Rotten Tanx wrote:You know what I find offensive? I mean more offensive that anything else.

The word "retard". It's vile and pathetic and probably the only reason I'll never move to America. It is, in my opinion, worse than the word "nigger". Because at least black people can defend themselves. It's the one word that really makes my skin crawl and I cant believe grown adults could use it in public and not be stoned to death.

It’s squirm and share time: I grew up with a terminally ill mentally handicapped brother (he had Down Syndrome, a congenital heart defect, suffered seizures, etc) who I was very close to (shared a bunkbed with till I was 12). In early elementary school I used to deck kids for using the epithet ‘retard.’ If stones were accessible I probably would have used them. He was my brother, I loved him.

But the word no longer offends me. I don’t know why. I’ve even used it myself on occasion (though always keenly aware of what I’m doing). I think it’s a weak, childish way to signify derision—but sometimes, particularly when little is at stake, it’s okay to say weak, childish things. When we do, we say more about ourselves than anything else. In such moments, some suggest, ‘we’ are spoken by language rather than speakers of it. Or less pretentiously, we often say more than we do.

Someone get Jacques Lacan on the line, the lesson sounds better in French. . .

But a thread about wether or not you like to shag fat girls is the biggest outrage in electrical history?

It’s actually a close second behind this outrage:

In 1997, U.S. residents consumed an average of 12,133 kilowatt-hours of electricity each, almost nine times greater than the average for the rest of the world. (Grist Magazine)


Worldwide, some 2 billion people are currently without electricity. (U.S. Department of Energy)

(I’m not sure if these 2 billion dark saps w/o electricity are factored into the first stat. Furthermore, last I checked, Canadians use more energy per capita than any other nation. You-know all those mammoth heated indoor ice rinks).

It's the more mature communitys that should know better and let poorly thought out threads die.

Whatever, it’s the nature of the beast. Message boards are always clusterfucks.

Opinions are like kittens, always giving them away.

-- Neil Young

My good.

Rotten Tanx wrote:And that's my 2 rupees.

betaa, yeh kuch bi nahi hehn. Kya karr-reh?
Apna dil bh-hoth expensive?


more than 2/47 dollars?



Faiz

First off, let me re-direct attention to Mr./Mrs. Secret Name's last post:

secret name wrote:Dearest All,

Yes, my screen name is the name of an excellent Low record. Yes, I am a jock, there is no question about it. I am sincerely sorry if I offended any of you and/or Spinal Tap fans. The joke obviously was not well thought out or executed. Apologies. May I go back to playing Golden Tee and talking on my cellphone while I drive now? Thanks.

-c

P.S. - Is Wicker Park really that 1993 ago? guess i gotta load up Spacefinder again.

Thanks for taking the time to re-calibrate and comment. I think that issues like this are best addressed up front, and I hope that my post to you was understood to have been posted with the of intentions.

True to this ideal, I will comment on:

solum wrote:"Your name as a best case scenario is a nod to the very excellent Low record.
I hope you own it on vinyl with it's proper running order and song list."

this board is pretentious crap.

i'm actually more offended by this kind of statement than the fat chicks dig.

you are UNBELIEVABLE.

At the time when I posted that original statement, it was more with the thought to gauge, not to beat down with superfluous pretention.

Unfortunately, as we all learn and re-learn, tongue-in-cheek does not translate well via type.

As I re-read that sentence today, I have to agree with Mr./Mrs. Solum, who has exercised appropriate conduct in calling me out. There is no "indie cred" blah blah quotient that anyone should feel required to match up with.

PS: This board is not pretentious crap. I am, however, unbelievable.

Rotten Tanx wrote:You know what I find offensive? I mean more offensive that anything else.

The word "retard". It's vile and pathetic and probably the only reason I'll never move to America. It is, in my opinion, worse than the word "nigger". Because at least black people can defend themselves. It's the one word that really makes my skin crawl and I cant believe grown adults could use it in public and not be stoned to death.

Yet Steve Albini himself used that word here the other day. No one batted an eyelid. And although I think it's highly offensive and uncalled for, I just left him alone with his right to say whatever the fuck he wants.

You see, this is where I would say that you would be perfectly merited in calling out anyone if they use a term that is in your opinion vile and pathetic and the only reason to never move to the USA (plus, it's up there with the n-word that I will not type).

If we all say nothing when something gets our dander up, then that only serves to perpetuate the issue.

However if it gets addressed and resolved, the potential is there for anyone who witnesses the thread to have a better understanding.

Rotten Tanx wrote:But a thread about wether or not you like to shag fat girls is the biggest outrage in electrical history? I mean it's not a poll I'd post, or even vote in, but I wouldnt nearly run someone off the board for it. If it got no replies then he'd get the message that it wasn't something people here were interested in and if got replies, then, well, that'd mean the members here are interested in this kind of discussion and it's as worthy as any other poll.

Maybe the rules should be made more clear, or maybe people should just avoid things they don't want to partake in. It seems like people don't want this to become a juvenile message board, but it's the juvenile message boards that gang up on someone who starts an unpopular conversation. It's the more mature communitys that should know better and let poorly thought out threads die.

And that's my 2 rupees.

I would say that this forum is still evolving out of adolesence, and that these types of "corrective measures" do bear application.

A message board, by popular anecdotal experience is exactly a place where people get ganged up on.

I would say that the difference here is that when a "standard" (read: "Steve - did Nirvana sacrifice goats in the studio") messageboard topic gets posted here, it tends to be ignored.

But unpopular posts tend to (mostly) generate some well thought commentary, and indeed arguments, as opposed to "FAQ cock-face asspakr - C U in Hell yer stoopid" commentary.

But unpopular posts tend to (mostly) generate some well thought commentary, and indeed arguments, as opposed to "FAQ cock-face asspakr - C U in Hell yer stoopid" commentary.

this is truth. in fact, its almost a pleasure to be ganged up on on this forum. even with an insulting, childish post, you can rest assured that you wont be insulted with childish language in return.

i will say that its a bit difficult for new people to get the hang of things around here, as i imagine it is for any other forum. the little inside jokes are hilarious, but i would be/am embarrassed to try to use them here.

its very difficult to escape the "friend's annoying kid brother" aesthetic unless you're well into the 200-300 posts-range. we all hate elitism in theory, but i understand that in practice, it is nearly inescapeable, and therefore i accept it.

but it still sucks.

but seriously, go to www.relapse.com and take a look at their forum and then come back and be thankful for what we have.

salut! electrical forum