moviefreakedmind

That sounds like a lot of work.

And he brought up reparations. I think reparations are a pointless thing to talk about at this point. The government failed to give reparations to almost everyone that lived through the atrocities we’re talking about so what I think we should do to help people now is establish systems that will actually allow people to have equal opportunity. I’m talking about medicare for all, free college, student loan forgiveness, police reform, prison reform, etc. etc.

What? I don’t get it.

chyron8472 said:

Jeebus said:

chyron8472 said:

Mrebo said:

I must be blessed to not suffer any white male guilt.

To some degree, I genuinely feel that people need to be responsible for themselves and stop blaming the rest of society. For example, I understand that the colonists that appeared in America back in the day did horrible things to the Native Americans. I understand that much of the Native American population is poor. But at some point I really don’t see the value in the United States government giving reparations to them anymore.

The value is in helping disadvantaged groups get out of artificial poverty. It’s really hard for people to “pull themselves by their bootstraps” out of a hole that America dug and threw them into. You agree that Native Americans are not doing well right now, and I hope you can agree that it’s largely due to America’s past actions. Why prolong their suffering?

I’m fairly certain people in Europe conquered other people in Europe over the centuries, and I doubt many of the conquered over there get reparations for it. I know that sounds callous, but I still feel that way.

Because getting a handout does not help one feel successful. I understand some people need it, but it will not ultimately motivate them to create a situation for themselves where they don’t need it. In some respect, people may even take it for granted and come to accept indefinite dependence on it.

I don’t know what makes you think that there are opportunities for success on Indian Reservations because there aren’t any.

I don’t see how this is at all analogous.

It is analogous because, although it’s hard for people to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps”, to some degree it is necessary. If you want something bad enough, you need to fight for it. Having the government paying them does not necessarily ultimately lessen their suffering, but rather allows it to fester, because sometimes pain is necessary to affect change. Removing pain caused by injury does not necessarily help the injury to heal itself.

We didn’t say anything about handing people money. I think the solution is to improve public education and create more job opportunities in really impoverished areas. I’m not aware of any serious commentator that thinks handing people free money is all that people with shitty lives need.

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

I didn’t say anything about teaching kids anything. That’s actually my problem with most parents; it’s that they don’t teach their kids anything.

moviefreakedmind said:

I think what a lot of people consider good parenting gives kids a really unrealistic idea of what real life is.

That has nothing to do with teaching or imparting knowledge at all. I was referring to how kids think they’re important and then are thrown into the real world where no one cares if you live or die.

My siblings and I entertained ourselves by throwing blocks and video game controllers at each other.

Oh I know I’m not the norm. I’ve been accused of being a lot of things. Normal has never been one of them. But what am I supposed to do? I don’t like the way other people operate.

You added a couple more sentences as I posted this, but since those added sentences aren’t making sense to me I don’t know what to say to them so I guess it’s okay.

I didn’t say anything about teaching kids anything. That’s actually my problem with most parents; it’s that they don’t teach their kids anything. And I know that’s true because most people don’t know much of anything.

Well, that’s good for you, isn’t it?

You don’t even have to look at it in terms of reparations. We’re talking about a government doing something to alleviate the suffering of a large number of its citizens. It’s not like anyone is asking you, chyron, to move out of your house and give the property to the Indians or to give them money or anything.

I’ll also admit that I, unfortunately, have a tendency to not like people that have things that I wanted so maybe the attentive parents just piss me off on that level, but I do generally think that people have a really self-centered attitude that they may not have if they weren’t the center of the universe when they were kids.

I don’t, actually.

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

Well, if that nightmare scenario came true, I’d tell him or her to realize that nothing in life has any real objective meaning

Arguable.

There actually is no objective truth or meaning to anything. No philosopher worth his weight would tell you otherwise. Meaning is what we attribute to things, not something that things have and we discover.

I said “arguable” because it’s dependent on what you want to use the term “objective” for. Just because life has no real “objective meaning” does not mean it also doesn’t have meaning in a specific sense. There are things that make me happy - those have meaning to me.

Those things have meaning to you but that’s because you find them meaningful. Those things aren’t inherently meaningful, nor are they necessarily meaningful to anyone else. That’s what I’m talking about.

and no one really has your best interests at heart

Untrue.

Sometimes it is, man.

Sometimes, of course. “No one really has your best interests at heart” is a blanket, untrue statement however.

Better safe than sorry.

and that you should pursue only what you find interesting or exciting and not waste a second of your life doing what society claims is good for you or attempting to live based on what other people want or think.

Possibly true, but you have to be prepared to accept the consequences of doing so.

What consequences?

Less money, potentially, for one. Worse health, potentially, for another.

Those aren’t worth worrying about.

I don’t know, I like reading anything really as long as it’s interesting.

I think what a lot of people consider good parenting gives kids a really unrealistic idea of what real life is.

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

Well, if that nightmare scenario came true, I’d tell him or her to realize that nothing in life has any real objective meaning

Arguable.

There actually is no objective truth or meaning to anything. No philosopher worth his weight would tell you otherwise. Meaning is what we attribute to things, not something that things have and we discover.

and no one really has your best interests at heart

Untrue.

Sometimes it is, man.

and that you should pursue only what you find interesting or exciting and not waste a second of your life doing what society claims is good for you or attempting to live based on what other people want or think.

