Offensive wallpaper?

[Prophet]

Got into a bit of a disagreement with a friend over this. I don't see anything wrong with it personally. Created it in opposition to all the Flag waving, Spread Eagle, twin tower memorial wallpapers that have been floating around for the last few years. I had recently put it back up on my desktop. When my friend saw it she said I went too far, she doesn't think the tower of babel to twin tower comparison is in good taste. What do you all think?

 

[Costello]

The answer is in the question.

It's a "she".

Nothing to worry about.


(ouch Nicole don't hit me.)

 

[GeneralLeoFF]

If it's pissing people off then yer doing something right.

 

[nintendofreak]

i personally dont see anything wrong with it. Although the "in time.. all towers fall" could be seen as a threat to some... But yet again, its true they will fall eventually, but no one knows when.

 

[Azimuth]

all towers do fall and all great civilizations crumble but you should consider othe ppls beliefs, like maybe they r republican?

 

[phoood]

It's awesome. But I do see that it could be offensive.

She said you went to far? You just put it up as wallpaper to your own computer. Unless you uploaded it... w/e.

 

[Farami9]

best to be safe and not piss people off....

 

[mthrnite]

If you're trying to draw a parallel, it's a bit thin. The tower of Babel was built to reach heaven. God saw it, and confused the language of the builders, in order to destroy the unity of the people, and in the process scatter them away. The tower didn't actually fall, they just stopped building it.

The trade towers on the other hand, were actively destroyed, and far from scattering people, the incident did a lot, and I mean a lot, to unify Americans... some would say too much. Quite the opposite effect from the Babel thing.

Sure, there are conservative and liberal viewpoints on the aftermath, but I would challenge you to find anyone, of any political stripe here in America, that would say the destruction was a good thing.

So really the two don't relate at all. Unless I'm missing your point, which I could very well be...

 

[[M]artin]

Remind them that you live in America, which in turn means you can slap whatever the hell wallpaper you want onto your desktop.

 

[Hitto]

Perhaps your ladyfriend thought that you were making a parallel between both thus likening an act of god to an act of terrorism, or vice-versa?

Anyway, you'll grow out of it, don't worry about it.

 

[Kyoji]

Likening a massacre to an act of folly is bad taste, yes.

 

[spokenrope]

best to be safe and not piss people off....

That's a terrifying thing to hear anybody say. Just so you know.

 

[SynGamer]

Personally...i find it both sad and welcoming that it took 1000's of people dying to 'unit' our nation. I live in New York (not the city) but I'm glad the towers were hit. My heart goes out to the families who lost a loved one, but the attack on the towers reminded us (the U.S.) that we aren't invincible...

 

[mthrnite]

Personally...i find it both sad and welcoming that it took 1000's of people dying to 'unit' our nation. I live in New York (not the city) but I'm glad the towers were hit. My heart goes out to the families who lost a loved one, but the attack on the towers reminded us (the U.S.) that we aren't invincible...

I stand corrected on my earlier point, though I don't agree with you. I don't think we need lessons like that. I think the people who have lost loved ones elsewhere on the planet as a result of our lesson would find it cold comfort that we were the wiser for it.

 

[Prophet]

So really the two don't relate at all. Unless I'm missing your point, which I could very well be...

Perhaps I should clarify. I feel that both towers fell for very similar reasons. In the case of Babel man had largely forgotten his own mortality and thought he was worthy of a place aside god. In the case of the Towers much of America had forgotten its mortality and in way had taken its place alongside god. I don't want to go too deep into this but, after the events in the Garden of Eden god unleashed suffering upon man.
Genesis 3

15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring [a] and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel."

16 To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you."

17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."

Now let me ask you a couple of questions about us Americans. How many of us work the field or hunt are own food? How many of us even work hard for the money used to buy food? Do we "toil" in the biblical sense? How many women give birth without the use of drugs? And then in many cases parents don't even put any effort into raising their kids, they just feed and water them like some type of potted plant. We have found respite from nearly all of these punishments. Even death is avoided much longer then it once was. We had forgotten what true suffering was, we had forgotten how fragile we are. Two planes reminded us. Maybe not an act of god, but I wouldn't dismiss it as his will.

 

[ABigSmall]

How merciful of God.

 

[.TakaM]

I dont really care, but I think its a pretty ugly wallpaper

 

[spokenrope]

Personally...i find it both sad and welcoming that it took 1000's of people dying to 'unit' our nation. I live in New York (not the city) but I'm glad the towers were hit. My heart goes out to the families who lost a loved one, but the attack on the towers reminded us (the U.S.) that we aren't invincible...

How you could POSSIBLY say that our country is united is beyond me. After the initial shock of the attack wore off, people were just as hostile as ever towards each other.

 

[hatefull]

Anyway, you'll grow out of it, don't worry about it.

I thought the exact same thing when I saw it, to me it comes off as fake, like you're trying to piss people off, for the sake of pissing people off. Also, it looks like shit. My 2 cents.

 

[mthrnite]

@Prophet:
Thanks for the clarification my brother. I do see more in common with the Eden story and Babel than the Trade Center and Babel, but I'll give a go at your questions nonetheless..

How many of us work the field or hunt are own food?
Since much of the Bible is allegory, I'd say we still work.. so we still "work the field". I could legitimately ask you what field of work you're in. I think it's tantamount to the same thing. As far as hunting goes, many people still do. I myself hunt for bargains at the market, but I know that's stretching it more than a bit.

How many of us even work hard for the money used to buy food?
Easily most of us.

Do we "toil" in the biblical sense?
I'd say yes, but I'm not sure what you mean by biblical sense. I'm assuming you mean do we tire our bodies and minds at work.

How many women give birth without the use of drugs?
Thankfully that's an option, but I think you'd be surprised at how many do. Have you ever seen a birth? Even with drugs, short of an epidural, it's no picnic. My wife had two, and kept the drugs to the minimum on our first. The second was a breach, so drugs were manditory for the surgery. The recovery from the surgery was yet another not-picnic.

And then in many cases parents don't even put any effort into raising their kids, they just feed and water them like some type of potted plant.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you don't have kids. Even the easiest ones are the most difficult task you'll ever take on. And I ain't just whistlin' Dixie!

We have found respite from nearly all of these punishments.
..and as Martha Stewart says: "That's a good thing"

Even death is avoided much longer then it once was.
I'm gonna go out on another limb here, and guess that you are fairly young. Get past 30 and get back to me on that one.

We had forgotten what true suffering was, we had forgotten how fragile we are.
Get past 30 and get back to me on that one too.

Two planes reminded us. Maybe not an act of god, but I wouldn't dismiss it as his will.
As an atheist myself, I'd dismiss it pretty quickly. As far as reminding us of our fragility, yes, but at what cost.