The Glade 4.0

Since I hadn't really gone through this yet:

(1) There was no personal attacks there--not even against Jesus, were he a poster on this board. (Beryllin doesn't count as Jesus.) There is no glade rule against "blasphemy." There is no glade rule against off-color or "tasteless" jokes in General. There's no glade rule about respecting religion. Frankly, if I were inclined to make such rules for people, I'd be in favor of rules against respecting religion--I consider it nothing but dangerous claptrap that brings out the worst humanity has to offer in everyone who follows it. I pity the religious. I bring a little irreverance into any religious discussion I can because they need it. I said at the time this was the tactful entry. My normal comments about Jesus-freak crap are a hundred times more irreverent (eg. "the original ****"), but I save them for those who might appreciate them. Personally, I find religion in general offensive and indecent, but I don't go around calling you all out on it.

(2) The hypocrisy here is that so many of the ones complaining are also the ones who rail against the "politically correct" movement. The core of the politcally correct movement is a desire not to offend anyone. And of course, that's bullshit. Any given comment is going to be offensive to someone. If you live in society, you learn to live with such offenses. As John Cleese so aptly put it at Graham Chapman's funeral, "anything for him but mindless good taste." I firmly believe that...the appeal of comedians such as Carlin, or the Monty Python troup was specifically that: irreverance and a willingness to say what others will object to. Nothing I said in that thread can match up to the irreverance of religious comedies such as Dogma or The Life of Brian. I consider a willingness to do or say the "inappropriate" in situations or conversations others consider sacred to be a good thing. I despise the PC-movement. I despise the concept of being respectful and reverent of a concept just because someone's social mores expect me to be. Nevertheless, I gave you this one and only concession to "good taste" as you call it: I intentionally waited until after Easter was well finished to post it, despite having the comment burning a giggling hole in me for a couple days.

(3) Neither as a moderator, or as a poster is it my job to ensure you are not offended. In fact, I don't give a **** whether you are offended. In general, I don't care whether I "give offense," because offense is never given. Offense is always created by the one who is offended--it is their choice whether or not to take offense. I am not going to limit my opinions stated in #2 just because a few of you are too childish to not fly off the handle. In fact, the very reaction I got from posting that affirmed I was on the right track in posting it. (If nobody batted an eyelash at such things, a lot of comedians would be out of work. The concept behind Literary Burlesque is really at the heart of all jokes.) If you don't like it, tough. Report it, see if it's against the rules. The irony of a bunch of people screaming and throwing temper tantrums because they consider a harmless joke "childish" is delicious in and of itself. If you're going to get offended and hurt by something so simple, you're going to get offended and hurt a lot more in life than by anything I will ever say.

YMMV. I don't really care..