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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 20, 2017 17:11:03 GMT -5
My youngest son gladly drinks Mountain Dew for breakfast if he can. But wait... he was born in the U.S... does that count? It's really more about availability... I remember when I went to Montreal last it was really hard to find.. and then it was only in puny energy drink cans. OTOH, though, the have the original Coke formula still, so that's good.
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jul 20, 2017 18:06:00 GMT -5
Who could possibly argue that they aren't cis? Their bodies are male, their personas are male, they're comfortable being male - that's pretty much the definition of 'cisgender'. AFAIK, the word was intended to create a positive definition for people who aren't transgender, instead of having to say "not trans" to describe most people. The proper term would be "normal", in the sense of following the norm, but then trans people could get offended because it makes it sound as if they're abnormal, in the sense that something's wrong with them. I can see the problem, so "normal" is out. I will never use the term "cis", though, because it is a term that was not given to themselves by people who are not trans. It is as inappropriate as White people telling Black people what they should be called. Since the only time the term "cis" would be used is in a context referring to them not being trans, I find nothing inappropriate in saying "not trans". I don't see them as snynonyms though. Not presenting one gender but questioning would make (as I understand it!) make you both not cis and not trans. I think it's a useful term - there's a lot of overlap with "not trans" and "not trans" is probably clearer in those situations, but it's not the same thing.
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Post by LovesGilKane on Jul 21, 2017 0:46:54 GMT -5
The proper term would be "normal", in the sense of following the norm, but then trans people could get offended because it makes it sound as if they're abnormal, in the sense that something's wrong with them. I can see the problem, so "normal" is out. I will never use the term "cis", though, because it is a term that was not given to themselves by people who are not trans. It is as inappropriate as White people telling Black people what they should be called. Since the only time the term "cis" would be used is in a context referring to them not being trans, I find nothing inappropriate in saying "not trans". I don't see them as snynonyms though. Not presenting one gender but questioning would make (as I understand it!) make you both not cis and not trans. I think it's a useful term - there's a lot of overlap with "not trans" and "not trans" is probably clearer in those situations, but it's not the same thing. again, I have no problem with 'cis', and agree with Reptisaurus! as well as others on this thread, despite them verging on disagreement. But as Adam Warlock appreciated in the politics, I'm a moderate, never 'partisan', and it aggravates me that love/romance/sex has been overly politicized for the sake of 'winning fights on camera' on CNN/Fox/PBS/etc. I admit that I get cheesed-off at the co-opting of love/romance/sex by political pundits. The bedroom is not the voting-booth.
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Post by LovesGilKane on Jul 25, 2017 2:19:55 GMT -5
Meanwhile, Marvel sales (in general) have been slumping. They've been slumping, it seems, since sjw editors have been hired whom in turn hired sjw writers/artists, often folks with either no previous acumen in comics, or at the least, no personal interest in comis as - shall we say - a 'first choice career'. Or even a desired third choice career. Hi there, icv2.com/articles/news/view/37152/marvels-david-gabriel-2016-market-shift David Gabriel. Maybe, David, if you and your fellow higher-ups had editors/associate-editors who loved progression mixed with improving and advancing a medium, vs. hiring writers from outside-media only interested in writing material which is a thinly-veiled screed against 'everything which has come before' in the comics medium, people whom 'have some issues' with people outside their own demographic in general ( hello, Gabby Rivera) who don't write an actual tale vs whoring out characters to basically be hand-puppets to act out a tumblr-fan-fic passion play , Marvel would not be on the back-foot RE failing sales. As opposed to DC, whom seem to have done the 'diversity' thing properly, thus enjoying many Marvel readers jumping ship to DC. Since DC seems (these days) understands that ' diversity' does not mean barely-disguised division.Which has been the case, before comics, in films. and TV. and novels. and radio programs. and education. which is why I post this here, rather than elsewhere. And as many bloggers and youtubers have said for months, directly to Marvel, "How them sales doin'?' apparently, BADLY. I'll bet if Erica Henderson was replaced with a Progressive Female Artist whom appreciated ALL female types, giving focus on the non-hollywood alternative physiques yet still accepting that 'alternative' does not merely mean the sjw artist merely drawing HERSELF, the way anglo-cis-centric comics in the 60's only portrayed white guys reflecting themselves (thus Erica Henderson is more than a wee bit hypocritical re the faux-progression thing), and other 'creators' like her, then sales would have been enough where Mr. Gabriel never would have made his half-hearted/half-arsed 'almost-apology, but not quite'.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Sept 8, 2017 12:12:03 GMT -5
That guy who was fired from Google for being a woman-hating Neanderthal? Here he is, in an uncut interview. He's a rather meek guy, rather progressive, who took part in Google's sessions on combatting sexism, racism, oppression and tutti quanti. As part of the sessions, employees were asked for feedback. I find it very depressing that, once again, we were served a load of hooey about an individual whose crime is having the gall to have an opinion. ( Here's his infamous document. Agree or disagree, I fail to see how this constitutes ground for dismissal... especially since he was asked for his opinion by his company. Essentially, he says that not every unfair thing in life is due to oppression). Clearly, at Google, it wouldn't do to tell people "you are wrong because of this, this and this". No, much better to just fire them. That'll teach others who would dare to suggest that in company-mandated discussion groups, people discuss issues instead of just swallowing a message wholesale.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Sept 8, 2017 14:04:29 GMT -5
I remember that first essay of his being reported, and was really struggling to find something to be offended about myself. He was asked by his own employer for the piece and then fired for his opinion out of some perceived outrage that Google might receive. It's disheartening to see a company kowtow to any perceived bad media coverage, and not stand up for employees when they have done nothing wrong. The divisive way that media has used bias and politics to split people on almost every subject, has given way to employers wanting silent employees, even to the point of silencing off the clock internet usage just in case someone gets mad at someone's opinion. And in this case Google literally threw the man to the wolves and watched him get chewed up, so they wouldn't have to take some responsibility.
