Comments on: Conservatism is dead

By: serr8d

serr8d — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 02:12:31 +0000

I was out hunting in the woods all day, so I didn’t get back until well after the media storm. After the initial shock, the next thing I see is that video posted on Six Meat Buffet, and I was hell-bent on joyous retribution. I keep that twitter account just for these sorts of things, really.

By: MoJo

MoJo — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 02:08:34 +0000

Ah, yeah, I really do see your point.

What I was seeing in my twitterstream that day was nothing BUT Palin-blame, Palin-hate, and basically, I had had all I could take. It’s about as simple as that.

By: serr8d

serr8d — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 02:04:14 +0000

“You know she’s next.”

That’s your line that still troubles me. As a writer, you telegraph intent that that is a definitive, it’s gonna happen no matter what; and being a definitive, you leave open to the reader to wonder whether or not you approve or disapprove of this sure-to-happen assassination. Again, from the POV of someone who had never read your work before, I could not look at your tweet and say for sure you weren’t approving of the definitive result you calmly asserted.

All’s I had to go on was the judgment of the videographer (another unknown to me) and 140 characters.

With your further explanation (how many thousands of characters later?) I’m satisfied and know for sure you are not a hater.

But I can still look at that line and wonder…why didn’t you write “What if she’s next?”

By: MoJo

MoJo — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:02:21 +0000

Thanks, Gunner. I really appreciate it.

As Rush says, “Words mean things.” But they don’t kill people.

By: MoJo

MoJo — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:54:34 +0000

Joey, I think you’ve probably hit something there.

By: MoJo

MoJo — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:40:27 +0000

I write (everything) with the philosophy that people are intelligent enough to get the text and subtext of what I’m saying without being offended OR feeling preached at OR feeling talked-down-to. I start from the assumption to give the reader the benefit of the IQ doubt. So far, I’ve been more hit than miss with it.

Here’s the thing: Once it was patiently explained to me how it could be seen, I understood why/how it could be taken the way it was. But then… I got a lot of messages from people who took the time to tell me they got my message quite clearly and didn’t know why it was in the montage. Thus, I had to conclude that my philosophy, again, was more hit than miss.

I will update my post to reflect that, after *I* was given apologies from people who realized what was going on, that perhaps conservatism isn’t dead after all.

But I’m not apologizing for my tweet, nor will I delete it.

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:05:00 +0000

I think making a public apology for using extremely poor judgement in your tweet is appropriate. Attempting to justify it diminishes the apology.

By: "gunner"

"gunner" — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:26:29 +0000

@ harry knopp,
mojo is exercising her right to free speech, criticising the mob of fools making idiotic death threats against an innocent woman. if you demand that she be “stopped” perhaps we should also have the ability to stop your “speech” too since you’re evidently quite willing to offend others. however i do not wish for the power to shut you up, i’ve seen too much of that lately from our would be “lords and masters”. i can live with the law that gives you the right to make a public fool of yourself, and lets others point out your errors.

(mojo, i have corrected an error in my e-mail address, if you wish to use it you are welcome.)

By: Harry Knopp

Harry Knopp — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:21:56 +0000

Apparently YOU are the one without a clue if you don’t understand that comments like the one you made–regardless of you calling them “sarcasm”–contribute to the kind of violence-inducing political commentary (especially on the web) that should be stopped.

Make all the excuses you want–you’re just as guilty for using “sarcasm” as someone who writes the same thing and really means it.

By: joey

joey — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:12:46 +0000

i think we’re just seeing problems with our labels and institutions in light of some people who didn’t grow up without the internet. or with the ussr. but they’re graduating high school and the future looks bleak to them, meaningless. we need to think about laws instead of politics.