Author: VD

What a delightful surprise! Dr. Catlady’s fiance turns out to be one of the lovely and charming minxes from Electrolite! Now, first read how he characterizes our exchange, then note the minor bit of information he omits:

“Jigna Desai, associate professor. BA in Astrophysics from MIT.

She’s the second core professor on the list.

Jacquelyn Zita, BA in Biology from Washington University.

She’s the ninth core professor on the list.

Two “lab science” degrees in just thirty seconds of research, Vox. Now, if you didn’t know this, it means you didn’t do any research before you started tossing out “facts” in public. If you did know this, it means you’ll lie to preserve your caricature before you’ll incorporate contradictory evidence honestly into your arguments. A third and possibly more charitable interpretation is that you’re just a really, really sloppy reader.”

His response was (in addition to noting that I had mistakenly written ‘BA’ for one of those degrees which was actually a ‘BS,’ which of course negates my response in its entirety):

“Yeah, real scientists, those two. Feeble, Scott, very feeble.”

And my final words:

“No, truthful, Vox, very truthful. Your exact words, easily disproven, were “not a single scientist in the bunch.” I suppose, of course, that the fact these women merely earned degrees in hard science disciplines isn’t enough to fit the Vox Day Conveniently Adjustable Definition of a scientist. But then, you can special-plead your way out of anything if your streak of intellectual cowardice is wide enough. Yours is an eight-lane highway.”

Oxford would also appear to disagree, as it defines a scientist as “a person who has expert knowledge of one or more of the natural or physical sciences”. Is a bachelor’s degree sufficient to grant “expert knowledge”? I certainly don’t think so, as the linguistics suggest that one would require at least a “master’s” to fit this dictionary definition.

The colloquial understanding of a scientist is one who researches science and, to a lesser extent, teaches it in a university setting. So, let’s see what those two “scientists” are researching and teaching, shall we? By the way, this aspect is something I pointed out at the time, but Mrs. Dr. Catlady somehow doesn’t see fit to mention it in his “very truthful” account of the exchange.

“You could probably count on one hand the number of M.I.T. astrophysics alumni who do research in Hindi cinema. Actually, there may be only one. Her name is Jigna Desai, and she’s at the University of Minnesota…. While earning her bachelor’s degree in astrophysics at M.I.T., she says, she realized that “teaching physics wouldn’t get at the social justice issues that were important to me.” So instead of a physics lab, she opted for the University of Minnesota, where she could get a minor in feminist studies while she earned her doctorate in English.

As a part of her scientific exploration: “From a feminist and queer perspective, Jigna Desai explores the hybrid cinema of the Brown Atlantic through a close look at films in English…”

As for our other “scientist”, Jacquelyne Zita, she is busily engaged with feminist theory and philosophy, gender, lesbian/gay studies as an associate professor of Women’s Studies.

No wonder women scientists have such a hard time developing new technologies and receiving patents. Perhaps if they spent less time researching queer Hindu cinema or “giving students a map of feminist history” and more in the laboratory, they might actually get somewhere. I have a BS in economics and a BA in Asian studies, that doesn’t make me an economist any more than it makes me Asian.

Pharyngirl engages in a little romantic fantasy:

I was thinking of his pretentiously macho self-image and that photo of him in a snug black t-shirt with a big sword, and I was wondering…isn’t Vox Day just begging to be raped?

I didn’t know it was possible for a confessed player of soccer and computer games to be macho, pretentiously or otherwise, but apparently Pharyngirl thinks about such things – and the fit of my clothes – more often than I do.

And while I thank her for her kind offer, I am afraid I shall have to respectfully decline. I hope she won’t be too disappointed.

Eman willfully ignores the adjective:

So you argument is that it was okay to call her “Me so Michelle,” which insinuates she is a vietnameese and not asian prostitute, because you thought she was a media whore. I don’t see how that answers Paula’s accusation that it was not something a christian/gentleman/whatever should use to refer to a mother of two. Perhaps you just call all women whores or maybe you think that any man is justified in calling your wife a whore in front of the internet/united states/whatever?

“It’s called a metaphor, and this is a particularly apt one, being doubly applicable and spiced with a dash of alliteration, no less. And as long as we’re on the subject of metaphors, I should note that a gentleman is not supposed to treat a whore like a lady, he is merely expected to pay her according to the services rendered.”

But the fact is that Michelle Malkin is not a street whore and you are treating her as one. She hasn’t rendered you any services. It seems to me that you’re referring to her as a whore to discount any credibility she may have left and not alluding to her media whore tendencies. I say this because when you call her a whore you don’t refer to anything she has done or said to show she is a whore.

It’s clear that Eman is having some serious difficulties with understanding the difference between metaphorical and literal reality. I have not treated Me So as a street whore in any way as I am neither engaging in sexual contact with her nor am I paying her any money. So, what’s it going to be, literal or metaphorical? Make up your mind.

