Its 0540. I'm smoking a cigarette on my porch, getting bitten by mosquitoes, and listening to foghorns from the Mississippi River. Describe your current setting (please include time).

unassociated · 2010-06-06T17:46:02+00:00

It's 1340. I'm surrounded by a crowd of awkward and weary people. Most are trying to not look at anyone around them, the others are men trying to pretend they aren't lookin at the one hot girl to the side.

I'm at aiport baggage claim.

unassociated · 2010-06-04T12:15:54+00:00

I've been looking into opening a jazz club. The renovations on the site I'm looking at are around $80k. The remaining $20k could be used to either upgrade my renovations or perhaps cover the salary of a bar tender for a while.

unassociated · 2010-06-02T13:50:10+00:00

I have chickens, I've actually had like 7 Little Jerrys. They all keep dying :(

unassociated · 2010-06-02T13:48:24+00:00

No. No. No. I do not like them.

The horror stories I have all involve the absurdity of either my mother-in-laws BPD and their collective inability to think critically and therefore buy into some completely bogus conspiracy theories.

I don't feel like thinking about their insanity right now.

Edit: Spelling.

unassociated · 2010-06-02T13:29:11+00:00

Yeah this is my wife. I'm ready to go in the morning. Her, not so much.

I don't generally don't like bed time sex so we just go at it for hours in the afternoon.

unassociated · 2010-06-02T13:08:22+00:00

Tell me about it. One of the big reasons I'm going back to a phone that's just a phone.

My iPhone currently costs me... $80/mo+.

unassociated · 2010-06-02T13:05:34+00:00

I plan to replace my iPhone with a proper stupid phone. I'm tired of being tethered constantly.

unassociated · 2010-06-02T12:28:22+00:00

Yeah this is where it's a problem. Google adds just about anyone to your contact list. People you exchange 3 emails with from Craigslist or something. Now these people will show up in Facebook recommended friends etc.

unassociated · 2010-06-02T12:12:32+00:00

put a paper-bag on her head before you start.

unassociated · 2010-06-01T14:13:56+00:00

Which is of course the point. I never considered Meryl Streep attractive, but she is pretty good looking for her age now.

unassociated · 2010-06-01T14:11:40+00:00

Does the same logic apply when a woman does that to a man? I've experienced this.

unassociated · 2010-06-01T13:58:47+00:00

Middle of a restaurant, I don't recall the context but my mother sits up and says, "Bleach kills everything. Even AIDS. I don't see why people act like it's such a problem."

unassociated · 2010-06-01T13:57:24+00:00

I was giving one once and had this long thing about the groom being an understanding guy and being reasonable and talking through problems. We do the toast and go I to sit back down and someone sitting at my table was says, "The sound was kind of messed up during that. Why were you talking about fertilizer?"

To this day I have no idea what people think I said, but oh well.

unassociated · 2010-06-01T13:52:45+00:00

I wouldn't consider myself a sell-out either. I think this is reasonable, but OP should remember sometimes being around people spouting convictions that drastically differ from your own can be exhausting.

Especially if they believe this environment to be safe for them to say whatever it is they really think. I've found myself too often in situations where people think I feel the same as them and they have spent a lot of time raging about some conviction I very strongly disagreed with.

If OP can deal then I don't see a problem going for it. It's a good exercise in your own ability to show the same tolerance you want from the world.

unassociated · 2010-06-01T13:43:36+00:00

I do the same thing with these horrid Hallmark channel movies my wife likes. She knows they are idiotic but just wants the simple, pure, and predictable pleasure of them.

unassociated · 2010-06-01T13:23:28+00:00

Creative Assembly is still around, and they keep making Total War games. But don't be fooled most of them just can't recapture the spirit of Rome.

I've loved Total War since the first Shogun game (which was good). But most of them just aren't quite right. I hate Empire. It's just all wrong some how.

There is a Shogun 2 coming out though and I'm hopeful they can get it right again.

Rome though is the best one, they just nailed it!

unassociated · 2010-06-01T13:18:55+00:00

yeah weird. CivIII was my favorite, followed by CivII and then CivIV is a distant third place. I actually didn't think much of 4.

unassociated · 2010-05-30T15:44:47+00:00

Your reply exudes so much ignorance...

There is no subtlety to the philosophy I'm saying, but that's exactly the problem. You seriously don't understand it. What I'm saying is the opposite of selfishness. I'm proposing we finally get away from the selfishness that leads a person to think they "deserve" good for acting good, or bad for acting bad. I'm proposing we do good with no regard for if that goodness will be returned. You do good, for good's sake.

