Hobbit
11-05-2007, 03:11 PM
Neal Boortz has been invited to speak at the UGA campus. Here's a link to a letter to the editor griping about it, with the obligatory "I'm a huge defender of free speech," followed by the also obligatory "but..."
http://www.redandblack.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=a7c52ebd-dc2f-49b0-a2c7-ad47a66819a0
Here's a different version I made that's translated from dodge-speak to English, along with comments.
The other day, I happened to be browsing Facebook and I saw the University Union has invited none other than Neal Boortz to come speak at our campus. I <s>silently mouthed some words to myself that aren't fit to print here,</s> got all whiney because I don't like what he has to say and then <s>contemplated the ways I can pass out and not be conscious while Mr. Boortz graces our campus with his presence.</s> I had to try to come up with something halfway witty to close the paragraph with, but failed miserably.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge defender of free speech. I stand for free speech about as much as I stand for the right to murder people who look funny, but I have to look objective.
That's why every time my friends in the College Republicans have a speaker - even if it's one who says liberals used lynching to get blacks to vote for Democrats (Angela McGlowan who is, by the way, correct) - I thank them for <s>inviting diverse voices on the campus</s> keeping their speeches limited to places I never go even if <s>I</s> my sociology professor personally thinks some of them are <s>embarrassingly wrong</s> brutally, but not politically correct in their point of view.
But this is different. Neal Boortz is being paid to come speak by the UU, and his brand of <s>hate-radio extremism</s> views opposed by my professors is being subsidized by my student fees. Read: I love to gripe, and now I really have some kind of excuse, despite the fact that other politically charged and controversial speakers are invited at the expense of students all time.
<s>When some workers at the University are being paid terribly low wages and can barely feed their families,</s> [Insert irrelevant guilt trip], my student fees (which are being paid by somebody else, so it's not like I really care about that) are being used to bring a guy to campus who has referred to minimum wage workers as "pathetic human beings." Which offends me, despite the fact that I'd consider killing myself if I worked for minimum wage and despite the fact that nobody who works on the whole campus is actually paid that poorly.
Those "pathetic" individuals will be preparing your on-stage water for you, Mr. Boortz (despite the fact that, once again, workers at UGA are paid well above minimum wage) - <s>drink at your own risk.</s> [Insert veiled death thread]
Neal Boortz is a part of a new group of political commentators: <s>angry, rich white males</s> conservatives who think they are being oppressed by <s>minorities, immigrants, poor people, Muslims, homosexuals</s> political correctness and other groups that are apparently destroying our Judeo-Christian, economy, government, Constitution, and capitalist society (could've fooled me). (Doesn't sound too hard)
He calls himself a member of the anti-government Libertarian Party, but has no problem approving of <s>illegal</s> wiretapping of the <s>U.S. citizens</s> foreign terrorists, <s>illegal</s> wars of aggression, and <s>state persecution of immigrants</s> enforcement of immigration laws.
He has said teachers' unions are more dangerous than bin Laden because "a nuke [could] kill 100,000 people … but the teachers' unions in this country can destroy a generation." Boortz has said Muslims "are kind of like cockroaches," and he has mockingly called the homeless "urban outdoorsmen." I'm actually dense enough that I can't see the humor or, worse yet, correctness in any of this, so I'm going to assume you think everything in that paragraph is like denying the Holocaust and leave it at that. Besides, if you don't like unions, Muslim terrorists, and homeless people, you're not really worth talking to.
His approach to the complicated immigration situation: "Give a bag of nuclear waste … Send them back across the border to Mexico. Tell them it's a tortilla warmer … you'll be able to find them at night too because they'll glow." I, once again, have no sense of humor.
See, Mr. Boortz doesn't have to <s>actually research what he says, or make logical arguments, or maintain academic decorum</s> toe the liberal dogma line and accept everything the three letter networks say as fact - you know, the kind of stuff we students have to do in freshman English 1101 classes.
He's <s>just a bully who sets his sights on a defenseless target</s> a meanie-head who sets his sights on people who need to get off their fat duffs and do something for themselves, for once instead of cry victim every 3 seconds - mothers on welfare, the homeless, Muslims and immigrants - and flies off the handle with ad hominem (see, I used Latin, and that makes me smart) rhetoric, trying his hardest to appeal to the most <s>hateful</s> sensible element of the human psyche, <s>activating cognitive dissonance that overrides any logical thinking</s> psychobabble. If you can understand that, you know I'm full of crap, because I essentially just accused him of brainwashing people by just talking, and fills his Middle America listeners with <s>fear of anyone who isn't like them</s> something other than politically correct acceptance of 'victim' groups.
I asked UU why they chose to bring Boortz rather than <s>an intelligent conservative such as Ron Paul or George Will</s> somebody I agree with. A girl who works with them responded, "We wanted someone who will bring a lot of people." Which so isn't a good reason for bringing a speaker. You should only pick people I like, even if the crowd is only 50 Dean-esque crazies and a bunch of homeless people trying to keep warm.
The press uses the same justification for all its celebrity coverage. It's good to know the University gets off at the thought of maintaining the same quality of academic discussion as the cast of "The View." The View? No, they said they were trying to draw [i]MORE people.
