Brentb

I think we're conditioned to view war as something more fair and moral than what it really is. Most politicians sidestep the horrors of war, and pretend that some sort of "surgical" strike will result in only damage to deserving people. The U.S. government's own statistics have show that the US can't avoid significant collateral damage. A president that is honest with the public about the horrible and dirty realities of war will make it less likely that the US will engage in war.

It mostly shows that Americans have their collective heads up their asses. A continent of miserable, destitute, and disease ridden people and Americans are upset that an animal was killed in their midst. I haven't been able to figure out why it matters at all that this lion was killed.

The U.S. government, and governments around the world can't pay their own debts without massive money printing. The beast is dying. Why poke at it? They're going to inflate away the value of your loan along with all of your paper assets anyway.

It may be difficult to get a job as a cartoonist, but you could just start your own website featuring your comics and sell advertising space, T-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. that feature your comics. Have you heard of Axecop? http://axecop.com/comic/episode-1/ Your comics in particular suggest a pretty bleak or dark outlook on life. They show a lot of talent though. If you keep at it, and study the craft and study comedy writing, you could make a great website if you really wanted to.

I'm not concerned about that. I don't understand how someone could be made to feel ashamed for not laughing at something. I get that comedy can often have an agenda, and that when it has an agenda that I don't agree with, then I won't likely find it funny. If someone in your personal life makes an offhand comment that's offensive to you, and tries to play it off as comedy, that's probably passive aggressive because it's probably about you. A comedian writing a joke or a sketch is not likely to be passive aggressive. People who are trying to make people laugh are typically doing just that - trying to make people laugh. They're not trying to change you the way that someone in your life might. Their incentive is in getting laughs and feeling accepted and valued by people, not messing with stranger's heads.

When I was 19 I thought that fun was for losers. I think the members of this forum take things very seriously - which has both it's advantages and disadvantages. What I see here is people treating an aesthetic issue with all the seriousness of a moral issue.

I found the first half to be funny. It had enough heightening or exaggeration to be funny. The second half wasn't exaggerated enough to be comedic, which I think is the reason people think that this is criticism of Stefan - as if his opinions on daycare and spanking are so absurd that the person making the video didn't think they required much exaggeration to be funny .

I think so. He won't actually feel hurt by your disapproval, like a more normal person, but a sociopath can register the information that he's not well-liked. The sociopath would try to avoid doing things that make him less likable because being likable more easily allows him to manipulate people. I've heard that Bill Clinton in particular always had to be liked by everyone. If he walked into a room and someone didn't care for him, he would focus on that person with all the charm and flattery that he could muster until he could get them to like him.

I wouldn't bother attempting to debate. Ostracism works in general. Politicians have pretty thick skin and seem to be delusional, so I don't know how well it would work on them but it's worth a try. If we're forced to let mass murders walk the streets freely, we can at least try to knock down their pride a little.

It depends on what you enjoy and what you find rewarding. If you like to build things and work with your hands, then electrician is probably the way to go. Engineering can be more challenging, but most engineering is not all that technically challenging, at least not after you've been doing if for a number of years. It's mostly just a matter of getting things organized and communicating to the right people. No matter which direction you go, keep exploring what interests you, and work your ass off as much as possible. Hard work allows you to maintain a standard of excellence for yourself so that when you do pick a direction or decide to change directions, you'll have the confidence that you can put in the hours and make it happen. As far as the student loan debt question goes, that's tough. I don't think I would go to college if I was going to come out with 100K+ in debt. Apprenticing in a trade definitely has an advantage there.

It's like asking: do koala bears eat too much? If you're not a koala, and you're not feeding them, then it's none of your business. If you're not paying a CEO, and you're not a CEO, then it's none of your business. Like you said - it's just jealousy and greed on the part of the gossips.

You're going nowhere because you don't know what you want. You'll find what you want if you spend time exploring both yourself (therapy and/or other self-knowledge work) and the world around you. If you make a commitment to achieving what you want, and take steps to fulfill on it, then you'll start going somewhere. The excuses for your lack of success (others betray and manipulate the system) need to go. As long as your focus is on others or on your own status, you won't be able to see what you want or achieve it. I'm making it sound easier than it is. It's simple, but it's not likely to be easy or quick.

Most of the people outside of colleges are not that engaging either. I'm guessing that since you were expelled that you didn't have your choice of schools to attend, so you'll have to prove yourself at a low tier school and transfer somewhere with better students and professors to work with. Of course that begs the question of whether you should go to college at all. College is useful if you are interested studying anything in science or engineering. Other than that, I don't really see the point. I didn't when I was in college either. I was most interested in art and literature, but I only took math, engineering, and science classes because the arts classes were not worth the money in my opinion - I could teach myself that, and for the most part I have by simply reading about a book a week and looking things up on the internet.

You're not going to live forever. At some point you will die, and your life can be summarized as: worked 42 hours per week**. (or maybe worked 42 hours per week and had nice abs) Explore yourself and the world for what value that you want to provide. Then when you're dealing with problems that you're passionate about and are infinitely larger than how to get your butt off the couch, you'll adjust your health habits because you'll be someone who wants to live. **Sure they'll say something nice and flowery at the eulogy, but ultimately your life won't have mattered. It sounds harsh, but when we objectively evaluate the way the vast majority of us live, it is undoubtedly true unless we do the work to take extraordinary actions.