I should never read comments on Yahoo...
... it makes me RAGE.
As a disclaimer to this rant: I really have no intention of undermining or degrading or otherwise upsetting anyone's religious beliefs because for the most part I think religion is a force of great good in the majority of people's lives, it's just not so much in mine. The people I know who have religion in their lives are some of the most generous and genuinely caring people I know, and though I don't always agree with them or understand where they're coming from on certain things, I value that religion works for them and that they have their faith. But then I go online and see religion used like as battering ram in comments and...well, I'll get to that.
I also want to make clear that there are plenty of people I know that are equally as gracious and are agnostic or atheist. And, despite appearances, I'm actually not a socialist but this idea of free-market capitalism-without-boundaries or regulation or support systems is really, really not okay, IMHO. Maybe that opinion qualifies me as socialist in some people's minds, but I don't think so. I also don't mean to villainize those who are still doing well in this economy or say that all of them are acting in the way I will claim, because I know that's not the case, but that anyone is acting that way (and I know that there are those) is extremely upsetting to me.
Alright, on to the original rant:
"Atheism goes hand in hand with communism"-- some moron on Yahoo.
So, by that token, I'm guessing Christianity goes hand in hand with capitalism then? Funny, I thought Jesus was about helping the poor and empowering the every man, not hoarding designer shoes in granite mini-mansions while screaming about the lazy loser scum looking to steal their "hard-won" fortunes through tax funded government aid and social security while the other half works horrendously long hours with practically no time off or rights or benefits just to hold down some shitty job so they've got a roof over their heads. Which is basically all I see that capitalism has brought this country recently. And how exactly does political/economic theory go hand in hand with religious conviction anyway?
(Also, completely unrelated, but Bill O'Reilly's "We live in a capitalist country. There are winners and there are losers" the other night threw me into a similar rage as this. I'm sorry, where in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights is it said that we are a "capitalist country"? I really don't remember that being in there. Nor that there are to be "winners" and "losers" and fuck all to the poor slob who can't, by matter of circumstance, provide oodles of cash for themselves and their family? Especially when we seem to be, as a country, taking every opportunity to destroy opportunities for people to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps.")
Also, on a mostly unrelated note, I am really sick of God and Jesus and whomever else getting all the credit every single time there is some act of humanity. Am I the only person who feels this undermines all of humanity? Oh, we're only halfway decent when God steps in, otherwise we're all just a steaming pile of heathens. What, you can't have faith in people at the same time as having faith in a God or Gods? And the othering of people who don't believe in the Bible or what have you-- because clearly if you don't have organized religion you are devoid of all moral fiber?
And maybe it wouldn't make me quite so pissed off if there were an equal amount of crediting the devil for all the horrible, self-serving immoral crap that goes down, but no, that's just par for the course. That's people being their heinous selves. But the second someone turns around and acts heroically or charitable or otherwise good, it's all "thank God" "God saved him" or "God gave her the courage" "God made sure that person was there in time." Okay, this is how religion works, God controls everything... it just seems so: let's have no accountability, let's not take ownership of ourselves, our lives, and our actions or allow others to own there's. Let's just take the credit and praise away from the people who stand up and take action where action is needed and float it all around on divine intervention, and even, sometimes, steal some for ourselves for praying for good things to occur.
I mean, this comment: "atheism goes hand in hand with communism" was so unrelated to the topic on top of being absurd, that it was clearly just a way of lopping one group in with another that is seen in our society as being unsavory to the point of villainous. It's this "I dislike them, therefore they are everything I dislike and everything I dislike is them," thing that pisses me off more than anything because not only is it ridiculously hateful, inherently prejudicial, and catastrophically othering, it's completely and horrendously irrational -- and it's absolutely rampant! Brain Kilmeade's: "All terrorists are muslim" awhile back? Same effing thing. And that's just one example. It makes me legitimately sick to my stomach. And I suppose the problem is that religion (or lack thereof) is such an easy way for people to group others in order to perpetuate this kind of filth.
It reminds me of the PM of Britain responding to the London Riots with "parts of the society are just sick" and that kind of take no responsibility write-it-off othering that is so utterly useless. It's like yelling at your kid for taking scissors to her own hair instead of bothering to find out about the bully who's been pulling her around by her braid at recess. Part of the society is just sick. I mean, listen, I am in no way okay with ANYTHING that is happening in these riots. I think it's horrendous what these people are doing to their communities and the people in them and they all deserve to be punished to the full extent of the law for all of the damage and fear and pain that they have caused so, so many people, but when you think about how the government is sitting there saying "they're just sick" and pandering to the lowest common denominator of name-calling and type-casting rather than trying to get to the root of the unrest, and you have news stations literally saying "there was absolutely no cause" "they just went crazy." It makes me almost understand how the whole thing started right there.
And it's things like that which make it all the more difficult to have faith in humanity. So when I see people ignoring the human aspect in all of the good there is out there, it's almost like they're trying to deny me my faith in the few cracks and crevices of news and internet where it can still be found. Then I have to empathize with those who would claim divine intervention, those who I feel, however unjustly, are leeching on my faith in people, for everyone out there who's opposing their faith in God.
Round about. And round about. And round about I go.
ALSO: All of my icons are too damn cheerful, so we're gonna go for irony this time.
