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Random stupid things on your mind. Post them.

Started by timpate, September 20, 2010, 07:56:24 PM

Quote from: Flaxen Hegemony on October 05, 2011, 03:36:13 PM
My top two choices?  Bill Clinton and Dick Cheney.  Polarizing figures that probably just caused all of Coastgab to hate me :) , but also easily the most savvy and knowledgeable politicians in their respective camps. 

Regardless of their politics, I'd want both of them on my side when the shit hit the fan.


No hate here.  In fact, that makes a lot of sense to me.   :)

Frys Girl

Quote from: M Knight on October 05, 2011, 06:18:49 AM

Reagan was popular for two primary reasons:  communication ability, and his generally consistent application of a conservative philosophy and theme to every issue.  The latter being a sign of higher level intelligence.  In contrast, GB was all over the map with no guiding philosophy.  Obama stays fairly consistent with a 1960s polemic anti-establishment paradigm that is stuffing delusional helpings of salt into an economic wound that is already too deep and wide to heal. 

We need a voice, not another Reagan which would be impossible, but a voice that communicates, and who espouses an intelligent, consistent message and policy that reflects what has made the US was it is, an oasis of capitalism with the highest living standards ever on Earth.
I am loving Herman Cain. He has my vote, unless he turns out to be an undocumented Kenyan lol.

b_dubb

Quote from: Flaxen Hegemony on October 05, 2011, 03:46:55 PM
Gingrich is actually an articulate and smart fellow.  I'm not sure he'd be a great president, but the notion is hardly insane.  Gingrich was one of the few commentators on the right who would often step back and analyze things like an observer, sometimes praising Democrats or liberals if they were using an effective strategy.  Granted, this may have changed now that he's a candidate.
Newt is a monster. The guy who accepts $45 million book deal from R Murdoch and then goes on a campaign to sell off bandwidth used for public television and public radio to the highest bidder. He'd make a terrible President for the same reason he was a terrible candidate. He never listens to anyone about anything. Which was why his campaign staff up and left him

Avi

Random and stupid, here it is:

The online world is a weird place. For so many of us, it is nearly our only social outlet, yet it does a spectacularly poor job at it. Our online "friends," we wouldn't recognize if they passed us in the street, nor do we know if anything about them is true. Would they "have our backs" in any real sense? Debatable. Worse, humor, the oil that greases the wheels of social interaction, is not well-conveyed and any misinterpretation is difficult to explain or to undo.

Paradoxically, because communication (if it can be called that) is virtual, some lose all restraint. Under the guise of 'telling it like it is,' they bludgeon indiscriminately.  At the same time, the bludgeoned are advised to "just get over it - it isn't real," but they can't understand why a virtual place and its virtual people have such power to wound. Nice, likable, interesting folk are driven off of websites all the time, in stunning blazes of acrimony that seem foolish, at the very least.

The internet seems to promote a kind of entrenched homogeneity that would never stand in a face-to-face meeting.  When we can't see the other person, or read their social cues, we often fail to question or to clarifiy - presuming that we ever ask ourselves, "Why am I so sure of this?" This entrenched homogeneity is less a function of philosophy than it is of group dynamics.  How bizarre it is to see group dynamics operating amongst virtual groups!

Ultimately, I wonder about the effect of the virtual life on the real. I wrote this post in longhand before typing it, and I was appalled to see the decline of my penmanship, now that keyboards rule the day. Too, I wonder about my eagerness to see responses to something I've written by people I don't know, whom I wouldn't recognize, and who mightn't be what or who they claim. Was I ever so excited to receive a letter? I think so, but I really can't remember. Sometimes, society seems to bemoan the loss of, well, society (as in Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone) but do they mean it?  Could it be that the internet, as such, arose to counter the alienation of modern society, even though it contributes to that alienation?  Most of us like email, we enjoy that instant access to information (to the point of petulance when denied instant gratification), but is there something missing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKAzZocdQ1Y


The General

Quote from: Frys Girl on October 05, 2011, 07:12:07 PM
I am loving Herman Cain. He has my vote, unless he turns out to be an undocumented Kenyan lol.
Me too, and those who say that he hasn't got a chance might think back to what they thought when they first heard the name Barack Obama.  AND Obama's got an uphill battle with a 40% approval rating and unemployment around 9%.  Cain's been my favorite since I heard an interview with him months ago when he wasn't even discussed in the media.  America will vote for him.  Why?  He's a brilliant, articulate conservative with a background in business and mathematics.   His plans and ideas resonate with Americans.  And above all, his greatest asset, he is not a politician.

