Dear Combox Psychos,
If you think that one day I am a doom and gloom reactionary rad-trad Francis hater and the next day you think I am a progressive pansy Francis defender blind to the crisis in the Church, may I suggest one thing.
The problem isn’t me, its you.
I got 2 emails within an hour from different people accusing me of both. And the combox at my recent Register post overfloweth with psychos.
Do I think that the Pope’s comments have been unhelpful. You bet’cha. Do I think that the SSPX hyperbolic vapors predicting Francis will blow up the Church are unhelpful. You bet’cha.
Now. Go take your meds and ask mommy to make you lunch.
October 16, 2013 at 3:38 pm
If you're taking arrows from both sides you're probably on the right path FWIW.
October 16, 2013 at 4:19 pm
LOL!
I get the same whenever I voice an opinion on Pope Francis. Liberals call me a hater and others think I am headed for Mel Gibson's version of Catholicism.
Hang in there and say a "Hail Mary" for the combox psychos! 🙂
October 16, 2013 at 4:25 pm
I used to think vitriolic nonsense was just for crazy-a$$ conspiracy theory hucksters, but it's everywhere now.
Keep up the good work.
October 16, 2013 at 4:25 pm
I used to think vitriolic nonsense was just for crazy-a$$ conspiracy theory hucksters, but it's everywhere now.
Keep up the good work.
October 16, 2013 at 4:31 pm
Well "psycho" isn't exactly non-vitriolic.
I think, on balance, most of the criticism and comments has been well thought out. If francis had not opened his papacy with these informal interviews with an 85 year old atheist journalist, things might not have gotten so disturbing.
October 16, 2013 at 4:40 pm
JB said:
"If francis had not opened his papacy with these informal interviews with an 85 year old atheist journalist, things might not have gotten so disturbing. "
God's sake, somebody Mirandize the Pope, please…"You have the right to remain silent, everything you say can and will be held against you…"
October 16, 2013 at 4:52 pm
"Go take your meds and ask mommy to make you lunch."
Ha. Love it!
October 16, 2013 at 5:12 pm
I'm pretty sure Francis would be very hard pressed to make any comments more unhelpful than "Shut up and pray" or, for that matter, "Go take your meds and ask mommy to make you lunch."
Sometimes everyone attacks you 'cause you just deliberately provoked them. You don't get to act shocked by perfectly natural reactions. Were you really surprised by people's reaction to your flippant snottiness, and if you were, why?
In the arena of flippant snottiness I fear no man, but I don't act shocked when people get angry at me for it. Making them angry is why I do it. Why the hell did you do it? What did you freaking think would be the reaction?
October 16, 2013 at 5:33 pm
Sophia's Favorite,
Lunch is ready.
Ranting Catholic Mom
October 16, 2013 at 7:37 pm
The hyperbolic language that you regularly employ encourages that kind of commentary.
October 16, 2013 at 7:38 pm
That's an insult. You don't know me, I am not your friend. Therefore you don't have the right to jokingly insult me, and if you weren't joking, you just straight-up insulted me. Either way, you insulted me. Why? Would you like it if I insulted you? I'm fairly sure I can figure out something to say that you won't like, but why do that in the first place? Again, you don't know me, so there's no possible purpose to insulting me. I could remotely see it if maybe you came up with a clever insult, but you're just reusing what the original post said, and it wasn't particularly funny then either (it pretty much stopped being funny when David Spade milked the living hell out of it when he was on SNL). And even if your insult was clever, and it was not, it's pointlessly contentious with someone you don't know.
And seriously, when exactly did "if you insult strangers, they get angry" become an esoteric freaking concept? Why is a 28-year-old having to explain a kindergarten-level point of etiquette to someone twice his age? Why is a nasty SOB like me having to explain this to respectable people with children of their own?
October 16, 2013 at 7:51 pm
My last comment was directed to Mrs. Carl, not Thom.
October 16, 2013 at 7:52 pm
🙂 [Likewise. I was commenting on the post, not your discussion.]
October 16, 2013 at 8:51 pm
Sophia's Favorite: I am insulting you. Also: Ceci n'est pas une pipe.
October 16, 2013 at 10:31 pm
Sophia's favorite. You are correct. You don't know me. You are not my friend. I assumed from the vitriol of your first post that you could take it if you were willing to dish it out. The post was about combox psychos. You appear to be making Pat's point for him. Have a nice day.
October 16, 2013 at 11:18 pm
@William: Yeah, yeah. (Translated from the Romanian)
@Suzanne Carl: "Vitriol"? Please. I was being polite. I merely pointed out the hypocrisy of being deliberately inflammatory and then acting shocked when one is greeted with inflamed passions.
Which part of my comment constitutes "psycho"? Can you offer a reasoned rebuttal instead of insults? Or are you going to admit you have no argument and thus no right to your opinion?
I'm waiting.
October 16, 2013 at 11:30 pm
I haven't insulted you once, Mrs. Carl, and while I was a bit blunt with Mr. Archbold I didn't actually insult him either.
You've insulted me at least twice. I demand an apology and for you to explain one thing I said that constitutes either "vitriol" or "combox psycho".
October 16, 2013 at 11:32 pm
S.F., I guess it was the tone of this from your original piece, "In the arena of flippant snottiness I fear no man, but I don't act shocked when people get angry at me for it. Making them angry is why I do it. Why the hell did you do it? What did you freaking think would be the reaction? "
It seems to me that you say you "fear no man" and yet respond with such anger to a light joke, following on Patrick's humorous post, that you are a bit too engaged in this combox argument.
When a comment reads like a rant, and I know rants because it is what I do at my blog, it is a rant. Responding to Patrick's rant by ranting that it is wrong for him to rant… I think you can follow the logic down the rabbit hole. That is what I would call vitriol.
Doing the same thing for which one is criticizing others is an observable trait in those who lack self knowledge. Perhaps it is not psycho, but just crabby? A bad day? I know I don't usually engage in combox arguments with strangers, but I am today. Maybe I'm the one having a bad day.
October 16, 2013 at 11:43 pm
P.S. I made joke based on the original post. I see no insult nor do I see the need to apologize.
October 17, 2013 at 1:22 am
Pat, I think you just founded a new movement in the Church. How does Radtrad Progressivepansy Mugwumpism sound to you? Motto: We Are Decisively Confused.