It soon became apparent to me that this was an attempt, feeble to be sure, at satire. My guess is that it is an American blog run by a young-ish, dreadfully immature, and not very humorous right-winger, perhaps Anglo-American, perhaps Asian-American, frightfully privileged and appropriately coddled and pampered. GOP all the way.
After a while I began asking, in the comment section (for there is no e-mail address on the blogger's profile page), for the link to IN THE DARK to be removed. It is, in my estimation, a cheap and libelous attack on free speech to be linked to Communist websites because one criticizes the current administration.
Well, as a result of my requests another blogger (this one probably Asian, possibly South Korean, and certainly blogging from Auckland, New Zealand) who comments frequently on the first blog posted this:
This is all very cheap and really stupid. As I have mentioned in some of my comments, these bloggers are a waste of precious natural resources (like water and oxygen) that real, productive, thinking human beings could be using. Like George W. Bush, they are an example of the evil of banality. As Batman said, "If only their energies could be used for good instead of stupidity." Well, he said something like that.
I hope they remove the link to IN THE DARK, but if they don't, okay. Their blogs seem to be a revolving door of the same dozen or so adolescent imbeciles, all reading and commenting on one anothers' posts. I'm sure they have a readership in the double digits -- and IQs to match.
Meanwhile, I'll keep visiting them, asking them to remove the link to IN THE DARK, and subtly reminding them to make sure they stay on Daddy's good side so they can have a job someday.
15 comments:
I don't know who the makers of that blog are, but I can tell you that the link on their site is how I got here. It's obviously satirical and I find it quite funny at times, and no, I'm not a teenager. I think your assertion that they're right wingers may be a little off, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone, left or right in New Zealand who supports the American political right, there are a few but this site is just as likely to be on your side as against it. Humour doesn't always translate well from culture to culture.
David--
Thanks for your comments and thanks for stopping by.
This may sound self-defeating, but I would prefer people finding and reading my blog without the "assistance" of the un-named blog in question. It gives the wrong impression and tars IN THE DARK by broadly suggesting it takes the same point of view as, say, DPRK news service.
You're right about humour -- it is subjective, not only culturally determined, but determined by age. I'm old enough to remember when hope trumped cynicism. I don't find cynicism to be very funny, especially when some of the issues that are being "satirized" are extremely important ones.
At any rate, I do hope you come back and take issue with our posts if you disagree.
Now i see whats going on here
Your a professer.
You are part of a
Communist left-wing conspiracy to control our
country's Education system to
brainwash our students. if you
hate United States so much move
to north korea they have a nice
gulag thare for you.
And get the HELL out of our schools
To the readers:
For the sake of clarity, the first David leaving a comment was in his mid-twenties, and posting from New Zealand.
The second David, according to his profile, is 16 and posting from West Palm Beach, Florida.
To the second David I say only this:
Grow up.
Well you told someone to take
a shot at you and i did.
and i am a right-winger and
i am not cowardly i have my
name and e-mail up thare for all
to see so shut up you
pot-smoking hippie.
To 16-year-old David of West Palm Beach, Florida:
You have proven me wrong in one regard: you are right, you are not a coward. Sumgoon and Red Jag (and so-called "Hero") are cowards, hiding behind pseudonyms. You have shown yourself to be unafraid to voice your own views, and I admire you for that. And I am not being falsely sincere now; I truly mean it.
Well you told someone to take
a shot at you and i did.
Yes, and again I admire you for saying what YOU think, and not hiding behind a mask.
But did you really "take a shot?" Or did you just call someone names in ignorance? I certainly do not feel the effects of this "shot," because nothing you said is true. It is not real criticism if you make it up or just repeat cliched -- and stupid -- platitudes.
Now i see why those commies like
you. you both hate freedom you
hate capitalism and you hate
the United States so fuck off.
Now, David, I'm going to let you in on a little secret that you haven't realized because you are only 16 years old (I don't mean to be patronizing; I honestly don't see this, and I honestly believe it is because you are only 16).
