The hem of her garment once brushed against me and I’ve been a more coherent referencer ever since. In another thread I wrote a little poem for her.
Which I now repeat.
Striking his lyre, Redboss sings:
“O Google-Goddess, Noble Duck,
Please lead as we meander.
Research, Enquire, Instruct, Inspire,
And serve sauce to the gander.”
Redgosling
grienie, you need to do something about that chip on your shoulder, buddy.
If you look hard enough for something to offend you, you’ll find it.
DDG, what kind of friend are you?
A great one.
You are courteous, funny, intelligent, and you can use Google better than a chimp can use his own dick.
You use your time to help others, and to eradicate ignorance worldwide.
grienspace, would you be opposed to a site that pointed out common flaws of fundamentalists if it was written by someone who didn’t actually know any? Because I would consider that site bullshit. DDG speaks from experience, and therefore is not spouting bullshit.
DDG If you don’t use this for your sig the next few months, then you get no respect from me. :D:D
I forgot that important distinction when it is acceptable or not to denigrate a group. Very well then, is the following comparison valid?
American Christian fundamentalists have the same capabilities of reading as any other average American. For someone to represent themselves as an authority on the reading capability of these people because their friends are fundamentalists adds even more misplaced credence to this lie. Several months ago I challenged someone else to provide cites on the claim that the religious are less intelligent than the norm. I recall nothing particularly scholarly being presented, and the rest of this board quite content to let this stupid assertion stand. I challenge anyone to provide a cite that can back up DDG’s claim that Christian fundamentalists have less reading capability than other Americans.
No, because in our society, the lack of ability in a sport is hardly a social stigma. But if a friend of mine is on the internet telling her virtual friends that her real life friends and their ilk are somewhat dense, then I would doubt if I would want to carry on the friendship.
How do you know that is true?! Because DDG says so? Your response here is exactly why I am so upset. You bought this bullshit on the sayso of someone who claims anecdotal credentials. The rigorous demand to provide cites to back up assertions so characteristic of this board is missing in this case. Well believe what you want to believe.
So you bought her assertion as well without backup. And this is about fighting ignorance?
Now let’s compare these to the DDG quotes from the OP:
From everythinng I know about fundementalists (and I am Christian though not fundie, so we’re clear on my POV here), this is the case. Many Christians feel this way. I see no bashing.
And then there’s this post where you seem to grab the arguments listed above (bolding mine with my comments in italics):
It’s seems to me DDG is not talking about Fundies as a group, but the people she knows personally. You’re extrapolating this to her making comments about all fundies, just so you have a gripe to cling to.
My BIL, a computer tech like me, doesn’t like to read anything outside modern science-fiction and fantasy (meaning anything from Tolkien to the present day). He thinks my non-stop reading of everything and anything to be odd. He doesn’t know why I’d want to read Homer and Shakespeare and Poe. He has difficulty wrapping his brain around that stuff and the same can be said for him as DDG says above about her friends. Am I bashing my own family now? No, I am saying what I know from conversations with my BIL. Am I saying this holds true for all computer techs or brothers-in-law? No, just the one I know. Wait, my BIL was in the Navy, as was my father - and my father also doesn’t like Homer and Shakespeare and Poe! Am I saying this is true for all Naval personell? Again, no. I’m stating what I know about the people I know. That seems to be all DDG is doing.
You’re the one looking for a fight, grienspace, and in your mind extending her comments beyond her friends to encompass all fundies everywhere.
I’ve seen DDG refer to herself as a “Fightin’ Fundie”. And I’m also pretty sure that I recall Triskadecamus describe himself as being pretty close to a Fundamentalist. However, I don’t see in them any of the characteristics that seem (from other comments on this board) to be associated with Fundamentalism. But I am ignorant in these matters. So I wonder if someone can clarify what exactly defines a Fundamentalist, and - more specifically - what definition of Fundamentalist would include people like the abovenamed, but exclude others here (e.g. Polycarp). Thanks.
No, I decided to trust someone I knew wouldn’t knowingly spread false information. I have no reason to doubt her or what she claims to know. Why? Because she has a good track record.
I could not place the same trust in a site written by someone who admitted that they had no knowledge of fundamentalists.
No, dipshit, because I know people with this attitude as well. Your Muslim example is bullshit too. I don’t think you’re getting this, gobshite:
There is a branch of fundamentalism with an inherent distrust for and dislike for fiction in all forms. It doesn’t have a specific name, but it is a recognizable subset of fundamentalism. An integral part of this philosophy is not reading recreationally, not liking to read in general, and being proud of ignorance. ‘Book-learning,’ as opposed to believing what you are told by a minister, is seen as a tool of Satan. And these are not things they hide. People who believe this will tell you so. They are proud of it because they think they are right.
I know such people exist because I have met them. For many years my parents were them. There was NO fiction in my house until I started bringing it home from the library. I grew up reading encyclopedias.
There isn’t any question that such people exist. The question is, are DDG friends such people? I don’t know where the hell you could possible find a cite about that. I think the only thing you COULD do would be to ask her.
–John
The sound that you are now not hearing is grienspace exploding in a puff of logic.
And I challenge you to point out where DDG says taht Christian fundementalists have less reading capablity than other Americans.
She specifically says that she is not referring to all fundementalists.
DDG is not saying that they (again, a subset of fundamentalists) are not capable of reading; she says
that while they are literate, they do not enjoy that habit of reading.
The most insulting thing DDG said, IMHO, was
She accuses some fundementalistss of a lack of imagination . . . which, seeing as how some fundementalists seem to see Satan hiding behind every bush, is a bit ironic.
Well, as long as this is at the top of the forum anyway…
As it happens, Grienspace, there ARE cites for the whole “the Bible is the only book you’ll ever need” mindset.
http://home.aol.com/AVBibleTAB/av/gbook.htm
http://www.users.on.net/mec/answers/_1_pro.htm
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sbs777/course/biblebks.html
http://www.ggmathew.com/bible.htm
So, in other words, according to this mindset, reading anything BUT the Bible is a complete waste of time. The Bible has all the literary styles you could ever want, plus it’ll save your soul. What more could you ask for? Harry Potter? Pfui. Reading Harry Potter won’t save your soul, that’s for sure…
So grienspace, where do you rank on the whole literacy thing? The above sentences, which you quoted in your OP, state specifically that DDG doesn’t think that fundies are less literate. You seem stuck on the “prove to me that fundies are less literate than the gen pop” idea, when you are the only one saying it!
Buh-bye.
A quick review of your cites and quotes does not lead me to conclude that these people claim that books other than the bible are a waste of time. They claim that the bible is by far the best book ever…only.
My challenge was to provide cites showing that fundies have less capability in reading fiction because they have limited imagination as well as your other claims which generally demean the reading capability of fundies…
EJsGirl The two sentences you quoted don’t contadict her other statements that they have difficulty wrapping their imagination around fiction. Such an observation as this for a schoolchild would be of concern to a teacher I assure you. (Attention Podkayne)
grienspace, you are the densest person I’ve seen around here for a while. DDG STILL hasn’t “demean[ed] the reading capability of fundies”. Here’s what she said:
What does this all mean? That the people she is talking about don’t LIKE to read. It doesn’t make them happy. They would rather read the Bible. Not only that, they believe they should ONLY be reading the Bible.
I’m under the impression that you’ve encountered less fundamentalists than you have fingers. I have been in many conversations with fundamentalists, and often times I will hear them say that their church says that they should only read the Bible. It’s not an entirely common sect, but it exists. I don’t understand why you can’t accept that fact. Maybe you just don’t like to admit when you’re wrong.