Thank you for the testimony, but my politeness is not as omnilateral as I would like it to be. I am not beyond deriving sadistic pleasure through verbal means from people whom I consider intentionally failing at one or more tenets related to communication, common sense and/or courteous social interaction, and I did not always remember to thank or apologize where either was due, or to encourage contributors.
Joined: 11/22/2004
Posts: 1468
Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Bisqwit wrote:
Dada wrote:
Bisqwit wrote:
I regret not being always at my politest to everyone, and being prolongedly neglectful at times. Though in my defense, I still did to the best of my abilities.
You are one of the most polite and helpful people I've ever known
Thank you for the testimony, but my politeness is not as omnilateral as I would like it to be. I am not beyond deriving sadistic pleasure through verbal means from people whom I consider intentionally failing at one or more tenets related to communication, common sense and/or courteous social interaction, and I did not always remember to thank or apologize where either was due, or to encourage contributors.
I noticed that you didn't respond to what I mentioned about the signature, but that's just fine. I actually think it's for the best. Here's another thing I regret: talking about politics on this forum. I thought of this place as a site where I wouldn't have to worry about those things, but since it was brought up a few times I couldn't resist.
It should be noted that one of the reasons TASVideos's forum thrived is because I think you did a good job running the site an an apolitical and diplomatic manner, particularly in the early days when it was still NESVideos.
Now, since it's in Bisqwit's signature, and he links to the video itself, I'm going to assume he agrees with that video's conclusions.
Sometimes I just put bones into a soup to let others try it and tell me what it tastes like. Sometimes I do so because I personally think it improves the taste. The case here is open to everyone's guesses, but Warp's interpretation of the intended implication of the actual message is correct.
___________________
You are judging his signature without actually watching the video. Neither the signature nor the video are criticism against islam, but against the United States government. In other words, you are showing a great deal of prejudice based on a superficial glance (which is really ironic), and jumping to conclusions.
First of all, I did watch the video.
That actually makes it worse. If you hadn't watched the video I would have simply attributed your mistake to an opinion based on a hasty glance of what the text in the signature might be implying, without actually thinking too much about it. It happens. (It certainly happens to me from time to time; I do sometimes jump to conclusions based on a fast skimming of what someone has written, rather then reading it carefully.)
However, the fact that you actually did watch the video and still think it's an attack against islam shows how absolutely prejudiced you are. Just because a criticism of something deals with islam doesn't automatically make it a criticism against islam. However, seemingly in your mind you filtered out everything else in that video other than the mentions of islam, and concluded that it's "a rather unremarkable and incoherent paranoid rant by an Islamophobe". How you came to this conclusion is beyond my comprehension.
The point of the video, which I think was very clear and unambiguous, is a criticism of the blatant hypocrisy of the American government towards religious books. The burning of the koran is severely condemned, and instructions are given to soldiers to treat said book with the utmost respect and care. At the same time, these same soldiers were ordered to burn bibles as trash, by the same United States government.
Now please tell me where exactly is the "islamophobia" in this. I'm curious to know.
I think it's sad that the multiculturalist religion has brainwashed you so completely and so successfully that you see nothing but hatred, hatred and more hatred everywhere. You filter any criticism of islam or multiculturalism through a filter that says "hatred, prejudice, bigotry, racism, discrimination, conspiracy theories".
Also please see my answer to your accusations in the other thread. I would really like to see your credible sources for your claims.
Well, that's what I think is wrong here. It's true that there was an incident whereby a Quran was burned that had disastrous consequences
Way to totally misinterpret the video. That's not what the video is about at all.
Joined: 11/22/2004
Posts: 1468
Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Warp wrote:
I think it's sad that the multiculturalist religion has brainwashed you so completely and so successfully that you see nothing but hatred, hatred and more hatred everywhere. You filter any criticism of islam or multiculturalism through a filter that says "hatred, prejudice, bigotry, racism, discrimination, conspiracy theories".
Blah blah blah blah blah let me repeat again that I really don't care too much about what you think. I'm sorry, but I just don't. I regard you as an extremely bigoted individual. Someone who's apparently incapable of seeing that Islamophobia even exists, let alone to a significant degree in Europe, where it has become a mainstream political position. Those who dare speak out against this new form of hatred have, apparently, been "brainwashed by the multiculturalist religion".