Possibly true, but you have to be prepared to accept the consequences of doing so.

What consequences?

Mrebo said:

moviefreakedmind said:

Mrebo said:

moviefreakedmind said:

Well, if that nightmare scenario came true, I’d tell him or her to realize that nothing in life has any real objective meaning and no one really has your best interests at heart and that you should pursue only what you find interesting or exciting and not waste a second of your life doing what society claims is good for you or attempting to live based on what other people want or think. What he or she would do is based on his or her interests so I can’t predict anything specific.

Would you help identify and encourage their interests?

I have no idea. One thing I did leave out is that I would raise them to appreciate knowledge and learning and to shun stupidity. So many people these days are incredibly stupid and actively oppose learning anything and that more than anything is what really sickens me about society. So that’s a principle that I would instill in these fictional kids of mine.

What kind of stuff do you think is worth learning?

Everything.

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

Well, if that nightmare scenario came true, I’d tell him or her to realize that nothing in life has any real objective meaning and no one really has your best interests at heart and that you should pursue only what you find interesting or exciting and not waste a second of your life doing what society claims is good for you or attempting to live based on what other people want or think. What he or she would do is based on his or her interests so I can’t predict anything specific.

You’re basing this on a very small sample size though. I have my own small sample size that indicates the contrary.

JEDIT: I read too quick. Some of that is true to a degree.

I’m not sure what you’re referring to.

I can do a Warb-style breakdown if you like.

Ok, although I should warn you that his breakdowns are the primary reason why we broke up. That’s a joke, by the way.

Mrebo said:

moviefreakedmind said:

Well, if that nightmare scenario came true, I’d tell him or her to realize that nothing in life has any real objective meaning and no one really has your best interests at heart and that you should pursue only what you find interesting or exciting and not waste a second of your life doing what society claims is good for you or attempting to live based on what other people want or think. What he or she would do is based on his or her interests so I can’t predict anything specific.

Would you help identify and encourage their interests?

I have no idea. One thing I did leave out is that I would raise them to appreciate knowledge and learning and to shun stupidity. So many people these days are incredibly stupid and actively oppose learning anything and that more than anything is what really sickens me about society. So that’s a principle that I would instill in these fictional kids of mine.

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

Well, if that nightmare scenario came true, I’d tell him or her to realize that nothing in life has any real objective meaning and no one really has your best interests at heart and that you should pursue only what you find interesting or exciting and not waste a second of your life doing what society claims is good for you or attempting to live based on what other people want or think. What he or she would do is based on his or her interests so I can’t predict anything specific.

You’re basing this on a very small sample size though. I have my own small sample size that indicates the contrary.

JEDIT: I read too quick. Some of that is true to a degree.

I’m not sure what you’re referring to.

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

I am at least half-dead serious when I say that I am opposed to good parenting, though.

You’re opposed to good parenting?

I have mixed feelings.

Well, if that nightmare scenario came true, I’d tell him or her to realize that nothing in life has any real objective meaning and no one really has your best interests at heart and that you should pursue only what you find interesting or exciting and not waste a second of your life doing what society claims is good for you or attempting to live based on what other people want or think. What he or she would do is based on his or her interests so I can’t predict anything specific.

Stop misusing the word energy! Energy doesn’t refer to mystical shrouds that surround people.

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

I would certainly call off an engagement or file for divorce over a hyphenated name. Now I’m not married and never will be, and I don’t have kids that I know of and hopefully never will, but a hyphenated name is not something I’d be able to tolerate. Like I said, you simply have to draw the line somewhere.

Ok this is flat out crazy and frankly I don’t believe you. You don’t get to the point where you marry someone and commit to kids and then back out of everything because of a hyphenated name.

Unless you’re a deadbeat I guess.

“Mommy, where is daddy going?”
“Daddy is leaving and you’ll never see him again.”
“(sobbing) Whyyyyyyyy?”
“Because you have two last names.”

Give me a break.

Oh wait you love hyperbole. Ok.

That post was a joke, yes.

It’s really hard to tell when you’re

a) joking
b) being purposefully hyperbolic
c) dead serious

All three posts read the same.

Look, I suck. I know that, but I like to think that I don’t suck to the point of abandoning a child, even if he’s fictional, over a hyphenated name.

I am at least half-dead serious when I say that I am opposed to good parenting, though.

TV’s Frink said:

moviefreakedmind said:

I would certainly call off an engagement or file for divorce over a hyphenated name. Now I’m not married and never will be, and I don’t have kids that I know of and hopefully never will, but a hyphenated name is not something I’d be able to tolerate. Like I said, you simply have to draw the line somewhere.

Ok this is flat out crazy and frankly I don’t believe you. You don’t get to the point where you marry someone and commit to kids and then back out of everything because of a hyphenated name.

Unless you’re a deadbeat I guess.

“Mommy, where is daddy going?”
“Daddy is leaving and you’ll never see him again.”
“(sobbing) Whyyyyyyyy?”
“Because you have two last names.”

Give me a break.

Oh wait you love hyperbole. Ok.

That post was a joke, yes. I don’t know how much worse off that kid would be, though. I’m sure I’d suck at parenting.

And hey, at least they’d get an answer! My siblings and I never got much of one.

I guess I’m not angry, but I do find them a bit annoying. I mean, just pick a fucking name.