Go JK, Go!!

I've been reading up on the whole "Dumbledore Is Gay" revelation that Miss Rowling revealed this weekend and have been having mixed feelings. On the one hand I am amazed that such bigotry and stupidity is still very much in evidence in the world (well, in the U.S. of A. anyway and that is the world as far as they're concerned) and on the other hand I am terrified that such bigotry and stupidity is still very much in evidence in the world!

Who gives a crap really? Some rabid American fundamentalists do. And they care enough to post on public forums, which is handy because their lack of grammar and spelling skills reveal that their opinion probably isn't worth a chocolate frog anyway.

Here are a few of the more unbelievable and stupid posts from Newsweek

http://www.newsweek.com/id/50787/output/comments

· Posted By: emiejo @ 10/20/2007 9:43:20 AM

Comment: This is just plain sad. I am a conservative, born-again christian and came to the defense of the Potter books. I believed that the underlying message was how loyalty and goodness win over evil...period.
Thanks a bunch Rowling....you just gave conservatives more reason not to buy the book or to allow their children to read them. You didn't need to bring in such a controversial issue. In my opinion it is for publicity and to perk sales.....otherwise you are a coward. You made your millions by not revealing this "truth" prior, knowing full well the impact it would have on sales. I purchased and read every book the week each one came out. Now I wish I hadn't.

· Posted By: The Holy One @ 10/20/2007 2:09:45 AM

Comment: Thanks a lot Rowling, I'm gonna go light the local bookstore on fire to cleanse it of Satan's stench. Being gay should be a crime and is an instant ticket to hell. I hope all of you gay sympathizers end up in hell too, supporting the Devil is one of the biggest sins (besides being gay) ever.

o Posted By: maggiecat65 @ 10/20/2007 14:46:19

Comment: What is that old saying? Me thinks thou dost protest too much. Are your Gay tendencies starting to come to the surface? It is only a book people, would you ban some of the great literature of the world, just because you didn't agree with it? Again, Me thinks thou dost protest too much! !.

* Methinks maggiecat's definition of 'irony' is 'like goldy and bronzey, only made of iron...'

· Posted By: Pagan_Soul_08 @ 10/20/2007 3:02:29 AM

Comment: To you, oh Holy One, I have but one thing to say: Spout your religious dogmas and filth elsewhere you worthless sack of crap. I, for one, have amazing respect for Rowling because she can and did think to that depth in developing her character. Also, look at what she has done with the books! More people are reading, and some parents have even used the series to teach their children to read! So, she has rightfully earned my respect.

· Posted By: kiwi90210 @ 10/20/2007 7:49:53 AM

Comment: I can't believe she even felt the need to share this information! So much for my kids reading these books!

· Posted By: Sinjid777 @ 10/20/2007 9:51:34 PM

Comment: I for one don't think Dumbledore is gay. I think that the author, J.K. Rowling is an idoit looking for publicity and that all Dumbldore did was make plans for a new government with Grindlevauld. Also, this is for skindthunderbomb, CATS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!!! They are soulless and thus, cannot think, they were probably just itchy and couldn't rub their itchy spot! Anyhow, Dumbldore went through a rough patch, maybe experimented with homosexuallity and then went back to being straight. It is severel months since the book that JK revealed this so I beleive she just did this for publicity. she essentially ruined a great series because she wants to be on the spotlight.

Luckily though, there are a few out there who try to be the voice of reason against these idiots. What I was struck by is the brevity of some of these posts compared to those that are so outraged by the revelation that they felt the need to share it with the world. These people are obviously more intelligent and realise that the amount of words you use don't necessarily make what you're saying any more right.

· Posted By: A.C. Katt @ 10/19/2007 11:28:36 PM

Comment: Dumbledore is gay...hooray. There's one for the rest of us who really don't care who you love, just that you do.

· Posted By: brian.glanz @ 10/19/2007 11:08:56 PM

Comment: Christian, Muslim, and Republican conservatives are running out of places they can hide from the real world: so many of their own leaders are gay, and so is Dumbledore. It's time they stop lying to themselves and to their children about homosexuality, and so many other things.

Posted By: cmoretruth @ 10/20/2007 10:52:08

Comment: Dumbledore is NOT, I repeat NOT real. Are you all a bunch of idiots. Except not for Rowling saying he was gay there is not any other proof or situation or comentary in the books to support such a thought. which is why everyone at the signing was surprised. Grow up, the books are great fiction.

· Posted By: KarenK @ 10/20/2007 8:52:58 AM

Comment: Dumbledore is exactly the same as he was yesterday...just as wise, just as devoted to fighting Voldemort and protecting his students...he was attracted to men. That's all that's different.

· Posted By: selowitch @ 10/20/2007 9:02:12 AM

Comment: I can see it now ... Republicans in the U.S. Congress will move to pass the Defense of Literary Marriage Act forbidding fictional characters in books from entering into same-sex unions.

· Posted By: anne.nonymouse @ 10/20/2007 3:26:25 PM

Comment: It's HER BOOK, you freaks. If she says he's gay, HE'S GAY! Jeez. The unending stupidity of some in thinking they have some ownership interest in popular culture never ceases to amaze me.

· Posted By: RowlingFan @ 10/19/2007 11:46:34 PM

Comment: I wonder what percentage of Rowling's readers are having such extreme reactions as keithbrown? Didn't most of the fundamentalist Christians eschew the Harry Potter series for its so-called promotion of the so-called demonic practices of "witchcraft"? Surely most readers who understood Harry's message wouldn't judge the book any differently now knowing some new detail: one not even worthy of the author's mention of it once before across a vast and already-extensively detailed multi-volume epic.