Sumgoon, Fender of the Red Jag, and so-called "Hero" are all right-wingers. Their blogs are parodies. They hate North Korea, but try to ridicule DPRK and KJI by sounding like propagandized party drones. There supposed admiration of IN THE DARK is so transparent to be offensive; they are actually trying to say, in a feeble attempt at humor, that anyone who criticizes US policy or the Bush administration is in league with "the commies." This is an age-old tactic, and a cheap one. And you have fallen for it.
I do not support DPRK, Kim Jong Il or communism in any way. Communism denies the essential integrity of the human spirit, and negates free will. As a Catholic, I am repulsed by communism.
I am, in fact, a capitalist. And why shouldn't I be? Capitalism is a child of the Enlightenment, just as democracy and popular socvereignty are. But there are different types of capitalism, and the type we have right now -- unregulated, global, laissez faire, free-market -- is not like the capitalism I grew up with, which mandated a certain degree of social responsibility. So I am certainly NOT going to "shut up" when I see (what I fervently believe to be) sins committed in the name of this new type of hyper-individualistic, greed-motivated capitalism.
You can choose to listen to my criticisms, or not. Or you can behave like a child and call names.
The choice is yours. But, again, thank you for having the courage and tyhe honesty to speak your own mind in a public way.
well those commies seem to like
you. and I'm going to let YOU in on a little secret i hate the bush administration for
the war and for the crap he pulls here at home.
i thout you were in league with the commies because of Sumgoon, Fender of the Red Jag, and so-called "Hero" seem to love you. you say you are
a capitalist yet you have the
THE "PROGRESSIVE" BLOG ALLIANCE
on your blog, and "HERO" and the
outhers seem to like that about you.
and for calling you a commie i am
sorry.
David said...
well those commies seem to like
you.
I'm trying to break this to you gently, David, but they are not "commies." They are right-wingers. They are "playing" commies who say ridiculously unsupportable things in praise of communist North Korea in a feeble, childish, and failed attempt at satire. And their pretense of "liking" me is really a pathetic way of trying to ridicule me, by lumping me in with communists, and connecting my blog to communism.
I am insulted by the link to IN THE DARK on Sumgoon's blog. I want it removed.
and I'm going to let YOU in on a little secret i hate the bush administration for the war and for the crap he pulls here at home.
Here's a piece of advice, David: never hate anyone. Hate the things people do, but don't hate people. It is counter-productive, and ends up hurting us more than it hurts the object of our hatred.
If you are unhappy with the policies of the Bush administration (as I am), then TALK ABOUT IT!!! Tell people about it!!! Write letters -- to your friends, to your local or school newspaper, to your Congressional representative. You're never too young to get involved in the world, and it is YOUR world too, not the Bush administration's.
i thout you were in league with the commies because of Sumgoon, Fender of the Red Jag, and so-called "Hero" seem to love you.
No, as I said, this is their asinine and adolescent way of trying to undercut my thoughts, my words, and my actions. The characters they play (North Korean Communists) heap praise on me for things I have never said (like Bush being responsible for genocide). It is a very stupid sort of ad hominem attack -- when you can't argue with a point someone makes, try to make them look bad. Very childish.
you say you are a capitalist yet you have the THE "PROGRESSIVE" BLOG ALLIANCE on your blog, and "HERO" and the outhers seem to like that about you.
Trust me on this one: they hate the PBA and everything it stands for. It stands for democracy. And these right-wingers hate democracy. They hate American values. They hate the US Constitution. And they hate our Bill of Rights.
Some of the things I have taken issue with the Bush administration for are:
The use of torture in interrogation.
The suspension of fundamental human rights (detention without charge or trial).
The preferential use of military force over diplomacy as a means of achieving foreign policy goals.
Kidnapping and transporting across national boundaries people who have not been charged with or convicted of any crime.
