World Youth Day is on in Sydney, Australia in a couple of weeks. Thousands of people will descend on the city. Even the Pope will be there. Unfortunately, though, the government has overreacted and enacted tough penalties (a $5500 fine!) for doing crass things such as throwing condoms around or wearing anti-Catholic tee-shirts. The only reason I can think of that the government would do this would be to test out draconian measures on a relatively benign event. Or does Australia not want to look bad with the eyes of the world upon them? Whatever the reason, the Catholic Church has denied asking for such powers.
Related Link: Thou shalt not annoy on Youth Day ~ Sydney Morning Herald
Related Link: Thou shalt not annoy on Youth Day ~ Sydney Morning Herald
Lucyna, please read Steven Poole's excellent book, Unspeak
ReplyDeleteThis is not world youth day, it is an event exclusivly for roman catholic youth.
And, were I to be in Sydney at the time, I'd take great pleasure in disrupting this event, penalties be damned!
Sigh...grow up, Fugley.
ReplyDeleteYou come across as a pouty, pimply adolescent.
So what if it's an event exclusively for Catholic youth? Do you get the same urge to disrupt events held exclusively for muslims?
Fugley, such an uncharitable attitude cannot be healthy for you.
ReplyDeleteThe World Youth Day is not exclusively for young Roman Catholics - all youth are invited and have something to gain from attending.
As for Unspeak, Poole focuses on the use of language in politics. He's not always on the mark either, and skips around areas that could unwind his thesis, still there is a lot of mileage to be made ranting against PC terms and the abuse of language.
Your suggestion though "World Youth Day" is Unspeak is not a great example, given all youth are invited.
A better example of Unspeak is seen with commenter Peter on TBR who likes to call anyone who disagrees with him "Extreme Rightwing Christian Fundamentalists".
Peter's example matches nicely with this favorable comment on Unspeak:
Unspeak is language designed not only to advance one’s position, but to preempt and delegitimze one’s opponents’ viewpoints. “Rhetorically,” Poole says, “Unspeak is a kind of invasive procedure: it wants to bypass critical thinking and implant a foreign body of opinion directly in the soft tissue of the brain.”
And here is a fair, but negative review of of Unspeak from one of his targets: Unspeak-able
Do you get the same urge to disrupt events held exclusively for muslims?
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of fact, I do.
My two favourite T-shirts at the moment:
1. A picture of 2 burka clad women with the caption Thank for not provoking my uncontrollable lust.
@.No picture, just the words : There is no satan; its just god when he's drunk.
All religion is fair game for mockery.
As all atheists are fair game for pity.
ReplyDeletePleased to see my country men will bend knee noeither to god or government and have come out with a great range of tshirts
ReplyDeleteI'm buying the "Who would Jesus arrest" one.
ooops, forgot reference
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/suddenly-people-turn-shirty/2008/07/02/1214950851287.html