I'll have to watch the video at home RR, I have no speakers at work. But thanks for sharing it. I'll probably have more to say once I can watch it.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Oct 12, 2017 6:09:41 GMT -5
A madman with legally purchased weapons of mass casualties kills dozens and wounds hundreds during a concert. Despite shooting from a high position in an anonymous hotel room he’s stopped within minutes, but not before causing a holocaust in the crowd. Who you gonna call? Your lawyers. This particular dude sues the hotel and the concert’s promoters, among others. Other people in another suit sue the police for not reacting fast enough. For God’s sake, humanity, grow up.
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Post by The Captain on Oct 12, 2017 14:18:39 GMT -5
A madman with legally purchased weapons of mass casualties kills dozens and wounds hundreds during a concert. Despite shooting from a high position in an anonymous hotel room he’s stopped within minutes, but not before causing a holocaust in the crowd. Who you gonna call? Your lawyers. This particular dude sues the hotel and the concert’s promoters, among others. Other people in another suit sue the police for not reacting fast enough. For God’s sake, humanity, grow up.It's all because someone HAS to be responsible for it, and since said madman is dead, the hotel and concert promoters are logical targets... ...oh, and they have money, which will make it all better for the folks who somehow got through it alive. Nothing helps one overcome surviving a near-death experience like an infusion of cash into one's bank account. No offense to our esteemend Slam Bradley, Esq., but lawyers who take on cases like this are ghouls and vampires feeding on others' misery.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Oct 12, 2017 14:46:03 GMT -5
A madman with legally purchased weapons of mass casualties kills dozens and wounds hundreds during a concert. Despite shooting from a high position in an anonymous hotel room he’s stopped within minutes, but not before causing a holocaust in the crowd. Who you gonna call? Your lawyers. This particular dude sues the hotel and the concert’s promoters, among others. Other people in another suit sue the police for not reacting fast enough. For God’s sake, humanity, grow up.It's all because someone HAS to be responsible for it, and since said madman is dead, the hotel and concert promoters are logical targets... ...oh, and they have money, which will make it all better for the folks who somehow got through it alive. Nothing helps one overcome surviving a near-death experience like an infusion of cash into one's bank account. No offense to our esteemend Slam Bradley, Esq., but lawyers who take on cases like this are ghouls and vampires feeding on others' misery. What really gets to me is how that particular gang insists it's not about the money. Oh, come on... If it wasn't, these people would be asking their Representatives why a guy who buys 30 guns in one year doesn't raise any flag anywhere. They wouldn't be asking money from a hotel.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 11, 2017 15:29:28 GMT -5
It is ironic that the internet bile received by Jordan Peterson is making his point far better than any argument he could make. Ironic, but not surprising because in this supposedly enlightened and democratic 2.0 society, anyone who disagrees with us is a Nazi.
No joke, Peterson is being called a Nazi. Because he is against the idea of criminalizing insensitivity in speech.
He's not saying we should all insult each other, nor does he defend incivility; he views it as a dangerous slope to have the government dictate what we are allowed to say, what ideas we are allowed to discuss, and how we are allowed to discuss them. Because he thinks that discussing controversial issues is not a hate crime, and that it is not the state's place to impose the words we are free to use. (Orwell saw it coming, unfortunately).
That rather mild offense somehow makes him the same as people who would round up an entire ethnic group, murder them wholesale and burn their bodies in death factories. Yes, they are clearly the same.
