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What You Can't Say

dtolton writes "Paul Graham has an excellent article posted on the subject of things you can't say. His article explores what ideas are generally considered heresy, and whether or not those ideas might be true nonetheless. He also presents advice for handling heretical ideas. Considering that many of the ideas in technology in general and Open Source specifically are near heresy, it's well worth a read."

40 of 1,999 comments (clear)

  1. you don't say.... by stonebeat.org · · Score: 0, Funny

    i dont wanna say anything about the article :)

  2. Attention Canadians: by s20451 · · Score: 4, Funny

    For all the Canucks in the house, here's something that's true but you can't say:

    Two-tier, user-fee health care is the way of the future.

    There, I said it.

    --
    Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
    1. Re:Attention Canadians: by AngryWookiee · · Score: 2, Funny

      For all the Two-tier, user-fee health care Canucks in the house, here's something that's true but you can't say: Two-tier, user-fee health care isn't the way of the future. There, I said it.

    2. Re:Attention Canadians: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I agree with your post: the real problem is single mothers.

      But the answer is to stop making freaking babies! Damn.

  3. Forbidden thoughts by aynrandfan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ya know, I think SCO might have a point there . . .

    --

    ----

    "Ours was a free culture. It is becoming much less so."-Lawrence Lessig

  4. Perhaps the best policy is to make it plain . . . by kfg · · Score: 5, Funny

    . . . that you don't agree with whatever zealotry is current in your time.

    XML and OOP suck big, fat, hairy monkey balls.

    There, how'd I do?

    KFG

  5. Warning: by jeffkjo1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Warning:

    This article has nothing to do with current technology sans a single 1 sentence reference to the DMCA.

  6. Re:Best examples of heresy I can think of by Keebler71 · · Score: 2, Funny

    ah...so you are anti-semetic AND a chauvenist pig!

    --
    "It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance." - Thomas Sowell
  7. /. Herasy by Cyno01 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Windows really isn't all that bad.

    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
  8. Re:A quick list by Selecter · · Score: 3, Funny

    Have you got Julie's phone number?

  9. I wish... by sootman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Paul
    would
    let me
    decide
    how wide
    the page
    should be.
    I hate
    skinny
    columns.

    --
    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  10. Re:Things like... by culain · · Score: 5, Funny

    "fashial"? It's going to be one of those days, i can tell.

  11. I'll tell you want I can't say by Gzip+Christ · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'll tell you what I can't say: "Supercalifragilisticexpialiousdoouscousious". If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious. Even just the sound of it is something quite atrocious.

    1. Re:I'll tell you want I can't say by Txiasaeia · · Score: 2, Funny

      you spelled it wrong. "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"

      --
      Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
  12. Re:Grammar Nazis by tgd · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just nuke it early enough that I don't have to sit in the traffic jam THAT would cause on my way to work...

  13. Re:Things like... by mcpkaaos · · Score: 5, Funny

    Did this kind of thing happen during other large conflicts?

    Yeah. Thanks to Napoleon, every time I wear my favorite hat people point at me and laugh. ;\

    --
    It goes from God, to Jerry, to me.
  14. Re:Best examples of heresy I can think of by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    hear that whooshing sound? that would be the point whizzing over your head.

    the parent to your post was pointing out the classic responses that are doled out every time anyone has anything to say about equal rights not being so equal, or about israeli genocide.

    it was extremely pointed, and worked very well, you fell for it hard.

    YHL, HAND

  15. Re:Things like... by myowntrueself · · Score: 2, Funny

    damn fashists...

    --
    In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
  16. Re:Nudity harms children by Qrlx · · Score: 5, Funny

    seem to believe that nudity harms children.

    No no no. Nudity does not harm children. No credible psychologist or behavioral expert or what have you believes this. Babies suck on titties for christ's sake, and it's completely natural. To a certain extent, though, wearing clothes is pretty much required to fit in with society, kinda like potty training.

    The reason that nudity is kept off of TV is because in our culture, we use sex to sell. If nudity were less taboo, and the things that naked people did became less taboo, these ads would lose their punch.

    The other thing that sells is fear; fear actually creates consumer want -- as in, we're all going to die so I'll go ahead and get into unsurmountable debt if it means I get to enjoy life while I can.

