Althouse: "A jumble of bones in a floppy bag of skin."

June 7, 2008

"A jumble of bones in a floppy bag of skin."

Harriet McBryde Johnson. RIP.

15 comments:

Ruth Anne Adams said...: Hard-core crips.

Gives a whole new meaning to that phrase. May she rest in peace.; 6/7/08, 9:00 AM
knox said...: Ms. Johnson had been sent to the lecture by Not Dead Yet, a national disability-rights organization.

"Not Dead Yet" ... great name; 6/7/08, 9:06 AM
William said...: Hollywood stars blessed with every physical grace and vast amounts of wealth sometimes commit suicide. And people struggling in every circumstance can find a purpose and a hope in their struggle. "There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so."; 6/7/08, 9:26 AM
Ryan said...: RIP, she was a fighter.

But it seems like Singer had a decent point about non-sentient infants. Perhaps he was a militant vegetarian, and arguing euthanization of severely disabled infants on the same ethical grounds that justify slaughter of beef was simply a reductio-ad-absurdum. Maybe we shouldn't be killing anything...; 6/7/08, 10:45 AM
Palladian said...: “Since their species is not relevant to their moral status,” he said, “the principles that govern the wrongness of killing nonhuman animals who are sentient but not rational or self-conscious must apply here, too.”

Anyone who fought against the loathsome neo-Mengele Singer is O.K. in my book.; 6/7/08, 10:47 AM
Palladian said...: "A jumble of bones in a floppy bag of skin."

I shamefully admit that I thought of this post when I read this post's title.; 6/7/08, 10:49 AM
UWS guy said...: That's a very interesting quote Palladian.

"Their species not relevant to their moral status...rational...self-conscious..."

If cows were rational and self-conscious I think it would be safe to assume that we would find the eating and slaughter of those animals as abhorrant.

So, the quote is quite right that it's not the species that is relevant to it's status, but it's cognition. Of course the counter argument is that the threshold for other species is higher (though cultures with cannibalism would beg to differ).

Interesting, never thought of it like that. Who's quote is that? Singer or the recently deceased?; 6/7/08, 10:59 AM
Palladian said...: Read the obit, it's certainly not Johnson. It's Singer.; 6/7/08, 12:31 PM
Trumpit said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/7/08, 1:38 PM
amba said...: That's sad news. But she filled up those 50 years. An admirable woman.; 6/7/08, 1:40 PM
Trumpit said...: Cows are not rational or self-conscious? How do you know that as a fact? WHERE IS YOUR PROOF? You have none, so stfu.

I lived in the country and was friends with several cows and horses. They were ecstatic when they saw me coming because they knew I was bringing carrots, apples, and other goodies for them to eat. They certainly recognized me and were obviously happy to see me because they'd come running; and happy, like orphans, were they, to be given some fruit and shown some kindness.

I have it on good information, that cows and steers cry when they are being taken to slaughter knowing full well the end is near.

You smug and snotty homo sapiens are too nauseating for words. I'd prefer the company of cows - live ones.; 6/7/08, 2:16 PM
Palladian said...: I wonder what Trumpit tastes like with some fava beans and a nice kee-ann-tee?; 6/7/08, 4:50 PM
J. Cricket said...: Sopeaking of dead things: now that the HRC campaign is dead, what will the candyass Althouse boy do???; 6/7/08, 5:53 PM
knox said...: You smug and snotty homo sapiens are too nauseating for words. I'd prefer the company of cows - live ones.

The cows don't want you around either, they just want their "goodies".; 6/7/08, 5:58 PM
Palladian said...: "Sopeaking of dead things: now that the HRC campaign is dead, what will the candyass Althouse boy do???"

So, AJD (sigh, yes it's that tiresome shit-stain again), is it now acceptable among the elite and progressive liberals to call a gay man "candyass"?; 6/7/08, 7:36 PM