Beneath contempt, beneath belief

[fpb]

http://community.livejournal.com/linguaphiles/3225121.html

Comments

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

...

[fpb.livejournal.com]

er...

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Sorry. I am just stunned when people display such obvious evidence of complete self-involvement. "This painting isn't enough about me! Obviously I must re-invent it!"

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Hear hear with a cherry on top.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Also, as long as I'm coming close to ranting (I am, I think), let me say that while I sympathize with people trying to make sense of their internal desires and the wiring they were saddled with, I am very, very tired of people having to sexualize every form of intimacy in order to legitimize it.

Not. Everything. Important. Is. About. Sex.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Hear hear with a cherry on top, maple sugar and sprinkles.

HAHA

[thepreciouss.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry...how can one even respond to that post??

That's incredible.

Um ... huh, what?

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Funny but confusing.

I wonder when limp-wristedness was first linked to being gay. And why he wants to write it in French if he doesn't speak it.

Re: Um ... huh, what?

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Pretentiousness? After all, if he wants to fit a stereotype, he might as well go the whole hog.

[theswordmaiden.livejournal.com]

What? What the heck? No, really. This is the LAST interpretation of the painting I ever expected to see.

[djmahon.livejournal.com]

Beneath contempt, yes.

Beneath belief; sadly, no--not in this day and age.

Re: Um ... huh, what?

[patchworkmind.livejournal.com]

It seems to me he is attempting to "own" a characteristic attributed to gays that has been, and still is, negatively connotated. The psychology of it goes, as I understand it, if you can "take control" of something negative then you can "conquer" it. Alas, I feel he may still have self-image problems, despite his efforts at 'interpretation'. I've seen this before, this pop psychology variant, and it's never worked for those who've tried it. Self-acceptance, self-image, self-confidence start from within, not from defacing what's around you. So many people these days attempt to mask immaturity and childishness in the guise of creativity and free-spiritedness that it makes my skin crawl.

What gave me a start were the folks who piled on to nattybumpo because he expressed an opinion and asked a perfectly reasonable question. I seriously contemplating meandering in and engaging, but I quickly recalled there is no engaging that type of people.

Sad, sad, sad. Truly. Not, however, beyond belief. Relativism is the order of the day, my friend. Alas.

Re: Um ... huh, what?

[fpb.livejournal.com]

What gave me a start were the folks who piled on to nattybumpo because he expressed an opinion and asked a perfectly reasonable question
There is an odd fact - between yesterday and today, nattybumpo seems to have closed his/her LJ account. It is possible that s/he was a sockpuppet (it's not only the "opposite party" who use them); or else s/he was so disgusted by the reaction, that s/he left LJ altogether. That would be understandable, although, from my point of view - I have had one or two such run-ins - it shows a poor spirit.
But as for the ferocity of the homosexualist party - welcome to Western Civilization, 2007. I have experienced these people more than once in the recent past. In the last five years or so, a kind of grouping has grown, especially in universities and homosexualist associations, that has all the characteristics of a genuine fascist movement: intolerance, violence, groupthink, and fantasies of violence and murder. In the years to come, we will be meeting them more and more. I wish I knew what could be done about them.

Re: Um ... huh, what?

[filialucis]

"There is an odd fact - between yesterday and today, nattybumpo seems to have closed his/her LJ account."

As it turns out they haven't; there's a typo in the user name as mentioned in this discussion. I just followed the link to the discussion in linguaphiles and it turns out the poster in question is nattybumppo, and still very much around. (I somewhat wish I hadn't followed the link, though. The comments right here would have told me all I need to know about the quality of that particular thread...)

Re: Um ... huh, what?

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Good. So I can withdraw the negative hypothesis I entertained about his/her behaviour, and apologize (if s/he ever finds this thread). But I agree, I have not gone back to that particular thread. I know all too well the kind of people it would attract.

Re: Um ... huh, what?

[patchworkmind.livejournal.com]

In the last five years or so, a kind of grouping has grown, especially in universities and homosexualist associations, that has all the characteristics of a genuine fascist movement: intolerance, violence, groupthink, and fantasies of violence and murder. In the years to come, we will be meeting them more and more.

Indeed. I've had my share of run-ins, and it's... well, it's disheartening. Many thoughtlessly and willfully terrible things are being done in the name of progressivism and liberty -- the same as always. Everyone wants legitimacy, and it never ceases to amaze me the depths to which they will go to think they're getting it.

Re: Um ... huh, what?

[quantanephilim.livejournal.com]

"I wish I knew what could be done about them."

Falangism works nicely, but I don't think that's the solution you're looking for. ;)

[cheyinka]

I wish I could be surprised. Blasphemy makes people feel better about themselves. The original poster has to know that traditional Christianity doesn't approve of homosexual behavior, but he identifies himself with his behavior, so he needs to pull Adam down to his level. Otherwise he might have to change, himself.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

It's not even only about Adam - it's about God. The complex symbolism of Michelangelo's masterpiece, which is one of the basic texts of our culture - and, by the way, Michelangelo was homosexual and knew all he wanted to know about it - is reduced to brute anal nonsense, and that, mind you, between Creator and creature. This is ghastly on so many levels - aesthetic, philosophical, emotional, affective, rational - that I cannot honestly bring myself to say more about it than I absolutely have to.

[quantanephilim.livejournal.com]

Some people just have no sense of humor. ;)

[fpb.livejournal.com]

You mean like ein, don't you? To anyone who can read English, his request was perfectly serious. He was even vaguely conscious that he was violating something. The one thing he was not doing was joking - and he had plenty of opportunity to say otherwise if he meant it.

PS: who are you and what are you doing on this blog?

[quantanephilim.livejournal.com]

Yes, and the seriousness of it was precisely what made it so amusing. It just seemed to me that the humor was lost on you.

As for me, I'm the faux-satanist that was bating John C. Wright awhile back. I've rather enjoyed reading your blog, it has a seriousness that's both puzzling, amusing, and strangely refreshing at the same time.

Ugh.

[8bitbard.livejournal.com]

Why do I get the feeling that many of the posters in that thread would think it funny if the actual painting were defaced?

Re: Ugh.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't mind so much the kind of rough schoolchild humour that paints a mustache and broken teeth on the Gioconda. We have all done that, I guess. This guy, however, is asking that the whole significance of the painting be changed to suit his.... tastes. And that, I think, is far worse than any defacement.

[dirigibletrance.livejournal.com]

Why even waste time looking at solipsistic trash like that?

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Because it's unfortunately symptomatic.

[purple-mirie.livejournal.com]

I'm just lost for words. And this thread is like a bad car wreck - I knew I shouldn't read the comments (as I'd only get annoyed), but I couldn't help myself.