186 thoughts on “That Time The Stupidsphere Showed Up”

1. I don’t see what’s barbaric about hunting. It’s good healthy meat.

   1. He said it was “hunting for sport”; I think Wil is mostly finding that hunting for something other than meat is the issue. I could be wrong, but that’s what I took from his statement.

      1. Hunting for sport is hunting for meat. Who would go through all the cost and effort of hunting and not eat the meat.

         1. The number of hunters who waste the animal’s life is high enough that some states have laws against “wanton waste”: http://www.wideopenspaces.com/wasteful-hunting/

            I’m a meat eating person, and I recognize the meat in my grocery store may have been from factory farms.I eat much less meat as a result. An animal living in the wild before being killed as quickly and cleanly as possible, and which is then used fully, makes sense to me, and many liberals are of the same mind.

            BUT. The “sport” of following a blood trail because arrows are more challenging, or leaving the carcass of an animal to rot, or shooting natural predators because humans have impinged on their territory, eludes me.

         2. A significant number of people. Those assholes you might have seen recently that shot Lions and / or Elephants (or other exotic animals) were not doing it for the meat. They were doing it for the so called ‘sport.’

            1. Actually, those people (not assholes, people, like you or me) donated the meat from those kills to families in need, which is standard practice for these hunts as the meat can not be transported into the US.

               Secondly, these people (again, not assholes), pay a large sum of money to be able to participate in the hunt that is then used in conservation activities.

               Lastly, because of these conservation efforts, and selective hunting to “thin the herd”, there are now more animals in South Africa than there have been in over 100 years.

               I only ever hunt for meat for my family, and now rarely do it as I am consuming less meat. To your point, yes, they were hunting for sport, but that sport does more to preserve healthy animals and ecosystems than leaving them alone to overpopulate and die of disease and hunger would.

               Source: http://www.sportingshootermag.com.au/news/hunting-is-vital-for-economy-wildlife-south-africa

         3. Trophy hunters.

            1. One can do both, you know. For what me and my family kill, we strip off all the meat and freeze it, and then (for the big ones, unusual ones, etc.) strip the skulls and do a european mount. Or, if you get a bear, you take the meat and hide and tan it.

               The “full head” mounts with all the skin and neck wastes a lot of nice neck meat (that comprises the bulk of what I usually get for ground meat out of a deer).

   2. Read then comprehend. He said hunting for sport is barbaric. ie: killing animal for a picture then leaving meat and pelt to rot.

   3. You missed a few words, “hunting for sport is barbaric” you know, letting small males and females go by without a shot, waiting for that massive 8+ point buck to show up. Then only taking the rack and leaving the meat to rot. That is barbaric. Hunting for healthy none hormon ladened factory grown beef, because said beef is 4 freakin dollars a pound and hunting feral hogs because they are overbreeding and etc etc and pork now cost $6+ a pound, well there is nothing wrong with that. And it’s good eatin’ too ain’t it. BTW, not an NRA member.

      1. Dammit! Took so long to type on my phone those guys beat to the reply.

   4. Perhaps that’s what Wil meant, we’ll have to wait and see. The problem is, hunters don’t do that. The vast majority, if not all of them eat the meat.

      1. Right. Hunters kill for meat. All those trophies and people going on hunting safaris just really really crave 10 tons of elephant.

      2. “The problem is, hunters don’t do that. The vast majority, if not all of them eat the meat.”

         So you claim. However, there are in fact quite a few sick people out there who hunt animals for terrible reasons other than “for the meat,” believe it or not I’m not sure where you’re getting your “vast majority” numbers for those who don’t, because that’s simply not the case. It might be the majority, sure, but it’s definitely not “the vast majority, if not all of them.” Do a bit of research next time.

         1. Of course everyone knows that “quite a few” means the majority.

   5. He said hunting for sport.

3. http://imgur.com/BjlharM

4. I am so very sorry that you have to deal with that level of bile. Even more so, I’m sad that people are so ready to believe the best of the worst people, and vice versa.

5. As I’m from England all we generally see is the assholes representing America… because they are the ones making the noise so they are the ones we hear.

   I know America isn’t just a load of assholes and there are some reasonable people too (I know this because I listen for the less flatulent voices like yours) but I still have to remind myself not to just think of you all as huge flatulent assholes because its not fair to group you all as a single entity.