Here's a great article about his background.
  http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/oct/05/cain-may-be-our-best-bet-as-a-presidential/

Quote from: Avi on October 05, 2011, 07:39:01 PM
Random and stupid, here it is:

That post may have been random, Avi, but it was about a million miles away from stupid.  Great, great stuff.

Sometimes I wonder if it is a generational thing.  The younger folks (say, up to 30's) seem to be more of the "get over it" mindset that you mention, and view online communication as a free-for-all that shouldn't be taken too seriously.  We older folks remember a time when communication, even online communication, was far more costly, difficult, and slower  Maybe we still think that way sometimes.  I don't know.

Imagine a modern flamewar occuring in the era of 300 baud modems, waiting for carriers, lost connections, etc. I can't see a sane individual having the patience to maintain their anger through all the potential technical hiccups!  Sure, there were arguments, but there's an intensity to the anger now that I don't recall being present back then.  Perhaps this is nostalgia clouding my hindsight, though.

How would we act differently if all of Coastgab was suddenly standing in the same room?  Would we say different things, talk to different people?  I know that I would talk a whole lot less.  Keyboards make me babble. :)



Quote from: Frys Girl on October 05, 2011, 07:12:07 PM
I am loving Herman Cain. He has my vote, unless he turns out to be an undocumented Kenyan lol.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I hope he can stay in awhile.  If he wins a primary or two, he's on the way.  If not, he will cause the others to co-opt his themes and pull them in the right direction.

Speaking today about the Wall St 'protesters' he said 'if you are not rich, blame yourself'.  In America 2011 that is exactly right.  I'm not rich, but if I had worked more and played less I would be.  Keep up the plain honest talk and he will win.


Quote from: Flaxen Hegemony on October 05, 2011, 03:36:13 PM
... there's something to be said for having someone thoughtful and unemotional, regardless of their party.  My top two choices?  Bill Clinton and Dick Cheney.  Polarizing figures that probably just caused all of Coastgab to hate me :) , but also easily the most savvy and knowledgeable politicians in their respective camps. 

Regardless of their politics, I'd want both of them on my side when the shit hit the fan.


We don't know for certain, but I'm guessing Cheney had a large role in getting us into 2 stupid, grossly ruinous wars, and helped phony conservative George W Bush blow up the budget.  I liked Cheney before that.

Eddie Coyle

Quote from: Paper*Boy on October 05, 2011, 09:33:06 PM

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I hope he can stay in awhile.  If he wins a primary or two, he's on the way.  If not, he will cause the others to co-opt his themes and pull them in the right direction.

Speaking today about the Wall St 'protesters' he said 'if you are not rich, blame yourself'.

    Another reminder why I left GOP and abandoned conservative "thinking". A rich prick laughing at the peons...

Quote from: b_dubb on October 05, 2011, 07:29:36 PM
Newt is a monster. The guy who accepts $45 million book deal from R Murdoch and then goes on a campaign to sell off bandwidth used for public television and public radio to the highest bidder. He'd make a terrible President for the same reason he was a terrible candidate. He never listens to anyone about anything. Which was why his campaign staff up and left him

But he still is an articulate and smart fellow, and often has insightful things to say.  If I judge someone's opinion on a matter to be well-informed and accurate, I'll listen to them, even if they have horns and a forked tail.  As far as him never listening to anyone, that's probably the remnants of the old history professor in him.  :)


Quote from: Eddie Coyle on October 05, 2011, 09:38:50 PM
    Another reminder why I left GOP and abandoned conservative "thinking". A rich prick laughing at the peons...

Exactly.  This is why I said Cain would have no chance.  He will say things like this Wall Street quote without thinking how it will play.  Honesty and "telling it like it is" do not win elections, sadly enough.  Eddie and Paperboy have already shown how the statement can easily be spun in either direction.  A seasoned candidate will say things that are difficult to spin in any way except the way they intend.  Bill Clinton was (and still is) a master of this.


