No, no, no, no, no, no, No!
Archive for August, 2003
Michael Moore
Sunday, August 24th, 2003People keep telling me how much they enjoyed or are enjoying this or that Michael Moore book. And I keep having to educate them. Most of what he says in his books and documentaries is rhetoric. It’s all about effect. It’s either not researched or deliberately distorted. But don’t just take my word for it.
Bowling for Columbine debunked:
Documentary Or Fiction? by David T. Hardy.
Michael Moore’s Columbine Gutterballs by Larry Pratt.
The Moore The Scarier by Debbie Schlussel.
Viewer Beware by Ben Fritz.
A Times article about Michael Moore detractors.
A review of Stupid White Men:
One Moore Stupid White Man by Ben Fritz.
As Michael Jennings wrote, “If you have enjoyed Michael Moore, then try Brink Lindsey. He’ll help you get over it.”
How To Annoy Me While Driving #4 – Try to Kill Me. Twice.
Thursday, August 21st, 2003This technique was admirably demonstrated by Mr Red Golf Man on the M27 today. It was just past 6pm and still quite busy, so all three lanes were in use. I’m in lane 3 passing some cars passing a lorry when Mr Red Golf Man pulls up behind me, getting a bit too close for comfort. I would go faster but there’s a car in front so I can’t. I sit there.
I’m coming up to my turn-off, so I’m thinking of making my way over to lane 1, looking for gaps in lane 2. As I reach such a gap, I signal left, check my blind spot, and start to move over. But what’s this – Mr Red Golf Man is trying to pass me on the inside. I’m half way through changing lanes and he’s still coming towards me. Somehow we miss each other and now we’re both in lane 2, and he’s right up my exhaust pipe. I flash my brake lights at him to ask him to drop back a bit, and all he does is flash his headlights at me.
I start signalling left as there is a gap approaching that will let me into lane 1 just before my turn-off. I wait until I’m about three car lengths into the gap before pulling into it. But what’s this? Mr Red Golf Man is passing me on the inside again! While I’m signalling left! Again! I honk and shake my fist at him, but he sails past, and turns off. I just manage to make the turn-off myself.
So I have two peices of advice for Mr Red Golf Man: 1) Don’t tailgate people, especially in busy traffic. 2) Don’t pass people on the inside, especially when they’re signalling left. They get nervous about it.
State Monopoly on Self Defence
Wednesday, August 13th, 2003David Carr writes an excellent article on Samizdata that explains how self defence has become not only illegal in the UK, but synonymous with, “‘vigilantism’ or ‘retribution’”.
The prevention of and resistance to crime was no longer the duty of the citizen nor even the right of the citizen; it was now seen as being wholly the function of the state to be exercised as a monopoly by its various agencies.
Thus, the citizen who ‘takes matters into his own hands’ is so deeply offensive. Aside from the question of any mischief he may or may not have inflicted upon his tormentor or assailant, his worse ‘crime’ lies in the usurpation of a power that the state regards as being within its sole competence.
The law is now in hands of the government. The citizen is merely required to obey.
I’ve always been uncomfortable with the advice of the police to not take matters into your own hands, while at the same time openly admitting that they cannot be everywhere at once. Of course they can’t be everywhere at once, no matter how much money is stolen from me to fund them. Therefore self defence will always be necessary.
The idea of leaving it to the police is a victim mentality. It’s not my fault; other people are responsible; if bad things happen to me there is nothing I can do about them; I am merely a victim of other people’s failings. In a positive feedback loop, state provision leads to diminished personal responsibility, which leads to ever more clamouring for more state provision. The result is an expensive nanny state with impossible goals.
The alternative is to return to a situation where it is a duty to prevent a crime in progress, and support people by allowing them the means to do this.
Feminine What?
Tuesday, August 5th, 2003Last night I saw a TV advert for a cream to treat, “feminine itching”, which is used by applying it, “to the intimate feminine area”. Talk about beating about the bush. Er, by which I mean, um, why don’t they just say what they mean?
It seems the folks who came up with the name of the product had no such inhibitions: Vaginol.
Update: Speaking of euphemisms, Archsweet provides a link to this wonderful euphemism generator. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just get back to baking the bald-headed dolphin…
Under-what?
Sunday, August 3rd, 2003A question that lately has been occupying more of my brain cycles than it’s really worth is this: Was the word “underarm” ever used as a noun before the people charged with making the advert for Dove deoderant decided that the phrase, “soft and smooth armpits” wasn’t aesthetically pleasing enough?