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C R E A T E A D |
Quote By @temporaryplaceholder:It is a simple fact. If you spend build a church on a plot of land, that is one plot of land less for a hospital. If you spend 8 hours at a sermon, that is 8 hours less that you could be teaching a child mathematics. If you donate 500 dollars to the church for stained glass windows, that's 500 that will never go to cancer research. You can't be two places at once, have your cake and eat it too, etc. Time spend away from reality is time wasted of reality.And, theoretically, every plot of land you use for a church could potentially be one less plot of land for a sex shop or a liquor store. I don't understand this example or if this is just one of those cases where an analogy goes wrong, but how many hospitals do you think the world needs? If you replaced a bunch of churches with hospitals, that would be too many hospitals. I think you're underestimating the good that the church DOES do. A lot of churches take in or help homeless people get back on their feet, provide services for women that are in domestic abuse situations, etc. Churches do A LOT of charity work. Of course you get the corrupt priests etc., but churches do a whole lot more good than you're giving them credit for. That 8 hours could also be spent (and also likely will be spent) watching TV or reading a novel. Are these not escapes from reality as well? There is a definite therapeutic benefit to escapist media and outlets - religion is no exception to this. Also, spending time in church is also a very good way to socialize and get to know the community, so in a way it is actually more healthy than staying inside and posting things on an internet forum. Quote: No. Faith-based religion and science are diametric opposites. What you are talking about is people who flip-flop and are scientists on Monday and Priests on Tuesday; it's not that they are "walking hand in hand" rather, that they've dipping those hands into multiple pots and wrongly associating one action with another. Still, that's fine. Again, I'm not advocating for any action against people's choices. It's just disappointing, that's all. The way I see religious people, is as people who are not blind- but have consciously chosen to close their eyes all their lives. Fair enough. Does that mean I want to suture their eyes open? Hell no! However, I can't help but think it would be pretty awesome if they chose to just do it themselves. Until they do, it's just like... what a waste. I really am not hateful in the slightest, it's just sheer disappointment; there is no better way to explain my feelings... but as per the topic, disappointment does not justify oppression.I am, personally, extremely annoyed that science is often held back by arguments like "We shouldn't play God." That really sucks. But, again, they're not quite the opposites you think they are. Religion is essentially the science of the older ages - it's a way to explain how things work and why things happen. Science just happens to have peer review and rigorous testing protocols, although that doesn't stop the odd belief from slipping through and being championed as some great scientific advance. Remember lobotomies? Did you know the person who came up with that concept won a nobel prize? Science has fallen into superstitious pitfalls as well, admittedly far less egregiously. Also, a lot of scientists are also people of faith, yet they do groundbreaking works. It happens. Religion doesn't fill the role it used to; it used to replace science. In some areas and cultures and with some traditional families it may, but by and large religion does not fulfill these purposes anymore. They fulfill a cultural, social, and spiritual need. Quote: I couldn't agree for a moment that these are the minority, and most certainly cannot agree that their messages are un-biblical. Indeed, my most generous evaluation is that is a very biblical but naive majority. But even then, dismissing their vice as them being naive is really just giving them too much credit.I do think religion is fairly naive, and I agree with you on that. Just a cursory look at the bible would reveal that it's essentially a book of parables meant to educate and introduce order to an ancient civilization. But extremism is extremely rare, and can happen in pretty much any group of people, not just religious groups. Extremism is theorized to come from people whose only contact is with a small group of people that have a similar idea, and because they only discuss amongst themselves eventually they lose touch with conflicting opinions and fall into their increasingly extreme beliefs. Quote: I'm sorry but this is laughable. Before I give you any form of argument, lets share my own experiences as a contrast. I am a hospital scientist. I work with a Vietnamese lady who believes she can stop eating and meditate to get her energy, despite knowing VERY WELL that energy comes from