tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post2463882075596565039..comments2024-02-22T07:47:22.661-05:00Comments on The Bathroom Monologues: Bathroom Monologue: The Problem with Free SpeechJohn Wiswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-53352980436224672972013-08-06T09:06:01.306-04:002013-08-06T09:06:01.306-04:00The "excited" entries had crappier punct...The "excited" entries had crappier punctuation than the "rational" ones, so I think the punctuation worked out fine. Katherine Hajerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08270232675026751342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-68941603688360551952013-08-04T18:18:43.850-04:002013-08-04T18:18:43.850-04:00These were all constructions, though certainly ins...These were all constructions, though certainly inspired by things I've seen people write. I'm glad they landed as authentic for you.<br /><br />How'd I do on punctuation? I'm now self-conscious about my periods.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-22938536883399618552013-08-04T12:03:00.893-04:002013-08-04T12:03:00.893-04:00Curious -- were the examples found text? If not, y...Curious -- were the examples found text? If not, you did a great job of making them sound like it.<br /><br />This is one of the rare pieces where one of the most fascinating things for me is the punctuation -- who uses standard punctuation and ends sentences with periods and question marks, and who uses non-standard (or no) punctuation and exclamation marks.Katherine Hajerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08270232675026751342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-37048041195967987772013-08-04T00:10:02.898-04:002013-08-04T00:10:02.898-04:00I can understand and even appreciate being more in...I can understand and even appreciate being more interested in what causes people to misbehave than their misbehavior through enshrined rights, but I'm not willing to come with you on ignoring the freedom of speech angle. It's a little too "guns don't kill people" for me, even if I would much sooner ban all guns than let the Senate define how we can talk on the internet. In fact, it's because I hold freedom of expression holy that I dwell on how it's used. <br /><br />But I also don't believe the post is quite so reductive as to suggest the remedy for human ugliness is to annihilate liberty. This is just a result of liberty.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-12638510651712590712013-08-04T00:04:59.913-04:002013-08-04T00:04:59.913-04:00I've never actually read the comments section ...I've never actually read the comments section of Yahoo, as I don't frequent that site, but I've seen plenty of ugliness elsewhere on the web. Part of the generation, I think.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-58853962213213754032013-08-04T00:04:09.766-04:002013-08-04T00:04:09.766-04:00Thank you for the kind words, Virginia. I wish tho...Thank you for the kind words, Virginia. I wish those campaigns were what had inspired it, but this kind of ugliness is so common I managed to write it in pure ignorance to that plausible application.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-23263248476221655812013-08-04T00:02:18.945-04:002013-08-04T00:02:18.945-04:00It keeps going around. I wrote this a year or more...It keeps going around. I wrote this a year or more ago, then the Orson Scott Card nonsense about censorship shook it loose. Felt worth at least trying.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-51753984640739269502013-08-03T19:17:09.785-04:002013-08-03T19:17:09.785-04:00Heart-wrenching.
I honestly don't see this as...Heart-wrenching.<br /><br />I honestly don't see this as the problem with free speech - I see it as a problem with people. With respect, framing it this way actually strikes me as sort of dangerous, because it lets us say "oh, if the rule wasn't here like this, we wouldn't be harassed, there wouldn't be hate-speech, no one would have to be afraid because of something someone said" as opposed to dealing with the things that make people act like this, and make people take advantage of such an important right in such a fashion.Randall Nicholshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06252840359471581378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-88717276642638126012013-08-03T09:11:29.013-04:002013-08-03T09:11:29.013-04:00Ditto the comment about "nice use of the form...Ditto the comment about "nice use of the form." Soon as I saw the beginning, I thought this must be inspired by comments on yahoo news articles - I can't stand most of them and yet I find it nearly impossible not to read at least the first three.liminalfictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08762010680878316253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-9392913915312854552013-08-03T08:32:51.564-04:002013-08-03T08:32:51.564-04:00LOL - "self-trolling". That's a new ...LOL - "self-trolling". That's a new one. Not really a laughing matter though, as it's painful how many people have taken to the internet simply to spew hatred. The internet provides a huge forum for these types of exchanges, but the cowards, name-callers and rock throwers have always been with us. I don't engage them - as the