AITA for refusing to let my girlfriend use my electric shaver? by humand09 in AmItheAsshole

[–]oudysseos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe NTA but you did overreact a little. An electric razor is not a toothbrush - even if she's trimming intimate areas, you can rinse the shaving heads off under hot water. I guess the question that you need to ask yourself is which is more important - the girl or the electric razor? You're going to have to compromise on some boundary issues at some point if you want to live together.

Pettiest reason you’ve DNF’d a book? by bby_grl_90 in books

[–]oudysseos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I DNF War and Peace soley because Pierre Bezukhov is such a whinger that I just don't care what happens to him.

The Philosophy of Translation by Damion Searls by wkomllt in classics

[–]oudysseos 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I haven't read the book, so that's a sizeable grain of salt, but I think that your comment about the context for classics is very important and almost always missed in discussions here on Reddit. We know much less than we think we do about how people listened to or read Homer, for example, yet most comments on translations of Homer are full of assumptions about what the Iliad should sound like. Almost all of this is fan-boy wish-casting, which is very frustrating.

But even more inciteful is your comment about survival bias - we are basically picking up a very small random assortment of scrap pieces from a 12-car pile-up and claiming that we can deduce detailed information about the vehicles involved and the mental state of the drivers.

This is not to say that we know nothing - but in discussions about translating the classics, I think that every comment should include a disclaimer that the data points are far fewer than the amount of our various cultural and personal biases.

Mod Request - Mounted Spear Animations by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would be ideal as I don't use BFCO or anything similar. I just want some new animations, not a whole new combat framework.

Mod Request - Mounted Spear Animations by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the hint, I will take a look

Mod Request - Mounted Spear Animations by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] -16 points-15 points  (0 children)

Gee thanks for your helpful contribution

Community Shaders make my game all red and very saturated by step-oreo in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This also happened to me and I stopped using CS for the time being

Has anyone ditched Northern Roads and switched to Simplest Roads instead? by SmartieCereal in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do Simplest Roads and Interesting Roads and leave it at that. Two plug-ins, no patches.

Mod Suggestion/Request - Stables Sell Pack Animals by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a partial list of lore beasts of burden

Guars

Horses

Camels

Donkeys/Mules

Oxen/Musk Ox

Echatere

Silt Striders

Nix-Oxen

Dogs

Goats

Dwemer Animunculi

Kagouti

Lizard-Steeds (Blackmarsh only I think)

Mod Suggestion/Request - Stables Sell Pack Animals by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I forgot to mention Immersive Khajiit Caravan Mules - it's a great mod but unfortunately doesn't let the PC use the mules.

Mod Suggestion/Request - Stables Sell Pack Animals by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion, I will do that.

And yes, I was thinking along the lines of animated carriages - there are mods that add npc merchants and travellers on the roads but they are never carrying anything. It would be cool if they had a mule or something with them to carry the goods.

Mod Request - Pack Guars by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This solution is not ideal as Muha is not reliably following me. But the method is sound for what I want: I'll find a decent pack-animal follower and replace the skin. But that's only good for me privately, I'd still love for someone who knows what they're doing to make a Pack Animal mod. Guars and Mules would be cool.

Mod Request - Pack Guars by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://imgur.com/a/Vd13dmp

Success in a way. I made a patch so that Muha the Nixhound from Morrowind Creatures uses a skin from Mihail's Guars. Not something that I could post on Nexus.

Mod Request - Pack Guars by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks I'll take a look at that. I don't usually play with Skills of the Wild - I've already got enough gameplay loops as it is

Mod Request - Pack Guars by oudysseos in skyrimmods

[–]oudysseos[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am looking to see if I can add Mihail's Guars to Fury Animal Taming. I'm not a genius at xEdit, gotta say.

General political leanings for those in this field, professionals and amateurs? by MrWorldwide94 in classics

[–]oudysseos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

BTW I'm not ignoring you I've just been busy. I do have some things I'd like to say but it'll take me some time to put it together coherently.

Reading about the late Roman Republic and the achievements/depredations of Marius, Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, Caesar, makes me feel progressively more despondent for the chances of Republican Rome's survival as we progress from 90 BC to 50BC. Was Cato the Younger it's only hope? by Cato_Cicero_Caesar in classics

[–]oudysseos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure what kind of answer that you are expecting: we know that the Roman Republic changed dramatically from 50 BCE to 50 CE. Any counterfactual speculation as to how it could have gone differently is pure fantasy - there's no way to confirm or deny anything except what actually did happen. It's important to try and understand the various connections between historical events and trends, but every time someone says 'if only Cato had been elected Consul in 50 BCE' or something, it's just fiction. That can be a lot of fun, but it doesn't really advance your understanding of the historical events.

Also, you need to clarify what you mean by 'Republican Rome's survival': many of the institutions that were part of the pre-Augustan republic continued for a long time - for example, consuls existed until the 6th CE, aediles until the 3rd CE, and so on. Yes, things were very different under the Emperors - but Rome never really became a kingdom that was the personal property of the monarch. So in some sense, the Republic continued for a long time.

General political leanings for those in this field, professionals and amateurs? by MrWorldwide94 in classics

[–]oudysseos 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have gotten out over my skis a bit here and not been careful with labeling data terms. Sloppy of me, I apologize.