   Now lets get on to what the real problem is, you need (we need in Britain also but not quite as much) to instigate a law whereby you retain freedom of speech however you punish with fines or prison time any incorrect facts or other lies which have been used to incite violence, political unrest, or unfairly manipulate voters with lies. surely anyone starting false rumors is untrustworthy and should be at least banned from politics as a security measure.

   I love to laugh at the stupidity that the poorly educated Americans (absolutely not claiming all Americans are poorly educated) come out with, Obamacare was hilarious, the people lobbying against it either had not read the document or assumed most people wouldn’t but their claims were so outrageous I just couldn’t believe my eyes.
   I especially liked the claim that
   “People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.”
   And Stephen Hawking said in response
   “I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the NHS, I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived.”
   I remember someone saying something about if he is British why has he got an American accent, as if that made the original claim true.
   on the flip side the American health care under the insurance system does actually weigh cost to benefit however its decided by a company set up to make money.

   Another thing you really should do is completely obliterate religion in politics, that seems like the strangest thing in the world to me. its indescribable how bad that is.

   And please for the sake of the entire world shouldn’t someone administer some sort of intelligence test to anyone who is put in charge of the big red “press to end the world” button? (I don’t want to name names but lets just presume it was someone recent but not current that scared the frick out of me).

   Did you know that a pro gun meme that was perpetuated online by some gun touting half-wits claimed the UK had more violent crime than the US so we should shut up. well yes it is true, however the UK classes violent crime as any crime with violence, Americans class it as only the worst violent crimes like murder, rape, manslaughter and aggravated assault. we still are higher than America (percentage to population) on violent crimes if you narrow our figures to those categories (but not a massive amount as was suggested). if however you look closely at the range we have much higer non fatal crimes and much lower murder rate.
   The twisting of the facts completely overlooked a major fact that as percentage of the population we actually have a lower gun crime rate than America has of just recorded death by misfire. that’s right we intentionally murder less people than Americans accidentally kill in accidents with guns (just the accidents, I can’t stress this enough) as a percentage of population so obviously the gun restrictions we have work well.

   The problem this raises for me is that I know there are reasonable and sane people in America but the fact guns haven’t been banned or heavily restricted means at least half of Americans must be mentally impaired. I like to be open minded but America makes it hard.

   Thankfully every time I start to think you are all completely mad, rude, homophobic, racist, and arrogant I read my G+ stream and there is a new Wil Wheaton post that reassures me that America isn’t as bad as it seems.

   1. Honestly, I struggle with gun control. I grew up hunting, owning guns, shooting for sport. I can’t imagine not having a gun, but we end up with lots of dead people in the U.S. because of guns. But I honestly feel the cat is out of the bag as far as that goes, it’s a culturally ingrained part of America. And their are so so so many guns in the U.S. now that it really is a case of only law abiding citizens would turn in their guns and criminals would actually have the upper hand. Maybe I am wrong, I don’t know, but I am most certainly not mentally impaired.

6. As a stranger you don’t know and who can’t claim to know you, I want you to know that I really feel your rage and frustration. I can’t really know what it’s like but I can empathize. I’m really sorry you have to deal with these people in such crushing quantity.

   Do you think that some of this might be just trolls doing it for the LOLZ?

   Not that it makes it much better, but for discussion’s sake do you think there is anything that can be done about that really abhorrent trend in our culture?

   Just a fan, about your age, who thinks your politics are just fine even if we have a few points of divergence.

   Be well and game-on.

7. Perhaps that’s what Wil meant, we’ll have to wait and see. The problem is, hunters don’t do that. The vast majority, if not all of them eat the meat.

8. Thank you, Wil. You are an incredibly smart human being, and don’t let anyone tell you different.

9. Wil
   I will admit freely I am probably from the opposite side of the political and social spectrum from you. I know that, and I will admit that there are times I’d love to have a sit down and explain the conservative worldview in a hopefully calm and engaging manner. I will note that as an earlier poster mentioned there is a just as vast Stupidsphere on the OTHER side as well, just see what some of the top conservative twitter personalities get as responses. They are just as stupid, imbecilic, puriel and vitriolic as anything you see.

