You knew Callahan?

I hate it when you name drop.

Especially when it works.

I hope nothing untoward happened in Roxbury! Btw AirBnB is DOA in NY. Thanks Cuomo (not).

The politically correct, spoiled "victim" culture has likely nearly run its course, or at least, I hope so. There are real concerns to focus on.

And really, being transgendered isn't something everybody encounters every day, and the notion that everybody's going to be as read-in on and okay with somebody being trans as a barista in The Haight...well, it's just unrealistic.

There are a lot of things that we do not encounter everyday, and we nonetheless deal with them just fine and we most of the time we don't even notice. Replace the situation you've outlined (transgender person rejected at AirBnB) with a situation equally rare; say, a 19 year old with diabetes (diabetes in teenagers is extremely rare, and indeed, diabetes itself is rarely talked about in everyday conversation). If someone rejected the 19-year-old with diabetes because "I have a 13 year old boy going through puberty. I don't want him to feel any discomforts [sic] in his own home" wouldn't that seem strange? Why simply accept the "discomfort" as "real" -- it is, surely -- rather than ask "isn't it strange that this particular thing causes you discomfort? And maybe the cause of this is irrational prejudice? And shouldn't irrational prejudice feel hurtful to the person experiencing it? Why are you questioning the hurt that the transgender person feels, but simply accepting the "discomfort" of others?

And no, I'm not saying that out of hate, either -- it's just the way things are for many people.

Yes, and hate -- along with its weaker forms, such as irrational prejudices and discomfort -- are also "the way things are for many people". One should not simply ask transgendered people to accept them, in the name of realism, any more than we expect African Americans to accept police brutality because cops feeling of danger and suspicion around African Americans is "real". Sure it's "real". That's precisely the problem.

"One should not simply ask transgendered people to accept them, in the name of realism, any more than we expect African Americans to accept police brutality because cops feeling of danger and suspicion around African Americans is "real". Sure it's "real". That's precisely the problem."

What a shame that a BnB is a private home, with people living lives of their own, huh? Do you lust after the power to take that family, put them at the dinner table and show that early teen all the hormone treatments, surgeries and psychological discussion, to make him praise his good fortune that he had such a golden opportunity as to meet a transgendered person and learn all the details? Hell, that HAS to be more important than anything else he has in mind for his own approach to majority, huh?

How can you POSSIBLY miss the entire point of this post, which is, "Hell, no, you are not going to find acceptance for everything you are and everything you do, because the rest of the world does not give a DAMN about you. They have enough problems of their own to bother with your swollen ego."?

-----

"The notion that discomfort is hate reminds me of all the screeching about Chick-fil-A and other businesses that don't support gay marriage."

That company is making a lot of noisy people look bad now - not only by outperforming other fastfooderies per unit, but by opening on Sunday to support blood donors responding to the Pulse shooting. Anybody eschewing Ramadan to do that?

Nonetheless, Richard, those who worry (and legislate and regulate) endlessly to modulate "hate" and other interior forces in the lives of third parties seem often to be people who've never moved through the world in a practical way, and never seen how such slights as you describe are in fact committed by offenders, often elided by their targets, and possibly soothed by bystanders.

Academics come to mind here, the kind who demand muscle (from third parties) when they encounter something challenging:

Typical academics, on the other hand, are not oriented toward political reality: “They tend to be unworldly. They are, most of them anyway, the people who have never left school. Their milieu is postadolescent.” They often work alone, without developing the social skills and sensibilities that would give them political insight.

Don't worry about "hate," awright? Don't worry about any interior conditions for those with whom you aren't intimate, because these other people probably aren't too impressed with your heart-iest heart-heart either.

Mine jerown beeswax.

Also, what Raddy said. The reason they had to open on Sunday is that they're closed on Sundays, because the creator of the business thinks it's good for his employees to have the chance to spend Sundays with family. Observers of the fast-food business are said to be impressed that his restaurants are nonetheless more profitable than those with 14% more opportunity to serve customers.

Breaded fillets served on a bun is still kinda weird.

"Breaded fillets served on a bun is still kinda weird."
-Crid at 2:42

Yeah, but they are delicious.

I hate it when you name drop.

Especially when it works.

Heh!

Miss Callahan. Loved his thinking and he was tons of fun. We mostly talked on the phone but I got to hang with him when I was in Portland for an alt weeklies conference.

