Comments on: Your head asplode http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:14:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Christo http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220884 Christo Sat, 08 Dec 2007 01:12:49 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220884 While Rome burned, some chickens clucked. [And the rest are f__ked.] While Rome burned, some chickens clucked. [And the rest are f__ked.]

]]> By: Theron http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220872 Theron Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:12:50 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220872 Teaching World Civ at a less-than-prestigious university in a part of the country known for its abundance of Protestant evangelicals, I am struck by how little my students know about their own religion. It is one thing that many of them have trouble identifying the Nicene Creed, altogether something else that almost as many have trouble identifying Paul. I have also come across a significant minority who seem to believe that all of the people in the Old Testament were Christians (well, the good ones at least), which I suppose is not all that surprising. It is a bit jarring though to read an exam essay about the early spread of Christianity that begins with Moses leading his people out of Egypt. (And on a side note, I find that I have to gently disabuse many students of the notion that “Pharaoh” is somebody’s name.) I used to teach the section on origins of Christianity working from the assumption that most people were familiar with the basic outlines, but I long ago gave that idea up. Teaching World Civ at a less-than-prestigious university in a part of the country known for its abundance of Protestant evangelicals, I am struck by how little my students know about their own religion. It is one thing that many of them have trouble identifying the Nicene Creed, altogether something else that almost as many have trouble identifying Paul. I have also come across a significant minority who seem to believe that all of the people in the Old Testament were Christians (well, the good ones at least), which I suppose is not all that surprising. It is a bit jarring though to read an exam essay about the early spread of Christianity that begins with Moses leading his people out of Egypt. (And on a side note, I find that I have to gently disabuse many students of the notion that “Pharaoh” is somebody’s name.) I used to teach the section on origins of Christianity working from the assumption that most people were familiar with the basic outlines, but I long ago gave that idea up.

]]> By: Matt Weiner http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220766 Matt Weiner Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:16:18 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220766 <i> With AD you’re acknowledging your cultural background, with CE your assuming everyone else shares it, too.</i> You're assuming that everyone who uses these terms shares this cultural background. I learned CE/BCE in Hebrew school; the idea, I figured, was that the Gregorian calendar does <i>not</i> measure the year of "our Lord," but if we want to be able to communicate with everyone else in the U.S. (and a lot of the rest of the world, don't know how much) we're going to have to be able to talk about Dec. 7 2007 as well as the 27th of Kislev, 5768 (which I just had to look up, anyway). Oliver T seems right to say "Several things must have gone wrong before you end up with discussions like this broadcast to millions," but isn't a lot of equally absurd nonsense about politics broadcast to millions daily, with much more harmful consequences? With AD you’re acknowledging your cultural background, with CE your assuming everyone else shares it, too.

You’re assuming that everyone who uses these terms shares this cultural background. I learned CE/BCE in Hebrew school; the idea, I figured, was that the Gregorian calendar does not measure the year of “our Lord,” but if we want to be able to communicate with everyone else in the U.S. (and a lot of the rest of the world, don’t know how much) we’re going to have to be able to talk about Dec. 7 2007 as well as the 27th of Kislev, 5768 (which I just had to look up, anyway).

Oliver T seems right to say “Several things must have gone wrong before you end up with discussions like this broadcast to millions,” but isn’t a lot of equally absurd nonsense about politics broadcast to millions daily, with much more harmful consequences?

]]> By: richard http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220761 richard Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:04:29 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220761 I've always thought CE was much more hegemonic/unmarked category/insensitive than AD. With AD you're acknowledging your cultural background, with CE your assuming everyone else shares it, too. Me, I can't decide between Robespierre's or Pol Pot's Year Zero. I’ve always thought CE was much more hegemonic/unmarked category/insensitive than AD. With AD you’re acknowledging your cultural background, with CE your assuming everyone else shares it, too.

Me, I can’t decide between Robespierre’s or Pol Pot’s Year Zero.

]]> By: Oliver / Cultpunk http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220703 Oliver / Cultpunk Fri, 07 Dec 2007 04:35:27 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220703 Jehovah's Witnesses use the more common, PC term "CE" (common era) when using dates of things. For example, they will not say that something happened 400 BC. They'll say it happened 400 years BCE (Before Common Era). This is because they believe Christ always existed. Ironically, the CE and BCE conventions were designed by secularists (I believe) to steer the world away from Western Christo-centrism in defining our timeline, but it concedes it exists anyway. I.e. it replaces "AD" (anno domini) with "CE," (comon era) and "BC" (before christ) with "BCE" (before commone ra). Ironically, Jehovah''s Witnesses use this CE/BCE convention, too, because it illustrates that there technically is no period in history that was "before christ," since He's eternal. They also don't believe in Hell, just "the grave." And other fun stuff. Jehovah’s Witnesses use the more common, PC term “CE” (common era) when using dates of things. For example, they will not say that something happened 400 BC. They’ll say it happened 400 years BCE (Before Common Era). This is because they believe Christ always existed.

