I went here to catch some video and see what was what. I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting to see that many people show up. Someone said there were upwards of 70.
A few notable things:
Guy with a beard and long hair in only a button up shirt and tie, yelling “Scientology Eats Babies” and “Scientology Gave Me Hemorrhoids”.
Xenuanon
Someone holding a poster that read “Scientology Says Jesus was a Pedophile”
People shouting “Ebaumsworld.com”
The cops bringing 2 squad cars and the paddywagon until ultimately realizing nobody was actually going to blow up the CoS building or anything
A massive hawk that flew up and perched above the CoS building, seemingly taking in the spectacle.
Huge numbers of people honking at the signs (“Honk if you think Scientology is a cult”, etc).
Very out-of-place couple that looked like they just walked off of the set of Melrose Place 2008 or something, asking questions. Maybe they were with the CoS?
I wasn’t around to see this, but one anon on the KC raid thread on Enturbulation.org noted:
There was a grand exit at 1:30 when everyone counted down from 10 to 0, then everyone just went in every direction, was def lulz. We had 1 guy following our group as we left, but he noticed us taking pictures of him and dropped off tailing us. All in all, a good day.
This video is an example of why it took me 10 years before I actually put up a site dedicated to my random thoughts. The current tagline here is “A Tribute to Internet Narcissism, Skepticism, and Various Other ‘isms”, and that’s because I realize there’s something narcissistic about posting what’s in your head and expecting random strangers to give a damn.
Fortunately, I don’t and this is more of an exercise in writing something on a regular basis. Regardless, this guy is exactly how I picture many “bloggers” who write about themselves and not something specific like Aesopian, for example.
Someone IM’d me with this video the other day. Apparently he had some crackpot theories about Bruce Lee and got dismantled on the Bullshido Forums. I completely missed that discussion thread, which isn’t a surprise given that we’ve got thousands of new posts per day over there.
And it’s not just the whining (and borderline crying) this guy does over people who don’t like his stupid ideas that irks me. Heck, this could be fake, or a tribute to the “Leave Brittney Alone” video. It’s the medium itself. There’s something almost intrusive about a person posting rants like that online. Most people who’ve been raised with decent manners are conditioned to look at someone “speaking to them”. So like it or not, when you stumble on a video of someone ranting or whining like this, deep down in your psyche, there’s that extra bit of aggravation that wells up just the same as if some jerk on the street walked up to you with the intention of talking non-stop in your face for 9:59.
And from a cultural perspective, if there’s not a backlash against this (whether natural or manufactured) kind of narcissism, we’re going to be in a world of hurt. Why? Because the Internet will listen to anybody.
If you’re into cramming watermelons up your ass sideways there’s a constituency of people just like you, waiting to validate your opinions, on the Internet. So out of necessity or out of convenience, you chose to associate only with those people who support your views on watermelon cramming. And when enough of you get together, you start thinking not only that the world actually cares about your viewpoint, but that you should crusade to spread your cause.
This is why we’ve seen the explosion of groups like The National Association for Fat Acceptance, Furries, Juggalos, and Ninjas. Through the Internet, the fringe manages to gravitate towards one another, providing the illusion that they’re members of mainstream society with just a different take on things.
And yes, the irony of writing this isn’t lost on me given the fact that I run a community of Martial Artists who expect people that spend years and thousands of dollars learning how to punch, to actually punch each other. (Of course, unlike the fruitcakes, we’re right.)
And I guess that’s the flip side to this phenomenon. Whereas there are thousands of communities of these social rejects that band together to reinforce their own delusions or trauma-induced fetishes, there are a handful of communities/sites out there, working hard to beat back the tide of stupidity with the paddle of reality.
Communities like those at Something Awful, or a bit more serious, The James Randi Forums, or even my very own Bullshido, are all filled with thousands of people dedicated to fighting/exposing/making fun of stupid.
So while I still think people who post video of themselves ranting and whining are colossal douchebags with delusions of self-importance, at least there are thousands more willing to bring the swift boot of reality crashing down on their balls.
This is something that was brought to my attention, in passing, as a subject of discussion on Bullshido.
To preface this, Kyle Maynard probably doesn’t describe himself as a hero. And for what he’s accomplished, Kyle Maynard could even be considered somewhat badass.
Here’s what I posted, slightly adjusted for audience.
There’s two sides to this story for any logical, rational person:
1. Guy with a ton of physical handicaps busts his ass to be good at something. Cool!
2. Guy with a ton of physical handicaps that prevent him from fully participating in a sport feels he’s owed the right to exploit the rules, drag down the sport (literally and figuratively), and get a disproportionately large pat on the back for not just resigning himself to being a punchline for jokes that end with “Phil”, and “Matt”. Not Cool.
IMO it’s a product of our fucking Oprah-ized, spoiled suburban culture that everyone now expects a pat on the back for busting their ass to achieve something or overcome obstacles. It’s like nobody recognizes that that’s the @#(#ing point of life, and everyone has their own challenges to face. You’re not a !@)$ing hero for doing the best with what you’ve got, you’re a human being.
Kyle Maynard grappling
Have our standards sunk so low? Do people really need to be told they’re heroes for doing their best at something? For going to work 5 days a week? For getting up in the morning?
Jesus *^_!ing christ. Don’t crap on real heroes like that. Kyle’s an awesome guy, but he has his limits. Trying to bring people down to the same level because of your own limitations is an asshole move in any context.
The word “hero” these days has no meaning. This is the phenomenon that describes Jessica Lynch as a “hero” for doing little more than getting captured.
A hero is someone who does something well beyond the exceptional. They’re someone society is supposed to be able to point to as an example of what we all should be in a perfect set of circumstances.
Don’t the types of people who push this “everyone’s a unique and beautiful snowflake” crap get the fact that everyone, by the very definition of the word, cannot be special?
Very few people have the character traits and strength of will to be heroes, and that’s a good thing. We need heroes who sacrifice themselves for just causes, we also need the plain-old-people who wake up every morning, go to work, come home, and repeat the cycle until they’re dead. Because without these people whose lives are the rule, we wouldn’t be able to distinguish those who are truly the exception.
To preface this, Kyle Maynard probably doesn’t describe himself as a hero. And for what he’s accomplished, Kyle Maynard could even be considered somewhat badass.
The word “hero” these days has no meaning. This is the phenomenon that describes Jessica Lynch as a “hero” for doing little more than getting captured. 