I have not called Malkin a whore or a street whore; I have, on the other hand, labled her an egregious media whore, a concept with which all the regulars here are familiar, which I have detailed at some length and which I shall post here later this week.

I have already noted that as Jesus Christ used similarly harsh rhetoric when criticizing other lovers of legalism and state authority, so the idea that it is somehow inherently non-Christian to do likewise is at least arguable. And even if we posit that one is, in fact, in error to do so, I see no reason to pay any attention to those who wish to hold me accountable while simultaneously ignoring Me So Michelle’s blatant and public lies as well as her own habit of hurling insults around.

The reason that people get so upset about the Me So Michelle appellation is that it is such an effective dismissal of Malkin, her lack of intellectual character and her prediliction for self-promotion. It is perfect because Malkin can’t even whine about it lest she highlight her own hypocrisy on ethnic issues and few who encounter it can see her or read her without it coming immediately to mind.

If Malkin wanted substantive criticism, she had the option of addressing it. She rejected that option because what would come out was bound to harm her career somewhat, and being a media whore, she valued career and the illusion of credibility over the real thing. She made her choice and so she will continue to silently endure the open contempt directed her way.

As to how I would react if a man called my wife a whore, I imagine would react in much the same way as if he had called her Asian or a picture frame, as the one is as accurate as the others.

I take it you google your name on a daily basis to keep up with what people are saying about you? Or do you have your minions do it for you?

Actually, clicking on that little Voxicity link on the right keeps me up to speed. Mere use of such an aggregator is clearly an indication of an out-of-control Narcissis complex and a prediliction for excess autoeroticism, though, isn’t it? Whereas there’s nothing similarly narcissistic about blogging per se. It’s such a shame that you can’t privately rip people in public without them knowing about it.

Yes, I do, in fact, think you are a dumb ass-fucking evil retard. I think you attempt to act intelligent and spout off bullshit that you want others to believe. I think it makes you feel big, and elitist.

Think what you like. That doesn’t, of course, make it so. Now, a logical person would understand that if I wanted to feel elitist, I’d write mainstream Democratic Party talking points – or at least mainstream Republican Party talking points – and go on the cocktail circuit. Perhaps TFDC thinks that this sort of regurgitation that a twelve year-old can do is simply beyond me.

I also believe you are a narrow minded fool who attempts to show himself in the broadest spectrum because then you are not responsible for the opinions you express that are not progressive, intelligent, or based on fact. Particularly the ones that aren’t based on fact. Shall we talk about women writing in Science Fiction? Shall we talk about rape vs date rape?

I would think that my willingness to stand by my words and engage my critics, however lowly, would serve to demonstrate precisely the opposite of what you’re suggesting here. By all means, let us talk about the tripe that women – a few exemplary exceptions aside – are writing in Science Fiction. Do Nebula winners such as Asaro, Moon and Willis even come close in comparison to non-winners such as Stross, Stephenson and Mieville? As much as I like both Lois Bujold and her entertaining Barrayar novels, I don’t consider them to rank with the seminal works of Asimov, Clark, Heinlein, Herbert or even Gibson.

I disagree wholeheartedly with everything you say except for the recent post about America being free and brave at the moment. I agree with your basic sentiments there, I am afraid I have to shy away from agreeing with you since you like to twist things to suit your own purposes.

And it’s amazing how easily I can do that, isn’t it. Almost as if I’m some sort of idiot savante.

I am a woman who not only thinks, even though I do enjoy my moments of goofy bliss from time to time, but am a scientist, and attempting to obtain my DVM and my PhD in infectious disease.

We shall all, I’m sure, wait with bated breath to learn of your forthcoming contributions to human knowledge. Where would we be without women constantly pushing forward science and technology?

Lastly I am not a feminist, I do not proclaim to be a feminist, although I do believe in equal rights etc. I did not post a link to you, your blog, or point people to you in order to join in ritual bashing. I did post the name Vox Day and my opinion about the personality behind the name. If you notice, none of my commentors took the time to blast you out of the water, did they? I expressed an opinion which I was planning on going back to clarify later. Of course, heaven forbid I have one of those since I’m a woman.

If you believe in genuine equality, then you are truly no feminist. Good for you. However, I don’t see why you think either I or heaven would forbid you having an opinion. I expect everyone to have opinions. I also expect most of them to express, in varying degrees, ignorance, unreason and cognitive incompetence. You have not disappointed.

The tattoo, is one of a cat, on my shoulder blade. I own a cat, I own a dog, I own a lizard, and I have a fiance and a family. I’m sorry I don’t agree with the fact that I should allow myself to be frail and be protected by the men in my life. I guess I just gave that up when I accepted the right to vote, own my own property, and be more than a brood mare. In lieu of expecting every man in my family to protect me, I find that I am more than capable of handling my own protection.

That’s what every woman thinks until she runs into the first man who decides to make her a victim. I hope that you will be fortunate enough to be able to maintain your belief in this delusion.

