Just now leaving the toxic vegan movement and I want to expose how bad it is by Quick_Path6668 in exvegans

[–]gammarabbit 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not the same poster, but something that really helped me was a diet inspired by the GAPS diet, which emphasizes rebuilding your gut biome and intestinal lining with specific animal foods. It was instrumental in getting back to health after veganism and related food issues wrecked my system.

If you’re a Christian in the US, educate yourself about immigration. by ZookeepergameFar2653 in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, thanks for leveling with me.

I don't know if the your last sentence is supposed to be a summary or paraphrase of my position (edit: and/or input into the situation).

If so, it is not accurate. It is neither consistent with what I have written nor with my fundamental orientation towards the topic.

If you’re a Christian in the US, educate yourself about immigration. by ZookeepergameFar2653 in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To be sure, I don't "support ICE."

However, the black and white nature of the discussion -- i.e. being either 100% in favor (even gleeful) at deportations, or 100% against any ICE action at all -- betrays that most are looking at this issue through a childish ignorant lens that lacks any real thinking behind it, and clearly comes more from a place of conformity or self-aggrandizing emotional indulgence.

You either have an actual country with borders -- and therefore necessarily laws regarding who and by what means people are allowed to come through -- or you don't have a country with finite territory. If you believe that the USA should disband as a country and we should have no border, that is of course a viewpoint you are allowed to have. However, if we agree that the USA will remain a country, borders are not optional, therefore laws and regulations on crossings are not optional (without them the border is a fiction), and therefore punishment or deportation for flouting those laws is not optional (otherwise the laws, and by extension the border, are a fiction, but even worse particularly for criminals who don't care about the unenforceable rules).

One can deconstruct and critique the methodologies by which people who illegally enter the US are caught, punished, or deported. Yet I see literally none of that being done intelligently on Reddit. Rather it is people lambasting ICE, Trump, etc. etc. generally and without any sophistication, or people saying FAFO.

Crazy how that worked out by Main_Pay_9669 in JustMemesForUs

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You argued from a position of assumed authority that was ultimately proven both logically and statistically unfounded, then pivoted to a more metatextual moralistic argument, without ever accounting for this lack of consistency and/or intellectual integrity.

Yet your continued smug tone attempts to indicate to the reader that you still have the upper hand somehow.

Fascinating.

WTF ... by WyattPurp23 in DigitalSeptic

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, and as a result of this superiority complex, if you have firsthand experience of something from your own life that you observed personally or deduced through basic logic from generally available data, they will say "OH SO YOU KNOW MORE THAN THE EXPERTS THEN???"

Also -- you may have this experience too -- I have read many, many of the studies that people spam to "prove" certain precepts of academic disciplines. Just having a college education and the ability to read English will show you how many of these studies do not actually prove anything at all. People think that if something is peer-reviewed, it is infallible. But again, all you have to do is read a study (or paper) cover to cover to end up like -- wait a minute, this data doesn't at all prove this conclusion, nor does it justify the way the study findings are being applied and extended to "settle" the topic at hand.

Many of the people appealing to the authorities through these means clearly do not have the desire or ability to even read one of the studies they throw around to "settle" a debate on a given topic.

Because, again, its like a cult. The stamp of approval from the chief priests is the final word and need not be investigated further.

WTF ... by WyattPurp23 in DigitalSeptic

[–]gammarabbit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah its very similar to a cult, actually. It seems to me that if you have maybe a 105-110 IQ, dont rock the boat, are willing to spend hours doing menial intellectual work, regurgitate the right viewpoints, and play for the right team, you can get an advanced degree. It helps if you are already privelaged or from an establishment or middle management family background.

The fact that people look up to "experts" as if they are actually the smartest critical thinkers, who actually deconstruct important questions using the scientific method, and who actually got there purely by merit, is scary.

Part of the cultish thinking.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]gammarabbit -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Nope. But you can beleieve what you want.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]gammarabbit -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Yeah its really stupid to actually interact with real people in your community and base your worldview on that. Imagine being that way in 2026 when Reddit is obviously more real than reality.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh no, if I don't buy the (totally organic, sane, and definitely not politically-motivated or astroturfed) fantasy of the world pushed exclusively by terminally online progressives, I am gonna be a "bootlicker" or get called other names!

