31 December 2013

Goodbye 2013. We are afloat on rivers of crap and the boat is sinking

| johnboy
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Cracked has a good article on the rising tide excrement trying to clog every potential avenue of information.

Here in Canberra looking back on the year it’s just as awful with things that look a bit like news filling up our letterboxes and the airwaves.

With no meaningful clashes of ideology (Labor being the party of big business and Liberal the party of billionaire’s fanboys) taking a position on any issue becomes dangerous.

It feels like I can’t go to any meeting without being dragged over the coals for something someone said on this website at some point in the last decade. Simply allowing others to speak a contrary view is now considered a grave insult and possible source of court action.

Advertising firms increasingly position themselves as news, as news outlets, as news providers. All for a fee of course.

None of the people doing this are bad, and they all think they’re being clever.

Enthusiastic idiots are very dangerous creatures and we’ve got them in spades.

Since November 2000 this website has tried to cut through the crap. We haven’t always succeeded, sometimes we’ve added to it.

But the sun is shining, there’s beer in the fridge, and the dogs are happy.

So let’s all step back from the edge of the abyss, and try and make 2014 better for everyone.

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I think this sums things up…

http://www.esquire.com/_mobile/blogs/news/we-broke-the-internet?utm_content=bufferabe85&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer

At least we’re not seeing things on RiotAct like the top 23 reasons Canberra is a nice place to live. Not yet anyway…

Alas, Mr Griffiths, it was ever thus. please make allowances for the antique, un-PC language.

From “The Scopes Trial: Aftermath, by H.L. Mencken, The Baltimore Evening Sun, September 14, 1925”

at http://www.etsu.edu/cas/history/documents/menckenafter.htm

…True enough, even a superstitious man has certain inalienable rights. He has a right to harbor and indulge his imbecilities as long as he pleases, provided only he does not try to inflict them upon other men by force. He has a right to argue for them as eloquently as he can, in season and out of season. He has a right to teach them to his children. But certainly he has no right to be protected against the free criticism of those who do not hold them. He has no right to demand that they be treated as sacred. He has no right to preach them without challenge. Did Darrow, in the course of his dreadful bombardment of Bryan, drop a few shells, incidentally, into measurably cleaner camps? Then let the garrisons of those camps look to their defenses. They are free to shoot back. But they can’t disarm their enemy.

The meaning of religious freedom, I fear, is sometimes greatly misapprehended. It is taken to be a sort of immunity, not merely from governmental control but also from public opinion. A dunderhead gets himself a long-tailed coat, rises behind the sacred desk, and emits such bilge as would gag a Hottentot. Is it to pass unchallenged? If so, then what we have is not religious freedom at all, but the most intolerable and outrageous variety of religious despotism. Any fool, once he is admitted to holy orders, becomes infallible. Any half-wit, by the simple device of ascribing his delusions to revelation, takes on an authority that is denied to all the rest of us…

IrishPete said :

The didn’t say “equal” they said “valid”.

For every opinion to be valid they would also have to be equal. Here’s an opinion:

I’m of the opinion that Russell’s teapot is coloured green

Does it sound well-grounded, justifiable or is it relevant and meaningful? Of course not.

IrishPete said :

Of course everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Yes……and no. If you mean that everyone is free to think and say whatever they like then yes. If you mean being entitled to have your views treated as serious candidates for the truth or as a guide to how others should live their lives, then no.

poetix said :

maxblues said :

Happy New Year to all Rioters. Every Rioters opinion is valid and this site is important. To the pompous who hassle you JB..as the Romans used to say…fornicatum nil est acceptum humerati loosely translating to f#ck em if they can’t take a joke. The beauty of this site is… that I am sure a Rioter will correct my badly remembered Latin.

Every Rioter’s opinion…

There. I corrected your English instead.

🙂

Thank you. Puctuaton at my school was interrupted.

davo101 said :

maxblues said :

Every Rioters opinion is valid

My goodness, what a pile of post-modernist hokum. To quote Douglas Adams:
All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others.

The didn’t say “equal” they said “valid”. Of course everyone is entitled to an opinion. What being “valid” means is open to interpretation. But of course not everyone’s opinions are equal, and their relevance will be related to the knowledge and expertise in the particular subject matter. As an example, I would accept Tony Abbott’s opinions in the topic of Roman Catholic theology, firefighting, fitness and so on, but not on climate change.

IP

dpm said :

I notice that ever since SMH etc started requiring payment, their front page story abstracts have gone from a synopsis of each story to enticing story starters like ‘A 2yo was near a river unattended – you’ll never guess what happened next!’
I suppose they have to lure the readers in to paying their subs, but it’s funny that journos now have to change their style to suit the business model!

