hannahbanana

I think I only went to confession 2 or 3 times when I was still religious...it was basically small stuff, like I said this bad word, or I lied to get out of chores or whatever...and I had to do a few Hail Marys and that was it. I honestly can't say exactly what I thought about it at the time, and I'm almost certain that I view all of my past religious experiences with a bias now, but I think that deep down I didn't really understand why this was important. Like, I knew that doing it would remove bad things from my past, basically give me a "clean slate," which sounds great especially if you believe in heaven and hell, but I don't think I really understood how saying a few prayers could put me back on track to heaven. I think that for situations where you really did do something bad, like harm a person, the priest would probably give you more helpful advice like righting your wrong, or turning yourself in if it was something really bad, but I don't see why you couldn't just see a therapist for that. That way, you'd also learn more about yourself and WHY you did something, rather than just fixing it because you might go to hell.

Yeah, I always wondered why he chose to use the name of the group of people responsible for the Armenian genocide. Not exactly in the best taste, imo

I might also recommend that on top of learning the basic concepts used in physics, also look at the Laws of Physics, which are the real useful things that basically all mathematics of physics is built upon by applying further assumptions or simplifications. This would include Newton's Laws of Motion, the Laws of Thermodynamics, Coulomb's and Gauss' Laws of Electrostatics, and also Einstein's theory of relativity (all of which we can find by googling "laws of physics"). These all basically apply universally, except when you're talking about things that are close to the speed of light or things that are very very small. Now, it's been about a year and a half since I've finished my Physics classes so I may have forgotten some things, but I'm pretty sure I'm correct on this and would love to know if I'm not

Less of a factor in what? Who views it? Just want to make sure I understand you fully If that's the case, I suppose so...you're right, anyone could watch it whenever they want on the internet. But it was originally conceived as a daytime television show, which catered to a certain viewership, so the point of the show would have been originally made to be something that people who watch tv in the middle of the day want to watch, you know what I mean? So even though the importance of it now may be less, like you said, I think that it's still valuable in thinking about what the point of the show was in the first place. But yes, like you said, I think you have a point about what it means to people now, in the present. One point being that now you can cherry pick the good parts and put it into a little clip to make a point. I think that's pretty cool, and I'd even like watching them. Would that make me want to watch the entire show? Probably not. But by that point, it's completely subjective and just my opinion

Sure, many religions get certain points right, like not killing, things like that....that's not the issue that at least I have with many religions. The issue is HOW that moral conclusion is presented - that it is moral/immoral because some divine authority said so. Why is this an issue? Because it does nothing to teach people how to evaluate moral situations on their own, when they are in a situation that hasn't been specifically dictated by the religion. Also, the fact that many religions get some things wrong - take all the controversy over homosexuality, for example - which can be very damaging to both sides. So, if given a choice, it would make more sense to me to choose a philosophy that helps me learn the same good things that religions teach like "murder is bad" WITHOUT the mistakes like "homosexuality is bad", or ideas like hell and original sin (yes, I know I'm focusing mainly on Christianity, it's just what I know the most about).

I personally find the View boring as hell on a good day, sickening on a bad day. Basically, it is a complete waste of an hour. Sometimes there are good things said, like certain sound clips of Whoopi pointing out the BS, but I'm pretty sure it's mostly by accident, like how a bad parent may accidentally get one part of the job right (they're still a bad parent). I think it's worth it to look at WHEN the show is played, which is during the day along with all the soap operas and such. This means that the only women who would be watching it are either unemployed, or are stay-at-home moms, for the most part. So I guess I'd use that as a basis for why it may be popular. If you're unemployed, maybe you are less educated and aren't as discerning when it comes to good conversation, I don't know. Maybe if you're a stay-at-home mom, you want to take a break from the kids and get some "girl talk," which may be lacking when you have to dedicate so much time to parenting. There may be other reasons too, other things that the main viewership would think, but that's what comes to my mind first.

I'm a few episodes away from finishing, I really think it is a well done show. I also like the portrayals of the hero and villain (I cried a few times for Fisk), and that ideals mean nothing if you use violence to attain them. Same with the parallels between the hero and villain...in a lot of superhero movies I almost find it forced, but here I think it was pretty natural. Also, the hallway scene was amazing.

