Comment Archives: stories: Last 30 Days
Re: “A Punch in the Mouth”
Okay. I'm done. I apologize. It struck me that I have sunk (as many of us have) to a level of discourse that simply fosters resentment. I'm sorry. I lament that I'm having these kinds of arguments and saying nasty things to people with whom I probably share many commonalities, people I'd likely get along with quite well, famously. There's really no point to it and it saddens me. We all agree that there is a problem. We just disagree on the proper solution. Since those who voted have decided that fluoridation of the public drinking water is not a viable course of action, we need to come together and explore the alternatives and find our way toward a solution.
So, I hope you'll accept my apology and put the bitterness behind us.
M&A.
Re: “Oregonian: "Nazi" Cop, Cleared of Harassment, Calls Out Complainant—Which Might Actually Be Harassment”
Just so it's clear, Kruger's a piece of human garbage who should be fired for any number of reasons, not least the shitty judgment and score-settling impulse shown here.
1. @hippo, There is no law that an employer can't act arbitrarily. Nearly the opposite is true: employers can't deliberately treat members of protected classes differently.
2. @Denis, I don't think Kruger posting a letter clearing him of harassment becomes itself harassment, nor does it rise to harassment just because Kruger wrote Galvan's name on it. He wasn't ordered to keep this secret, and her name has been public record for a long time - Galvan was certainly known as the complainant inside PPB.
That maybe changes if he'd e-mailed the letter to the entire Bureau, or did some larger-scale thing, but this is a pretty understated action for a guy who, in his spare time, builds Nazi shrines on public property.
The bottom line is that Kruger's a dick, but unfortunately in this case (and many others), it's not against the law to be a dick.
Re: “Do Spoilers Really Matter? The Relative Importance of Storytelling in Film”
Most of the movies I've grown to love have been put there not because of the twist, the the big reveal, or the climax, but for the subtle framework of hints and foreshadowing and just plain good build-up to that climax. I can appreciate that more and see the intricacy once I know what it's leading to. The first viewing of a movie can be a different experience, but it certainly isn't the definitive one.
Re: “Stop Fucking Honking At Me!”
Turn right on reds if pedestrians are not walking.
A hot chick to stare at is no excuse for holding people up to their destination.
Re: “Do Spoilers Really Matter? The Relative Importance of Storytelling in Film”
If you don't care whether you already know what's going to happen in a film you're about to see for the first time, your soul may already be dead.
Re: “A Punch in the Mouth”
So if it weren't for your job, you wouldn't be here? You need a different job.
Re: “Do Spoilers Really Matter? The Relative Importance of Storytelling in Film”
A good film should be a series of surprises. They can come in several forms, such as jokes we didn't see coming, character choices we didn't expect, clever battle strategy, intellectual insights, or surprising developments in the narrative. Either way, on watching a film, we should not know what will come next, not precisely. Each little surprise in a movie is a moment that absorbs us that much more: when a character unexpectedly does the right (or wrong) thing, we learn that much more about the character and that our preconceptions may have even been wrong; or when a character in a thriller is unexpectedly killed, we realize this cinematic world is more dangerous than we expected. Shoot, I think the Joker in The Dark Knight is such a great character because of all of his little surprises. These little moments make a film more absorbing.
I think the reason that spoilers for major events are not terribly devastating to most film goers is because they only spoil one or two of the surprises held in the plot. Things that are not generally spoiled are the arc of the characters, clever quotes, cool action scenes, or small but pivotal actions. Since any good film (hopefully) has several surprises, it can afford to lose one or two of them, because the rest of the narrative should still be surprising enough to be absorbing.
That said, I despise spoilers. The big twist or surprising development that everyone felt the need to reveal was intended by the filmmakers to communicate an extremely important message within the context of the film. By spoiling that major event outside of the film's context, it seems to remove any invitation to consider the meaning of it. For example, finding out that Darth Vader is Luke's father shatters Luke's (and our's) notion that Luke is absolutely good and infallible. We see that the potential for Luke to turn to the dark side is inside of him (as well as the potential for Vader to turn to the light side). This detail was spoiled for me long before I saw SW:ESB, and it was only recently that I reflected on what the scene meant in the context of what came before and after. I have often found that when a major scene is spoiled for me, I am removed from the narrative of the film and shocked back to reality as I recognize what was spoiled prior. This seems to disrupt my flow of the context of the film and I see the scene outside of the events, and it's later that I have to go back and figure out what the scene is meant to convey (and not just feel shocked by it).
TL;DR: a good film should be a series of surprises. Although any good film should be able to hold up as an absorbing film with one or two of its large surprises spoiled, we are being robbed of the delivery of an important message within the context of the film.
Re: “Do Spoilers Really Matter? The Relative Importance of Storytelling in Film”
I don't care for seeing or hearing about plot elements before I view a film. Also if a trailer plays for a movie I am already sold on (Man of Steel for example), I just distract myself with my phone. As does the wife.
Re: “Letters to the Editor”
Dear Mercury - I know you are crying a river right now because you don't get to have fluoride in the water. Don't worry I won't kick you when you're down. Just don't worry about the Little Children. They are going to be okay. Did you know all Portland Public School students get fluoride everyday for free if they chose. I know this because I am a PPS teacher. :) Funny how you overlooked this little fact in your editorial supporting fluoride in the public water systeml. So, once you dry those little tears of yours and blow your nose, if you wouldn't mind, could you please bust those corporations who peddle colored sugar water laced with acid to our Little Children. Their products do terrible things - tooth decay, obesity, health problem, etc. Somehow you let them off the hook before.