It’s not hard – just disable cookies for that website. It’s very easy in Firefox. I haven’t done it in Internet Explorer. On my iPad I get 30 free articles, then I go to the Safari settings and clear the cookies and data, and the counter resets to zero.

IP

davo101 said :

maxblues said :

Every Rioters opinion is valid

My goodness, what a pile of post-modernist hokum. To quote Douglas Adams:
All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others.

Don’t forget the loud ones. THEY ARE MORE important.

maxblues said :

Every Rioters opinion is valid

My goodness, what a pile of post-modernist hokum. To quote Douglas Adams:
All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others.

johnboy said :

politicians, restaurant owners, the pompous,

Sorry, johnboy, but if you are gonna go round giving grief to such pillars of our society, I did the only thing a decent Canberran could – finally took out a RiotACT subscription !

Keep up the good work.

PS – pollies definitely are, but can ya call restaurant owners ‘self-serving’ prats ???

happy this year, riot overlords one and all – may the slander continue…

I notice that ever since SMH etc started requiring payment, their front page story abstracts have gone from a synopsis of each story to enticing story starters like ‘A 2yo was near a river unattended – you’ll never guess what happened next!’
I suppose they have to lure the readers in to paying their subs, but it’s funny that journos now have to change their style to suit the business model!

“It feels like I can’t go to any meeting without being dragged over the coals for something someone said on this website at some point in the last decade. Simply allowing others to speak a contrary view is now considered a grave insult and possible source of court action.”

You know you’ve made it in this town when you have been personally vilified by Stanhope, Corbell, Burch or Barr in the Assembly. It’s a badge of honour. Wear it with pride.

Happy new year to all.

IrishPete said :

shauno said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

PantsMan said :

I predict the seas will rise by 100 meters and we will all be dead by December because of dangerous climate change.

Anyone who disagrees is a “denier”.

How is that whole having no brain thing going for you?

I agree Robin Williams was sure the sea would rise by 80m haha it must be right its the reason no one takes this climate change crap seriously any more. And the gravy train is coming to an end.

No, I think you are mistaken. The gravy train (being the coal and gas “dig it up and flog it” industries) certainly isn’t coming to an end. In fact His Supreme Eminence T’Abbott seems likely to continue to subsidise those industries, exempt them from numerous taxes (including abolishing one they don’t like), even while he cuts social services to be able to do so.

In comparison he seems determined to shut down the niche renewable energy industry, which doesn’t get a fraction of the subsidies that mining does, even though it’s the future and infinite where fossil fuels are the past and finite.

But it’s what you voted for, so lap it up. Apparently ignorance is all the rage in 2014.

IP

I’ve done very well out of the renewable energy gravy train. I can’t say society has though.

shauno said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

PantsMan said :

I predict the seas will rise by 100 meters and we will all be dead by December because of dangerous climate change.

Anyone who disagrees is a “denier”.

How is that whole having no brain thing going for you?

I agree Robin Williams was sure the sea would rise by 80m haha it must be right its the reason no one takes this climate change crap seriously any more. And the gravy train is coming to an end.

No, I think you are mistaken. The gravy train (being the coal and gas “dig it up and flog it” industries) certainly isn’t coming to an end. In fact His Supreme Eminence T’Abbott seems likely to continue to subsidise those industries, exempt them from numerous taxes (including abolishing one they don’t like), even while he cuts social services to be able to do so.

In comparison he seems determined to shut down the niche renewable energy industry, which doesn’t get a fraction of the subsidies that mining does, even though it’s the future and infinite where fossil fuels are the past and finite.

But it’s what you voted for, so lap it up. Apparently ignorance is all the rage in 2014.

IP

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

PantsMan said :

I predict the seas will rise by 100 meters and we will all be dead by December because of dangerous climate change.

Anyone who disagrees is a “denier”.

How is that whole having no brain thing going for you?

I agree Robin Williams was sure the sea would rise by 80m haha it must be right its the reason no one takes this climate change crap seriously any more. And the gravy train is coming to an end.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd5:11 pm 01 Jan 14

PantsMan said :

I predict the seas will rise by 100 meters and we will all be dead by December because of dangerous climate change.

Anyone who disagrees is a “denier”.

How is that whole having no brain thing going for you?

maxblues said :

Happy New Year to all Rioters. Every Rioters opinion is valid and this site is important. To the pompous who hassle you JB..as the Romans used to say…fornicatum nil est acceptum humerati loosely translating to f#ck em if they can’t take a joke. The beauty of this site is… that I am sure a Rioter will correct my badly remembered Latin.

