Waiting for Hate

It seems that some people are drawn in by a positive message but only get locked in when it also includes something they can agree to hate.

Conspiracies of the Gaps

"This research consistently finds that conservatism is positively associated with heightened epistemic concerns for order, structure, closure, certainty, consistency, simplicity, and familiarity, as well as existential concerns such as perceptions of danger, sensitivity to threat, and death anxiety."

So, it's possible, I think, that conspiracy theories can also come from this mindset because it's a justification of positions that otherwise have no basis.

How Not to Be Gay

Those who are most vehemently anti-gay like to claim homosexuality is a choice but also declare it to be one unavailable to them, the only example I can think of where some supposedly optional "behavior" is excluded from a limited group of people based on their misunderstanding of it.

The Failure of Founderism

There is a tendency within political, cultural and religious structures to give uncritical weight to whatever person or group of people are seen as founders of the body in question. This can reach a level that deserves the term founderism, a doctrine that decrees the declarations of founders are to always be followed. Even if circumstances would otherwise dictate a new path, a founderist still insists on following whatever instructions or statements can be ascribed to a founder(s).

This is a disastrous notion because no one at any point in time should be given control over those who follow. No one can predict the future, let alone be wise enough to make statements that would be relevant for all time. It is no secret that change is the only permanent aspect of the human condition, and to refuse to be adaptable is a notion that should allow us to easily spot the flaw in founderism.

But many of us prefer the perceived stability that comes from a never-changing set of rules, and love it even more so if those rules can be said to come from a source that is seen as perfect. Any perceived and predicted stability is a mirage, as changes will always accumulate to a point where old rules don't function. But founderism ignores this reality in favor of the dangerous notion that if the rules seem to no longer work, we are the ones not doing something right in applying them because the rules can't be faulty in a founderist's mind.

The most obvious examples of the harm founderism brings have to do with things like fundamentalist religions and political adherence to documents like the Bible and U.S. Constitution. Trying to make these outdated ideas work only creates a series of collapses, the opposite of the stability founderist's desire. We should always remember that we are responsible for ourselves and that responsibility is a moving target that requires we use the best information and tools at our disposal, things that are fortunately in a state of constant improvement. To insist what we learn as we move forward should be ignored for the thoughts of people from any point in the past is faulty on its face.

Hate Thyself

We are members of species that creates political, social and religious movements that successfully teach people to hate themselves and act on that idea.

No Freedom For You

It is a common ideal that a maximum amount of freedom be available to all--until someone tries to access it.

Lie Harder

It is difficult to imagine an overall improvement in our condition now that we have come to accept as valid the tactic of continuing to lie when caught doing so.

Profound Backfire

It is embarrassing when people attempt  to create a profound thought without the necessary ingredients.

New Liabilities For Corporate Owners

I've had thoughts along this line myself--the purpose behind the very idea of corporations was to separate individuals from the activities of the corporate entity so that individual liabilities would be eliminated. Now that the courts have pushed people and corporations together, it'll be hard for individuals to maintain distance from liabilities.

Why Are High Schools Publicly Funded?

It seems rather arbitrary that publicly financed education should end after grade 12. If we think about all years of education as an extension of the "grade" system, why do we not end public financing at grade 14? Grade 16? Grade 9?

We are not using objective standards on which to support of public education. The cutoff after 12th grade is arbitrary. But it is the case that a bachelor's degree is the current minimum required for the best chance to make a decent living. With this being the case, not paying for it is cruel; the education we do pay for is, therefore, incomplete and a heartless tease.

If we want to have a society where as many people as possible have the greatest chances possible, we should do the right thing and extend public education to 16 years, the minimum level our current society requires.

Scary Patriots

There are probably not many people called terrorists that could also not be accurately labeled patriots.

Choosing the Worst

A great deal of attention should be paid to the fact that people who so vehemently want to impose a religious belief system on everyone chooses the worst version of it.

The Witty Written Word

I have just been re-introduced to the level of wit that I think we've lost when it comes to the written word after just finishing the first chapter of An Irreverent and Thoroughly Incomplete Social History of Almost Everything by Frank Muir. This book is a collection of quotes about some major categories of humanity's endeavors, including music, art, education and theater, but also includes commentary on the context of each quote, which is also very helpful.