Why on earth should I spend even two seconds trying to convince someone like you?
I think my analysis of the video was fair. Maybe I was wrong to infer anything about Bisqwit's personal opinion, but I'll leave that aside. Let whoever is interested read my post and yours and decide for themselves what they want to think.
Blah blah blah blah blah let me repeat again that I really don't care too much about what you think. I'm sorry, but I just don't. I regard you as an extremely bigoted individual. Someone who's apparently incapable of seeing that Islamophobia even exists, let alone to a significant degree in Europe, where it has become a mainstream political position. Those who dare speak out against this new form of hatred have, apparently, been "brainwashed by the multiculturalist religion".
Why on earth should I spend even two seconds trying to convince someone like you?
I am the bigoted one? Please read your own text.
And please tell me exactly where have I denied, doubted or in any way disregarded the existence of islamophobia and prejudice against islam in Europe. Also please show me exactly where I have said that opposing islamophobia and prejudice against islam is being brainwashed. I would like to know, because I do not remember writing those things, nor anything like it.
You are only reading what you want to read. You see things that aren't there. You are attributing opinions to me that I do not have, nor have expressed in any way (in other words, you are putting words in my mouth).
I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are not responding to my sourced statements in the other thread because you are just too annoyed to bother, rather than because you have no response, no matter how tempted I am to assume the latter.
If you are unwilling or incapable of commenting on any of my other sources, could please at least comment on this one point: Do you think these people are being islamophobes, bigoted, prejudiced and racists?
Joined: 11/22/2004
Posts: 1468
Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Warp wrote:
And please tell me exactly where have I denied, doubted or in any way disregarded the existence of islamophobia and prejudice against islam in Europe. Also please show me exactly where I have said that opposing islamophobia and prejudice against islam is being brainwashed. I would like to know, because I do not remember writing those things, nor anything like it.
If you don't consider what I said to be accurate then maybe you could explain to me why you keep muttering on about the "multiculturalist religion" having brainwashed me. Because I certainly never claimed that all criticism of Islam is hatred or racism or what have you. I'm certainly no fan of any religion and I can see the atrocities and the vile hatred and violence that exists in the Islamic part of the world and I'm not exactly partial to it. And I see what the extreme right-wing Islam is capable of doing here in Europe, although I'm more fearful of crazy anti-Islamists like Anders Breivik who have quite a lot more support across the continent.
We can't escape from the idea that there's now a significant political drive to demonize Muslims. If you didn't know about that you haven't been living in Europe for the past decade. And as a direct result, people feel compelled to focus not on people like Anders Breivik and the extreme right-wing Islamophobes that exist and whose political arms, such as my Netherlands' own native Geert Wilders, wield a lot of influence. Contrary to the political influence of right-wing Muslims which is practically zero, both in domestic and European parliaments.
So yeah, is the criticism of Islam valid that people keep flinging at it? Some of it is, some of it isn't, some of it is mostly based on misinterpretations, red herrings, the belief that Muslims are one homogenous group or that the extremists in the Middle-East are the same as the far more secular Muslims here in Europe. And a lot of it is just the same old anti-immigration nonsense that we've heard for generations, blaming immigrants for either "stealing jobs", or not taking jobs and living off of the government, and then blaming "the Muslims" for refusing to get jobs, ignoring entirely the fact that economic realities and a lack of opportunity are far more accurate demographic indicators.
The problem is that this extraordinary sentiment is backed by a faux liberal interpretation that it's perfectly okay to keep demonizing Muslims because that's "standing up for our democratic, Judeo-Christian values" and if you say anything about it, you're just "against criticism of Islam", and obviously just a shill for the "leftist multicultural dream" that has been "proven to be a failure". Frankly, that claim is so outrageous I don't even want to discuss it. I literally think it's too outrageous to even warrant a response. To me, it's on the same level of moral standing as climate change denial.
So yeah, when you claim that I've been "brainwashed" by the "multiculturalist religion"—your exact words—then I see no reason to try and convince you. I wrote this post because I don't want someone else to misinterpret me. And frankly, I hope we can call it a day after this. This topic isn't about our disagreement.
I regret having said something, but saying it again here would remind everyone of what it was.