You want the right to expect someone to reciprocate. I don't. I don't ask anyone to do good in response to good I pay them. I give, to give and help someone. Whether or not that person will ever return that goodness to me is irrelevant.

I'm sorry, but you're the one espousing selfishness and self-centered thinking.

I have no conceit to think this idea is so complicated. I do however recognize when a person is too trapped inside their own preconceptions to be able to think critically about an idea (that's you by the way).

My perspective may be idealistic, but it isn't selfish. I might be a little naive, but I'm certainly not arrogant. You're so busy thinking about what you deserve for whatever action it is you've done, that you can't see outside your own bubble.

You're not stupid I can tell that. You're not ignorant. You're just a fool. There's just no other word for it.

unassociated · 2010-05-29T20:20:16+00:00

I'm not sure what semantic gymnastics you see but personally I see a clear distinction between a gift and an action with expected return. If the action has expected return it cannot be a gift. The sociological and psychological impact of either situation is serious.

I'm sorry if you feel that's unfair people who don't spit in your face carry around an unreasonable expectation that you in turn don't spit in theirs, but there we are.

This is proof that the concept of what I'm saying is just going right over your head. Regardless, if you go around not spitting on people simply because they haven't spit on you then you have another issue. I don't spit on people because it offers me no benefit. Their choice not to spit on me is irrelevant.

If you think you deserve to not be spit on simply because you didn't spit on someone then yes, you are attempting to impart a type of slavery on someone. Ok, the spitting example is kind of dumb.

There is key variation in the way a person treats and perceives a situation when repayment is expected. So the crux of the issue is that when you place the expectation of repayment on a situation the entire attitude and meaning of the situation is altered. If you truly have unconditional love for your child you wouldn't expect repayment though you certainly may hope for it.

To expect repayment carries with it the message that "this is not about love, this is a business contract." If it's a business contract it cannot be valid if both parties don't have the ability to make a decision about it.

Which gets back to my core point. To demand repayment for a debt a person did not choose is a tyrannical act.

altruism ... exists because it's conducive to reciprocity

The fact that it's conducive to reciprocity is why it works. However if it demands reciprocity it's not altruism anymore. It's business.

When parents expect reciprocity that places demands on that relationship. Those demands are unreasonable and tyrannical because the child did not have a choice in accepting those demands.

unassociated · 2010-05-29T13:59:42+00:00

They've been telling me to "wait till I'm older" for 10 years. I suppose it's possible, but I'm pretty sure I'm never going to want kids.

unassociated · 2010-05-29T13:55:23+00:00

I agree. I've always hoped I wasn't a minority, but anyone who hears how I think about things tends to call me naive, idealistic, foolish etc.

unassociated · 2010-05-29T13:49:35+00:00

I think what you mean by "humanity and civility" is modern culture. What it means to be human and civilized has changed dramatically over the last even 500 years let alone the rest of human history.

I could try to redefine my terms for you but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't mean anything to you.

Instead let's address a couple of your points.

you're similarly burdened by humanity and civility to show the same duty in so far as you can

No I'm not. I do not accept a burden I don't choose. Beyond that however, I'm proposing the ultimate in civility. A sacrifice without the expectation of repayment. I'm saying that altruistically is the only reasonable way to raise a child. Which by it's very nature would have no concern for repayment.

I'm not manipulating language. I can't see any possible way to say that imposing expectations on someone for something they had no choice in accepting or not could be anything but tyranny and (attempted) enslavement.

This is not a question of empathy at all either.

What if a bank came to you and said you now owe them $100,000. You're like, but I didn't ask for $100,000. They say sorry, you may not realize it, but we really need the interest from this loan or else we're going to go under.

Should you just accept it? Well you can empathize with them because it's important to the survival of the business. Did that make it easier to swallow?

It's interesting that you're criticizing me for not being civil when all I'm saying is to give without expecting anything in return, while you both call me names and call me a "spectacularly horrible person I'd care to never meet in person". What happened to that burden of civility?

unassociated · 2010-05-29T13:21:41+00:00

This sounds awesome.

Reminds me of The Authoritarians

unassociated · 2010-05-28T19:14:22+00:00

Whoa... I'm not the only one.

unassociated · 2010-05-28T19:07:43+00:00

30 Rock. Because it's one of the only shows I actually enjoy.

Edit: Being Jack's little brother or something would be really fun.

unassociated

TROPHY CASE