# Today's moral outrage. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 28, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611 "2005-07-28T17:45:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/21 "2005-07-28T18:58:25Z")
Is it possible that people feel if they look full on into the face of evil, in it’s every form, with no shying away or denial, that somehow it might serve to protect them and theirs? As in, if I am aware I will be better prepared for that worst case scenario awaiting me in some distant, as yet unimagined, future. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/22 "2005-07-28T18:58:43Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > It happens a lot here. This place is more polarized than a magnet, with little reasonableness to be had anywhere. I disagree. I think that in the dog thread, there were plenty of people being reasonable, mixed in among the people being unreasonable; and the reasonable people included those who did and did not find it funny. There’s plenty of polarization hereabouts, but I think we serve ourselves well by attempting to remain reasonable, and pointing out the silly polarization when it occurs. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/23 "2005-07-28T18:59:11Z")
I like Excalibre’s take on this. We old folk have seen it all and heard of it all. I’d wager a dollar against a dime that it’s the younger people who congregate over this stuff and react with “Oh my god, you mean this kind of stuff happens!? :eek:” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/24 "2005-07-28T18:59:56Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I like Excalibre’s take on this. We old folk have seen it all and heard of it all. I’d wager a dollar against a dime that it’s the younger people who congregate over this stuff and react with “Oh my god, you mean this kind of stuff happens!? :eek:” I want a bumper sticker that says, “If you’re still outraged, you’ve not been paying attention for very long.” Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/25 "2005-07-28T19:11:17Z")
The fact is that if you pit anything animal or kid related you’re going to take a beating. The unreasonable responses (or rather, the fanatical ones) are generally the result of a misconstrued OP. I have one pitting that’s [animal](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=270289) related and one MPSIMS that’s [kid](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=326493) related. In both cases I think the meaning was misconstrued by several folks who decided to ream me out. The pitting could’ve used some more background, granted. I was taking calls in a tv station that was running a story about the incident and got several earfuls of crap from people. None the less, people (I’m no innocent myself) have a tendency to overreact. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/26 "2005-07-28T19:19:59Z")
\*\*How can you defend these people? \*\* Or: **Wishing that on someone, no matter how vile they are, is lowering yourself to their level!** Pick any one of the above. Or both. Or, as a signal that the thread is about to descend to irrelevant raving: **I almost wish there was a hell, so they could go there!** Followed almost immediately by: **I wish there was a hell, so _you_ can go there!**. Penis ensues. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/27 "2005-07-28T19:21:59Z")
As for animal advocates going overboard, may I take this opportunity to recalibrate everyone’s scale? I got a call last week from a woman infuriated at something she’d seen on television. “I couldn’t believe the cruelty toward animals!” the woman almost shouted at me, “and I want to do something about it!” I asked her whether it was on a local channel on a national, and she told me it was animal cruelty on national TV. “What happened?” I asked. “It was a news show,” she told me, “showing a herd of cattle caught in a flood. And the poor things were trying to swim to safety, and the reporter said, ‘It looks like they’re trying to moooooooove on out of there!’ I couldn’t be **lieve** her callous attitude!” I gave her the number for HSUS and managed not to laugh until I’d hung up. Anyway, that’s what I consider an overreaction. Feeling horrified when looking at a photograph of a badly injured animal? Not such an overreaction. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/28 "2005-07-28T19:23:13Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > We know that: > > Politicians do greasy, sleazy things in their own interest. > Cell phone users are annoying. > Other drivers piss people off. > Misbehaving children in public are unpleasant. > Package delivery companies do not perform as expected. > People are rude to customer service representatives > Customers service representatives are nasty to customers. > Someone wrongly left negative feedback on Ebay. > Conservatives are greedy, self-absorbed toads. > Liberals hate America. > Relationships are screwed up. > Sports heroes and team owners suck. > > So what are we getting out of repeatedly posting on these themes? Is it something _pleasurable_??? :dubious: As was said earlier, it’s cathartic. I’ve worked in customer service for a good long time, probably too long in fact. I know that customers suck eggs and that I should not be surprised when they do something rude and/or stupid. They still get to me sometimes. If I were more of the :mad: sort, I suppose I’d have started a thread or two about it. Then there is the persons first real encounter with said problem: the normally smart owner of local sports team trades a popular player, you encounter your first jackass on Ebay, you have your first hideous breakup, and the like. And let’s not get started on repeated themes on an internet message board. If we cut out the repeat threads on this board, I think there may be as many as 50 threads or so left. Now that I think about it, that might not be a badidea. They could start giving the hamsters some time off. To address the op, some days the shit just catches you the wrong way (could shit hit you the right way?). Some days some things just blow your mind and you need to vent. It happens. People post. The board goes on. The only ones that get me are the ones that lack a sense of humor and feel a need to shit on the humor of others. