Dear Senator McCain,
Thank you for resolutely refusing to talk about, much less have a workable proposal to address, the biggest issue in this country right now, the one that is on just about everyone's lips. In all your much-vaunted years of experience, surely you've seen how often this one single issue wins or loses an election under normal circumstances. Here we are in terribly abnormal circumstances, possibly facing the worst economic disaster in 80 years, yet you refuse to talk about it unless your arm is absolutely twisted. Then you suggest the same policies that got us into this mess, funded by taking money away from the people who need it most. Then you try to divert to absolutely stupid shit.
By the way, thank you for your absolutely stupid shit, too. You've already got the insane bigot vote, after all. As for undecided voters, I have enough faith in my fellow citizens to think that "Obama is a terrorist" is the level of Big Lie that makes people go "WTF? That can't be right." And when they hear what the real deal is with that Ayers guy, you look like a fucking moron. You look like a half-senile dimwit who's grasping at the tiniest of straws because he doesn't have a leg to stand on. Which is what you are, so I appreciate your honesty.
Keep up the good work. You're giving me a glimmer of hope that there might be a chance for this country after all.
~Jinnayah
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Keep your proselytizing to yourself.
I know, you can't really keep your proselytizing to yourself, or else it's not proselytizing. Of course, that's my point. In any event, the particular incident I'm about to get into isn't a big deal in the overall scheme of things by itself. However, it is a scenario I've seen played out a hundred times. Those kind of numbers make it a big deal as a collective, and like many people, I'm really getting sick of it.
So, in August, I joined a mystery stole knit-along that started at the beginning of September. I was having a hard time and needed to pamper myself. I spent quite a bit on yarn and needles and beads for it, started it with everyone else -- over 5000 people across at least 24 counties -- and... Well, I haven't been able to keep up. At all. Six weeks in, I'm just now on the second week's work. When Clue 4 was released and I saw the stoles of those keeping up , I wasn't so thrilled with the design. When at Clue 5 she also released the "theme" of the stole, which turned out to be "I was farting around with design", I was even less impressed. I thought I'd be doing something with some meaning or point, even if it was along the lines of "Swan Lake" or "Scheherazade" like the previous Mystery Knit-alongs. I wouldn't have volunteered to test knit someone's doodlings.
I state all this only so you don't think my final reaction was solely the result of the controversy, or that it is only bitter grapes.
Anyway, I'd already put in this time and money into the stole, so I figured I'd keep going. Then Clue 6, the final one, came out. Beforehand, the designer had said that when she released the final pattern for sale, not only would it be at a reduced price for knit-along participants, but it would include a bonus pattern. So, I'm skimming quickly through the clue file, and I see something about a surprise. Thinking about the bonus pattern, I read closer, and:
I would not have participated in this knit-along if I'd known it would end in some proselytizing, and I really get sick of this hypocritical crap from certain Christians. (I will be unpacking the phrase "hypocritical crap" in a little bit. Please hang with me.)
I did resolve not to do any more patterns by Georgina Logsdon, but this was not enough to stop me dead in my knitting tracks. What did stop me was the reactions to people protesting being proselytized to. There was a lot of variation of the words "shut the hell up", and of course majority privilege whining. In fact, let me just go through some of the typical ones.
First, from the designer:
I do this in all my designs. Oh, so you already knew how offensivee it would be to so many of your participants, and you just didn't give a damn. Lovely.
On top of that, how are those of us knitting one of your designs for the first time to know you're going to use this as an excuse to proselytize to us?
My best friend is Jewish. Uh huh. Yeah. This figures in how?
And it gets even worse from fans.
She gave this for free, so shut up you ingrate. Not exactly. We are all test-knitting for Georgina before she releases the pattern for sale. Granted, it's not a normal test-knit set-up. There's a lot more knitters on one hand, but on the other we're not getting a final copy for free. Oh, and a condition snuck in at the last minute is that we all have to put up with being proselytized to!
She did something nice, but that entitles her to "thanks for the pattern", not to worship, and not to a chance for proselytizing.
