lol. That’s pretty true with most anything pertaining to young children and celebrations or what not. By and large, it’s for the parents and family more than anything. It’s just that human oddity that makes us want to treat things as though they can think and process as we do. It also helps “normalize” things. It establishes a routine for parents and child. We can’t say for certain the long term effects but we do know that while babies don’t necessarily retain or process memory like we do- their experiences do seem to shape the person they become. It would be a little jarring if we had some sort of age of birthdays- where until a child was 5,6, whatever- we didn’t celebrate their birthday because they were unlikely to remember it. Sobit is kinda an odd thing that seems rooted in sentiment, but there isn’t a particularly non odd way to handle it.

Of course. Doing things that are awful is pretty much by default awful.

They lack the self awareness to have a sense of self, they don’t even know what season it is or year let alone what website they are on. A single whim could end their existence of servitude- and yet still even they are smart enough to see the joke that is our times.

Please don’t take it personal. I’m American too- so it’s not so much a comment on you as it is our culture. Get some rest- for what it’s worth whatever may be wrong with you may be slightly different from what may be wrong with everyone else- but it’s not likely any better or worse. Get some rest and feel better.

And to be clear I never trained any of my big dogs not to lap sit because I don’t mind it. But it is a common example of a behavior many end up disliking or even regaining animals because of.

.. able to break out on your own. You didn’t need the help but it would have been nice. The fact they haven’t means they aren’t like you. Pat yourself on the back for being stronger or more capable and not needing help. The fact you did it doesn’t mean they will, but if you want to return to poverty just so you can get free help to get back to where you already are... go ahead I guess? It doesn’t help you as an individual or society to leave the cycle unbroken, not to mention the human cost. It’s important we reasses not just our systems for dealing with such matters but the very way we think about them.

This needs repeated. Lots. That is the nature of generational welfare. People take for granted and do not even realize all the small habits and boundaries and teachable moments that contribute to success in life. MOST people who are homeless or on welfare are people who suffered brief catastrophe and within an average of 12 moths pick themselves up. People who are on long term assistance more often lack skills, networks, and other tools to succeed. Those who lack the necessities to succeed themselves often can’t give that to a child. So teaching and elevating people so that they have the means to do better working than they could on welfare alone, helping them build savings and credit, skills for a career and not a job- and how to manage these things as well as the social aspects of networking- these are crucial to ending cycles of poverty. “I had nothing and I was able to...” yes. You were. It was hard. I’m sure. “So why should they get a free...” stop. You just said. You were...

With money. See?

It’s the Hangul approximation of the English name “Sealeo.” So basically the Hangul (“Korean letters”) say “Sealeo”- the Pokémon name.

Lol. Sorry mrscollector. The cause of terminal stupidity is still being researched, and we haven’t given up finding a cure- but it seems to have a strong genetic component linked to the Y chromosome. It got at least 4 generations in my family, and it may yet get me too.

You’re the sort of person I’d contact if I were starting a business. I like your style.

People tend to walk around with polarized lenses on. They create division where none needs exist. The “left” complains about the bias of “right” media- the “right” complains the same of the “left.” Both are valid. Combine the two and what do we get... A common and shared complaint that there is too much selective, biased, irresponsible and unprofessional media. That journalistic standards and integrity have all but died, and that sponsor funded editorials and corporate backed misinformation is the new standard. It’s not a problem with one “side” or the other. Our media is broken all around, and with a broken information system how are people supposed to get accurate and even handed information to actually form their views on? It’s all fiction. Our politics have become an argument about Chuck Norris vs Shaggy or Saitama vs Goku because we are arguing over things that don’t exist as they do outside the mythos created for them. More information than most of human history and 90% is bull.

.. done, that person won’t be a problem anymore. That others will see your strength or hear of it and be reluctant to walk that road. That’s the idea anyway- in truth though more often it causes escalation and pissing matches, those who aren’t killed now have strong personal motivation to seek their own retribution. Violence- killing- are effective tools. Sometimes they are the best solution we have to a problem. But most often they are not and should rarely be the first or even 15th thing we try. There is no glory in violence. No nobility. That’s the irony. We sell violence as an ends to a superior morality in order to get people to condone violence for the sake of material gains- but you can’t claim a moral victory through immorality. We will exaggerate threats so that we can claim the need was dire and we had no choice where we did. In the end most of it is for wealth and comfort, any moral victory is a secondary consequence.