The first chapter is on music, and although many of the quotes are simply observational tidbits that allow a glimpse of insight, many are harsh criticisms of either music in general, a piece of music in particular, or a musical style. Muir has picked scores of quotes that also showcase the cleverness with which insults and criticisms could be shared, a trait that I think has faded. Even the quotes that reveal a writer's ability to be completely out of touch show an attempt at sagacity. Here are a few:

[Isaac] Newton, hearing Handel play upon the harpsichord, could find nothing worthy to remark but the elasticity of his fingers. - Joseph Warton, 1797

She was a town-and-country soprano of the kind often used for augmenting grief at a funeral. - George Ade (1866-1944)

All singers have this fault: if asked to sing among friends they are never so inclined; if unasked, they never leave off. - Horace (65-8 BCE)

There are a few moments during her recital where one can relax and feel confident that she will make her goal, which is the end of the song. - Paul Hume, 1950

Duke of Sussex said that the execution of the Russian band was perfect, which I denied, as their hanging was omitted. - Joseph Jekyll, 1837

Classical music is the kind that we keep hoping will turn into a tune. - Kin Hubbard (1868-1930)

Going to the Opera, like getting drunk, is a sin that carries its own punishment with it, and that a very severe one. - Hannah More (1745-1833)

FLUTE, n. A variously perforated hollow stick intended for the punishment of sin, the minister of retribution being commonly a young man with straw-colored eyes and lean hair. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

Perhaps it was because Nero played the fiddle, they burned Rome. - Oliver Herford (1863-1935)

Some new neighbors, that came a month or two ago, brought with them an accumulation of all the things to be guarded against in a London neighborhood, viz., a pianoforte, a lap-dog, and a parrot. - Jane Welsh Carlyle (1801-1866)

Wagner has beautiful moments but awful quarter hours. - Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868)

Dogma, Patriotism Not Ideal

There is no substantial difference between patriotism and dogma. Improvements achieved through the revealing power of dissent is a denied option for each, meaning the denial of evidence for adaptation and change brought forth by new circumstances and better information will result in an eventual collapse. We can do better than to let past decisions based on old information and utterly different circumstances rule our present--or our future.

The Dream

I would love to find a social movement that only attracts assholes accidentally.

SCOTUS: Cheerleaders For Irrationality

The U.S. Supreme Court is supposed to be a chaperone of sorts, one that stops overly emotional and destruction actions by those acting out irrationally (and illegally). Today, however, the court makes up their cheerleading squad.

Credos Do Not Justify Failure

Most people seem to become one-trick ponies in whatever roles they play—bosses, teachers, therapists, parents, preachers, etc.—rarely, if ever, even considering doing something different from what they've done in the past. We all seem to drift toward the eventual development and adoption of a set of inflexible guidelines for ourselves, often described with words like beliefs, rules or credo. But all people and experiences each of us encounter are always unique, requiring successful interactions with the world and with each other to be based on a drastically more flexible approach. We are not helping ourselves when we offer praise to someone who claims that they "at least stood up for what they believed in" when they have failed. That nonsense needs to stop.

Yes, Government Dependence is Necessary

It is a strange twist of thought that some people deride a "dependence on government" as an evil. Of course we depend on government; we would have no civilization without one. To think that a society (or an individual) can exist without depending on what a government provides, one must continually work to keep their thoughts outside of reality. The continued existence of the human race would be short and even more brutal if everyone were to try and live free from the large-scale cooperation and services we all require, ones that can only be produced by a government. Those who continue to yell that a maximum amount of separation between humans is ideal for the sake of the vague idea of free should be seen as a selfish child throwing a temper tantrum when told they need to share their toys--objects they had no part in creating.

Satire: Corporations Collecting Tithes

Okay, everyone else seems to be doing a satire piece on the Hobby Lobby case, so I guess I'll do one too...

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July 2, 2014 (Oklahoma City) - Employees of the Hobby Lobby retain chain will soon have 10 percent of their paychecks withheld for the payment of tithes, a spokesperson for the family that owns the chain said today.

Announcing that the Supreme Court ruling in the Hobby Lobby birth control case is "God's clear sign" that they should step up enforcement of more Biblical mandates, it was declared that the obligatory collection of tithes will play a roll in "divine wrath" from being inflicted on the company or any of its employees now that God's message as been delivered.

"God would not have allowed this ruling to occur if He was against the enforcement of Biblical edicts by corporations," said Malachi Green, a member of the family that owns the craft store chain. "It makes no sense to assume that God only wants us to enforce one of his ancient edits on our employees. This move will also prevent any future divine wrath against anyone getting an income from us."

The tithe collection will begin Aug. 3, 2014 and will be calculated on before-tax wages. "Nowhere in the Bible does it say that taxes should be exempt from the 10 percent tithe requirement," Green said.

The money will be distributed to "real" Christian churches determined by Green family members who will take applications from any church that can prove they "see women as second-class citizens, think Jesus is white and wrote the Constitution, have preached the truth that President Obama is a Muslim who needs to be impeached, regularly insult people living in poverty, have endorsed at least two conspiracy theories," and declare that "God wouldn't have allowed us to invent guns if we weren't supposed to use them in His name." Bonus points will be given for those who promote Fox News as the channel "Jesus uses to speak to America."

"This plan will ensure that our employees get right with God and their money doesn't end up going to 'pretend' Christians," Green declared.

When asked what their next God-directed move might be, Green gave a clue that it might involve women and virginity. "Read Deuteronomy 22," Green hinted.

Corporate Birth Motives Revealing

It's an overlooked point that corporations with the most adamant supporters for personhood overwhelmingly emerge from their birth into the human race as assholes.