The Mess in the multi-culti Thread

In the last five minutes, I have received the following comments on a post MONTHS old. Note the repeated same meme and themes. NOTE the continuous hammering — as you’ll see it if you go to this thread — of things I’ve already explained/refuted.

The comments, being anonymous, are screened. I have a book to write and I don’t have time to play with idiots. However, I’m going to post the comments here, before I delete and ban — to show that a) it’s a troll cluster. b)It’s coordinated action. c) There’s NO vestiges of rational thought behind it. d) If this continues I will ask LJ to investigate as net-harrassment. I have witnesses.

Oh, yeah, and the person complaining that Alyson’s “hell” picture is a “threat.” Yes, indeedy. Beware the Mormon housewife. She has powers you cannot dream of. Hygiene. Sanity. Coherence. Terrible and fearful are they! (Also, and incidentally, Alyson is one of my best friends, part of an adopted “family.” While she is a writer, she’s not published — at least not in novels nor pro stories. And she could kick around the block the behind of all my dear “anonymi”. On logic, understanding of the world and, oh, last but not least, grammar.)

In more or less inverse order — with my response — here goes. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s hear it for the anon-mice

1- Their reply was:
No, I didn’t post two comments. The comments were from two different people who just happen to have the same opinion.

And no, I am not obsessed with this teacher.

But I do think rather than lurking on the internet complaining about someone, you should talk to them in person.

And when you correct our grammar, it doesn’t hurt us as badly as you think.

Answer #1 — really? Because I unscreeened one comment from ONE anonymous, and then yours came through unscreened. So, that’s not your first comment.

Your harping on my not talking to someone has been addressed.

THE POST WAS NOT PRIMARILY ABOUT THE TEACHER. Get someone to write this on your forehead, mirror image, so you can see it every morning when you wake. That will save me repeating it ad nauseum.

Oh, and btw, I never imagined you had the slightest concern with grammar.

And if you’re not obsessed with the teacher, WHY do you “love” her. And why is this ALL about her? Right…

Next up — come on MOUSIE:

Well I am thoroughly surprised that an intelligent published author (far better than those once published poets) would blog about how irritated she is that her son had a simple, straightforward English class assignment. It would seem to me that discussing why students have to do this project with the teacher would have been a mature solution. Blogging an angry letter that you didn’t actually send but obviously intended someone to find… not so much.
And as for your “respect” for teachers in the previous comments, I find it hard to believe that you don’t think a teacher should be respected because they aren’t a priest or a doctor. What?!
And by the way, my teacher didn’t tell me to write this. I CHOSE to write this because after reading your blog, I thought you might need a reality check.

By the way, I am proud of my cultural heritage.

And Answer number 2:

Have I said I was more intelligent than once published poets? I said I was more intelligent than someone, not that this was based on her being a poet. I just find it amusing she thinks this is her credential. I did not mention her NAME or the school she teaches at.

Okay — WHY would I want to discuss anything about this project. It’s a stupid project. The assumptions behind it are racist/sexist and every other ist you wish. IT’S STUPID. And I did NOT intend anyone to find it. Look, I didn’t mention school or teacher. GO BACK TO THE COMMENTS. READ THEM. If you don’t get them, study reading comprehension.

INCIDENTALLY I’m not “lurking” on the internet. This is my blog, with my name.

And yes, of course I need a reality check — go study the cultural revolution where the elders got reality checks from the young, untutored masses. So nice. Great result. And of course your teacher didn’t put you up to this. DID I mention this post is months old? MONTHS. So why is everyone so hot about it all of a sudden? And why is everyone obsessing on the same refuted points. Either the teacher put you up to this, or someone else did. This is centralized action.

As for your heritage — good. A better writer than I said it as I can’t — Robert A. Heinlein in Time Enough For Love: “This sad little lizard told me that he was a brontosaurus on his mother’s side. I did not laugh; people who boast of ancestry often have little else to sustain them. Humouring them costs nothing and adds to happiness in a world in which happiness is always in short supply.”

