Retiring for realz this time

Pretty much everything I said in the best post ever still holds true, so I won't bother with that particular retirement post. Beetle Beat was a fascinating experiment and taught me a lot about the human soul. Among the things I learned about you people:

You don't have the balls to stand on principle to defend your political opponents from unfair attacks. As long as a person is on "your side," you'll let behavior you otherwise wouldn't forgive run unchecked. Whether your defense mechanism is to argue that your opponents deserved it or to simply disown any responsibility is cowardly beyond belief. You can always stand up and condemn it, and you may be surprised how effective it can be to be condemned by people whose opinions actually matter to you. Keeping your friends from doing wrong is part of your obligation as a friend, and if you're willing to overlook it because you like the political dynamic, you're betraying your friends for politics.

You have an unhealthy obsession with meaningless nonsense. While it's a good idea to listen to people to learn actual information, the actual opinion of someone who isn't you shouldn't even register as relevant. Similarly, you should recognize that your own opinion shouldn't mean anything to anyone else. After you're done satisfying your ego by leveling your judgments upon others, consider whether you've actually accomplished anything besides distracting yourself from actually improving things.

You have great confidence that you know people you don't know anything about. I've lost track of how many times people came up with some absurd belief about me and were shocked to discover how far from reality it was. You don't understand a person by reading their blog. Perhaps you should think about other people you think you have completely understood based on your very limited exposure to them. Do you think you understand people of Demographic Group A, or Political Party X? Why? What is your image built upon? Have you, say, gone drinking with them, or do you get all your information through channels that have reason to see such people in a certain way?

You are arrogant enough to think the delivery of justice is up to you. You are arrogant enough to think that you have seen the revelation of true justice, and that existence waits for you to bring that justice to the world. Did some mysterious, cosmic coincidence grant you, specifically, this insight, despite so many others having their own obviously false view that they inexplicably believe with fervor? Or did that coincidence simply make you better than everyone else? In any case, the world is in luck, because if it wasn't for you, there would be no such prophet of true justice to bring it about. Do I have that about right?

All in all, I've been very disappointed in you people. Your cowardice, your obsessions, your bigotry, your arrogance... what the hell is wrong with you?

posted by Beetle Aurora Drake 5/03/2009 11:40:00 PM #
Comments (36)

. . .

Comments:

All I can say, is Thank You for providing a perspective on the ASUC. I have found it very fascinating to read your entries & learn about the ASUC's past through this medium.

Best,

-Franco

# posted by  Christopher Franco : 2:37 AM, May 04, 2009

 

um... speaing of arrogance... (cough, cough).

So would it be fair to say that there is in fact one person at Cal who is worth listening to, does stand up for principles, doesn't have a meaningless obsession with nonsense and, in addition to all these gifts, is modest and generous enough to point out that no one else has them? this guy must be truly amazing.

# posted by  Anonymous : 9:21 AM, May 04, 2009

 

"Beetle Beat was a fascinating experiment and taught me a lot about the human soul. Among the things I learned about you people"

so, this is from the perspective of someone who doesn't have a human soul? oh, wow, are you from Planet Krypton, like Superman?

# posted by  Anonymous : 9:28 AM, May 04, 2009

 

I always figured that Superman still had a fundamentally human soul, which reflected either a lack of creativity or a need to make the character relatable. Then again, when it comes to Superman, he always seemed like the kind of thing you'd come up with in grade school. "And he shoots laser beams from his eyes!"

But no, I'm not excluding myself from the "you" here. These are things I often criticize myself for in reflection. You could fairly call it hypocrisy. But if you allow that to be the most important thing you see here, that's the obsession with meaningless nonsense I'm talking about. Why would it even matter to you? "Yar, that Beetle guy is also arrogant..." And? Does this excuse you? I'm flattered that "as good as Beetle" is the standard you're suggesting, but I think it's a pretty dumb one.

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 10:43 AM, May 04, 2009

 

I'm going to take everything you just said as a complement. Thank you.

# posted by  Andy : 12:06 PM, May 04, 2009

 

Thanks Beetle. Although I believe that you're actually retiring this time about as much as I believed you were actually retiring the first time.

# posted by  David : 12:31 PM, May 04, 2009

 

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

# posted by  Anonymous : 4:24 PM, May 04, 2009

 

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

# posted by  Anonymous : 5:50 PM, May 04, 2009

 

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

# posted by  Anonymous : 6:51 PM, May 04, 2009

 

Hey, repeated anonymous commenter. What did I do to piss you off? (besides delete your comments - which, btw, you're really going to have to get over someday).