He was enormously unPC.

One of my favorite Callahanisms -- as he buzzed around in his motorized wheelchair: "Like my new shoes? I hear they're comfortable."

Why simply accept the "discomfort" as "real" -- it is, surely -- rather than ask "isn't it strange that this particular thing causes you discomfort?

Because you're not considering somebody you know; you're considering renting your home to a stranger.

I favor this approach, Richard D. Morey -- the one you suggest with those words -- but I can also understand how somebody renting to a stranger isn't going to want to do that. That isn't terrible.

And I don't expect that everyone would do what I would, which is, in general, to question whether my beliefs on something are legitimate and to err on the side of being accepting and inclusive and live and let live.

If they (SJW, rape culture warriors, transwhatever) were comfortable in their own skins (which is kinda the problem w/many trans) they would not be so quick/adamant to scream "you hurt my feelings and are racist/phobic/privileged".

Kudos to the woman trying to make ends meet yet keeping her kid in mind. Maybe she lost a "teaching" moment, but w/kids you only one shot at a decision and I'd save "teaching" moments for the public arena.

At least she was honest and polite and does not sound like she being judgemental (cue screaming).

I actually DON'T support "Gay Marriage", as currently instituted.

No problems with the concept, but the method of rolling it out by judicial fiat bothers me. The trend on referendums would have made it legal in a lot on places, within 5 years, and likely universal, within 20.

But simply imposing it, hardened the positions of a LOT of people.

Here in Virginia, it wasn't even an electoral issue. And there was a state Constitutional Amendment prohibiting it.

But, within a few weeks of the new Attorney General of Virginia being sworn in, he not only failed in his job to defend the laws of the Commonwealth, but took the other side in a Federal trial, and BOOM, Judicial fait accompli.

That pissed a LOT of people off . . .

I don't support marriage at all, for men. It's a trap. And as more and more men join the ranks of the MGTOW (pronounced MIG-tow, rhymes with "big cow," Men Going Their Own Way), I think eventually the laws and the courts will come around to makig divorce more fair.

But in the meantime, a man marrying a woman is giving up his house, his car, his kids, whether his wife stays with him or not.

And even if she cheats on him and has a child from it, he's still on the hook to pay for that kid.

And in the divorce, she will get ALL his retirement, his savings and his investments.

The courts are incentivizing divorce for women.

Until divorce is handled fairly, which means you leave the marriage only with what you came in with, no alimony and no support for kids he didn't father and equal time with jointly-owned children, the MGTOW movement will continue to grow.

"Making gay marriage legal...by judicial fiat...pissed a lot of people off"-Keith Glass at 7:20 a.m.

I am with you, Keith. I would have preferred a constitutional amendment, which would have been a true test of how the people thought of the issue. Instead, we had 5 judges vote in a way that binds all 300,000,000 of us. I'll bet a lot of people are resentful.

I want to spend some more time making fun of people —secular people— who blather about "hate" without daily or even weekly readings about decency, kindness and attendance to one's fellows.

Nyah-nyah. You are not part of bold new civilization impetus to tolerance and stability. You bring no compelling intellectual insights about dignity, sustainability, or the psychological fundamentals of virtue to the larger wold around you. Your presumption of your own good intentions counts for dick... You're just an isolated, provincial, socially-avoidant busybody.

And your ass looks fat in those pants.

Happy Father's Day, ever'buddy!

Civilizing, not civilization. I'm on an airplane, and there's fat teenager sitting next to me and he's sleeping and taking up too much space.

Okay, he's not fat, he's big and muscular... But he smells like bubblegum and Irish Spring.

I too wish that gay mattiage had not been decided through judicial fiat, not because I am against gay marriage (I am in favor) but because it sets a precedent for things I am NOT in favor of to be decided by fiat

Like men in women's locker rooms or on their sports teams

Gay mattiage sounds kinda medical.

He's still asleep, which is not the worst way to cross Kansas @ 36K".

And by the way, you savages, marriage isn't a "trap for men," but is in fact the bedrock institution affirming modern decency and all that is good in Western Civ.

Yes. Cabernet, in little plastic bottles, to wash down the peanuts. Why do you ask?

Did you know that there's still snow on top of the Rockies even in June, which is today? True story.