These things have NEVER happened in the United States of America. EVER!!! Until this administration came into power, that is.
And this is why the PBA came into being, to criticize these types of un-American activities, and to focus efforts to change them.
I can assure you, the bloggers of the PBA are not communists. They are merely Americans who support true American values more than the political right wing in America does.
and for calling you a commie i am sorry.
No problem, David. Believe me, I've been called a lot worse (LOL)!!!
But you know what? What we just did here is to have a DISCUSSION, rather than a name-calling session. I have learned something about you, and you have learned something about me. You don't have to agree with everything I say, nor I with you. This, I must tell you, is a very progressive thing to do.
If you ever want to make comments on my blog, or ask questions, or disagree with something I say, I enthusiastically invite you to do so. I know you will tell me exactly what you are thinking, and you won't be hiding behind some childish mask, like Sumgoon, Fender, and (so-called) "Hero" sandwich.
Thanks for your thoughts.
No i do not trust you on that one.
And the left does not support
American values or the
US Constitution because some of
the things thay support like
Roe v Wade and
illegal immigration.
And no Dr they are not
right-wingers they are communist
that i can tell you that because i
am on the right and i do not like
the things they say
David said...
No i do not trust you on that one. And the left does not support
American values or the US Constitution because some of the things thay support like Roe v Wade and illegal immigration.
Well, you ought to trust me on this one. It is the neo-conservative right in the US who has worked actively to curtail Constitutional rights in the last six years.
What are the American values you are referring to when you say the left does not support American values?
The ones I support are, I believe, truly American values, and you, I think, consider me part of "the left." Those values are not only the ones bequeathed us by the Founders and enshrined in our Constitution (freedom of speech and of assembly, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, freedom of religion, guarantees of due process of law, etc.), but also shared values developed throughour our history. For example, we have always been a peaceful nation that cherishes fairness and justice. The American people, before 9/11, historically never countenanced (and I believe without 9/11 would never have countenanced) a pre-emptory first strike against a sovereign nation that had not attacked us first.
It was the right (specifically, the Project for a New American Century -- look 'em up) that invented that one, and that same right that pushed us into Iraq -- who had NOTHING to do with 9/11.
But there are other, more "radical" ideas that many on what you call "the left" (really, however, the political center) that you might be referring to. But even these ideas I find to embody very American values and I think they are, in fact, quite conservative. For example, the right of every American to have a job at a decent wage. The right to universal health care without regard to your income. The right to a decent education. If these are the ideas that you see as somehow threatening American values, then I hope you will think more about it and change your mind.
But then, of course, there are the specific cases you brought up: abortion and illegal immigration.
David, I am a Catholic, and pro-life. As a person of conscience, specifically formed within a context of Irish-American Catholicism, I abhor abortion.
Of course, I also remember the days when women died giving birth to, perhaps, their sixth or seventh child because they were not healthy enough to have children, and contraceptives were either forbidden (by the church) or unavailable (due to cultural disapproval). In those days, women who could afford to do so went to illegal abortionists. These abortionists practiced their evil trade without any oversight by governing medical bodies. They performed abortions in unsanitary conditions, and offered no post-operative care.
You will never end abortion by making it illegal. You will only make it even more deadly than it is right now. And (I believe) it is counter-productive to be against something without having some sort of alternative in mind.
One thing we could do to reduce the number of abortions is, of course, to abstain. I don't think that will work. Another thing we might do is to make contraceptives more available. One thing we certainly ought to do is to stop thinking about human intimacy as a game or a sport. It isn't one.
If you are merely anti-abortion, my arguments will probably not convince you. But if you are, in fact, pro-life, I must ask you: how do you feel about the death penalty? Isn't that killing too? Isn't that another dimension of the "culture of death?" I certainly think it is, and I wonder what you think?
David also said...
