Monday, March 05, 2007

You know, just because -you- take a shit anywhere you like...

...and/or, on anyone that's convenient,

doesn't mean the rest of the world is like you.

The rest of the world isn't just like you! What a concept!

Oh, what am I talking about? This story, via Blog of the Moderate Left:

The St. Paul Pioneer Press sought out a Republican party official and blogger as a voice against a bill working its way through the state legislature. But in quoting the official, the Pioneer Press failed to note that his blog has included questionable and potentially insensitive statements regarding the bill in question.The bill, House File 1015, guarantees restroom access to people suffering from diseases such as Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis, which make it more difficult to control one’s bowels. The bill would allow those so afflicted to use businesses’ private restrooms, waive liability for businesses that do and create a fine for employees who refuse to allow customers to use the restrooms.

In the article, Pioneer Press reporter Rachel Stassen-Berger sought out comments from Michael Brodkorb, GOP chair of the 38th District, a former consultant for Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and author of the Web log Minnesota Democrats Exposed. Stassen-Berger quoted Brodkorb as objecting to the bill, saying, “In my heart of hearts, I just don’t believe that we need legislation that dictates that level of involvement in businesses.”

Brodkorb had also expressed his objection to the bill on his own blog using far less diplomatic language. Indeed, both Brodkorb and others who commented on his site mocked the bill, dubbing it the “Freedom to Poop” bill, and ridiculed the idea that anyone would need access to private restrooms.

In his initial post on the bill, Brodkorb summarized the bill as follows: “Any retailer that does not allow people with ‘eligible medical conditions’ such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or any other inflammatory bowel disease like irritable bowel syndrome or presumably “mud butt” would face a $100 fine for not allowing these non-customers to use the bathroom at their establishment.”

A number of commenters on the site quickly joined in mocking the idea.

A poster calling himself “Biggster Kahuna” said, “I certainly hope our nanny-state friends in the DFL will have the courage to appropriately amend this bill to include protections for our Minnesota men and women, our neighbors, suffering from Chronic Masturbation Syndrome.” Another commenter, “Dumbing it Down for the Left,” said, “Now they are talking about parking issues, and how malls and gas stations will have to have frequent pooper parking places. This is way too funny."

...And commenter “RabidRepublican” said, “I hope this never passes. It would be way funnier for someone to just take a crap on the floor of the businesses that won’t let them use the can. I suppose next the badas* govt (sic) will make a law making that illegal.”


Hilarious. Hey, you know what would be even funnier?

...eh, I'll leave it to karma and/or your imagination to finish that. I'm tired.

Just:

You know, you'd think a bunch of assholes on legs would maybe have at least some empathy for this particular issue, if nothing else, disability-related or otherwise.

But, oh yeah, that's right:

The whole POINT of being a total asshole is never having to have any empathy.

And never having to worry about where you dump your shit.

17 comments:

Cassandra Says said...

Charming. Nothing speaks to the real character of a person quite as clearly as a complete lack of empathy.
How can these people stand to look at themselves in the mirror?

Anonymous said...

i don't understand...to care so little for humans.

Anonymous said...

"I got *my* bowel control, so fuck you."

Thing is, not only is it a lack of empathy, but it's also a rather twisted kind of optimism. One of the reasons I look at stuff like that, or prison reform, or healthcare reform, is that I always think, hey, *I* could end up in that position some day.

I mean, even if you have absolutely no empathy at all, wouldn't you at least want to hedge your bets? (Yes, I like Rawls.)

Unfortunately, this approach doesn't really do much to alleviate racism, sexism, or homophobia, since there's not a real high probability of suddenly finding yourself on the other side of things.

Cassandra Says said...

Eli - You have a point. There's a certain kind of (typically very young) person that seems to be convinced that ageing and disease are things that cannot and will not happen to them. Which is, well, a bit foolish really.

belledame222 said...

Well, unless of course THEY get into power and do unto others what's been done unto them, which we pretend is happening already, of course, if we are a certain kind of...person.

belledame222 said...

slip. i dunno. seems to me if you're old enough to be typing on the Internets about politics, you're old enough to at least have the basic level of empathy that this requires;

but then again, you might also expect that one would have outgrown the point where poo poo is automatically highly amusing, no matter what the context, after the age of, oh, forty or so.

ArrogantWorm said...

Twisted optimism? Might as well call it deliberate self-delusion. Cuz if they can ignore the effects of aging and disability and accidents, well, who knows what ~else~ they're going to ignore? Someone might want to inform them that body functions aren't something to be mocked, as well. If there's no substance to an argument that tends to be something people go after first one the jokes list.

Anonymous said...

but then again, you might also expect that one would have outgrown the point where poo poo is automatically highly amusing, no matter what the context, after the age of, oh, forty or so.

Three more years! Woohoo!!!

Rosie said...

The whole bathroom thing is a conservative secret talking point. They've trotted it out for blacks in the military, integration, women's rights, gays in the military, women in the military...basically any time a group might be included in the rights and responsibilites of everyone else...it comes down to sharing a bathroom. Oh. God. No.

Republicans love a good bathroom argument. Not surprised by this at all.

belledame222 said...

interesting that it also gets trotted out by Certain Supposedly Not At All Reactionary People when it comes to transfolk...

yeah, the bathroom as sacred space doesn't really do it for me, somehow, y'know?

Veronica said...

Yeah... there's just something about authoritarian personalities that brings out the bathroom weirdness.

Trinity said...

WHAT?

Sometimes I swear Republicans purposely find bullshit to care about.

OH NO WE CAN'T LET EM INTO THE EXECUTIVE WASHROOM!

belledame222 said...

well, you know what I think it is at least as much: christ jesus we do anything that looks like it's interfering with Bidness. i mean, next thing you know, people might be demanding to use the toilet in public without, like, having to buy something first...

belledame222 said...

i mean, i hate to get too Freudian about it, but...

Cassandra Says said...

"yeah, the bathroom as sacred space doesn't really do it for me, somehow, y'know? "
Never really considered peeing to be an act of great spiritual significance myself, but then maybe I'm just strange that way.

Amber Rhea said...

My ex has ulcerative colitis. I can tell you with 100% certainty that because of the insensitive assholes out there, this bill is VERY MUCH needed. Sometimes I hate people.

belledame222 said...

I'd rather hate some of the people all of the time than all of the people some of the time, if you know what I mean.

but, yeah, I know what you mean.