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 6:54 PM, May 04, 2009

 

I thought the post made it very clear that I was talking about you. Hence the use of the word "you." That's what people use it for.

But this is my playgroud, so don't try to tell me what I "have to get over." Your existence as an anonymous commenter is a pathetic and meaningless thing, so I don't understand why you'd think you're entitled to answers at all, let alone the ability to set rules.

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 10:30 PM, May 04, 2009

 

don't leave :'(

# posted by  Anonymous : 11:35 PM, May 04, 2009

 

I agree with this post.

Sometimes I wish the ASUC were more visible to the students, just so we could monitor and mob them when they start getting whacky.

# posted by  Anonymous : 12:10 PM, May 05, 2009

 

You're afraid to name names Beetle. Doing so would show the truth, that you're a partisan student action hack (especially this year).

Instead of actually making a point about some EVENT or PERSON, you're content to just say "fuck you" to whoever reads your blog. Not only this that a cop-out, it's rude.

Kind of like insulting dead cops.

# posted by  Anonymous : 12:52 PM, May 05, 2009

 

See, the thing about commenting anonymously is that when I name names, I can't name you. I mean you. Really. You. Here are some references to help you understand.

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 1:01 PM, May 05, 2009

 

you have to be an idiot to call beetle a partisan hack. it's funny that calserve people think this is about them. guilty conscience?

# posted by  Anonymous : 2:16 PM, May 05, 2009

 

beetle is the brett favre of our generation.

# posted by  Raffi : 9:05 PM, May 05, 2009

 

beetle u should get a law degree . . .then become our ASUC lawyer!!

# posted by  Unknown : 1:10 AM, May 06, 2009

 

I have to say, your blog has been incredibly interesting to read. Sometimes, however, I think you mistake being progressive or ballsy with being plain unkind. I'm sad your last post is one of those times. Using the word "you," as the sources YOU have directed people to will show, means you are not including yourself in your censure.

# posted by  Anonymous : 1:18 AM, May 06, 2009

 

They're words on a screen when I read them, which makes "you" "me." Or something. I'm sure I could bullshit some consistent explanation if I felt like it ("I don't need to post on my blog when criticizing myself") but it doesn't really matter, does it?

You're making a mistake if you're thinking that I try to be progressive or ballsy. (This goes with point 3) I see problems and say "Hey, look, problem!" Just like I used to see stupid comments in newspaper articles and say "Hey, look, stupid comment in newspaper article!" The belief that I have some serious views that I'm trying to get out there, or that I write my posts about justice and so forth with a straight face, or that I actually care about fixing the problems I see... it's all fantasy in the minds of readers.

People voluntarily subjected themselves to this blog, so I don't lose any sleep over being "unkind." What you see here is a manifestation of boredom combined with general disregard for others. I never demanded anyone show up, and the fact that they did, got butthurt, and then had the gall to bitch about it remains one of the funniest phenomena I observed here, and watching you people dance has kept me entertained for years.

I think you would be very well-served by learning to dissociate knowledge with messengers. You should spend less time worrying about who is saying things and how and why they say it, and spend more time considering what is being said. This applies to people who may not share your goals and beliefs but happen to have an enormous store of knowledge about some topic which you can make use of (e.g. me). It applies to people "on your side" in politics, whose opinions and views you shouldn't back up and make excuses for just because they're political allies. And it applies to people who disagree with you, who you shouldn't denigrate or attempt to dismiss by coming up with bullshit explanations for why you shouldn't care what they have to say.

None of what I just wrote was written with a straight face, but does that mean you shouldn't listen?

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 1:43 AM, May 06, 2009

 

Senators Yishi and Tara agree - thanks Beetle for sticking up for our party all year!

Good riddance.

# posted by  Anonymous : 1:03 PM, May 06, 2009

 

on a less serious note (not that much of this has been all that serious)... beetle, of all the elected officials you've followed since starting your blog, who have been the most physically attractive?

# posted by  Anonymous : 2:26 PM, May 06, 2009

 

I would totally answer that if I could judge attractiveness. It turns out that my mind draws a complete blank when I try to do it, though, and I end up asking other people. So let's throw the floor open to judgments about the physical attractiveness of various ASUC officials in the past few years.