   That of course does not excuse it, but just points out that People are people regardless of political and social affiliation. Sadly even many who should know better engage in such behaviour and I think Twitter is especially conducive to it. For one thing it is not easy or practical to put forth a coherent and logically constructed argument or apologetic in 140 characters.

   All people should be treated with Dignity and respect. Why? Because one, we are all human. Additionally I believe that We are all God’s creation. It is not our place to pass judgement on the state of a person’s soul, on their worthiness as a human being. If we truly examine ourselves with an honest eye we are no better or worse.

   At this point it would be very easy to move this discussion in a theological direction, but it is not the place for that. It is sufficient for me to note that it is my faith and my beliefs that direct me to remember that we all are human and we all deserve respect. So allow me to apologize for our stupidsphere and let you know that the loud mouths do not represent all who have a different viewpoint. And if you were to ask someone who Is on the opposite side I am sure they would tell you that The stupidsphere they encounter is the worst. 🙂

   And Shh… I always liked the wesley character. don’t let any of my trek friends know!

   1. I’d actually love to be a part of this conversation. I can be the nutty free-market libertarian who likely half agrees with Wil and half agrees with you.

   2. More eloquently than I could have said and I do agree. Some of the things that get directed at minority conservatives is incredibly vile, for perspective and let’s face it, you’re not gonna change anyone’s mind by name calling, etc. Hard enough to do it, well, ever.

      Either way, well said Jason (except for the wesley thing of course, that was a bridge too far ;))

10. My hope is that Cruz pushes NASA to do something amazing because he doesn’t know it can’t be done. Something like a permanent moon base that serves as the HQ of an asteroid mining program.

    1. Holy Crap! I want a moon base! I would have voted for Newt Gingrich for Prez last time to get a freakin’ moon base!

11. It’s so great how progressive celebs are always told to shut up and stick to acting and singing, then they turn around and post quotes from Clint Eastwood, Ted Nugent, or those Duck Dynasty guys.

12. If you follow NASA on Google or Facebook, you will see all the crazies posting mindless nonsense every time NASA posts something about climate change. It is always the same refrain. .. “NASA should be studying space, not getting involved in the climate change debate.” When you try to tell them that a debate would require two coherent arguments, thus making a debate over climate change impossible, they lose their shit. I sweat, they only follow NASA in order to scream at the Internet and spread anti-intellectualism. Welcome to the dark ages.

13. Come on Will, jokes based on TNG are still funny.

14. Unfortunately there are a LOT of ignorant people out there who get incomplete info or twist things to favor their belief or just jump to conclusions without getting all views or SIMPLE FACTS of what was really said or done or whatever. I’ve experienced this in my own family and it’s so FRICKIN’ IRRITATING!!! I’m not saying I know everything or that I’m right but at least I don’t jump to conclusions just because or accuse someone without getting the facts or call somebody stupid or worse just to make myself feel better (yeah, all this goes on within my FAMILY – don’t talk to them much). You’d think adults would be more mature than middle school but unfortunately bullying happens at any age. I am, however, a firm believer of “What goes around comes around” and I’ve seen those who were/are unkind get what they deserve so, as much as possible, I live by your laws — Be kind, Work hard, and DON’T BE A DICK.

    1. Read what I wrote…..it doesn’t sound very nice at the end….not saying I think you’re one, I’m just saying that those from the Stupidsphere HQ should follow your laws. Don’t Be A Dick is an awesome law that the whole planet should follow. The world would be a much nicer place to live.

15. But Muslims aren’t bad people. Some terrorists happen to be Muslim but take the writings and use them in an extreme and not recognized way.

16. I feel your pain Wil. And I understand your frustration in them twisting crap like Limbaugh spouted and hurling it back at you. I gave up on Twitter long ago – far too many twits. Just continue to be Wil and don’t let these mentals drag you down to their level.

17. Hi Wil,
    I think this is a perfect example of what’s wrong with our country– we are no longer able to have an open dialogue about the issues. Instead of expressing an opinion that furthers the conversation, people sling an irrelevant slur, and knock the conversation off it’s rails.
    Don’t give into to their bullying. Continue to express your opinions based on facts and encourage a meaningful dialogue (or as much as one can on Twitter).

18. Barely any concept of who you are; I also barely know you from Star Trek. I just know I agree with about 75% of your concepts. just glad I still live in a society that still allows me to post this. What you say is not as important as your ability to say it. I hope you still feel able to post what you know and feel, without. being dragged down by stupid responders.