    Breast cancer is the wet dream of Madison Avenue; it's got both sex and fear all rolled up into one (well, two) little packages. Look how many breast cancer specials there are during sweeps (when the networks compete for highest viewer count.)

    Seriously, watch the news. The stories are there to make you afraid or to tittilate (sp?). The prodcuts advertised during the news provide the means for security and companionship. It's basic psychology, discovered around a hundred years ago and perfected during/after WWII, when all those propaganda big brains went to work for advertising agencies.

    Shaving and deodorant ads are my personal favorite. I'm a big fan on crotch shots too; they turn up in the strangest places, like that one super bowl ad from 2000 that had a 14-year old girl walking over the camera wearing khaki shorts. The ad was for a financial services company.

  17. Actually ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You can talk about SCO's positive points on Slashdot and sometimes get a rational response (usually not though).

    Specifically, if you look at SCO's claims about errno.h, ioctl.h, and signal.h, Linus's first version of these files (from Linux 0.0.1) really is a verbatim copy of older files (from Version 7 Unix, available from SCO Ancient Unix).

    I think the key is to frame the controversial statements in a non-threatening way, like "you don't have to chnage your mind about SCO, but here's something interesting that runs against the bulk of opinion here."

    There's a lot more things that you can't say in New York City than you can't say on Slashdot!

  18. Re:Perhaps the best policy is to make it plain . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Everybody gets a good laugh out "big fat hairy monkey balls", but I hope you guys are aware that this is a serious problem for monkeys in many parts of the world.

    Hypertrophic Testicular Disorder (HTD) is a condition affecting 14% of male monkey populations worldwide. The condition results in large, painfully swollen testicles, which onlookers often call "big fat hairy monkey balls". This condition impacts the monkey's ability to mate, or even to sleep and sit. Laughing at them doesn't help.

    I hope everybody on slashdot thinks twice before using this "funny" phrase, and please consider making a donation if you can. Your money will go toward analgesics to reduce swelling and paying the often-expensive fees of "monkey shavers".

  19. Re:Sadly, universities have the least free speech. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Universities have become islands of repression in a sea of freedom.

  20. Windows sucks! by TheMidget · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just watching the moderators from a distance...

  21. Re:Here's where... by Wonko+the+Sane · · Score: 2, Funny

    Stop being divisive. :)

  22. Things you can't say by Scrameustache · · Score: 3, Funny

    But you can quote:

    I'm a big fan on crotch shots

    : )

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  23. Re:I would like to say by No+Such+Agency · · Score: 3, Funny

    I wonder if I could win an election using that platform...

    No, but there's a book called "Gor" you might enjoy.

    --
    Freedom: "I won't!"
  24. Re:Best examples of heresy I can think of by MoonBuggy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Unpopular opinions aren't the same as heresies. Dig deeper. You have to have others.

    I don't know what this counts as, but here's my shot, it's something I've been considering for a while.

    Nothing we do actually matters. At firs this may not sound shocking, especially to those of you who are, like me, unreligious. Think about it though - I could destroy the planet, erase every life here and every achievement that humanity has ever made, yet it would not cause anything that mattered to happen. Maybe other planets would be affected, maybe the solar system would fall apart, so, who cares? I may get many replies saying 'All life matters' or 'It matters if the solar system is destroyed' but I challenge any of you to back that up factually.

  25. Re:The first 15 posts on this are things you cant by xigxag · · Score: 2, Funny

    My favorite example is why some African-Americans can & do use the term "nigger" to describe themselves without inpunity or shame, but if a white person does so, they can/will be fired and their lives ruined.

    Nice troll. In most corporate environments, nobody, white or black, can go around saying "nigger" (or "spic" "kike" "cunt" "faggot" etc.) with impunity at the workplace. And off the workplace, how many people do you personally know whose lives have been ruined for saying "nigger" in their free time, or is that fear of yours merely hypothetical?

    I'd suggest that if you really feel deprived by somehow not being allowed to say "nigger," if you really want to say it so badly, then go ahead. Shout it to the heavens. The skies won't fall around you.