I feel pity for uppity bastards like you and many of your commentators who feel the need to prove that they are right and instead letting someone have their own opinion.

Yes, it’s much nicer to simply assert that you are right in the hopes that no one will question you, isn’t it? You’d think a scientist would understand the concept of the necessity for one’s hypotheses to withstand testing, but then, the mere possession of academic credentials rarely suffices to demonstrate one’s ability in the related field. TFDC can have whatever opinions she likes. But the mere fact of her having them doesn’t make them correct; indeed her performance here tends to suggest the opposite.

I’m very happy that you all get off on slamming people who aren’t what you expect. Especially since it’s part of human nature, and I’m not overly pissed that you are insulting me. I’m just pissed that you used a goofy post on my part when I was having fun with friends as a way to justify your fucked up points of view.

Correction: I take pleasure in dissecting the opinions of those who are not only precisely what I expect, but think and behave in such a predictable manner. And how deeply shocking it is to discover that an educated, professional woman-to-be should resent being held responsible for her words and actions.

If you don’t want to get pissed on, steer clear of the big dogs.

Paula hasn’t quite made it to “S” yet:

Lol, dude, Vox, I totally pwnd you.

When you open up a response with, “Damn, yo, it’s totally her fault for being born Filipina,” and a logical fallacy….

You know you’re totally been pwnd.

Paula, let me explain a little concept called “sarcasm” to you. It revolves around the notion that, on occasion, the meaning of a statement is not what it apppears to be on the surface. This is often done for humorous effect.

As it is impossible for anyone to be held responsible for the circumstances of one’s birth – time travelling parricides notwithstanding – intelligent people will recognize that this is not a reasonable basis for criticism.

But then, it is obvious no one who uses words such as “k3wl” and “pwnd”, much less the sort of charmingly unique grammatical structures seen in that last sentence is likely to fall into that category, so your failure to grasp this tremendously difficult concept is not exactly surprising.

And I would be remiss in failing to note that you’ve given us an admirable example of Michelle Malkin’s patented “Discussion over, I win” technique, so flawless an example, in fact, that I can only applaud you.

Well done!

Renee still thinks she’s a feminist:

Equality is just that. I think the legally women should have the exact same rights and responsibilities of a man of the same age.

Thus, Renee isn’t a feminist. Once she reads up on the feminist canon, she’ll understand that. At best, feminism is theoretically dedicated to equality of result; if we actually applied that concept across the board instead of only regarding things where men have an advantage, we’d be shooting old women over the age of 75, throwing millions of women in jail and rejecting an additional 10 percent of girls’ college applications.

At its worst, feminism is simply totalitarianism with a lipsticked face.

The Pan-Galactic one leaps right to the heart of the matter:

Please also note how often these aliens are described as “ethical”. Now I don’t know about you.. but I’ve read plenty of abduction stories… and I don’t see anything ethical about kidnapping someone and probing them…. anally.

Ya know where I come from we call that sodomy… rape.. and kidnapping too… not to mention… you know… just plain rude.

My theory is that the alien civilization responsible picked up our television signals which by an unfortunate series of coincidences happened to be broadcasting Deliverance that day.

Germany turns to National Socialist propaganda:

A multi-million pound campaign to boost Germans’ low self-confidence has backfired after it emerged that its slogan was first coined by the Nazis.

The £20 million Du Bist Deutschland – You Are Germany – campaign was devised to inspire Germans to stop moaning and do something good for their country.

Beethoven, Einstein and the sports stars Franz Beckenbauer and Michael Schumacher have been cited in advertisements encouraging Germans to take more pride in their homeland.

But a historian from Ludwigshafen has provoked an uproar with his discovery that the same Du Bist Deutschland cry was used at Nazi rallies in the 1930s.

Actually, I’d be more nervous if they were pushing a “Du bist Europa” campaign.

From Papers Please:

Meet Deborah Davis. She’s a 50 year-old mother of four who lives and works in Denver, Colorado. Her kids are all grown-up: her middle son is a soldier fighting in Iraq. She leads an ordinary, middle class life. You probably never would have heard of Deb Davis if it weren’t for her belief in the U.S. Constitution.

One morning in late September 2005, Deb was riding the public bus to work. She was minding her own business, reading a book and planning for work, when a security guard got on this public bus and demanded that every passenger show their ID. Deb, having done nothing wrong, declined. The guard called in federal cops, and she was arrested and charged with federal criminal misdemeanors after refusing to show ID on demand.

On the 9th of December 2005, Deborah Davis will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in a case that will determine whether Deb and the rest of us live in a free society, or in a country where we must show “papers” whenever a cop demands them.

The land of the free and the home of the brave? Right. The fact that our ancestors were free and brave doesn’t mean that we are, it only means that we are fortunate enough to have been given an example and a challenge to live up to.

The government is never your friend and it is seldom your protector. Never forget that.