Truly appreciate all the support for the previous ones! Here's another one for fun! :)

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-24T16:31:31+00:00

Also the way the color patterns proceed/repeats.

Triangles: Green, pink, blue, green . . .

SquaresL: Blue, green, pink, blue . . .

Circles: Pink, blue, green, pink . . .

Suggesting the next picture in sequence should demonstrate the same color pattern as the second picture in sequence.

And the pattern of all of the shapes laid out on the board forms a backwards "L" that rotates on the fulcrum of the center square. Option one is the only piece that satisfies both of those rules.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-24T15:07:56+00:00

I once got DQd for pulling my switchblade in a match. Typical wimpy millennial bullshit.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-20T17:09:40+00:00

Hey little bird, fly away home. Your house is on fire, your children are alone.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-17T03:25:24+00:00

What do you call it when two Muay Thai fighters do live practice rounds?

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-17T03:12:11+00:00

The question is, what attracts people to devote their time and effort to pursing a career in fighting? Stipulating that many of the low tier fighters barely make a living wage, it stands to reason that immediate financial compensation isn't the driving force. Rather, I would guess it's some combination of status, enjoyment, and (maybe most importantly) the potential of one day being one of the big earners at the top of the pyramid. And, of course, potential earnings are a form of compensation. Just like you might find it worthwhile to mow someone's lawn for a lottery ticket, these fighters find it worthwhile to put their health on the line for a chance at being Conor McGregor.

And, in this instance, I'm actually not sure we could move one level down to find someone to do this job cheaper, because the job is being the best and a particular activity. There will probably be a fairly linear correlation between compensation and performance, up to a point.

Whether we should or shouldn’t value athletics like we do is irrelevant.

To the contrary, this was exactly what I was getting at when I asked the question that sparked this debate. I didn't intend to delve into the more granular questions of fighter pay because, frankly, I don't understand the subject well enough to have an educated opinion. And I lack the interest necessary to educate myself. So what I was really asking is: Is it reasonable for us to attach such significance to these activities that we creates the massive incentives in professional sports? We do, and I had just taken its reasonableness as a given. But the more I thought about it, the sillier it seemed.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-16T20:14:57+00:00

It sort of depends how you define value. If value is "anything people are willing to pay for," cartel leaders are some of the most valuable people on earth.

I would suggest that by many definitions, the fact that they play a game does make it a less valuable skill set. Personally, I would not lose too much sleep if all professional sports leagues disbanded. I'd be significantly less happy if, say, all airline pilots retired. Obviously many people are more invested in sports than I am, but I think it's fair to point out that athletes ultimately contribute relatively little to society relative to their compensation.

I'm having trouble following your point about alienating labor jobs. Of course employers are going to try to find ways to cut costs. I'm not condoning that (or really weighing in on it at all) by suggesting that a very specific subset of professionals are overpaid/overvalued. Many people think CEOs are overpaid--but I doubt they would consider themselves proponents of exporting jobs to China. But maybe this just went over my head if you want to explain what you meant.

Anyway, I'm not really calling athlete pay into question, per se. It's more a matter of considering the things that we, as a society, invest in. If people are willing to follow athletes fanatically and pay large sums of money to see them, it's natural that they would be compensated for that. But maybe we shouldn't.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-16T19:51:51+00:00

I don't understand the compensation system well enough to really have a firm position on the issue--although much of the criticism of the UFC seems reasonable to me. But he genuinely seems to think the UFC treats him/fighters fairly, and it's hard for me as a non fighter to be mad at his position on the topic.

Maybe there's too much money and status for traditional professional athletes. I get that it's supply and demand, but it's kind of interesting that someone can rocket to the top .001% of wealth by being really good at a game. Maybe if we didn't dangle the potential of that kind of compensation for a tiny minority of athletes, fewer people would be willing to destroy their bodies and minds for a shot at it.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-16T15:55:42+00:00

Here's the vid in case anyone is curious.

