…and this is a 
It must have been an act of god
Category: Weirdness
Posted on: April 21, 2008 9:57 PM, by PZ Myers
I think this is my favorite newspaper headline yet: Priest attached to party balloons vanishes in Brazil. Now you know what to bring to the next party at your local church: a lawn chair, a bunch of balloons, and a helium tank. I am imagining a day when every priest in the world stands smiling beneath a great happy bobbing collection of many-colored balloons, and they all joyously loft themselves up, up into the sky, joyfully drifting away before the winds until they are just a tiny speck and then … gone. It will be a miracle.
This will be my new dream. It will bring a smile to my face as I fall asleep.
And as long as I'm dreaming, I'll imagine myself with an ultralight aircraft and a BB gun, buzzing above a great Sargasso of wind-gathered balloons.
Comments
It looks like the rapture has begun!
Posted by: Nibien | April 21, 2008 9:59 PM
If it's a dream, what do you need the ultralite for?
Posted by: Cheezits | April 21, 2008 10:00 PM
Really, I'm just sorry for the poor guy.
A nice little party turns tragic, and a remarkable creature of evolution, ends up in the wrong element, likely with a very tragic end.
I don't know how this can be seen otherwise.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7
Posted by: Glen Davidson | April 21, 2008 10:01 PM
I need the ultralight because we radical naturalist/materialists don't violate the laws of physics even in our dreams.
Posted by: PZ Myers | April 21, 2008 10:03 PM
For shame... there's only five years' worth of this utterly unique element left in the National Helium Reserve. Being light and monatomic it reaches escape velocity in the upper atmosphere, and new helium only accumulates in the earth's crust over millions of years of alpha decay. Most of the commercial helium is extracted as a byproduct from natural gas wells, but most don't have enough to be commercially viable so the helium is not even recovered.
So once it's been wasted on party balloons, talking like the Chipmunks, unneeded blimps and flying lawnchairs, it's gone for good.
Posted by: Kevin Dorner | April 21, 2008 10:04 PM
It will be a miracle.
or at least a successful fund raiser.
Posted by: Ichthyic | April 21, 2008 10:06 PM
that guy must have never watched webster before... poor lil' fella.
Posted by: JasonC | April 21, 2008 10:07 PM
Didn't the Mythbusters bust that balloon and lawn chair myth? I have to go ask my kids.
Posted by: Cay | April 21, 2008 10:07 PM
what I don't understand is that since he had a GPS, and was transmitting his location via radio for hours...
how is it that nobody started sending out the rescue vessels before he finally got out of range?
let this be a lesson in not necessarily trusting your local Coast Guard, or it's facsimile in whatever country you happen to be in.
Posted by: Ichthyic | April 21, 2008 10:13 PM
I like what you do, but for me this was a bit over the line.
Posted by: CAPMIPROP | April 21, 2008 10:14 PM
You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money
we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
Til one by one, they were gone
Back at base bugs in the software
Flash the message, something's out there
Floating in the summer sky
99 red balloons go by
Posted by: danley | April 21, 2008 10:16 PM
I'm sorry PZ, but this post is not worthy of you. No matter what you think of the guy's religious beliefs, the guy may very well not be found in time. The pain and fear he experienced isn't something that should be mocked.
Posted by: Narc | April 21, 2008 10:17 PM
You would think that someone with the sense to wear a thermal suit, bring a GPS and a Sat phone wold also wear a gps tracking device. I'm sure the money and hours of people and helicopter time in the search effort aren't cheap. The story didn't mention oxygen - these balloons shoot up quite high and then settle back down - might have become hypoxic on the way up, passed out and then not re-gained consciousness.
I've often pondered that there should be an understood contract in society that it you suffer some ill fate from doing something clearly not very smart then you get the "budget" rescue effort.
The thought of a 'spiritual rest stop' for truckers does bring some funny images to mind. I can even imagine some people on their knees.
Posted by: Charles Sane | April 21, 2008 10:18 PM
Is this like that Malcolm in the Middle episode where older brother Reese got religion and took to the skies in a lawn chair with helium balloons (wearing a white suit, no less)? He sang his own special version of Amazing Grace as he lofted skyward:
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wrench for me!
