Nuclear Boom
I just flew off the handle at someone tonight. When I called them out on their support for a rights-violating law, they said "I'll agree with you when the law gets overturned"-- so I basically pointed out that he was essentially saying "when everybody else acts moral, so will I." To get out of that, he quoted the "law of the land" excuse to me-- adding "why don't you do everybody a favor and STFU."
Considering that this person opposes ANOTHER set of rights-violating laws that are 'the law of the land' (same sex marriage bans and DOMA- so he only advocates 'the law of the land' on issues HE wants 'the law of the land' to be axiomatic)... well... I'm not ashamed to say that I went completely nuclear on this person. If he had said it in a different manner, I wouldn't have lost my cool... but the arm-flapping hypocrisy mixed with the "shut up, little boy" attitude was the limit. For good measure I hit him with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 ("so what would you have done if you had met a fleeing slave? Remember, it's THE LAW OF THE LAND!") before I cut off all communications with him. Ethics is something I think about frequently. Fuck, I've written essay after essay, I've had my works complimented by philosophers and ethicists alike. I'm not a fucking newcomer to this. Telling me to "Do everybody a favor and STFU" is the quickest way to Nuclear ville that you're going to get from me. And you'll have deserved every fucking moment of it.
I honestly have no desire whatsoever to continue to communicate with this person. I make some allowances for youth and experience, but when we're talking about someone who is old enough to know better, and someone who hits me with that attitude? Screw it.
Considering that this person opposes ANOTHER set of rights-violating laws that are 'the law of the land' (same sex marriage bans and DOMA- so he only advocates 'the law of the land' on issues HE wants 'the law of the land' to be axiomatic)... well... I'm not ashamed to say that I went completely nuclear on this person. If he had said it in a different manner, I wouldn't have lost my cool... but the arm-flapping hypocrisy mixed with the "shut up, little boy" attitude was the limit. For good measure I hit him with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 ("so what would you have done if you had met a fleeing slave? Remember, it's THE LAW OF THE LAND!") before I cut off all communications with him. Ethics is something I think about frequently. Fuck, I've written essay after essay, I've had my works complimented by philosophers and ethicists alike. I'm not a fucking newcomer to this. Telling me to "Do everybody a favor and STFU" is the quickest way to Nuclear ville that you're going to get from me. And you'll have deserved every fucking moment of it.
I honestly have no desire whatsoever to continue to communicate with this person. I make some allowances for youth and experience, but when we're talking about someone who is old enough to know better, and someone who hits me with that attitude? Screw it.