I miss my trans neighbor. About 15 years ago, a retiree who was trans moved in next door to where I used to live. Pleasant, kept an eye on the block, sat on the porch most of the day in her usual uniform (long, fiery red hair, T-shirt or football jersey, lots of pop beads).

As the neighborhood began to gentrify and get expensive, it was fun to see lookie-loos with strollers walk up the street and decide it wasn't gentrifying quite quickly enough for their tastes.

She had some great stories, too -- Army vet with an honorable discharge, later worked as a combination entertainer/bouncer on Bourbon Street.

you know that there's still snow on top of the Rockies even in June, which is today? True story.

Crid at June 19, 2016 10:22 AM

There always is, even in a drought. June is still a very good time to get caught by a snow storm on a high mountain pas in Colorado.

By August, in a dry year, it will be just about gone.

There are lots of ways to live one's life, but to insist that everyone approve enthusiastically of those choices is absurd. There are lots of reasons to think that having children with no father around is not good for the kids--we should all clap about it? A druggie lifestyle does not turn out well--approve? Refusing to grow up and get a job, lots of tattoos, drinking too much, bizarre clothes, hells angels membership, pierced tongue? How about just being an abrasive jerk? Sure you can do those things, but you can't demand or expect everyone to admire you for it, nor can you demand that people not hate or feel creeped out by certain things. The insistence that people's inner lives must get outside approval is very totalitarian. Even churches leave sin to God and confession is secret. I say just be happy people mostly leave you alone.

Any movement that is populated by a specific group of people who rally against very narrow grievances that are due to their own poor choices gets the side eye from me and a hearty chuckle at the absurdity of it all. MGOTW and Mens Right Movement fit that criteria.

All you have to do before you marry a woman is take into consideration her earning potential. But then many men don't, and you will often hear them prattle "lol we don't give a shit how ambitious you are". Well LMAO I don't give a shit if a woman takes you to the cleaners.

BTW this MGOTW always seemed like a middle class white ppl problem to me. Working class white people had pretty equal $$$ marriages and rich men always shrugged their shoulders when wife #3 took a chunk of their change.

Ppen:

Any movement that is populated by a specific group of people who rally against very narrow grievances that are due to their own poor choices gets the side eye from me and a hearty chuckle at the absurdity of it all. MGOTW and Mens Right Movement fit that criteria.

Then you're certainly side-eyeing the feminist movement.

You know what I miss? I miss the days when people lived their own lives and didn't feel the need to broadcast their innermost selves to the rest of the world. I don't care about you or your inner turmoil. Want to stay in a place where there is no judgement? Call the Holiday Inn. I hear they take your money and leave you alone. Of course, you can't write a "poor me pitiful me" piece to post on the Internet, but if you are looking to just live your life like anyone else would, you call a regular hotel and skip the part where you divulge all your innermost secrets to the bellhop.

I think me hold some responsibility when they feel taken advantage of by divorce. Marry your financial, educational and ambition minded equal. Don't marry the woman who expects to pump out some crotch trophies and get supported by a man. Yes, then when you break up she gets your stuff. Because she had nothing to contribute and you were just fine with that in the beginining. Don't fall for and marry someone who is not your equal. Goes for men and women.

Off-topic; but, Keith Glass said:

"No problems with the concept, but the method of rolling it [gay marriage] out by judicial fiat bothers me."

Sorry, Keith; but if it is a right, then it is a right and should NOT be subject to having the general voting population decide if you get that right.

That's a recipe for divorce Stormy. The reality is women file for ~2/3 of divorces and ~50% of marriages fail. Marrying your 'equal' actually worsens those odds.

Stormy, what you just said is ridiculous.

"Don't marry the woman who expects to pump out some crotch trophies and get supported by a man."

So, because she has that expectation when she goes into marriage, that means she's entitled to it?

If she goes in with nothing, she can leave with nothing. Why is she still entitled to half the man's income, all his retirement, his house, his car, all his savings and all his investments because she decides she wants out?

"Sorry, Keith; but if it is a right, then it is a right and should NOT be subject to having the general voting population decide if you get that right."

Well, it's not that simple. First of all, until pretty recently, the concept of the word "marriage" included one man and one woman. (Unless polygamy was involved... and by the way, nobody has yet convinced me that Lawrence v. Texas didn't legalize polygamy.) But that's the least of it.