chemical bonds in her food. She sometimes corrects the orientation of my stationary to promote good Feng Shui. The person who trained me, is a muslim. She's devout enough to believe that should she not be able to eat her lunch, praying to Allah will ensure that the leftovers will make their way (in a karma sort of way) to starving Africans. She will starve herself on a yearly basis to prove her love to Allah. I go to a university that is so full of perverse Christians that they cover the walls on a daily basis with multiple copies of the same Jesus ad, screening out valuable information underneath (class notices, student textbook/room rental ads, job notices, other religious info (incl atheism), charity posters.) I have fellow students who study transfusion science, refusing to comply with work because the basis of transfusion testing is against Jehovah's witness nonsense. Nearby universities have banned stem cell research because of religious concerns, regardless of the religion of the medical scientists involved with the research and the limitations of the law. These people outnumber me in science by a mile. Now, I'm not trying to make something big of this. Whilst I look down on each and every aspect of the above, some of the people involved, I love. My co-workers have their quirks but are otherwise amazing people, for example. Uni students may be idiotic, but they are dear friends. You claim that I should not make such sweeping judgements of people, but you have done the same of scientists, and more than that- you have failed to see that of the majority of pressure religious people will face in science, it is not from peers, but from the very field of science itself. The philosophical doctrine of science, the scientific method, is incompatible with faith and disproves most religions or aspects of them. The field itself is against these people; not so often the scientists within it. But beyond a sharing of our experiences and how people deal with them, more than that what you are saying is that I should have to tip-toe around people. Like their beliefs are a claim upon me; as though I have to degrade my vision of science to allow them to take part, as opposed to them doing the same. If we were to go back to that metaphor about people keeping their eyes closed, that would be telling me that the best way to encourage them to open up is for me to just give up and close my eyes with them. No. The best way is to leave them to walk in the darkness and let them bump haphazardly into reality.Wow, you do know a lot of goofballs. But anecdotal evidence does not make a compelling argument. In the same vein, I have met people like this as well, but they were extremely delusional individuals. One of my close friends is a devout Muslim, like half of my sorority is enthusiastically Jewish, and my family is Lutheran yet I have not encountered these sorts of beliefs amongst any of them. They all have two feet firmly planted in reality. But again, my examples are anecdotal as well. As a person of science you should be aware how little anecdotal experience really means. I honestly am not sure why you're having such terrible luck with the people you meet though. I work a lot in research with the psych department at my university, and I have literally NEVER seen ANYTHING like this. In fact, most of my co-workers, fellow colleagues, professors, etc. are all atheists, or if they aren't, religion is such a small part of their life that I haven't picked up on their faith. I do really hate people that bring God into experiments, however. Totally with you on that one. We could do so much more if we weren't afraid of stepping on God's toes. Personally I would like to cut off his damn toes, but really I don't think religion is as bad as you think. I really found your points interesting though, and I think it's really interesting hearing from a someone else working in the realm of science. Although, admittedly, you are likely working in a different branch from me, and probably have more experience. |
| Yeah this kid is totally lying to you. With MPD (or dissociative identity disorder as it is formally known), you will not be aware of your other personalities. I have had dissociative moments (usually during traumatic moments where I blacked out and fully acted out on the anger or sadness I felt at the time) (it's not as cool as it sounds, I was like 5), and I literally had no idea that happened to me until my parents kept bringing up things I did that I had absolutely no memory of, despite them being extremely traumatic and significant moments for me. |
| I never really understood why people get so offended about words like this. It's one thing if you call a mentally disabled person a retard or a gay person a...gay I guess, actually that word isn't really offensive in most contexts, because then it's something like a racial slur. But if you're using it out of that context? It's pretty much just like any other curse. Basically I think of it like the word has two separate definitions, just the same pronunciation. |
