Sat 25 Nov 2006
Any right-minded person would want to listen to this show. It features stupidology, right wing ranters, and Zan’s salute to Aussie ingenuity.
Sat 25 Nov 2006
Any right-minded person would want to listen to this show. It features stupidology, right wing ranters, and Zan’s salute to Aussie ingenuity.
November 26th, 2006 at 10:28 am
I heard birds.
November 27th, 2006 at 9:13 am
Great episode as usual.
On stupidity (or apellations to that effect): Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I don’t know how it is in Australia, but here in Amurica, sometimes the temptation to call someone stupid is …just …too …strong. In harder times, I heard people say “If the government’s broke, why don’t they just print more money?” More recently, someone claimed (in a debate between science and religion) that pinko scientists were just sore that they haven’t done anything to solve “moral problems.” Problems which he failed to name, of course, and which I’m sure would have had no place in an ASTRONOMY discussion.
So sometimes, ya gotta call ‘em like you see ‘em.
November 27th, 2006 at 9:27 am
On neoconservatism: I think you’re being a bit simplistic about Karl Rove. GWB was reasonably moderate as governor of Texas; Rove knew he had presidential potential on his hands, and kept his ward from doing anything to jeopardize his electability.
In the 2000 campaign, Bush again played a very moderate pitch. Rove knew that, in the bountiful economic climate at the time, an accusatory, fire-and-brimstone delivery would look too nutty. Nah, they waited until after a few months in office for that.
Rove became a kingmaker not through stupid stubborness, but by being savvy. He wasn’t known as the “Mayberry Machiavelli” for nothing. Many had underestimated him, to their own losses.
November 27th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
Ehhhh… Stupid is well deserved sometimes. I have learned to be careful when I apply that adjective though. Sometimes the word ignorant is more deserved and a degree or two above being stupid.
In my lexicon:
Ignorant = a person doesn’t know something yet but could learn a few things in the future
Stupd = a person is unable to learn something that is rather obvious, common sense and probably never will
—
As for Aussie inventorship? Honestly, I’ve never heard anything indicating their brilliance or ineptitude at inventing!
November 27th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
Oh great, I post about “stupid” and misspell it.
November 29th, 2006 at 1:57 am
It’s interesting how swear words have changed over the ages. There is a lot of overlap, of course, but society had religous slurs, followed by rude ones, then racist ones, then cleanliness ones. They change to reflect what society finds currently shocking. Perhaps swearing about peoples’ mental health is next big thing?
Certainly, I can happily brush off someone using religous, or rude, or cleanliness, or racist swear-words at me. However, someone calling me “stupid” does rankle.
November 29th, 2006 at 9:55 pm
By ‘rude’ above, I meant ’sexual’. How stupid am I?
November 30th, 2006 at 4:53 am
Hi Zan and Jana,
Great shows as usual. For the smut report I wasn wondering if Zan could go over Jelqing any wisdom he has on the subject.
Thanks,
Joe
December 11th, 2006 at 9:45 am
One more thing I’ve been hearing more and more in the past few years: “You’ve got to admit that…” No, I don’t. I’ve got to admit that people who use that phrase have run out of evidence, and are unable to construct a well-thought-out argument. “You’ve got to admit that…” actually means “I’m too stubborn to back down, so I will restate my premise in a slightly different way, in the hopes that you’re too indiscriminate and uncritical to notice the whiff, and will take the restatement as actual evidence that supports itself.”
Added bonus: the use of the declarative and imperative often convinces weak-minded debaters to back down, instead of challenging the lack of evidence.