[QUOTE=henryzz;353226]Hear, Hear.
People who do this sort of thing in the name of Christianity really give us a bad name. The majority wouldn't even consider doing a lot of what actually makes the new these days. A fair bit of the good stuff is censored/not front page news these days.[/QUOTE]The best part of this news cycle is that this did not splash across the front pages. This wackadoo was stopped on infractions before getting a chance to do the full dangerous book burning insult AND the media hardly broadcast the situation at all -- he didn't get the attention he wanted. Boohoo.

As far as the positive aspects of religion. I wish I could find an article that I skimmed the synopsis of a couple of years back (I've looked). It examined the development of religion in societies of over about 10k people. My takeaway was that religion was helpful in mutual aid thinking and was a positive factor in societies coalescing and maintaining structure.

[QUOTE=xilman;353235][URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-24116694"]Full report[/URL] at the BBC. I love blasé reaction.

Paul


(Added in edit)
On closer inspection, the foliage looks rather more like [I]Cupressus x leylandii[/I] than [I]Quercus robur[/I] to me. I deny all responsibility.[/QUOTE]In addition to the stereotypical reserve, Mrs. Howes is also an artist; she clearly had enough composure to appreciate the esthetic aspects of the decoration.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;353272]His life to do stupid with or not - pretty cool climb, IMO. Would you refer to Mallory and Irvine as "stupid"? If not, what is inherently different about their ambition? [Although admittedly, they were likely not sponsored by Red Bull[sup]tm[/sup].] [/QUOTE]


Even were I to take seriously the comparison between the two there would be differences enough to label one stupid and the other merely foolish.

If there were a way in which I would compare the two events in such a way that Kemeter's climb is more positive than Mallory (or any other Everest climber) I would at least give him credit for not forgetting to mention all the brown skinned people who made the ascent with him.

However, it isn't the climb that is stupid, its the jump afterwards. His body may be his to do with as he pleases. But should he fall, or his chute not open then his body is a crowd sourced funding of psychological treatments. His body is the pavement's to do as it pieces.

Even setting aside that, "cool" doesn't exclude "stupid." And you will have a hard time convincing me that "I died climbing a building (or survived climbing a building) with an elevator that could have taken me up or down at will" is remotely the same as "I died climbing a mountain (or survived climbing a mountain). The latter soars into the upper reaches of the atmosphere beyond the grasp of mortal man, the second was built by a couple thousand construction workers who did everything he did and more eight to ten hours a day for a couple years, and then went on to the next job without missing a beat.

I'm afraid I've spend too much time in the construction trades to be impressed by that kind of foolishness--I see it every day sans color coordinated jumpsuit.

[QUOTE=chalsall;352820]Words (almost) fail me.

We really have entered a new dark age, haven't we?[/QUOTE]
It's hilarious, since all smart Christians realize words only have power if you read them. The Kindle version of my Bible is exactly as holy as any physical version, but it's infinitely more holy if I take the time to actually read it.

If I'm about to freeze to death and the only thing available for kindling(pun not intended) is Bibles, I won't feel disrespectful at all for burning them.

Edit:And, yes, the dude is a jackass for doing it. You don't turn someone into a Christian by pissing them off.

[URL="http://gma.yahoo.com/coca-cola-apologizes-offensive-bottle-cap-191206765--abc-news-lifestyle.html"]Coca-Cola Apologizes for Offensive Bottle Cap[/URL]

[QUOTE]
"What would you do if you opened up your bottle of Vitamin Water and on the bottom of the lid it read, "YOU RETARD"?" Doug Loates wrote in his letter swearing off the beverage company for life. "Think about it. I bet you'd be pissed off if you had a Fiona in your life… Can you imagine if SHE had opened this bottle?"
[/QUOTE]

Nice random word selection Coca Cola. You just happen to choose one of the random possibilities that makes sense I guess how odd.

[QUOTE=science_man_88;353516][URL="http://gma.yahoo.com/coca-cola-apologizes-offensive-bottle-cap-191206765--abc-news-lifestyle.html"]Coca-Cola Apologizes for Offensive Bottle Cap[/URL]



Nice random word selection Coca Cola. You just happen to choose one of the random possibilities that makes sense I guess how odd.[/QUOTE]They need to be more careful about computer generated phrases; any phrase should be checked against ordinary profanity/offence filters in a few common languages. There is this recent case too: [URL="http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/24/smallbusiness/tshirt-business/index.html"]Controversial T-shirt destroys business[/URL][QUOTE]At the time, Fowler issued an apology and explained that the shirts never really existed. The images of offensive shirts were the result of a computer program that automatically generated random phrases and images.

Fowler had used the program to expand his company catalog from 1,000 designs to more than 10 million, casual shirts with pithy one-liners like, "I mustache you a question." The vast number of shirts for sale rocketed him to the top of Amazon searches. By printing on demand, he reduced the risk of unsold inventory.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=science_man_88;353516][quote]"What would you do if you opened up your bottle of Vitamin Water and on the bottom of the lid it read, "YOU RETARD"?"[/quote][/QUOTE]What I would do is not care and ignore it. If I liked the drink it wouldn't stop me buying it. I think this person is just after some attention.