| I'm just finishing up my undergrad in psych at the moment, so I'm likely off-base and just making assumptions based on what I've read and inferences I've drawn from it. I've never seen this specific question addressed, so I could be off-base. As far as I can tell, there is a range of "normal" that everyone experiences. People just express their emotions differently and rely on varying defense mechanisms, which can exacerbate or help a bad mood. That is what accounts for affect looking differently across people when it is in fact similar or the same. People just react to events differently. However, there are certain disorders (mostly personality disorders, which in and of themselves are dysfunctions of basic cognitive functions such as defense mechanisms) that tend to be characterized by flattened or inappropriate affect. I suppose it could also be possible to be born with a physiological incapability of experiencing emotion, although if one has that level of impairment I imagine there would be other more pertinent issues with the person. As for nature vs. nurture, it's generally accepted that both play a role in the developing person. |
| I'm bisexual. I haven't really gotten any crap about it, aside from some people thinking I'm just saying it for attention. One of my close guy friends thought it was a total lie. But then he happened to witness me hooking up with and going home with two very attractive girls one night, and now no one doubts me. I guess a public threesome was all it took. |
| Loved the series when I was a kid. Now that I'm older I realize it has some pretty broken messages, a poor excuse for a setting, weak characterization and in general isn't very good. Great time killer though, and they are pretty entertaining. |
| The books were trash that sucked, but I really don't think that they'll have a serious impact on people reading them. I read the Dragonriders of Pern when I was like ten, totally missed the misogynistic messages, and grew up to be an independent woman anyway. American culture is, in general, a culture that is placing increasing emphasis on being independent (especially women), and I doubt that one small selection of books will significantly change a kid when the rest of the messages they see contradict it. Anyway, Twilight is undoubtedly a fad, and will probably fall into obscurity relatively soon to begin with. |
| Resident Evil was personally my favorite horror game. Not the cheesy original (which I do have fond memories of playing despite the hilarious voice acting), but the remake for the Gamecube. It's the only game that's ever really scared me. L4D and RE have their good points. It depends on your style really. L4D is particularly noteworthy for the multiplayer aspect, while RE has a more compelling atmosphere. |
| @monoko : I'm totally late posting this, but how was .flow? Now that I'm on break, I've been really thinking about trying it. I'm thrilled to see someone else who's a fan of YN. |
| Yeah, lately, the show's kinda been dragging along. Some of the jokes have been so straight-up ridiculous that it's kind of grated on my nerves a bit. But this season's been great so far. Tick was a GREAT episode, like freaking hilarious really. |
| @Mikala
[OoC: Can I join as well? I like the premise of this role play quite a lot~] Link to |Break Out of Reality|{-Chamberlain-}|Fantasy Roleplay| |
Quote By @Kunzite:Quote By @Death:This is interesting. How old are you, if I may ask? If you don't want to answer, that's fine. Since you have no sexual feelings, this may be hard for you to understand - but sex and sexuality is a big deal to most people. It's a very powerful drive, on a similar level as hunger or thirst. You have a logical grasp of what its biological purpose is (to reproduce), but there's more to it than that. It can be a very emotional act and it's very important to the majority of humans who experience sexual arousal. You're probably annoyed because you see it everywhere and you can't appreciate it, so you think it's blown out of proportion. But you must understand that it really is that important to most people.@ Kunzite Quote:I hate most furries because MOST of them that I have run into have been 'bad.' Plus, the things they do go against my beliefs as well. @PiRan I never said that it was ONLY furries that I was against. I do not approve of many other sexual practices either. The only reason why different species have sex with each other is because they don't know any better. @Yopishia Actually, I'm not into 'vanilla' sex. As previously stated I am asexual and aromantic. I'm not completely antisexual, I just want sex to be a reproductive process and nothing else. I know that I can be quite rude about it sometimes, because from previous events I have become extremely intolerant with sex. It's something I'm trying to get out of, because it really doesn't help with