The context for this is right: Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo spoke out recently in favor of a Maryland ballot initiative legalizing gay marriage. In response, wingnut jackass Emmett Burns — a Maryland state delegate! — [wrote a letter to the Ravens owner(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/07/brendon-ayanbadejo-ravens-emmett-burns-marriage_n_1863488.html) asking that he “inhibit such expressions from your employee.”
So much WAT, amirite?
Anyway, Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe noticed, and dropped a righteous and mighty smackdown on state delegate Burns in response. It’s a thing of brutal and effective beauty, and you should go read the whole thing.
By way of followup, Kluwe provided some context for his remarks after the fact.
I was concerned that Kluwe might not exhibit the wisdom and class to use rhetorically incisive and broadly appealing phrases like “fromunda stain” and “hot dong action” in his support for social change, but then I read his letter and my anxieties were relieved.
I want to believe that somewhere there are people who can articulate Kluwe’s message without immediately resorting to shockingly stupid and infantile scatological idiocy and playground insult. I understand how and why the forced brevity of Twitter encourages people to regularly express themselves in hilariously stupid and obnoxious ways, but Kluwe had no constraints whatsoever in his open letter format, and still managed to make himself sound like a petulant adolescent imbecile.
The message deserves better.
(The Juggalo Family chose to remain silent on this issue.)
Jesus fuck, Mantler, some old turd is posting under your ID!
Turns out my dad somehow managed to install a keylogger on my PC, stole my passwords, and is posting as me all over the net. My concern turned to rage once I discovered that he’d created a bogus eBay account under my name and is using it to sell grey market Rush Limbaugh “Two if by Tea” (apparently limiting his chicanery to the raspberry and original flavors). At your convenience, I would like to discuss if two factor authentication could have theoretically prevented this. I’m thinking no since it appears that father is actually physically breaking into my house and accessing my PC. Know that I am deeply angry with father.
Honestly, don’t you think the message deserves just a gentle whiff of dignity in its expression- something marginally elevated from “holy fucking shitballs”, “fromunda cheese”, and “hot dong action”? I can see why Ed Schultz was all over this as a glorious expression of progressive philosophy to be held up as a shining example for others to imitate on their Twitter accounts (they will), but not MH. Usually there is some emphasis here on making one’s case without resorting to calling out imaginary opponents as stinky poo poo pants.
Surely you would agree that when a writer immediately succumbs to the compulsion (“Mom and dad won’t believe that I used a no-no word!”) to employ dick and shit jokes/references, it draws his or her emotional maturity into question. Hasn’t Kluwe just successfully played into just about every stereotype regarding angry liberals?
I am suddenly reminded of a story an ex-boss once told me about watching a bedraggled comedian working a lousy hotel gig. After several of what he believed were his best jokes failed to get laughs, he threatened, “If you guys don’t start laughing soon, I’m bringing out the dick jokes.” Bringing out the dick jokes in the first set, or first paragraph, is pretty much an open admission of defeat. It’s not a savvy move. Kluwe didn’t just open with the dick joke, his whole letter was a scatological tapestry.
There’s a difference between worthless vulgarity and vulgarity used as part of a larger, cogent, carefully constructed document. Having the vapors about the former is one thing, I guess; complaining about decorum when the author is just using colors you don’t like seems like weird nitpicking.
I reread Kluwe’s letter. I have a rather different impression than you. It’s a multi-point, well-reasoned attack on the erstwhile pol’s goofball and completely offensive attack on the Ravens player’s position. It also happens to use some completely hilarious foul language. Considering the jackass on the receiving end is (a) holding onto a tremendously bigoted position in public and (b) using his position as an elected official to attempt to abrogate the free speech rights of one of his state’s citizens, I say it’s all good.