How about you show me a single child I’ve hurt.
Just because you insist on reading into my post things I didn’t say (as you fucking always do) doesn’t mean I actually said what you claim. Shut the fuck up, BigTard. You are an idiot, and your life will go much easier once you realize that, and shut the fuck up.
No, your problem is that you’re too stupid to blow your nose without your brains spilling out your ears. I’d like everyone to notice this crude attempt to move the goalposts WAAAAYY down the field, if not out of the stadium entirely. Now Guinnie the Ninny’s problem is “glee,” which no one ever expressed (I did assert that I’d feel good about myself after making the child in question cry, but if I didn’t feel good about myself, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place. I’d feel much better about myself if the hypothetical child hadn’t come to my door in the first place and interrupted my hypothetical day with specifous and offensive bullshit, but that’s another story). Please note how she began by labelling people taking my position to be “dicks,” and is attempting to shift the discussion away from our beings dicks for not patiently and politely enduring religious glurge coming from an eight-year-old to being dicks for expressing glee about that child’s tears, which not one of us has done.
Her real problem is that sometimes she attempts to discuss things in general with her betters, which is everyone.
Oh, yeah. This…:
And how is that working out for you, Dr. Phil?
You’re a contemptable asshole, aren’t you. Good BigTard! Nice boy! Yes, you’re a good dog, aren’t you! Who’s a good dog!!!
You registered in 2002, but haven’t seen posts like these?
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14716521
[QUOTE=Der Trihs]
Now that’s a classic case of psychological projection if I ever saw one. That’s not atheism you are describing, it’s American Christianity. Anti-intellectual, ignorant, shrill, losing intellectual ground, intolerant, indoctrination, harsh punishments - that’s Christianity, not atheism.
[/QUOTE]
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13066964
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11427802
Der Trihs isn’t arrogant; Der Trihs is fucking batshit.
Let me just check for clarification here. You would think it was wrong for someone to claim the existence of god or gods in front of my child…yes?
And how is any of that arrogant?
Well, Elmwood disagrees with it, and it’s apparently arrogant of you to say stuff that he disagrees with. Simple really.
Did you read the rest of my post? I SAID I had a problem with him telling the kid Santa wasn’t real. As for belief in religion, it depends. Does he say, “Well, I believe God/Gods exist?” Then no, I don’t give a shit. Does he say, “You’ll go to HELL if you don’t believe!” then yeah, he’s being a douche.
MY comment was in regards to
It’s not up to him to decide a kid’s too old to believe in Santa. I don’t give a shit what you teach your kids about religion.
With the obvious exception of yourself, of course.
Is that a B-52 passing overhead? I’m sorry, but when I joined the SDMB there were certain prerequisites we expected new members to either show on their transcripts or fulfill shortly after they joined. I don’t blame you. I blame a system in which standards have slipped. 
But my original point was not that homeschooling does not deprive many of its students even a basic education. It does, but it does so legally. Nothing much we can do about it until they are adults. Then, of course, we can point and laugh with clear consciences.
You are free to think it was done in a dickish way, I was never arguing either way on that. I’m just highlighting the unwarranted deference given to religion in these circumstances.
Do you see my confusion with where you draw the line? A factual statement about Santa? bad. A factual statement about religion? …it depends.
i.e. that you would probably not be too bothered if someone said to your child “there is a god” but would be more concerned if they did say “there is a darth vader” or “there isn’t a tooth fairy”
Culturally and socially accepted double standards that some seem unwilling to acknowledge.
It’s OK to agree that the above situation* is* how it is. As a society we make a distinction between what is “OK” to challenge and what isn’t. Even when the entities in question have equal probability of existence.
How about, you show me where theists are not really arrogant?
God bless you – always :):):):)
P.S.: Now, fuck off and let me have my dinner, that some farmer produced with a tractor, running on fossil fuel.
BigT, I understand your only joy in life is beating off while sanctimoniously taking others to task. However, I hate to inform you* that, tragically, you clearly suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect
You love to see yourself as the SDMB’s moral compass but somehow fail to see how badly you SUCK at it. The best is when you lecture someone on how horrible their position is that relates to other people and you end up hhhwwwaaaayyyyyy more condescending and insulting towards the person/group. And you NEVER SEE THIS.
So this post I replied to: how in the goddamned fuck do you think it’s fine and dandy to describe what you see as horrific and despicable behavior as BEING A HUMAN VAGINA??? This is so incredibly insulting to basically all Vaginal-Americans (ie women). Once again, you managed to be even nastier than the people you attempt to shame.
Depends on how it was said. Most kids know people have different beliefs when it comes to religion. IF you just have someone saying, “I believe/don’t believe in god”, meh, who gives a shit? If you have someone saying, “YOU’RE GOING TO HELL IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE, LITTLE BOY!!!” Or saying, “God isn’t real and you’re a stupid poopyhead for believing in him.” Don’t do either of those. Don’t get into dick waving contests with kids.
As far as Santa, a lot of kids tend to get upset when they first find out. I’ve noticed more kids getting upset about being told there’s no Santa than they do by the fact that some people believe/don’t believe in god.
Oh, and BigT? Don’t try to speak for me. Okay?
Guinastasia, it seems like you’re doing a lot of projecting about the trauma of finding out there’s no Santa. You’re making unwarranted and unverifiable assumptions, that (for instance) this is the first time the child had encountered that.
While I agree he shouldn’t have said it, I think you should dial back the outrage a bit because you just don’t know that the child was upset, but you DO know that the child had a built-in defence: this stranger didn’t believe in God, either, so his entire worldview was suspect.
How about, simply and quietly, “God isn’t real. It’s a story made up long ago when people didn’t know better.” There’s no name-calling, no glee, no harsh cawing laughter, no finger-pointing, just a statement of honest belief. And remember, the kid opened the conversation, and brought up the subject in the first place. It isn’t as if I had knocked on their living room door.
But what if the kid cries as a result of your reasoned, calm, soothing disquisition? You’ve still done a terrible, awful, reprehensible, dickish thing to him because the bottom line, and your most sacred duty on this earth, is to prevent him from crying.
Sounds fine to me.
But what if he cries? That’s the important thing.