my anxiety and depression. I have met some nice furries, who are just in it for the cute animals and the art. But the majority of those who you find on sites like FurAffinity are the kind I'd stay away from. Again, it's not just furries that piss me off. BDSM is another one that irritates me. But I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I'm really not sure why it is but I guess I've always been like this. Something drove me to believe that humans should stop fussing over sex / sexuality and do other things. My opinion kind of changes from time to time.Maybe I'm biased because I knew someone who was stalked by this creepy furry woman, and the fact that I've seen FurAffinity but I do have a hatred of excessive fetishes. I'm sorry if I offended anyone and you seriously don't need to start swearing and doging at me. It's called an opinion.Oh lol, so you're judging an entire group because you've encountered some bad apples? By this logic I should hate all Christians and atheists because of the few who have disrespected what I believe in. Or all men because I was abused by one. Hell, I should hate most people. But I don't. Because I have no right to assume that everyone in a particular group is a jerk/freak/bully/etc just because I've encountered a few of them who are. While I think the people swearing at you were in the wrong, I also think maybe you shouldn't be debating if you're going to strictly use opinions founded on ignorance and intolerance in favor of facts and logic. |
| ADHD, if you take the symptoms of it lightly and don't look for the more pronounced symptoms someone that actually has ADHD has, then it would be easy to apply ADD/ADHD to just about anyone. Also, a lot of people, especially college students, would LOVE to have an adderall (or some other form of stimulant) prescription. Adderall/stimulants make academics much easier and manageable for everyone and not just people with ADHD. That's why adderall is one of the most commonly sold drugs around college campuses. |
| YES. I love this game! The characters are amazing (I think I might be in love with Alistair and Zevran), I really liked the different places (the Fade just blew me away, loved that place), and it was just a witty, exciting, and fun game to play. I loved being a mage. They have so much power, it's almost like cheating, but with really cool special effects. |
| Oh yeah I get short jokes all the time. I'm 4' 10". I have been 4' 10" for the past ten years. People have noticed. ...I've never been told I look creepy though, just stuff like I'm adorable, fun-sized, etc. |
| Soooo people don't choose to have fetishes. It just happens to them. I feel kinda bad for them, especially since they are a marginalized group much in the same way homosexuals have been marginalized. They just have the benefit of obscurity; the concept is relatively new. There are fetishes and sexual practices that only show up in certain time periods, because the concept of that fetish may not have existed previously i.e.: there weren't any cartoons or movies with anthropomorphic animals for children to grow attached to back in the day. So they may not have to face punishment for sodomy for being a furry, but they are still very much taboo. In fact, in the western world, I would argue that it is MUCH MORE taboo to be a furry than to be gay. Oh, and using "unnatural" as the basis of an argument is an invalid argument, unless you want to define your terms a little bit better. One could say that having a furry fetish (which is, actually, completely natural - one's mind naturally wires itself that way for reasons people are not sure of yet, but yes your own internal preferences are indeed natural and formed internally by your own biological processes) and homosexuality (although, for similar reasons, is also arguably natural) are linked together via the fact that they have been labeled as "unnatural" occurrences So, yes, they are similar. Computers are also arguably unnatural (much more so than homosexuality and fetishes). And here we are, homosexuality, furry fetishes, and computers can now be placed in the same category via their relation to the concept of being "unnatural." What does unnatural mean? Going with the assumption that having a furry fetish is a choice (it isn't), how is making the choice to be attracted to that "unnatural"? What is "natural?" Why, then, is being "unnatural" seen as an inherently bad quality to you? What about it makes it objectively bad? What about being "natural" is good? Why is it a good quality? Unless you're trying to say that we're "naturally" supposed to be attracted to humans... But, again, how do you "naturally" know how humans are programmed? We're just people; there's no script for how we're supposed to be, and no one wrote our genetic programming. We just are the way we are. The fact is, people (and even animals) can be attracted to many different things, and it's always been that way, and it always will be