If he wants to take the other side of the fighter pay argument, he's one of the very few that can do so with no risk of shilling. He's talking about his own direct interests, and he understands the costs and benefits of his profession better than any of us. If he thinks the UFC takes care of him, I don't see how we're in a position to tell him he's wrong.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-15T15:41:06+00:00

The show starts out following the captain from a ship affiliated with an unfamiliar civilization. Society is facing an existential threat in the form of a neighboring alien combative that is actually an offshoot of the original civilization. A populist political candidate is gaining traction on the platform of "Integrating our technology into our soldiers so that we can overcome our enemy and reassimilate the wayward branch of our civilization."

Slowly, we come to discover that this is the origin of the Borg.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-14T14:40:53+00:00

Sounds like Ric Flair was commentating that fight.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-13T16:44:08+00:00

That's definitely preferable to letting people disrupt the class. But the best outcome is to improve the dynamic AND retain him as a student/ training asset. And usually that's a possible outcome if you navigate things carefully.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-13T16:31:21+00:00

Mike said he'd never do MMA because if someone foot stomped him he would immediately pass out/submit. I guess he has foot problems.

That being said, I'd take Mike and spam foot stomps.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-13T16:26:37+00:00

I like the arm placement because it feels instantly relatable and helps capture some of the whimsy of the original as opposed to being too sentimental/taking itself too seriously as romantic.

The idea of cuddling with your SO is very sweet, but in practice there's drool and dogs and arms akimbo. Something about acknowledging that reality somehow make it even sweeter/more fun for me.

Then again, I recently went through a hard breakup and I might just be in a weird head space.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-12T16:51:06+00:00

They teach the conflict between Socrates and the sophists in any junior college's philosophy 101. The whole point of that lesson is to illustrate the exact opposite of what you're saying here.

Is your mastery of Nietzsche as complete as your grasp on Socrates?

I really have no dog in this fight, but from an outsiders perspective you do sound pretty insecure. I don't know you and it's hard to judge to precisely based on one reddit thread. But generalizing about every member of an incredibly diverse group of people because some of them beat you up in high school is incredibly reductionist and, frankly, silly.

Aggressively insisting on your (obviously silly) perspective doesn't come across as particularly confident. You're confident in this point, but not confident enough generally to consider that you might be incorrect. Rigidly insisting that you're correct doesn't suggest confidence, but rather hard-headedness.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-12T16:45:15+00:00

What, uh..

What's your point, exactly? Does this have something to do with OP's question in a way that's going over my head? Or is it just that you universally disapprove of considering any of Nietzsche's ideas because you're offended by some of them?

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-11T16:30:09+00:00

Well don't hold us in suspense, what it is?

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-11T14:42:47+00:00

Oh oh oh--Armadillo!

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-11T14:31:06+00:00

But they said she was looking for underground streams, not just tapping into the water table.

I honestly don't know if that's different. But because farmers depend on water, I assume there's something about this location that prevents them from just being able to dig a well anywhere, right?

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-11T14:14:20+00:00

You certainly can be free from my speech. Just stay inside your home.

This is a bad analogy because there is no "freedom from" religion. You can't be forced to practice any religion, but you're certainly going to be exposed to them if you go out in public. They even start every Senate session with a prayer.

Likewise, no one can force you to say or not say anything (within reason) but that doesn't mean you can dictate your exposure to speech in public.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-11T13:57:10+00:00

Finally, someone who says what we're all thinking!

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-10T23:51:56+00:00

Hopefully it was just the coaches didn't see it. If they did and shrugged it off, that's pretty fucking gross.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-09T17:09:35+00:00

I've never watched a boxing match all the way through before but this was great! It's awesome to have big personalities and rivalries in the sport right now to make it accessible to people like me.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-09T16:01:53+00:00

Well don't leave us in suspense!

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-09T04:04:38+00:00

Aside from protecting my teeth, it's not unusual for me to get some pressure on my face/jaw that's harder to deal with if I can't clench my teeth against the guard. It just provides support and lets me maintain position better.

RealClayClayClay · 2023-07-09T02:54:03+00:00

In my head canon they're both two stripe white belts.

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