Dirt Tea

Now Serving 'BOH' Cameronian Gold Blend in a dirty green mug with lukewarm water, to myself

I've never understood why "filthy" and "dirty" are used to describe the crude and crass. I imagine it would make much more sense if they could be used to describe "messy" or "disorganized." I would have a filthy mind, if that were the meaning.

Maybe the New Masculinity could include a special tolerance for dirtiness and filth. "We are men, proud of our occasionally lethargic powers of hygiene?" [Good God, I can't even spell "hygiene" without the spell-checker.*] On the other hand, maybe we could drop this, and not really include it. I think that would work better.

After all, attention to hygiene is about respecting the other gender - the very premise for the "new masculinity."

*At least I can admit it.

And Don't Apologize

Now Serving Madness and its Methods

It's 1:33:15. Do you know where your children are?

Our readership demographics data suggests that your children are swimming about, split in half between two separate bodies. SPLIT IN HALF.

Talk to your kids about gametes. They'll listen.



So. Never mind that I was "liberal" coming into college; never mind that I didn't learn what an "ad hominem" was until college - I've been brainwashed.

Dr. Sanity does have a point, however. We college leftists do resort to ad hominem personal attacks. But I don't really think that's a bad thing.

No, really. If someone comes to me expressing "conservative" views while remaining calm, rational, earnest, and attempting to avoid logical fallacies, I can respect that. I'm willing to engage them as they engage me. (This actually happens fairly often - and in college, of all places!)

But if someone comes to me insulting my intelligence, completely ignoring logical fallacies, repeating meaningless rhetoric, or arguing disingenuously, the appropriate response is not to validate that person's bullshit with respectful debate. The appropriate response is to pie the schmuck in the face.

I mean it. Not everyone's opinion deserves respect. There are some people who are beyond reason, for whom an ad hominem isn't just okay, it's preferable. Having an open mind is a good thing, but sometimes it's better to close your mind off from intellectual bandits and criminals.

I'm completely serious.

Insult them. Play games with their head. You can even be condescending - and as I say, it's not just alright, it's the best course of action to take.

Incidentally, did you know that you can finish jokes with "Islamofascism?" Watch:

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: Islamofascism.

Venture

So I'm typing this during the loadi/ng times of a video game. I think/it a worthwhile endeavor.

You know, I'm trying to be efficient. I don't want to spend my whole life staring at a screen, you know.

/Pandora is great, but I can't find a Mac client for it (outside the browser) other than PandoraBoy and its ad banners./ Other than ads, of course, it's pretty smashing.

And This is Why I'm Glad the Giants Won...Kind of

Now Serving Ranting

It's "just sports," but its low-brow status protects the clarity of its lens, through which we can see our values. It's an ugly picture.

Outside the body of WVU fans, who in the sports world has taken so much as a second glance at this? I think Mitch Albom denounced it, and I've occasionally heard commentators make vague, weak comments about "class," or coaching contracts, or something like that. For the most part, this isn't just business as usual - it's "business as usual, and why are you shocked/outraged?" Slowly and surely, we are losing the ability to recognize cheating. Some of us even know, and don't care, or even think it good to lose that ability.

I like to think that the Super Bowl was karma for a certain famous cheating coach of recent memory, who represents as well as anyone the ideological shift towards hypercompetition: "if you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough."

I Might Like to be Willing to Move

The road to indecision is littered with the corpses of epiphanies asked to end suffering.



BAD

Satisfaction
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Hell



GOOD

Best
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Good Enough
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Worst

Now Serving My Room is Close to Me

I come apart under the scrutinies of
room-cleaning regulations,
confused about whether
I'm guilty or confused,
one or both.
Close enough, a hand is smooth as fog.
A close hand is welcomed for
warmth and sanity, but rightly
feared, fog being used
not just by givers.
I was wrong because it didn't sort out
that trash bags on bamboo
poles or laundry by the
fridge were alright, if
I see it or not, and a
sweet-tooth sorrow
greedily sated
past health
is that I
might.