PatrickC

I think this is satire.. Albeit satire of the worst kind. I believe she did a video about the evils of masturbation. She's planning a move to the Vatican I suspect.

You raise an excellent point here, not just the philosophical one of course, but the risk of injury. I am 44 now and acutely aware that any muscle or bone injury i have now will take months to heal, compared to the weeks it would in my 20's. I've spoken with a number of professionals and it is all to common, even with weights that are relatively light for people to overdo it. This is particulary true in the younger 20 somethings who are more likely to withstand smaller injuries, but extend themselves too far, so as to cause themselves a lifetime injury, as Lians described. Always seek professional advice of course.

I'd say any kind of rebuttal here is futile (probably). This person has bought into lock, stock and barrel the concept of Keynesian thinking. He is thinking in abstractions, hence the verbiage. His thinking makes a lot of assumptions, such as paving a way for an improved future for future generations (how? and examples?). The idea that consumption trumps investment (which is insane btw for those that know about investing). The idea that QE can actually protect those on low pay. Just look at the stagnation in wages over the past 40 years. Of course we have a lot of history that shows this kind of thinking has led from one recession to the next. The trouble is, most Keynesian's believe this to be quite a normal cycle of economic events. Take them back to the 1800's and they will see quite a different picture of course, if they bothered to look at the facts, rather than the Marxist/statist history that has been written about it. You could ask him to provide examples for his claims. Although I imagine you will be returned with yet more verbiage. These types like nothing more than things to be complex and unknowable. It makes them sound clever to the average person. Particularly when that someone is defending outright theft which no one can do much about. He's an anxiety reliever for them.

I do it mainly for health, but I'm happy to see the aesthetics in my body.. What red blooded male wouldn't!

I try not to be too conspiratorial in my thinking. But leftists have a history of trying to co-opt a 'good thing'. Given FDR's recent catapult into the wider reaches of the internet, it doesn't entirely surprise me that we get lefists coming in. We've been relatively free of them for several years. But in the wider world there are bazillions of them. Time to put on our debating boxing gloves and see them scatter (NAP stylee of course).

Hi Chris, welcome aboard!

ribuck is quite right people. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/weirdnewsvideo/10364039/Telekinetic-coffee-shop-prank-terrifies-customers.html

Well, sure it is. But my concern is that people see IFS as a one stop fits all. People often engage in IFS alone and it can be quite overwhelming for them. This is where I consider the more traditional approaches to talk therapy as being able to support people through those moments. May be this will change, as the data and research become more compelling that regular therapists start to employ IFS into their own therapeutic models. For now, I think using a mixture of IFS alongside professional support to be the most productive and secure approaches to introspection. Of course, all the above is just my opinion, based on my own experience and that of a few others I've known. So take it with all the salt necessary.

No, there doesn't seem to be any empirical data out there to support IFS. But as STer infers in his blog post, that doesn't mean it doesn't have value and with more research who knows. Personally I wouldn't rely on IFS as a single approach to therapy, but I think it can compliment talk therapy rather well with a competent psychologist.

Ask her which topics interest her and then point her in that direction. Or just let her loose on the stefbot YT channel. Otherwise the books are probably the best option. On Truth or the anarchy series to begin with perhaps. To be honest, it's almost impossible to gauge and know what hook a person will respond too, even someone you've known a while. Whilst it might seem like a trawl for a beginner now, once hooked 2,500 podcasts probably wont be enough for them.

That's not strictly true Darkskyabove. He wrote these two articles. http://blog.thezeitgeistmovement.com/blogs/peter-joseph After some careful research I found a recent book published on Amazon that bore his name. Surly not! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Boozy-Brunch-Quintessential-Daytime-Drinking/dp/1589796780/ref=la_B006K0RHFA_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381347614&sr=1-1

Yes, I recall the podcast and its very interesting because I had to do the very same thing with two members of staff recently and it proved to be a very productive response to upping the conflict. Yes, I now realise that I was suggesting an alternative in a different, but related thread. Conflict and how to handle it in healthy way are very important I think. Like you, this is a new idea for me. Hence my feeling a lack of courage in my previous post. That feeling might correspond rather well with this topic I think.

That's an interesting view Kevin and not one I had really considered. It was interesting to note that I felt a certain anxiety whilst reading your post. My desire to not want to re-engage with PJ, 'might' underscore a lack of courage on my part perhaps. When I was thinking of the past (FDR wise), I am mainly recalling the big flame wars, such as the Guardian episode for instance.

A good reason for that I expect, is because the Left continually lie about the motives behind alternative views to their own.

You're quite right Lians this forum, community or what have you, has seen it's fair share of flaming and sophistry over the years. It's rarely been profitable to keep engaging when the vitriol from your opponent is this high. I look forward to the board conversation eventually moving away from this topic into more fertile areas of thought.

This link relates to the same topic. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/04/blue-ridge-parkway-pisgah-inn/2923169/

Yes, I'm not concerned with a reply to this video and I confess to being somewhat bored with the whole debate now. If it gave some folk some insight they otherwise didn't have, then all the good. The topic is done I feel, unless someone can find some insights otherwise overlooked. In reference to waywardvariable's comments, I'm not sure Stef owes this guy an apology.

Two books I reccommend. One of which you can read in an afternoon, Henry Hazlitt's 'Economics in One Lesson'. If you want a more deeper understanding then I suggest Mises, 'Human Action', which is also available for free in audio format. http://mises.org/media.aspx?action=category&ID=139 You have to understand your criticisms (whilst understandable), have been answered on numerous occassions on this forum. I would suggest using the search option from the main index.

Hi Jessica, Yes the Scots are little preoccupied with changing their master at the moment. There are a few Scots on the boards. Anyway, welcome and have fun.