    1. ..shut up Will? I’m 35; wasn’t that meme dragged into the ground about 10-15 years ago? Hell, arrow to the knee is dead.

19. You are correct in most of what you say, Mr Wheaton, but those who believe that human activity, rather than the on-going effects of varying solar radiation, slightly affect the climate of Earth, are wrong. I wish you would cease your loyalty to them.

    Did humans cause the ice ages? No.

    Are humans causing little weather variations now? No.

    We had to stop flying for a week when the Iceland volcano threw dust into the North Atlantic sky a few years ago. THAT is the power of natural phenomena.

    The ‘evidence’ that supports the idea of anthropogenic climate variation is PSEUDO-SCIENCE. Please get used the idea that scientists who have been thru university and won degrees are not ALL straight thinkers. Their numbers include some hysterical exhibitionists.

    Oh well, good luck.

    1. So, as you apparently believe that human activity cannot ‘slightly affect the climate’, what is the explanation for the holes in the ozone layer that are, according to science, caused by the abundance of CFCs being used in the 20th Century?

       1. The ozone layer is like the rest of Earth’s sky: it reacts to the variations in the powerful output of our star Sol.

          1. You Sir don’t understand the difference between Ozone and the electromagnetic field of our planet.

             Which makes you part of the problem.

             1. Correct. I have no knowledge of either. I am simply impressed by the gentleman in the following link…

             2. So the argument you made was about the Ozone-Layer and your reply to my objection is a 13 minute (that I watched in full!) about CO2, with a conspiracy theory about the “main stream media” and “the government” at the end.

                So basically you have no idea what you are talking about, blindly accept what other people show you in videos and are a conspiracy theory nut.

                Thank you for making Wil’s and all the other commenters point. Mindless drones regurgitating talking points they have no clue about whatsoever. The only difference being that you didn’t insult people.

                So I guess congratulations are in order: at least you are polite about your ignorance.

20. For what it’s worth, I fully understand and support your outrage at this… stuff. I am very much in your shoes frequently, only on a much smaller scale (I am not a public figure, so only the occasional acolyte gets to me). I am in no position to give you any sort of advice, but keep doing what you are doing, I guess? If nothing else, you and other likeminded and outspoken individuals are making it easier for people to gain confidence in their belief that they should speak up when the Stupidsphere opens its yapper. I myself have gone from quietly scowling at people who spew shit like this to quickly and loudly calling them out on their bullshit, and people like you are a big part of the reason I am (proud to be) this way.

21. “the predicatable Stupidsphere response was that Politifact is partisan (it is not)”

    Remember that reality has a well-known liberal bias, so it’s understandable that Politifact might appear partisan to those not in the reality-based community.

22. Great Post!

    I read an article once (it’s been a while, so no reference, sorry) that it’s easier for people to defend (strong) illogical beliefs than change their views. You find this even in science. There is this famous quote by Max Planck:
    “Eine neue wissenschaftliche Wahrheit pflegt sich nicht in der Weise durchzusetzen, daß ihre Gegner überzeugt werden und sich als belehrt erklären, sondern vielmehr dadurch, daß ihre Gegner allmählich aussterben und daß die heranwachsende Generation von vornherein mit der Wahrheit vertraut gemacht ist.” – Wissenschaftliche Selbstbiographie, Johann Ambrosius Barth Verlag, Leipzig, 1948, S.22

    This translates to something like this:
    “A new scientific truth usually does not prevail because its opponents are taught and declare themselves as conviced, but rather because its opponents gradually die out and the next generation is familiar with this truth to begin with.”

    So I guess everyone is part of the Stupidsphere every once in a while, but some people sure have an extended membership card. As you said, it’s all standing on a few major beliefs, however illogical. If one of those falls, it all comes crashing down.

    I don’t want to refute what you are saying, just add some perspective.

    You know, I’m watching what happens in the states from the other side of the big pond. I surely don’t see or hear everything of that’s happening. I probably just hear the most vocal groups (coughcreationistscough) and as a rule of thumb those are the groups that think there message is more believable if they yell it. As an outside observer I often shake my head at what I see. I don’t want to into detail here, as that’s not the point (I just deleted the three paragraphs where I actually was trying to go into detail but realized it got out of hand). In the end it always comes down to strong beliefs. It’s probably the same here in Europe, but it’s easier to see these things from the outside.

