What's wrong with people?

Why is Futurama unpopular? Hmmm? It's great!

Discuss.

John COdy

"S.F.J.Cody" wrote:

Because it tends to go over some people's heads. Because so much of it's biased on Sci-Fi and Nerd jokes. People who don't like Sci-Fi, or aren't nerds don't get the show and don't like the show. It's a great show to us, but it doesn't appeal to a mass audience.

I managed to get my sisters to like it. IMHO the key is getting them to watch a certain number of episodes... doesn't matter which ones. About five to seven should do it. Some of it has to be explained to them. By this time the 'character recognition' has kicked in. They laugh more. They worry about Nibbler... etc

They *don't* get they sci-fi references/satire stuff. I can't emphasise that enough.

Familiarity is the key. All Futurama needs is a massive publicity campaign. I recommend a hasty search down the back of the a.t.f couch in order to find one.

John Cody

"S.F.J.Cody" wrote:

I agree, an actual publicity attempt by FOX would help the show. But the fact is not everyone has a friend who forces all their other friends to watch the show enough until they get to like it so new people aren't going to really start watching.

Mike Zaite wrote:

I've never been a big sci-fi fan and i'm not a nerd. i'm guess i'm one of the exceptions

reach the sky wrote:

There's always exceptions. But you can deny the show does have a Sci-Fiey, Nerdish appearance to people who haven't watched it. Remember it's not the content just the appearance that the average TV viewer uses to make their viewing decisions.

In the eyes of many, you probably are a nerd just by being here.

Admiral Doh wrote:

The Admiral makes a good point there.

Mike Zaite wrote:

meh, everyone uses the net in 2001, we're not in 1992 when usenet was a scary thing university students were using to talk about what level in Rogue they can get to.

reach the sky wrote:

Yea now days anyone with a couple hundred bucks can talk about what level in Rogue they can get to right? I think perhaps it's more the content then the medium that defines Nerd.

You know that. I know that. But the number of people out there who dont is shockingly high.

in Rogue

medium that

"reach the sky" wrote in message news:[email]...

Then explain this:

User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; 0.6) Gecko/20001205

That's a fairly nerdy piece of software right there. Minus several points for Win98, but still.

LooseChanj wrote:

Of course then there's the guy who uses software as a status symbol, Whoo boy!:)

Mike Zaite wrote:

hahaha, well, i can't defend myself about using Mozilla. Let's just say i dont wear glasses and I don't comb my hair nicely then. I play electric guitar, i'm in a band,and I just happen to fuckin love Futurama. hmmm, maybe i'm just a weirdo then.

reach the sky wrote:

Man you just don't get it do you?

Mike Zaite wrote:

get what ?

"reach the sky" wrote in message news:[email]...

You're a nerd, the band thing notwithstanding. Get used to it. Embrace your destiny, yadee yadee.

LooseChanj wrote:

Hey there's nerd bands. Just look at They Might Be Giants. Flansburg is king of Nerd!

"Mike Zaite" wrote in message news:[email]...

king

Hmmm, now I have to go start napster.

"The sun a mass of incandescent gas..."

[email] wrote:

Also, there are a lot of sci-fi fans with little to no sense of humor. These are the Trekker types, etc. They're either not interested in or offended by jokes and pokes at sci-fi cliches and fans. Some of them simply don't get why these jokes are funny because they take sci-fi so seriously, and aren't aware of all the hokey writing and tired plots.

-Eric Sansoni ([email])

"What I'm trying to communicate is that I'm willing to do nudity, no extra charge!" -Bill McNeal, Newsradio, 1998

Maybe because it's never even on.

S.F.J.Cody wrote in message ...

Why is Futurama unpopular? Hmmm? It's great!

Because people are stupid and gay

In article ,

Stupid, perhaps...

But what does one's sexual orientation have to do with it?

(And since when did that perjorative figure of speech become blandly insulting, which I find insulting in and of itself?)