I also regret never fixing the typo I made in my and alden's Rubik's World submission text, not adding the rest of the people who posted to the name list in it, and not thanking mz for his kind consolation gift.
If you don't consider what I said to be accurate then maybe you could explain to me why you keep muttering on about the "multiculturalist religion" having brainwashed me.
Ok, I'll explain you why, given that you are seemingly willing to listen.
I have presented criticism of the islamic culture in Europe, backed up by reputable sources (mostly reputable newspaper articles, rather than for example right-wing propaganda neonazi websites). You are, of course, completely and absolutely free to disagree with these arguments and refute them (preferably with your own reputable sources, which I have asked several times). We could have had a rational discussion about this.
Instead, what do you do? You belittle what I have written ("Blah blah blah blah blah let me repeat again that I really don't care too much about what you think"), you insult me without even knowing me or my opinions ("I regard you as an extremely bigoted individual"), you attribute opinions to me that I do not have and have never expressed ("Someone who's apparently incapable of seeing that Islamophobia even exists") and you outright refuse to answer any of the questions I have asked you ("Why on earth should I spend even two seconds trying to convince someone like you?") giving the strong impression that you are doing so either because of some self-righteous sense of superiority, or because you are deliberately avoiding difficult questions that could make you look bad. You are acting in an extremely prejudiced way against me, while accusing me of being prejudiced.
Additionally you saw fit to criticize Bisqwit's signature and the video it linked by distorting completely what they were saying, and interpreting them as being a prejudiced attack against islam. You presented a very similar attitude in this case as well, such as belittling and insulting ("I found it a rather unremarkable and incoherent paranoid rant by an Islamophobe").
In other words, rather than engage in a rational and civilized discussion about the subject, your reaction is hostile, dismissive and extremely prejudiced.
Additionally, you say "I certainly never claimed that all criticism of Islam is hatred or racism or what have you" but your actions show different. You immediately and furiously dismissed even the slightest criticism of islam as prejudice, racism and bigotry.
Do you know what that reminds me strongly of? You guessed it: Extremist religious attitudes. The same kind of attitude that, for example, the members of the Westboro Baptist Church or Scientologists have when their ideologies are confronted. (Yes, there is actual footage of this around. It's not just hearsay.)
Like them, you keep repeating the religiousmulticulturalist propaganda, like comparing criticism of islam or immigration to nazism and antisemitism, and things like "And a lot of it is just the same old anti-immigration nonsense that we've heard for generations, blaming immigrants for either "stealing jobs", or not taking jobs and living off of the government, and then blaming "the Muslims" for refusing to get jobs, ignoring entirely the fact that economic realities and a lack of opportunity are far more accurate demographic indicators." (No sources, of course.)
You are not discussing. You are preaching.
Btw, do you know why you are refusing to answer my question of whether those people I linked to, and who are critics of islam, are "bigoted prejudiced islamophobe racists" or not? Because no matter what you would answer, you would be in a difficult position.
If you answer "yes", then it would be difficult for you to justify the answer. Are they being racist against their own people? How are they prejudiced, given that they are muslims or ex-muslims (by definition prejudice is a judgmental opinion formed before fully knowing someone of something)?
If you answer "no", then it would be difficult for you to explain why they aren't but, in your opinion, I am. What is the difference? Is it because I'm white?
If you dodge the question with something like "I don't have to answer the questions of a bigoted person like you", you will only emphasize that you don't want to answer the question, making you look bad.
So seemingly your only option is to skip the question completely and hope it goes away.
Joined: 11/4/2007
Posts: 1772
Location: Australia, Victoria
Can I seriously ask, as a member, for you two to move the discussion to PM or another topic? It's getting a bit annoying to check up on this topic and see arguments about multiculturalism going on here.
Joined: 2/28/2006
Posts: 2275
Location: Milky Way -> Earth -> Brazil
I always try to be very honest and blunt with everyone, but sometimes I wait for the best moment to say some stuff.
I agree with Dada
Bisqwit is pretty much the greatest person I've seen in this community. Most of the time he seems to be eons ahead of everyone else. His convergent thinking seems to allow him to concentrate in any matter and work on the minor details that most people overlook.
Unfortunately this natural affinity for details + his overwhemingly enourmous ego = a somewhat narrow-minded man. It's all fun an games until you try to disrupt the delicate balance of his known world.