As a disclaimer to this rant: I really have no intention of undermining or degrading or otherwise upsetting anyone's religious beliefs because for the most part I think religion is a force of great good in the majority of people's lives, it's just not so much in mine. The people I know who have religion in their lives are some of the most generous and genuinely caring people I know, and though I don't always agree with them or understand where they're coming from on certain things, I value that religion works for them and that they have their faith. But then I go online and see religion used like as battering ram in comments and...well, I'll get to that.
I also want to make clear that there are plenty of people I know that are equally as gracious and are agnostic or atheist. And, despite appearances, I'm actually not a socialist but this idea of free-market capitalism-without-boundaries or regulation or support systems is really, really not okay, IMHO. Maybe that opinion qualifies me as socialist in some people's minds, but I don't think so. I also don't mean to villainize those who are still doing well in this economy or say that all of them are acting in the way I will claim, because I know that's not the case, but that anyone is acting that way (and I know that there are those) is extremely upsetting to me.
Alright, on to the original rant:
"Atheism goes hand in hand with communism"-- some moron on Yahoo.
So, by that token, I'm guessing Christianity goes hand in hand with capitalism then? Funny, I thought Jesus was about helping the poor and empowering the every man, not hoarding designer shoes in granite mini-mansions while screaming about the lazy loser scum looking to steal their "hard-won" fortunes through tax funded government aid and social security while the other half works horrendously long hours with practically no time off or rights or benefits just to hold down some shitty job so they've got a roof over their heads. Which is basically all I see that capitalism has brought this country recently. And how exactly does political/economic theory go hand in hand with religious conviction anyway?
(Also, completely unrelated, but Bill O'Reilly's "We live in a capitalist country. There are winners and there are losers" the other night threw me into a similar rage as this. I'm sorry, where in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights is it said that we are a "capitalist country"? I really don't remember that being in there. Nor that there are to be "winners" and "losers" and fuck all to the poor slob who can't, by matter of circumstance, provide oodles of cash for themselves and their family? Especially when we seem to be, as a country, taking every opportunity to destroy opportunities for people to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps.")
Also, on a mostly unrelated note, I am really sick of God and Jesus and whomever else getting all the credit every single time there is some act of humanity. Am I the only person who feels this undermines all of humanity? Oh, we're only halfway decent when God steps in, otherwise we're all just a steaming pile of heathens. What, you can't have faith in people at the same time as having faith in a God or Gods? And the othering of people who don't believe in the Bible or what have you-- because clearly if you don't have organized religion you are devoid of all moral fiber?
And maybe it wouldn't make me quite so pissed off if there were an equal amount of crediting the devil for all the horrible, self-serving immoral crap that goes down, but no, that's just par for the course. That's people being their heinous selves. But the second someone turns around and acts heroically or charitable or otherwise good, it's all "thank God" "God saved him" or "God gave her the courage" "God made sure that person was there in time." Okay, this is how religion works, God controls everything... it just seems so: let's have no accountability, let's not take ownership of ourselves, our lives, and our actions or allow others to own there's. Let's just take the credit and praise away from the people who stand up and take action where action is needed and float it all around on divine intervention, and even, sometimes, steal some for ourselves for praying for good things to occur.
I mean, this comment: "atheism goes hand in hand with communism" was so unrelated to the topic on top of being absurd, that it was clearly just a way of lopping one group in with another that is seen in our society as being unsavory to the point of villainous. It's this "I dislike them, therefore they are everything I dislike and everything I dislike is them," thing that pisses me off more than anything because not only is it ridiculously hateful, inherently prejudicial, and catastrophically othering, it's completely and horrendously irrational -- and it's absolutely rampant! Brain Kilmeade's: "All terrorists are muslim" awhile back? Same effing thing. And that's just one example. It makes me legitimately sick to my stomach. And I suppose the problem is that religion (or lack thereof) is such an easy way for people to group others in order to perpetuate this kind of filth.
It reminds me of the PM of Britain responding to the London Riots with "parts of the society are just sick" and that kind of take no responsibility write-it-off othering that is so utterly useless. It's like yelling at your kid for taking scissors to her own hair instead of bothering to find out about the bully who's been pulling her around by her braid at recess. Part of the society is just sick. I mean, listen, I am in no way okay with ANYTHING that is happening in these riots. I think it's horrendous what these people are doing to their communities and the people in them and they all deserve to be punished to the full extent of the law for all of the damage and fear and pain that they have caused so, so many people, but when you think about how the government is sitting there saying "they're just sick" and pandering to the lowest common denominator of name-calling and type-casting rather than trying to get to the root of the unrest, and you have news stations literally saying "there was absolutely no cause" "they just went crazy." It makes me almost understand how the whole thing started right there.
And it's things like that which make it all the more difficult to have faith in humanity. So when I see people ignoring the human aspect in all of the good there is out there, it's almost like they're trying to deny me my faith in the few cracks and crevices of news and internet where it can still be found. Then I have to empathize with those who would claim divine intervention, those who I feel, however unjustly, are leeching on my faith in people, for everyone out there who's opposing their faith in God.
Round about. And round about. And round about I go.
ALSO: All of my icons are too damn cheerful, so we're gonna go for irony this time.