Matt Cutler

In Which My Grandpa Puts Rep. Allen West In His Place

From the October 8th issue of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

Shaw served district well

Citizens of the 22nd Congressional District deserve better than to have a crude loudmouth representing them in Congress. Allen West’s recent outbursts against the president, vice president and another member of Congress — which took place not in his home district, but in Texas — are indicative of his ego-based desire for publicity.

This district was represented for a great many years by Clay Shaw, a gentleman who, even though I sometimes disagreed with, always represented the district with honor.

Voters in the 22nd should soon tell West to go west. I’m ready for strong coffee — had enough tea.

Paul Cutler, Hillsboro Beach

(http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/fl-letters-1008-20111008,0,7797584.story)

benzado:

digsyfinallyhasa:

And also, the use of the phrase “fucking manned up” makes it sound like you don’t like your friends. And I know that’s not the case, but I just sometimes wonder if you understand the severity of your internet voice. Because you come across as a much bigger stick in the mud than I know you to be in real life. It’s whack.

I tried to communicate a very specific idea: if you want people to pay attention to you, start by doing something worth paying attention to, don’t demand attention before you’ve done anything.

I can’t say for sure if it applies to the sushi show, because I wasn’t there, and nobody who could clear it up has bothered to weigh in.

I said it is presumptuous to demand attention if you haven’t done anything yet. Nicole responded to say it isn’t presumptuous to perform if you’ve been invited to. I didn’t say they shouldn’t perform. She also said they weren’t interrupting anybody’s dinner, unless they were, in which case it wasn’t their fault, because they were invited. Whose fault is what has nothing to do with anything.

Katey sarcastically accused me of not being familiar with improv or Dreadnought. I don’t even understand what she was insinuating, so I resorted to using “pay TV language” to reiterate my point.

While composing this I see that Will and Katey have followed up.

Will says the clip was from the middle of the show, Dreadnought wasn’t timid, and the audience was into it. Great! So what I’m saying doesn’t even apply to them! I was never sure that it did.

Katey says it is ridiculous to say what a team should or shouldn’t do in a show setting. But I’m not talking about how to do improv. I’m talking about basic doing-anything-in-front-of-an-audience, whatever you want to call it. Stuff like, you don’t humiliate an audience member who didn’t provoke you. Is it ridiculous to suggest something like that?

I’m trying to defend an idea on its own merit, but people are taking it as a personal criticism of what our friends did in a sushi restaurant. It’s me versus them versus a straw man that is on fire.

So yeah, I’m frustrated, because everybody is upset with this straw man. Should I apologize for the things you think I said? I didn’t say them! But if I don’t you’ll go home thinking about what an asshole I am. It’s not me, it’s a straw man!

Ironically, I never would have even listened to the clip in the first place, except I read Pat’s post and thought I’d back him up on what I thought might be an unpopular opinion.

tl;dr, right?

I agree that straw men are a vile and frustrating part of far too many conversations and I’m sorry if I added any button eyes or floppy hats to one tonight.  I think microblogging has helped to stuff armies full of those bastards.  If we spend any more time on this, let’s do it at McManus where we can engage one another substantively and humanely.  I’ll be playing GoldenTee and not talking to anyone.