And the third little rodent is:

Subject: Wow.
Well, you can certainly delete whatever comments you want to, but for someone with such an open mind, I think you might want some “discussion.”
You seem to be perpetuating a cycle of nasty criticism. You blogged about a teacher you didn’t even know, got called out on it and then responded by blogging angrily yet again at the commenter.
So do you REALLY want discussion? Or do you just like criticizing people you’ve never met?
I’d really like to discuss why you think that a cultural heritage project based on the definition of culture (OBVIOUSLY) as someone’s ancestry, is so oppressive and bad. People did their projects on “immigrant” culture or “American” culture or “Texas” culture!

Answer #3

Discussion is NOT calling someone a bitch. Discussion is not having the same things hurled at you over and over again after you disproved them/responded to them — and Laura did it better than I couuld btw. You want an answer to your question, go read her comment. You might also finally get I WASN’T BLOGGING ABOUT THE TEACHER except incidentally. Though I’m not impressed with the quality of her defenders, frankly.
You want discussion? Go read what’s posted. Go to Amanda’s blog and get trounced (you will.) I have a job and a life.

If you don’t get what is so bad about seeing culture as someone’s ancestry, read the history of the Third Reich.

Mousie #4:

Subject: Re: Afterthoughts
No teacher asked me to post on your blog, and if she did, I wouldn’t have listened to her.

Answer #4:

Of COURSE not. Such brave independent thinkers, all posting at the same time defending a teacher who didn’t need defending. Like all the people who dress differently by wearing the same thing everyone else does. Either the teacher asked you, or someone else did. All of a sudden, out of the blue all these “unrelated posters” just had to come and comment on a post months old, and all had the same obsession with the teacher and defending the teacher — without bothering to notice the teacher was NOT the focus of the post. And that I was no more than vaguely annoyed at her. And that the post was MONTHS old. MONTHS.

Swampland, Florida. I sell it to you cheap.

Possible Mouse #5

Subject: Culture Project
While I agree with you that a person should not be attached to a culture as a result of their genetics, I would have to say that the “culture project” in this gifted class has been misinterpreted.
The assignment which was assigned was to explore and gain knowledge on a culture. In no way, shape or form was the project strictly linked to the individuals genetics. Many people chose to investigate a culture that they were simply intrigued by. Some students chose to research their culture (and by culture I mean, yes, their genetic makeup)in order to gain understanding about family traditions and family history.
And yes, as a student in a gifted class much like Roberts, I understand that this project can be taken as a bunch of BS which one can create last minuet and still get a good grade. Learning how to manipulate the system is how I survived in this program. However, along with the BS their is a little bit of learning. I know understand where all of my grandmother’s stories come from, and I am glad that I was forced to do the culture project.
So no, the children in this gifted class were not restrained to tuti fruti, They were allowed to chose whatever flavor they wanted.

Answer # 5 – A polite mouse, so he/she gets the benefit of the doubt.

Really? Indeeed? Then why do the other posters seem to think it was about THEIR ancestry and that this is indeed their culture?

Of note though I covered this in the previous entry — what annoys me secondarily about the assignment is that you think you can present a “culture” in class in our day and age and make it, somehow relevant.

Questions to ask yourself —

1 could you say “the Elbownians are terribly racist?”

2 could you say “The Elbownian traditional religion encourages child sacrifice?”

3 could you say “I find these aspects of this culture distasteful”

No? Then criticism is reserved for the culture to which most of you belong/in which most of you live. Which means kids leave school thinking our history/culture is uniquely bad. If you don’t think that’s a tragedy… I can’t explain it to you. Studying other cultures is only valid if you can see the bad with the good. Culture-tourism won’t do it.

I KNOW. I write about other cultures, often. I KNOW I don’t always get it right. I wouldn’t bet on getting it right most of the time. And I spend months — sometimes years — researching for a story.

These projects are pernicious. They’ve contaminated our understanding of the world. And no, that’s not your teacher’s fault. I don’t ascribe any superpowers to her, despite the blog cluster. I do think she could improve her performance. I do think she shouldn’t invent rules.

But… eh. She’s not the only one or uniquely bad.

See my previous entry.

And as I said, I’m done. Supid neener neener trolling will be deleted.