We Have a Nutcase
May 22, 2008 4:19 AM Subscribe
His Excellency Alhagi Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, President of the Gambia and American Biographical Institute 2000 Millennium Medal of Honour, has reportedly called for the murder of all homosexuals. But it's all good, because he can cure AIDS (or so he says).
Well lopping the heads off of all homosexuals has nothing to do with his methods of treating AIDS...
He said the Gambia was a country of believers, indicating that no sinful and immoral act as homosexual would be tolerated in the country.
Of course it's a bit hard to see how murder is not also a sinful or immoral act. I guess I just lack moral clarity....
I wouldn't call him a nutcase, or a quack, or a small penised, insecure, christwhatanasshole. He is pandering to bigotry for political gains. It's how Republicans won the last two presidential elections. It's how you win West Virginia and Kentucky by large margins and it probably works in The Gambia too.
posted by three blind mice at 4:31 AM on May 22, 2008
He said the Gambia was a country of believers, indicating that no sinful and immoral act as homosexual would be tolerated in the country.
Of course it's a bit hard to see how murder is not also a sinful or immoral act. I guess I just lack moral clarity....
I wouldn't call him a nutcase, or a quack, or a small penised, insecure, christwhatanasshole. He is pandering to bigotry for political gains. It's how Republicans won the last two presidential elections. It's how you win West Virginia and Kentucky by large margins and it probably works in The Gambia too.
posted by three blind mice at 4:31 AM on May 22, 2008
I think insecure assholery predisposes one to bigotrous panderment.
posted by DU at 4:44 AM on May 22, 2008
posted by DU at 4:44 AM on May 22, 2008
More like his NOT-so excellency. I mean, amiriteguys??
/But seriously, what a douche.
posted by educatedslacker at 4:59 AM on May 22, 2008
/But seriously, what a douche.
posted by educatedslacker at 4:59 AM on May 22, 2008
I wonder if he met his wife while working in a fast food joint in Queens?
posted by Pollomacho at 5:17 AM on May 22, 2008
posted by Pollomacho at 5:17 AM on May 22, 2008
Ten bucks says he's queer, and ashamed. Can I cut off *his* head?
posted by notsnot at 5:37 AM on May 22, 2008
posted by notsnot at 5:37 AM on May 22, 2008
Is it really The Gambia? This person is horrid, obviously. There are still some mediaeval corners in this world.
posted by Mister_A at 5:46 AM on May 22, 2008
posted by Mister_A at 5:46 AM on May 22, 2008
Christ, what an asshole.
BTW, Skeptic, you might've noticed already, but it's "Alhaji, with a J.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:49 AM on May 22, 2008
BTW, Skeptic, you might've noticed already, but it's "Alhaji, with a J.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:49 AM on May 22, 2008
*sigh*
There are some days I wish I could just flip my sexuality, be straight, so I wouldn't have to worry about people like this in a concrete way anymore.
This is one of those days.
There are also days I wish that we could just colour every queer person in the world purple for a day, so that everyone could see how many of us there are, and show everyone who the hypocrites are.
This would be one of those days, but for how dangerous it would be for people in far, far too many places.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:03 AM on May 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
There are some days I wish I could just flip my sexuality, be straight, so I wouldn't have to worry about people like this in a concrete way anymore.
This is one of those days.
There are also days I wish that we could just colour every queer person in the world purple for a day, so that everyone could see how many of us there are, and show everyone who the hypocrites are.
This would be one of those days, but for how dangerous it would be for people in far, far too many places.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:03 AM on May 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
The let new agers run entire countries in Africa. Who knew?
posted by Brian B. at 6:56 AM on May 22, 2008
posted by Brian B. at 6:56 AM on May 22, 2008
Well, if God's got a sense of humor, his daughter will eventually have to come out of the closet...
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:06 AM on May 22, 2008
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:06 AM on May 22, 2008
There are some days I wish I could just flip my sexuality, be straight, so I wouldn't have to worry about people like this in a concrete way anymore.
Even straight people worry about people like this. Homophobia is generally not an isolated behavioural trait.... as we see from this shining example of the species.
posted by three blind mice at 8:21 AM on May 22, 2008
Even straight people worry about people like this. Homophobia is generally not an isolated behavioural trait.... as we see from this shining example of the species.
posted by three blind mice at 8:21 AM on May 22, 2008
Homophobia is generally not an isolated behavioural trait.... as we see from this shining example of the species.
