Pryvett in Upfront Magazine

"Mean Old Man" -- Not a Denier

O, the price one pays every once in a while being available online, having one's name and work and sense of humor "out there." The other day some girl on MySpace, whose avator is a set of huge (not unlovely) tits crammed into a tight T-shirt that proclaims "Brunette's Have More Fun," wrote me a message containing a one line question: "Are you a Holocaust denier?"

I have been asked odd and insulting questions over the years, in person and online, but I must confess that no other matched this for shock-value or caliber. The person asking was not among my Friends' list, not someone with whom I'd even exchanged email. Just this random note rolling into in my Inbox asking if I'm one of the crazies of this world who denies one of the most gargantuan and horrible events of the 20th Century.

I'm not a Holocaust denier. I'm no great historian, but I've never read or seen any credible critique of the version of history that tells us 6,000,000 Jews (20 million people in total) were methodically slaughtered by the Nazis in concentration camps. If anything, my reading has focused on the travesty of justice with how so many infamous Nazi war criminals escaped to South America, and elsewhere. For instance, the notorious Martin Bormann escaped Germany with the aid of the Vatican. He was issued a Vatican visa, which allowed him to escape Europe and justice. I read in one book called The List about how many Nazi war criminals settled in America and in Canada. One Nazi was said to have settled in Windsor, Ontario, my hometown! I was horrified.

Das Korrespondence:

No Subject in the subject heading box

Are you a holocaust denier?

My reply:

You have spectacular tits.

Her reply:

are you? and thanks.

My reply:

No, I'm not a holocaust denier. What in the name of god would make you ask a complete stranger such a question? Looking for kindred spirits? You'll find none here.

Her reply:

No. I'm a Jew. There was something on your profile that lead me to believe that.

My reply:

OK, jokes and sarcasm and cynicism aside, what in the world did you read in my profile that would lead you to think I'm a Holocaust denier? I'm genuinely curious. Only a few weeks ago was I contacted by an Auchwitz survivor and I was not only encouraging him to write a book about his experiences, I was offering my services (free) to write and publish the work. The pervasive, destructive amnesia in our world is a suffocating bubble in which every manner of horror occurs.

Please do indicate what you read in my profile that gave you pause. No more sarcastic remarks out of me.

Best,
Matt

Her reply:

Mean old man.

My reply:

Oh, for fuck's sake you're referring to that Lenny Bruce photograph I have. You goddamned ignoramus! He was a Jewish comedian and had that newspaper specially made. Christ-in-a-handcart, get some goddamned culture! Holy shit, I'd thought you were some neo-Nazi slut recruiting. Take a course on satire, learn what humor and hyperbole are all about. Better yet, disconnect from the Internet, this ain't the place for the irony impaired. And you are most certainly impaired!

Now that I have this sorted out, please fuck off!

Signed,
Not Mel Gibson
Her reply:

You're very nasty. I know who Lenny Bruce is. Asshole.

My reply:

Go fuck yourself and get the Jewish Defense League after someone else's ass. You go around being some idiotic crusader. Christ, talk to someone who survived the Holocaust and see how your wretched self-righteousness rates. You're a fucking idiot who is not fit for adult conversation. Go fuck around with your iPod or learn to douche or something constructive. Anything, just keep the fuck away from anyone who knows how to think. There are too many pilons on the road as it is.

Fuck you.

That's about the gist of our interchange.

Man, Lenny Bruce once said, "There's nothing sadder than an aging hipster."

I say, "There is nothing more awful than an un-entertaining crazy person."

The power in Lenny's faked newspaper headline is that the absurdity of it causes a momentary laugh, which is quickly overtaken by the haunting realization of the calculated slaughter perpetrated by the Nazis -- while at the same time satirizing the escaped Nazis' hiding place (stating it in such baldfaced terms; "We don't know where they're hiding" becomes as empty as "I was just following orders"), and taking a shot at all those in a position of power who did nothing with the knowledge. I think it's a very powerful photograph and a very poignant statement. It's a stick in the eye to Holocaust deniers, not a call to arms.

But there is no subtlety left in this world. Peoples' idea of subtlety is ripping wet farts in elevators. Crass and base. No wonder this image was lost on a lost youth.

Ms. Chickenlittle

The other day I found an interesting article on the Guerrilla News Network titled What the Military Commissions Act of 2006 means for you. I posted it on the bulletin board on MySpace and received the following note:

From Ms. Chickenlittle (not her real name):

I know, since Bush is such an asshole, why don't we light torches and storm the White House as though it were the god-damned Bastille? All you are doing is exacerbating tension regarding issues we have access to. Honestly, being informed: good. Freaking people out when they can't change it until next election: pointless. If Clinton can get impeached and stay in office, I'm sure Bush can do it, too. In 2 years, other people are going to run for office and everyone will also have their minds made up as soon as the "who's running" announcement is made. Until then, you need to do a week at Disney before you die from a stroke or anyeurism.