As for "that balloon and lawn chair myth": Larry Walters would be hurt to learn that people doubt his 1982 lawn chair flight over southern California.
Snopes: Up, up, and away
Posted by: Zeno | April 21, 2008 10:18 PM
It's Danny Deckchair!
Posted by: Wicked Lad | April 21, 2008 10:19 PM
I can only think of all those balloons, once spent, clogging the gut of sea turtles and albatrosses.
And now to be reminded of the helium situation...
*sigh*
Posted by: Anon | April 21, 2008 10:19 PM
Great post, PZ. I share your dream and look forward to the day we all can live without spiritual mumbo-jumbo (read: religion) and pseudo-intellectual baggage (read: theology).
Posted by: FO | April 21, 2008 10:24 PM
i saw a tv news co-anchor break down laughing while reading this story a few hours ago. Imagine the hate mail she'll be getting from catholics...
Posted by: bargal20 | April 21, 2008 10:28 PM
If there is a god, the very next time someone is carried away into the void by helium baloons, it will be a Concern Troll. Or the Pope. Either one would be fun.
Posted by: J-Dog | April 21, 2008 10:30 PM
#5: This is NO such thing as an un-needed blimp :)
Posted by: Jonathan Martin | April 21, 2008 10:32 PM
The pain and fear he experienced isn't something that should be mocked.
Neither is the potential danger and expense of the rescuers that now have to go out and find him. It drives me nuts to see rescue workers put in harm's way not because of an unfortunate accident, but because someone was stupidly, idiotically, mind-numbingly, thrill-seekingly moronic.
Posted by: Carlie | April 21, 2008 10:34 PM
Perhaps he found heaven
Posted by: Philip | April 21, 2008 10:35 PM
The great irony is that this is a one way ticket to the Darwin Awards.
Posted by: Greg Laden | April 21, 2008 10:37 PM
What an idiot. That guy got exactly what he deserved.
Posted by: Andy James | April 21, 2008 10:38 PM
We're going to have to paraphrase Denis Diderot now...
"Mankind shall never be free until the last king goes ballooning with the last priest."
--- PZ Myers (sorta)
An uplifted priest named de Carli
Thought lawnchair ballooning was gnarly.
The priest's disappearing
Brought blogosphere jeering
Which made seasoned commenters snarly.
Posted by: Kevin Dorner | April 21, 2008 10:38 PM
Maybe this IS the start of the rapture!
Everyone stay off the road until we can clear up all these empty pickups, ok?
Posted by: wazza | April 21, 2008 10:41 PM
The pain and fear he experienced isn't something that should be mocked
Yes, a little compassion is not a bad thing, even for people who do stupid things, whether priests or not. And, for the record, I am not at all religious.
Posted by: CAPMIPROP | April 21, 2008 10:42 PM
If people do incredibly stupid things I don't have a problem highlighting them and pointing.
People are just a little too serious.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | April 21, 2008 10:42 PM
If he's found and rescued, that will certainly be hailed as an act of god in saving him.
Posted by: Dr. Moonbeam | April 21, 2008 10:43 PM
very nice wazza!
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | April 21, 2008 10:44 PM
Maybe the PZ post was meant as a joke or in a lighthearted way, but the tone did not seem so.
Posted by: CAPMIPROP | April 21, 2008 10:44 PM
I'm not sure he could technically be a Darwin candidate. The rules of Darwin awards say that to win you must remove yourself from the gene pool, either by death or by removing your ability to reproduce. As he's a Catholic priest didn't he already voluntarily do that? By that reasoning I hereby nominate all the world's catholic priests for Darwin awards ( the irony in a religious person being ultimately associated with Darwin is not lost.)
Posted by: Bride of Shrek | April 21, 2008 10:48 PM
By that reasoning I hereby nominate all the world's catholic priests for Darwin awards
I find no fault in your logic.
seconded.
Posted by: Ichthyic | April 21, 2008 10:51 PM
The Catholics have really done a lot of damage in Brazil, so I can only think of this as an improvement. If you believe in God, you also have to believe that God had a hand in this man's disappearance, don't you?
They should be happy. They should call of the search and have a parade.
Posted by: Dan | April 21, 2008 10:57 PM
Nope, sometimes compassion just won't do the job as well as dark humor.