In a way, you could say that with spanking and other physical abuse, at least it is more easily recognized as abuse, so you can go to therapy/address the harm done in some way... But with other verbal abuse and manipulative behavior from parents, it is much more difficult to recognize as being a problem, giving it a greater opportunity to spread into all parts of your life. Not to mention outside support...if a child told someone they were hit by their parent, they would be much more likely to be taken seriously than if they said something like they were teased a lot by their parents (which can bring about a lot of insecurity and problems in their future). Both types of abuse are really bad, but I think it may be possible that people don't give manipulation and verbal abuse as much attention as it deserves, compared to the response to spanking.

Aren't those all very similar words though? If you are objective, truthful and factual would also be covered because truth and facts are both objective.

Unless I'm missing something, it seems like there's a disconnect between the messages that are trying to be put across...the first, that you shouldn't be ashamed of your body, and the second, that certain words shouldn't be used because it makes people ashamed of their bodies. You can have one, but not both...if words like "skinny" really make you ashamed of yourself, you don't really have that much confidence in your body, do you?

Everyone's basically said what I would say in regards to this topic, but I just wanted to reiterate that the feelings of uncertainty and discomfort are not necessarily bad, nor are they uncommon. Like Pepin said, it's similar to being introduced to anarchy, where the truth can be just plain uncomfortable to hear. In the case of women's behavior, you probably already know that women can behave like that. I don't know if it is similar for you, but you mentioned that you already find it difficult to "fit in" with other women, and there's probably a reason for that. Do you also think about your own identity a lot in terms of how it is different from other women? There's probably a reason for that too. Part of the discomfort comes, I think, in the way it is very bluntly stated, since people normally have to beat around the bush when it comes to the topic of women's flaws, especially with the dominance of feminism in so much of society. If anyone pointed out the often manipulative behavior of many women in any other setting, there would be a lot of angry and offended women. Just like pointing out that taxation is theft gets a lot of people's blood boiling. And for most people, such a confrontation is to be avoided at all costs. So I can totally understand that it would take some time getting used to hearing these criticisms said in such a direct way. Of course, you may be thinking about it in a different way. These are just my thoughts on it, in relation to my experience of the topic. Either way, I really do empathize. I'm glad to hear that you feel better about it, and that people's comments have helped

I'm a young 20-something (would that be an early millenial, or Generation Rx?), and I know all of the things you mentioned...but not sure if that is a proper representation of my age group, since it is never brought up when I interact with other people my age. I learned most of these from my parents, and a little bit from elementary school. My mom's an elementary school teacher, and she tells me that the kids she's teaching now do not know most of these things

Interesting point to bring up, and I've also heard it a lot...but I have doubts about it, and here's why: think about what really happens in school. You go to a room, you sit at a desk, and you listen to your teacher. Sometimes they ask you a question, but most of the time kids are too afraid (or whatever other reason) to raise their hands, and the teacher just ends up answering their own question. You are discouraged and sometimes even punished for interacting with the other students in the classroom. So sure, you are in a room with many other kids, but are you actually learning with them? To be honest, if you were the only person in the classroom with that teacher, you'd probably be more likely to answer their questions and actively participate. Another point, just because you are home schooled doesn't mean you have no other interactions with other kids your own age. There are home schooling groups, there are sports, clubs, volunteering, you name it. The two are not mutually exclusive at all, and to say so is a false dichotomy. So it can't really be viewed as a real argument for organized schools/against home schooling.