Scully

Quote from: Avi on October 05, 2011, 07:39:01 PM
... Paradoxically, because communication (if it can be called that) is virtual, some lose all restraint. Under the guise of 'telling it like it is,' they bludgeon indiscriminately.  At the same time, the bludgeoned are advised to "just get over it - it isn't real," but they can't understand why a virtual place and its virtual people have such power to wound. Nice, likable, interesting folk are driven off of websites all the time, in stunning blazes of acrimony that seem foolish, at the very least. ...

In spades.

And one wonders how many bystanders applaud the viciousness of those pointless attacks. The hatefulness I've seen and experienced makes me wonder sometimes what the ratio is of people who believe in kindness and restraint vs those who believe vehement certainty in their own reasoning justifies their behavior.  :'(

Eddie Coyle

Quote from: Flaxen Hegemony on October 05, 2011, 10:15:26 PM
Exactly.  This is why I said Cain would have no chance.  He will say things like this Wall Street quote without thinking how it will play.  Honesty and "telling it like it is" do not win elections, sadly enough.  Eddie and Paperboy have already shown how the statement can easily be spun in either direction.  A seasoned candidate will say things that are difficult to spin in any way except the way they intend.  Bill Clinton was (and still is) a master of this.

    The GOP's increasingly Spencerian/Darwinian attitude has driven away the "Reagan Democrats" of the North East/Midwest, those votes are as gone as the jobs up there...if it weren't for the South/Bible Belt, they'd be lucky to pull 10% in a national election.

   "Straight Talk" leads a straight path to losing. The GOP needs a "Slick Willie", and Romney is as close as they come to having one. But the Tea Party masochists will sabotage him and give Obama an easy walk in the park on 11/6/2012

     Didn't Cain sit on the board of Federal Reserve in KC? Gee, he's not in the back pocket of the bankers.

Morgus

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on October 05, 2011, 10:52:31 PMDidn't Cain sit on the board of Federal Reserve in KC? Gee, he's not in the back pocket of the bankers.
yes he did.
wonder what Ron Paul would say about that?  :o

Quote from: Scully on October 05, 2011, 10:40:26 PM
And one wonders how many bystanders applaud the viciousness of those pointless attacks. The hatefulness I've seen and experienced makes me wonder sometimes what the ratio is of people who believe in kindness and restraint vs those who believe vehement certainty in their own reasoning justifies their behavior.  :'(

I'm still blown away by people cheering about letting the sick guy with no insurance die.  Not a serial killer, not a pedophile, a guy who couldn't "afford" insurance.  I'm not commenting about "national health care", I'm concerned about the disconnect with humanity.  Somewhere along the line we're forgetting we're ALL people.  sigh............. :'(

Scully

Quote from: Treading Water on October 06, 2011, 05:09:40 AM
I'm still blown away by people cheering about letting the sick guy with no insurance die.  Not a serial killer, not a pedophile, a guy who couldn't "afford" insurance.  I'm not commenting about "national health care", I'm concerned about the disconnect with humanity.  Somewhere along the line we're forgetting we're ALL people.  sigh............. :'(

Rule 1:  Don't get sick.

Rule 2:  If you do get sick, die quickly.

(Do I really need the <sarcasm> insert here?)



Quote from: General Johnson Jameson on October 06, 2011, 11:41:13 PM
Sewell/Bellhaven 2012 :D
For those of you who are uninitiated

Snippet from Sewell Dossier..
Herb Sewell is a convicted and former "active and enthusiastic" child molester who served 8 years at Atascadero Psychiatric Forensic Facility in Atascadero, CA. A self-described "monster," Herb admittedly committed "a wide variety of perversions against men, women and children." Having served his time and been subjected to several treatments, including electroshock, insulin shock and "chemical castration," Herb has since been released and infrequently calls in to the Phil Hendrie Show as an "expert" commentator (usually regarding news stories of a deviant sexual nature).

Sewell Dossier http://www.hendriepedia.com/index.php?title=Herb_Sewell

McPhallus

Quote

Paradoxically, because communication (if it can be called that) is virtual, some lose all restraint. Under the guise of 'telling it like it is,' they bludgeon indiscriminately.  At the same time, the bludgeoned are advised to "just get over it - it isn't real," but they can't understand why a virtual place and its virtual people have such power to wound. Nice, likable, interesting folk are driven off of websites all the time, in stunning blazes of acrimony that seem foolish, at the very least.

