Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Somehow, the logic of this escapes me

Found on Facebook, with editorial commentary by yours truly.

Also, I wasn't aware inventions could be homosexual. Probably explains that alluring rattle my space heater makes.


Addendum: Okay, everyone's pointed out what I was hoping was the case: that this was some kind of epic Poe-ing. Still, that's the whole point of Poe's Law: that it should not be especially surprising to find people out there in the world calling for the destruction of computers by holding up signs that have a URL on them. This is exactly the sort of hilarity you'd expect to see coming from the Westboro crowd with no irony whatsoever.

26 comments:

  1. I really hope that's a Poe.

    'Who cares if he saved us from Hitler" is about as close as you can get to the morons from Marvel comics who are all "Grrr mutants" despite mutants saving them from giant men from space who want to kill them on a weekly basis.

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  2. I am fairly sure that this sign is meant as sarcasm. Alan Turing, who was instrumental in winning world war two was prosecuted and anc convicted of homosexuality in England in 1952. He committed suicide in 1954. In 2009 Gordon Brown publicly appoogized for Turings treatment after the war.

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  3. So, I have to open myself up here to fair criticism of "stereotyping"--but I'm gonna say it: I suspect the person carrying the sign is a self-loathing lesbian, based solely on the fact that I consider that to be one manly looking woman. And I declare that haircut demonstrates it's not accidental. ;-)

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  4. I suspect a Poe. If it was real then she probably wouldn't have made reference to Turing's value in winning World War II.

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  5. I'm pretty sure that sign is a joke. I've seen that poster before and always presumed it was from some counter-protester of some sort.

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  6. It makes about as much sense as banning Wagner's music just because Wagner was a despicable human being.

    She seems a bit late in the game to be banning computers (van Neumann machines). I wonder what other gay contributions we should be doing without.

    @tracieh

    She is a little butch but the message sucks even if she were cute.

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  7. This woman was part of the protest group demanding an apology from GB to Alan Turing.

    The sign was pretty obviously meant as sarcasm. I'm kind of shocked that you missed it.

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  8. After googling the stickers she is wearing, I cam e across this explanation which indicates she is trying to be ironic and is supporting gay rights:
    http://www.reddit.com/comments/22ka1/destroy_the_computer_photo

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  9. I've seen this before and it has definitely been verified as a parody.

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  10. I've seen this before and it has definitely been verified as a parody.

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  11. I wasn't able to quickly find the link but that image in general is definitely being used in one of those online sign-generators. That, of course, doesn't mean that this particular variation of it isn't the original source image, but I think it's a good guess that it isn't.

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  12. This is satire. The sticker refers to agreeing with the SJC(Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts)- the court which ruled in favor of marriage equality.

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  13. Not to mention the fact, Kazin, if you look up the full size image, the woman (clearly a lesbian) is holding a rainbow flag.

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  14. As Nicole said, Turing was "convicted" of homosexuality and endured "treatment" through chemical castration and female hormone which resulted in his apparent suicide a couple years later. This sign may very well be a Poe trying to raise awareness of Turing's contributions during the war and his appalling treatment afterwards.

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  15. Definitely a poe. Here's the full image: http://www.photobasement.com/go-home-and-destroy-yourself/

    she'd holding a rainbow flag

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  16. Looks like the ??? part is a web address to www.myage.us, but the website has gone offline and Google doesn't have a copy saved it seems. Oh well

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  17. Must have been superposed, surely. Homophobes are not that knowledgeable.

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  18. Wonder where this demonstration took place, and it's purpose.

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  19. Is there a source for this picture?

    The URL (www.myage.us) appears to be invalid. Does anyone know when it was taken, or the context involved?

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  20. Yes this is Sarcasm (and old). The stickers are pro gay marriage. And the version you are using specifically cut out the rainbow flag she was carrying.

    http://sperone.free.fr/images/extraz/PICS17/gaycomputer.jpg

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  21. Also MYAGE "Massachusetts Youth Activist Group for Equality"

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  22. Well the web page on the sign doesn't exist, so can't check that.

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  23. Agreed that it's a poe.

    Here's a link with a larger picture, showing the person holding a rainbow flag in the other hand.

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  24. Poe's law is upheld again.

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  25. Fact checking courtesy of the INTERNETS!


    That said, the fact remains that you KNOW some people missed the point and nodded with "yup that Turner was a damn fag"

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  26. While Google doesn't archive everything for posterity, archive.org does, and the wayback machine can show us several snapshots of the website that was referred to: http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.myage.us
    Clicking on a few in the middle shows that it was indeed MYAGE = "Massachusetts Youth Activist Group for Equality"

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