I remember this
If a child receives a box containing an expensive toy as a birthday present, it's possible that he will enjoy the box more than the toy.
This is creativity.
We're doing the same for these games.
Instead of walking on the paths created for us, we create our own paths, our own legs and so on.
And we're not listening to people who say "you can't do that!".
Just like children.
It was on the old site. The "Why and How". You can clearly notice the contrast between his work and the current 'stupid video links everywhere' style.
Anyway, taking a look at that text, I notice the part
And we're not listening to people who say "you can't do that!".
Just like children.
I would like to add that it's not hard to encourage people towards a certain behaviour if you can make them think they aren't allowed to do that, or it's an unique opportuinity that they won't see again.
The fear of loss of a certain freedom is much stronger then you think.
That's all.
Although he didn't make everything alone, he walked the first steps. In the end, we all have to thank Bisqwit for this.
"Genuine self-esteem, however, consists not of causeless feelings, but of certain knowledge about yourself.
It rests on the conviction that you — by your choices, effort and actions — have made yourself into the
kind of person able to deal with reality. It is the conviction — based on the evidence of your own volitional
functioning — that you are fundamentally able to succeed in life and, therefore, are deserving of that success."
- Onkar Ghate
Bisqwit wrote:
Most of the time [Bisqwit] seems to be eons ahead of everyone else. His convergent thinking seems to allow him to concentrate in any matter and work on the minor details that most people overlook.
Unfortunately this natural affinity for details + his overwhemingly enourmous ego = a somewhat narrow-minded man. It's all fun an games until you try to disrupt the delicate balance of his known world.
Thanks for the well-thought analysis.
I am however not sure what to make of it: I always say that details escape my mind; I'm good at extrapolating big pictures. For instance, I can rarely describe any event or speech to anyone, or to quote what someone said, but I can easily tell which conclusions I made of it. Opinions about "ego" may be too subjective to argue either way in a meaningful manner.
Joined: 4/17/2010
Posts: 11479
Location: Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
pirate_sephiroth wrote:
If a child receives a box containing an expensive toy as a birthday present, it's possible that he will enjoy the box more than the toy.
This is creativity.
We're doing the same for these games.
Instead of walking on the paths created for us, we create our own paths, our own legs and so on.
And we're not listening to people who say "you can't do that!".
Just like children.
Oh. My. God.
We DEFINITELY need some psychological inspiration description back on that page. It is SO poetic!!! I'm extremely serious here. People around see movies, but they almost can't understand our MOTIVATION to do what we do. The sence is that: We do things that were supposed impossible, beyond human. But we do that not because we are superhumans. We merely BELIEVE this IS possible!
Just recall how a new crazy trick to try first comes to your mind. It is true creativity, art in most lofty sence - to get rhyme lines, melodies, plots, images of anything you feel exalted, divine, inspiring, really interesting - DIRECTLY from "nowhere", from some sacred secret source.
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.
I would be happy if someone would split the political discussion to its own thread.
I would, but I might end up regretting it. This would cause me to have to post in here.
Sage advice from a friend of Jim: So put your tinfoil hat back in the closet, open your eyes to the truth, and realize that the government is in fact causing austismal cancer with it's 9/11 fluoride vaccinations of your water supply.
I regret being so aggressive with some things, like the defense in favor of Saturn's Super Metroid low% run. I could defend it without being so hateful.
My first language is not English, so please excuse myself if I write something wrong. I'll do my best do write as cleary as I can, so cope with me here =)
(ノಥ益ಥ)ノ
Joined: 11/18/2006
Posts: 2426
Location: Back where I belong
I regret not making a TAS in a year and a half. That may change when I get a new laptop. I regret taking 2 or 3 breaks of several months duration within the past two years. Now, while I am no where near as active as I was in 2007-8, I stay very much aware of everything going on. I regret not accomplishing my goals for the site (both runs and contributions).
Overall, even though I've done a lot with (and for) the site, I feel I could and should have done more. This is really my first home on the internet, and the source of nearly all my internet creative activity, and I regret not putting more consistent effort into it.
Your topic states "How regretful are YOU?".
Your post asks for what you are regretful.
I regret to inform you that your topic does not at all represent it's title.