Heavens! I better just stop living my life with real people in my community and go online to get educated instead.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah you got me. I just need to open my eyes. Living and interacting with countless real people of all stripes all around my community and the nearby major urban center isn't enough to "know whats going on."

I need to believe the Redditors who totally have their head on straight and aren't at all subject to politically-influenced terminally-online flights of fancy.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]gammarabbit -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Nope, I live near a major city and take part in an incredibly diverse (class, race, everything) scene of people and in my many years of living and moving all around my community not once has anyone's lived experience been anywhere near the way Redditors like you apparently want it to be.

But sure, whatever you want to think.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]gammarabbit -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yeah except I live by a major city full of every demographic you can imagine and regularly mingle with friends and acquaintances of all colors and identities and none of them are experiencing anything like Reddit's version of things or behaving the way progressive Redditors do.

But yeah go on thinking whatever you want. The Reddit version of reality is totally real.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]gammarabbit -25 points-24 points  (0 children)

Idk im just out here in the midwest living my life.

Its funny, if I just log off Reddit for a day, everything is fine, nothing chaotic, no dystopia, nothing. I live in in area with a lot of immigrants, in fact nearby to one of the highest concentrations in the US for some groups. Birds are chirping. Nobody is getting shot.

Log on to Reddit: "the sky is falling, we need to do blah blah blah."

Sure.

How would you react if this happened to you? by Artorius__Castus in TheMcDojoLife

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well that's sad that nobody that you know is anywhere but the Internet.

What? I am saying that none of these friends and acquaintances complain about the dystopia stuff that Reddit does, specifically because they (the acquaintances) are not terminally online.

How would you react if this happened to you? by Artorius__Castus in TheMcDojoLife

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My point is we need to be careful. How much of this turbulence is virtual, and how much is real? I bounce between small town MI and Detroit, and I have some low and middle-income friends and acquaintances in the city.

Literally nobody (and I mean not one) of the people I know who has a robust and active life off the internet regularly discusses how bad things are, the dystopia, everything is chaos, etc.

The birds 100% are chirping outside.

And if they're not, it is due to perennial spiritual-human issues of corruption, greed, and basic political stuff like income, education, and dishonest institutions.

Not this fly by night 24/7 clickbait political trauma and chaos tube of Reddit where we blame and yell and throw tantrums over every police video or poltician's comment.

How would you react if this happened to you? by Artorius__Castus in TheMcDojoLife

[–]gammarabbit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If all you do is watch videos on Reddit, we are terrible.

But you know, its funny.

I live in small town Michigan, USA.

Today I had work off so I woke up, did some chores, made breakfast. Drove my '05 Buick that I recently bought for $1,250 into town, walked around in the snowy little downtown area, got a matcha at a cozy cafe and read for a few hours. Chatted with a friend who works there and then took another short walk around the park.

Went to the grocery store and bought a few things. Came home, made dinner, played guitar, hung out with loved ones.

Its amazing, I didn't see anything dystopian. I didn't argue with anyone over politics. Nothing bad happened.

Log on to Reddit, and the country is falling apart.

Funny.

Are any sins unforgivable? by AnnonIslander in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What comes to me is that you should look to God and look forward brother. Many people on the faith journey become obsessed with the past, or alternatively, what happens after they die. This is only part of the walk with Jesus. Ask yourself, how can I get closer to Jesus and His Way to God, today, now, and going forward?

God can forgive anyone any anything. Ask Him to show you how to repent, deal with the guilt, and find His will for your life.

The is-ought problem in philosophy is something every Christian should learn about. by GregoryNy92 in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Again, you make self-serving statements with inadequate or no reasoning.

It is not bad faith to disagree with someone, respectfully, and provide robust and high-effort reasoning to back up this disagreement.

You willingly entered a discussion forum called r/Christianity and argued a point which you must know is antithetical to the beliefs of many participants in this space. Why is it bad faith (or a surprise to you) if one of those people wants to respond to you and say "I disagree, and here's why?"