And no Dr they are not
right-wingers they are communist
that i can tell you that because i
am on the right and i do not like
the things they say
Sorry, David, but you're wrong on this one. You are caught in an elaborate game here. You guys are actually on the same side, but they are making a sucker out of you, just as they are trying to make one out of me. You're supposed to "get the joke," to be in on it. This is one of the reasons I don't like them or what they are doing.
I would much rather discuss or debate or argue different ideas. They like to ridicule them. Every time they are saying something that sounds to your ear like they are praising communism, they are actually trying to ridicule it. They don't have the slightest idea why communism is as evil as it is. They just don't like it. They can't argue the points, so they try to make fum of them.
If you must read those blogs (I advise against it, but you're a free man), read them carefully. You'll begin to see that every phrase is hyperbole ("the greatest;" "the most enlightened;" "the most evil;" "the most generous") and all of it is sarcastic. They are putting on masks and merely playing the role of communists.
I mean no offense to you, David, but I think the only reason you don't recognize this is because you're 16. In a few years time, you could see their act for what it is: a pathetic and failed attempt at humor.
Thanks for your thoughts.
I know the neo-conservatives are trying to take away our Constitutional rights.
But i am not part of them i am a
Paleo-conservative look it up on
Wikipedia. and about abortion i
agree with you that they should
only be done to save the life of
the mother and we should stop
thinking about human intimacy as a game or sport.
But thinking about human intimacy as a game or sport is something
i see the left supporting and i
do not like that. and as for the
death penalty i think people
who kill outher people should
die for there crimes.
did Tookie Williams and
Saddam Hussein or John Allen Muhammad not get what thay
had comeing to them? and how
the hell do you know that i am
on the same side as they are?
and what "side" are you talking
about? do you relly think that
conservatives are like them?
And do you relly think that
someone ilke me is behind that
crap that is on the internet?
And if you relly want to get the
link from there blog down
put up an anti DPRK, anti
kim jong il post up there.
For ease of reference, this is the 26 year old NZ'er David making this post.
Kiwi's are a very cynical people. We have a cynical view of the world and a cynical sense of humour. It is no wonder that our national colour is black.
I find it interesting that the US is losing it's freedoms, it's middle class, and lowing its respect of human rights. All while China's human rights record improves and it's middle class grows. I am not advocating Communism. China obviously has a long, long way to go. I consider my stance a social-democratic one. However, I beleive the percieved threat by the US interventionist mentality is a direct result of too much Capitalism (as you seem to understand). GWB got into the presendency based on his ability to "suck up" to big business. My own country is currently going through a process that I hope will prevent such a thing taking place here, without removing essential freedoms.
Ever heard of the phrase, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"? This is why I find the Banner of Songun so amusing. By attacking the idiocy of GWB, the site manages to make the threat posed by the DPRK appear to be the lesser of two evils.
You keep professing that they're right winger's, they probably aren't. It's just as likely that they're ON YOUR SIDE. It, and it's related sites are some of the best anti-bush sites I've seen because of their absurdity. The authors would rather support an evil Communist regime than support GWB and the system that allowed him the power he has. Since they haven't taken the link down, They're probably either...
A. Waiting for you to get the joke.
B. Currently In disbeleif that you don't get the joke, and continue to call them "right wing", which they probably find amusing (silly Americans etc etc)
C. Really are right wing, which I find most unlikely, since 99% of New Zealanders think GWB can go straight to hell.
I find it most likely that a combination of A and B apply.
Now, If I were the author of those sites I would remove your link, because you are obviously too personally involved to appreciate the humour, which is fair enough (they're probably too young to understand that, I too have been annoyed at "humour" that makes a mockery of something important). I simply felt that an explanation of the joke was in order.
Hi David. Thanks for your thoughts and comments. But I don't buy it.
I find it interesting that the US is losing it's freedoms, it's middle class, and lowing its respect of human rights. All while China's human rights record improves and it's middle class grows.