    I think in a way you’re out of luck considering the Stupidsphere. Let’s face it, most of the time you’re just some guy on the internet voicing opinions, like millions of others; myself included. The main difference between the two of us in this case is that what you say is read by many people while it’s possible no one will ever read what I am writing here. I guess the Stupidsphere uses you as a scapegoat for all those who share your opinion and – as a direct cause – oppose theirs.

    1. As an aside, this is why Eugenics was “settled science” back in the 1930’s. Hence why I’m not so certain as others seem to be, because history has caused me to be skeptical when people claim things to be “settled”.

       The other concern I have is – let’s concede that the worst case climate change models are right, and all of this reasonably quantifiable stuff is going to happen, right? Well, the cost of preventing that is not zero either, and it may be that the cost of preventing the climate change is greater than simply relocating or helping people so affected by it (coastal regions, etc.)

       Bjorn Lomborg makes some excellent points in his various books and films.

23. Wow, and I thought our politics in Australia was convoluted and full of hypocrites!
    Keep it up Wil, remember when they arc up its usually because you have hit a raw nerve.

24. The Stupidsphere continues to match our manoeuvres sir, still one constant AU from our location. Maybe we could poke a stick at it?

25. Not to be pedantic, but why is it NASA’s job to study the climate??

    Isn’t that the mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ??

    (Admission: I worked there, years ago. . .)

26. Hey Wil. Good on you to admit what we won’t see eye to eye on, that’s what this great country is about. I’m saddened you don’t have the opportunity to go to a shooting range with a knowledgeable friend. I’d like you to have the opportunity for maybe a bit of education and maybe a bit of fun, without any politics involved.

27. What you have written is in my estimation quite brilliant

28. I’ve also found it never helps to point out that the Space Shuttle Program being shut down was George W Bush’s doing. Yes, it happened during Obama’s presidency, but GWB set it to shut down in 2003/4 after the Columbia explosion and the investigation of that… The Ares and Orion programmes were a direct result of that investigation.

    Ted Cruz is an idiot and I am sure that he’s going to bollox up NASA just like the far right want him to.

29. Hey, Wil.

    You know, it’s possible that you and I wouldn’t see eye-to-eye on several subjects. It happens. But you know what? I respect you, and I respect your views. It’s quite probable that I would agree with you on a great many things – especially the fact that each and every human being deserves a basic level of respect regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, etc. People lose my respect not because of what they say, but in how they go about saying it.

    You are dealing with a stupidshere full of people who lack the ability to respect even themselves. Same with Gamergate and all of the other BS that happens in online fora. Nameless, faceless cowards.

    It’s quite possible that you once saved my life, Mr. Wheaton, with some things you wrote and said about your struggles with depression and self-doubt. It would be my pleasure and honor to buy you a beer sometime. Many of us in the non-Stupidsphere don’t speak up. You’re one of the good ones. Stay that way.

30. Good morning Will,

    You’ve basically hit upon the reason why I am on neither twitter or facebook, and am only on G+ because I use hangouts to play RPGs. The internet is full of largely incoherent morons. It’s also why the gamergate thing largely bypassed me – I don’t play online games, because they’re full of idiots, hence why I’m playing Wasteland 2 and Civ V these days.

    Anyway, as others have mentioned here, feel free to email me – [email protected] if you wish to have a bit more discourse on the topics which you’ve discussed above (heck, there are enough folks here that I wonder if we should set up a moderated subscription mailing lists, or maybe all sit around and talk politics and make it a youtube show. Like “The View” but, you know, more geeky).

    Of concern to me personally is that, when calling out people parroting talking points, that scalpel cuts both ways and I fear you’re falling victim to a lot of anti-gun tropes that are largely rooted in a lack of familiarity with both hunting and firearms. Specifically, you mention that it would be okay for people to have hunting rifles but not assault rifles. However, it may be educational for you to realize that the new assault rifle ban in New York has banned my hunting rifle, which was purchased only the year prior and was legal under the old assault weapons ban. Why? Because it was semiautomatic and had a pistol grip, and that makes it evil. Why did I buy this? Because it’s the most comfortable for me. So, the ban means that I need to go from using 75 year old technology and ergonomics to using 150 year old technology and ergonomics as I have to change over to a bolt action rifle, and finding one of those with a pistol grip at a reasonable price is generally impossible.