Stop looking for offense. Sometimes phrased with personal insults. Right, 'cause it's our fault and there'd be no problem except for us pesky not-rabid-Christians. *eye roll*
It's just an expression of the designer's religion. It has nothing to do with you. It has absolutely nothing to do with the pattern, either. Guys, I am being generous when I assume that out-of-nowhere 'summary of my great religion that implies death and/or destruction if you don't believe in it too" quote is proselytizing. Because if it isn't, then that thing Georgina did? Jesus specifically said not to do that. That's praying on street corners, and with all the bigoted ego-stroking triggered by this, I'd guess Georgina does already have her reward. (Hypocritical crap. Jesus said not to wear your religion on your sleeve, so if you're wearing your Christianity on your sleeve, that's hypocritical crap.)
And my personal favorite:
Oh noes, Christians are getting picked on so bad again. An exact quote, if I may: "I suspect many people that are offended by a Christian quote would be thrilled to have a quote from another large religion."
If it was one with an implication of death or damnation if I didn't believe in that other large religion, yes, I would be offended by that quote.
If the quote were more innocent, it would be less offensive, but there would still be another important difference. Most religions aren't proselytizing. Seriously, let's list off proselytizing religions. There's Christianity and its offshoots (Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses, for example). There's Islam. There's Souka Gakkai. There's... Nope, that's all I know about. There's probably a few others, but there's also a lot that don't. When's the last time a Hindu proselytized to you? You ever have a Jew hand you a Torah? Of the religions that do proselytize, Souka Gakkai is considered kinda nutty (ironically for techniques that sound an awful lot like my Christian missionary coworker). Islam scares the crap out of Christians when they proselytize, and on top of that at least has codified respect for Judiasm and Christianity. (Not always followed, but it is in their book.)
Christianity, on the other hand, is infamous for not playing nice with others. China kicked Christianity out of the country for it. Japan had a 200 year policy of executing foreigners who washed up on shore because of it. Christianity thinks everyone else needs to either convert or die. Almost as soon as it left Jesus' hands, it placed itself in a superior, if sometimes martyred, position to others. Christianity has no tradition of respect for others' beliefs. Which puts it and Souka Gakkai in a class all by themselves.
This is what it really all gets back to: respect for others. Christianity is a proselytizing religion, and especially when a religion is in the majority, proselytization is the destruction of others' belief systems. Adding this quote to the pattern out of nowhere, with no tie to the design, is disrespectful of the participants who do not share Georgina's beliefs. And telling them to stuff their protests is even more so.
As for me and the stole, I seriously think I'm going to frog it and use the yarn for something else, maybe a Juno Regina. I wasn't terribly fond of the design to start with, and the level of insult and disrespect towards non-Christians has really turned me off. I hate to spend several more months working on something with so much negativity and end up with something I might not even wear. I'll put it away for now until I finish another lace project I had started, and then see how I feel.
(Comments are disabled to prevent trolling.)
So, in August, I joined a mystery stole knit-along that started at the beginning of September. I was having a hard time and needed to pamper myself. I spent quite a bit on yarn and needles and beads for it, started it with everyone else -- over 5000 people across at least 24 counties -- and... Well, I haven't been able to keep up. At all. Six weeks in, I'm just now on the second week's work. When Clue 4 was released and I saw the stoles of those keeping up , I wasn't so thrilled with the design. When at Clue 5 she also released the "theme" of the stole, which turned out to be "I was farting around with design", I was even less impressed. I thought I'd be doing something with some meaning or point, even if it was along the lines of "Swan Lake" or "Scheherazade" like the previous Mystery Knit-alongs. I wouldn't have volunteered to test knit someone's doodlings.
I state all this only so you don't think my final reaction was solely the result of the controversy, or that it is only bitter grapes.
Anyway, I'd already put in this time and money into the stole, so I figured I'd keep going. Then Clue 6, the final one, came out. Beforehand, the designer had said that when she released the final pattern for sale, not only would it be at a reduced price for knit-along participants, but it would include a bonus pattern. So, I'm skimming quickly through the clue file, and I see something about a surprise. Thinking about the bonus pattern, I read closer, and:
"The most unexpected happy surprise is stated in John 3:16As someone else phrased it, that really took the wind out of my sails. I was not aware that a condition of participating in this knit-along was giving the designer a chance to proselytize to me. I am not on good terms with the Christian religion. I would technically be considered a Christian (I prefer the older term "Follower of the Way"), and I do go to church, but you have to understand that's a UCC with a congregation of about 12 people, where a sermon about the parable of the vineyard owner trying to collect his profits from workers who don't want to hand them over starts with "this passage has been used to justify so much anti-Semeticism. But there's so many different ways to interpret it. Who says God is the absentee landlord?" and then we discuss slumlords and mistreatment of the working poor.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
I would not have participated in this knit-along if I'd known it would end in some proselytizing, and I really get sick of this hypocritical crap from certain Christians. (I will be unpacking the phrase "hypocritical crap" in a little bit. Please hang with me.)
