h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If RL speaks the truth then God help us all!!!!!!!

Matthew 18:3
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Alji (Member of The Guild of Wizards @ U197895)

Nice quote, Alji, but I fear I don't understand where it fits in here. (unless, of course, you're just advertising the fact, which is perfectly OK with me).




Josh, MKOT

Who is Alji rather cleverly comparing to "little children"? The unthinking masses who listen to RL perhaps?

It was this that prompted the quote;

RL doesn't HATE liberals. He gets very frustrated at them and shouts at them as children (which many of them act like), but he doesn't hate them.

Jesus said we should be as little children. I think RL should try reading the New Testament. Trouble is he wouldn't understand it.

Matthew 5:7
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Matthew 5:9
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.


Alji (Member of The Guild of Wizards @ U197895)

Actually, Alji, if you listen to him enough, you will occasionally hear him make references that make you think he's a Christian. I wouldn't jump to any conclusions, but he's certainly said some things that make me wonder...

By the way, Ste, very clever, though not very nice.



Josh, MKOT

"...very clever, though not very nice."

But very true though. RL speaks for the embittered, not-too-bright, right-wing, who feel like they have been left behind and generally screwed over in life. It's a sad fact that his show is so popular. Rage and hatred of perceived injustices must be an addictive thing.

RL is so detached from reality he can only really be taken seriously if you look at him as if he were a clown or a bad comedy act parodying the right-wing.

If American right-wingers want any credibility in the world then they should disown fools like RL.

Ste

Ste, if there is anything sad about this, it is that you think RL is a hate-monger. He doesn't hate people, but nor does he cater to stupidity. He often chides right-wingers just as much as left-wingers, claiming that we do not put enough thought into things. Ste, you of all people (being perhaps slightly more intelligent than the average joe) should listen a little more closely to WHAT RL says, not HOW he says it. His tendency to come off as a bit of a crass person doesn't really matter; he's only human. Besides, crass falls on both sides of the fence; just look at Bill Clinton!!!

Your hatred for RL stems, I think, out of a liberal mindset, in which people of the same Anti-Rush Faith gather together in the break room and hurl insults at him over coffee without ever really knowing what he's about. Try actually listening to what he's saying once in a while, and you might get different results.

Then again, he stands for goodness, honesty, and in general everything that is based on Judao-Christian values, so you might not like him after all.

Keep thinking,



Josh, MKOT

I don't hate the guy. I just think he is stupid and (much worse) a damaging and negative influence on society. His "thought" doesn't go farther than the immediate and obvious. You have to remember that I'm not from this country, I do not class myself as a liberal, such gross oversimplifications get us nowhere. They probably stem from the two-party monopoly that exists in US politics. Everything is black and white.

"Then again, he stands for goodness, honesty, and in general everything that is based on Judao-Christian values, so you might not like him after all."

I said before that I consider my morals to be christian-based (I was brought up in a christian society) whose success is because of its roots in pragmatism. So why the above statement? How odd. There's no need to make baseless sideswipes Josh.

If you mean statements like:
"If you want a successful marriage, let your husband do what he wants to do.. . .You women don't realize how fortunate you are to be watching this show. I have just spelled out for you the key ingredient to a successful marriage"

and:
"The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies"

(Found with a simple google search) This is the type of morality and loving Christian kindness that RL exemplifies. Racism and misogyny. Don't you feel proud to have such a wonderful "voice" Josh?

Start thinking,


Ste

Dear Ste,

For starters, I didn't know that you weren't from this country. Where are you from?

Your post operates under some very serious false assumptions. First of all, when I made the crack about Judao-Christian (is Judao spelled right?) values, I was JOKING. Hence the smiley face. I don't doubt, Ste, that you are a very moral person. I was merely pointing out that RL has a lot of good things about him.

"His 'thought' doesn't go farther than the immediate and obvious". Clearly, Ste, you have never listened to RL for more than five minutes at a time. Time and time again, he has seen something in a situation which the American public seems to have missed, often before it even happens. I'm not trying to idolize the guy; he gets on my nerves sometimes. But I do think that you're not giving him a fair chance. You chide me for speaking out of inexperience. Well, I would say that you are doing a bit of bandwagon-hopping yourself with this anti-Rush thing.

Lastly, there is a technique which RL employs that you may or may not be familiar with, and that explains the statements you quoted and many more of his seemingly dangerous sayings. It's called sarcasm. RL gets people to think by presenting them with a fallacious situation and satirizing it to be the truth. For a good example of how this works, check out Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" or "Gulliver's Travels". Both are loaded with sarcastic cracks at how people "should" handle things. Swift suggests, during the years of the Irish potato famine, that parents actually cook and eat their children, thereby feeding themselves AND saving a lot of money in the process. Swift didn't actually mean it; it was a smack in the face of political movements of the day, and their views on how to solve the crisis.

RL does the same thing, and it's often misconstrued, though usually by someone who says a lot but knows little. I would encourage you to do some finding out for yourself, rather than looking on google. If you're gonna trash someone, do it from personal experience, not from what some web-nut says.

But then again, perhaps I'm a bit of a nut myself; maybe you shouldn't listen to me.

Start Making Sense


Josh, MKOT

Josh, a visit to Ste's page would have told you where he's from.
As for RL, I don't believe you and even if I did there are many people who believe every word he says. Try reading what people have said about his books.


Alji (Member of The Guild of Wizards @ U197895)

I'm from Britain, living in San Diego.

Sorry about the joke-missing event, I typed that before my morning cup of tea I think.

So, he's no better than a 'shock-jock' then? Gotcha.

If you like the idea of RL being a representative of the right-wing then fine. Just remember that he neatly sums up all that is wrong with the religious right in America, and is a handy focus for the 'opposition'.

