Post
by Forty Two » Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:00 pm
"those sites" -- that's a reference to multiple sites on a list. Not just Infowars.
Again, if I did say I "never" linked to infowars, that would be wrong. But, I don't think I ever said that.
So, it's plainly not "good enough." Saying "I doubt" I have linked to several sites more than you have, is not a statement that I've never linked to infowars. See, this is the problem, when someone won't take something at face value, they end up presuming or inferring a meaning that isn't there.
This is really a non-issue Hermit. I don't know what you're problem is with me now. I mean, you're not a pErvin - your posts tend to make sense and you often make points, take clear positions and make arguments. We may disagree, but a forum would be rather boring if people didn't disagree. I like disagreement. I prefer to talk to people with whom I disagree. Threads where everyone is in agreement tend to end quickly -- post about an issue - everybody in agreement - a few people post that sentiment - thread fizzles. The ones that last and the ones of value explore many aspects and varying opinions.
And, yes, involve citations from extreme, as well as moderate, sources. I've never complained about people citing to extreme left or right wing sources - the key is to see what is being said there, and address it. If it's really extreme and dopey, it's easily dispatched. If it's just reporting a factual item, there is nothing wrong with citing those sources - whether Daily Kos, InfoWars, Democracy Now or Breitbart, Occupy Democrats, Huffington Post, FoxNews, MSNBC, whatever.
I mean this carping on and on about a few citations over eight years is pointless. I'm done with it. The Forty Two citations are what they are. If you look at the actual posts, you'll see I'm not advocating any weird conspiracy theories with them - they were for rather neutral points and items to discuss. If that bothers you, I can't help that.
And for the record, even if someone came here to this forum and all they did was utilize extreme right or left wing sources, and addressed issues using those sources, their posts would still be valuable. Even if that person was a crazed alien abduction, moon hoax, astrology-believing, reincarnation accepting, Bush-did-911-and-Obama-was-born-both-in-Kenya-and-Indonesia conspiracy nutbag, he or she should be viewed as a valuable member of the forum.
All this wacky attack-mob stuff is the poison that the AtheismPlus-type cultural shift in the skeptic, freethought and atheist movement has infested us with over the last 5 years or so - since a year or so after Christopher Hitchens' death. Now, it's all "cause" based posting - it's as if some members - certain ones, think that part of their activism is badgering and attacking anyone they see as "Right Wing." OMG! You're alt right!!!!! That screetch comes out of the computer screen like a snatched body in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Arm extended, mouth open, screetching, pointing at the infidel!
So fucking what if someone is right wing or alt right? Or cites to weird websites all the time? So what? If I were alt right, I'd proudly announce it. I don't know what people think they're proving by demanding that I admit that I'm right wing. If I were, I'd say it flat out. I have never been shy about expressing unpopular opinions. And, if I thought Infowars or whatever was a generally good cite, I'd say so. But I don't, so I don't say it. And, I rarely, link to it. Twice or whatever in like 5 or 6 years is hardly a fucking crime, Hermit. I'm not even going to address the ones you listed from 2012 and earlier, because that's just stupid and opens up a whole 'nother argument that I'm not going to have again.
So, keep carping if you want. I'd prefer to discuss and debate.
“When I was in college, I took a terrorism class. ... The thing that was interesting in the class was every time the professor said ‘Al Qaeda’ his shoulders went up, But you know, it is that you don’t say ‘America’ with an intensity, you don’t say ‘England’ with the intensity. You don’t say ‘the army’ with the intensity,” she continued. “... But you say these names [Al Qaeda] because you want that word to carry weight. You want it to be something.” - Ilhan Omar