Opinion of Urk, a town in the Netherlands

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Like all such enclaves, it sounds like a fascinating place for any sociologist, anthropologist, folklorist, or, apparently, linguist, and thus a lot more fun than the HockeyDudes of the world give it credit for, but I wouldn't want to live there.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Like all such enclaves, it sounds like a fascinating place for any sociologist, anthropologist, folklorist, or, apparently, linguist, and thus a lot more fun than the HockeyDudes of the world give it credit for, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Fun and interesting are not one in the same, Nathan.  The progressive and freedom-loving government of Holland bestows a legal, drug-infused orgy upon these people and they would rather sit in and vote for Christian Democratic alliances.  I could only imagine what spending a day here would be like. 

Oh, come now, do imagine it! Don't tell me that hearing about places like this doesn't awaken in you any curiosity about what these people are like, what they hold in their hearts or what those hearts thrill to, what a day there is like, what they do do to enjoy themselves, what they believe (beyond the technically correct but boring and surface-level answer 'they're orthodox Calvinists'), how they understand their lives, what parts of those lives fulfill them or fail to fulfill them? Don't tell me that the process itself of discovering what 'fun' is for the people of Urk doesn't, itself, seem fun to you?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Like all such enclaves, it sounds like a fascinating place for any sociologist, anthropologist, folklorist, or, apparently, linguist, and thus a lot more fun than the HockeyDudes of the world give it credit for, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Fun and interesting are not one in the same, Nathan.  The progressive and freedom-loving government of Holland bestows a legal, drug-infused orgy upon these people and they would rather sit in and vote for Christian Democratic alliances.  I could only imagine what spending a day here would be like. 

Oh, come now, do imagine it! Don't tell me that hearing about places like this doesn't awaken in you any curiosity about what these people are like, what they hold in their hearts or what those hearts thrill to, what a day there is like, what they do do to enjoy themselves, what they believe (beyond the technically correct but boring and surface-level answer 'they're orthodox Calvinists'), how they understand their lives, what parts of those lives fulfill them or fail to fulfill them? Don't tell me that the process itself of discovering what 'fun' is for the people of Urk doesn't, itself, seem fun to you?

hmmm...like Boris you probably actually WOULD find attending an Ingress event to be rather fascinating.

Have I ever directly claimed otherwise? I'm pretty sure I've actually asked you to explain more about Ingress on at least a couple of occasions in the past.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Like all such enclaves, it sounds like a fascinating place for any sociologist, anthropologist, folklorist, or, apparently, linguist, and thus a lot more fun than the HockeyDudes of the world give it credit for, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Fun and interesting are not one in the same, Nathan.  The progressive and freedom-loving government of Holland bestows a legal, drug-infused orgy upon these people and they would rather sit in and vote for Christian Democratic alliances.  I could only imagine what spending a day here would be like. 

Oh, come now, do imagine it! Don't tell me that hearing about places like this doesn't awaken in you any curiosity about what these people are like, what they hold in their hearts or what those hearts thrill to, what a day there is like, what they do do to enjoy themselves, what they believe (beyond the technically correct but boring and surface-level answer 'they're orthodox Calvinists'), how they understand their lives, what parts of those lives fulfill them or fail to fulfill them? Don't tell me that the process itself of discovering what 'fun' is for the people of Urk doesn't, itself, seem fun to you?

hmmm...like Boris you probably actually WOULD find attending an Ingress event to be rather fascinating.

Have I ever directly claimed otherwise? I'm pretty sure I've actually asked you to explain more about Ingress on at least a couple of occasions in the past.

Yeah but I kind of understimated how much. I'll make sure to post some pics from Minneapolis September 6!

Mind you, I'm not as interested in Ingress players as I am in weird religious enclaves, but go ahead.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Like all such enclaves, it sounds like a fascinating place for any sociologist, anthropologist, folklorist, or, apparently, linguist, and thus a lot more fun than the HockeyDudes of the world give it credit for, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Fun and interesting are not one in the same, Nathan.  The progressive and freedom-loving government of Holland bestows a legal, drug-infused orgy upon these people and they would rather sit in and vote for Christian Democratic alliances.  I could only imagine what spending a day here would be like. 

Oh, come now, do imagine it! Don't tell me that hearing about places like this doesn't awaken in you any curiosity about what these people are like, what they hold in their hearts or what those hearts thrill to, what a day there is like, what they do do to enjoy themselves, what they believe (beyond the technically correct but boring and surface-level answer 'they're orthodox Calvinists'), how they understand their lives, what parts of those lives fulfill them or fail to fulfill them? Don't tell me that the process itself of discovering what 'fun' is for the people of Urk doesn't, itself, seem fun to you?

No, it really doesn't, sorry to say. 

Fair enough, I guess.

Nathan would you ever like to visit Colorado City, Arizona?

What Mung Beans said.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Okay, fine. Bigotry, not intolerance. There.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The point isn't dictionary definitions of words but rather ideas and values as commonly understood. You're using sophistic hair-splitting in a transparent attempt to wash your hands of the fact that your attitude towards people who don't share your religious views is aggressively disparaging and at times openly hateful.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Over-reliance on dictionary definitions to deny claims whose actual meaning is obvious is disingenuous. It's using language purely to distract people rather than as a medium for actual communication. It's essentially the same technique as proof-texting.

As for the rest, I don't think you deserve any plaudits for not being as bad as opebo.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

No, you just wish we would self-segregate. I'll gladly grant that that's a less bad sentiment, sure.