that whirling noise you hear

[the_siobhan]

For some reason I always find it really interesting when the media latches onto a story about the media itself. A little bit of meta-journalism, if you will. So when I saw the headline about a big stink going on right now over an article published in the Globe, I went right on over and read all about it.

Apparently a journalist who wrote an article about the recent shootings in Montréal made the statement that Quebecois culture has to take some of the responsability for actions of Gill at Dawson College, and also for the the Lépine shootings at l'École Polytechnique sixteen years earlier.

Because francaphones are "unwelcoming".

I shit you not.

Now the editor is saying the remarks should have deleted before the article went to print and lots of people are demanding apologies all over the place. And I think the whole thing is hilarious.

To be perfectly clear where I'm coming from, I don't think it's funny that Wong printed something inflammatory and stupid. I sure as hell don't think it's the slightest bit entertaining that a bunch of people died because some douchebag was Fucked In Head With Gun and decided to take his bad day out on a bunch of innocent people.

No, what makes me smirk is just how seriously everybody is taking Wong's comments.

I mean, come on people. She actually suggested that some guy shot up a school cafeteria because Quebecois are unfriendly. Roll your eyes, give the girl one of those pointed hats with the big "D" on it, and get on with your day.

This is all fed by my complete inability to understand why we give people microphones when we already know that something stupid is going to come out of their face. Why is Ann Coulter ever able to even get people to interview her? Why does anybody give a man airtime to talk about international politics when his day job is to play a fucking guitar? Why does anybody really care what the head of some religion thinks about our same-sex marriage laws, or in fact, anything to do with anything except maybe, you know, his religion?

And more importantly, having found somebody to give them a platform - what the hell inspires anybody else to actually listen?

On the other hand, if the world wasn't full of Really Stupid Ideas, we wouldn't have the opportunity to make fun of them. That would pretty much eliminate the Daily Show, and things like the The Racist Survivor Theme Song. And that makes a lot of this stuff totally worth it.

Comments

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

And that has what effect upon crime? Can you show an impact on crime as due to the registry/licensing scheme? Siobhan clearly saw people that didn't look like cops to her running around at an incident in Toronto. Gang Activity the way she described it. _Clearly_ the criminal gangs are taking the time to abide by the registry.

You have no idea how many gang stories I have where the participants clearly didn't have guns.

[montieth.livejournal.com]

Is that indicative of the gun registry preventing the gangs from being armed with firearms? Or is it just incidental?

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Don't know.

Just pointing out that one street-gun story is not proof of anything.

[montieth.livejournal.com]

And just so, one mentally disturbed person isn't either. Contrast that to the number of guns in Canada that are not used to murder people by every day Canadians. Thus lies the folly of gun control. One instance of a gun on the streets in violation of gun control is never significant. One shooting in absence of total gun control is significant. ;-)

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Dude I AM NOT DEBATING GUN CONTROL WITH YOU.

Period.

Knock it off.

[montieth.livejournal.com]

Then why did you keep answering me. I was ready to drop it after my alt.gothic.siobhan.shooting.guns.guns.guns statement. :-D

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Are you suggesting that in order to avoid being presented with an argument I don't want to engage in, I have to not talk to you at all?

[montieth.livejournal.com]

Not at all. But it seemed as if you were keeping up the discussion on several points, thus I continued the discussion.

Bing, thank you good morning. Oh look at that your time is up (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-572077907195969915&q=argument+monty+python).

[montieth.livejournal.com]

There's a link there, just not very clear because of the text...it's meant in jest....

[mr-sharkey.livejournal.com]

Ahem. May I remind you all that you're arguing on the Internet?


M.

[montieth.livejournal.com]

It's what we do. ;-)

Well, me at any rate....

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Maybe I haven't been clear.

There are discussions I'm quite willing to have - wanna talk about how decisions are made on the personal or government level, sure. Or how people weigh personal experiences against anecdotes against statistics when making judgements, sure. Or how our governments and citizens of our respective countries prioritize individual rights against common good, also great. Or semantics, hell I can talk about semantics for hours. I'm also good for several rounds of dick jokes.

My perception here, however, is that no matter what part of the discussion I take out to play with, you are only willing to respond with "gun control bad". And since that's the one thing I said I'm not interested in, I'm finding it a little exasperating.

Pee Ess

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

You are, however, more than welcome continuing the debate with E or anybody else who wants to chime in.

It's not a "forbidden" topic, it's just one that I feel I can't do justice unless I do a ton of homework that I just don't have time for.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Or maybe instead of the word "proof" I should say, "statistically significant".