What's interesting is that when you meet the real forum assholes in real life or even on the phone, they usually seem utterly normal and little like their online personas.  Many of them are pretty demure in their daily lives, but once they're behind that veil of anonymity, it's Lord of the Flies.

Since online communication is so minimalist and incomplete, we often fill in the gaps by projecting our hopes/fears/insecurities onto other people.  To me, an online relationship that has no real-life component to it is just mutual mental masturbation.

Quote from: McPhallus on October 07, 2011, 12:19:32 AM
What's interesting is that when you meet the real forum assholes in real life or even on the phone, they usually seem utterly normal and little like their online personas.  Many of them are pretty demure in their daily lives, but once they're behind that veil of anonymity, it's Lord of the Flies.

They have needs that aren't met in real life, and status in the social pecking order is one of them.  So they need to belittle everyone else to inflate their opinion of themselves. 

Quote
Since online communication is so minimalist and incomplete, we often fill in the gaps by projecting our hopes/fears/insecurities onto other people.  To me, an online relationship that has no real-life component to it is just mutual mental masturbation.

I agree entirely with your first statement, and would add that some even build entire worldviews and realities based on online interaction.  If you only visit websites inhabited by like-minded people, or displaying propaganda that supports your beliefs, you'll perceive a consensus about politics, religion, or whatever, that isn't really there. 

I despise most online political discussion, because it usually brings out the worst in people and no views are changed.  I suppose some say that its just something "fun to do" (and as I said in response to Avi's first post, this is more likely to be younger people), but I would simply ask "why?".  I doubt many of us would walk into a pub, start arguing about politics and global warming to the point of insulting a stranger, and actually WANT to enjoy it.  Unless drunk, we'd be considered mildly mentally ill.

I think you are absolutely correct about insecurities, and I've found the angrier they are online, the more insecurities they have in real life.  I would disagree that an online-only relationship is pure mental masturbation, if both parties are more patient and less angry types.  If both see the possibility of meeting in real life, or a friendship developing down the road, they'll value the communication more.  Many years ago, I had a small disagreement about a legal issue that developed into a lengthy Usenet thread, that then developed into a great friendship with a Canadian crown attorney.  She and I are still friends 15 years later, and all because one of us decided to politely disagree with the other.

One of the reasons I decided to join Coastgab after lurking for so long is that there are a lot of incredibly smart people here.  Some will hate me, disagree with me, or find me insufferable.  But that doesn't change the fact that they are smart, and I always want to read what they post.  And I make it a point to send someone a PM when their post makes me think.

Conversely, sometimes the actions of a Coastgab member makes me think less of them, or lose respect for them.  Insulting someone obvious weaker than them in debate skills is pointless, for example, and a lot of people are brave when it comes to intent, but don't back up their words with actions, etc.  I don't think them less intelligent, but rather less conscientious. 

And... jeez, my reply is long winded here.  I think it would do a lot of us some good to have other person anonymously post their blunt opinions of us every now and then for us to read.  It might give us a dose of reality that'd we'd otherwise miss. 

I try to be objectively self-aware of how I "come off" on here at Coastgab, and know that I sound like a know-it-all at times, babbling far to long in posts.  I regret the tone of some comments in my recent posts about young women and conference sex.  They might have made me sound like I'd bang anyone who is 20 and has a pulse.  I'm confident as hell in "real life", but not quite as silly as as much of a pussy hound as those posts suggest.  My job is to educate students.  I do it very, very well, and take it very seriously.

And see what I mean about being wordy?  :)


Avi

QuoteSometimes I wonder if it is a generational thing.  The younger folks (say, up to 30's) seem to be more of the "get over it" mindset that you mention, and view online communication as a free-for-all that shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Americans, themselves, tell me that there is an increased meanness in society. I haven't been here long enough to make that determination for myself. I gather this from talking to my students, who are mostly in the 18-25 age range. Often, they tell me that they feel they must wear a mask of bravado, pretending to an invulnerability they are far from possessing. A lot of my kids are very talented, but they can't go all the way because they won't bare their souls or they won't admit to feeling deeply.

