I never cease to be impressed by the people who get upset or take offense because they don't understand where words come from - niggerdly, blackmail, picnic, amen, Catskill . . . And the ever (in)famous black hole. [Which, interestingly, term you do not use around Russian speakers. You say gravitational singularity, because the literal translation of "black hole" in Russian is very vulgar.]
"Insofar as I may be heard by anything, which may or may not care what I say, I ask, if it matters, that you be forgiven for anything you may have done or failed to do which requires forgiveness. Conversely, if not forgiveness but something else may be required to ensure any possible benefit for which you may be eligible after the destruction of your body, I ask that this, whatever it may be, be granted or withheld, as the case may be, in such a manner as to insure your receiving said benefit. I ask this in my capacity as your elected intermediary between yourself and that which may not be yourself, but which may have an interest in the matter of your receiving as much as it is possible for you to receive of this thing, and which may in some way be influenced by this ceremony. Amen." Roger Zelazny , Creatures of Light and Darkness
From the same book: "Then into the hands of Whatever May Be that is greater than life or death, I resign myself -- if this act will be of any assistance in preserving my life. If it will not, I do not. If my saying this thing at all be presumptuous, and therefore not well received by Whatever may or may not care to listen, then I withdraw the statement and ask forgiveness, if this thing be desired. If not, I do not. On the other hand --- "
LR1, I hear you, but they've decided to adopt it as a kind of rhetorical offensive. It's not ignorance and he's not mad. He's just doing it because it allows him to make a cheap rhetorical point, which sets up who the in crowd is and who the out crowd is, and lets him show off his membership in the in crowd. If it pisses off the out crowd because it mocks something they hold sacred, all the better.
Reschenthaler plainly didn't mean a word he was saying.
Reschenthaler tweeted this but didn't say it. The person offering the prayer was Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat. Reschenthaler, a Republican was Pennsylvania, was passing it along to point out how ridiculous is it was. (I thought Google was bad at stripping out context; Twitter is even worse.)
As LittleRed1, points out, the ignorance is amazing. I believe this is yet another example of the variously attributed dictum that it isn't what a man doesn't know that makes him a fool - it's what he does know that just isn't so.
Cleaver, not Reschenthaler. My apologies to Reschenthaler.
Separately, the variously attributed dictum that it isn't what a man doesn't know that makes him a fool - it's what he does know that just isn't so.
I subscribe to a variant of this: it isn't what a man doesn't know that makes him a fool - it's what he knows isn't so but acts on it as if it were so.
We just need to ask the songs which pronouns they prefer to use. Or are we still even allowed to use pronouns? We'll have to wait and see the new executive orders.
I never cease to be impressed by the people who get upset or take offense because they don't understand where words come from - niggerdly, blackmail, picnic, amen, Catskill . . . And the ever (in)famous black hole. [Which, interestingly, term you do not use around Russian speakers. You say gravitational singularity, because the literal translation of "black hole" in Russian is very vulgar.]
ReplyDeleteLittleRed1
"Insofar as I may be heard by anything, which may or may not care what I say, I ask, if it matters, that you be forgiven for anything you may have done or failed to do which requires forgiveness. Conversely, if not forgiveness but something else may be required to ensure any possible benefit for which you may be eligible after the destruction of your body, I ask that this, whatever it may be, be granted or withheld, as the case may be, in such a manner as to insure your receiving said benefit. I ask this in my capacity as your elected intermediary between yourself and that which may not be yourself, but which may have an interest in the matter of your receiving as much as it is possible for you to receive of this thing, and which may in some way be influenced by this ceremony. Amen." Roger Zelazny , Creatures of Light and Darkness
ReplyDeleteOffering up a prayer that is not at all sincere, but merely square-filling, is hypocrisy. Some might say blasphemous. Some wouldn't be far wrong.
ReplyDeleteReschenthaler plainly didn't mean a word he was saying.
Eric Hines
From the same book:
ReplyDelete"Then into the hands of Whatever May Be that is greater than life or death, I resign myself -- if this act will be of any assistance in preserving my life. If it will not, I do not. If my saying this thing at all be presumptuous, and therefore not well received by Whatever may or may not care to listen, then I withdraw the statement and ask forgiveness, if this thing be desired. If not, I do not. On the other hand --- "
Those are great, James.
ReplyDeleteLR1, I hear you, but they've decided to adopt it as a kind of rhetorical offensive. It's not ignorance and he's not mad. He's just doing it because it allows him to make a cheap rhetorical point, which sets up who the in crowd is and who the out crowd is, and lets him show off his membership in the in crowd. If it pisses off the out crowd because it mocks something they hold sacred, all the better.
Prayer, though, it is not.
Reschenthaler plainly didn't mean a word he was saying.
ReplyDeleteReschenthaler tweeted this but didn't say it. The person offering the prayer was Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat. Reschenthaler, a Republican was Pennsylvania, was passing it along to point out how ridiculous is it was. (I thought Google was bad at stripping out context; Twitter is even worse.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house-congress-prayer-emanuel-cleaver-amen-democrats
As LittleRed1, points out, the ignorance is amazing. I believe this is yet another example of the variously attributed dictum that it isn't what a man doesn't know that makes him a fool - it's what he does know that just isn't so.
As someone said at Ace: "Only 4 days into 2021, and the 'dumbest' bar has been set pretty high."
ReplyDeleteReschenthaler
ReplyDeleteCleaver, not Reschenthaler. My apologies to Reschenthaler.
Separately, the variously attributed dictum that it isn't what a man doesn't know that makes him a fool - it's what he does know that just isn't so.
I subscribe to a variant of this: it isn't what a man doesn't know that makes him a fool - it's what he knows isn't so but acts on it as if it were so.
Eric Hines
How will the churches know which are the hymns and which are the hers?
ReplyDeleteBy the monograms appended to the Xnals.
Joe Biden to call for national mask mandate and womandate.
I'll be interested in Tara Reade's response to the calls.
I wonder is we should address Pelosi, now, as Mistress Speakerette.
Eric Hines
We just need to ask the songs which pronouns they prefer to use. Or are we still even allowed to use pronouns? We'll have to wait and see the new executive orders.
ReplyDelete