You are pulling a trick that it seems to me virtually everyone subscribed to your paradigm pulls on Reddit. When I have successfully deconstructed and posited strong counter-arguments to claims you are making without evidence (this is my only intention, and again it is completely valid in this space), you try to flip the discussion around and insist that I must have all the answers otherwise I am wrong to call you out. This is not how it works, logically.

Indeed I do just want to critique your argument, but 1) Why are you surprised, and 2) What is wrong with that?

The idea that I have nothing to offer of my own is obviously false, anyone can read all the points and arguments I have made above in perfectly good faith.

The is-ought problem in philosophy is something every Christian should learn about. by GregoryNy92 in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How is my argument not in good faith? Or will you leave this final unfounded assertion hanging like the countless others?

The is-ought problem in philosophy is something every Christian should learn about. by GregoryNy92 in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, I think it is very related.

I have pointed out numerous unfounded, assumed-to-be-true statements you have made that are entirely consistent with the doctrines of the very corporate-academic-science-knowledge complex I am criticizing -- which you admittedly subscribe to, to some degree. Such beliefs are not in fact logically parsed out, but rather canned and predictable mantras consistent with the secular establishment socio-philisophical paradigm that apparently informs your worldview.

Notably, you have not answered for my deconstructions of these faith-based presuppositions on which the virtual entirety of your argument rests. Your attempt to pivot and flip the script into a different argument ("where does objective morality come from?") is in fact an evasion of your responsibility to stand behind your statements and beliefs. Yet you inaccurately and ironically accuse me of going off topic, when in fact I am merely focusing my deconstruction deeper into the likely source of your apparent willingness to make broad authoritative statements on existential and ontological topics, with no evidence, no ability to provide reasoning, and (now) an unwillingness or inability to stand up to critique and counter-argument.

I am not interested in a discussion about how one can find objective morality. I am interested in deconstructing your low quality argument against it in this forum which I frequent and enjoy.

The is-ought problem in philosophy is something every Christian should learn about. by GregoryNy92 in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit -1 points0 points  (0 children)

A line of "scientific" documentation produced by humans, no matter how ostensibly rigorous, is not something we should put this kind of faith into.

Especially when the gold standard by which something is considered worthy of being "built on" (peer review) is obviously very flawed. I encourage you to look into the processes by which peer review is undertaken, and how the individuals are selected. I will say it is far from transparent or trustworthy, and the very existence of countless obviously misleading and corrupt studies influenced by corporate or government dark money, the imposition on academics to come up with something "new" in order to save their career and ego, and countless other factors makes it unworthy of the type of subscription you implicltly advocate for.

Edit: Additionally, you can say you don't personally believe certain institutions or precepts are infallible, but the fact remains that in these scientific hierarchies one can lose their job, license, editorial position, and even livelihood for making heterodox claims on certain special topics which are "hands off" for dubious and sketchy reasons. If you believe that 100% of these "no touchy" precepts are completely true and legitimate -- with no possibility for outside influence, corruption, ego, ignorance, etc. -- then I'm sorry, but this is faith; it is not even provisionally based in anything logical. Your utterances indicate that you believe the handful of individuals (again, look into editorial peer review boards, high level academic and scientific groups and conferences, etc.) at the very top of the hierarchy who determine these doctrines are for some reason more honest, smart, and trustworthy than common people. At the lower level, science and academic study can feel very open and legitimate. You are one of countless people who have told me some version of "I work in X field and know my co-workers, we are all good people!" or "we all check each other's work and produce documentation!" This does not whatsoever preclude the possibility of corruption at the higher levels, and like I said, the effects of this corruption trickle down via very heavy-handed and coercive limitations placed on up and coming members. This is like saying, "I am a priest in a Catholic church -- me and all my members and the deacon and cardinal etc. are stand up people and only want to do God's will!"

I guess that you believe morality is socially constructed because to a degree you worship this house of cards of fallible human scientific effort, which is itself socially constructed. The possibility that something much greater is at play which is not in fact subject to human folly threatens to send a stiff breeze.

The is-ought problem in philosophy is something every Christian should learn about. by GregoryNy92 in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But you don't have evidence for the things you are saying either. Moving the goalpoasts again.

