"... the texts that make up most religions are largely exhortations of tribalism and violence directed against 'the other' in the name of 'our god'..."
most religions? largely? are we sure about that? I'm no scholar but I've read some Hindu and Buddhist texts that are quite free of such things. Some would say that Buddhism isn't religion in the same way the Abrahamic faiths are. I wonder if lumping all belief systems together is a bit too reductionist. The real question is, why do people believe what they do (or don't)?
p.s. dibs on the blue hippo
Doesn't seem asinine or zealous to me, but who am I to say, just a person raised by a family fully half of whom are/were drunks. Of course a simple quiz like this is no match for professional assessment, but I don't think anybody intends it to be. If there's one person out there who is just on the brink of realizing he needs to make a change, and this might lead him to speak to a trusted friend or professional, then it's good to see it's out there.
I'd guess that the risk of a false positive in a self-assessment of alcoholism is pretty low.
hmm... just for the sake of argument, buck09, I wonder which 3 of those statements one could say yes to, and be certain not to have a problem?
I'll say I answered yes to to questions I'd consider borderline, "Do you drink because you are shy with other people" and "Do you drink alone?" but I think an important distinction to be made here is that when a screening quiz like this uses the phrase "do you drink..." the implication is "do you habitually or often drink...", in which case I'd have to answer no. Big difference there.
er, what do the Turks have against Alexander? They weren't even in Asia Minor when he was around were they? ... I'm not trying to be snotty, I just don't know much about the history of the region.
uh, aspo, my tone is "trying to be gentle" here, but if you're a man who has enjoyed sex with men and sex with women, but you aren't bisexual, then do you accept any meaning at all for that term?
What I'm trying to get to is the fact that no matter how we may rail against the limitations and complexities of "generally accepted terms", these terms are generally accepted. The fact that the meanings may vary somewhat does not mean that the terms have no meaning at all.
Also, what TheRoach said. If you like the term straight so much, but you don't call yourself hetero, what does "straight" mean to you?
I am a man, who enjoys sex with men. I accept the terms gay, homosexual, and queer to describe myself. I have very little sexual interest in women. However, if anyone has nine million dollars count me as the current low bidder. p.s. great thread y'all
coppermac, I know this thread and the argument should have died long ago, and I know you really do have the best of intentions, but I believe your last comment sheds light on the issue that people are having with your comments:
"Warrior had plenty of opportunity to explain her/himself"
So... are all gay commenters required to identify themselves as so? Are all straight commenters required? Is the problem here the fact that someone surprised you?
Also late, but I'll second the comment about valiant and well-intending straight folks defending the gays... I know it's a tightrope, but if you go too far with this, you will offend a lot of gay people this way. It may not seem fair, but that's the way it is.
gay goy guy, me. And right on to sexyrobot's comments about the "alternative-minded: not gay, just a guy who likes sex with guys", and "middle ground". I happen to be pretty masculine most of the time, downright flaming once in a while, and always gay because I prefer men. It's taken me a while to get over the erronous idea that orientation is the same as gender expression.
"cute in low cut jeans" what, are you trying to torture me? I'm in NORTH FRICKIN CAROLINA here! no meetups! It's not that we don't have any culture here, it's just that it's spread out a little thinner.
hmm... mid atlantic meetup? wonder if there's anyone else out there who'd like to work on that...
um, quick text description of waraw's link please? For someone at work, torn between morbid curiosity and a complete lack of privacy.... hopefully words will not fail everyone.
p.s. count me in the THANK YOU FES, column: I haven't had a chance to form a deep opinion on fes but I like folks who can stir things up and make me think without being belligerent.
"It's the truth", "sound bites": agreed, with reservations.
I thought this election might restore my faith in the American people by proving that the majority won't be won by phony PR, but I was wrong. Republicans have sinned immensely by using fear and hate to motivate voters, but I refuse to believe that's all that won this election.