Ironically, the CE and BCE conventions were designed by secularists (I believe) to steer the world away from Western Christo-centrism in defining our timeline, but it concedes it exists anyway. I.e. it replaces “AD” (anno domini) with “CE,” (comon era) and “BC” (before christ) with “BCE” (before commone ra). Ironically, Jehovah’’s Witnesses use this CE/BCE convention, too, because it illustrates that there technically is no period in history that was “before christ,” since He’s eternal.

They also don’t believe in Hell, just “the grave.” And other fun stuff.

]]> By: big ink http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220702 big ink Fri, 07 Dec 2007 03:42:21 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220702 <i>One can imagine a baseball team of philosophers, but who would they play?</i> Asked and answered. If you've never been over there, dig into the beautiful, weird world of the <a href="http://www.cosmicbaseball.com/index.html" rel="nofollow">Cosmic Baseball Association</a>: http://www.cosmicbaseball.com/index.html http://cosmicbaseball.com/cbanews.html One can imagine a baseball team of philosophers, but who would they play?

Asked and answered. If you’ve never been over there, dig into the beautiful, weird world of the Cosmic Baseball Association:

http://www.cosmicbaseball.com/index.html
http://cosmicbaseball.com/cbanews.html

]]> By: vivian http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220699 vivian Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:37:22 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220699 So you think it might be ready for prime time? High praise indeed, on a day not overfull of praise. Thank you! So you think it might be ready for prime time? High praise indeed, on a day not overfull of praise. Thank you!

]]> By: harry b http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220670 harry b Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:43:42 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220670 "mindless drivel vomited by turtles all the way down" I suggest that you trademark this, vivian, before TV Guide or NBC nabs it as a slogan. Or, worse, The Simpsons steals it to include as a slogan for some fictional NBC. “mindless drivel vomited by turtles all the way down”

I suggest that you trademark this, vivian, before TV Guide or NBC nabs it as a slogan. Or, worse, The Simpsons steals it to include as a slogan for some fictional NBC.

]]> By: xaaronx http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220646 xaaronx Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:14:26 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220646 Exactly, Richard! Exactly, Richard!

]]> By: richard http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220630 richard Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:12:10 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220630 <i>when Jehovah gets done with [Buddhists]... they won’t even be suffering in Hell. Their souls will be utterly wiped out of existence.</i> cool. So everyone's happy? when Jehovah gets done with [Buddhists]… they won’t even be suffering in Hell. Their souls will be utterly wiped out of existence.

cool. So everyone’s happy?

]]> By: r@d@r http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220621 r@d@r Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:15:19 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220621 <em> […] 5, 2007 Otherwise known as “Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.” Posted by stevenhart Filed in Mass Market […] Posted by The Bland Leading the Bland « The Opinion Mill · December 6th, 2007 at 3:24 am </em> today's first LOL at 7:14 a.m. PST, before i've even made it to work! nicely done.
[…] 5, 2007 Otherwise known as “Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.” Posted by stevenhart Filed in Mass Market […]
Posted by The Bland Leading the Bland « The Opinion Mill · December 6th, 2007 at 3:24 am

today’s first LOL at 7:14 a.m. PST, before i’ve even made it to work! nicely done.

]]> By: Nick Barnes http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220607 Nick Barnes Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:03:20 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220607 Surely the lions predated Christians? Surely the lions predated Christians?

]]> By: Tom http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220578 Tom Thu, 06 Dec 2007 04:46:04 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220578 rm at 31: Reminds me of a Monty Python skit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrShK-NVMIU rm at 31: Reminds me of a Monty Python skit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrShK-NVMIU

]]> By: Dave Maier http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220577 Dave Maier Thu, 06 Dec 2007 04:30:36 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220577 John Haugeland has a piece called "The Intentionality All-Stars" in which occurs the sentence "Wittgenstein might have been a shortstop" (the sole sentence in that section). John Haugeland has a piece called “The Intentionality All-Stars” in which occurs the sentence “Wittgenstein might have been a shortstop” (the sole sentence in that section).

]]> By: The Bland Leading the Bland « The Opinion Mill http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/comment-page-1/#comment-220573 The Bland Leading the Bland « The Opinion Mill Thu, 06 Dec 2007 03:24:03 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/12/05/your-head-asplode/#comment-220573 [...] 5, 2007 Otherwise known as “Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.” Posted by stevenhart Filed in Mass Market [...] [...] 5, 2007 Otherwise known as “Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.” Posted by stevenhart Filed in Mass Market [...]

]]>