I wasn't refering to sexual orientation. It was more like "That's gay" as in retarded. The word gay has many different meanings. It was a slang use of the word, so just chill the fuck out.

XIT WOUND

XIT WOUND wrote:

Yea thanks for clearing that little misunderstanding up. We were all so confused by it.

In article ,

Um, that's a completely wrong and offensive use of the word, and we're just trying to point out that it is hurtful and insulting to people, so just wise the hell up.

Why don't you get off this newsgroup and back to a meeting of your local ACLU chapter? I'm not offended by any word, and if you are it's your own decision to be. A culturally accepted meaning does not equate to a WRONG use of a word, except in your little liberal self-righteous mind. No one is going to police what I can or can't say. In fact, how about this, I'm offended by the use of the word "um," so please cancel your post and refrain from using it anymore. Words have lots of different meanings. Actually, come to think of it, I demand you stop using the word "gay" to refer to homosexual people. Its original meaning was to be happy and carefree, and I am offended and hurt by you trying to change its meaning to something much less family-oriented. That is a completely WRONG use of the word! Ha... Now stop being so politically correct and go march in a gay parade or go to a gay bar or something cuz I sure don't give a fuck what you do, now give me the same consideration and don't try to control what I can or can't do and say with the typical left wing hyprocrisy...

-Eric Sansoni ([email])

"What I'm trying to communicate is that I'm willing to do nudity, no extra charge!" -Bill McNeal, Newsradio, 1998

THANK YOU Eric, why the fuck does everybody have to be so sensitive. So what? What do you care, you don't. So take your homosexual rage and shove it up your fucking ass. COCK EATER. And by the way I am not a troll, I happen to like the show very much.

On Sun, 21 Jan 2001 03:12:17 GMT, "XIT WOUND" wrote:

well, we�re all human beings, a little sensitivity cannot hurt, can it?

you are talking about rage? cute!

oh, gimme yours, i want a LITTLE snack!

god bless you. you need it.

I can't believe he really wrote, "So take your homosexual rage and shove it up your fucking ass. COCK EATER."

The ironing is delicious.

I love that quote "the ironing is delicious" What makes you think I am of the male species anyway?

In article , "XIT WOUND" wrote:

*So take your homosexual rage and shove *it up your fucking ass. COCK EATER.

This, if nothing else, proves that you're not exactly brimming with respect for homosexuals. Me, I don't really care what words people use -- "gyp," as in "cheat," is sufficiently distanced from its origin that it should no longer be offensive to Gypsies, IMHO -- but the intent _behind_ the words can indeed be offensive. Looks to me like you're not just using "gay," divorced of its sexual meaning, to mean "stupid," but rather that you actually think being gay is something to be ashamed of, insofar as you're also using "homosexual" and "cock eater" as pejoratives.

On Usenet, you're judged by the words you use, since that's all we have to go on. If you use bigoted language, you'll be treated like a bigot. If you don't mind that, go ahead; if you want to be respected, watch what you say. Simple as that.

Also, k3wl hAcker nameZ like "XIT WOUND" went out with the TRS-80.

                                                       ----j7y

In article ,

Oh--*now* I get it! I thought you were supposed to pronounce it "zit wound"... Seemed fitting, somehow!

Nah, it's Euro-TRaSh-80

Sean Rea

On Sun, 21 Jan 2001 01:51:54 GMT, [email] (Eric S.) wrote:

like nigger, you mean?

um is no word.

well, times are changing, gay already has a different meaning. you do not have to be happy about that, but do not blame us

c above

well, i�m surely no lefty, but "stupid and gay" as a reason not to watch futurama is not abou political correctness but about decency.

hope you change your mind someday

In alt.tv.futurama, on the "Re: What's wrong with people?" thread, Eric S. wrote:

Oh, get real. Are you saying that words like "nigger," "kike," "dago," and "retard" have no power to insult? Maybe you'd like to find some burly member of the groups those terms slander and explain your line of reasoning to them. I cannot believe you are falling for this "blame the victim" argument. I *really* hope this was some sarcasm on your part that I didn't get.