That's because you are a leftist, which holds the inherent belief that humans will destroy each other, unless their urges and desires aren't regulated. You then contradict yourself when you mention charitable organizations like doctors without borders, that are funded by 'private' donations. Since when is this any different from mutual associations or any other privately funded charity. This is what the market provides, because people care enough about the plight of others. These things happen, not because people are ancaps or ansocs, it's because many people (of both persuasions) have empathy enough to fund such projects. It's kind of insulting to have a socialist (given that ideologies history), suggesting that those that affiliate themselves with the free market are somehow incapable of having empathy with the plight of others. But hey, I repeat myself of course.

I certainly see no reason to kick you out for having this view. You've been respectful and you have made some salient points I think. I also agree that to take on an anarchist perspective is quite a leap for most people. I continually remind myself that my perspective is unlikely to have any traction within my life time, so I see finding solutions to my personal life all the more productive and efficient these days. However, if you are struggling with the concept of a 'no state' solution, then you might want to give Stefan's books Everyday Anarchy and Practical Anarchy a swing. They are fairly concise and easy to digest. At the very least you might begin to understand the arguments and positions anarchists take to its intellectual opposition. http://www.freedomainradio.com/FreeBooks.aspx#ea

This song was my anthem as I left my home town at 17. It certainly marked a great moment of freedom in my life mixed with some (unprocessed then) heartache. There are some more well produced versions than this. But Weller looks a bit out of place here in LA, which kind of resembled how I felt when I arrived in London. He also misses out a whole verse of the song too. Still, it's my favorite recording. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlszmA7yP3M A Town Called Malice - The Jam - 1981 Songwriter: PAUL WELLER Better stop dreaming of the quiet life -Cos it's the one we'll never knowAnd quit running for that runaway bus -Cos those rosey days are fewAnd - stop apologising for the things you've never done,Cos time is short and life is cruel -But it's up to us to changeThis town called malice.Rows and rows of disused milk floatsStand dying in the dairy yardAnd a hundred lonely housewives clutch empty milkBottles to their heartsHanging out their old love letters on the line to dryIt's enough to make you stop believing when tears comeFast and furiousIn a town called malice.Struggle after struggle - year after yearThe atmosphere's a fine blend of ice -I'm almost stone cold deadIn a town called malice.A whole street's belief in Sunday's roast beefGets dashed against the Co-opTo either cut down on beer or the kids new gearIt's a big decision in a town called malice.The ghost of a steam train - echoes down my trackIt's at the moment bound for nowhere -Just going round and roundPlayground kids and creaking swings -Lost laughter in the breezeI could go on for hours and I probably will -But I'd sooner put some joy backIn this town called malice.

You make an interesting and compelling point Roger about how evolution may have shaped our views about race within an historic tribal setting. They would have been viewed as a potential threat, not to ones race (which is just an identifying characteristic), but to ones tribe. As I see it the modern state, in it's infancy in order to garner power for itself would use ethnicity as a powerful symbol of togetherness for those citizens, as a means to getting them to comply with state power. If I were to use Stefan's analogy of nations being farms. The cattle needed to identify with the farm as their tribe, so they wouldn't attempt to escape or disrupt the farm. It's interesting to note that multiculturalism only took hold here in Europe in the 70's, with smaller trickles dating from the mid 50's and onwards. This being a period when state power (mainly from the left) had manifestly started to uproot all the great sources of production. The rise of the welfare state. The nationalising of major industry. The larger debasement of currency values, as most nations slipped off the gold standard. Immigrants were seen as a new source of income and given the standards of these immigrants previous farms, they understandably saw it as an opportunity for a better life. However, since the state had been indoctrinating generations before this influx of new residents about nation pride based on our ethnicity, was it any wonder people didn't get along. I say this from a european perspective, because it was quite a different situation in the US I think. The accusation of racist, particularly to a white person had to have severe consequences, as a means to facilitating this new state modification to the farm. I do essentially see racism as an irrational view these days, but I can understand how the state has played the race card itself for generations for its own betterment. "It is high time that we challenged the state on this issue, facing down its predictable, power-political, but nonsensical accusations of “racism”: but peacefully and with respect for the law and for others, especially when they are of different race or ethnicity to ourselves." I was curious about how we challenge this today. To me this just seems to be an inevitable consequence of state power. Which is why this forum is an anarchist one. We reject state power at its very core. Whilst we might abide by laws, we do not respect them either. Any attempt to change the political system by reasoning with it, makes little sense to many folk here of course.

Those quotes tell me everything about what we actually do in real life. This feigned charity the left likes to pass of as some kind off virtue isn't believable frankly, however noble it may appear. I also explained to you in my last post that mutual associations were enormously successful. They weren't regulated (or funded) by the state and proved to be highly efficient organizations during the 19th century. The assumption that self interest is some kind of dog eat dog relationship with the world is entirely naive. These organizations are clear example of people coming together voluntarily in their own best interests. Really, read up about it, they are a no brainer and entirely led by the free market back then. I certainly understand that anarcho socialism will endeavour not to use force and in that regard, I'm fine with folk sharing that ideology amongst themselves peacefully. I just get tired of the self righteous rubbish from the left that assumes it has cornered virtue, with what has been force up until this date.

I did a blog about this topic some years ago, which you may find insightful. Alan has pointed out some of the more general causes rather well. I worked out my issues with a mixture of CBT therapy and talk therapy ultimately. My personal root cause came down to the bullying I received from my father, which precipitated the bullying from other adults and children too. But it can vary of course for others, but it will be trauma based. I'm very sorry to hear just how long you've been experiencing them. I hope you find a way to get respite from them, because I know how debilitating they can be. All the best. http://www.yikici.co.uk/2011/07/04/bullying-self-attack-panic-attacks/