that way. Sounds pretty natural to me. And now I have explained to you the logical fallacy of appealing to nature. Also, not all furries are the same. In-group vs. out-group biases. Furries are an out-group category to you, and because of that your mind automatically lumps them together into the same category, which while saving mental resources also has the unfortunate side effect of giving one the impression that all furries are the same. I am sure everyone is part of some sort of group that others may not be (for instance, being American, Chinese, older, younger, college graduate, etc.), and to people on the outside everyone in your group looks the same too. Say you're in theater. Someone who's not in theater likely feels that most people in theater have the same general personality and do the same things. My point is, furries are just as varied as anyone else. |
| Oh wow those people came and protested my university last week. We're apparently godless or something. Unfortunately, due to freedom of speech, they can get away with all that. I feel like they're purposefully over-the-top though - they apparently get a significant portion of their funding from lawsuits they file against people who get angry with them. |
Quote By @Godzilla:@Fluorosaur Sounds awesome. I'll try it later! (is it english?)I'm pretty sure. I don't remember having to translate anything haha. Sorry, my memory's a bit rusty. XD |
| I have hypersomnia. There was a point last January where I had to sleep 18 hours a day. One day, I slept for all except two hours. Even now, I usually require about 10-12 hours of sleep per day and it's rough. If I force myself to stay awake, my memory is severely impaired. On a bad day, I can't even go through a whole movie without forgetting half the characters and being unable to keep up with plot twists. I haven't had a day this bad in quite a while, thankfully. Have you seen a cardiologist or an endocrinologist? I'm surprised your psychologist or whoever only referred you to get a blood test. That really can't tell much of anything. Even if there was something off in your blood, it could be one of SO MANY things that you have to be specifically looking for or you'll miss it. I started seeing a cardiologist last winter, and he diagnosed me with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Essentially, this means that when I get up or change position, my heart receives the wrong commands from my autonomic nervous system and my heart thinks it has to beat much faster than it should. Not saying this is what you have, but most cases of hypersomnia have an underlying cause - usually depression or some kind of health problem. I'm on medication now and I take 20 mg of adderall twice a day, in addition to a beta blocker and a steroid which helps slow down my heart, and I've never been better. Before this happened, I was thinking of committing suicide. I was doing badly in school because I often had to sleep instead of go to class, and I felt like a complete failure. I thought I was lazy and that made me tired or something. |
| Unbiased advice: Break up with him. But really. You both need to make the most of the opportunities given to you. If you guys are truly in love or whatever, you'll be able to handle the distance. But, odds are, as most high school relationships tend to do, you guys will end up breaking up. You'll both (especially you) meet so many new people. Get the best college education you can. Boys can leave you, but you get to keep that diploma forever. |
| Like people have said - go to a planned parenthood clinic. Depending on your level of income, they may give you everything for free. However, some states voted to cut funding for planned parenthood, so if you're in one of those states you'll have to pay. It's still less than going to see a gynecologist, however. If you're in college, you could get the insurance that your college offers. Or, wait, do all colleges do that? Mine has some decent health insurance that, while it only works in the town my university is in, has allowed me to see a real gynecologist for next to nothing, among other things. Or your boyfriend could just use a condom. There have been some studies done recently that show that pulling out (without a condom) has the same effectiveness level as actually using a condom. I'm on Apri, which is a type of oral contraceptive, and in addition to making my breasts go up a cup size, it's also helped normalize my hormones. I think the pill would probably work a lot better for you. |
| No matter what people try to tell you here, no one actually knows where fetishes like this come from. There are a lot of theories, but a lot of them have conflicting evidence, and none of them have come anywhere near being tested and proven. |
