You know, there’s plenty of people on the internet with whom I have specific disagreements about a variety of things…and it would never occur to me to e-mail them for the purpose of picking arguments with them.
So why is it that every six months or so I get some numbnut who writes to me to try and explain why I’m wrong about something–always substituting his or her opinion for anything resembling actual supportable fact. Invariably they become increasingly belligerent, accuse me of being intolerant of other’s opinions (even though *they* contacted *me* to explain why *I* was wrongheaded) and then ride off on their high horse so they can tell others on the net how Peter David was mean to them.
Don’t misunderstand: When it came to carving out a public persona, I knew the job was dangerous when I took it. Nevertheless, I just can’t grasp the mindset of people anxious to go the extra yard just to harangue somebody. I wouldn’t go over to an NRA board to hassle the gun people. I wouldn’t e-mail McFarlane to needle him over his loss to Gaiman. Maybe I’m just lazy. Or tolerant. Could be they’re interchangeable.
PAD
• 
One quick political comment:
The Democrats WISH their followers had a one-track mind — that’d make it *much* easier to get out the folks to vote for their candidates. This is why the Dems have been losing political clout in the last ten years against the Republicans, who DO have a flock of sheep to follow their lead (cf: “Dittoheads”).
And if you disagree with what I just wrote, you must be intolerant. 😉
Don’t you just HATE intolerance? I just can’t tolerate people like that!!
(insert gleeful smirk here)
I’ve come to the realization that on the internet some people have nothing better to do in their sad, pathetic little lives than to pick fights with others (especially comics pros) for no other reason than they crave attention. Even bad attention like picking a fight with a group or individual. It’s not that they are áššhølëš or just plain stupid, it’s the fact that they just have to have attention. I remember one person claiming to have started the whole “U-Decide” thing because he posted a question on Joe Q’s message board. It’s ego and the need of people to “be SOMEBODY”, not just Joe Average, but to be THE Joe Average.
“Karen, if calling someone “one-track minded” is a personal insult, why isn’t “scary” “real threat” “close minded” “uptight” and wanting to “turn back the clock”???”
Actually, I think it’s okay to have a one-track mind. I mean, if a train tried to ride two tracks, it would derail.
A one-track mind is fine, so long as you’re on the right track…
PAD
“It’s ego and the need of people to “be SOMEBODY”, not just Joe Average, but to be THE Joe Average.”
And we have another winner in the PAD blog Ought To Be A T-Shirt Slogan contest. THE Joe Average. Love it.
or as I say to my students “Hey that’s MR Lame-ášš Mother****er to you, pal.”
Bill wrote:
Karen, if calling someone “one-track minded” is a personal insult, why isn’t “scary” “real threat” “close minded” “uptight” and wanting to “turn back the clock”???
Fair enough. I suppose I looked at the post through my own ideology. I guess I glossed over the things I tend to agree with.
Dee: You certainly have a right to your opinion, but I hope you realize that all democrats are not equal. While I am concerned with some of the positions John Kerry has taken, I am personally outraged by much of what the current administration has done. I have read that the president truly believes in what he is doing and is trying to help the country, but he has not done anything for the average person. In addition he has gutted environmental controls so companies are much freer to pollute. The deficit speaks for itself. There is more, but I am trying to keep this from becoming a rant. For many years now I have felt that I am voting for the lesser of two evils. They are all bought and paid for. I truly wish there were a viable third option.
“Hardly, I’m right on the money when it comes to this. I was merely using Dems as an example of the “I’m Right & Your Wrong Generation.” I am from a Dem state so I know dam well what I’m talking about. What Dem do you know can admit they are wrong? “
The unintended irony amuses me.
There’s only two kinds of people I can’t stand: Those who are intolerant of other people and cultures, and the Dutch.
Someone’s got to make the Tom Lehrer quote here, even if Jonathan’s already captured its spirit beautifully:
“I know there are people in this world who do not love their fellow human beings, and I HATE people like that!”
Ah, Tom, wish ye were still active…
TWL
Fight Evil!
Email Mcfarlane
Email the NRA
Let your voice be heard.
Post on the Peter David forum and tell him that he is only right about 50% of the time and that the NRA is right, and Todd Mc is wrong.
Those who ask for opinion and get an opposing one and complain are ????
Asking for more posts?
Brave?
Trolls?
Argumentitive?
Revolutionaries?
Comic Book Writers?
Bladestar: In the old days, before the earth got horribly over-crowded, when the “human race” was less civilized, an argument pretty much ended when one side or the other was crippled or dead. Nowadays, people fight with words while the population continues to grow unchecked
Luigi Novi wrote: >>No, Peter debated him, (not
**Luigi Novi: The planet is not overpopulated. You could take all 6 billion of us and stick us in Texas, and the population density would be the same as New York City.**
Yeah, so what? Back in high school we could fit 10 people in my buddy’s little 2 door Mustang, doesn’t mean people should live that way.
If there’s not a major overpoplation problem, then why is unemployment so high?
Living with the population density of New York City in the climate of Texas. Thanks for the apt description of what my personal vision of Hëll would be. 🙂
What Republicans do you know that can admit when they
Bladestar, your comments exemplify what Peter is talking about. You have been brainwashed by everybody from Norman Lear to Al Gore that we have this enormous population problem. Someone points out that we could still all live reasonably well in a state the size of Texas, and it’s like “So, doesn’t mean we should all live that way. Please! Don’t you get it? If everyone could live reasonably well in that space, there would still be quite a bit of land left over, don’t you think? Also, your point about unemployment was both irrelevant and misinformed. Only in America could we have an unemployment rate of about 5.5% and have people think we’re having another Great Depression! Think about it. That means we have almost a 95% EMPLOYMENT rate. What poverty and hunger there is in the world is because of a lack of collective political will. I don’t mean politicians alone, either. After all, where do they come from? Look at our reaction when immigrants come here looking for work many of us wouldn’t do or goods we import from other countries improve those people’s standard of living. More people are living longer, healthier and safer lives than at any time in our history. if only the education system, politicians and Hollywood would all stop making like Chicken Little, we’d see we actually have it pretty darn good!
95% employment rate.
I can believe that.
What Republicans do you know that can admit when they
People that talk bad about you, yet want to be around you, are very out of reality, They want to be you, Because they do not face that they need something, Instead of faceing their own self, Which I myself cannot understand why would they be wasteing their own time saying bad things about you, when they should face their own self. If I can learn from someone wow what a good thing. Never give in to them, You qwould be harming them to maqke them think their right in any way, And if they do not understand that there is no perfect person, Then why waste your time explaining to them, They will come up wrong anyway