QuoteI try to be objectively self-aware of how I "come off" on here at Coastgab

This seems to be a feature of American culture. People have a picture of themselves, and the impression they're making, in their heads at all times. I have to tell my voice pupils, "Please, get over yourselves," because they won't drop their shielding, and their performances suffer. It usually takes about half a semester before someone finally says, "Eff it!" and lays it out there -  to the stunned amazement of the entire class.

QuoteHow would we act differently if all of Coastgab was suddenly standing in the same room?

I've never met anyone from a website face to face, except in Israel, where people do stuff like that. Americans write as though they are keen to meet, but it never happens. Of course, it may simply be a matter of geography. I'm in San Antonio, Texas, which is a long way from anywhere. Still, people with whom I've corresponded on other sites have come through my current home town, and never contacted me. Perhaps it's just a social convention to say you want to meet, even when it's not the case. Maybe people are unsure if the offer to meet is sincere, or they think, "What! Am I crazy? This is a person I've only known on the internet, fer Chrissakes!"

I think people are much more restrained and solicitous face to face because we can read social cues. We know by body language if someone is receptive to what we're saying or if we've outworn our welcome. The internet does not give us that dimension, nor does it make cultural differences understood. Context is important, but is usually missing online. So much of what I say is tongue-in-cheek, but humor doesn't carry over very well.

QuoteAnd see what I mean about being wordy?

I like lengthy posts and meaty discussions. I'm glad that you do, too, because then, I'm not alone. I had more to say, actually, but I've got to shave and shower and eat before the Big Shew tonight, as well as whip 5 children into shape for public viewing. 






Scully

FH and Avi, you've given me hope enough to carry on for yet another day.  Lots of meat to digest on this page.

Internet discussion has taught me so many things about differences in people ... some good, some bad.  A great learning tool IMHO. 'Nuff said for now.  :)

Wow.  You guys are awesome.  And I'm an old fart, so I mean it in the genuine way, not the head bouncing from shoulder to shoulder way.   ;) 
I'm with you, Scully.  Hope enough.   :)

Finding a bunch of your favourite, old pc games and then realizing they operate on Win95 and it's 2011 makes for a long night. Damnit.


Herman Cain has a 999 plan. I wonder how long until a Christian looks at it upside down and calls him the Antichrist?

Eddie Coyle

 

     The only redeeming quality of Herman Cain's candidacy?

      Zealots like Lawrence O Donnell are going to end their careers by overstepping boundaries in attacking him.

analog kid

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on October 08, 2011, 02:00:44 PM


     The only redeeming quality of Herman Cain's candidacy?

      Zealots like Lawrence O Donnell are going to end their careers by overstepping boundaries in attacking him.

Not really. He's already had the discussion with the black community, and while they were uncomfortable with having a guy who also didn't participate in the civil rights movement grill Cain, they ultimately agree with O'Donnell, and find Cain to be the one who is offensive. They found his answers to be strange, and certainly don't appreciate being called "brainwashed."

They realize that he's Eddie Murphy's character in Trading Places.

Eddie Coyle

Quote from: analog kid on October 08, 2011, 02:38:07 PM
Not really. He's already had the discussion with the black community, and while they were uncomfortable with having a guy who also didn't participate in the civil rights movement grill Cain, they ultimately agree with O'Donnell, and find Cain to be the one who is offensive. They found his answers to be strange, and certainly don't appreciate being called "brainwashed."

They realize that he's Eddie Murphy's character in Trading Places.

      We'll see. Unhinged white liberals lose sight of this...ideology don't mean a goddamn thing when it comes down to the core. Racial/ethnic loyalties will always win out. It happened to the New Left in the 60's, where even the most miltant black radicals got a bit put off by their white cohorts calling Martin Luther King or Ralph Albernathy "Uncle Toms".

    Call me a cynic...but the world is like prison. Racial divides are always the final arbiter. It sucks, but it's the way it is. And then when you have people of the same race, the clannish divisions begin...it never ends.

Frys Girl

None of the things on the list constitutes a reason not to elect him. Puhhh. Most democrats would take office and not hire muslims anyway.


As for domestic issues, he's good. Obama is about to go HAM on an already dead economy. It's pretty clear that the Republicans have a good shot at winning this. Screw Obama. Let him dig his own grave..... politically.

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