The most of it is that the concept of "rights" has become very malleable under our current ruling class. Freedom of association, as guaranteed by the First Amendment, is pretty much gone. (And if something like this AirBnB thing goes to court and the plantiff wins, that will pretty much be the last vestige of it.) The concepts of "administrative search" and "civil forfeiture" have defeated the Fourth Amendment. Kelo v. New London re-wrote the rules for eminent domain to force transfers of property to the crony class. The ability of prosecutors to draw out prosecutions to make it expensive for the defendant (and thereby encourage the defendant to plead out) has overrun the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of a speedy trial. The Ninth and Tenth Amendments are dead letters; the federal court's interpretation of the Commerce Clause as an Enabling Act have sent them to the dustbin.

None of the above is anything the people voted for. Yet they happened, and more like it continues to happen. What the courts grant by judicial fiat today, they can take away tomorrow.

I could have told you about Roxbury, Amy; I grew up near Boston. Remember the line from Billy Joel's "You May Be Right"--"I've been stranded in the Combat Zone. . ."? The Combat Zone is what they call Roxbury.

There are lots of ways to live one's life, but to insist that everyone approve enthusiastically of those choices is absurd...How about just being an abrasive jerk? Sure you can do those things, but you can't demand or expect everyone to admire you for it, nor can you demand that people not hate or feel creeped out by certain things.

Craig Loehle at June 19, 2016 11:24 AM
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Which is why, in another thread, I mentioned the need for men to realize (but this applies to women too) that just because they DO have legal rights when it comes to dating doesn't make it civilized for them to TALK about those rights in detail. Namely: If it's rude for a woman to say to a man "sorry, I don't date balding men or anyone over 25 who only makes minimum wage," it's just as rude for a man to say out loud, to women, that he won't date any woman who won't sleep with him first - or any woman with an average-looking face, or any woman who won't let him do all the talking. (It's also extremely rude to stand people up, of course.)

He is, however, completely legally free to stick to those dating standards. Just as most men know without being told that making minimum wage severely narrows a man's options, women can easily guess what men's standards are when enough men have the same standards. Without being told.
_________________________________

Any movement that is populated by a specific group of people who rally against very narrow grievances that are due to their own poor choices gets the side eye from me and a hearty chuckle at the absurdity of it all. MGOTW and Mens Right Movement fit that criteria.

Ppen at June 19, 2016 12:44 PM
_________________________________________

Check out something I found recently...

It made me think of the famous Bechdel movie test. For those who don't know or remember, the test (actually created by Bechdel's friend Liz Morrison) is as follows.

A movie can only pass the test if:

1. There are at least two women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something other than a man.

(And considering there's plenty of male-bashing in movies between any two women, you'd think men would appreciate those rules too.)

So I realized that it can be just as tricky to find a men's rights activist forum where the MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way) actually talk about something other than women. I.e.:

http://www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/2016/05/04/redditor-asks-mgtows-why-theyre-not-talking-about-their-cool-hobbies-they-throw-a-fit/

By David Futrelle.

"So a Redditor goes into the Men Going Their Own Way subreddit.

"I realize that sounds a bit like the start of a crappy joke. But it’s true. Earlier today, the guy in question popped into the MGTOW subreddit with a couple of questions.

'I came to this subreddit thinking that it would be filled with cool hobbies and adventures (self.MGTOW) submitted 3 hours ago by AwYisBreadCrumbs But it's filled with people talking about women. I thought this sub was for men going their own way? Where's all the cool shit?'

"Now, I don’t know if AwYisBreadCrumbs is trolling or not, but there are few things you can say to a MGTOW that will offend him more than this seemingly reasonable question.

"If these guys really are all enjoying their awesome bachelor lifestyles, unburdened by the demands of marriage and parenthood and all of that, you might expect them to share some of the details with their MGTOW pals: Here I am rock climbing in Colorado. Here I am meeting rescued Orangutans in Borneo. Here’s the backyard roller coaster I built with my own hands. Here’s my podcast about Elvis impersonators. Here’s my model train set. I dunno, something. Anything.

"Nope! Oh sure, once in a long while one of the regulars will make a post about his motorcycle. But roughly 99% of the posts in r/MGTOW are complaints about women..."

(snip)