Stef did an interesting rebuttal of an article that criticizes stay-at-home parenting: In which he gives some statistics about the benefits. I found it a compelling listen, and hopefully it has something that may be helpful to you

I also went to Catholic schools from pre-K to graduation...I can at least say that I am thankful for not going through public school. I believe that educationally, I was much better prepared for college compared to other people I met who went to public school. And by prepared, I mean I knew how to write an essay, hahaha. I think that also, in a way, the religious classes I had in my school taught me enough about the religion to start seeing the holes. A lot of people who consider themselves religious just simply don't know about all the inconsistencies, and are okay with that. But when you start looking deeper, it becomes much easier to see how much of it just doesn't make sense. It also gives me a little bit of legitimacy when talking about it with other religious people; it takes away their excuse that I'm just an atheist who doesn't really know anything about Christianity. Would I say I am thankful for going to a Catholic school? I don't really know...it's difficult to say, because I don't really have a lot to compare it to. In a way, you'd just be trading religious doctrine for a statist one if you just went to a public school, so it probably isn't that much different in that respect. Either way, you seem to be in a good place on your own right now, if you are already interested in philosophy and self-knowledge, and the strength you gain from that will probably help you a long way in whatever situation you are in. Good for you! It's true that in many situations such as this, it is possible to gain positive aspects from it, like being able to talk with different people about religions, as you mentioned. Although I'm not sure if it could be equated with "good." Like, maybe it was better than another possibility, but not the best of all possibilities. What do you think?

Not yet! It's tough reading books during the school year, it's a slow but sure sort of thing. I'll probably be able to get more headway on it now that summer break is here!

Thank you everyone....just thank you. @andre, you'd make a kickass DM Follow them and poison the soldiers' drink supply! Doesn't even have to be deadly, just enough to get them sick

I accidentally made a post, but didn't mean to. Never mind everyone!

So I don't know TOO much about this, but I still found the article interesting, especially since I see a lot of people touting the positive effects of the minimum wage raise in Seattle. I'll also be keeping an eye out in future years, since the article mentions that the change will happen between 2 to 7 years (it's been about a year now). So even though changes right now are relatively small, there is definitely an opportunity for them to become more apparent. http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/03/16/we-are-seeing-the-effects-of-seattles-15-an-hour-minimum-wage/

If you want to see a socialist country, look up Venezuela. My best friend is from Venezuela, she said it's terrible there and she never wants to go back. Her aunt came to America, walked into a supermarket and started crying because of all the things you could get there, that she would have to find through personal connections/black market in Venezuela. My friend also told me that despite this, there are a lot of people who refuse to leave and are happy there, but like other people have already said, it's mostly because they are used to it. If they recognized how bad it really was, how could they continue in their day-to-day lives?

My mom has said more than once that she doesn't care so much about WHAT religion her kids believe in, but that she thinks the community of a religion is good for a family. Maybe for her, it felt like that. She has/has had a lot of friends that she met through church...but that doesn't mean it's the same for me. I went to Youth Group as a teen a couple times, then stopped because I felt excluded by all the other kids; they all went to the same school together, and were friends there already. Youth Group was basically just a continuation of that. I did not feel like they gave a shit as to whether I went over to their group and talked to them. My brother, before he stopped believing in Christianity, went to NCYC (National Youth Convention) and got beaten up by a few kids there. He went to his chaperone, and they told him to "forgive and forget." He stopped going to church after that. It's bad experiences like that that really reveal the truth about these communities. It might seem like sunshine and rainbows at first glance, but when you realize that there is really nothing binding you together other than faith in a thing that doesn't exist, it all seems sort of empty. Like you're all clinging to denial together. It feels really important, because to stop denying would turn your life upside down. That's why people feel like it's so different from other communities (like book club, band, sports, acting....why can't those be just as good for a family?). That's my opinion on it, at least.

I'm reading his book, "Confessions of a Green Peace Dropout" right now. I haven't gotten to his section about anthro-climate change, but I'm really looking forward to it. He also talks about forestry and logging as sustainable energy as compared to solar/wind power, among other things.

I saw a funny meme about how Obama wants to make voting mandatory, but how he missed something like 60-ish voting days while a Senator. I find that a little amusing, in a dark way. I wish there was something like a "no confidence" option in national voting. I've seen it in some less-official polls, and I think that it's better than nothing. I'd still be forced to show up, but I could still refuse to actually participate.

I appreciate this. It doesn't show on the website anything about the artist? How did you find it?

Would Marshall and Lily from How I Met Your Mother count? They always seemed to care a lot about each other, they were friends as well as lovers, and I don't remember them getting into stupid fights. (except that one time that Lily basically ran away but then came back). Maybe I'm not remembering, everything, it's been a while since I've seen the show.