Well, I tried Posterous for a while, forgot about it for a while longer, tried it again and now I've decided to move back to Wordpress ...

Alain de Botton, philosopher, woolly liberal, intellectual mastabator and twitting bullshitter tweeted something to me on Tuesday that irked me enough to blow the dust of this half-assed blog of mine and actually getting round to making a post.

I jumped into a discussion, if one may call it that, between @pzmyers and @alaindebotton about the rights and wrongs and value of swearing as opposed to being scrupulously 'polite' when talking about or engaging with ideas and people that one finds wrong and/or offensive.

I'd quote the whole thing, but @alaindebotton has deleted his tweets (apparently this is nothing personal as he deletes his @replies daily*).

Anyway, the context is what @alaindebotton has being saying about New Atheists and what @pzmyers, Pharyngula, (among others) think about that.

And the gist of the twitspat is that @alaindebotton has somehow deluded himself into thinking that he is 'polite' just because he rabbits on about the dangers of Equus africanus asinus and their predilection for stubbornness and wicked back-kicks rather than out right calling and ass an ass, whereas @pzmyers is a rude, rude man (I know, I know, he looks so avuncular) because he never puts being a smart ass before the naming of the spade.

My contribution was that historically all politeness gets you is ignored and that it allows others to keep you in 'your place'.

@alaindebotton response was: "Politeness gets you ignored only if you have nothing convincing to say."

I found this really quite spectacularly ignorant and as @Hivemeitner pointed out, "that's a bit victim-blamey - 'you are ignored because you aren't convincing'."

It is easy for a man in his postion with his background to say such a thing, because he's white enough, male enough, finacially solvent enough and educated enough not to be looked down on and regularly dismissed out of hand by those who adhere to and uphold the prevailing culture.

In other words his privilege is showing in the most ignorant and embarrassing way.

But I'm not surprised, because this is a person who apparently thinks Atheists have a lot to learn from organized religion and could do to emulate it more. And one lesson I find organized religion teaches us over and over again is that some voices are valued higher not because they have a more convincing [politely put] argument, but because they issue from members of a privileged group.

In and of itself the twitspat over rude and insulting language was, of course, just a silly bit of stuff and nonsense. But the idea that if one can't make oneself heard whilst being 'polite'** then it's because "you have nothing convincing to say," is just barmy elitist bullshit.

Because the trouble with 'politeness' is that it's a) not subject to a universal standard and b) not actually a magic formula for being heard. Or even for being noticed.

And in order to be heard, you really do have to be noticed first.

We need well argued and, yes, 'polite' arguments, but we also need loud, in your face, attention grabbing rudeness, because not everyone is actually open to "convinving arguments" without having first suffered through a rude awakening.

*This does rather leave his twitter account looking like a resource for motivational poster maxims, but each to their own.

**And I have to put that in little scare quotes because what actually constitutes 'politeness' seems like something which is in the eye of the beholder or, rather, those dictating the terms or the engagment.

An ancient Roman who in the blood of his country stained nothing but his hands. Distinguished from the Patrician, who was a saturated solution.
--Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

NB the second 'e' in plebeian -- all other spellings are, well, plebeian.

This year I took pains to be well prepared for the event. I have a little file containing leaflets for days out and a list of suggested activities ... so far it's working I've heard the dread whine "I'm booooored" but once since Thursday. But it's early days: things could still get hairy.

This is my favourite YouTube of the wee-- er, however long it's been since I last updated:

There are Jehovah's Witnesses canvassing the street as I type -- I'm thinking of inviting them in to watch :-D

Syrup Tarts (serves 4)

Equipment:

• 4 4" loose-based tart tins
• sieve
  
• bowl
• kitchen scales
• rolling pin
  
• tablespoon
  
• oven!
  