    Now, semiautomatic rifles are not illegal, they only become illegal if they are semiautomatic with a pistol grip, which is a war on ergonomics. I mean, imagine of your automobile couldn’t use a steering wheel, because that made it a race car, and instead you needed to use levers like on some of the earliest cars. Or, perhaps, when using a drill, you can’t use a pistol grip, all drills are set up like Dremel tools. That wouldn’t nearly be as comfortable, would it?

    Anyway, as I said, if you would like to continue this discussion, please feel free to email me. At the very least, familiarity with firearms design and terminology would help you refute the the pro-gun folks.

    Full disclosure: I am a member of the NRA, and I think that they compromise too much (so, if anything, they’re too moderate), and am otherwise a free-market libertarian nutjob.

    Cheers.

    1. Dammit, I called you Will.

       Apologies Wil, There’s a Will (with two l’s) at work here, and half the time I call him Wil because I spell his name like yours.

       I feel like a tool now.

       Sorry man.

       1. I did the same..I was just in too damn a hurry to comment before my meeting started. 🙂

    2. Hi there. I’m from Germany.

       Let me put it to you this way: seeing you talk how inconvenienced you are by gun laws making you buy a more expensive gun and how that is a “war on ergonomics” is shocking.

       I really don’t have any words for what you wrote there.

       You are the prime example of what is wrong with the US when it comes to guns.

       Inconvenienced… inconvenienced.

       Jesus.

       1. Hi Sebastian,

          While the core point which I was trying to make to Wil was that I fear he is under-informed about firearms-related issues, my example also brings up a more salient point, which you correctly identify in your reply – to wit: most gun laws are inconvenient, not really effective. This is what I meant by my statement that “semiautomatic rifles are not illegal, they only become illegal if they are semiautomatic with a pistol grip”.

          Putting this is automotive terms, it’s like saying that we don’t want people to drive fast, so instead of limiting that directly (speed governors) or indirectly (engine displacement, horsepower, etc.), we’re going to tell them that they can’t have spoilers, rally stripes and “go fast stickers” on their cars, because all the cars that I see street racing look like that.

          If one wants to have a real conversation about this, then start with a real problem, say, that 95% of gun deaths in the US are caused by handguns, and then have a rational discussion about the costs and benefits to society and individuals of banning handguns.

          That would be a conversation I’d be willing to have – everything else is just noise and inconvenience.

          To be very blunt – between the Sandy Hook shooting and when the new version of the assault weapons ban passed in New York, guns which were legal under the old ban were selling for about 3x their pre-Sandy Hook price. After the ban passed (and went into effect immediately), any remaining stock (there wasn’t any) was pulled from the shelves. Do you know how long it took for them to be remade as compliant under the new law? A month. You can walk into any gun shop, and they’re on the shelves, back to normal price, except now they look like this:

          http://siterepository.s3.amazonaws.com/2675/580x174_blk_qd_20140321191347jpg.jpg

          That gun is totally legal under the new Assault Weapons Ban, but, aside from being an ergonomic nightmare, otherwise functions exactly the same as it did with a pistol grip and normal stock.

          Changing the subject, I suspect that your “lack of words” is related to actual differences in cultural experience, values and tradition. Much like American tipping culture or our resistance to the metric system makes no sense to the rest of the world, our cultural fascination with and love of firearms may not make sense to you, but it does exist, and is unlikely to change in any direction of which you would approve. If modern sales numbers are to be believed, if anything, it is increasing at a breakneck pace. In fact, if I had to place odds on it, I suspect that you’d have more luck converting the US to the metric system than banning firearms.

31. Of note – If you agree with the Sanders/Warren PoV, Don Boudreaux would take issue with you calling that “liberal”, as the term has been appropriate by statists. See here:

    http://cafehayek.com/2014/12/liberal-with-the-definition-of-liberal.html

32. Thank you for clarifying. Being completely honest, I always thought your use of the term Stupidsphere was you violating ‘Wheaton’s Law’ unknowingly (or worse, knowingly). Not that some of the things those people say aren’t incredibly stupid, but it seemed like you were only responding to opposing views. Now I understand that they’re the just the squeaky wheel.

