Get smart

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

Octopussy's garden

I'm currently engaged in tempting the local innocents from the 'true path' in the time honoured fashion.

How do you like them apples.

I don't take her seriously.

He's talking about Greta Thunberg. I don't either. Then again I don't take Unkraut seriously, at least when he's talking about religion as he's wont to do. This triggers a personal crisis: I have stated more than once that I can't take people who truly believe trans women are women seriously about much of anything thanks to what I see as a fundamental abdication of rationality. Yet I'll admit I haven't sentenced theists to the same high dudgeon (not quite the right word, but I'll not kill this darling). Perhaps sky faeries have been grandfathered in. More as this situation develops.

on edit: I sometimes forget the obvious. Unkraut being a Christian doesn't much affect the rights or lives of us heathens in secular societies. You could say he's been neutered. So whilst still irrational, there's enough mystery in the universe for honourable exceptions.

It's tediously predictable how middle aged guys rubbish Greta, an "Don't take her seriously" or words to that effect.

Middle aged guy = guilty.

she's an effective motivator

Agreed. Just because I don't take her seriously doesn't mean I don't agree with much of what she says (I don't actually pay much attention to her, so couldn't say for sure); or think that she isn't doing some good work. We all respond to different stimuli, and there's a need for many types of voices in any movement. This is something I learned from Kellie-Jay Keen.

Andy again.

How dare you misgender my next gender

Case in point.

Sizing's a bit binary

Get rid of Gods, borders, and snake-eye career politicians and we'll all get along just fine.

Especially 'borders', right monkers?

Israel / Palestine

you have F-35s, ELINT, current generation MBTs, and a missile interception system

Is anyone else getting turned on by this?

I'm just here for the yuks.

I love my kids, but to be honest, the music was so good last night that if I could have pushed them back up my wife's flange I probably would have done.

Yuck.

AndyCXR is a puerile attention-seeking troll, and not even a skilful one at that. Please keep threads clear by refraining from replying to him, other than to call him a knob.

Thankyou for your co-operation.

He's not, and this predictable reverse is rich coming from the grandmaster troll himself, but even I can admit it's funny.

Burning bridges
Although I'm no arsonist, that can be the result of my tapping away here. For example, I have an inkling that I've been put on a number of ignore lists thanks to my outspoken views on trans rights and wrongs. Which leads me to this: has unintentional OPERATION ESTRANGE THECLAUD been a success? Gawd I hope not.

Claud was one of the few people who had an appreciation for what I do. As such, she served as a personal data point that Lurk hasn't gone to waste.

The most she's ever said out loud about my take on the burning issue of our day is

I take a very different position to Sam on the subject under discussion

My current working theory is we've moved to past tense after a little too much friendly fire. Give me a sign teecee.

Oh, and I still hope to write that space opera.



Update: my flare has been spotted and I'm able to untense. When I do write that opera, Claud is getting a starring role.

Must listen albums..?

Blue ~ Joni Mitchell

Hell yeah

Heavens yes!

And we can segue from here into the demise of Islabikes, as they had (have?) a range aimed at grandad and grandma rockers consisting of three models: Joni, Janis and Jimi.

Good grief

The biggest bridge burning of my life happened when ACF went down, a choice of passive verb voice which reflects the shared responsibility for that event. Cudzo was an ACFer, and has always been good value. As mentioned previously I feel the same about his mate Kim (if she wasn't recruited, my next bet would be Cud). I have a shortlist of talent who almost certainly would cross the street if they saw me coming.

I actually breathe something like a sigh a relief when it's yet again confirmed to my satisfaction that I've chosen the right avatar. Time for a film festival.

The invisible man strikes again

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

I've had a few; but then again, too few to mention.


Why?

Because it takes

all kinds to make a world. Even us loners. Not that I'm alone.



Still mostly harmless

The Great Leader was always an entertaining writer.

Found that in my scrapbook, which gets curiouser every year.


Would you like a restraining order?



I like your 404 page, Medium, but it's not enough to convince me to upgrade. It doesn't help that you're no fan of free speech.

What I have learned today
Nothing new, frankly. I already knew my chest hair is so last century.

Politicians are using culture war as distraction tactic, poll finds
How did we get from my film club to 404 to chest hair to this? Never mind.

With regard to Labour, there are many reasons not to vote for them. Their refusal to acknowledge biological sex is a symptom of a general reluctance to engage with reality rather than anything else. So you can vote for Tories who want to fool you, or Labour which wants to fool itself. Or the Greens and LDs, who are at some stage beyond foolery.

Can we have something more upbeat Aimee?

Now a jump scare please.

What did I just click?

Unless you've read the post in question, this is going to be awfully mysterious. Sorry about that; can't be helped.

Middle aged guy shares a creepy story involving a teenager. It's a work of fiction, but seriously, WAKE UP PEOPLE, this is who you've been enabling for years. At least someone had the guts to call him out. Sort of.

[close]

Ovarit

Women have the right to discuss issues which affect us. Public discourse now largely takes place online, but online conversation platforms are increasingly restricting the bounds of “permissible” speech and banning, silencing, and otherwise deplatforming women who want to talk about women’s rights and women’s issues on our own terms.

How do I lie to my child and teach her she’s wrong for knowing someone was a man?

How do I teach my daughter to prioritize an adult man’s feelings over her natural instincts.

Spotlight on double standards

The [man] in this case was marked, because Karen didn't expect someone in the bathroom who doesn't fall into her understanding of "woman", whatever that is.