saying goes, "I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person."Lihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08831231531918915804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-4355910738982433432013-08-02T22:56:49.547-04:002013-08-02T22:56:49.547-04:00I wish more people would consider how appropriate ...I wish more people would consider how appropriate their speech is instead of how free it is.Tim VanSant Writeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17614259042362664840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-43410084898619850592013-08-02T19:53:19.017-04:002013-08-02T19:53:19.017-04:00A wonderful example of why I *almost* never read t...A wonderful example of why I *almost* never read the comments on articles!Cat Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160039271069426174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-38063044563403578852013-08-02T17:27:48.068-04:002013-08-02T17:27:48.068-04:00Truer words, John. Truer words. It happens entirel...Truer words, John. Truer words. It happens entirely too often.Sonia Lalhttp://storytreasury.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-43121772395801832262013-08-02T16:14:05.318-04:002013-08-02T16:14:05.318-04:00This is why we love your blog John - always fresh ...This is why we love your blog John - always fresh and interesting...I do think that when it gets hateful and threatening you can't hide behind free speech anymore, but I think you nailed that...funnily enough been big news in UK this last fortnight. Horrible hate campaigns against womenVirginia Moffatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12071059148315715405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-43466097302892845002013-08-02T13:00:12.094-04:002013-08-02T13:00:12.094-04:00Good stuff, John. Thoughtful and entertaining at t...Good stuff, John. Thoughtful and entertaining at the same time. Chuck Allenhttp://www.chuckallen.usnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-67804330610443183092013-08-02T12:55:21.259-04:002013-08-02T12:55:21.259-04:00If I ever wondered why I avoid message boards (I d...If I ever wondered why I avoid message boards (I don't, but if I did) this would remind me.Bevimushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14924337684790883853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-59836427816888549282013-08-02T11:51:55.569-04:002013-08-02T11:51:55.569-04:00I think people tend to forget that free speech mea...I think people tend to forget that free speech means hearing stuff they don't want to hear. It's an ugly truth about free speech.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-54785032985864255692013-08-02T11:29:52.010-04:002013-08-02T11:29:52.010-04:00The weirdness can be my favorite aspect, sometimes...The weirdness can be my favorite aspect, sometimes. It's more thorniness that digs into me. What about you?John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-25974066044368721852013-08-02T11:28:32.556-04:002013-08-02T11:28:32.556-04:00The longer cockroaches feel entitled and antipathy...The longer cockroaches feel entitled and antipathy, the harder it is to beat them with a light. They were already so evolved to resist, you know?John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-31888709911684967042013-08-02T11:27:44.979-04:002013-08-02T11:27:44.979-04:00I seem addicted to sticking my heart in the meat g...I seem addicted to sticking my heart in the meat grinder. My friends call it "self-trolling."John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-50187547379179404972013-08-02T11:26:08.047-04:002013-08-02T11:26:08.047-04:00Thank you Franny, and I'm also sorry that it&#...Thank you Franny, and I'm also sorry that it's meaningful.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-61331742096314597662013-08-02T09:54:41.514-04:002013-08-02T09:54:41.514-04:00Jeez. It's funny when you point it out, but th...Jeez. It's funny when you point it out, but the same stuff gets played out every day, somewhere out there in the blogosphere.<br /><br />An internet acquaintance of mine was fond of saying, "Turn on the lights, the cockroaches scatter." But sometimes, the roaches accuse the light of encroaching on "their" territory. I'm not sure where I was going with this. :-PLarry Kollarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317037795075278427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-82326208413255181582013-08-02T09:29:29.171-04:002013-08-02T09:29:29.171-04:00Interesting piece John (as usual!). :-)Interesting piece John (as usual!). :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-67057249125641816782013-08-02T09:04:13.598-04:002013-08-02T09:04:13.598-04:00This is exactly why I don't post religious or ...This is exactly why I don't post religious or political articles. I agree with toki, very thought-provoking story.Deanna Schrayerhttp://deannaschrayer.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-19528713438367148372013-08-02T09:03:21.945-04:002013-08-02T09:03:21.945-04:00Trollish reality will ruin many a decent blog. Gre...Trollish reality will ruin many a decent blog. Great slice-of-life, John.Tony Nolandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090583562737225942noreply@blogger.com