33. Will…we will never agree on politics (because I don’t agree with anyone that has extreme views left or right) and that is ok; however, one thing we can agree on is that “Don’t be a Dick” should be everyone’s mantra.

    That being said, you were a dick. Your NASA comment was a shot across the bow to not only Cruz, but everyone who has the opposite view as yours. You gotta expect idiot people (left or right) to make idiot comments when there is a keyboard between their brains and your eyes and they feel as though you somehow personally insulted them.

    Like others, I would love the opportunity to sit down and explain why I view the world the way I do, but I don’t believe we can have honest conversations over the interwebz.

    1. Wil unfortunately does not realize, he is frequently, a dick. Nor does he read or respond to the shitstorm he stirs up.

34. Ah, isn’t life grand? Don’t you just love the internet and technology?
    I enjoy being around and listening to and talking with people who I don’t agree with. Like you, Wil. You have so many interesting things to say (and write them very well) and though I don’t always like what you say and/or agree with it, I enjoy the intelligence and thoughtfulness and the differing viewpoint.
    A few months ago I was sitting with my atheist fiance and his atheist roommate, and we were discussing the Bible and faith in God. The two of them agreed on most things and I didn’t agree with anything they said, but we talked amiably and intelligently together. Then I told them, “Ok you atheists, I have to leave for church now.” They smiled and told me to have a good time.
    It IS possible to have intelligent conversations with people you don’t agree with. Thank you, Wil.

35. Fortunately? Ted’s from Texas. He’ll bolster NASA’s funding because that’s basically pork spending for Houston. His decision will have nothing to do with science and everything to do with bringing funding to his home state.

36. Wil, if I remember correctly (and I’d have to go back and rewatch every episode of ST:TNG to be certain), pretty much every time Picard told Wesley to shut up Wesley was, in fact, right all along.

37. I agree with everything in this post, except for your thoughts on gun control. I find myself in this weird situation having grown up with guns but having remarkably socially liberal parents as well. All my really liberal friends think I’m a gun nut and my conservative friends think I’m a communist or a socialist or whatever-ist that day. But they are still my friends, we disagree, but somehow maintain lasting friendships. And that’s what I think you get that the Stupidsphere never will, it’s okay to disagree and you can still be friends.

38. Hey Wil,

    I think you need to improve how you disguise those twitter profile pics. I’m pretty sure I know who the person with the picture of an egg is.

39. Wil, this is a thoughtful post, but I believe you have mis-characterized ATLAS SHRUGGED. It is not just a poorly-written piece of fiction but specifically a poorly written romance novel.

40. So, I’ve never used twitter, so I’m not sure how viable this would be, but I wonder if you could write a program (or trick a computer buddy into writing one*) that logs onto your twitter wall/zone/verse/barn and looks for posts you’ve tagged in some kind of way. It deletes any such posts that have comments and then reposts them.

    So say for instance you post something particularly liberal/communist and mark it with #IgnorantFilth (or, you know, whatever…maybe #BileMagnet). Anyways, the stupidverse initiates their attack, but it all gets wiped away in a slash and burn riposte…**

    Just imagine how utterly incensed they’d become. There are definitely no holes in my plan. You’re welcome in advance for solving twitter.

    if you have no computer buddies, this is NOT FOR YOU STOP LISTENING TO MY GREAT IDEA RIGHT NOW

    ** Get it? Riposte…it sounds kinda like re-post…I am a hilarious genius

41. Wil,

    People haven’t really changed that much, it’s just that they have a larger, easy to use platform for their ranting thanks to technology.

    100 years ago the snake-oil salesmen, self-styled moralists, those on the political fringes and other driven folk stood on street corner boxes or park benches to shout at anyone who passed by. Today every computer, cell phone and tablet is a platform that allows almost anyone to shout around the world.

    In the long run, I hope humanity will benefit from empowering an ever larger percentage of us to have a voice. In the short term there seems little doubt that extremists on all sides make greater use of this freedom than do “ordinary” people, but I’ve found I can tune out much of their blather without really limiting my ability to listen.

    I’m very open to differing opinions, but anyone who uses insults or threats, those that can’t (or won’t) think critically, and those who simply shout others down all end up (and pretty quickly) being filtered out. There is way too much that fascinates me, there is too much to learn and not enough time to do that, to waste my time and energy on such people.