I agree that people today often seem like they're just looking for a reason to be insulted, but it would be wrong to deny that there are some words or phrases that are deliberately designed to be hurtful. To use them, and then say that anyone who gets angry should "chill out," is either irrational or hypocritical. Take your pick.

On Wed, 24 Jan 2001 04:27:02 GMT, [email] (Benjamin Robinson) wrote:

I've often heard the excuse that the original meaning of this word was. . . so I can't help it if it's taken as an insult now. However, we are now quite aware of words that are taken as hurtful and we have the choice to not use them. If you wish your language to be hurtful or insulting, you have that option as well. But it's getting harder to blame it on innocent ignorance.

As far as I can tell, it was not a sarcastic remark, but a genuine attempt at a self-righteous defense of free speech.

If you read all the posts from XIT Wound, you'll see that s/he had: 1. Never posted here before, at least not under that name. 2. Posted a number of negative messages and pushed the boundary of the language normally used here.

Since, in retrospect, this person was obviously only here to pick a fight and move on, any response to correct him was bound to precipitate an attack. And it did.

Personally, other than on the show "South Park" I have never heard the word "Gay" used to describe something boring. I have been reading this group pretty regularly for over a year and I've never seen it here. Since I don't gauge the depth and breadth of our culture by television, especially not South Park, I was not really aware that this slang connotation was in fact real. Further, to claim that in this usage, "gay" has no relation to sexual orientation, is belied by the fact that in South Park, they modified it to "Liberace gay".

I don't spend much time trying to keep up with all the hip new slang the kids are using these days. In fact, I still have an active permit to use the word "Groovy". The original comment could have just as well been a reference to sexual preference as a slang reference to something being boring. The first reply to the post called him/her on exactly that point. The vicious attack that was returned was uncalled for and made the purpose of the original post very clear.

To turn this into an all out war for and against "Political correctness" was ridiculous. A mature person could easily have disagreed without making it a personal attack. I have seen PC go horribly wrong and people who meant no offense do sometimes get hounded to the point of outrage. I do not, however, dump the sum total of my frustration at the next person I hear take issue over the use of an offensive word.

Definitely, a bit of moderation is clearly in order. Taking some time to think before one posts would certainly a good idea as well. First, think of the worst way your post could be taken, then assume someone will take it that way. Second, when you read a post try to think of all the ways it could be intended, then opt for the least offensive. If it really is unclear, ask the person how they meant it and then duck.

Excluding the original poster who started all this, I imagine that if all the people who got pulled into this battle were in the same room talking, this would have played out very differently. It is very easy to forget that we are dealing with other people and the power to hurt them with words is a responsibility that comes with the power to choose not to.

--Larry

Janet F Caires-Lesgold wrote in message ...

in

wise

So it's wrong to imply that gay people are retarded or that retarded people are gay? I just want to get my political correctness correct.

"Janet F Caires-Lesgold" wrote in message news:94cb2h$3ed$[email]...

just

wise

Just shut the fuck up you dyke.

Thank You LooseChanj, why are people so sensitive? Fuckin retards.

XIT WOUND "LooseChanj" wrote in message news:[email]...

XIT, you're a genius. If not for you, I never would have known that 'retarded' was a synonym for 'gay.'

And LC? Don't go patting yourself on the back for this one. You've baselessly insulted a newsgroup regular and earned the thanks of a moron, that's nothing to put on your resume.

On or about Sun, 21 Jan 2001 13:00:48 -0500, Dave proceeded to say:

She had it coming. I loath newspeak, err, political correctness. And that "don't talk like that to spare my feelings" stuff is just shit. Good thing I won't be reading it anymore.

In article ,

Okay, I guess your latent homosexuality makes you lash out against people who you think are different from you, but whom you secretly fear will learn your true orientation...

