June 02, 2004

• Er, I apologize for the poorly worded first question. Got a call from the girlfriend while proofreading.
• As the original NY Times Story on the subject points out, there's really no existing law. This is new ground being broken, and so the Rabbis, in that oldest of Jewish traditions, are arguing about it, loudly, constantly, and publicly, until they can settle on an answer. Until they do, there will continue to be hysteria among the Chassidim.
• That settles it. I'm having shrimp tonight.
• Would this have any effect on Muslims?
• Here's an idea. They can stop drinking water altogether. Then when they die from lack of fluid, the world has fewer ultrareligious nutjobs to worry about. A really important question for the orthodox community is "when are we going to give up our crazy superstions and join the 21st century?" BTW, this comment isn'e directed exclusively at Chassidim. Consider it applicable to any group who is worked up over non issues like this because of something that the invisible pink bunny in the sky 'told' them.
• Mmmuttly, consider how the other major American community of "ultrareligous nutjobs" would respond to something similar. Jews in New York are seeking to install water filters, so they're own water is okay. The Christian Coalition, me thinks, were it the sort to keep kosher, would be crying bloody murder and demanding government intervention to certify that the water is kosher. (Jews in NY DO have gov't protections regarding kosher foods, but only in the form of some special fraud statutes that prevent manufacturers/distributers/retailers from misrepresenting food. another matter entirely.)
• Fair enough, but the point still remains. People do all kinds crazy stuff in the name of religion. If it was done for any other reason they would be called out on it. As it is, religion as a reason largely gets a free pass rght up until they move off to a commune and commit mass suicide. I find Christian fundies like John Ashkroft & Fred Phelps at least as scary as the Taliban.
• One of the appeals of having a Kosher diet, being a Mennonite, or believing in ghosts or god is that it brings a certain romance to a lifestyle in a conforming world. I don't think following one of these beliefs is madness, I think people choose to because it's fun. Having to carefully select Kosher foods and organize your meals around the separation of various foodstuffs is entertaining, exciting, challenging - different. When an issue, such as these copepods comes up, the question remains: are these people protesting because they really don't like the copepods, or has someone simply shown them a huge poster of a particularly ugly one?
• Consider it applicable to any group who is worked up over non issues like this because of something that the invisible pink bunny in the sky 'told' them. Not so unlike those who get worked up over non-issues that don't hurt anyone, simply because their anti-religion prejudice becomes a religion in itself. Please, the six-trillionth repetition of "invisible ____ in the sky" is terribly clever, but arguments like this make the rest of us heathens look bad.
• Religious issues aside for the moment, does consuming copepods present any health threat to people? The article says they're found in groundwater, but just how widespread are the creatures? Do they occur in groundwater outside North America?
• Technically, I don't think we are heathens, nil. To be thus, we would have to be "unconverted members of a [...] nation that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible." Indubitably, and unfortunately, our nation does acknowledge the God of the Bible; we are mere outliers: atheists. This only goes to reinforce your argument: we need to acknowledge that our nation, in general, acknowledges the invisible _____ in the sky. Addendum for beeswacky: Welcome to the world of Copepods! "Copepods also have the potential to act as control mechanisms for malaria by consuming mosquito larvae, and contrariwise are intermediate hosts of many human and animal parasites."
• Jews in NY DO have gov't protections regarding kosher foods, but only in the form of some special fraud statutes that prevent manufacturers/distributers/retailers from misrepresenting food. another matter entirely.) Plus there's a small board of rabbis who are on the NY State payroll who oversee the enforcement of the law.
• Thanks, Mm -- I skimmed right over that, duh.
• Shawnj's got a girlfriend, Shawnj's got a girlfriend, Shawnj's got a girlfriend! Eeeeuuuuuuuuurghhh!
• mmmuttly: If people with imaginary friends limited themselves to worrying about microscopic crustaceans and keeping their milk and meat seperate, I'd be over the fucking moon. Count your blessings they're not speculating whether said friend's alleged instructions to wage wars of genocide in millenia past ought to be revived and applied to sundry modern ethnic groups.
• Monkeyfilter: We're over the fucking moon.
• Just because someone holds some beliefs that you consider quaint or archaic doesn't mean that they're fundamentalist. Why should following Kosher dietary restrictions be any different than, say, a Vegan refusing to eat meat? It's all just a matter of personal belief. And personally, I'd rather not be ingesting small crustaceans every time I take a drink from the tap, regardless of how harmless they supposedly are.
• These Copepods aren't in most cities water, because most cities filter their supplies. NYC has Federal waivers allowing it to not filter because the water is so exceptionally clean to begin with. Has anyone considered the possibility that these Copepods might be what makes the drinking water in new York so damned tasty? P.S. The water is also why our pizza is so damned good.
• I find it difficult to believe that, in light of rather more pressing spiritual matters, any deity worth his scripture would give two fat celestial farts over what his or her adherents accidentally ingest in their tap water, but hey - whatever makes them happy. Excellent tap water filters are available at Target for <$50.
• jaypro22 says: I'd rather not be ingesting small crustaceans every time I take a drink from the tap, regardless of how harmless they supposedly are. How are you coping with all of the bugs crawling on your face?
• Technically, I don't think we are heathens, nil. From your above M-W link: *clears throat* "2 : an uncivilized or irreligious person" But, eh. I was just using that term to be glib anyway. :) To veer slightly towards the real topic: Normally, the idea of these things in tap water would bother me. But I remind myself of all the other trace amounts of disgusting crap we all consume regularly, and they don't seem so bad.
• MonkeyFilter: A certain romance ... in a conforming world
• If they're in your tap water now, I'd guess they've been in it since you started drinking water. Or, does knowing that they're there suddenly create the problem? Are millions of Jews damned because they drank tap water without understanding the problem? I think we're in the pilpul arena.
• And, yes, I think Metafilter is in the pilpul arena, but that we haven't gotten there yet.
• Path, Judaism, unlike Catholicism, allows a great deal of leeway for things like unwitting transgressions. If I have some random soup which I cannot identify, and later find out that it is Lobster Bisque, I do not need to undergo some sort of purification ritual. I shrug, move on, and remind myself to pay better attention. not that I keep kosher, but many family members/friends do...
• Cap'n, that's a good rule. The Chinese Buddhists have a similar attitude. "Those who do not know, have not sinned". I don't see why a benevolent god would punish us for sins we're not even aware of committing. Although once we're aware, that's a diffrent story. /slightly off-topic
• I don't see why a benevolent god would punish us for sins we're not even aware of committing. Tell that to the judge, 'ned.
• I fully intend to. /false bravado