I think this particular off topic drift has runs its course don't you? Shall we get back to business?

Ste

Dear Ste,

Sure, Ste. We can sidestep the sideswipe if you want

Getting back to where we were...uh, where exactly were we?

Josh, MKOT

Post Script,

It's amazing! I just visited your site, Ste, and I finally found something that we can agree on! I, too, believe that September 11th has been capitalized on in the last year, and that people were putting too much emphasis on it. However, I don't think that you should worry too much. Along with our propensity to hype things up, we Americans also have a tendency to forget and move on to the next interesting thing rather quickly. For a good example, ask any high schooler to tell you something about the Persian Gulf War. The pathetic lack of information with which he/she will probably supply you should set your mind at ease about this sort of thing.

Josh, MKOT

P.S. Don't take the above to mean that I'm not a patriot. I mean, we really kicked your asses to win this country, and I'm very proud of it's heritage of freedom. Nevertheless, with freedom comes complacency.

I've neglected that thread from that journal entry a bit. I'll post something there later. Please feel free to contribute to the thread Josh, you are more than welcome.

I think the hype comes from the atrocious state of the US (television) media. Here, read this article: It's written by an American for a British newspaper - "Why we still don't get it, one year on",
Americans are badly served by semi-official media propaganda:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,789970,00.html



Ste

Dear Ste,

A fascinating article indeed. With a few exceptions, I think our friend has hit the nail on the head. He himself allowed a couple of liberal biases to slip into his article, but that's understandable; we all do it

The American media IS pathetic. It caters, for the most part, to what we WANT to hear instead of what we NEED to hear. And I'll go a step farther than the article. The American media, I think, tries to keep Americans and American policy as one because it garners their support. It makes them think that they are in on the process, and that that means it must be right. It's a tool to get things done politically. On that note, however, I also believe that people like President Bush, whom everyone these days seems to hate, have attempted to right some of the previous wrongs committed, through honesty and integrity. Anyone who doesn't appreciate what Mr. Bush has gone through in the last year is either an idiot or simply doesn't care. To hold up under what has had to have been the most stress since December 7, 1941, is in my opinion quite admirable. Frankly, I don't think I could have done it.

For good media coverage, you should watch Fox News. Unlike CNN or ABC or some of the others, Fox really tries to report without bias. Their motto is "We report; you decide", and personally, I find them to be fairly true to this concept. Anyway, give it a try, and tell me what you think.

Josh, MKOT

The Guardian is a left-leaning publication, so it's expected.

The US news media is a huge excercise in self-cencorship. People in the US are told by the news, by thier politicians, even by commercials that they are living in the best country in the world. The media doesn't want to question this "fact" that is relentlessly drummed into the populace. They'll lose viewers if they do. I agree with your comments on the US media (). Though saying Bush is "honest" and has "integrity" is pushing it too far. He had a rough time, he started off well, but he is simply not up to the job. As Nelson Mandela said, the USA is the biggest threat to global stability today. Add that to the unpatriotic "Patriot Act", the unconstitutional upcoming invasion of Iraq, the tearing up of numerous international treaties and what you have is a big fat mess. The USA would be an international laughing stock if they weren't so keen on warmongering.

I prefer NPR for news during my commutes to and from work. Or the BBC website. I've just simply given up totally on TV news in America. Commercial news stations have too many vested interests. Like Fox News, which really should be called "Fox Opinion" or "Fox Editorial". It's significantly biased, which is what you should expect from a Rupert Murdoch media enterprise. Fox states an opinion on a news story and then gets someone else who thinks the opposing way to disagree. That is not news. If news is done properly there should be no need to balance the right-wing biased tilt of the pieces with left-wing commentators. News should aim to report what's happening and that's it. I find it disturbing that people take Fox News as what's truly going on in the world.

Ste

The US media have to kow-tow to their paymasters the advertisers.

Alji (Member of The Guild of Wizards @ U197895)

Ste,

The problem is that programs like Fox attempt to balance out the difference, and at times they slip too far into their own agendas. But hell, that's what the liberal side has done for years and years. It's about time we caught up.

Still, I agree that it would be nice to have a completely unbiased news organization. It will never happen though, not even in precious England with their BBC. Believe it or not, England's not in such great shape itself. People like to bash America for its many mistakes, but I think we should remember that we are also one of the greatest countries in the world, providing freedom that you won't find anywhere else. We are truly blessed to have what we have. And if you can't appreciate that, then why are you here? What about America interested you?

Anyway, I'm going to quit before I start slinging mud again.

Josh, MKOT

Fox gets some half-wit liberal commentators on so they can shoot them down tomake their side look even stronger, it's pitiful and I've seen it done again and again in a childish and antagonistic style to support their agenda. And that agenda is Rupert Murdoch's agenda, not even an "American" one, but a (Australian!) business one.


I'm not sure you realise, but the rest of the Western world is either just as "free" or "more free" (such clumsiness) that the USA is. I certainly felt "more free" in the UK (oh, apart from the CCTV cameras everywhere ).

You say that the USA is "one of the greatest countries in the world", but have you asked yourself "why?". What differentiates the US from the rest of Western civilisation. I would agree with that statement in a limited way, but I'll let you have your say first. I'm very interested in this uniquely US perspective that says that "I'm the best", but rarely looks any further.

I moved to America because my wife just happens to be American, I have a degree in genetics and San Diego (her native city) is one of the largest biotech centres in the world. It just made sense. And it's summer all of the time here, it's nice .



Ste

Can you make a list of the freedoms you have so I can compare?

Alji (Member of The Guild of Wizards @ U197895)