Monday, January 19, 2009

Dear Benji

Yes, I deleted all three of your scathing, attacking, mean-spirited comments. I deleted them because both the tone and language you chose to use was not appropriate nor welcome here. I may have allowed them to stay had you not found it necessary to call my readers and me names, especially names that include references to male body parts.

I find it sad, really, that you felt it necessary to attack us without bothering to get to know us. Your comments say that I am a lazy, unthinking, uneducated, out-of-control consumer who is unable to satisfied my need for an ever increasing amount of material goods. Obviously, you were blinded by your anger because you missed many of the clues pointing to the obvious fact that I am quite the opposite in so many ways. In fact, there is a good chance that my family is more "green" than yours.

It is obvious that you hate America and all Americans. It shows your lack of ability to think and reason when you take a stereotype portrayed by the biased and liberal media and apply to all people who happen to live in a certain geographic location without regard for the individual life of each person. If I followed your example, I would now hate all Australians based on your representation of your country. Only I don't, nor do I hate you. I pity you. It's sad to know that some people limit themselves to believing everything that the media tells them to believe and who let anger and hatred rule their lives.

May God soften your heart and teach you to love rather than hate.

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5 Comments:

Traci Best said...

Mercy! Are the trolls out today? What in the world was Benji attacking?

Traci ;)

Traci Best said...

Ah, I missed that while I was AWOL the last six weeks or so! LOL.

I can see now where this must have been going! Why do people think it is okay to leave nasty comments on blogs? Isn't your opinion more valid if you speak it in a manner that is gracious? Flinging filth for language is only going to lead people to think you are uneducated and your opinion worthless!

Traci

Anonymous said...

Hi there. I am sorry to deface your wall. I argue that curse or swer words are used acceptably in times of passionate derangement. that doesnt make them neccessarily acceptable, i live in a different world to both you and my father.

This is the greatest problem we face as humans. Not debates over Education (and there are too many to name and argue points both for and against.) Or belief or non belief in greater governing powers beyond the stars.

Cultural relativity is the only concept that is going to save "our world". For we all, christians, muslims, hindu, buddist, islam need to ammalgamate what lies beneath these truths, these constucts that we live in accordance by.

There is so much basis for deeper understanding. My review of the film Wall-E, as a contrary opinion offers those who read this blog objectivity. There is nothing evil, or unpublishable in that.

You offered me prayers to not hate. Please, If putting words into my mouth is the best rebuking you can come up with, I suggest you drop your kids off into the government system 1 day a week for some grounding, perspective and "objectivity".

God Bless.

Scott said...

Benji,

First of all, I applaud the restraint in your comment. Compared to the original comments you posted to the review of Wall-E, it was nearly a pleasure to read.

But let's move onto the content, shall we? Let's agree to skip the first paragraph, since this is a private blog whose author has the right to approve or not, regardless of content and regardless of your beliefs regarding swear words.

It's unclear what it is that you regard as the 'greatest problem we face as humans'. If referring to issues farcically (and some might say falsely) exaggerated in Wall-E, then we must agree to disagree.

Regarding 'cultural relativity', that's all fine and good in theory. But when there are groups that focus not on the similarities, but on the differences...that theory falls to pieces. It is a good basis for understanding between cultures, but to believe it is a solution to all of our problems is short-sighted and naive.

Have you ever had a friend or acquaintance who offers advice or insight without being asked for it? Even if what they say is right, the reception to it isn't as good as it could be because it isn't solicited. It's as if the friend thinks he or she knows better, understands more, or is somehow more enlightened...the friend purports to be better than you. Such it was with your initial Wall-E review...regardless of the truths that may have been present in it, the delivery hurt the message. And the swearing and condescending certainly didn't help either.

As for dropping off our children into the (I assume your meant) public school, that will not happen any time soon. It would serve no useful purpose, and the purposes you suggested are certainly available quite easily from other sources. The public school system--at least here--definitely does not hold any exclusive rights in that regard.

And lastly, as for my wife putting words in your mouth, your anger- and hate-filled comments, including, as a sampling: "Please, each and every one of you, stop breeding." For her to offer prayers for such hate to subside is entirely appropriate. Perhaps even effective, in this case...

JoAnn said...

To be honest, Benjamin, I'm finding it difficult to respond to your comments because many of them don't make sense to me. Your poor grammar and articulation really make it difficult to ascertain what you mean.

I'll address your first paragraph by accepting your apology. I do not find cursing acceptable under any circumstances and reserve the right to not publish content that I find unacceptable on my blog, especially since my children frequently read it. You are free to curse as much as you wish where it is deemed acceptable.

Moving on. I am unsure what, exactly, you are calling "the greatest problem we face as humans." Your subject in that sentence is "this" which suggests that you defined the problem in the preceding sentences. Are you saying that our differences in opinion on cursing is the greatest problem we face as humans? Or are you assuming readers of your comment will understand what you are referring to without it being stated?

Cultural relativism, or understanding an individual's beliefs in terms of his own culture, can help bring some peace and understanding into our world but I doubt it is the ultimate cure for our problems. This works only with sane, rational, and peaceful individuals. Unfortunately, we share the world with people who would rather kill first and understand, or not, later. It limits our options with cultural relativism.

Now, I have no idea what that has to do with Wall-E and my opinion of the movie. Perhaps, you are saying I should have left your comments on my blog because it provides another point of view that should be understood in terms of your own beliefs and culture? Well, we already covered one of the primary reasons it was removed. Another reason is that your "review" of Wall-E provided more hateful slurs against me and my readers than review of the movie. Shall we revisit some of your comments?


"If nothing else, cynical d***heads..."

"You might not want to enlighten your kids to realities of the world. Enjoy administering your cotton wool shield. Just keep feeding your kids sesame street. That will challenge their thinking."

"Please, each and every one of you, stop breeding."

"Blame your "robotic" parenting perhaps in automatic pilot perhaps?"

"I FEEL SORRY FOR YOUR CHILDREN!! I REALLY DO!"

"No your children will probly [sic] grow up like you, to [sic]lazy to live simply and to [sic] ignorant to educate yourselves on where real happiness comes from."

How does any of that constitute a review of the movie Wall-E?

Your suggestion to send my kids to government school is laughable. Why? So that they can barely read and perform simple arithmetic upon graduation? So they can write poorly and struggle to articulate their thoughts, if they even have have original thoughts to begin with? So they can be assimilated into good little boys and girls who can't and won't challenge the brain-washing, socialistic, rhetoric now taught in the schools here? So that they can be taught that truth is relative and that homosexuality, disrespect, lack of discipline, lack of intelligence, and even murder is not their fault due to their genetic makeup or circumstances beyond their control? So that they can be verbally, physically, or sexually assaulted by their peers and/or teachers? I don't see the positive in that.

The schools don't provide grounding, perspective, and objectivity. They are too afraid children might actually think for themselves if they were exposed to opposing viewpoints so they prohibit their discussion. I don't have such fears and discuss opposing ideas with my children willingly.

I stand by both my opinion of the movie and my choice to homeschool. I'm more than capable to teach and parent my children, as evidence by results thus far. If the public schools could produce similar results, you might have a valid argument.

Perhaps you should start your own blog where you can share your opinions with the world rather than trying to commandeer the blogs of those with whom you disagree.