (My mom had never really thought about it before, but agreed with me right away when the two of us discussed it.) I know what it's like to be on the inside of a Christian family. Just as many homosexuals really, truly struggle with accepting being gay, and being comfortable with themselves and who they are, many Christians also struggle with it and what it means in the world, as part of that moral code in which they were raised.

When it was hidden, it was easier to ignore the problem or to think it was wrong. When it is in the open, for many it is as wrong as murder because there is a visceral repulsiveness to considering the act. Coming to grips with it being ok is a long, hard process. I can only imagine that it must be similar for vegan parents whose child decides to begin eating meat. There is a visceral repulsiveness. It takes the support to say, "This is ok. Your child is not broken."

I have compassion for those who have a hard time finding wedding caterers and support in small towns, but just like MLK was far more effective in making changes than Malcom X, violence is not the answer. Understanding and dialog is what helps with the change.

--Beth

Re: Name calling and identity politics

[blimix.livejournal.com]

Right. I should have said, "... if a person doesn't want to be accurately labeled a bigot..." There's nothing stopping someone from making mistaken claims. But my point is about the offensiveness of the word. If someone makes a false accusation against me, it is the accusation, not the word, that I will find offensive.

Your interpretation of my use of the phrase "personal offense" is correct: There is no accusation aimed at you here.

Likewise, I do not deny that overcoming one's own bigotry is difficult. But doing so is a moral necessity. There is no need to make excuses for bigotry, as the harm is not in my opinion of the bigot, but only in their own behavior.