Whatever that is. Whatever. That. Is.

He continues:
I haven't been to a gym in over 6 years because I fear what will happen when I use a locker room. This is despite the fact that I have fully medically transitioned, including having grown my own breasts, same as you, and now having a vulva and vagina (which is indistinguishable from a cis vulva without close inspection). I fear I will die a premature death due to lack of fitness, simply because I believe I cannot safely use a locker room, and society constantly reminds me of it.

So women aren’t allowed to have a concept of what women are. Whatever that is. But Mr. Amethyst the math professor is allowed to know what a woman is, what female parts are, and go to a likely male endocrinologist and a male surgeon to get medical help disguising himself as one. He’s allowed to be afraid of what might happen to him in a locker room or a restroom, but women whatever that is, are not.

A day spent among "terfs"

Setting aside all the boobs+penis fetish stuff, it kills me how these men who purport that sex doesn’t exist as an independently observable trait somehow know all the women they meet who displease them are a) women and b) “cis.” How does he know his professor isn’t a passing transgender woman? How does he know she’s not an egg or non-binary or faegender or even a non op closeted trans man? Why does he automatically label her as cisgender? Did she explicitly tell him “I identify with the sexist stereotypes associated with my sex”? Did he check her birth certificate to see if she was assigned female at birth? By god, she could have PCOS and technically be intersex! It’s proof that trans is primarily a political designation. Anyone who doesn’t meet the ideological tests of trans is in the so called oppressor group. Men are allowed to know which women are actually women and which women are men.

[close]

Oh go ahead and peak already.

CycleChat again. Sorry!

When you don't understand what words are, what hope is there for you?

You've got to read the exchange that leads up to that to truly savour it.

Circling back to friends, the acquaintance I'm currently 'duelling' correctly identified me as not one, though he allowed as to how we are friendly. He's right: we simply haven't gone there. I wasn't sure why he brought it up. Perhaps it was to establish both a distance and parameters for the discussion to follow.

A good friend doesn't let you do stupid things .... alone.

Which is my way of saying 'friendly but not friends' might just be the only way for people who strongly disagree to make headway. We'll see.

SMIDSY
To thine own self be true. Must make up mind: does being left mostly alone really suit me? Honesty suits, my thoughts on the opening of this post being another good example: I go back and forth between tell it like it is, and TMI. Because it's embarrassing to be Billy no-mates, no?

It's just the way my life has worked out. I keep mostly to myself in the real. Living in a house off on its own and having no coworkers = the chicken or the egg in this regard.

Online, I wriggle out of the warmth of cliquiness. It does help maintain a certain clarity of thought.

Yeah, that's not going on my ipod

[Pale Rider]

We interrupt Get Smart to bring you an episode of Triggering.

My winter fixed Dunelt is ready

Never saw the point of fixed gearing outside a track environment. A freewheel is far superior and matches the simple drive line.

I can see why he's the thorn in everyone's side (and apparently has been for years). People who are right often are.

This, on the same thread, made me laugh.

I am very familiar with the bike routes in my little town and unfortunately fall into a Zen autopilot state in which I am not vigilant. As we know, vigilance is not only the cost of freedom but also is a requisite for avoiding accidents. Riding fixed requires me to pay attention and so is safer, since inattention by me or car drivers have caused all my accidents.

The logic in a nutshell: riding fixed requires vigilence to avoid accidents that might not happen if you weren't riding fixed.

Go Pro

What Have You Fettled Today?

Out with management cycling. Thumping rattle as she went over every bump.

Me: What's that noise?
She: Don't know , happens whenever I go over a bump
Me: Don't you worry it might break?
She: Doesn't seem like a breaking noise. Does seem to be getting worse though.
Me: Never mind it'll drop off and then the noise will go away
She: Oh, will it?

We've survived 48 years together. Do wonder how. But I did travel a lot.

I'm still hanging on at CycleChat primarily because I can no longer post, having triggered the mods offsite. That's quite a jurisdiction they cover. But this is old news.

What makes a bigger impact on uphill cycling - bike weight or gear ratios?

this is getting a bit Night of the Living Dead Thread.
The OP has long gone, so I'll draw it to a close.
Locked.

Call me godfather of the dead, along with George Romero. (Those are six different links, my fellow deadheads.)

Content

I've learned to make do with less.

There goes the economy.

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

Freedom again. Sorry!

icowden: Have you noticed that both the militant pro-trans activists and Suella Braverman want to suppress freedom of speech?
monkers: I do not think that the voicing of very offensive opinions should be absolutely free.
icowden: But others would disagree and prevent Graham Linehan from performing (for example).
newfhouse: If you’re referring to the recent episode he wasn’t prevented from performing. The venue simply chose to not assist him. He was free to perform elsewhere, and he did, I think. Free speech upheld.

Newfhouse is determined not to understand the chilling effect. Either that or he's happy with it.

Make us laugh in a PC way or go away

As someone at The Spectator (and I'm sure others have) put it, "If we saw off the half of the boat occupied by those with whom we disagree, our half sinks, too."

A NACA regular celebrates freedom of speech and freedom from moderation with a bit of humour sophistiqué:

Trans 'women' are men.
There is no such thing as cis. Just Men women girls boys.

You're a twats.

Brevity is the soul of wit.

[JFK]

I'm handing these ghostwriting duties back to Pale Rider to leave more time for my masterwork, Profiles In Cowardice.

If you've found me to be particularly castigatory in this thread, blame Ignatius.