The Interesting Thread

Here's a link to the article I was talking about, here's the notice put up after the editors took the spread down from the website. Anything else pertinent can probably be googled.

I like the teargas article you posted, interesting thoughts in my brainplace.

it literally created an image based on a real writer who really hanged herself with a pair of stockings, and then it told you where to buy the stockings.

You were right that the most interesting part was the excerpt about dealing with attention seekers. I don't think that photoshoot is such a bad idea if it wasn't so incredibly obvious they're doing it just to showcase fashion. They could've made a statement or honoured the writers but instead they decided to make a "death is almost as pretty as the shit we sell" clamour for attention.

Australian politics; usurper usurped, unsurprisingly, onus on obloquy.
I feel like there's way too much of a focus on people and personalities than issues in our media. It feels like a popularity contest and there is something fundamentally flawed with the way politics is represented on our televisions. I don't know why it seems like people are content for something as serious as politics to become a "he said/she said" black-and-white game. The comments on that article are fucking horrendous, even for a biased shitrag like news.com. Damn, I'm pissed.

"in all my years i have never seen a bigger bunch of muppets"
^This probably means something, but what? Obviously the guy disapproves of the Labor Party, but why the puppet metaphor?


That's definitely how it is with American politics, too! And I sometimes hate myself for playing along, because I will see a high-profile Republican or Democrat on TV and find myself disagreeing with what they are saying simply because I have their name in a folder someplace that says "Do Not Agree With" (figuratively, I don't have any actual folders). It makes it so difficult to consider my actual stance on the issues(AKA the things that matter) when everything is so biased and polemic.

It's also true that people become so excited for the next round of elections that they cannot consider when politicians do their actual jobs to be newsworthy, focusing more on media stunts and campaigning.

Ziggles wrote:"in all my years i have never seen a bigger bunch of muppets"

Oh, "muppets" is a colloquialism here, I don't think you guys use it? It means anything from "useless tool" to "emotionless/opinionless puppet".

Ziggles wrote:I sometimes find myself disagreeing with what they are saying simply because I have their name in a folder someplace that says "Do Not Agree With". It makes it so difficult to consider my actual stance on the issues(AKA the things that matter) when everything is so biased and polemic.

It's a poor reflection on our society as a teacher that what seems to be the majority of us think in such an emotional dichotomy. Where do you get your news from?

Mostly I read NPR or the NY Times for national news and BBC for world news. If I ever wanted to read local news, which I hardly ever do, ever, I'd have to check our local chapter of Fox News.
For political news I like to watch the Daily Show and sometimes my dad's favorite vice, the Huffington Post.

Ms. Jane Elliott's "brown eyes, blue eyes" experiment and youtube embed for anyone who doesn't want to click the link because Upworthy is awful and spam-y

Spoiler:

Also, unrelated completely:
Steinbeck: two kinds of Christmases. "We can stand anything God and nature can throw at us save only plenty. If I wanted to destroy a nation, I would give it too much and would have it on its knees, miserable, greedy and sick."

Wow, I love that experiment. It's pretty telling, also awful. Fascinating.

Hey guys, sorry to change the topic so quickly but I found this article and it's pretty interesting. States that our greatest strength is often the reason for our greatest weakness while using Homers Iliad as an example.

The virtuals and vices of courage

I liked that. It seems like too often stuff like determination, courage and commitment to a cause are seen as something only the good guys have, when in reality, it's found on all parts of the axis.

It seems like traits like Fortitude and Aptitude are usually labeled hero traits that are the pinnacle of altruism when in reality only discretion prevents them from being used for nefarious gain - the article mentions that "brave man must first know what good is, and he must be brave for the sake of the good" and I feel that beautifully sums it up.

Fascinating read!

Hollyღ wrote:Hey guys, sorry to change the topic so quickly but I found this article and it's pretty interesting. States that our greatest strength is often the reason for our greatest weakness while using Homers Iliad as an example.

The virtuals and vices of courage

That's a very interesting perspective on it, I'd never considered the topic before. Also a very well-written article.

A particular line from it struck me: "it is crucial that we assess what is due to others as well as what is permitted to ourselves."
It seems to me that there is never a time that this is not true, and yet we so rarely stop to consider it. I can't really expand on the theme of altruism and selfishness without getting really long-winded and melodramatic, but I believe it to be important to consider the effect of one's actions on other people.


@Sam: god damn. My mind is fair blown.
Fictionalism is really very fascinating. Inventing an entire language that only works within itself, that tells a story that is consistent all the way through, but is nonetheless unimportant and nonsensical out of context? Fuckin' nuts.
It's really hard to get into the debate about the Truth of things, and whether things actually exist. I ain't gonna right this second.

At the same time we treat Al-Qaeda suicide bomber Mohamed Atta as a “coward” because he disregarded the rules of engagement. In one sense such assumptions speak well of our culture. But strictly speaking, were the 9/11 bombers cowardly? What about the Japanese kamikaze in World War II? The popular definition of courage seems incomplete.

I wish the author had written more on this line of thinking.

Following the link in the comments off that article I ended up on this critique of U.S.A. politics which is completely unrelated also this thing about superman which isn't serious or interesting at all.

Measuring materialism in children's books
Important points so no-one else has to bring them up:
* sample space of only 30 books
* all common, award-winning, recommended books
* this is just the beginning of a study

SQUIGGLES wrote:Measuring materialism in children's books
Important points so no-one else has to bring them up:
* sample space of only 30 books
* all common, award-winning, recommended books
* this is just the beginning of a study

I feel like materialism is pretty common to all children. From a young age, kids have to be chastised and patiently taught to share things, and they guard jealously the things that they 'own', like a stuffed animal or blanket or similar. Are they books that they're read contributing to these behaviors, or merely writing about them in ways that children immediately recognize?

Here's another anti-consumerism one, this broached points I hadn't ever seen before: The Gospel of Consumerism

Just read a very interesting article on guns in America. Not sure how accurate the information is but still. The section on protecting your home is particularly compelling.

http://www.cracked.com/article_20396_5-mind-blowing-facts-nobody-told-you-about-guns.html

Let's not debate gun control. In my experience, nobody changes their mind and everyone hates each other a little more.

Heh, the last gun control debate was a fantastic disaster but now that Zebra's gone I think we're all mature enough to discuss it if it comes up. It's certainly not worth not mentioning.

I wasn't really trying to start a debate. I just thought it was food for thought.

And how does that make you feel?
I disagree.

Wait, what?

I find this thread interesting. [ ]

My word, Holly, Film Thread
that belongs in Film Thread

Bale’s preposterous, raspy ‘Bat-voice’ was clearly adopted to evoke a Clint Eastwood tough guy, and all efforts to elaborate on the psychological warfare and espionage learned during his decade-long vision quest are abandoned in favour of MMA-style angry punch-ups.

this this this
Exactly what I have trouble liking, haven't been able to put it so precisely