Bart, I was kind of taken aback reading
your reply to Nancy,
the woman who was upset with your description
of a game of "girl's" poker.
One word: overkill
Your first short paragraph was sufficient.
Linda
Linda, you could be right, that was the frustration coming thru.
I can handle anything the right throws at me, but sometimes I
get carried away when I'm
attacked by liberal women, gays, blacks and people who are supposed
to be on our side.
And that "I was gonna contribute, but
now I ain't" is getting very old.
When a past or present contributor tells me I'm wrong, it'll
mean a lot more than a "was gonna" contributor.
By the way, she wrote back and said she expected to hear
the "it was a joke" cop-out.
I'll bet I know why her husband committed suicide.
(Wait - is that a joke?
Or more proof that I hate women?)
Subject: What about me?
Bart,
I have to say that I'm a little disappointed
in you. For years I have been reading your page and have yet
to find something that I find personally
insulting. I read your frequent posts of messages from other readers
who are insulted by things you said and
I get very jealous. Am I not good enough?
Have you marginalized me to the point that
I'm not worthy of an insult?
Perhaps it would help if I gave you some
ammunition with which to insult me.
Here's a list of things about me - personal
traits, etc. - which you can use in your next diatribe:
- I'm part Polish
- I'm a University of Michigan alum
- I occasionally have bad gas
- My wife is Jewish
- I have disproportionately long legs
- I'm part American Indian.....no, Native American.....whatever!
- My penis is not as big as Tommy Lee's
- My father is disabled
- I have 3 sisters (provided ample ammo for my
friends for years)
- I read a bit slowly
- I chew my nails
- I'm a bit lazy
- I read Bartcop
Hammer away, punk! Give it your best shot.
I'm prepared for you to do your worst!
Waldus
Cary, NC
Dear Bartcop:
Nancy wrote:
I don't care about all the girly pix
you run, but this is over the line. Considering what a
high proportion of women are liberals
compared to men, do you really think it's wise to
use "women" as a synonym for sub-standard,
or lame, or weak?
I believe this woman is raising a valid
point. You are using the word, "woman," as a synonym for second-class.
In your reply to Nancy you defended yourself
by saying, "you're not supposed to take everything so seriously.
It's called a joke."
Well, Mr. Bartcop, I've heard this "it's
just a joke" scam from every person who's ever had someone confront him
over his racist or sexist remarks.
It's not a joke because it's not funny. You yourself provided the
definition of
the word, "joke," from Webster's dictionary:
'1: something said or done to provoke laughter; especially : a brief oral
narrative with a climactic humorous twist.'
Tell me what is funny about a mindset that
thinks of women as inferior? Men with this attitude have caused a
world
of suffering for women. Need I mention
wife beating, mass rapes, and "honor killings?"
My use of the word "women's" to describe a poker game with training
wheels is just a liiiiiiiittle bit different
that pouring cooking oil on my wife and murdering her - doncha
think?
What's funny about those?
What's funny is you'd equate a joke about
a poker game to rape and murder.
What's makes you think that way?
This "it's just a joke" horseshit is exactly
how Rush Limbaugh would reply when you berate him for his racist "jokes."
Are you any better?
If you're saying there's no difference between me and Rush you
can go to hell and I'm showing great respect
for women by not giving you what you deserve for that low-blow.
Rush is a multi-millionaire Nazi with a 15-year history of hating
women, blacks and gays, and I'm a getting-by
nobody with seven years of pro-liberal rhetoric so yeah, in my
mind, there's a little bit of a difference.
What's wrong with you that you'd ask if I was any better than
Rush?
Do you have any idea what I'd be typing now if you were a man?
Since this woman did make a good point,
I'm wondering about your angry reaction to her letter.
You sound damned defensive when you say,
"What kind of life do you lead that would cause you to fly off the handle
like that?"
Maybe she was offended when you designated
her as inferior because of her sex.
Horseshit.
The only way that makes sense is if an equal number of women
drink straight liquor as men.
That's where the joke comes from, and don't tell me what I was
thinking when I wrote that.
Try to understand that this page is my mind racing at a high rate
of speed. That joke has been around
for over 25 years, at least in my head. I've owned two bars that
served hard liquor, and I don't think I've
ever sold a shot of straight liquor to a woman in my life, so
stop telling me the term "women's" has to be
interpreted as inferior when it's a fact that women order weaker
drinks. You can't change that fact.
I enjoy your political commentary, Mr. Bartcop,
but I have to question the sincerity of someone who cries
for liberty at the same time as he's putting
up titty calendars as prizes and referring to women as a weak,
substandard class of person. You
must mean, "liberty as long as it's for men only."
Now I think we're seeing the real problem - I'm a pig if my publication
includes pictures of "titty calendars."
To save time, I'll plead guilty to using a bikini picture to
spice up a page about sometimes-dry politics.
You'll give me an angry reply to this letter,
probably. It's a shame to see some one who has such fine insight
on other topics fall on his ass so hard
over this one. I expected better of you, Bartcop.
Yours for the revolution,
The present incarnation of Emma
Emma, I have a thunderbolt for you - *I* haven't changed.
That was an innocent remark that you took offense to - twice.
You don't have the right to tell me what I meant.
You can say you didn't like the way it sounded, but I can't re-think
every word I write from every angle to
try to figure out if some reader can find a way to twist it into
"Bart hates women."
I don't have the time.
Last thing - I can't be sensitive like Alan Alda and Phil Donahue
and fight the bad guys.
I am what I am, and that's all that I am.
Subject: Bart-That Nancy's weird
What you wrote wasn't insulting to women--I'm
a woman---and yes--that's the kind of stuff
most women I know (all smart and successful)
do.....most of us just don't have or want the
killer instinct that most men have..in
poker or anything. and I don't know why she mentioned
"girlie" pictures....I'm a feminist....but don't
see what's wrong with them...they look great.
What a pill!
Sm2
One thing to remember, this is one of the only sites I know of
(words mean things)
that allows the other side to speak, and even take cheap shots.
That makes me think some people write a goofy letter just to
see their name in print.
Perhaps you should consider Nancy's basic
point: sex stereotypes
are divisive and can be insulting (to men
and women alike).
There's no harm in agreeing to that.
Karl
Bart -
Good response to that woman who felt personally
scorned by your poker rules objection.
Get the impression shes been used like
a doormat by more than one man in her life?
Always the one left, always being wronged,
etc..
She just exuded an underlying anger at
anything male, don't you agree?
And that bit about "I was going to contribute, but now I'm not" is right out of what, say, 8th grade?
Bart C
It's possible she's a nice lady who just had a bad moment,
but when you come at me, you have to expect a response..