Since the original story includes Rowling also sharing how she sees the banning of her books as a compliment -- "...if you look at which other authors are on that list. In a way it's great advertising." -- it seems that jwilkins is correct: the irony here is just getting thicker.

o Posted By: RowlingFan @ 10/20/2007 00:17:02

Comment: Sorry, I misspoke: Surely *any* readers who understood Harry's message wouldn't judge the book differently now. Other news coverage of this story has quoted Rowling saying that she considered the books a "prolonged argument for tolerance."

This Guy Just Really Doesn't Get It Does He?

Dear
On reflection, I think I may have been a bit hasty yesterday. In particular, I think I should maybe not have acceded so quickly to your request that my directee Fred be withdrawn from the course . I think now that I should at least have asked for the original enrollment to be honoured.
At the moment, I'm not minded to pursue this any further but this is largely because I believeFred has decided that he doesn't wish to take courses in Politics any further. (He had been intending to take introductory Politics courses with a view ultimately to changing his degree from M.A. Philosophy to M.A. Philosophy and Politics.)
In my time as a Director of Studies, I have enrolled literally scores of directees for hundreds of courses and never before have I encountered a case quite like this one. Of course, mistakes happen all the time and we all make them but what has made this case particularly difficult has been the fact that a week was allowed to elapse between Fred's (apparently successful) registration and and your instruction to withdraw, during which time he presumably carried on attending classes and planning assignments as usual. I'm just glad it's only a 20 credit course that was at stake and not a 40 credit course.
Sorry to go on at such length, but I think the primary issue in this case is the disruption to my directee's studies. This is virtually the end of the 4th week of teaching in this semester and I have still not been able to arrange a suitable alternative course for Fred. If his studies this year suffer as a result (which seems possible), I will encourage him to consider submitting a Special Circumstances claim.
Thank you,

No Dr Arsehole, I think the primary issue is that you have acted like an arrogant unprofessional wankstain.

Good gawd! These people are supposedly intelligent? Sheesh!

Catharsis....

My original email (CCd to the student & course convenor purely for their information. Both were already aware of the situation.)

>Dear Dr X
>
>I just spoke your tutee Fred* with regard to the
>course Introduction to Politics and International Relations ,
>for which you signed him up on the database.
>
>I'm afraid that we are not able to allow Fred to join the course
>at this stage. The course is full and we had to turn away a great many
>students in the first few weeks of the semester. You should not have
>been able to register Fred but sign up on the database seems to have
>been re-opened in error. I have now rectified this.
>
>Please de-register Fred from the course as soon as possible.
>
>I apologise for any inconvenience this will cause.

Reply (CCd to course convenor AND student)

Dear
Thanks for your e-mail. Fortunately, this is the only case I've encountered where I've registered a directee for an apparently open course one week and been told the following week that the course has been closed to enrollments all this time. I'm really glad this kind of case seems to be unusual, because otherwise the job of advising and registering my directees might become practically impossible.
I'll remove Fred* from both Politics courses posthaste - although what courses I'm going to sign him up for at this stage of the term are maybe less clear to me.
Al best wishes,

Dr X

My reply (after having calmed down and redrafted it 3 times)

Dear X

I am unsure how enrolments were open again as I had to close them off on day 3 of Freshers' Week due to the course being over-subscribed.

I again apologise for any inconvenience this will cause to you but I must also say that I think it was entirely inappropriate for you to have copied your tutee into the reply below.

May I suggest you take a look at the Netiquette guidelines published on the Information Services website? These are some simple points which are designed to help you communicate effectively using computers, and avoid misunderstandings and bad feelings.

Reply

Dear ,
Thank you for your e-mail. I would be more inclined to accept your apology for the inconvenience caused to my directee (and myself) had you adopted a rather different close to your last message. Pardon me but I'm not yet entirely convinced I need any pointers on effective communication via e-mail or the etiquette thereof.
Effective management of the database is another strategy which can greatly reduce the risk of generating of bad feeling.
All best,

Dr X

And then....

Dear ,
Just as a pendant to my last, I would have you note that I gave my e-mail reply only the circulation that you gave to your original message. Consequently, I really do not believe that I have done anything inappropriate.
All best,
Dr X

The reply I want to send....

Dear Dr X

You, sir, are a f*cking arsehole.


Sigh. The first rule of the guidelines I sent this arrogant piece of crap?

1. There are People on the Other Side of Your Screen

It's very easy to see yourself talking to a computer when you're typing a message. Computers are unemotional, unthinking machines, and you can't upset them. But you aren't talking to computers: you are communicating with people!

If you send a message to an open system such as a mailing list or Usenet, people anywhere in the world may read what you type. Keep this in mind. People can and do get upset at certain things. Make the content and the tone of your messages appropriate to the people who you can reasonably expect to read them.

Should I forward that to him? I would if I thought it was worth it!!!

Something's Gotta Change

Anger - a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong; wrath; ire.

Belligerence - a warlike or aggressively hostile nature, condition, or attitude.

When something makes you feel like that it's time for a change isn't it?

Or a new pair of shoes! It's always better to stamp one's feet in fabulous heels. Especially these beauties, they say "I am serious and professional so you had better listen to what I say."

Sigh.