I have a new idea: Bush won because he convinced enough people that his beliefs are theirs, and their beliefs are his. It's a tapestry of falsehood, truth, error and mainly oversimplification, but it's a strategy that worked. I can't stand W because I think that he has misrepresented to Americans their own beliefs, so that some have become convinced that they've always believed what he wants us to. (Come to think of it that's got to be a basic political strategy, if I was better educated in poli sci I bet I could quote some relevant passage from Machiavelli or whatever. Anyway it really gets under my skin)
Really, the point I started trying to make was that polarization is part of the whole good-versus-evil, us-against-them package of crap. Wouldn't it be nice if there was some other way? If this election has shown me anything it's that a giant party trying to simultaneoulsly mobilize its radicals and moderates is not just risky but perhaps impossible without resorting to dirty politics. What I'd really like to see is a new third party, say the Centrist party, become viable in the next three years in the U.S. but that's not the way things work I guess.
Funny, just the other day God came to me in the shower and said one word, "Pornography," but the rest of the story didn't turn out the same at all....
cheap shot, I know, but I'm just dying to comment on anything besides U.S. politics..
I hope this thread doesn't devolve so far that The 'Bashi has to delete it. I think it's a nice test of monkey civility that we've passed pretty well. Look, it basically started as a troll, and here we've got 90% civil discourse.
and, I'm trying to put this gently, but, Warrior, how much better do you feel now? How many people have you converted to your point of view, IRL or online, by bitching? I'm a queer liberal, surprised, disappointed, apprehensive, and sad that America has made the decision that it has. It makes me want to scream and weep. Maybe I'll find a place to do just that if a good workout isn't enough to relieve some of the raw tension. If I feel really brave, I'll engage someone who disagrees with me in an honest discussion in the effort to come to some understanding. I understand that people have different ways of dealing with stress and disappointment, but setting up an echo chamber to shout in seems unproductive.
lastly, when making a remark that might be construed as self-righteous like "wouldn't be the first time I'm silenced, wouldn't be the last one", try reading it out loud in the voice of comic book guy to see if it still sounds good. I'm saying this with love, because I like your comments.
Oh, bernockle. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who read it like that. Every blasted time I look at the front page, in fact. I think it's because of the contextual one-two punch of seeing "circle ???k" and "???k-off" in the same place. I'll be so glad when this one's in the archive.
gotta lay off the porn I guess....
OK, while we're highjacking threads, how about this one which I read as a child and have long since forgotten the title of: It was old and pulpy, probably written in the 50's. For a juvenile audience. It was about a space 'cadet' going through training and being sent to Venus. The Venusians are large, warty, reptilian/amphibious. One character learns venusian in his sleep from a playback device. The plot features a secret message being sent in the form of a signet ring containing a tiny spool of wire. now that I look at it, I hope I haven't conflated details from multiple books... I know it's not Heinlein's "Space Cadet" but could very well have been Heinlein.
Fascinating discussion. Scartol, I'm trying hard not to play dimestore psychoanalyst, and trying not to sound confrontational. But I'm really having trouble understanding why you should be going into this deep moral quandary regarding the issue of recieving a benefit from patronizing a prostitute in the game, while apparently having no major qualms about the theft, manslaughter and murder portrayed in it. Could you help me understand your point of view? When it comes to violating or using another human being, how important is gender? Is it worse for a man to murder a woman than another man, for example? How would you (or any other monkeys) feel if you could choose the gender of the main character and the prostitutes?
I don't pretend to have the answer to any of these questions, but I'm interested in what everyone thinks, especially scartol. Disclaimer: I am a gay male so the gender politics thing fascinates me, especially when I see straight folks get all upset about something that doesn't mean much to me. Also, I've never played any of these games. I waste enough time on the Internets.
no blue hippo!? But I believed there was a blue hippo! This is gonna take some time to get over. Why does baby Jesus hate the blue hippos?
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
"... the texts that make up most religions are largely exhortations of tribalism and violence directed against 'the other' in the name of 'our god'..." most religions? largely? are we sure about that? I'm no scholar but I've read some Hindu and Buddhist texts that are quite free of such things. Some would say that Buddhism isn't religion in the same way the Abrahamic faiths are. I wonder if lumping all belief systems together is a bit too reductionist. The real question is, why do people believe what they do (or don't)? p.s. dibs on the blue hippo
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
In "Do you lose time from work due to drinking?"