I did resolve not to do any more patterns by Georgina Logsdon, but this was not enough to stop me dead in my knitting tracks. What did stop me was the reactions to people protesting being proselytized to. There was a lot of variation of the words "shut the hell up", and of course majority privilege whining. In fact, let me just go through some of the typical ones.
First, from the designer:
I do this in all my designs. Oh, so you already knew how offensivee it would be to so many of your participants, and you just didn't give a damn. Lovely.
On top of that, how are those of us knitting one of your designs for the first time to know you're going to use this as an excuse to proselytize to us?
My best friend is Jewish. Uh huh. Yeah. This figures in how?
And it gets even worse from fans.
She gave this for free, so shut up you ingrate. Not exactly. We are all test-knitting for Georgina before she releases the pattern for sale. Granted, it's not a normal test-knit set-up. There's a lot more knitters on one hand, but on the other we're not getting a final copy for free. Oh, and a condition snuck in at the last minute is that we all have to put up with being proselytized to!
She did something nice, but that entitles her to "thanks for the pattern", not to worship, and not to a chance for proselytizing.
Stop looking for offense. Sometimes phrased with personal insults. Right, 'cause it's our fault and there'd be no problem except for us pesky not-rabid-Christians. *eye roll*
It's just an expression of the designer's religion. It has nothing to do with you. It has absolutely nothing to do with the pattern, either. Guys, I am being generous when I assume that out-of-nowhere 'summary of my great religion that implies death and/or destruction if you don't believe in it too" quote is proselytizing. Because if it isn't, then that thing Georgina did? Jesus specifically said not to do that. That's praying on street corners, and with all the bigoted ego-stroking triggered by this, I'd guess Georgina does already have her reward. (Hypocritical crap. Jesus said not to wear your religion on your sleeve, so if you're wearing your Christianity on your sleeve, that's hypocritical crap.)
And my personal favorite:
Oh noes, Christians are getting picked on so bad again. An exact quote, if I may: "I suspect many people that are offended by a Christian quote would be thrilled to have a quote from another large religion."
If it was one with an implication of death or damnation if I didn't believe in that other large religion, yes, I would be offended by that quote.
If the quote were more innocent, it would be less offensive, but there would still be another important difference. Most religions aren't proselytizing. Seriously, let's list off proselytizing religions. There's Christianity and its offshoots (Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses, for example). There's Islam. There's Souka Gakkai. There's... Nope, that's all I know about. There's probably a few others, but there's also a lot that don't. When's the last time a Hindu proselytized to you? You ever have a Jew hand you a Torah? Of the religions that do proselytize, Souka Gakkai is considered kinda nutty (ironically for techniques that sound an awful lot like my Christian missionary coworker). Islam scares the crap out of Christians when they proselytize, and on top of that at least has codified respect for Judiasm and Christianity. (Not always followed, but it is in their book.)
Christianity, on the other hand, is infamous for not playing nice with others. China kicked Christianity out of the country for it. Japan had a 200 year policy of executing foreigners who washed up on shore because of it. Christianity thinks everyone else needs to either convert or die. Almost as soon as it left Jesus' hands, it placed itself in a superior, if sometimes martyred, position to others. Christianity has no tradition of respect for others' beliefs. Which puts it and Souka Gakkai in a class all by themselves.
This is what it really all gets back to: respect for others. Christianity is a proselytizing religion, and especially when a religion is in the majority, proselytization is the destruction of others' belief systems. Adding this quote to the pattern out of nowhere, with no tie to the design, is disrespectful of the participants who do not share Georgina's beliefs. And telling them to stuff their protests is even more so.
As for me and the stole, I seriously think I'm going to frog it and use the yarn for something else, maybe a Juno Regina. I wasn't terribly fond of the design to start with, and the level of insult and disrespect towards non-Christians has really turned me off. I hate to spend several more months working on something with so much negativity and end up with something I might not even wear. I'll put it away for now until I finish another lace project I had started, and then see how I feel.
(Comments are disabled to prevent trolling.)
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