Rambling Rant: Spay & Neuter

I was out running errands recently and saw a bumper sticker that at first glance was like many others adorning the rear-ends of vehicles. The sticker featured a silhouette of a dog and cat along with the large words "SPAY & NEUTER". Seems innocent enough, right? Preventing unwanted pets is a good thing. Then I noticed the last word at the bottom, in much smaller print, "Republicans".

While I am not a registered Republican, nor have I played one on TV, I will admit that the Republican party has my allegiance most of the time. And my first reaction was a scowl and "Democrats!" muttered under my breath, as I imagined them having a good chuckle. But my political beliefs have nothing to do with the rest of this rant.

Though quickly shoved aside, the image of that sticker kept coming back to me at odd times. After a while I finally realized that the sticker held a more disturbing message than a little partisan bickering.

By saying that a particular population (whoever that is) should be spayed and neutered, the sign is really saying "Your message, ideals, and beliefs are so repugnant that they, along with you, should DIE OUT!" It was saying that the world would be better off without, in this case, Republicans.

Is this a healthy message? I don't think so. Is it dangerous and inflammatory? Absolutely. Looking at recent history we saw a troubled young man who decided last week that his life would be better without a few of his classmates in it, so he shot them. Do I know if ideas such as this are what set him off? No, I don't. But as it did in my mind to produce this rant, it could plant a seed that if watered with insanity could produce a tragic crop.

I also have this image that I can't shake of a bunch of Nazis looking at a bumper sticker that says "Spay & Neuter Jews" and having a good laugh. And while to my knowledge they did not have any such sticker, they had other bits of propaganda that seemed just as innocent. The end result was millions of Jews dead.

Did the owner of the car that sported the bumper sticker intend such terrible things? Probably not. I hope he thought it was a funny bumper sticker he could use to tweak the other party. But before we slap some witty phrase to the back of our cars we should consider any deeper meanings that may exist, and ask ourselves if that is really what we want to say.

End of Rant.

It's Different!

This post is inspired by a help desk call I recently heard take place at work, and later a co-worker and I got silly while discussing it at lunch. It involves a user who is trying to sign onto a system used for testing.

We now join the call in progress...

User: Hi! I am trying to get onto the test system and can't remember the password.

Help Desk Technician: To sign onto the test
system use your normal user ID and the password "different"

User: So my password is different?

HDT: Yes.

User: But what is the test password?

HDT: "Different". It is the same as it was
before.

User: So it's the same?

HDT: Yep, it's "different".

User: It's the same and different?

HDT: Yes, you've got it.

User: I've got what?!?

HDT: The password, "different".

User: But it is the same as before?

HDT: Yup.

User: Is it the same as my normal password?

HDT: No, it's different.

User: Different than what?

HDT: The test password.

User: And what is the test password?

HDT: I already told you it is "different"

User: But you said it was the same.

HDT: Yes, the test password has not changed. It is "different".

User: And my normal password is
different?

HDT: No, it is the same. The test password is "different".

User: Let's start over. I want to sign on to the test system. I enter my normal user ID, and the test password which is...

HDT: "Different"

User: [groans] Which is the same, but different than my normal password.

HDT: Yes!

User: I give up! I didn't want to test this stuff,
anyway! [hangs up]

HDT: Users!