Hotter, Badder, and Unpopularer Takes

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

People who say we should boycott certain TV shows or music because "WAAAAH THIS OFFENDS ME BECAUSE [insert reason here]" are the worst.

Like, seriously, this isn't the 90's anymore.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

All or most prescription drugs should be over-the-counter.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

On The Office, Jim should have stayed with Karen instead of dumping her for the clearly inferior Pam.

Inferior on what grounds, dare I ask?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Almost everyone who has an "emotional support animal" doesn't actually need one.  We over diagnose so many things like anxiety and ADHD, just so people can get the accommodations they want.

Oh yeah?  Try walking a mile in my shoes.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

- Gore did the right thing by keeping some distance from Clinton in 2000.
- 1998 and 2002 were hardly resounding victories for the incumbent party, and evidence that voters rejected the "partisan obstructionism" of the opposition in those years is far from convincing. Both Republicans in 1998 and Democrats in 2002 would have done better if they had focused more on base turnout instead of letting the White House set the tone of the campaign.

Why do you say Gore did the right thing by distancing himself from Clinton if you believe that base turnout is key to winning elections?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Restrictions on how much medication a person can be legally prescribed (especially for depression and mental health) should be abolished.

Lyrica should be available over-the-counter.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Mitch McConnell is a far worse threat to American democracy than Donald Trump could ever hope to be.

The homeless deserve more respect than the troops.

I agree with this, although very often these groups overlap.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Although it is extremely unlikely to happen, I want Trump to win the popular vote and lose the Electoral College.  That, as things stand, is the only way to get Republicans to sign onto the NPVIC.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

most recruitment to the alt-right is ultimately a function of the Streisand Effect.

Agreed - as well as normalfag high schoolers (who have no memory of the internet in 2006-2009) discovering 4chan and the now-defunct 8chan.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

New age atheism like Dawkins, Harris, the late Hitchens, Bill Maher, etc.. seem to becoming an increasingly right wing reactionary group in this day and age as opposed to the liberals they were branded as in the 2000s

https://mobile.twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1228943686953664512
Sheesh I called that one

Dawkins has some weird and bad ideas but there's nothing really wrong with this tweet. Artificial selection HAS been been implemented for thousands of years to produce crops and genetic strains which are important for human agriculture since the agricultural evolution. Anyone who knows anything about genetics either recognizes that this is true or is too blinded by woke ideology to admit it.

It annoyed me how many people got offended by this tweet, claiming he was supporting eugenics, when he explicitly wasn't.

However it's not at all clear to me that the statement is true, or in what sense or under what conditions it could be true.  We aren't domesticated animals, and so the question arises how one might set up the sort of controlled reproduction and environment for humans that domesticated selection has relied upon.  It would seem to require a totalitarian system that actually succeeded in its aims beyond what any society has demonstrated.

Worst case scenario if eugenics were feasible is that we would set entirely unrealistic goals for what we are selecting for, what the goals should be, and ultimately be creating people who are physically or intellectually 'weaker' than we are now.  The side effects of selective breeding on dogs haven't been good.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Cannabis and psychedelic substances are divine in nature and using them is not wrong or immoral, but are in fact channels for us to communicate with the Lord.

Any religious person who supports their continued prohibition is engaging in blasphemy.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Cannabis and psychedelic substances are divine in nature and using them is not wrong or immoral, but are in fact channels for us to communicate with the Lord.

Please don't tell me you actually believe this.

I only say this because I'm speaking from experience.  I don't care if you don't agree or if you think I'm insane for believing it.  I wouldn't expect an atheist to feel any differently.

I have had intimate experiences with the divine and with spirits without the use of drugs as well.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Cannabis and psychedelic substances are divine in nature and using them is not wrong or immoral, but are in fact channels for us to communicate with the Lord.

Please don't tell me you actually believe this.

I only say this because I'm speaking from experience.  I don't care if you don't agree or if you think I'm insane for believing it.  I wouldn't expect an atheist to feel any differently.

I have had intimate experiences with the divine and with spirits without the use of drugs as well.

I'm not going to make any judgments on experiences you may have had while sober, but drugs and alcohol literally alter your mental processes. Why would you put any stock in experiences you had while under the influence of a substance that renders your perception of reality untrustworthy?

Just because one's state of consciousness has been expanded does not necessarily make what they experience untrustworthy.  You need to know how to listen and keep your eyes open for certain things.  Not everybody has that gift, intoxicated or not intoxicated.

It's kind of like what Hagrid said to Harry Potter: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Just because one's state of consciousness has been expanded does not necessarily make what they experience untrustworthy.  You need to know how to listen and keep your eyes open for certain things.  Not everybody has that gift, intoxicated or not intoxicated.

It's kind of like what Hagrid said to Harry Potter: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

There is no such thing as an "expanded" state of consciousness; that's a figurative statement. Intoxication is a dulled state of consciousness. You might as well talk about how you were attacked by a swarm of bats after you took LSD. Am I expected to believe that too? Jesus effing Christ.

I would argue that, in this example, the one who took LSD was attacked by a swarm of bats.  Just not the kind of bats that exist in nature.

My whole point here is that there is a whole other universe out there we're just not seeing when we take what's directly in front of us at face value.  Our perceptions are as biased when we are sober as when we are not.

Also, that was a Dumbledore quote. But I guess all facts are subjective when you're at an "elevated state of consciousness."

Meh.  I was never really a Harry Potter guy in the first place.  That was just a quote that came to mind.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Reposting this here:

"Worthless degrees" do not exist.  If sociology is your passion, then the time and work you put into earning that degree is not "worthless".  Before I had to leave college to take care of my sick mother, I was studying theology with the intention of becoming a priest or minister.  According to neoliberal thought, that degree is "worthless" because it doesn't generate more wealth for rich capitalists the way that a STEM degree does.  Under neoliberal thought, serving the Lord is "worthless".

Degrees should not be assessed by how much money a person generates for the capitalist-industrial complex.  It is an insult to students who actually want to make a difference in this world and shape their destinies the way they want to, not the way rich capitalists want them to.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Reposting this here:

"Worthless degrees" do not exist.  If sociology is your passion, then the time and work you put into earning that degree is not "worthless".  Before I had to leave college to take care of my sick mother, I was studying theology with the intention of becoming a priest or minister.  According to neoliberal thought, that degree is "worthless" because it doesn't generate more wealth for rich capitalists the way that a STEM degree does.  Under neoliberal thought, serving the Lord is "worthless".

Degrees should not be assessed by how much money a person generates for the capitalist-industrial complex.  It is an insult to students who actually want to make a difference in this world and shape their destinies the way they want to, not the way rich capitalists want them to.

I completely agree with the first sentence, though I think it's equally annoying and absurd for people who enter fields that practically necessitate a graduate or doctorate degree to earn a decent living (see: education) to act like they are smarter or more worldly than people who just have a bachelor's degree in a more traditional hard science field.

From my perspective, it's usually the STEM people who have that attitude. (Just look at Vosem. )  That's why I get extremely turned off by the "learn to code" folks and government initiatives to promote and aid STEM students but not those of us who want to work in the humanities.

The church I wanted to be ordained in requires a Master's degree, and most clergypeople don't get paid very much.  My best shot at this point would probably be to become a religion professor, even though I'm no fan of the 'higher education industrial complex' myself.