Posted by: FO | April 21, 2008 10:58 PM
Found maybe but not alive. However, you probably need a body to collect the life insurance so the search efforts will be worth it.
Posted by: Bad Albert | April 21, 2008 11:02 PM
As a Brazilian myself (paulistana!), all I can say is that our priests are a lot more fun than other priests! I'm trying to find more information from the Brazilian press. Last thing I read, he hadn't been found yet, and the stuff they found belonged to some boat.
Posted by: cynthax | April 21, 2008 11:03 PM
video of stellar liftoff
http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL419742-5598,00-HELICOPTERO+E+EMBARCACOES+PARTICIPAM+DE+BUSCAS+POR+PADRE+DESAPARECIDO.html
This was playing on his IPod as he sailed off:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DQTs155nsA
Posted by: marcia | April 21, 2008 11:03 PM
How can anyone possibly think this is a sad story? Didn't you read the article? Do you have flies in your eyes?
He'll probably have some horse chestnuts in his cheeks, too. Now if only we knew why the prostitute was hitting him over the head…
Posted by: PZ Myers | April 21, 2008 11:06 PM
Rev, Nibien got to it first...
I just riffed off the bumper stickers
Posted by: wazza | April 21, 2008 11:06 PM
But as a priest, he probably won't be paddling towards Sweden...
Posted by: wazza | April 21, 2008 11:07 PM
Nope, sometimes compassion just won't do the job as well as dark humor.
I'm not so sure. Somehow the dark humor of relishing and orchestrating the death of other people, religious or not, eludes me. My boundaries are my own, however, and I suppose and PZ and FO have different ones.
Posted by: CAPMIPROP | April 21, 2008 11:09 PM
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I DETEST this "Darwin Awards" bullshit.
Not only is the sentiment behind it disgusting - getting a laugh out of the deaths of others, but it also gives the creationists more ammo for their claims of "Darwinism" being sick and immoral, and of atheists and scientists being ethically-challenged.
The headline is indeed funny though the man's likely fate is not, but the "Darwin Awards" stuff is just fucking sick.
Posted by: craig | April 21, 2008 11:10 PM
To those posters who are rebuking PZ for his tone in this post, I offer a little counter-point that came directly from the article:
This alone should absolve anyone who commits the "sin" of mocking this poor man. I wonder how many times, as a priest, he has admonished a member of his flock to accept the consequences of their actions, both forseen and unforseen. But in case you're still worried, you should have faith, because his friends and family certainly do:
(I'm letting the obvious hilarity of the section of the statement I placed in bold, but suffice it to say it still amuses me every time I read it...) If they're not too worried about it, why should I feel the least bit of sympathy? I mean, if you share his beliefs, then the worst case scenario places him squarely in his eternal paradise, doesn't it? Either they find him and he lives, or they don't and he "goes home," right? All in all, it seems like a win-win for the guy.
Just don't ask me to feel sorrow for him, when his stunt is actually a potential life-threatening danger to others. I believe Carlie said it best...
Posted by: Carlie | April 21, 2008 10:34 PMWell said, Carlie, well said indeed.
Posted by: brokenSoldier | April 21, 2008 11:13 PM
Cay @ #8
The Mythbusters actually showed that it could be done.
However....
The needed thousands of party balloons and only lifted a little girl a foot or two off the ground. Larry Walters, on the other hand, used forty or so heavy duty weather balloons that were four feet in diameter. They give a lot more lift.
Posted by: --PatF in Madison | April 21, 2008 11:14 PM
As soon as I read the headline, my mind conjured up a Quentin Blake illustration.
I couldn't stop laughing for a long while after that.
Posted by: Eulalie | April 21, 2008 11:19 PM
I found a superb essay by The Guardian's Polly Toynbee discussing Catholicism in the wake of PJPII's death.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2005/apr/08/election2005.catholicism
Here's a tidbit to entice you lot.
>Disgracefully, the European rich quietly ignore the church's outlandish teachings on contraception without rebelling on behalf of the helpless third-world poor who die for their misplaced faith. Those "civilised" Catholics have as much blood on their hands as the Vatican they support. They are like the Bollinger Bolsheviks who defended the USSR and a murderous ideology that they could do much to change.