I wonder if it is genetic or a learned trait. I mean do you know from a young age that you are a scathing bigot? Is it something that you keep inside all your life until one day you just can't hide it? Do they expirament with it at a young age, maybe trying on Dad's klan hood in secret and then get more and more sophisticated as they age, secretly going to bigot bars and ending up zonked out on amyl at random hate rallies?
posted by Pollomacho at 8:27 AM on May 22, 2008
I wonder if it is genetic or a learned trait. I mean do you know from a young age that you are a scathing bigot? Is it something that you keep inside all your life until one day you just can't hide it? Do they expirament with it at a young age, maybe trying on Dad's klan hood in secret and then get more and more sophisticated as they age, secretly going to bigot bars and ending up zonked out on amyl at random hate rallies?
posted by Pollomacho at 8:27 AM on May 22, 2008
I wonder if it is genetic or a learned trait.
My crackpot theory is that children have a great sense of 'difference detection' and generally get a sort of anxious curiosity about anyone that they perceive as 'different'. What turns it to hate is when these children go home and ask their parents 'why does johnnie's skin look darker than mine?' or 'how come stevie likes to play with dolls?' and then the parents inject their bigotry into what is otherwise innocent anxiety/curiosity. Of course, I am only using the dolls question as a trope for how a gay child might stand out - I am not saying that all or even any gay children do or have played with dolls.
posted by spicynuts at 8:49 AM on May 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
My crackpot theory is that children have a great sense of 'difference detection' and generally get a sort of anxious curiosity about anyone that they perceive as 'different'. What turns it to hate is when these children go home and ask their parents 'why does johnnie's skin look darker than mine?' or 'how come stevie likes to play with dolls?' and then the parents inject their bigotry into what is otherwise innocent anxiety/curiosity. Of course, I am only using the dolls question as a trope for how a gay child might stand out - I am not saying that all or even any gay children do or have played with dolls.
posted by spicynuts at 8:49 AM on May 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Even straight people worry about people like this. Homophobia is generally not an isolated behavioural trait.... as we see from this shining example of the species.
Yes, of course.. but it's a little bit more of a concrete danger for me that people likes this exist. Yes, straight people can also be injured as collateral damage by asshats like this, but you're not the target. That's all I meant.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:09 AM on May 22, 2008
Yes, of course.. but it's a little bit more of a concrete danger for me that people likes this exist. Yes, straight people can also be injured as collateral damage by asshats like this, but you're not the target. That's all I meant.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:09 AM on May 22, 2008
Hey I have a cure for cancer and blindness and etc....
I hear they used to have a cure for being jewish back in old Germany.
posted by dprs75 at 9:20 AM on May 22, 2008
I hear they used to have a cure for being jewish back in old Germany.
posted by dprs75 at 9:20 AM on May 22, 2008
I am not saying that all or even any gay children do or have played with dolls.
Yup. I'm straight and when I was a kid I had Star Trek and Planet of the Apesdolls action figures. The gay couple down the street were into muscle cars.
posted by illiad at 10:11 AM on May 22, 2008
Yup. I'm straight and when I was a kid I had Star Trek and Planet of the Apes
posted by illiad at 10:11 AM on May 22, 2008
My crackpot theory is that children have a great sense of 'difference detection' and generally get a sort of anxious curiosity about anyone that they perceive as 'different'.
Yes, in other words: Child's cognition tends to overgeneralize and thus sees 'a breaking of a rule' when two men kiss, for example, and they're also quite bad at differentiating between moral wrong (theory that men shouldn't kiss) and factual wrong (theory that men don't kiss), as their world is full of things that just shouldn't be done without clear reason why these shouldn't be done. (Sticking a fork to electric outlet, climbing to the roof, hitting your brother, jumping to the moon). Breaking of even self-made rule or theory is easily perceived as a bad thing and kids need to be explicitly told that it was not wrong, just rare. If parents scoff at the sight, you have basis for your reaction that it is wrong and it can be quite difficult to change later. It may even feel instinctive.
