The Internet

Sporky

Strangefan said:

mart;953077" said:

Sporky said:

I always preferred catenaries.





So you don't mind a bit of hyperbole so long as it's a cosine that's getting hyperbolic?

I do not have a clue what that means.

I am a simpleton

We are making funnies about mathematical curves.

Myranda

randomhandclaps said:

Myranda said:

Chalky said:

I find it very difficult to think I was growing up in an era of 1950s/60s when individuals took great 'offence' to things, then lived through 70s-90s when taking 'offence' was seen as being an intolerant prat of limited intelligence, through to the 2000s until now when anyone can take offence to anything and the rest of society has to work to make them 'unoffended'.

If you take offence, you're an idiot. Or worse.

What if someone says something actually offensive? Like anything that Trump says... shouldn't we BE offended by somethings? 

See I don't see the point of getting offended by anything Trump says.  HE should be embarrassed by his idiocy rather than I offended by it and I'll be damned if I'm putting in any more into Trumps spoutings than he is.  Being offended by dicks like Trump isn't going to change anything apart from buying them more priceless coverage.

The epitome of this theory for me is the Westboro Baptists church.  They were apparently going to protest at Bowie's funeral.  Well Bowie well and truly fucked them didn't he?  No funeral, no coverage, no publicity.  Without outrage and publicity they are just a weird family with zero influence... Except for maybe their second-cousin/dad/grandmother Donald Trump.

Not taking a stand against people like Trump could result in them being elected... 

Boris Johnson wasn't taken seriously - just a floppy haired buffoon, and he was elected as mayor - little stopping him being the next PM at the moment... Trump gets the nod as republican candidate he's close to a 50/50 chance of election (the US electoral system is garbage...). Then he gets his way and a 35% tax on all companies outsourcing anything will be among his first plans - regardless of what that will do to the world economy. That's not to mention the probable damage he'll do to world politics as a whole...

Rosa Parks took a stand against segregation. MLK took a stance against racism... there were people saying they should just put up with it.

Now, ok, someone being rude because they're stupid, on twitter isn't the same... but where does the line get drawn? Is racism ever ok... how about just a little racism? Sex discrimination - perhaps someone should/shouldn't get a job because of their genitals? Is it ok as long as it's only a little discriminatory? What about the victims of intense and systematic bullying? You say something that pushes them over the edge, would you feel fine because it's their fault they didn't have thicker skin, or will you feel terrible because something you said resulted in a suicide?

I had a chat with a Czech girl not so long ago, who said she didn't see much racism in the UK - I pointed out that as a fair skinned blonde with blue eyes, she wont have the same experience as someone who is black with a hijab on, and she realised she'd not thought things that way (she was a stone-cold stunner... I'd bet the most racist of BNP types would think twice about shouting abuse at her... could be wrong, but there may be a moment where sexy outweighs foreign)... so our lack of offence at a comment is not the same is it not being offensive, or someone being overly sensitive it's a different perspective.

Perhaps some take offence in order to feel special... some will try and say "blackboard" is racist because they want attention... but do we sneer at those genuinely upset because of the occasional me-me-me-er or do we protect those that need it and risk the occasional attention whore slipping through the cracks with them?

Chalky

@Myranda - Disagreeing is NOT the same as taking offence. Disagree with Trump, argue against him, campaign to show that what he says is factually incorrect, bigoted or just plain stupid.

But don't take offence. The problem with offence is that its purely an emotional statement. It lacks maturity and judgement, and it undermines them and any subsequent attempt at remedy. But the very worst aspect of offence is that the offendee is the only one who can state its existence and importance. So any fuckwit can say they are offended.

Strangefan

randomhandclaps;953162" said:

Strangefan said:

randomhandclaps;953145" said:I'm really careful about what I write on the internet as personally I would be mortified if I inadvertently offended someone;  Whether that be one of you cunts here or some other twat on another part of the internet.

Man you are such an epic bellend......... No offence ;D





None taken.  I know it's just that everything looks a bit more brutal in the written word.

Ah buddy I was only messing about I jest,

Your not a bellend really I'm sure you're a lovely lovely man.

Strangefan

Chalky;953207" said:

@Myranda - Disagreeing is NOT the same as taking offence. Disagree with Trump, argue against him, campaign to show that what he says is factually incorrect, bigoted or just plain stupid.

But don't take offence. The problem with offence is that its purely an emotional statement. It lacks maturity and judgement, and it undermines them and any subsequent attempt at remedy. But the very worst aspect of offence is that the offendee is the only one who can state its existence and importance. So any fuckwit can say they are offended.

@Chalky epic post, if you were to run for prime minister I would certainly consider voting for you.

randomhandclaps

Yep @Chalky is right. 

Taking offense and taking a stand aren't the same thing and as the OP pointed out often those who cry about taking offence actually do fuck all about it but bleat. 

With regards to Donald Trump in particular taking offense is passive and pointless so as you say you could take a stand, but what for?  I don't have the right to vote for him so equally I don't have the right to vote for contrary viewpoints.  America is a oddity because a lot of the population are like little kids whose obsession is about some other kid stealing their toys and a certainty of national jealousy.  Typically - 50 dead school children = Sad vs Shall we put our guns down = No it's my right to own a weapon that my kid could use too massacre his whole class.  Therefore the moment you start telling Trump (as an American) what he can and can't say you just increase his support from American nationalists (of which there are many - lest we forget this is a country where school kids worship the flag each morning like Muslims pray to Allah). 

America has a history of seeing no hypocrisy in what it does.  They moaned during the cold war that the hard line patriotism of the USSR was unhealthy and that Moscow were breeding a nation of brainwashed fanatics.  Yet at the same time the vast majority of American life was and still is about flag waving.  Saying that Donald Trump's view are in line with Hitler is completely wasted on the kind of idiots who would vote for him because they only see the world as 'good vs evil'.  Therefore if you are a goodie (or an American) and you dislike something then it must be bad.  If you criticise and goodie then it must simply be because you are evil.

Personally I prefer to just take the piss and deride twats like that for their patent stupidity and pick at the gaping holes in their vitriol.  It's like the difference between Germany with the Nazi party and Britain with the BNP.  People took Hitler seriously.  Even now people get a bit uneasy if you take the piss out of him.  I believe as a result you give people oxygen and develop hardliners either side of the argument.  Doing that gives the like of Hitler or Trump a genuine standing.  On the other hand over here people have always seen Nick Griffin as a bonk eyed Mr Bean and the BNP were never taken seriously and never got a political foothold. 

Rarely does taking offence change the thought process of the speaker except maybe to cause them to be more cautious about their expressing their views in certain company.   It's too easy to create and 'us and them' or 'hard left and hard right' divide that way and that usually eradicates all the nuances in between that allow for mutual education and understanding.

Sporky

randomhandclaps said:

Personally I prefer to just take the piss and deride twats like that for their patent stupidity and pick at the gaping holes in their vitriol.

Thomas More would approve.

chillidoggy

Strangefan said:

randomhandclaps;953162" said:

Strangefan said:

randomhandclaps;953145" said:I'm really careful about what I write on the internet as personally I would be mortified if I inadvertently offended someone;  Whether that be one of you cunts here or some other twat on another part of the internet.

Man you are such an epic bellend......... No offence ;D





None taken.  I know it's just that everything looks a bit more brutal in the written word.

Ah buddy I was only messing about I jest,

Your not a bellend really I'm sure you're a lovely lovely man.

No, he's a total bell-end,.