Posted by: Christianjb | April 21, 2008 11:23 PM
Craig is right; the Darwin Awards have done more to drag the word "Darwin" into the mud than Expelled can hope to do.
Posted by: Colugo | April 21, 2008 11:27 PM
Darwin Award! was the first thought that came to my mind. I didn't realize it also covered removing your ability to reproduce; thought it just covered offing yourself in a freakishly stupid accidental way. No matter, this guy still qualifies, IMO. As for compassion, how much is to be expected for someone launching in a balloon rocket? If someone goes over Niagara in a barrel, do you wail for him/her, or do you shake your head and say, "What an idiot!"?
Posted by: karen | April 21, 2008 11:28 PM
These balloons are a danger to turtles. They look like yummy jellyfish and then strangle the turtles from the inside to die a horrible death.
If you ever see anyone blowing up helium balloons, take a knife and stab them.
The balloons I mean. THen explain why.
also maybe they are not too good for squid either?
Posted by: Kevin | April 21, 2008 11:31 PM
Zeno,
If you read that Urban Legends page through to the end, I think you'll find that the proper phrase is 'would have been hurt'. And, yes from what we see of him in those quotes, I think you are right, he would have been hurt.
Posted by: JohnnieCanuck, FCD | April 21, 2008 11:31 PM
This reminds me of a joke...
A rabbi, a priest, and a unitarian minister were discussing how they divide up the weekly collection take.
The rabbi says, "Well, we draw a circle on the ground, stand in the middle and throw all the money up in the air. Whatever lands inside the circle goes to the needs of the local congregation, and whatever lands outside goes to god."
The priest says, "Yes, we do something similar. We draw a circle on the ground and throw the money up in the air, what lands outside the circle goes to the local congregation, what lands inside goes to god."
The unitarian minister says, "Well, we do something like that, too, but we don't bother with any circles on the ground. We just throw all the money up in the air, and what god wants, (s)he can keep."
What does this suggest about the almighty's affection for priests? Well, this does it, I'm converted.
Posted by: lytefoot | April 21, 2008 11:33 PM
Another great article came out today regarding Catholic opposition to birth control in the Philippines.
Posted by: Christianjb | April 21, 2008 11:33 PM
Sorry peoples - as one who did 100% volunteer search and rescue for years and years and years - this is one of those stories a volunteer S&R cringes at while out doing the search but laugh hysterically and recount as historical record (quietly) amongst the trainees --- the final victim's moment of realization of "Ohhhh, shiiiiiiit!"
Purposefully putting yourself into a situation of danger where a whole butt load of total strangers are out there to hopefully rescue you when things go awry. Those rescuers and those who mock the potential victim have the right to "darwin award" the dumbasses.
Play with fire, get burned by fire. Slam party all night, alcohol poisoning. Do a few lines and then think you can walk "the ridge", the rescuers end up scraping bits and pieces of ears, kidneys, kneecaps, tendons and ligaments off the granite.
It's just so fitting this was an "Ohhhh, Shiiiiiit!" moment for Dog.
PZ - thank you. I've never laughed so hard these past few days.!
Posted by: LeeLeeOne | April 21, 2008 11:35 PM
If someone goes over Niagara in a barrel, do you wail for him/her, or do you shake your head and say, "What an idiot!"?
I would not wail and may indeed say "What an idiot", but I would not be gleeful about their death.
Posted by: CAPMIPROP | April 21, 2008 11:38 PM
There's nothing so serious it can't be made fun of, and nothing so innocuous someone won't be offended when you make fun of it.
Re: Darwin Awards - should priests even be eligible? They are already voluntarily taking themselves out of the gene pool (but not irrevocably I guess). Maybe they should have a separate category, everybody gets a gold star just for showing up, like first grade art class or something. But no cheating!
Posted by: Brad | April 21, 2008 11:39 PM
Who is being gleeful about his "death". They themselves are confident they will find him. I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself. We're laughing at his stupidity ( and to a degree his arrogance), not his death, which has not even been thought to have occurred. Big difference.
Posted by: Bride of Shrek | April 21, 2008 11:42 PM
Now THAT'S natural selection!