posted by Free word order! at 11:03 AM on May 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
Yes, in other words: Child's cognition tends to overgeneralize and thus sees 'a breaking of a rule' when two men kiss, for example, and they're also quite bad at differentiating between moral wrong (theory that men shouldn't kiss) and factual wrong (theory that men don't kiss), as their world is full of things that just shouldn't be done without clear reason why these shouldn't be done. (Sticking a fork to electric outlet, climbing to the roof, hitting your brother, jumping to the moon). Breaking of even self-made rule or theory is easily perceived as a bad thing and kids need to be explicitly told that it was not wrong, just rare. If parents scoff at the sight, you have basis for your reaction that it is wrong and it can be quite difficult to change later. It may even feel instinctive.
posted by Free word order! at 11:03 AM on May 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
...I wish that we could just colour every queer person in the world purple for a day, so that everyone could see how many of us there are, and show everyone who the hypocrites are.
This would be one of those days, but for how dangerous it would be for people in far, far too many places.
Not in Iran -- there aren't any homosexuals in Iran! Right? Right?!
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 12:33 PM on May 22, 2008
This would be one of those days, but for how dangerous it would be for people in far, far too many places.
Not in Iran -- there aren't any homosexuals in Iran! Right? Right?!
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 12:33 PM on May 22, 2008
but it's a little bit more of a concrete danger for me that people likes this exist.
Just because the canary in the coal mine suffers first does not mean that the miners are safe. Your concrete danger is my concrete danger. Violent bigotry is a danger to everyone.
posted by three blind mice at 2:57 PM on May 22, 2008
Just because the canary in the coal mine suffers first does not mean that the miners are safe. Your concrete danger is my concrete danger. Violent bigotry is a danger to everyone.
posted by three blind mice at 2:57 PM on May 22, 2008
No, it's really not, sorry. This nutbar has actively called for my death. Not yours. Mine. Yes, in an abstract sense it hurts everyone, but it's specifically aimed at me, not at you.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:45 PM on May 22, 2008
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:45 PM on May 22, 2008
No, it's really not, sorry. This nutbar has actively called for my death. Not yours. Mine. Yes, in an abstract sense it hurts everyone, but it's specifically aimed at me, not at you.
Do you live in the Gambia?
posted by Hicksu at 5:14 PM on May 22, 2008
Do you live in the Gambia?
posted by Hicksu at 5:14 PM on May 22, 2008
You're splitting hairs.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:33 PM on May 22, 2008
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:33 PM on May 22, 2008
My crackpot theory is that children have a great sense of 'difference detection' and generally get a sort of anxious curiosity about anyone that they perceive as 'different'.
Er, right. That's why "sandbox racism" is such a problem in the playgrounds.
Have you ever seen evidence in support of your crackpot theory? 'cause it sure seems to me that kids are generally pretty accepting of anyone that walks through the door.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:59 PM on May 22, 2008
Er, right. That's why "sandbox racism" is such a problem in the playgrounds.
Have you ever seen evidence in support of your crackpot theory? 'cause it sure seems to me that kids are generally pretty accepting of anyone that walks through the door.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:59 PM on May 22, 2008
You're splitting hairs.
If he was killing straight people would you be less concerned?
posted by Hicksu at 6:47 PM on May 22, 2008
If he was killing straight people would you be less concerned?
posted by Hicksu at 6:47 PM on May 22, 2008
Do you live in the Gambia?
Nope, and I have no intention of visiting. Not because of this, but because it's too damn hot and there are venomous motherfucking snakes in that motherfucking country. The guy's no threat to me in any real sense.
But he's a reminder, just like Iran. The guy was at a political rally, and it seemed like a great idea to call for the heads of all homosexuals within his reach. There was probably cheering. What the hell happened to cause those things to co-occur? We have political rallies and subsequent cheering here (take 'here' to be whatever non-Gambian, non-Iranian country you choose); homophobes too. What could happen to cause "Off with their cocksucking heads!" to pop in between the rallying and the cheering? It probably wouldn't happen right now... but how quickly could that change?
That's a creepy exercise in speculative fiction, and it causes a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you'd be the specific target of it.
If he was killing straight people would you be less concerned?
'Concerned' doesn't seem to be the right notion. Both situations would be objectively equally bad, and merit the same 'christ, what an asshole' reaction. But the aforementioned speculative fiction thing wouldn't cause the same visceral personal anxiety; just as the gay-slaying scenario seems wrong to a lot of straight people, but probably doesn't cause that immediate and intense gut reaction. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Of course, there'd be some visceral reaction... straight parents, family, friends. Similarly straight people would react to the possibility of losing their gay family members and friends. But then you'd be getting into the whole thing about what's genuinely more disturbing: personal danger or danger to loved ones.
posted by CKmtl at 8:45 PM on May 22, 2008
Nope, and I have no intention of visiting. Not because of this, but because it's too damn hot and there are venomous motherfucking snakes in that motherfucking country. The guy's no threat to me in any real sense.
But he's a reminder, just like Iran. The guy was at a political rally, and it seemed like a great idea to call for the heads of all homosexuals within his reach. There was probably cheering. What the hell happened to cause those things to co-occur? We have political rallies and subsequent cheering here (take 'here' to be whatever non-Gambian, non-Iranian country you choose); homophobes too. What could happen to cause "Off with their cocksucking heads!" to pop in between the rallying and the cheering? It probably wouldn't happen right now... but how quickly could that change?
That's a creepy exercise in speculative fiction, and it causes a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you'd be the specific target of it.
If he was killing straight people would you be less concerned?
'Concerned' doesn't seem to be the right notion. Both situations would be objectively equally bad, and merit the same 'christ, what an asshole' reaction. But the aforementioned speculative fiction thing wouldn't cause the same visceral personal anxiety; just as the gay-slaying scenario seems wrong to a lot of straight people, but probably doesn't cause that immediate and intense gut reaction. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Of course, there'd be some visceral reaction... straight parents, family, friends. Similarly straight people would react to the possibility of losing their gay family members and friends. But then you'd be getting into the whole thing about what's genuinely more disturbing: personal danger or danger to loved ones.
posted by CKmtl at 8:45 PM on May 22, 2008
That's a creepy exercise in speculative fiction, and it causes a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you'd be the specific target of it.
That's exactly it.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:01 PM on May 22, 2008
That's exactly it.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:01 PM on May 22, 2008
The same gut-sinking words have been spoken by Croats and Serbs, and even White Americans and Black Americans.
There is a lot of "Kill 'em all" hate expressed in many, many nations. What differs is the ability to carry them, on a personal level in some jurisdictions (think racism in America even today) and on a national military level in others, as with batshitinsane dictators.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:37 PM on May 22, 2008
There is a lot of "Kill 'em all" hate expressed in many, many nations. What differs is the ability to carry them, on a personal level in some jurisdictions (think racism in America even today) and on a national military level in others, as with batshitinsane dictators.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:37 PM on May 22, 2008
This paragraph from the BBC profile on Gambia cracked me up:
President Jammeh wants to turn The Gambia into an oil-producing state. He says this could usher in a "new future". However, the country has yet to strike crude oil.
posted by Devils Slide at 4:52 AM on May 23, 2008
President Jammeh wants to turn The Gambia into an oil-producing state. He says this could usher in a "new future". However, the country has yet to strike crude oil.
posted by Devils Slide at 4:52 AM on May 23, 2008
The same gut-sinking words have been spoken by Croats and Serbs, and even White Americans and Black Americans.
Which is kind of my point, really. When nutbars are saying "Kill all the niggers", it hurts me inasmuch as it's a bad thing for humanity in general. But I'm not the specific target, so it's not as much of a concrete worry.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:01 AM on May 23, 2008
Which is kind of my point, really. When nutbars are saying "Kill all the niggers", it hurts me inasmuch as it's a bad thing for humanity in general. But I'm not the specific target, so it's not as much of a concrete worry.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:01 AM on May 23, 2008
Have you ever seen evidence in support of your crackpot theory?
Number one, that's why it's called a CRACKPOT THEORY.
Number two, I worked as a pre-school teacher for a year or so in Boston. So, yes.
posted by spicynuts at 9:57 AM on June 5, 2008
Number one, that's why it's called a CRACKPOT THEORY.
Number two, I worked as a pre-school teacher for a year or so in Boston. So, yes.
posted by spicynuts at 9:57 AM on June 5, 2008
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posted by grouse at 4:31 AM on May 22, 2008