# Pat Robertson has prostate cancer ... and I'm glad! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 13, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson-has-prostate-cancer-and-im-glad/154921 "2003-02-13T21:28:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson-has-prostate-cancer-and-im-glad/154921/221 "2003-02-20T20:43:08Z")
This would be easier to reply to with nested quotes, but people can scroll up if they’re desperate to read the missing bits. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reverend Mykeru \* > \*\*That’s because you were using “remotely complimentary” as your filter. Actually what it is is omission. \*\* Oh I _see_. It’s what we _didn’t_ write that upsets you. What kind of argument is that? > [@](#): > > \*\*Maybe others lack sympathy for Robertson because he is a “hate-filled dickwad” but I am not others. I have specifically said again and again that I don’t lack sympathy for Robertson due to his public pronouncements, religious or political, but because of his complicity in suffering and death due to his practice of the con known as “faith healing” \*\* We’ll ignore “dickwad” as a bit of rhetorical color on my part, but your reaction to pretty much everyone in this thread, none of whom (to the best of my knowledge) has caused death or suffering in anyone by direct or indirect means, hasn’t exactly proved a strong defense against “hate-filled”.\*\* > [@](#): > > Pretty clear, huh? Not Pat’s religion. If he was doing the same con for Zeus I would feel the same way. \*\* Fine. Pat’s doing very bad things in the name of Christianity. So where are these all these people you keep talking about who are cutting him slack for his religious views? You seem to be the only one banging that particular drum. > [@](#): > > **But that’s too difficult for people,** You were saying something about being patronizing?\*\* > [@](#): > > so you find that Sauron, replying to another like-minded poster writes: > > […] > > Or from Ivylass: > > […] > > Again, make it sound as if Robertson just talks about Jesus, rather than telling people they are cured of cancer. \*\* Sauron was making a specific comparative point in response to a specific post; the context is important. I’ve already conceded that **ivylass** ’s first post did not address the repercussions of Robertson’s faith healing scams. > [@](#): > > \*\*Well, I don’t know where he got “worshipping” Robertson, because I didn’t use that term that I remember, and I even did a text search to make sure I didn’t phrase it that way, so its addition seems to be a little strawman touch. What I said was that people were being apologists, in this case by omission whereby people attempt to frame dislike of Robertson in terms of disagreement with his religious beliefs rather than because of his actions as a faith healer. \*\* I repeat: the disagreement wasn’t over what Robertson has or hasn’t done; it was (originally) over what **Spiff** did. > [@](#): > > \*\*Actually that’s one of the strawmen being deployed, you use the other in this very post of yours: > > [I said] "Again, no one’s arguing that Robertson isn’t lower than dog vomit on the chain of existence. Oddly enough, it’s the “being glad at cancer” we’re offended by. " > > Coupled with the soft soaping of Robertson as a preacher and not a con man is the claim that I am expressing “glee” at Robertson’s cancer. To quote you: “Is this a general rant, or are you referring to someone in particular in this thread?” because you can’t be referring to me. What part of “Well, I don’t exactly have _glee_ over Pat Robertson’s condition” didn’t you get? Nowhere did I express glee.\*\* Actually, I was referring to the thread title. Note the word “glad”. > [@](#): > > \*\*What I expressed was a lack of sympathy for his condition considering how he has treated the sick and desperate throughout his career and his hypocrisy in seeking medical care rather than leaving himself to the ministering of “Dr. Jesus”. > > Get it? Two strawmen: > > 1. That disgust at Robertson is ideologically motivated, not a result of his actions in advancing pain, suffering and death and > > 2. Talking about me being “gleeful” which is a word used by other posters and which I disavowed in my very fucking first post. \*\* Astounding. You extrapolate wildly from what we wrote, and then accuse **us** of strawmen? Like calling us all “apologists” because we aren’t happy about a person, even a scumbag like Robertson, getting cancer? Like attributing views to us based on what we _haven’t_ said? Methinks you protest too much. You, sir, are clearly a very angry person, and I’m not convinced it’s just Pat Robertson that’s causing it. However, that’s your business. ---
**Author:** ![Reverend\_Mykeru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc79bd/32.png) [@Reverend\_Mykeru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverend_Mykeru)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson-has-prostate-cancer-and-im-glad/154921/222 "2003-02-20T21:13:21Z")
\*\*jr8 \*\* > [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## Originally posted by Reverend Mykeru That’s because you were using “remotely complimentary” as your filter. Actually what it is is omission. > > Oh I see. It’s what we didn’t write that upsets you. What kind of argument is that? No. Pay attention: It’s not what people “didn’t write” it’s misrepresenting the distaste for Robertson and the resulting sense of justice and appalling hypocrisy as arising from his religious views when, in fact, it is based on his career as a faith healer. I suspect that, in your eagerness, you failed to read the examples quoted and instead fixated on the phrase “Actually what it is is omission” without understanding what that meant. > [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## Maybe others lack sympathy for Robertson because he is a “hate-filled dickwad” but I am not others. I have specifically said again and again that I don’t lack sympathy for Robertson due to his public pronouncements, religious or political, but because of his complicity in suffering and death due to his practice of the con known as “faith healing” > > We’ll ignore “dickwad” as a bit of rhetorical color on my part, but your reaction to pretty much everyone in this thread, none of whom (to the best of my knowledge) has caused death or suffering in anyone by direct or indirect means, hasn’t exactly proved a strong defense against “hate-filled”. Ok, when you write “dickwad” that’s “rhetorical color”, when I present arguments exposing Robertson’s complicity as a faith healer, that’s being “hate filled”. I get it. You want to make is sound as if I went on a rampage against anyone