    Or maybe the next time you're chewing the fat with a close "African-American" buddy, e.g. that retired fellow who drives the golf cart at the local course, you should just be straight with him and say, "Hey, listen Quincy, you know...I really feel that I've suffered a deprivation in life at the hands of all of you politically correct blacks. I mean, it's totally unfair and discriminatory that you bruthas get to banter around so casually and say cool words like 'nigger' but I can't. It's almost like you all are free and I'm the slave! Do you dig me, my man? So, from now on, can I call you 'nigger'? Pretty please? It'll make me feel so tingly and transgressive, so deliciously antebellum. I'll even make it worth your while, throw in an extra buck tip. So, whaddya say, Quince ol' boy - (er, can I say boy?) - is it all right? Do we have a deal? Well then, fetch me my putter, nigger!"

    --
    There are two kinds of people: 1) those who start arrays with one and 1) those who start them with zero.
  26. Re:Things like... by Paleomacus · · Score: 5, Funny

    I avoid short people because of Napoleon!

  27. Re:Things like... by pe1rxq · · Score: 3, Funny

    The fact that he excecuted so many people was special but the way he did it (or had it done).
    His nickname was Vlad the impaler (Not sure about the spelling), that should tell you something

    Jeroen

    --
    Secure messaging: http://quickmsg.vreeken.net/
  28. Brilliant!!!11 by Mike+Hawk · · Score: 4, Funny

    Argue with idiots, and you become an idiot.

    Well, I guess this is my last slashdot post.

  29. Re:On children and swearing by Hogwash+McFly · · Score: 2, Funny

    'Listen up motherfucker, when I say I wanna watch the fucking Tellytubbies I wanna watch the fucking Tellytubbies, not all that Sesame Street shit you keep giving me. Word up.'

    --
    Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
  30. Re:Things like... by thrillseeker · · Score: 3, Funny
    indeed, in many areas it is considered extraordinarily uncouth to be short.

    When you're in a room of long-legged women wearing mini-skirts?

  31. Re:Two things you can't say by damiam · · Score: 3, Funny
    We don't let women do things like crew submarines or fly combat jets in battle.

    The reason there is that we prefer not to have all our jets crashing once every 28 days.

    --
    It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
  32. Re:Things like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    "Mmmmm your hair smells nice!"

    (Before you mod this as offtopic, look at the topic title...)

  33. Slashdot Heresies by Dag+Maggot · · Score: 3, Funny

    Windows XP is a well built OS. It almost never crashes, it's very compatible with a wide range of hardware, and setup/configuration is a breeze.

    Bill Gates is not a bad person. He is down to earth, a geek at heart- a humanitarian and philanthipist who believes that the money he earns should be used in service to humanity.

    The MPAA is just trying to protect the copyrighted works of the companies it represents.

    Maybe there really is some of proprietary Sco code in Linux. And you know, revealing it before Sco has its date in court would not be fair to the litigants.

    no... wait that last one just went too far... I recant.

    --

    I have no pants and I must scream

  34. "If they like him, I don't trust him"... by incom · · Score: 4, Funny

    I just realized something. If people outside of america wish to at all influence the political choices of people inside america, then all they have to do is endorse the opposite person to whom they prefer. The americans would assume that because foreigners are endorsing that person, then that person/party must not be looking out for the best interests of america. So all these socialist europeans should sing the praises of bush to undo him! But of course as proof that europeans regardless of belief aren't the vast intellectual superiors to ameircans, they won't realize this idea en mass.

    There, I've made my controversial post for this topic!

    --
    True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
  35. Re:A quick list by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hi, I live in the UK and am used to solving situations like this. Let me know her name and address and I'll sort her out for you. We can discuss payment later. Email me: gdk23@hotmail.com

  36. Re:A quick list by BigBadBri · · Score: 2, Funny
    People didn't tend to like missionaries very much, as they were often the first wave of a colonial invasion...

    But they were, in general, quite tasty in a stew.

    --
    oh brave new world, that has such people in it!
  37. Season's Greetings, Legally Revised by DimGeo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all...

    And a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2004, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "America" in the Western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual orientation of the wishee.

    This wish is limited to the customary and usual good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first. "Holiday" is not intended to, nor shall it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or observances, or to such activities of any organized or ad hoc religious community, group, individual, or belief (or lack thereof).

    Note: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all. This greeting is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. This greeting implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for the wishee her/himself or others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the implementation or non-implementation of same. This greeting is void where prohibited by law.