Another Day, Another Ron Paul Post

Ron Paul — the silver standard in leadership — is quite popular on the Internet. We all know this. And if you write something mean about Ron Paul, people get really upset in the comments section of your blog. They are affectionately known as “Paultards.” Some of them get legitimately upset about this title.

RJ White runs a blog called The City Desk, which is described on the sidebar as “fictional urbanism.” A post about Ron Paul being uninvited by “Watson University” was spotted by a million Technorati Paul supporters and comments like these were left:

• “Yes I agree, your mother raised a failure…. in you.”
• “I definitely won’t recommend Watson U to my son.”
• “Well, you’ve clearly demonstrated your economic ignorance as well as your poor journalism. Here’s a challenge for you. Let’s see if you can even explain what the gold standard is, what the benefits of it could be, and why it so clearly to you is a joke.”

I do believe Ron Paul has a lot of support in the group that likes to be online 24/7, and the support of a decent amount of people in some places. That being said, if a lot of weird Ron Paul commenters were some sort of fake Internet stupids prank by some group, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Ex-Candidate Ron Paul Dis-invited [The City Desk]

DigPhilly Speaks Out Against Fictional Programs

Yesterday, NBC 10/DigPhilly’s Teresa Masterson reported on a pretty creepy new Google technology: Google Body, which will attempt to scan the body of every living thing on Earth. Google said they’ll be able to help companies know where to spend their research dollars and help match up organ donations. There is a way to opt out.

I don’t like to use strong language in writing, but there is no other way to describe it: This is fuuuuuucked up.

The project, known as Google Body, sees the company partnering with public transportation systems, libraries, and motor vehicle departments to place scanners in highly trafficked areas, doorways, etc., that will scan every person’s body in order to make it available to anyone.

The best part? If you don’t want people to be able to google your ass, (and yes, I mean your ass in the literal sense) you need to wear a yellow and black headband in public. I really wonder if this is a joke. I’m praying that this is a joke. But it’s not. It’s insanity masked as innovative technology.

You may have guessed it already, people: The original article on Wired’s website was a joke.

More »

TCNJ Issues Fatwa Against Author

When one writes a fictional story about a death that is pretty much 100 percent “ripped from the headlines” — thanks, Dick Wolf — the people who, oh, I don’t know, knew the person who died sometimes get a little upset.

Such is the case with author Joyce Carol Oates, whose “Landfill,” a short story in last week’s New Yorker, is almost completely based on the tale of John A. Fiocco Jr., a College of New Jersey student who disappeared and was found in a landfill in Bucks County.

Okay, the short story isn’t really that much like the actual event aside from the actual plot outline, but, hey, if you write something ripped from the headlines, you have to expect some people might have some criticism. And one of them is The College of New Jersey, which had a college spokesman say that although she can write about whatever she wants, there “are also people who were close to John and were loved ones who might have a difficult time with the story.”

Fair enough. You think Ms. Oates would simply take the criticism, possibly give a “I’m sorry you feel that way” apology and move on. Nope, though. Here’s her response:

In an e-mail sent Wednesday to The Associated Press, she likened the school’s criticism to the reaction of Muslim fundamentalists who issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against Salman Rushdie for his “The Satanic Verses.” She said it is a case in which a writer draws upon real events to write a fictional story, but is then met with “astonishing hostility on the part of people who do not ‘read’ fiction as symbolic or representational, but literal.”

What the fuck? What the hell does that mean? So, basically, she compares herself to someone who had death threats against him and then mocks people who are upset about her story as not being smart enough to read it the way she thinks you should. Yeah, quite a strategy there! “I’m sorry you were upset my story was sort of based on your son’s death, but you’re too stupid to figure it out. Here, have a copy of Them.”

Landfill [NYer]
College criticizes author over story based on student’s death [AP/Camden Courier Post]