1) Campus cats are awesome to begin with; they're even more entertaining when one is drunk.
2) EDIT 10/31/06: Moved to next post to facilitate discussion.
3) Rape is bad. Sorry to bring the blog fun to a screeching halt, but yeah. I found out last week that one of my friends had been drugged and raped (by another student on campus) only a couple weeks prior, and have been struggling with this since. I've still barely wrapped my brain around it - I've helped with some of the sexual violence awareness campaigns/readings/events since, and there's been a fairly good response from the campus, who realize it is, in a somewhat unfortunate way, something that the students pretty much need to take care of themselves because by the time the deans/cops/authorities get involved, it's pretty much too late. So, I've been thinking about this a lot, though I'm not sure this is the best forum for airing those thoughts, so I'll just leave with the imperative to watch out for your friends. Watch out for strangers, for that matter. Do not allow sketchy shit to go down. This is probably less of an issue for people not attending lots of college parties, but yeah. There it is. Be safe.
15 comments:
I know what you mean for looking out for people.
Last Friday a gay college student was beat up outside of the town's local gay bar after being verbally taunted unprovoked by the attacker for a few minutes.
What really bothers me is, I had left that bar that night about 5 minutes before that happened. Too bad I wasn't still there...
In my mind, rape is the single worst crime that can be committed against someone.
Wow. That was a shape turn. Not the greatest thing to read early in the morning. One moment I was reading about myth, thinking about all my fond memories and the next I was seeped in solemn words about the evil and violent act of rape.
I am in complete agreement with Hans. Rape (especially of a Child) is the most egregious crime that can be committed against a single human being. It is outrageous to think there are people who lust for sex and power so much that they would drug another person and take advantage of them.
What is truly sad about rape situations is that a lot of the time there is no evident to bring charges against the rapist. (I've watched my fair share of Law&Order:SVU) The fact that the victim gets no justice angers me to no end.
Torture is another thing that really pisses me off. To entrap a human being and then preform sadistic and carefully planned violence against them is a depraved evil. I am VERY angry to hear even the slightest discussion in our government about EVEN considering torture. To think that our government DOES torture gets my blood raging.
give me an address and I can be there in 8 hours. Won't even burn the school down.
And, no, this isn't poke being blustery and showing off his machismo. I will gladly make a rapist live their life in a wheelchair.
More philosophically, I would tend to disagree with the prevailing sentiment about rape/torture/etc being the worst possible crimes. I still hold that these things, however horrible, are preferable to death.
I've had this discussion/arguement with Hans before and I understand the arguements against my possition, but ultimatly any pain can be delt with. Death is final. This is why I wish an instant death on those I hate most. They don't get to hang around to feel pain.
Still, if you know who the guy is, and are sufficiantly certain in that knowledge, let nothing stand between him and what vengance you see fit.
Thanks for the comments, guys.
I'm actually kind of with Poke on this - death is worse, if only because you have a slight chance to get back to something resembling normal after whatever else. That said, I'm right there with the rest of you in thinking that short of flat out ending all future possibilities by killing someone, rape and torture are the worst and scariest, in my opinion.
Sadly, we (at present) have no knowledge of who did it, which is really all that's keeping me and some other of her friends from going and caving the bastard's face in. It might be easier in the short run (not knowing) but in the end I hope we get who did it, needless to say.
Explain how death worse. We ALL have to experience death. We don't ALL experience being raped or tortured. Death is something that is GOING to happen to us no matter what we try and do... How could that possible be viewed as being worse then the trauma of rape or torture?
Torture and rape are far worse. A man could torture a woman; slowly peeling back her finger nails causing them to drip with blood, cutting off her eye-lids so that she can never close them, and using a rusty knife to cut into her soft flesh. Stealing from her the human dignity granted to her by God. At the end of this the assailant can look into her eyes, into her suffering humanity, and quietly smile as she continues to cling to life.
OR on the other hand. Death can come swift, the end of consciousness, by a bullet through the brain into absolute nothingness. The murdered becomes an object, something to decay, withdrawn from the universe, no longer needing to rack their brain over the troubled world they once belong to.
Gentlemen, there are worse things then death, and those things, those traumas will never leave no matter how much want there is to return to the "normal". They are gross acts that become apart of our consciousness which cast doubt on our fellow man, shattering our trust. The death of trust is the death of reason to live.