(Challenge!!! Find examples of me sticking up for Student Action all year, and make sure you don't find me sticking up for CalSERVE by accident. If CalSERVE let their bigotry and prejudice prevent them from approaching me for help, publicity, or whatnot, that's not really my problem)

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 2:49 PM, May 06, 2009

 

"Perhaps you should think about other people you think you have completely understood based on your very limited exposure to them. Do you think you understand people of Demographic Group A, or Political Party X? Why? What is your image built upon? Have you, say, gone drinking with them, or do you get all your information through channels that have reason to see such people in a certain way?"

so, do YOU think you understand Student Action and CalServe? why? have you gone drinking with them? all of them? have you had more than limited exposure to all of them?

what about issues YOU consider meaningless? maybe they're not meaningless to other people? because "you should recognize that your own opinion shouldn't mean anything to anyone else. After you're done satisfying your ego by leveling your judgments upon others, consider whether you've actually accomplished anything besides distracting yourself from actually improving things".

# posted by  Anonymous : 6:23 PM, May 06, 2009

 

did you go drinking with Meghana Dhar? did she foot the bill? or did she use ASUC money given to Indus, as is her forte?

# posted by  Anonymous : 6:43 PM, May 06, 2009

 

Are you trying to win the internet? This obsession with me is fascinating, but probably unhealthy.

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 6:49 PM, May 06, 2009

 

Says the man with the enormous ego who has no problem trashing some mysterious "other" out there in his paranoid little world.

THAT's unhealthy.

# posted by  Anonymous : 10:34 PM, May 06, 2009

 

the point is that your argument is incoherent: first you say people shouldn't make crass generalizations based upon a lack of knowledge/acquaintance, and then you procede to accuse all those who possess "the human soul" of bigotry, cowardice, arrogance etc - so how come you get to make these grand generalizations?

either it is in fact ok to make generalizations without proper knowledge, or you do really assume you know so much more than everyone that you are entitled to make them, while everyone else isn't.

# posted by  Anonymous : 11:09 PM, May 06, 2009

 

Alternatively, I am neither the arbiter nor the model of all that is good and right. Hard to believe, I'm sure, but it's a possibility.

Either you judge the things I said to be legitimate criticism of your behavior and act to become a better person, or you don't. Why would my behavior factor into that decision? I'm not saying you should follow my example. Do you think the behavior I'm criticizing is, in fact, appropriate? If not, does whether I serve as a shining model or not have anything to do with you?

The experiment of this post was to see how people would react to good advice delivered in the most hypocritical fashion possible. (I'm assuming folks are in agreement about it being good advice, since no one has actually complained about the content) The result was pretty much what I expected, but amusing as always.

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 12:29 AM, May 07, 2009

 

Beetle,

You raise some good and thought-provoking points in this post, and it's been a pleasure reading your blog. Good luck in the 'real world'...

Ariel Kaplan

# posted by  A Reflective Surface : 7:56 PM, May 07, 2009

 

dear beetle, do you gsi for any classes? if so which ones? i'd be down to be one of your students.

# posted by  Anonymous : 9:26 PM, May 07, 2009

 

I've already started the countdown to the blog's revival. Also, you should come drink with us next Saturday.

# posted by  sarah : 3:00 AM, May 08, 2009

 

So, like, how do you pronounce Sqlog? Sklog? I would've gone with Squeelog, and maybe a mascot... a sort of pathetic pig-like animal that always has that look of "please kill me" on its face.

Then again, I also wouldn't take naming advice from Beetle, so...

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 3:55 AM, May 08, 2009

 

Sklog. Or Skwlog, if you can manage it at all. It's meant to be difficult to pronounce (AND difficult to look at), because we like retarded meta jokes like that.

Also, this is the worst (best?) chain of comments I've seen here.

# posted by  sarah : 8:19 PM, May 09, 2009

 

Hey Beetle,

You're probably the most clear, logical, and hilarious person whose opinion I have ever forcibly or voluntarily read. Or maybe thats just because I agree with most of the things you say.

Either way, thanks for everything. Good luck out there, I hope your criticism brings light onto another screwed up organization, if you can find one, and in case you ever get bored of industrial engineering you should really think about journalism, or at least world domination.

With appreciation,
Tara

# posted by  Tara Raffi : 8:20 PM, May 09, 2009

 

when do we find out what the asuc passed in its final meeting? you dropped the ball on that beetle...

# posted by  Anonymous : 11:45 AM, May 10, 2009

 

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