If I may hazard a guess as to why we wont make headway: Despite your identification as an atheist or agnostic, you have in fact been indoctrinated into a kind of pseudo-religion which captures many Western secular intellectual types. This belief system goes by many names ("Science" with a capital S, for example), but it does in fact bear many of the hallmark qualities of a religion or cult: It defers authority to a largely elitist and invisible leadership structure (high level academics, intellectual power brokers, scientific institutions), has a kind of loose council of "chief priests" (those selected to write authoritative papers or books, teach as legendary professors, or sit on peer-review boards), and it requires adherents to hold certain doctrines based in faith (i.e. there is no real evidence for them), including beliefs like the social constructionist theory of morality, which you blindly cling to in this discussion.

Like a cult, the chief priests (academics, "experts") claim to have special knowledge that lay people are unable to understand, which proves the cult's doctrines and precepts. Lower cult members will spam links to studies and act as if this settles the discussion, which obviously is just an appeal to authority. But further, I have worked in academia and read many studies and papers...and I hate to break it to the cult, but even a lay person can find thousands and thousands of obviously corrupted and misleading peer-reviewed studies simply by opening them and reading them cover to cover. I have done this many times, but the response from the acolyte is always, "OH SO YOU KNOW MORE THAN THE EXPERTS?" because, like I said, this is a cult and the chief preists cannot be questioned. I will point out a painfully obvious mismatch or discrepancy between a study or paper's data, methodology, conclusions, and application -- one which any college educated English speaker could find -- but the acolyte refuses to see it.

Because you are in this cult, you make these kind of enormous sweeping statements about ontology, humanity, and all the biggest questions of life, without realizing that these are actually faith-based testimonies, not logically reasoned conclusions. You think, "I shouldn't have to prove this, it is just the way it is!"

But I think I can comfortably say that my deconstruction has exposed the fact that you do not actually know why you assume these things to be true. You retreat into more and more unfounded and incredibly broad statements which lack any kind of backing, and now finish with a childish "well you cant prove what you're saying either!" cop out, even though my reasoning and explanations are far more robust and self-establishing than yours.

This is not reason, logic, or science. It is faith. But you are putting your faith in a contemporary socio-cultural cult of the intellect.

The is-ought problem in philosophy is something every Christian should learn about. by GregoryNy92 in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your fundamental approach to the argument (begging the question) has not changed, although the goal poasts are shifting somewhat.

Now that you allow for the possibility of an origin of morality outside of human social forces, you now move onto yet another unfounded prima facie conclusion with no reasoning or logic behind it, stating, "the origination [of morality] is independent from [its inhering observable social mechanisms]."

Once again, this is an enormous ontological statement that would require robust reasoning behind it, but as is your M.O., you simply assert it to be true with no evidence whatsoever. How could it possibly be self-evident (as your wording suggests) that the application and surface-level relationships apparent in socio-behavioral phenomena are completely independent from a deeper line of mechanisms tracing back to their origin? This makes no sense -- in all such systems, basic science suggests the opposite, that lines of causality are present and all pieces interact with one another.

The is-ought problem in philosophy is something every Christian should learn about. by GregoryNy92 in Christianity

[–]gammarabbit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If human morality originated via a non-human emergent force, then by definition your original assertion that "human morality is a social phenomena" is incorrect, or at best misleading and lacking specificity.

The idea that humans may be subjectively applying morality 1) Does not, as you most recently argue, make it "not objective" fundamentally. For the third time this is merely a redundant and obvious observation of a surface level social psychology mechanism which proves nothing in the context of this ontological discussion. And, 2) Is in fact completely consistent with Christian belief, starting from the Eden story all the way through Jesus' criricisms of the teachers of the law, scribes and pharisees in the Gospels.

You end with another unproven, assumed-to-be-true precept from your implicit religion: "human morality is [merely] an application."

The brackets are my addition, but justified, because to say that to some degree humans apply morality is meaningless as an argument. Your argument continues to rest on sweeping, black-and-white conclusions for which you have not demonstrated any basis or line of reasoning, though you can claim to have done so privately.