I've got Mail!

I belong to several social networking, review, and blogger sites and once in a while I receive some lovely gems in my inbox. Normally, I don't respond, but this one had an air of an actual intelligent person, but alas, it was not to be. What follows is the unedited diatribe:

NAME CHANGED: you are quite outspoken eh?

AgingGothMom: Both on the internet world and in real life. It allows me to weed out people I can't be bothered with. As Machiavelli said, "It is better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both" and although, "fear" may not be the proper word here , Machiavelli never said anything about it being better to be an opinionated, loud mouthed, outspoken woman so I have to work with what he gave me.

:)

So, hello!

AgingGothMom: On a side note, after looking at your page, I see you have Cicero's "esse quam videri" in your description. There are two coincidences here. Firstly, I quoted Machiavelli in my initial response to you, and it was Machiavelli who twisted Cicero's words into Videri Quam Esse (To seem rather than to be) in describing how a ruler should be. The second coincidence is that I run a Book Club here in South Florida and on the opening page of the web site I use a quote from Cicero: "A room without books is like a body without a soul."

Hmmmm.

NAME CHANGED: I didn't mean to imply that being outspoken is necessarily bad.... to me being outspoken and unable to be tolerant of those you disagree with is bad.... i may disagree strongly with what you say, but I respect your right to be outspoken

AgingGothMom: Being outspoken is not bad. I wonder if I was saying things you agreed with, would you have taken the time to write me a note? I am accused of being intolerant and outspoken only when it is something someone doesn't agree with. If I may ask, as I to tend to have many opinions on many different things, what exactly it is that I am so "outspoken" about?

And please don't say Christians. I have equal contempt for all archaic dogmas. Religion is bunk. It is irrational and controlling and unoriginal. That doesn't mean I'm not "tolerant". I don't picket in front of churches with signs that say "You're going to burn in nothing after you die" or "Nobody up there hates you". That's the religious fanatic's job. And since I'm neither religious, nor a fanatic, I mostly spend time with my family and friends with whom I do not have these conversations with; firstly because they all know I'm an Atheist and I know they aren't, and secondly because we don't much use it to define our friendships.

So enlighten me. To what am I so intolerant?

NAME CHANGED: Hi again.... I was unaware of who had coined that phrase, but I have always tried "to be rather than to seem".... It was our High School's motto and I adopted it as how I wanted to be defined in life. I want to be real and open and known as a transparent person.... The same in my heart and mind as I am in actual practice

NAME CHANGED: My my my.... When did I say you were intolerant? You seem to me reading between my lines, and reading things I did not say. But your words definitely are harsh, and if you feel I am accusing you of intolerance, maybe its because you projecting upon yourself that concept.... It is clear however that any rational discussion with you is impossible, and since you denigrate my Christian beliefs with feelings of contempt, I bid you adieu

AgingGothMom: You called me "intolerant" 2 letters ago. But in typical fashion, you make your comment and then skeedaddle when it's not all wine and roses. There is nothing harsh in what I have written to you. You yourself have called me outspoken. I tell it like it is and if you see that as harsh, well then so be it.

I didn't denigrate any of your beliefs, unless you consider yourself a religious fanatic who enjoys picketing, and I actually made an effort to highlight that my thoughts on religion have nothing to do with my personal relationships with people. You accuse me of reading between the lines when you yourself have done exactly such.

Then,in true hypocritical form, when you see that you are not dealing with some giggly character ( I notice you only seem to friend women on this site) you call me irrational and bid me adieu. Silly person. I shall enjoy sharing this diatribe with intelligent people.