Posted by: Milo Johnson | April 21, 2008 11:43 PM
I'm always amused by the fake concern and compassion people show on message boards. I would think the priest would be happy that he brought more laughter into the world.
And the Darwin awards have hardly dragged Darwin's name down. At most they might make someone, who is already certain all evolutionists are going to hell, nod in satisfaction.
Posted by: David | April 21, 2008 11:47 PM
There's nothing so serious it can't be made fun of, and nothing so innocuous someone won't be offended when you make fun of it.
Well, joking about eliminating (that is killing, even if in a nonsensical way) of any group of people as in the PZ post makes me uncomfortable. I would rather not be part of a group that considers this innocuous, even if they, like me, are ardent atheists. I have made my point so I will stop.
Posted by: CAPMIPROP | April 21, 2008 11:52 PM
The Darwin Awards are a misnomer, and we all know that. Someone who becomes incapable of reproduction can still aid the survival and reproduction of kin. An individual who dies without reproducing may also have increased the probability of his or her genes being represented in future gene pools, perhaps even due to the very act that resulted in their deaths. And those childless priests (though I wouldn't assume that) had an important a role in maintaining the power of the Catholic Church, which had an organizing role in Catholic society (that included the brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces of those same priests), which are historically hardly lacking in fecundity or geographic mobility - both of which are not unrelated to Catholic doctrine. The genes of those childless priests are in continents all over the world.
The Darwin Awards represents an Idiocracy-level (or Ted Rall's "mensatocracy") understanding of natural selection and veers close to the crudity and pseudo-naturalistic prescriptive ethos of Social Darwinism.
I know, it's not supposed to be serious; it's all just a big larf. It's a funny thing that the name Darwin has replaced Faces of Death in the pop culture genre of 'amusement from the violent deaths of others.'
Posted by: Colugo | April 21, 2008 11:57 PM
Ugh, PZ, that's just mean.
Posted by: Person Z | April 21, 2008 11:58 PM
No no no, I think some of you have taken the (possibly) morbid aspect of this story too far. Obviously no one wants the silly old codger hurt (even if it was his own fault). It's the beautiful imagery of this story which resonated in my mind, like Lennon's song 'Imagine'.
Imagine a world where a great source of the hatred, violence, (misplaced) guilt and irrationailty, just floated away, out of our lives, never to be seen again.
Posted by: Lightnin | April 22, 2008 12:16 AM
"Gallas said by telephone that the priest wanted to break a 19-hour record for the most hours flying with balloons to raise money for a spiritual rest-stop for truckers in Paranagua, Brazil's second-largest port for agricultural products."
Risking life and limb to raise money is stupid.
Look on the bright side:
At least with a priest, there's no family to leave behind, right?
And the people in his church can console themselves that he is heaven bound, if dead.
Everything's cool!
Posted by: CalGeorge | April 22, 2008 12:16 AM
The priest has been found, efforts are underway to pry rubber balls from his dead cold hands.
Posted by: ramiroquai | April 22, 2008 12:19 AM
You're right. What this person should have said was, "No, we're resigned to the fact that the area to search is so large and he's so small that he'll probably die an agonizing death of exposure and dehydration long before the rescue crews can find him. Or maybe he'll get lucky and the sharks will take him out after the first few days." I'm sure his friends and family would have loved that. So they're holding out hope. Maybe they're even in a little bit of denial. Is that really so wrong that it's appropriate for you to laugh and point at them?
If this had been some completely random guy trying to raise money for orphans with cancer I seriously doubt you would be so entertained by this story. But no, make it a religious figure, and it's mock-worthy.
I get no less pissed off than the next atheist when I hear some homo-bigot says that gays dying of AIDS got exactly what they deserved or when they blame some big natural disaster on the sin of the week, but this is exactly the same thing.
Posted by: Narc | April 22, 2008 12:24 AM
If you believe in foolish things like omnipotent invisible friends, you'll believe a lot of other stupid things as well. This is funny for the same reason the republitard who died while dressed up in multiple wet suits, ball gag, and with a dildo up his butt was funny. If you don't want people to laugh at your stupidity, don't do stupid things. Yeah, it sucks for his family and friends, but so does death without such willful stupidity. I'll save my sympathies for the ones who don't select themselves out of the species.