    Keep on keeping on, Wil. As long as we never give up the Stupidsphere will never win.

    And play more games!

42. After reading ALL of that, all I can say is… Pot’s not legal in California… AND… I’m scared… all these people that played a horrendous game of “telephone” with your tweet are out there…driving…paying bills…and worst of all…possibly multiplying… Really though, I can’t remember the last time I read something so well thought out and had a point. Keep writing it, I’ll keep reading it!

43. Thanks for your reasoned reply. Sadly, only the choir will hear you preaching…if/when the stupidsphere sees your post they’ll just go about doing what they always do.

    Sorry you’re such a magnet for this kind of unthinking vitriol. Know that you’ve got lots of folks who appreciate your thoughts (even if we/they don’t agree with all of them)…and above all else, remember that Non-Judgemental Ninja says, “you’re ok!”

    Keep being you. You is awesome.

44. @wilw Thank You for your words, Mr. Wheaton. I have read them and (as frequently before) agree with them. Please try to not let your “Stupidsphere” get to you. Please continue to produce content.

45. Wil, dude you rock and rock on!!! You are right on point and the GOP is stupid. And we all know you can’t teach stupid…….. Nuf said….

46. I think I should point our you’re slightly wrong about something, Wil.

    Politifact is, indeed, somewhat political. In that it always seems to bend over backwards to call things people on the left said ‘half true’, even when mostly true, or call something on the right ‘half truth’ when it is not, in fact, true at all.

    Or, in other words, their shades of gray are tilted to the right.

    I.e., compare them rating Marco Rubio’s claim that the majority of Americans call themselves conservative (40% do, a plurality but not a majority) as ‘mostly true’ due it it somehow being true in spirit, while rating Martina Navratilova claim that in 29 state you can be fired for being gay (which was 100% true) as ‘half true’, due to the fact that in municipalities in those states, you cannot. (And they also tried to make hay of the fact that some employees, including the Federal government, have rules against that, so their claim is ‘You can only be fired for being gay if your employers choose to fire you for being gay’, which is, uh, nonsense as some sort of exception.)

    Oddly enough, I suspect this bias isn’t exactly from their political leanings. They’re calling a lot more conservative voices liars than liberal voices, so end up judging the conservative voices with somewhat laxer standards in effort to appear neutral.

47. Hey Wil, this was a great read! You got a bit “ranty” at some points, but it’s difficult to maintain composure in the face of pure ignorance so I’ll let it slide ;). I look forward to more articles from you. I particularly like your reference links throughout for clarity and proof. I’m pretty sure I actually ended up smarter at the end of this read. Sadly a rarity these days.

    NB: I have to admit I giggled as I read the first “… Shut up Wesley” in the twitter posts you displayed. It isn’t very useful as a political argument, but it still cracks me up.

48. Sen Cruz might surprise you. I was recently reading something on Sen Gillibrand’s efforts to end sexual harassment in the military and who, to my surprise, shows up as one of her supporters: Sen Ted Cruz. It seems he has two daughters and finds the idea that they might be raped, discriminated against, etc objectionable. Funny how that works.

49. While I 100% agree with you that the response from the Stupidsphere is abhorrent, I do have to say that I am somewhat relieved by the following:

    http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/can-ted-cruz-really-derail-nasa-climate-science-research

    As a member of the aerospace industry, I recognize that the appointment is likely to result in some unfortunate fallout for the agency; however, I think the overall impacts are highly overstated. What discourages me most is that, while the optimist in me says that our lawmakers must be intelligent people to have gotten where they are, so few have any background in the fields they are appointed to lead (http://stemwire.org/2013/05/20/is-congress-stem-literate/). I know they bring in experts to help guide their decision making, but how well can they truly evaluate that advice without a comparable understanding of the issues at hand?

50. Hey Wil, I just wanted to come out and let you know I support you and am sorry you have to experience those types of rants. A couple of things I would like to take issue with on your post: 1, while I found the majority of tweets disgusting and insulting, the “in space, no one can hear you whine” was a little funny. Also, Atlas Shrugged is not just poorly written fiction, its poorly-written science fiction, because those are clearly not human beings.
    On the plus side, the “Stupid Patient Zero” made me laugh. I’ll have to remember that one.

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