In a previous item, I related a discussion I had with a cooker regarding one of his favoured conspiracy theories, that of chemtrails. That discussion ended when he ‘left the field of play’1.
However, he popped up again soon after in response to a tweet from Jane Caro, who said: “Observation on the [US] midterms from outside: have the Republicans neatly snookered themselves? If they back away from draconian restrictions on reproductive rights to win back women & young people, will they lose the evangelical vote? The wages of being too clever by half, perhaps.”
I replied to this with: “I think you are right. However, I don’t think they will back away from such restrictions, as many of the Republicans are the religious nutters who believe this stuff. They are the party of christofascism.
My cooker interlocutor again raised his head and replied with his usual degree of incoherence: “Rape..Incest.. Health ramifications…reasons to consider abortion..an unplanned for inconvenient pregnancy is not… think you find many ppl of all creeds and political persuasion believe much the same..”
I couldn’t help myself, so I replied with: “You are a bloke; it’s none of your business. You christofascists need to butt out of people’s lives.”
He lost it: “piss off with that chauvinistic garbage…it’s a Societal issue and I’ve every right to an opinion on the subject”
I replied with: Yeah, so have I, and it is you who is being the chauvinist; your religion telling people how they should live. Religion is in decline all around the world. You need to get used to it.
He responded with: “I never mentioned it [I presume he meant religion].. except in the context of my opinion not being a Christian monopoly…it’s you demonstrated your chauvinism by excluding my right to an opinion based on my sex..I have had this discussion with the woman [sic] in my life n strangely enough they agree..go figure”
Being surprised at his inability to understand the difference between having an opinion and forcing that on others, I said: “You don’t seem to understand the difference between having an opinion and wanting to force it on people who do not share that opinion. Big difference.”
He replied with a double negative: lmao [laughing my arse off]..I can force nothing upon no one…
I quickly replied: “However, you vote for people who wish to do so.”
He retorted: “that’s an assumption on your part…this is going nowhere…bye”
I had a go at him in saying: “You keep saying goodbye, but keep coming back.” I accompanied this with a couple of ‘rolling on the floor laughing’ (rofl) emojis.
Of course, he did come back with: “of course Religion is in decline..”in the latter days man will become mockers of God walking after their own lusts…””
Again, I couldn’t help myself: “Hahaha! You waiting for the rapture?”
(with two rofl emojis). I also gave him a link to an item I had written about all the disappointments when the numerous predicted second comings didn’t eventuate, some of which are hilarious2.
Unbelievably, he responded with: “patiently…wld I cld hasten the day”
So, this cooker wishes he could hasten the day which would kill billions so that his favoured few can be sucked up into the clouds. That would be the ultimate chauvinism, if his beliefs were not so ludicrous.
Wanting to get back to some semblance of reality and having a go at his conspiracy theory ethos, I said: “The only thing that we are at risk from is global warming. But you think that is geoengineering by who? The elites? The scientists? The ruling cabal?” (accompanied by another rofl emoji).
He didn’t bite with another conspiracy theory, but replied with more religious drivel:
“woe to you on Earth and Sea for the Devil is upon you in great wrath… which is patently obvious if you think about it..”
Again, I couldn’t help myself: “What equine ordure is this? Is it from your holy book, or someone else’s holy book?”
He replied, rightly accusing me of ignorance of scripture: “the fact you don’t know demonstrates your ignorance of Scripture and makes any opinion you may have regard [sic] my faith empty and meaningless..now piss off”
At last I replied: “No, it is your faith which lacks content. It is you who cannot let go. So, could I suggest that it is you who should stop.” Which he promptly did. I hope I have heard the last of him.
This belief in their right to tell others (especially women) how to live is something that people like this bloke do not seem to realise is anathema to many others not of their religious persuasion. They just accept it as their duty to tell others they must follow the tenets of their religion. While the religious tend to come back with “but the government tells people how to live….”, the laws the government makes are effectively agreed to by the electorate, and are more concerned with not harming others, rather than being concerned with what one does when one’s trousers are off. The religious come back with ‘but an embryo (0-7 weeks) or a foetus (>7 weeks) is a person’. While nobody would deny that abortion is a controversial topic, the simplistic argument of many of the ‘opponents’ to abortion that an embryo becomes a person at the instant of conception is simply silly.
All Australian states and territories allow abortion to be performed by a doctor up to between the 16th and 24th week of the pregnancy. Any abortion performed after that has to have the approval of two doctors and, in most places, only if they agree that the health or mental wellbeing of the woman is at risk, to save another foetus (in the case of multiple pregnancy) or if the foetus has a serious abnormality3.
Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one’s own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy or inferior4. This seems to be how he feels about people who do not share his religious belief (or indeed his conspiracy theories); that they are some how lesser and need to be shown the correct path in their lives. Like many of this cooker’s ilk, and so many other right-wing nut jobs, he accuses others of the crimes of which he is guilty (in this case chauvinism). While trying to explain this to someone recently, another person chimed in and said that for these people ‘every accusation is an admission’. I thought that was very succinctly put.
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