I am writing to protest the use of the term
"bat-shit insane" when referring to other
posters on this forum, because it is just
not politically correct.
While it is true that some of the people
being referred to using that term are, in
fact, insane, adding the modifier "bat-shit"
is in my opinion derogatory, and unfair to
bats.
I used to do a lot of spelunking (caving) in
my youth, and as a result had many interactions
with bats. While it is true that bats DO shit,
and do so *often* given their voracious eating
habits, I have never seen any bats that I would
characterize as insane.
All of the bats I encountered, in fact, seemed
not only sane but amazingly aware of their
environment, and of me. Even when I had made
the mistake of entering a cave at sunset, just
as all of the bats were leaving the cave to
feed on insects, not a single bat ever hit me.
True, hundreds of them would sometimes fly by
me and come within inches of me, but their
bat-squeak radar was so good that none ever
struck me, or even grazed me.
I consider this *very* sane behavior, and so
I implore posters here to stop using the term
"bat-shit insane" in their posts. It's offen-
sive to bats.
I, too, have been guilty in the past of using
this derogatory term, but I'm going to try my
best to not use it in the future. I will stick
to more acceptable terms that focus on the
insane person himself or herself, and do not
cast aspersions on other sentient beings. For
example, I think that the following phrases
are acceptable:
* A few bricks short of a load
* Five cans short of a six-pack
* Not firing on all cylinders
* Four quarters short of a dollar
* Has a screw loose
* Lost his/her marbles
* Hasn't got both oars in the water
* One wave short of a shipwreck
whereas the following terms are derogatory
to 1) bugs, 2) rabbits, 3) monkeys, and 4)
hamsters:
* Is Bugged Out
* Should be in the Bughouse
* Mad as hatter
* Mad as a monkey on a trike
* The wheel is spinning, but the hamster's dead
Less offensive, but still pushing the PC
envelope are the following, because we all
like pizza and a few people like fruitcakes,
so we don't want to associate them with
insane people:
* An olive short of a pizza
* Nutty as a fruit cake
And this last one is absolutely unacceptable,
because I like boobies a lot, as long as they
are not old and saggy. Besides, I've never
seen one with a 'hatch,' so the phrase doesn't
even make any sense:
* Belongs in the booby hatch
Thank you for your cooperation. Comparing insane
people to bats is really unfair to bats.