Posted by: Milo Johnson | April 22, 2008 12:37 AM
If this had been some completely random guy trying to raise money for orphans with cancer
But he wasn't, his charity was for a trivial purpose. Do you think the brazillian taxpayer funded rescue operation will be more or less than the funds raised for this truckstop?
You've put two provisions in your example, that the hypothetical gentlemen is simultaneously doing this action for a good cause AND an atheist.
If Pope Benedict did something dangerous to raise lots of money for cancerous orphans, than I would applaud him, assuming he didn't endanger anyone elses life.
If an atheist did the same to...oh I don't know-raise awarness of the dewy decimal system, than he or she would receive my condemnation.
On the whole I don't want anyone to get hurt! If you've never laughed at a politically incorrect joke or a black comedy than so be it.
By the way, does anyone know how to use markups to quote text? I phail at comments :,(
Posted by: Lightnin | April 22, 2008 12:42 AM
*Then
Damn you phonic empathy! *shakes fist*
Posted by: Lightnin | April 22, 2008 12:45 AM
Didn't the Mythbusters bust that balloon and lawn chair myth? I have to go ask my kids.
Posted by: Cay | April 21, 2008 10:07 PM
Actually it was confirmed: Larry's Lawn Chair - CONFIRMED but Larry used weather balloons rather than party balloons.
I'm sorry PZ, but this post is not worthy of you. No matter what you think of the guy's religious beliefs, the guy may very well not be found in time. The pain and fear he experienced isn't something that should be mocked.
Posted by: Narc | April 21, 2008 10:17 PM
"He knew what he was doing and was fully prepared for any kind of mishap."
His religion hasn't a damned thing to do with it. Dumb is dumb.
Pain and fear inflicted by someone on another person isn't to be mocked. Pain and fear inflicted on someone by themselves because they know better but do something stupid anyway is called comedy. If some moron nails his testicles to a board when he knows it's going to be excruciating then he deserves what he gets and we all get to point and laugh because we were all smart enough to know not to nail our testicles to a board. Why do you think Jackass is so popular?
This guy knew precisely what he was doing. I hope he survives unscathed just because it'd be a hella tale to tell his flock. But I reserve the right to laugh at the sheer idiocy of it all.
Posted by: E in MD | April 22, 2008 12:55 AM
Not exactly helping your cause with posts like that. At least wait until you know he is alive and well before you use satire. Timing is everything, and I think you jumped the gun in this case.
Posted by: Steven | April 22, 2008 1:03 AM
So murdering people is now an atheist value?
Posted by: peezeepeahed | April 22, 2008 1:09 AM
Posted by: Narc | April 22, 2008 12:24 AM
Posted by: CAPMIPROP | April 21, 2008 11:52 PM
All that it would take to fulfill your above wishes would be to remove the Pharyngula site from your online routine. If you'd rather not be here, then don't.
A) I doubt that any portion of my post will ever get to the family members or friends of this man who knowingly put himself in this position, so I have no reason to believe that my comments will in any way affect these people. And to answer your question, yes I do believe that I have the right to point and laugh at them, and if you think that is somehow morally wrong, then just as I have the right to express my opinion on the situation, you do not have the right to foist your morality onto me. Oh, and as a former Catholic I can tell you that in the Catholic doctrine - and many Protestant doctrines as well - part of the reward for gaining entry into heaven is to witness the eternal burning anguish of those consigned to hell. (Tertullian, if you feel like fact-checking) I fail to see how my amusement at this one situation even remotely approaches the evil of that kind of theological motivation for living a "moral" life.
B) If it were a random individual that did this, I would certainly still be amused at the obvious planning mistakes made (no GPS tracking device, failure to recognize he was off course until too late, not to mention the sheer inanity of not taking into account the possible effects of winds at high altitude), and I would still be as irked about his disregard for the possibility that his stunt may put rescue workers' lives in danger should they have to try to find him. And yes, the fact that he is a priest does make it all the more ironic, and therefore all the more amusing to me. Again, his failure to recognize the inherent danger and unpredictability of the situation he strapped himself into in no way necessitates sympathy on my part.