... and trappings of class and propriety for salt of the earth values and simple living. There is much good in this but also much potential for bad as well. I can say that especially when younger I enjoyed a good fight. I was keen on the idea of being an instrument of karmic retribution for those who it seemed prudent to deal justice to before they reached an afterlife of natural consequence. There is both an excitement and a terror unlike any when you hurt another human being and they set out to hurt you back. There’s a primitive instinct and drive, a challenge and a factory of real danger in a game of tactical chess with another thinking human where the stakes are high enough to push you both beyond your limits. I can’t deny that or the primitive desire for swift and brutal justice. It’s a simplistic but effective solution in theory- there is a way to solve almost any problem by applying enough force to it, and that includes human problems. There’s an idea of a message- that when...

American culture glorified violence. Violence was a necessity of early American life, and the prosperity of the country has largely come from war and conflict. To get people to kill or die in such conflicts, or to support them while not engaged, painting things as “good vs evil,” dehumanizing the enemy, and selling the killing of said “evil” men as righteous goes a long way to overcoming the basic fundamental weight the general human subconscious has to taking another life. Normalizing violence and crafting an image of the hero for the trigger person through media and propaganda helps. The indignation and condemnation of others feeds this because America has a strong spirit of rebellion and rejection, of actively seeking the path that causes disapproval or shock. The idea of a social or literal “outlaw” is part of our mythos. The idea that exceptional people are those who don’t follow the compass of others but follow their own self guided morality. A rejection of high minded ideals...

It’s ok. I can’t recall reading anything from you which wasn’t interesting. Outside of court, the board room, and debate halls, conversations can wander. A genuine exchange of ideas is about more than being succinct. An intelligent reader will connect the pieces together to form a complete picture. But- infographics are cool too, and as a serial text wall poster I can understand not having the time or inclination to write essays. I happen to have the time, little boys through the day since I don’t have a real job but am imaginary one- so I fill the idle time with this. If I were still at one of my real jobs I wouldn’t have the time. Lol.

... a freedom of enjoyment and certain securities which are weighed against other rights and against the rights of others where they conflict. Try to exercise your constitutional right to bear arms when meeting the president in public, or try to exercise your constitutional right to the pursuit of happiness by shitting on a bus. The people around yous rights will superceed yours by law- interpretations of law deemed constitutional by higher courts.

Simply offending someone isn’t what I am taking about. People can be dicks and we can’t legislate that. When a person crosses a line where their words are a larger harm or danger to an individual or society than simply emotional hurt- that is where laws like shouting “fire” in a theater protect. The fact you shout that doesn’t mean there WILL be harm or a riot- but the fact it is reasonable to foresee it could, and the desire to avoid that, coupled with a complete lack of any justifiable reason to do so other than you felt like it- makes it reasonable to ban it. Likewise- saying that you oppose US trade deals with Italy or have some offense to Italian conduct or policy is not the same as screamin about how “all Wh#ps are lying bastards that deserve to be hung...” the FCC doesn’t allow the borascast of certain swears or sexual words- where is the damage there? If you forget- the constitution lays down broad feeedoms which individual laws clarify. Freedoms such as...

The future I’d hope will come true won’t have either of those types of people in it.

I don’t mean literal physical strength. I meant metaphorically. Strong. Character, ambition, resolve, power, courage, endurance, fortitude. Taking Equal samples of the population of each group- there isn’t a period outside of fossil recovers where one could argue that the “average” woman could match the “average” man in untrained or equally trained strength. A man’s skeleton is going to be stronger in general as well. It’s just biology. So you won’t get any disagreement from me on your points- and there are a good deal of vocal and rabid “feminists” who use the label to justify a desire to hate or subjugate men. Women haven’t been historically treated well and they are bitter and want “revenge” against men who may benefit from that legacy but didn’t create it- and largely are willing to change it going forward if we can agree what changes are reasonable and prudent. Some women do see men as trash by birthright just as some men see women as objects by birthright.