I feel that I need to clarify my point - I'm not arguing that a quick, "humane" death (bullet to the brain, other very quick, painless death) is worse than rape. I guess I was actually mentally lumping it with a kind of torture - like the BTK serial murderer is just about as terrifying as I could come up with. I think I was thinking more in the realm of a violent death - stabbing, or the worst I could think of, being beaten to death. These, I do think are worse than rape because they are degrading, as Andy said, and dehumanizing as they destroy your form and your right to choose your future. Simple death is, as Andy said, normal. I agree that this is perhaps a better course than the chilling description of torture and rape he presents. However, when I talked about death, I did not mean a simple, relatively painless course to that end, I had in mind a much more grisly action, so I see where we're disagreeing on that point.
A lot of this is spawned from my particular fear of being gang-beaten. I have no basis for this and with any luck it'll never happen, but it's just about the most terrifying thing I can think of, which makes Todd's post even more distressing.
Nothing makes me more sick than hearing about rape. Tortue doesn't bother me in the slightest in most cases. I would personally be glad to torture a rapist that was proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. If you haven't seen Boondock Saints please do so.
I hold that capital punishment is a good thing that has 2 flaws. 1 it is not used widely enough. It should be used against sexual preditors for a very henious first offense, or any second offense. My second problem is that the method of execution used is too quick and un sensational. Now I know I know the 8th ammendment and all. All I am asking for is something such as the Guillotine that makes a bloody mess for the public to see and fear.
Sorry for the rant but yes I feel it should be an eye for a head when it comes to rapists. I have absolutly no compasion for them.
When it comes to death vs. (insert insane crazy painful life-scarring deal here), I will plainly say that death would be the more appealing choice. Basically, I agree with Andy on that point.
However, to be quasi-contrary, I will say that there is nothing, nothing in the world that scares me more than my own inevitable non-existance. I'd say much of the reason for this is that it will happen. I'm going to die. I think we can agree that this is indeed, a fact. (ok, a highly educated deduction. shush.) And actually, I guess it's more the idea of death that is fucking scary. Being dead... is probably not too scary. I've never known anyone who is dead that is scared shitless because of his condition. I doubt many have. Anyways, the concept of going from a conscious living creature (specifically conscious, or sentient might be a better term. I don't think creatures that don't know they exist in the first place would be too perturbed by not existing.) to... well, nothing... kinda freaks me out.
I know, I know... "how do you know it's nothing?" Well, I don't. And that's probably where the fear lies. I have no idea as to what will happen to "me" when I die. I suppose if it really is "nothing", then I won't care because I won't have the capacity to care. If it's some fiery tortury hell for eternity... well that's probably pretty shitty, and I dare say my fear would be well founded.
I guess what it comes down to is a fear of the unknown. Also, the existance in which I inhabit right now is pretty damn enjoyable and I feel like continuing to exist within it.
Back to the original point. I think it can indeed become so unbearable that death would be a "good" choice in some cases. A life of 51% misery is a life in which I'm not interested.
I'm clearly the odd man out. I give no thought to beyond the moment of death, because I'm quite secure in my belief that there is nothing... not even some void to float around in.
I feel that to not exist is the ultimate worst thing. True I won't care that I'm dead, because there won't be an "I" to care, but I think that's worse than being in a shitty situation or condition (take whatever extreme you like) because there is an "I" to care, and there is a will to push on, overcome, and reap what bloody vengeance is needed.
IT all just comes down to a basic start point that Hans and I have discussed, and the he touched on in his last comment. I consider a lack of existence to be worst than an existence that is primarily negative. He does not.
I don't seek agreement concerning this point, only clarity.
And what of a life where you push on but are pushed down, where you try to overcome but are undermined and where you lack the arms, legs, and eyes to reap bloody vengeance? Your well-feed words are for situations where there is still hope. Hope is fragile, hope can be stripped from a human being as easily as can sight or taste.
In some respects, you and I Poke are on different extremes. The end of conciseness is not the ultimate worst, but an inevitable state of being. A natural part of this beautiful but violent universe. A peaceful gift at the end of the curious gift called life.
On the other hand we have similar views. I am also secure in my belief that there is nothing after life. This does not bother me, I actually welcome the idea. This does not mean I want to die right now, I just don't mind the idea that much. I do however mind the idea of being completely maimed, kept alive, and then tortured some more as part of someones sick joke.
Hence my objection to movies like Saw, Hostel, etc. They have no redeeming qualities and glorify abosulutely pointless violence or worse, grotesque violence perpetrated because someone feels they have the "right" to exert control over others.
I really like the discussion going on here guys!
it's funny, but I've often said that the lack of belief in an afterlife leads to two out looks, and Andy and I have each taken one. Odd that such extremes arise out of a commonality.
It's also interesting, and encouraging to see two people with such widely divergent views having such similar moralities/values/etc.
Also, Saw II was a pretty fkn good movie. I never saw Saw. (fk that's an odd sentence to have to type, it mocks me)
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