I Don't Understand Some People
In approx 10 years (counting EP) I have never been blocked by anyone, ever.
Until last week, when it happened twice.
The first was quite funny - some fervent nationalist who didn't agree with my opinion about "the wall" because I don't support building walls or iron curtains - and certainly don't want to pay for it. But hey, another patriotic American who is against Freedom of speech. No biggie.
The second was stranger.
I was in a three-way conversation of short jocular banter when a fourth person intervened, outraged that I had insulted one of the others - he immediately responded that he wasn't insulted but that didn't seem important.
So I was blocked by this person for using the word "bastard". It got me thinking.
More or less when I was a teenager (quite some time ago) the word bastard stopped being nasty and became jocular. It's the kind of word we would bandy about between my brothers, even in presence of my mother. I've even heard people use it about their own children, which is ironic if you consider the literal meaning - like a woman calling her son a SOB.
Different generations. My own parents and grandparents would not use the word bastard nor SOB but they would say sod or bugger without considering the literal meaning. On the other hand they wouldn't use the F word or the J word - any abbreviation of Jesus Wept, including Jeez was mighty offensive. Only Gee-Whizz was acceptable because the spelling denied its origen.
Myself, even being a devout atheist, I don't use any of the J words (nor Jehovah nor YHWH) out of respect for other people's religions. But I still laugh at the famous stoning scene in A Life of Brian.
Unbelievable is Philippino strongman Duterte , who proudly claims to have killed many criminal suspects without trial: not content with using the term Son of a Whore to refer to POTUS or even the Pope. He recently called "God" a Son of a Whore. As the leader of one of the most Catholic countries in the world, isn't he in lime for a stoning ? Or maybe since this is the 21st century, he will just be blocked by Trump,on Twitter. That will certainly teach him.
With stoning you could get hurt. But, as I have learnt, getting blocked just gives the victim a mild sense of amusement.
Until last week, when it happened twice.
The first was quite funny - some fervent nationalist who didn't agree with my opinion about "the wall" because I don't support building walls or iron curtains - and certainly don't want to pay for it. But hey, another patriotic American who is against Freedom of speech. No biggie.
The second was stranger.
I was in a three-way conversation of short jocular banter when a fourth person intervened, outraged that I had insulted one of the others - he immediately responded that he wasn't insulted but that didn't seem important.
So I was blocked by this person for using the word "bastard". It got me thinking.
More or less when I was a teenager (quite some time ago) the word bastard stopped being nasty and became jocular. It's the kind of word we would bandy about between my brothers, even in presence of my mother. I've even heard people use it about their own children, which is ironic if you consider the literal meaning - like a woman calling her son a SOB.
Different generations. My own parents and grandparents would not use the word bastard nor SOB but they would say sod or bugger without considering the literal meaning. On the other hand they wouldn't use the F word or the J word - any abbreviation of Jesus Wept, including Jeez was mighty offensive. Only Gee-Whizz was acceptable because the spelling denied its origen.
Myself, even being a devout atheist, I don't use any of the J words (nor Jehovah nor YHWH) out of respect for other people's religions. But I still laugh at the famous stoning scene in A Life of Brian.
Unbelievable is Philippino strongman Duterte , who proudly claims to have killed many criminal suspects without trial: not content with using the term Son of a Whore to refer to POTUS or even the Pope. He recently called "God" a Son of a Whore. As the leader of one of the most Catholic countries in the world, isn't he in lime for a stoning ? Or maybe since this is the 21st century, he will just be blocked by Trump,on Twitter. That will certainly teach him.
With stoning you could get hurt. But, as I have learnt, getting blocked just gives the victim a mild sense of amusement.
56-60, M