Doesn't seem asinine or zealous to me, but who am I to say, just a person raised by a family fully half of whom are/were drunks. Of course a simple quiz like this is no match for professional assessment, but I don't think anybody intends it to be. If there's one person out there who is just on the brink of realizing he needs to make a change, and this might lead him to speak to a trusted friend or professional, then it's good to see it's out there. I'd guess that the risk of a false positive in a self-assessment of alcoholism is pretty low.
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
hmm... just for the sake of argument, buck09, I wonder which 3 of those statements one could say yes to, and be certain not to have a problem? I'll say I answered yes to to questions I'd consider borderline, "Do you drink because you are shy with other people" and "Do you drink alone?" but I think an important distinction to be made here is that when a screening quiz like this uses the phrase "do you drink..." the implication is "do you habitually or often drink...", in which case I'd have to answer no. Big difference there.
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
In "Why are the pretty ones always insane?"
what happened to the poor cat?
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
In "Preemptive Strike?"
er, what do the Turks have against Alexander? They weren't even in Asia Minor when he was around were they? ... I'm not trying to be snotty, I just don't know much about the history of the region.
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
In "MoFi T Shirt Orders"
1 large, 2 if price < USD12. men's if differentiated. all payment methods amenable. lovely design! p.s. brown's OK, black or EEEEFF might be nice.
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
In "The internet pushes everything, even sexual limits."
uh, aspo, my tone is "trying to be gentle" here, but if you're a man who has enjoyed sex with men and sex with women, but you aren't bisexual, then do you accept any meaning at all for that term? What I'm trying to get to is the fact that no matter how we may rail against the limitations and complexities of "generally accepted terms", these terms are generally accepted. The fact that the meanings may vary somewhat does not mean that the terms have no meaning at all. Also, what TheRoach said. If you like the term straight so much, but you don't call yourself hetero, what does "straight" mean to you? I am a man, who enjoys sex with men. I accept the terms gay, homosexual, and queer to describe myself. I have very little sexual interest in women. However, if anyone has nine million dollars count me as the current low bidder. p.s. great thread y'all
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
In "Soldier shoots himself to avoid going back to Iraq."
coppermac, I know this thread and the argument should have died long ago, and I know you really do have the best of intentions, but I believe your last comment sheds light on the issue that people are having with your comments: "Warrior had plenty of opportunity to explain her/himself" So... are all gay commenters required to identify themselves as so? Are all straight commenters required? Is the problem here the fact that someone surprised you? Also late, but I'll second the comment about valiant and well-intending straight folks defending the gays... I know it's a tightrope, but if you go too far with this, you will offend a lot of gay people this way. It may not seem fair, but that's the way it is.
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
In "<b>BiCurious, George?</b>"
gay goy guy, me. And right on to sexyrobot's comments about the "alternative-minded: not gay, just a guy who likes sex with guys", and "middle ground". I happen to be pretty masculine most of the time, downright flaming once in a while, and always gay because I prefer men. It's taken me a while to get over the erronous idea that orientation is the same as gender expression. "cute in low cut jeans" what, are you trying to torture me? I'm in NORTH FRICKIN CAROLINA here! no meetups! It's not that we don't have any culture here, it's just that it's spread out a little thinner. hmm... mid atlantic meetup? wonder if there's anyone else out there who'd like to work on that...
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
In "VIOLENCE."
um, quick text description of waraw's link please? For someone at work, torn between morbid curiosity and a complete lack of privacy.... hopefully words will not fail everyone.
posted by spectrusery 19 years ago
In ""
p.s. count me in the THANK YOU FES, column: I haven't had a chance to form a deep opinion on fes but I like folks who can stir things up and make me think without being belligerent.
posted by spectrusery 20 years ago
"It's the truth", "sound bites": agreed, with reservations.
I thought this election might restore my faith in the American people by proving that the majority won't be won by phony PR, but I was wrong. Republicans have sinned immensely by using fear and hate to motivate voters, but I refuse to believe that's all that won this election.