Every Rioter’s opinion…

There. I corrected your English instead. 🙂

Happy New Year to all Rioters. Every Rioters opinion is valid and this site is important. To the pompous who hassle you JB..as the Romans used to say…fornicatum nil est acceptum humerati loosely translating to f#ck em if they can’t take a joke. The beauty of this site is… that I am sure a Rioter will correct my badly remembered Latin.

PantsMan said :

I predict the seas will rise by 100 meters and we will all be dead by December because of dangerous climate change.

Anyone who disagrees is a “denier”.

I live well above 100m. Actually, so does everyone in Canberra. Back to the drawing board PantsMan. Or do you not believe altitude scientists either?

IP

I predict the seas will rise by 100 meters and we will all be dead by December because of dangerous climate change.

Anyone who disagrees is a “denier”.

ScienceRules said :

Still, thanks for sheparding us through the shoals of what has been a pretty average year both internationally and at home. Lets make sure 2014 is a cracker!

“May you live in interesting times.”

HiddenDragon1:24 pm 01 Jan 14

Yea (or should that be yaaay?) verily, in an ermagerd world of less than fabulous nobodies, the RiotAct is a blissfully blunt haven of unashamed down-to-earthness and parochialism.

“Politicians, restaurant owners, the pompous” should be truly grateful for an alternative to the echo chamber.

Looking forward to another year of irreverence!

poetix said :

Am I wrong in thinking that Twitter has made things worse?

A few weeks ago I finally took the plunge and created a Twatter account. It lived up to all my expectations.

Thanks, JB, for providing us with the wherewithal to express ourselves in more than 248 characters, to make our various points, to educate and become educated, to perhaps – just perhaps – change some minds, and just to enjoy the conversation.

Long may you run.

ScienceRules10:26 am 01 Jan 14

It certainly is a curiosity that many people seem to think that their “right” to speech also includes freedom from criticism and ridicule.

You would certainly see this kind of thing up close and personal, JB perhaps moreso than the regular Press. One of the things that make RA such an interesting, compulsive read is the contribution and feedback from the community to the articles.

There have been some fascinating discussions over the past year, some quite intense (think gun laws and marriage equality for example) but as heated as they’ve become, most contributers maintained a degree of civility and I learned a lot from the exchanges.

As to precious little snowflakes getting all upset, that’s genuinely weird. If I were a business owner, I would want to know what my customers thought. Feedback both positive and negative would help me stay on top of the game and keep the enterprise viable. The ones with thin skins are unlikely to survive genuine competition anyway.

Still, thanks for sheparding us through the shoals of what has been a pretty average year both internationally and at home. Lets make sure 2014 is a cracker!

Happy New Year to all rioters.

I’m happy to be a paid subscriber to RA, which has been my daily must-see website for many years now.

If you’re a regular visitor here, and you want the kelpies (oh…and JB, Barcham and Jazz) to continue to lead a happy life, spend the money. It will make you feel better.

And best wishes for a prosperous 2014 to the RA crew, and to all the RA community.

I knew the world had changed when being on the list for political press releases was seen as necessary for a news organisation. Used to be, pressos were something inflicted on news organisations, and they had to be damn good to arouse interest.

Happy New Year and best wishes to you johnboy, Barcham, kelpies, cyclists, motorists and pedestrians alike.

I’m not one for making new year resolutions, but I have decided to stop being so lazy and finally got round to becoming a paid up subscriber after errr…. nine years(!) of freeloading.

Thanks again for all your efforts to swim against the “tide of excrement”, they ARE appreciated.

Sincerely,
el / Enthusiastic Idiot.

“It feels like I can’t go to any meeting without being dragged over the coals for something someone said on this website”

what kind of meeting? Quakers? AA? NA? There’s probably an Internet Addicts Anonymous one by now.

IP

politicians, restaurant owners, the pompous,

I read your third last par with trepidation. I thought you were about to say you were closing down the site. I’ve had four Facebook friends in the past week saying that Facebook isn’t cool anymore and they are closing down their accounts on NYE.

My favourite website! But hoping I’m not one of the enthusiastic idiots……

Thanks for a great year and here is to a very happy 2014!

Am I wrong in thinking that Twitter has made things worse?

Thank you for continuing to provide this site. Enjoy it I do.

I think twitter has allowed a lot of people who were too stupid to develop technical skills to communicate on the internet.

And to that extent it has played a part.

But the worst of them aren’t stupid. They just don’t care what they do in pursuit of a dollar.

and the very best to the kelpies, am sure they will have a wonderfull 2014.

.. better not leave it there, so all the best to the Riot team. If I can scratch some dough together will become a ‘paid up’ subscriber. All the best;; Merc600.

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