| This is pretty cruel. This kid's going to get picked on so badly when it gets into the school system and has to face people with a defined set of gender norms. Gender norms are a fact of our cultural, and as much as I don't agree with them they can't be ignored. EDIT?: Oh wow, this thread is over a month old. I figured everything on the first page would be recent, since this is such an active forum. |
| I don't think it's a choice. I'm bisexual, and I've often felt bad because I can choose which gender I go out with (although at certain times of the year, for some reason, I tend to be more attracted to one gender or the other), but then I remember that bisexuals get a lot of crap in the gay community so I don't feel so bad about it. Though - even if it was a choice, why would it matter? People always bring this up in debates, but honestly, I don't think it should even be a concern. There's nothing logically wrong with being gay, without having to bring up the issue of whether it's a choice or not. |
| I don't see what's so bad about it. There are a lot of medically relevant reasons why you would do it (I think someone mentioned that certain genetic diseases are only carried in males or females), but even from a personal preference standpoint I don't see why people are so bothered by it. Then again, I think the whole "playing god" argument is an illogical argument in general, so I guess that's why. |
| I think they should. Gay couples are a fact of life. It might cause some outrage, and I wouldn't be surprised if the only people capable of pulling it off are independent productions or productions that are vital to a network etc., but I think it should start happening. Link to Are same-gender pairings okay in children's cartoons? |
| @Yopishia: Sounds like you just described someone who is either extremely depressed to the point of having flattened affect, or someone with a severe personality disorder. In either case, I feel that suicide wouldn't be unjustified. As for the debate - I don't think of this as a moral/immoral topic. I just think of it as being the individual's choice. When is it okay to commit suicide? When is it ever okay to do anything as profound as this? It's a completely subjective topic, and I don't think it's possible to come to a consensus by any means. I think that if someone kills themselves - they've earned that right. For the most part, only someone who really thinks their life is not worth living is going to go through the effort of researching effective methods and acquiring the materials needed. It's not a choice anyone makes lightly, even if the materials are handed to them. |
| I got into this game for a bit while I was in Korea; one of my friends was half Japanese and was always throwing random Japanese things at me for me to mess around with.
It's basically a 2D game meant to capture the often creepy atmosphere of dreams. The main character is a hikkikomori who's always having these crazy dreams.
Spoiler (click here to toggle)
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| I was excited because there's this book called Contagion. It has Jack Stapleton the medical examiner in it. I love Jack Stapleton. Then I found out the movie had nothing to do with the book. It was still pretty decent though. I like anything involving infectious diseases. |
| I LOVE FIREFLY. I'm still bummed that it got canceled. I watched it while I was studying abroad in Korea cuz one of my friends was super into it. Wow, what a show. My favorite character would DEFINITELY be Wash. He's so amazing. |
| I'm reading Jurassic Park right now. Michael Crichton's style is so concise, so brief... I love it. <3 It is so much better and paints a sharper picture than those purple prose-filled books like Twilight and other trash like that. ...I just wish his characterizations were sharper, but still better than the average. |
| I read House of Leaves. Oh my God that book is awesome |
| Analyzing anime. It's fascinating. Anime tends to draw from an entirely different pool of ideas and references than western productions (mostly due to having different mythologies etc.). Its also interesting from a cultural perspective; for instance, how women are portrayed. I always feel kinda silly watching it though, since a lot of it is obviously made for a younger age demographic than me. |
THIS GUY RIGHT HERE. |
| Shaggy from Scooby Doo. He is such a stoner. And he gets away with it too because little kids don't know what drugs are. ...Yeah I don't think I've ever really been attracted to a cartoon character. XD |
| Jack Dee. Ricky Gervais. Some other British dudes. Oh and the chick from My Life on the D-List. I forget her name right now which is embarassing cuz it's way early, but she's awesome. I love how sarcastic she is KATHY GRIFFIN. See, I really am a fan of her. I remembered her name and everything. |
| BARRY BURTON. JILL, TAKE THIS GUN. IT IS ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST LIVING THINGS. Oh God I love all of the characters from that game, but BARRY. I want him to have his own game. He'll save the WHOLE WORLD from zombies. |
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