P.S.: I'd rather have a bigot think I'm a lesbian than a lesbian think I'm a bigot...

And you had to be the one to give it to her, I understand.

No, actually I don't.

I've notived a lot of that in this newsgroup. "I'll speak my mind and screw anyone who doesn't like it." It doesn't exactly promote thoughtful discussion, now does it? So if all it takes is a little bit of correctness to keep things running smoothly, where's the harm? What exactly would you compromise by acting mature?

On or about Mon, 22 Jan 2001 10:34:05 -0500, Dave proceeded to say:

Give an inch, they'll take a mile. One thing I've noticed about the liberal mentality is that there is no dicernment of quality or degree. Once you're willing to abide by one of their beliefs, you're willing to abide by them all. If you're willing to not speak ill of people, you're willing to not speak ill of bad people.

I will NOT censor my output to avoid offending someone. It is their responsibility (and mine) to censor input.

As far Miss Janet, I've noticed she *still* doesn't get it. So here it is, for the record:

I have absolutely NO problem with any sexual persuasion whatsoever. Well, not till I get hit on for the *second* time, anyhow. What does piss me off is people saying I (or anyone else, FTM) MUST care, for any reason, what someone else thinks about me, regardless of any reason.

In article , [email] wrote:

"I'll speak my mind and

exactly promote

takes is a little bit

where's the harm? What

Bullshit. Such aphorisms are practically guaranteed to be incorrect if applied to a large enough group, which you seem to have done.

or degree.

The liberal mentality.

Jeezus, I'm pretty sure I can see where this is headed and I want no part of it.

Thank you and have a good day.

Actually, that's not all it takes. It takes one side not deliberately trying to piss people off, and it takes the other side not deliberately trying to be pissed off. Political correctness, from my perspective, seems to limit only what people can say and do, without imposing any limitations on what people can find offensive.

While I am not of the generation that says "that's gay", I do know what it means, and it certainly does not refer to sexuality. I think the original poster said it meant "retarded", but that use of the word retarded is just as much slang as saying "that's gay". It in no way is intended to hurt the feelings of homosexual people. But perhaps some homosexual people have decided to be hurt by it. That is not a problem with the speaker, but the listener.

Paul

Thank you Paul, my original post was never meant to hurt anyone's feelings (although my second was) I am a fan of Futurama and I was just pissed off that the show was never being shown. It's such a well written show. It seems that some of the people in the group agree with me though on views of political correctness.

XIT WOUND

In article ,

wrote:

Dave

for this one. You've

earned the thanks of a

understand.

"I'll speak my mind and

exactly promote

takes is a little bit

where's the harm? What

side not deliberately

side not deliberately

True, but what about the people who get upset as a natural reaction, and not because they enjoy playing indignant? Am I to blame when something honestly offends me because my sensibilites are too delicate?

without imposing any

I suppose not. But neither is the person who said something that offended you when he did not intend any offense. But rather than regulate what the other person is allowed to say, why not regulate yourself such that you are not offended when people are not trying to be offensive?

Today's society is far too based upon trying to change other people rather than trying to change ourselves.

That makes sense. I don't believe people should be deliberately offensive either. Similarly, you should give someone the benefit of the doubt that they are not trying to be offensive, until they prove that they are being deliberate.

Being deliberately offensive is defeinitely wrong. But continuing to use a word that someone finds offensive may not be. I don't know if XIT WOUND is being deliberately offensive. I think they were just trying to say that they don't mean anything homosexual when they say 'that is gay'. If some people are offended by someone saying "that is gay" when it is not meant as an offense, and doesn't even have anything to do with homosexuality, then why should the person have to stop saying "that is gay". Instead, shouldn't the listener just realize that no one is trying to offend him or her?

I wouldn't. I didn't say it. I'd say the remark was rude and uncalled for myself

Paul

I generally avoid situations where I might be presented with potentially offensive material, but where that material is acceptable in its context. For example, I would not attend KKK meetings and complain about how offended I am. I don't consider a TV show newsgroup to be a similar example. I can't imagine loading up alt.tv.futurama just to look for something offensive enough to evoke a response.