[size=1]They're just a series of lines and curves placed on a surface, and have no power unless you allow it.[/size]

[QUOTE=retina;353520]What I would do is not care and ignore it. If I liked the drink it wouldn't stop me buying it. I think this person is just after some attention.

[size=1]They're just a series of lines and curves placed on a surface, and have no power unless you allow it.[/size][/QUOTE]Well another offensive cap said "Douche." We can all be enlightened and choose not to be offended but applying that further, it shouldn't matter what I shout at someone because it's just sound waves and has no power unless they let it. And then monkey-like displays and posturing can also be ignored; people need to only choose to not be affected or look away.

[QUOTE=only_human;353530]Well another offensive cap said "Douche." We can all be enlightened and choose not to be offended but applying that further, it shouldn't matter what I shout at someone because it's just sound waves and has no power unless they let it. And then monkey-like displays and posturing can also be ignored; people need to only choose to not be affected or look away.[/QUOTE]
Well yes, but if someone says, shouts or gestures anything to me I assume they are using whatever sits between their ears before forming the communication. Perhaps what comes out of some people's mouths is just as random as what appears on a cola cap, but that's not what I assume to start with at least.

I simply can't get offended by words which I know are randomly generated.

It's funny that "Douche" is such an offensive word, by the way. Here it just means "shower", i.e. what you stand under every morning to get rid of all the muck. No-one would have batted an eyelid here if they read that on their beverage container.:smile:

[QUOTE=Brian-E;353549]Well yes, but if someone says, shouts or gestures anything to me I assume they are using whatever sits between their ears before forming the communication. Perhaps what comes out of some people's mouths is just as random as what appears on a cola cap, but that's not what I assume to start with at least.

I simply can't get offended by words which I know are randomly generated.

It's funny that "Douche" is such an offensive word, by the way. Here it just means "shower", i.e. what you stand under every morning to get rid of all the muck. No-one would have batted an eyelid here if they read that on their beverage container.:smile:[/QUOTE]
What's really "fun" is when you get crossover with different regions having different dialects of the same language. In Britain, fags are cigarettes, but in the US it's a slur against homosexuals.

Also, Britain doesn't have any Wendy's restaurants because biggie is what Britsh children use to describe their poo. Imagine ordering poo fries for lunch, not very appetizing.

[QUOTE=Brian-E;353549]Well yes, but if someone says, shouts or gestures anything to me I assume they are using whatever sits between their ears before forming the communication. Perhaps what comes out of some people's mouths is just as random as what appears on a cola cap, but that's not what I assume to start with at least.

I simply can't get offended by words which I know are randomly generated.

It's funny that "Douche" is such an offensive word, by the way. Here it just means "shower", i.e. what you stand under every morning to get rid of all the muck. No-one would have batted an eyelid here if they read that on their beverage container.:smile:[/QUOTE]What you are saying sound very practical but that is not how it works. You see, it is not what we say or mean that causes offence in this nonintellectual usage, it is the words used. And not just the words but the fact that they are openly conveyed. I can say a four-letter-word loaded sentence but if I take the care to asterisk out the middle two letters of each word, the offended reaction will be a tenth of what would occur if I left the words alone. Everyone reading the sentences understands the exact same meaning both times but it is a real fact that the reaction will be different. I can also say the same things but use prestige words or venture into medical terms and evade the outraged reaction. Or I can use baby-talk and skirt-by that way too.

You or I can banter and talk and seek to clear up misunderstandings, or not -- but we have no particular financial consequence of misunderstandings. A large corporation has more exposure on the twitterverse that makes it prudent to proactively take extra precautions to be politically correct. There are some people out there that enjoy being offended IMHO. They seem to go out of their way to blow up even simple mishaps into a donnybrook. Being politically correct is just defensive driving.

I think it's highly culture dependent, Ross.

What you write about the words themselves, if openly conveyed without asterisks, generating negative reactions is very true of the USA, I believe. It is much less true in the part of Western Europe where I live.

As for the twitterverse, that is naturally governed by attitudes in the country where Twitter is hosted and policed. There is a great deal of perplexity and frustration in The Netherlands about what you mystifyingly can and cannot write on social media.

Did you know, by the way, that the four-letter English language S-word is frequently used in Dutch in everyday life, even to some extent in formal contexts? It's not a proper Dutch word or anything: it is simply borrowed from the English. It is used to mean anything negative, basically. The fact that it is absolutely taboo to use it in English is not so well known here. Sometimes Dutch people, when speaking English to Americans/British/Australian/etc people, innocently use the word in their conversation and are surprised by the horrified reactions.

I can assure you that words themselves are not especially offensive in my part of the world. I completely accept that they are in yours.:smile: