Posted on 02/16/2005 9:11:41 PM PST by quidnunc
As the Oscar campaign comes down to its climactic concluding days, I've been amazed to see much of the ferocious battle for Best Picture improbably and irrationally focused on … me.
In recent weeks, some of the nation's most influential cultural observers have chosen to concentrate their Academy Awards commentary on my harsh reaction on radio and TV about the deceptive packaging of Clint Eastwood's boxing-and-euthanasia epic, "Million Dollar Baby." Roger Ebert raised the issue in several columns, attacking my decision to mention the movie's crucial assisted-suicide theme as "unforgivable." Maureen Dowd portrayed me as a witless censor (and even coined a new word, "Medvedized") while suggesting that consistency demanded my objection to classic suicide scenes in Shakespeare. Frank Rich berated me as a leader of "the usual gang of ayatollahs" in a column titled "How Dirty Harry Turned Commie," comparing my criticism of Eastwood's film to the lunacy of the House Un-American Activities Committee investigating 10-year-old Shirley Temple in 1938. In more than a dozen other commentaries, from the Los Angeles Times to the Houston Chronicle, outraged observers expressed not only disagreement but denunciation of my unpopular position as a skeptic regarding one of the most absurdly over-praised movies in recent Hollywood history.
Initially, the condemnation centered on my alleged role as a "spoiler," suggesting that I had maliciously damaged the commercial prospects for "Million Dollar Baby" by "describing its plot in great detail" (according to Roger Ebert). As a matter of fact, I never disclosed specifics on the movie's dark surprise, nor indicated which of its endearing characters chose to exercise "the right to die."
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Hopefully, you quit smoking before you damaged the cells that might become cancer cells, which might later make it very difficult to breathe, at which time you might have developed emphysema, or some other pulmonary ailment that would reduce the quality of your life. Of course, let's hope that you suffer few of the most heinous ill effects of smoking, so that you never exhibit the constant hacking and shortness of breath which might make you a nuisance to some people. And the phlegm, constantly spitting out the phlegm, which might make you gross people out, and make you less productive that you would be better off dead. At least, you quit before any bad things happened, hopefully.
I never wish death on anyone, even strangers, no matter how much beating around the bush it takes.
Sell your kill the imperfect philosophy of death to someone who only FEELS and doesn't THINK. You and your ilk would have gotten along famously with Hitler.
Sell your kill the imperfect philosophy of death to someone who only FEELS and doesn't THINK. You and your ilk would have gotten along famously with Hitler.
Death should take another holiday.
AH...the Hitler factor. The last refuge when you can't make your argument anymore. Loser.
Another ridiculous post.
Not ridiculous. Just over your head.
She doesn't like it when you point out the fact that she's following Hitler's orders.
WOW. I didn't know I was in the company of genius. ROFLMAO. Now I think I've heard just about everything here on FR.
The difference between you and me is that I believe there are things worse than death. You don't.
Good. Now that you're done, you can leave.
Since you think living with reduced brain activity is worse than being tortured to death, now would be a good time for you to lead by example.
What a kind and Christian thing of you to say. And the reason she would be tortured, starved to death, is because of people like you who refuse to allow a humane way out. You should be very proud of yourself.
Your hatred toward Christians is on par with your hatred toward disabled people, which is on par with your hatred toward anyone who takes their wedding vows seriously. No wonder you hate Terri so much. She's all of the above.
(Was it you who expressed hatred toward those who honor their wedding vows, or was that a different troll? I don't know. You're all starting to run together.)
Is there anyone in the world that you care about? If so, imagine that you are given the following choice. You can let me murder that person politely, or I will torture that person to death. If you don't approve of me politely murdering your loved one, then it's all your fault that I have to torture him/her to death. If you try to stop me, you're to blame for all the additional torture I might decide to inflict upon your loved one.
It's not such a pleasant choice when it's someone you care about, is it? If you can't relate to that analogy, it's because you don't care about anyone. So if you don't understand it, please don't blame me.
Another ridiculous argument...and I have lived through it, what do you think of that? When my brother was dying of Cancer, and suffering beyond all belief, we made sure that when the time came and he wanted to go he would be able to do it in a comfortable manner. I won't go into detail, but I loved and respected and admired my Brother more than anyone else in this world. I guess we also have a different definition of love. It's not about my level of comfort, it was about his.
News to me you hate Christians Hildy...lol.
Here I'm Roman Catholic and one of your best friends.
I must say... You've gone completely insane with your ridiculous analogies, arguments, and bullet points.
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