My reply:

Thanks for your concern, but I'm quite happy how I am. Isn't it suffocating living with your head stuck so far beneath the sand? If you call that happiness, I'll believe you, but I won't imitate you.

From Ms. Chickenlittle:

My head is above ground, thank you. I just think that human beings wouldn't be so crabby and fight all of the time if everyone just calmed down. I'm not saying that what you've posted isn't true, but really, what can be done? We can impeach the guy, but he can still keep working. He's only got 2 years left and then some person who will piss us all off some other way will take over. Why get everyone all riled up about something they have no control over? As I said; being informed: good. Getting one's panties in a wad: pointless. I guess after people go through/see so much BS some of us become activists and the rest just prefer to stay away from the Drama Llama.
Oh, the health advisory is actually because I've been on anxiety and blood pressure meds since shortly after 9/11. I had to make CNN and FOX News unavailable on my usual TiVo list as they torture us with news at work. This whole ordeal: terrorists, war, and gov't has everyone's blood pressure going through the roof. I believe I peaked at 167/113 before meds. Possibly why I'm on all of this medication and getting counseling is because I have had access to information dated years before 9/11 confirming all suspicions the Bush administration had about the WMD's. Yes, Saddam had the damned things. Yes, I know where he's hidden them. No, I cannot tell you because I signed legally binding documents to forbid me to tell anyone how I know, where the stuff is now, indicators that told me, etc. Could everything have been executed better? Oh, yes. Does rehashing the past constantly change that? No. Will it change anyone's vote when it's time? I doubt it. So many people are so jaded with the mud slinging and controversy that goes on during elections and even other times that if they do show up at the polls, they vote for "whomever the Democrat is" or whatever their affiliation. They know what the Democrats stand for, but not really what the candidate stands for. If we remove labels, we can get a clearer picture and get the public more engaged in their political support system. It would also do away with that pesky electoral college that keeps screwing everything up.

But there I go rambling. I guess that means I need to go take something and go to bed.

You have fun ruffling feathers because we always need feather rufflers! Just don't get pecked...

BTW, I'm editing a work that details the whole anxiety thing... If you're interested...it may even give you some fodder.
;)

My reply:

No one will deter me from writing or posting what I feel like writing or posting.

Clearly, you are the person who has anxiety issues.

Flail away at me all you like, you're the one who chose to read my posting. Rather than suggesting I cease and desist, maybe you should be more responsible about not exposing yourself to things that upset you. My post's title is pretty clear and pretty accurate as to the contents it contains. I did not title it "Chocolate Cake" in order to trick people like you into reading it.

So, get hold of yourself and point your frenetic energies toward something and someone else.

We live in a shameful time.

I once did a paper on the McCarthy witch-hunts of the 1950s and recall sitting back, amazed, thinking, What was wrong with people back then? That everyone could just roll over and let some shifty-eyed sheister with a heckler's self-confidence grab the country by the ears and lower its face to his crotch. I realize shit like this has always gone on, but if my reading was correct, Joe McCarthy didn't even accidentally uncover a single actual Communist during his wretched crusade. To my complete and disgusted amazement we are back to that time. We've even got Anne Coulter and her bizarre book in praise of ole Tailgunner Joe. But worse, we have this lapdog media chasing its tail, and worse yet, we have ghoulish cheerleaders like Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and however many other clowns are stuffed into that car marked "Conservative Media Gravy Train" watching everything that made their country great going over the edge of a cliff, and all they can do is cut down the people trying call attention to the makings of a very real disaster.

More than a month ago, journalist Mike Ruppert fled the United States. He runs the "From the Wilderness" Web site where he and a dedicated staff cover an astonishing range of issues. Mike was once a member of the LAPD, but was chased out with threats (and actions) against his life when he went public about CIA attempting to recruit him to aid in programs that were importing large quantities of illegal drugs into LA, and America at large. In early July of this year the offices of "From the Wilderness" were buglarized. Check out the pictures and read the accompanying article. These offices were not ransacked by teenagers who'd drunk too much Red Bull.

So, I will not cease and desist. I have no illusions of accomplishing anything other than telling people about a few news items they may not have read. I enjoy it when I do the same on other blogs.

BushCo peddles fear like Richard Simmons with his Deal-a-Meal. And I'm not buying it.