Peter
Re: “Oregonian: "Nazi" Cop, Cleared of Harassment, Calls Out Complainant—Which Might Actually Be Harassment”
Why are the cops trying so hard to defend a guy who is AT LEAST a Nazi sympathizer, and very possibly an actual Nazi?
Any union contract that doesn't allow someone like Kruger to be fired is a bad contract, and offensive to the public.
The fact that forces deep within the police force have been leaking documents in order to help this guy is completely insane, and shows the Portland Police are rotten to the core.
Kruger pulled this latest stunt because he knows he's safe. The powers that be are on his side. Which means the department itself holds Nazi sympathies.
Bust their fucking union. They deserve worse.
Re: “Stop Fucking Honking At Me!”
i'm really disappointed that this one devolved into pervy bullshit because i really hate motorists in the right turn lane honking at the car in front of them to turn while pedestrians are in the cross walk, and that's where i thought this was going.
and really, holding up traffic to ogle women? and some of the comments that people left here sound eerily akin to comments about women dressing a certain way asking to be raped. like women are at fault for you douchers inability to contain yourself and your uncomfortable stares.
Re: “Shut Your Pie Hole”
Ok, keep eating your reheated waxy cheese and cardboard. Like I said, this town will never know what truly great pizza is.
Re: “A Punch in the Mouth”
Man, look at that photo above. Stupid fucking white people. Yay we won. Too bad corporate America has you fucked no matter what. Where do you think those veggies and granola you buy from New Seasons comes from. Probably more chemicals on that shit than in the water.
I supported the fluoride measure because it's actually designed to help the majority of people, especially the less fortunate as opposed to a select few. It doesn't matter where you come from. That just makes sense.
Re: “Memo Sheds Light on Touchy Budget Talks Between Fire Union, Mayor's Office”
Denis,
I've admired a lot of your work over the years, which makes the glaringly limited perpective displayed in this piece all the more disappointing. If you had attended the entirety of the April 11th budget hearing in particular (which from your interpretation I assume you didn't) you would have seen anything but "peace." From the hundreds of Portlanders who showed up at hearing after hearing, to the passionate testimony we have heard on behalf of the safety net and the many other vital programs on the chopping block this year, to the pleas of union city workers to not be laid-off when there is already more work to be done than there are workers to do it, the actual process has borne little resemblance to the story you have concocted.
Anti-austerity activists such as myself and my friend above have been giving up our free time to fight back against Mayor Hales's baseless assertion that cuts are our only way forward. We have been there from beginning to end at budget hearing after budget hearing, and we're not even being paid to do so, so what's your excuse? If you had stuck around on April 11th, you would have heard Robin Hahnel, Professor of economics at PSU, deliver an impassioned and expert speech on the folly of austerity, from Portland to DC. You would have heard the City Council attempt to cut him off only to be vocally overruled by the community members in attendance. You would have seen the majority of the room stand up in opposition to cuts and for progressive revenue when asked to do so. You would have heard the crowd crying out for City Council to "go get the money" from the wealthy and rich corporations.
That doesn't sound so peaceful to me. I think you need a more diverse range of sources.
Re: “A Punch in the Mouth”
"I'd put my money on trendy tourists like you, who ride over here because everybody says it's a cool place"
Nope, came here for (gasp) a job. I would request you not make assumptions without knowing, or demonstrating a good grasp of, the facts-- but that motherfuckin ship has sailed. Also, what do you have against people who move somewhere for a better life? So the fuck what? Are you "original"? You're a tool who attacks character without knowing anything. And it's clear that your nerve has been struck on this site, and you're having a little tantrum.
So get back to your anecdotes, kiddo. You're a babbling idealogue who needs to drink one less beer before you type. And if you want to be taken seriously, don't rely on ad hominem attacks and anecdote-based logical fallacies. You have plenty of company in the US- disinterested in information and full of opinion.
Re: “Stop Fucking Honking At Me!”
Speaking of Feminazi, I hope this was wrote by a female! Dudes dont call dudes boner buddies!
I,A was probably like, "I have a lady boner, you should have a dude boner, we're in this together, so calm the fuck down and smell the fucking roses while she, and her bouncing boobs pass us."
Re: “Do Your Job or Quit”
What a stupid fucking response anon, clearly you are one of the douchebags the original I,A was talking about. Please learn to respect peoples' time. As for your attitude towards Portland's servers, they are not your SERVANTS, they are there to SERVE you DURING BUSINESS HOURS. I agree with the first I,A: GET THE FUCK OUT!
Re: “Portland as Fuck”
Thank God I don't have to give a fuck about Barry Goldwater all day. But I do have to give a fuck about fluoride all day. Hey, what have you done? Now my wife says "That shit needs a sidecar" whenever I say something profound. She also says I should be more ambitious like you. Curse you, Ian! You win again....BTW, you learned Hebrew in 1997, I learned Hebrew in 1967. I can tell you right now that that shit is not going to stick.
Re: “Stop Fucking Honking At Me!”
Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in San Francisco caught shit because of their stripmobile; a truck that drove around town with a showcase of scantily clad pole dancers in the back.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/17/h…
RSSGoing to Seattle?
Re: “Portlanders Are Being Sued for Stealing a Terrible Movie”
Michael Pare? Shit, I'll watch it.