And yet self help books, year in and year out, are always among the nation's best sellers. Seems like we *are* really trying to change ourselves but we're not having much success.

Yes. I knew we'd agree somewhere along the line. :-)

In general, perhaps not. People are entitled to their vocabulary, and if they can justify the use of a word, even if only to themselves, then they can use the word. i.e. "Life's a bitch, wear a helmet." But this is a newsgroup, a subset of society as a whole where rules like this break down. If a given word that someone objects to has a synonym, it's a matter of social acceptance to go with the more benign alternative rather than to intentionally antagonize for no better reason than "*I* shouldn't have to change for *you*." To me, this attitude typifies immaturity at its most basic.

I think the real problem wasn't with his use of the word, or the initial response to it, it was how he reacted after being rebuffed. Instead of recognizing the effect his words had and toning them down (as one would expect from a mature member of a healthy societal group), he kicked it up a few notches and became far more offensive than he ever would have been by chance. I found that extremely distasteful, far more than the original remark that started the whole thing. And for Chanj to defend him and receive a 'thank you' in response, well, at that point I just had to say something.

Again, we agree.

My two cents: People take it all far too far too far. To put it simply, if somebody is offended by something you say, a simple "I apologize if I offended. I did not mean to" would clear things right up. The masses are far too worried about showing vulnerability and claiming guilt where none is due. So what? If you offend, apologize, and that's the end of that.

wrote in message news:94k7ds$tla$[email]...

Hey, if you get hit by shrapnel (colateral damage) and shoot at the plane the dropped the bomb, you better be ready get something actually aimed at you. I found Ms Janet's remarks to be pretentious to the point of insulting, and her demands that others in the group modify their behavior to make her world nicer completely uncalled for. That's why I'm ignoring her now. Hey, I had to listen to 1,001 Florida voter jokes, but you didn't see me running around screaming for people to stop.

Is this the time when we inundate Mr. LooseChanj with more Florida voter jokes? After all, he should be ready for it after shooting at that plane.

On Sat, 20 Jan 2001 06:12:58 GMT, "XIT WOUND" wrote:

Get any book on slang and the word is primarily associated with the festive community. This is like the Southpark episode where that gang of kids described everything as "gay" as if that is the limit of their vocabulary.

On Sat, 20 Jan 2001 17:19:32 GMT, [email] (Zichron the Insistent) wrote:

They also refer to something they really didn't like as "Liberace gay". So the reference to sexual orientation is not entirely lost.

But more important, please don't feed the trolls.

--Larry

Stardate Sat, 20 Jan 2001 06:12:58 GMT ... written on Mars by the contented "XIT WOUND" :

Your words are offensive to the gay community. I am also offended by your use of popular slang, being stupid and retarded myself.

Yeah, no kidding. Neither of the reasons you mentioned are very plausible, and the latter I also find offensive. I would have thought better of this group than to resort to blaming sexual orientation on sitcom preference. That's pretty low...nearly on the level of KOTH fans (j/k).

Sean Rea

In article , [email] (Janet F Caires-Lesgold) wrote:

I wouldn't mind Futurama if it wasn't for all those robosexuals.

On Sat, 20 Jan 2001 16:57:31 -0800, [email] (Sean Rea) wrote:

I would think gay people would be more inclined to watch Futurama.

"Miss Piggy" wrote in message news:[email]...

My mom says there's a lot of gay people in Tucson.

Miss Piggy wrote:

Ya know I sat here and thought about that. And I have no clue what the hell that's supposed to mean.:)

I don't agree, but a friend of mine just regards Futurama as a half-baked The Simpsons wanna-be, with lame gags. This is most likely the way a lot of people who don't watch Futurama regard it. Now all my saying "taint so" isn't going to change his mind and get him to watch. Or anyone else with that attitude.