But what do I know? (not much) I'm just an "over-educated … socialist liberal," <s>according to the angry man with the radio show.</s>
- Zaid Jilani is a sophomore (obviously) from Kennesaw majoring in International affairs.
http://www.redandblack.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=a7c52ebd-dc2f-49b0-a2c7-ad47a66819a0
Here's a different version I made that's translated from dodge-speak to English, along with comments.
The other day, I happened to be browsing Facebook and I saw the University Union has invited none other than Neal Boortz to come speak at our campus. I <s>silently mouthed some words to myself that aren't fit to print here,</s> got all whiney because I don't like what he has to say and then <s>contemplated the ways I can pass out and not be conscious while Mr. Boortz graces our campus with his presence.</s> I had to try to come up with something halfway witty to close the paragraph with, but failed miserably.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge defender of free speech. I stand for free speech about as much as I stand for the right to murder people who look funny, but I have to look objective.
That's why every time my friends in the College Republicans have a speaker - even if it's one who says liberals used lynching to get blacks to vote for Democrats (Angela McGlowan who is, by the way, correct) - I thank them for <s>inviting diverse voices on the campus</s> keeping their speeches limited to places I never go even if <s>I</s> my sociology professor personally thinks some of them are <s>embarrassingly wrong</s> brutally, but not politically correct in their point of view.
But this is different. Neal Boortz is being paid to come speak by the UU, and his brand of <s>hate-radio extremism</s> views opposed by my professors is being subsidized by my student fees. Read: I love to gripe, and now I really have some kind of excuse, despite the fact that other politically charged and controversial speakers are invited at the expense of students all time.
<s>When some workers at the University are being paid terribly low wages and can barely feed their families,</s> [Insert irrelevant guilt trip], my student fees (which are being paid by somebody else, so it's not like I really care about that) are being used to bring a guy to campus who has referred to minimum wage workers as "pathetic human beings." Which offends me, despite the fact that I'd consider killing myself if I worked for minimum wage and despite the fact that nobody who works on the whole campus is actually paid that poorly.
Those "pathetic" individuals will be preparing your on-stage water for you, Mr. Boortz (despite the fact that, once again, workers at UGA are paid well above minimum wage) - <s>drink at your own risk.</s> [Insert veiled death thread]
Neal Boortz is a part of a new group of political commentators: <s>angry, rich white males</s> conservatives who think they are being oppressed by <s>minorities, immigrants, poor people, Muslims, homosexuals</s> political correctness and other groups that are apparently destroying our Judeo-Christian, economy, government, Constitution, and capitalist society (could've fooled me). (Doesn't sound too hard)
He calls himself a member of the anti-government Libertarian Party, but has no problem approving of <s>illegal</s> wiretapping of the <s>U.S. citizens</s> foreign terrorists, <s>illegal</s> wars of aggression, and <s>state persecution of immigrants</s> enforcement of immigration laws.
He has said teachers' unions are more dangerous than bin Laden because "a nuke [could] kill 100,000 people … but the teachers' unions in this country can destroy a generation." Boortz has said Muslims "are kind of like cockroaches," and he has mockingly called the homeless "urban outdoorsmen." I'm actually dense enough that I can't see the humor or, worse yet, correctness in any of this, so I'm going to assume you think everything in that paragraph is like denying the Holocaust and leave it at that. Besides, if you don't like unions, Muslim terrorists, and homeless people, you're not really worth talking to.
His approach to the complicated immigration situation: "Give a bag of nuclear waste … Send them back across the border to Mexico. Tell them it's a tortilla warmer … you'll be able to find them at night too because they'll glow." I, once again, have no sense of humor.
See, Mr. Boortz doesn't have to <s>actually research what he says, or make logical arguments, or maintain academic decorum</s> toe the liberal dogma line and accept everything the three letter networks say as fact - you know, the kind of stuff we students have to do in freshman English 1101 classes.
He's <s>just a bully who sets his sights on a defenseless target</s> a meanie-head who sets his sights on people who need to get off their fat duffs and do something for themselves, for once instead of cry victim every 3 seconds - mothers on welfare, the homeless, Muslims and immigrants - and flies off the handle with ad hominem (see, I used Latin, and that makes me smart) rhetoric, trying his hardest to appeal to the most <s>hateful</s> sensible element of the human psyche, <s>activating cognitive dissonance that overrides any logical thinking</s> psychobabble. If you can understand that, you know I'm full of crap, because I essentially just accused him of brainwashing people by just talking, and fills his Middle America listeners with <s>fear of anyone who isn't like them</s> something other than politically correct acceptance of 'victim' groups.
I asked UU why they chose to bring Boortz rather than <s>an intelligent conservative such as Ron Paul or George Will</s> somebody I agree with. A girl who works with them responded, "We wanted someone who will bring a lot of people." Which so isn't a good reason for bringing a speaker. You should only pick people I like, even if the crowd is only 50 Dean-esque crazies and a bunch of homeless people trying to keep warm.
The press uses the same justification for all its celebrity coverage. It's good to know the University gets off at the thought of maintaining the same quality of academic discussion as the cast of "The View." The View? No, they said they were trying to draw [i]MORE people.
But what do I know? (not much) I'm just an "over-educated … socialist liberal," <s>according to the angry man with the radio show.</s>
- Zaid Jilani is a sophomore (obviously) from Kennesaw majoring in International affairs.