• food processor could be a help

• 4oz/125g plain flour
• 2½oz/65g butter
• 1oz/30g soft fresh breadcrumbs (approx. one slice, crusts removed, whizzed in the blender)
  
• 4oz/125g golden syrup (possibly a little more)
  
• tablespoon of cold water
  
• 1 fresh lemon

• Pre-heat oven to GM6/200°C.
• Sift flour into your bowl and rub in butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
• Add the water and mix to form into dough.
• Place dough on a floured surface and roll out to fit tins and gently press into tins, trim edges.
  
• Divide breadcrumbs between the four.
  
• Pour about an ounce or so of golden syrup on to each (warming the syrup first will make it easier to pour).
• Squeeze a little lemon juice over each.
• Decorate with any left over pastry and place into the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes.
• Allow to cool a little before removing from tins. 

Best served warm with soft-scoop ice-cream or crème fraiche.

@MarkGatiss : Dottles. Let's bring back that word. Dottles.

dottle
noun
a plug, especially of tobacco left at the bottom of a pipe

 B. adj.

incrispated

adjective

stiffly curled; wrinkled

In the afternoon I walked up to Kilburn. On my way home, being importuned by a girl in the Strand to come home with her, I replied by way of excuse, 'But it's Sunday': on which she exclaimed, 'What, are you so froom as all that?' Froom, she explained, meant religious: but query the word, which is new to me.

I also had a rantlet about being stuck in a situation where, apparently, one can be racist, homophobic and disgustingly sexist so long as one never ever swears in front of a lady.

I've had a beastly cold this week so haven't done much reading and am thus still reading Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson.

Bob's bits:

• Participate in Research on Atheist and Secularity.
  

• TheMozART Group <3
  

• Insulted by Authors : Go to a book signing and ask the author to inscribe an insult to you on your copy. Amy Sedaris: "I'd call you a cunt,but you lack the warmth and depth." 
• Word Cloud: How Toy Ad Vocabulary Reinforced Gender Stereotypes. Wordle can be fun and serious!
• Cory Doctorow talks about children and privacy on-line:

In Other News: The Grumplings break up from school next this Thursday coming. Horror!

Some weeks ago I took part in a volunteer project and I found myself in a van with about a dozen blokes. As far as I could tell from our short acquaintance most of them were okay, but the two youngest lads sat, unfortunately, directly behind me were dedicated tossers. They told racist jokes, made homophobic and sexist comments and were generally offensive. If I hadn't been stuck in a van with them and a load of other blokes and if I could have been more certain that it wouldn't go badly for me, I would have given them a piece of my mind. As it was I tried to tune it out and ignore it. (At least until I could complain about it to the organizers in safety.)

The thing is, it was also funny. Funny because each time one of them swore I got an immediate apology which seemed to be pretty genuine. At the first swear one lad actually told his mate off for swearing in front of a lady and apologised to me for his mate's language. I mean, really! What? And the couple of times after that when a swear slipped out they both automatically apologised to me! Eh? Because apparently "ladies" are perfectly comfortable with creepy comments about Emma Watson and other random women, but say a four letter word and they faint clean away. Or something.

I've never wanted to swear so much in my bloody life. Like, "Are you bastards fucking shitting me? You're making fucking racist jokes, homophobic and sexist remarks but apologising for fucking swearing? Get a fucking clue, shit for brains, then stuff it up your fucking arse until you can fucking chew on it."

Fortunately it is now clear to me that if I'm ever with that particular group again I'd be able to say something and be backed up by the group leader, so naturally I have been practising potential responses in front of mirror. It's a fun pass time and has turned out to be a great stress reliever. Although I do occasionally go a little too far with the gurning and scare myself.

frum

adjective

Pronunciation:  Brit. /frʊm/ , U.S. /frʊm/

Forms:  18– fromm, 18– froom, 19– frum.   (Show More)

Etymology:  < Yiddish frum < Middle High German vrum, vrom pious, devout (German fromm; in Old High German only as noun fruma, froma advantage, benefit), ultimately cognate with Old English fram strong, brave, bold, zealous, eager.

Judaism.

  Devoutly observant of Jewish laws; strictly orthodox or religious.