C) The fact that you argue that the ideologically-driven and patently false claims of natural disasters being God's wrath on sinners and HIV contraction being a just punishment to the homosexual community is somehow equal to me being amused at a man who straps himself to balloons and travels miles into the air, and then is somehow surprised that he doesn't stay on course is ridiculous at best. The first two involve active bigotry and hate, while my amusement involves only observations of fact. Had this NOT been a priest, you would have most certainly seen it on one or many of the current television shows dedicated to showcasing humanity's occasional lapses in good judgement. The fact that he is a member of the clergy is exactly what will keep him shielded from such mockery, and I in no way feel bad about commenting on the inherent stupidity of his actions. If you think I should somehow feel bad about that, then in this case, I'm not sorry to disappoint.
To close, if one rescuer gets injured or loses their life in the attempts to find and rescue this man, then realize that in his attempt to make this trip, he will have harmed - and possibly killed - another human being through his actions. If you don't see that as inconsiderate and immoral on his part, then in my opinion your morality is quite flawed.
Posted by: brokenSoldier | April 22, 2008 1:14 AM
my apologies....the "Posted by Narc" line should have been at the bottom of my last post -- not the top
Posted by: brokenSoldier | April 22, 2008 1:16 AM
But no, make it a religious figure, and it's mock-worthy.
oh, no.
a guy deciding to launch himself in a chair with balloons is ALWAYS mock-worthy.
the religion issue just adds to it.
Posted by: Ichthyic | April 22, 2008 1:31 AM
So murdering people is now an atheist value?
Yes-along with having a sense of humour.
Posted by: Lightnin | April 22, 2008 1:32 AM
Ugh, PZ, that's just mean.
from "personz"
alright, stop with the morphing and sockpupetry already, moron.
you've logged on with at least 4 different names just today.
Posted by: Ichthyic | April 22, 2008 1:34 AM
So murdering people is now an atheist value?
I take it you aren't at all familiar with how lawn chair balloon flights operate? In the original Larry Walters flight as well as the recent Kent Couch flight, BB guns were brought along to aid in safe controlled landings. Shoot *some* balloons and gently return to Ma Earth.
I suppose a dark mind could possibly have misinterpreted PZ's post to think he had murderous intent.
Posted by: Sean | April 22, 2008 1:37 AM
alright, stop with the morphing and sockpupetry already, moron.
Speaking as one of the resident concern trolls in these parts, we have no need for a more crowded ecosystem. Move along.
Besides, this is just plain funny.
Posted by: Sean | April 22, 2008 1:39 AM
Try hydrogen instead of helium. It's much cheaper and if you pray hard enough, it might not explode.
Posted by: Jim | April 22, 2008 1:42 AM
Initially, I was kinda with the concern trolls on this one, then I stared to think that of course, if he is found, at great expense and significant risk to the rescue workers who go out and haul his sorry ass back to civilisation, he will attribute the whole thing to a miracle and take it as evidence that god wants him to continue building his catholic choirboy trucker blowjob bar-room for Jebus or whatever he was doing it for blah blah blah.
He's a grown up. He strapped himself to chair tied to He balloons. He flew up up up into the sky and got lost. I say fuck him.
Posted by: AlanWCan | April 22, 2008 2:11 AM
Fantasising about the death of millions of people who don't agree with you... That's disturbing, more what I'd expect from their side.
Posted by: Andrew | April 22, 2008 2:18 AM
Carlie and brokenSoldier have succinctly covered all the relevant moral issures here, all that's left is to (hopefully) add to the humor. . .
A linw from 'Keeping up Appearances": 'So Vicar, what is the missionary position in Brazil these days?'
'Paging Sally Field, paging Sally field.'
If god had wanted priests to fly, they'd be filled with. . .never mind.
Posted by: mothra | April 22, 2008 2:22 AM
I'm all for a bit of black humour and I'm not agin P's harmless fantasy. However, I could have predicted the response to his post even before I read down these comments.
I used to get a similar reaction to my irreverent "when the Revolution comes we'll line [insert name] up against the wall..." taglines. Sooner or later some puffed up little popinjay would come along and take me at face value, the fecker.