Words have meaning, and there is such a thing as objective reality. Words, their meaning and objective reality should definitely be linked. "Nazi" is not synonymous with "person I disagree with". "Hate crime" is not synonymous with "holding an opinion that you do not hold".
Something I read on a Vancouver news website this morning: there's this young fellow who rescued a young muslim girl who was being verbally abused and then hit by a racist homeless dude. The culprit was arrested (the police knew him well) and he was charged with assault and other assorted charges. But... someone wants to add "sexual assault" to the list. Hey, no problem right? the guy's scum anyway so what's one more charge, especially since it will probably not stick. But it is important. This is not sexual assault. To pretend otherwise diminishes all the other instances of actual sexual assault, because if we use the term at random it will quickly become meaningless.
Like "Nazi". And if there's a word that should never be taken lightly, it's that one. Its objective reality is way too worrisome.
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Post by Pharozonk on Dec 11, 2017 15:57:09 GMT -5
No offense to our esteemend Slam Bradley, Esq., but lawyers who take on cases like this are ghouls and vampires feeding on others' misery. Everyone has the right to a trial though. Someone's got to represent them even if we feel they don't deserve it.
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Post by The Captain on Dec 11, 2017 16:03:27 GMT -5
No offense to our esteemend Slam Bradley, Esq., but lawyers who take on cases like this are ghouls and vampires feeding on others' misery. Everyone has the right to a trial though. Someone's got to represent them even if we feel they don't deserve it. My point was more along the lines of disliking ambulance chasers and opportunists who will sue anyone or anything even remotely connected with a tragedy in order to squeeze a few dollars out of the situation for their client, of which they will gladly take their 40% cut.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 15, 2017 9:53:37 GMT -5
Over the last few years, I stopped following certain blogs maintained by respected scientists because they were emphasizing things I disagreed with (elevatorgate in one case, and the nonexistence of free will in the other). I thought that rather than read and get angry, it was better for me to take a little time away. Today I paid them both a visit... and man, both are still into these things... only more. One is unabashedly calling people of differing opinion nazis, fascists and other choice words.
Are we all doomed to become more and more dogmatic as time goes by? Is there no room for nuance anymore in the blogosphere? I suspect that the "echo chamber" nature of today's internet interactions is strongly incentive to veer one toward one extreme or the other rather than stay in the middle of any given discussion.
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Post by The Captain on Dec 15, 2017 10:53:05 GMT -5
Over the last few years, I stopped following certain blogs maintained by respected scientists because they were emphasizing things I disagreed with (elevatorgate in one case, and the nonexistence of free will in the other). I thought that rather than read and get angry, it was better for me to take a little time away. Today I paid them both a visit... and man, both are still into these things... only more. One is unabashedly calling people of differing opinion nazis, fascists and other choice words. Are we all doomed to become more and more dogmatic as time goes by? Is there no room for nuance anymore in the blogosphere? I suspect that the "echo chamber" nature of today's internet interactions is strongly incentive to veer one toward one extreme or the other rather than stay in the middle of any given discussion. There is, sadly, little room for nuance anywhere in life. Nuance requires understanding issues at a deeper level than can be gleaned from a soundbite or Tweet, and it demands understanding that some issues are more complex than being simply binary "black/white" matters. As well, society moves more toward finding "win-lose" resolutions on debates rather than "win-win", or at least "ties", driven primarily, I believe, by the overwhelming influence sports has in our lives (hell, even the NHL did away with ties because people demanded a winner in every contest). There is no room for someone else's opinion, as only my side's matters and yours is automatically wrong or invalid.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 11:26:42 GMT -5
My thesis adviser in grad school used to explain the Age of Religious Wars as a matter of capitalization. People want their beliefs to be Truth, not truth, i.e. their beliefs are The Truth, the capital T truth and if that is so, there is no room for any other truth, so much so they will go to war over minor matters of doctrinal differences between denominations of Christianity. It's the same mindset that drove beliefs of many people in the Cold War and at any other point in human history where someone else's beliefs threatens someone else's Truth. That we are seeing it still now is no different than that, it's just the scale of it is bigger and the ubiquitous nature of media in our society lets us see how pervasive it is. (Many) People need their beliefs to be True, it validates them and that leaves no room for any other beliefs because if my Truth is true, how can anyone not believe it? Their different belief is a challenge to my Truth and must be answered with extreme prejudice so that my Truth prevails. Belief is not a matter of faith in this mindset, it is a matter of Truth, which means it has to be by nature mutually exclusive to anything else claiming to be true. This mindset has been behind all kinds of wars and atrocities throughout history, and the idea of history as progress is a myth (another one of those Truths some people cling to though) so there should be no expectation that people's attitudes will change just because time has passed.
-M
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