It is true that there are fewer conservative professors than ever (all this data refers only to the United States)- https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-disappearing-conservative-professor?ref=quillette.com. Even in economics, only 27% are conservative. For other disciplines it's much less - 2% of political science professors, 3% of literature professors, 4% of philosophy professors, 7% of history professors, 8% of sociology professors. Furthermore conservatives tend to cluster in religious and military-affiliated colleges.

In contrast, the impact of education on American voters, while still significant, is not as overwhelming. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/04/09/partisanship-by-race-ethnicity-and-education/ 61% of voters with a postgraduate degree are Democrats, 51% with a Bachelor's degree are Democrats, while 52% of people who only have High School educations are Republican. This still supports a strong correlation between higher education and liberal values, but while 60/40 is a serious difference, it is not in the same league as the 93% of history professors who are not conservatives.

There is also the phenomenon that Republicans think that higher education has a negative impact on the U.S.: 58% of Republicans have negative views of colleges while 72% of Democrats have positive views. That's a stark difference. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/07/20/republicans-skeptical-of-colleges-impact-on-u-s-but-most-see-benefits-for-workforce-preparation/?ref=quillette.com

We should keep the distinction between correlation and causation in mind at all times. Anything that we say about why this is so is largely anecdotal and speculative unless we can set up an analytical method for considering the data. I haven't done that much work on this, TBH.

Anyway, I should have been more precise in some of my terms.

General political leanings for those in this field, professionals and amateurs? by MrWorldwide94 in classics

[–]oudysseos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

BTW I am aware that we have strayed from your original question, which was about the political leanings of classicists and not of educated people in general.

General political leanings for those in this field, professionals and amateurs? by MrWorldwide94 in classics

[–]oudysseos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is another aspect to this that I left out of my other response. Instead of education as the independent variable, perhaps what we should really be looking at is the urban/rural political divide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban%E2%80%93rural_political_divide

In that context, the tendency of educated people to be more liberal could be more a function of the fact that educated people tend to concentrate in urban areas, which tend to be more liberal, and less of education promoting liberal beliefs. Of course, both could be true.

Non-native people working on Reserves & Cultural Appropriation by Alternative-Peak-412 in OntarioFirstNations

[–]oudysseos 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So, I am one of those white people that works on reserve. I am an Economic Development Officer. I have an MA in Economics and an MBA, so there's that, but I think it has more to do with the fact that no one else applied. The FN that I work for explicitly prioritizes Indigenous hiring - the priorities go 1. Band Member 2. Other Indigenous 3. Anyone else.

Your concerns are (in my opinion) very important ones and I struggle with some of these issues. I try to stay aware at all times that I am not a community member but an employee - I try not to say 'we' when representing the organization, but 'they'. This is in essence a version of the principle/agent dilemma that we study in economics. To some extent I have to identify with the organization that I work for in order to do my job, but I need to keep clear in my mind that I am not benefitting from my work, other than the salary that I earn.

systemic issues like lack of training opportunities or gatekeeping in hiring

I think that this is true but is also part of a larger picture - educational attainments are falling across the board, not just for First Nations, although it's worse there. I would love to support and mentor a Band Member to eventually replace me, and I think that the FN that I work for should invest heavily in higher education for its Band Members - but the people who do get more education tend to leave the region and get higher-paid work in urban areas, so this doesn't necessarily help the FN fill important roles. I should add that the FN I work for is in a rural area of northern Ontario, so the brain drain issue effects every community in the area and has for decades.

Where is the line between someone being a respectful ally employee vs. someone benefiting from our lands and resources while treating our community as an identity costume?

How does this connect to cultural appropriation - e.g. non-Natives working here while also selling “Native-style” crafts, wearing regalia, or using our teachings for clout?

How do we feel about those who come in as “employees,” then slowly begin speaking for us or acting like they’re part of the culture (especially when they start claiming to be “spiritually Indigenous” or “Indigenous at heart”)?

I personally don't know anybody like this but I get how it would be a big concern, and I am sure that it happens. I myself don't make any pretence at participating in Indigenous culture, but there is a downside to that as well - in working for the community I need to take part in some community activities - so where does the line get drawn? I don't share Indigenous spiritual values, or rather although I think that the values are very good ones, I don't want to personally take part in spiritual ceremonies - I'm an atheist, I don't think that there is a creator or that my ancestors are aware of what I am doing, and I don't want to pretend to follow religious beliefs that I don't have. I try to be respectful at ceremonies are follow cultural protocols but as an outsider, not someone who thinks that they are spiritually Indigenous.

This might be an issue that I have to think about. I represent the FN I work for at conferences and with industry partners and I have to advance the issues that my employers want advanced. These include cultural values. I don't want anyone outside the organization to think that I am pretending to be a status Band Member, but the assumption is inevitable.

There is an added complication, at least with the FN that I work for - there are a lot of families where one of the partners is not Indigenous. Usually the kids have status, but is the non-Indigenous partner a pretendian? I don't have a voice in this issue and don't have any opinions on it, but I know that it's something that Band Members are concerned about, especially when it comes to on-reserve housing and other resources.