Isn't this where some of the ire against political correctness comes from? Annoyance at those self-righteous folk who would treat the merely black, off-kilter gag the same as the pointed, bigoted one? Can they not see the difference?
Of course, all this is multiplied by that aphasic quality of the internet, where if you do not lard your post with a gajillion smileys and copious caveats explaining that no, you really don't want to kill priests and it's just a laugh, you'll be accused of Nazism or worse. W.C. Fields and H.L. Mencken wouldn't have survived the internet for a second without being Godwin'd.
However, the humour police may have a point. Try going onto some of the right-wing sites where they do this thing all the time. They are happy to riff on bigotry and then, with a nod and a wink to the faithful, tell any visitor that it's all just a joke, right? You can take a joke, can't you?
My response to rudery is to be ruder, and damn the torpedoes! Look at any public debate from age of pamphleteering--that analogue internet that served the British Civil Wars and the American War of Independance--you'll find as much trash talk as on any blogging site of the 21st Century. It clearly served people well and the muddled, shouty mess begat a revolution in ideas about liberty, the state and religion.
I have no idea where the fine line between black and unacceptable is. Maybe only I can draw that line and hope it intersects with that of most people. And if it doesn't? I'll weather the storm. Only... be mindful. PZ is not me. I'm a nobody and PZ is a more public figure. Do enough pieces like this and you give the frothers some ammo to play with. "He jokes about killing priests!" they'll scream, alluding to some darker agenda. We can tell the difference. But can they?
Anyway, that's my share of concern trolling for the day. Anyone who dislikes it, or accuses me of sockpuppetry can feck themselves sideways, with a chainsaw!
Posted by: Lee Brimmicombe-Wood | April 22, 2008 2:36 AM
He's a grown up. He strapped himself to chair tied to He balloons. He flew up up up into the sky and got lost. I say fuck him.
Posted by: AlanWCan | April 22, 2008 2:11 AM
I absolutely love this post...the world needs more of this kind of brevity and clarity. Well put, Alan!
Posted by: brokenSoldier | April 22, 2008 2:38 AM
Off Topic:
The Expelled trailer has been linked on the front page of Slashdot, with a 1500 comment discussion. The usual rampant stupidity is afoot, so if you feel like beating up on some misconceptions about evolution you can go straight to the discussion here.
Posted by: Hematite | April 22, 2008 2:38 AM
Somewhere in that post I missed mentioning the distinction between the merely black joke and the bigoted one as being one of intent. So consider this a correction.
Posted by: Lee Brimmicombe-Wood | April 22, 2008 2:39 AM
Dark humor is fine, laughing at the funny image of a priest flying into the air tied to balloons is fine.
These things are abstractions in a sense.
Awarding a "Darwin Award" and saying the person doesn't deserve any sympathy is just sick. Certainly since he is a stranger to us all, he merits no more sympathy than any of the other millions of strangers to us who have died in the last week, but to say that by being foolish and presumably causing his own death he becomes a rightful target for disdain and mockery, that says something about any person making that statement.
A lot of people have a flaw, an insecurity perhaps that makes them need to find excuses to feel superior to others. Some people use religion for this. Others use "Darwin Awards."
Some people are not as smart as others. Some people have mental illnesses. All people have lapses in judgment. If because of one of these things a person accidentally ends their own life, they somehow then deserved it?
I don't think PZ meant the post that way, and certainly many (maybe most) commenting don't, but there's something sick in those of you that seem to have a "good! got what he deserved!" attitude about this.
Taking pleasure in ANYONE'S death is sick. It doesn't matter if you feel they have done terrible things. I knew a serial killer - the man raped and killed many women. Despite their horrible deaths, despite the terrible things he did, I took no pleasure in his execution. The world is probably better off without him, safer. He himself even might be considered better off dead for his own sake, given the state of his mind. But his execution was no cause for celebration, it was simply the end of a long tragic story. Oh, and he left no children. Did he earn a "Darwin Award?" for his circuitous way of causing his own death?
Yesterday we passed a car stopped in a traffic circle. The old woman inside had died... peacefully, quietly, she just stopped. She was sitting there upright, grasping the wheel, eyes closed. I don't know her, maybe she was a wonderful woman, maybe she was a cruel child abuser who permanently damaged her children. I don't know and never