Re: OT: Dogbert's New Ruling Class Newsletter, April, 2005

Kryten wrote:

"Scott Stephens" <scottxs@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:07GdnfNy34elY8PfRVn-tw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Here, I'm thinking more of the DNRC newsletter. And he has written a book too. Containing some nihilist, atheist and socialist themes. 


It is a humorous book.
Not to be taken seriously.

There is a phenomena (I'm not making this up, I'll site references) in abusive psychology known as the "Double Whammy". First the target is subtly insulted. If they protest, you claim to be "just joking". The 2nd insult is being accused of not being able to discern what is serious and what is a joke, or being aware of the insult.

I find certain people often do this, not overtly realizing they do it. If they don't claim to be "just joking", they claim they were misunderstood. But their intent to insult is all too clear.

Both Scott Adams and Whoopy Goldberg have publicly advocated ridicule of political or religious opponents to affect a political or religious outcome. I believe, and assert as obvious, they intend the use of their humor as tools to affect their ends.

It does seem that a lot of conflict is based on religions, and you'd hope that a decent god would show up in person and say "here I am, now stop fighting, you stupid bastards".

I'm growing increasing tired of apologizing for God, since his believers are too often indifferent, absent and no friends of mine.

But suffice to say if God shows up to fix any one problem, where does he stop fixing things? When we're all God little house pets, thats when. One thing religions teach is we have a job, a duty. If we don't do it, God isn't going to come clean up our mess. God doesn't submit to extortion, or ransom hostages. Nor should men.

In practice the universe behaves exactly as if there were no gods at all.
So I'm an atheist, and have no religious reason to bully anyone at all.

I'm an atheist or theist depending on how language is defined, or what day of the week it is. But my problem with scoffers like Adams is he attacks, ridicules religion (book & DNRC newsletter) while proposing no other morality or philosophy other than nihilism.

Believing in nothing is no way to live life.

In Dark Star, it is humanity that is the nihilistic militant race trying to sterilize alien worlds before the evolve to a point where they can sterilize the Earth.


No it isn't.

That is the situation I came to understand. They go around dropping big nuclear bombs on planets, such as the one they got the alien from.

You're the one extrapolating your depressingly miserable view of the humanity onto the entire race.

I don't have a miserable view of all humanity, on the contrary, humanity as potential greater than my imagination.

Maybe you should spend less time filling your head with their rantings and try exploring comedy.

Don't think, just laugh? Don't take life (yourself) seriously? That's no way to live.

It's a concept you seem unable to grasp, but bear in mind that it isn't meant to provoke deep thought on politics or philosophy. Just laughs.

No, once again, I have supplied evidence these are scoffers abusing an entertainment media for political/philosophical purposes using degrading art.

Adams is an artist expressing his experience. What I am observing is his experience is rooted in cultural sickness and stupidity, which I find too tragic and pathetic to enjoy.


Strange. Well adjusted humans just see a cartoon ridiculing stupidity. 

"Well adjusted" to what? Corruption? Nihilism? Communism?

Nietzsche certainly influenced the Nazis: they loved the message "God is Dead, the world is full of suffering which toughens you up", which they interpreted as "Man is supreme, it is our right to try to dominate the world".

Nietzsche experienced a lot of horror, yet still depicts heroic life. People in hostile environments must naturally become predatory and hostile. It isn't fair to judge the past century by the standards of our century.

Nietzsche advocated loving and revering life, even at others expense, as the natural right and identity of the superior over the inferior. Rand advocated loving and revering life rationally, aware others, like you, must love and revere there lives too. Nietzsche believed life was a social jungle, and to the victor go the spoils. Rand believed life should be exchange of values among traders, not predators fighting over prey.

If you read the romantic literature of Nietzsche and Rand, Scott Adams art looks like child-drawn pornographic stick figures. Their literature depicts life as hard, but heroic, great, worthwhile. Adams and the scoffers tell you life is small, dirty and worthless and meaningless.

We wouldn't be surprised to find you are one of the survivalist crowd, stockpiling arms in preparation against all the people you blame for everything.

Many see the lunatics running the asylum will eventually destroy it (as in Atlas Shrugged). But you'll note the survivalists in Atlas Shrugged swore an oath not to expect others to live for them. I think the mascot of the Libertarian party is the porcupine, a defensively-armed critter.

You just seem to be so terribly unhappy with the world for some reason. 

Fraud, meanness and stupidity. Evil.

We'd like to point out the world isn't so bad in the eyes of normal people.

"Normal people"? Is that a worthy aspiration, to be "Normal"? Is one "Normal" by polling one's peers to make value judgments and conforming?

We'd like to try nudging you to a door for you to turn the key.

Take care you don't "nudge" a porcupine that wants to be left free and independent. I don't believe people that value being "normal" are really happy anyways. If they are happy, it happiness borrowed on others, not created in themselves. Like a laugh-track on a crappy TV show, it gets old and stale fast.

And you say "We"? Are "We" royalty Kryten? Or do you want to make me feel alone and isolated, and you represent popular opinion?

Is Kryten from "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe"?

But if you prefer to stay in there, scowling out and hurling abuse at people who mean nothing more than to share a laugh, that is your own fault.

I'll try to be more polite and civil, but I'm going to call a left-leaning nihilistic scoffer a left-leaning nihilistic scoffer (if not a communist).

Scott

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POLITICS, n.
A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.
The conduct of public affairs for private advantage. - Ambrose Bierce

There is no giant behind the devastation of the world—only a shriveled creature with the wizened
face of a child who is out to blow up the kitchen because he cannot steal his cookies and eat them, too. - Ayn Rand
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