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/29 "2005-07-28T19:26:28Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I like Excalibre’s take on this. We old folk have seen it all and heard of it all. I’d wager a dollar against a dime that it’s the younger people who congregate over this stuff and react with “Oh my god, you mean this kind of stuff happens!? :eek:” Old folk? I’m barely old enough to drink. Maybe you’re just seeing the cynicism. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/30 "2005-07-28T19:29:04Z")
Some people take longer to turn into a curmudgeon than others. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/31 "2005-07-28T19:30:28Z")
“It’s not the years. It’s the mileage.” -Indiana Jones. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/32 "2005-07-28T19:35:53Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > We know that: > > Politicians do greasy, sleazy things in their own interest. > Cell phone users are annoying. > Other drivers piss people off. > Misbehaving children in public are unpleasant. > Package delivery companies do not perform as expected. > People are rude to customer service representatives > Customers service representatives are nasty to customers. > Someone wrongly left negative feedback on Ebay. > Conservatives are greedy, self-absorbed toads. > Liberals hate America. > Relationships are screwed up. > Sports heroes and team owners suck. > > So what are we getting out of repeatedly posting on these themes? Is it something _pleasurable_??? :dubious: So what’s left to talk about? I like a good explanantion of the event horizon and sub atomic particle theory as much as the next guy… but not 24/7. Human events and their moral impacts are what human interactions are mostly all about. Should we eschew them to the exclusivity of loftier and more erudite subjects? I suggest you try it and let us know how popular you are at the next party. I agree that a single individual bringing up these subjects repeatedly becomes sounding like a broken record and a depressing bastard to boot. However, people get caught up in weak or impressionable moments and they need to express their outrage. Even if it’s slightly displaced. It’s the human part of us. Not always rational but hopefully expressive. Besides, if it weren’t for these moments of weakness, you’d never get the chance to feel morally superior. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/33 "2005-07-28T19:39:18Z")
I sthis where I’m suppsosed to say “me too”, or are we to the “fuck you” stage yet? ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/34 "2005-07-28T19:42:20Z")
Nope, this is the part where I learn to spell correctly and preview my posts. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/35 "2005-07-28T19:43:36Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Besides, if it weren’t for these moments of weakness, you’d never get the chance to feel morally superior. [So true.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6416699&postcount=67) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/36 "2005-07-28T20:23:38Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > So what’s left to talk about? Exactly. Insist on new and astonishing themes and insights for every thread and post, and pretty soon all activity here will cease except for an occasional burp from **Gaudere**. > [@](#): > > “It was a news show,” she told me, “showing a herd of cattle caught in a flood. And the poor things were trying to swim to safety, and the reporter said, ‘It looks like they’re trying to moooooooove on out of there!’ I couldn’t believe her callous attitude!” > > I gave her the number for HSUS and managed not to laugh until I’d hung up. Is this a subtle slur on [mooooooveon.org](http://mooooooveon.org)? Hmm??? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/37 "2005-07-28T20:31:42Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > So what’s left to talk about? Interesting combinations of several items from **Jackmannii** ’s list? [Man Charged for Having Sex With Teen Wife](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/07/26/national/a131100D38.DTL) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/38 "2005-07-28T20:31:51Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Is this a subtle slur on [mooooooveon.org](http://mooooooveon.org)? Hmm??? No, it would only be a slur if the picture showed cattle caught in a flood, and the voiceover said, “Coming up in our next segment - questions persist about the legitimacy of the 2000 Presidential election…” Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/39 "2005-07-28T20:33:53Z")
Oh, crap, **Shodan** , that one made me laugh and now I feel so… dirty. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611/40 "2005-07-28T20:38:26Z")
How about stock footage of farmers shovelling manure, and the voiceover is “Republicans gear up their campaign in the Farm Belt”? Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-moral-outrage/314611.md?page=3)