who didn’t denounce Robertson. That’s not the case. Again and again I reiterated why Robertson has complicity in manslaughter like so many faith healers and, among other things, why his identification as a “Christian” (despite the number of heretical beliefs he has) probably let’s him get away with more than the average purveyor of bullshit. Was I not shy and retiring enough in presenting my case? Perhaps I should have been more circumspect, like the people who started the “Reverend Mykeru, you are such a fucking tool” thread. Oh, that’s probably just “rhetorical color” too. > [@](#): > > Fine. Pat’s doing very bad things in the name of Christianity. So where are these all these people you keep talking about who are cutting him slack for his religious views? You seem to be the only one banging that particular drum. When people, as in the examples given, soap soap Pat Robertson’s faith healing chicanery and instead frame it as a conflict with his religious views, that’s cutting him more slack than he deserves. I cited examples of this. Your simply being dense isn’t a refutation. > [@](#): > > But that’s too difficult for people, That’s amusing that you cite this removed from context and in the very next item you chastize me for removing something from context even though in the original post I indicated the context. Must be more “rhetorical color”. > [@](#): > > I repeat: the disagreement wasn’t over what Robertson has or hasn’t done; it was (originally) over what Spiff did. Hint: I’m not Spiff. > [@](#): > > Actually, I was referring to the thread title. Note the word “glad”. I’m still not Spiff. > [@](#): > > Astounding. You extrapolate wildly from what we wrote, and then accuse us of strawmen? Like calling us all “apologists” because we aren’t happy about a person, even a scumbag like Robertson, getting cancer? Like attributing views to us based on what we haven’t said? Methinks you protest too much. No, I already explained. Framing the argument in terms of faulting Robertson for his religious views when it was his faith healing behavior and the harm it caused sets up a strawman. I had to beat on that point repeatedly until people got it. Also, your implication that “we aren’t happy about a person, even a scumbag like Robertson, getting cancer?” so therefore I am happy about it, is just more of the same. “Happy”, “glad” “gleeful;” all have been used in describing my position, and yet you are the one claiming I am" attributing views to [you] based on what [you] haven’t said?" Yeah, OK. > [@](#): > > You, sir, are clearly a very angry person, and I’m not convinced it’s just Pat Robertson that’s causing it. However, that’s your business. Right. I get a thread full of people distorting what I say, vituperation, grade school insults and the creation of a whole thread just to heap abuse on me and when it’s all done I’m an angry person. Uh huh. But even if it wasn’t for all that, let me ask you: Say we have someone like Pat Robertson who, besides his asinine pronouncements, has a history of telling people they are cured of cancer when they are not, telling people to throw away their insulin and, to top it off, if no miracle is forthcoming, that it is the sufferers own fault and he makes all the money he scams tax free and because he is what he is law enforcement won’t touch him. Are you saying anger in response to that is inappropriate? And if that is the case, how do you differentiate your lack of anger from sheer self-centered indifference? ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson-has-prostate-cancer-and-im-glad/154921/223 "2003-02-22T10:24:56Z")
_{ahem}_ To drag this thing back to the OP for a moment, I would like to chime in (as I often do): [list=1][li]I consider Pat Robertson to be one of the most evil men in the United States today. He has used a perfectly good religion - Christianity - and twisted it to profit himself financially and politically, all while stepping on the backs of the people he’s conned into believing he somehow speaks the word of God. Along the way he has spread his message of bigotry, hate, discrimination and ignorance which I firmly believe has contributed directly to acts of violence, hate and even murder. He is vile, corrupted and dangerous.[/li] [li]I watched my father go through 3 months of struggle with bladder and prostate cancer, and then a year later go through it for another 6 weeks. He survived and is doing quite well, thankfully, but it was a horrible experience that I’m well aquainted with.[/li] [li]That said, I would not go quite as far to say that I am _glad_ he got cancer, but I will say I am shedding no tears. I would also say that I am glad that he is suffering in some small way compared to what I perceive as the massive amounts of suffering he has caused others, both directly and indirectly.[/li] [li]Barring illness, I’d much, much rather see him discredited and quite publicly humiliated so all of his followers have their eyes opened to the two-faced, lying, hypocritical, self-aggrandizing Pharisee that he is. He is robbing them only to fill their minds with ignorance and further his own selfish agenda.[/li] [li]I will conclude by saying that I look forward to the day he dies, as society is better when the cockroaches come out into the light, are exposed for the scum that they are, and are then squashed. I’ll open a bottle of champagne and toast his passing in memory of all those he hurt during his disgusting lifetime. He chose his path, and I’ll be damned all if I’ll have an ounce of pity for a little cosmic payback.[/list=1][/li] Now it’s not like we haven’t already covered this ground [in Great Debates](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=83988) and [url=“[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=83026](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=83026)”]in The Pit a while ago. I’ve said all this before. Some people think I’m scum for saying it, but there it is. Condemn and/or flame me as you will, but it’s how I feel. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson-has-prostate-cancer-and-im-glad/154921/224 "2003-02-22T10:26:32Z")
Bah. Damn coding! Esprix ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson-has-prostate-cancer-and-im-glad/154921/225 "2003-02-22T17:43:02Z")
Pat Robertson says he’ll prey for you, Esprix. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson-has-prostate-cancer-and-im-glad/154921/226 "2003-02-22T17:46:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*Pat Robertson says he’ll prey for you, Esprix. > > 😉 \*\* “pray” for him or “prey” ON him? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson-has-prostate-cancer-and-im-glad/154921.md?page=11)