There are two lgoical errors I believe you're making here. First of all, you're right about the threats to Constitutional freedoms the American people have suffered under the Bush administration. There is no question about that. But as the recent mid-term elections have shown, American democracy is a fairly effective self-regulating process. We will survive this regime (I say more in hope than confidence), and possibly come back with greater protections from executive power than before. This happened after the near-fascist Nixon regime, and I believe it will happen again. The second mistake is giving too much credit to the Chinese for improving what was a disgracefully barbaric human rights record. Many of their industries are still using forced prison labor. Many sweatshops depend on child labor. Their communist party-sponsored "labor unions" are a joke. And as recently as 2000 some factories were using electric shock through cattle prods to increase productivity (ILO data available on transnationale.com). So I remain less than impressed with China's commitment to human rights.
Which is why they're manufacturing almost everything we buy in the west today.
Ever heard of the phrase, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"? This is why I find the Banner of Songun so amusing. By attacking the idiocy of GWB, the site manages to make the threat posed by the DPRK appear to be the lesser of two evils.
I don't believe for a second that most readers of Sum Goon believe that these (so-called) "attacks" on Bush are attacks at all. Among other charges, Mr. Goon has accused Bush of -- in the same breath -- of being a criminal, a mental retard (great sensitivity there), and a "blood sucker." By lumping the three together, he implicitly makes the three charges equivalent and therefore interdependent. If he is not a bloodsucker (and, as I have said, I have no evidence that he has ever sucked blood), then it stands to reason he is not a criminal. But there is a great deal of evidence, in fact, that he is indictable under international law and could be found guilty of international criminal offenses.
This kind of trivialization of significant issues is unconscionable. I don't like it and I don't think it is funny. So I just don't see support for your reasoning here.
You keep professing that they're right winger's, they probably aren't. It's just as likely that they're ON YOUR SIDE. It, and it's related sites are some of the best anti-bush sites I've seen because of their absurdity. The authors would rather support an evil Communist regime than support GWB and the system that allowed him the power he has.
If you've been following these two boneheads for long enough, you'll know that this is very unlikely, if not impossible. I post anything negative about the Bush administration, Goon calls me a "heroic dissident." The sarcasm oozes through the monitor. I question the change in mission of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Ms. Kim posts about Bush's "war crimes" in Africa. No, David, read more closely. These guys are far right, and they're not amusing to me, and they shouldn't be to you.
Since they haven't taken the link down, They're probably either...
A. Waiting for you to get the joke.
B. Currently In disbeleif that you don't get the joke, and continue to call them "right wing", which they probably find amusing (silly Americans etc etc)
C. Really are right wing, which I find most unlikely, since 99% of New Zealanders think GWB can go straight to hell.
I find it most likely that a combination of A and B apply.
A. As I've indicated, I don't think I AM missing the joke. I think you are unable to see that the joke is on you. These guys are in and of the right. Mostly, however, I think they are pathetic half-wits looking for attention.
B. Not all Americans are as thick as global stereotypes make us. There is, however, one characteristic of American culture not popularly stereotyped which the rest of the world either misses or ignores about us, and which I would claim (arrogantly? naively?) sets us apart from the rest of the world: we are the least cynical people -- per capita -- on earth. Our history has given us a profoundly powerful idealism which sometimes manifests itself as a character flaw, and sometimes as a strength.
Now, this idealism is not universal in the American character. But it is more present and apparent here than anywhere else on Earth that I've ever seen (and I've been around a bit). One of the reasons we are so politically divided right now is because we really believe in the things we say we believe in. Materialism and consumption aside (and we -- along with the Brits -- invented them), we are the least cynical people ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.
So they can be amused or bemused or confused by my "not getting the joke." The point is that I see it more clearly than they (and perhaps you) do: IT IS NOT A JOKE. You can't see that something is a joke if it is not. And it never will be.
C. If you are really in favor of freedom, liberty, equality, democracy, sovereignty vested in the people, then you should be taking these two (so-called) "bloggers" much more seriously. Their mocking of important issues is a danger to all of these values.
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