I have a new idea: Bush won because he convinced enough people that his beliefs are theirs, and their beliefs are his. It's a tapestry of falsehood, truth, error and mainly oversimplification, but it's a strategy that worked. I can't stand W because I think that he has misrepresented to Americans their own beliefs, so that some have become convinced that they've always believed what he wants us to. (Come to think of it that's got to be a basic political strategy, if I was better educated in poli sci I bet I could quote some relevant passage from Machiavelli or whatever. Anyway it really gets under my skin)
Really, the point I started trying to make was that polarization is part of the whole good-versus-evil, us-against-them package of crap. Wouldn't it be nice if there was some other way? If this election has shown me anything it's that a giant party trying to simultaneoulsly mobilize its radicals and moderates is not just risky but perhaps impossible without resorting to dirty politics. What I'd really like to see is a new third party, say the Centrist party, become viable in the next three years in the U.S. but that's not the way things work I guess.
posted by spectrusery 20 years ago
In "Reading this post will make you go blind"
Funny, just the other day God came to me in the shower and said one word, "Pornography," but the rest of the story didn't turn out the same at all.... cheap shot, I know, but I'm just dying to comment on anything besides U.S. politics..
posted by spectrusery 20 years ago
In ""
I hope this thread doesn't devolve so far that The 'Bashi has to delete it. I think it's a nice test of monkey civility that we've passed pretty well. Look, it basically started as a troll, and here we've got 90% civil discourse.
and, I'm trying to put this gently, but, Warrior, how much better do you feel now? How many people have you converted to your point of view, IRL or online, by bitching? I'm a queer liberal, surprised, disappointed, apprehensive, and sad that America has made the decision that it has. It makes me want to scream and weep. Maybe I'll find a place to do just that if a good workout isn't enough to relieve some of the raw tension. If I feel really brave, I'll engage someone who disagrees with me in an honest discussion in the effort to come to some understanding. I understand that people have different ways of dealing with stress and disappointment, but setting up an echo chamber to shout in seems unproductive.
lastly, when making a remark that might be construed as self-righteous like "wouldn't be the first time I'm silenced, wouldn't be the last one", try reading it out loud in the voice of comic book guy to see if it still sounds good. I'm saying this with love, because I like your comments.
posted by spectrusery 20 years ago
In "2004 Family Circle Cook-Off"
Oh, bernockle. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who read it like that. Every blasted time I look at the front page, in fact. I think it's because of the contextual one-two punch of seeing "circle ???k" and "???k-off" in the same place. I'll be so glad when this one's in the archive. gotta lay off the porn I guess....
posted by spectrusery 20 years ago
In "Curious George:"
OK, while we're highjacking threads, how about this one which I read as a child and have long since forgotten the title of: It was old and pulpy, probably written in the 50's. For a juvenile audience. It was about a space 'cadet' going through training and being sent to Venus. The Venusians are large, warty, reptilian/amphibious. One character learns venusian in his sleep from a playback device. The plot features a secret message being sent in the form of a signet ring containing a tiny spool of wire. now that I look at it, I hope I haven't conflated details from multiple books... I know it's not Heinlein's "Space Cadet" but could very well have been Heinlein.
posted by spectrusery 20 years ago
In "Romanesco"
mmm... fractalicious...
posted by spectrusery 20 years ago
In "Curious George: Sexism in "Grand Theft Auto""
that is, if anyone's still reading. Damn work!
posted by spectrusery 20 years ago
Fascinating discussion. Scartol, I'm trying hard not to play dimestore psychoanalyst, and trying not to sound confrontational. But I'm really having trouble understanding why you should be going into this deep moral quandary regarding the issue of recieving a benefit from patronizing a prostitute in the game, while apparently having no major qualms about the theft, manslaughter and murder portrayed in it. Could you help me understand your point of view? When it comes to violating or using another human being, how important is gender? Is it worse for a man to murder a woman than another man, for example? How would you (or any other monkeys) feel if you could choose the gender of the main character and the prostitutes?
I don't pretend to have the answer to any of these questions, but I'm interested in what everyone thinks, especially scartol.
Disclaimer: I am a gay male so the gender politics thing fascinates me, especially when I see straight folks get all upset about something that doesn't mean much to me. Also, I've never played any of these games. I waste enough time on the Internets.
posted by spectrusery 20 years ago
(limited to the most recent 20 comments)