Newgrounds.com — Everything, By Everyone.

At 11/27/06 03:40 PM, Grammer wrote: Ha, join UPS. They have a referral program where you can earn $50 if a person you refer is hired. Do ya think that counts over the internet? Hehe.

Naw, the USPS is where it's at. Don't have that shit-brown color scheme.

Man, what did I make? I think I was making $12 an hour as a clerk. Sorting mail and packages, stuffing PO boxes, etc. Plus I always got a few hours of overtime a week. Man, it was a shitty job but it paid well and physical to boot.

I'm thinking about reapplying after graduation, being a letter carrier this time around. I think starting pay is in the $16-18 range, and ya get great benefits. Still be able to freelance on the side.

How did you do that?

Noob. =D

At 11/27/06 12:33 PM, Grammer wrote:

At 11/27/06 09:48 AM, RedSkunk wrote: Considering the fact that I've never gotten one in three years here, I'd have to say that, "no, it's not automatically sent out."

Blank post.

At 11/27/06 10:47 AM, lapis wrote: So .... what do you think? Fun experiment or unnecessary chore?

YES.

I'm up for either a range or ranking system.

At 11/27/06 04:48 AM, Camarohusky wrote:

At 11/26/06 06:09 PM, tawb wrote: I thought those sliding doors were called french doors. America has culture, And it's copied a fair amount around the world.

Haha, no.

Yeah, French doors are two doors, but they swing. Sliding glass doors are.. Well. Sliding glass doors.

At 11/26/06 10:53 PM, Gunter45 wrote: I think part of it stems from the fact that America is still a relatively new nation. Other nations have had hundreds and thousands of years to really establish a rich history.

Off the top of my head.. Aren't most modern European nations younger than the US? Definitely almost every country in Africa, S. & Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia... I don't think this particular argument holds water.

Considering the fact that I've never gotten one in three years here, I'd have to say that, "no, it's not automatically sent out."

Live it up, wanker. You'll die a cold, lonely death. =]

At 11/26/06 09:04 AM, SomeNick wrote: The world would be far better if it would be controlled by some kind of (genuine) artificial intelligence, someday.

Al Gore doesn't count?

I don't know if absolute social equality is manageable, but relative economic equality is..

But in either case, communism is an economy system, if I'm not mistaken, and I don't really think it's the place of an economic system to dictate social status. But social status comes partially as a result of the system (ie., wealth and higher social standing), so it would follow that status as a result of great wealth would be negligible in a communist system.

So what was the question? Is social equality a realistic outcome in a communist society? Well, yes, absolutely. Or at least, in comparison to liberal market societies.

At 11/26/06 04:46 AM, Camarohusky wrote: Woot for American duplicity! I can give it in any hole I want, but no reach around! Awesome! USA! USA!

LOL.

It's not about Bush, it's about whether or not neoconservative ideology plays into the hands of communists.

*sigh*

noob.

Recently in a class, a peer went on a lengthy tirade about how she felt cheated because her family had been in America for generations, "coming over on the Mayflower." She did not have a culture to connect to, like others who might have Italian or Irish descendants.

The whole American, liberal ideology of individualism, of singular, equal humans who are "blank slates," had really gotten to her. But I felt as if this whole attitude was shockingly absurd and racist. On the one hand, we have these foreign cultures with their exotic foods, dances, languages. And then we have the universalist individual, the American who has no shared culture or positive attributes. Most ironic to me, was the fact that this was the last class before our weeklong Thanksgiving Break, a holiday wholly American.

This position of hers does two things in my mind. First, it reinvents the Noble Savage. Even if we're talking about old-world Europeans here, they are romanticized. Americans with European roots can pull positive traits from their ancestors – Italians who make proper spaghetti for instance, or personality traits from a certain homeland. Non-Americans are seen as to be having rich, varied cultures and histories – but all of them, a single, identifiable culture. There is a homogenous French culture, a German one, etc. This seems pretty naive to me.

At the same time, it's assumed that Americans really are the universalist individuals that we paint ourselves to be. American exceptionalism is alive and well in this student's mind, unwittingly. We're a "melting pot" or whatever nonsense you wish to call it.

My biggest problem with this student's rant is that heritage seems to be an entirely racial thing. She spent a semester in Ghana and loved it there, and it further fueled her feelings. In reality, I don't see anything exceptional about the American case. First of all, because I don't see racial divides as being the most important thing in determing a cultural identity. You or I could rattle off a thousand different things that are uniquely American and shared by the great bulk off people living in the US. But my classmate doesn't want to hear of it, because she doesn't identify or relate – or see the value in – many of these things.

For that matter, neither do I. The single thing I like about Thanksgiving is the meal. The single thing I like about x-mas is the fact that it's an excuse for me to charge things on my credit card (ostensibly "gifts" from my parents). Oh, and the time off from classes. That's cool too.

But at the same time, while I don't value these things, I still acknowledge that they're a part of a shared American culture. How many non-Americans celebrate Thanksgiving? On the flip side – how many non-Christians do you know who still celebrate the holiday season? I'm one.

So it comes down to her not accepting her culture. And this does not seem to be a uniquely American phenomenon.

Thoughts?

1. Basic Marxist theory states a progression towards communism. There are several steps here – the transformation to a global capitalist economy being one of the first. We're still in this stage, if you accept Marx and the natural progression of things.

2. The invasion of Iraq today is ostensibly chalked up to creating a global, liberal market economy. Hussein did not play by the rules of the game, so he was removed. Iraq can now play the game.

3. The expressed purpose of the Neocon agenda is a unilateral world: US hegemony. The benefits are said to be numerous. Including the idea that such a world is stable and reinforces liberal markets.

4. It would seem that the Neocons are then playing into the hands of Marxist theory. The economy of Iraq has all but been sold to foreign interests. Fortunes will be made and sent back to the home (shall we say colonial?) powers. If we accept the transformation to a communist economy that Marx predicted, then the invasion of Iraq is helping to create a worldwide communist future. The Iraqis will realize this plundering, and become part of the whole workers revolution jazz. Before, with Hussein in control, such a realization couldn't take place.

So my question becomes this.. Are George W. Bush and the Neocons that run him conscious of their communist tendencies, or are they simply unwitting pawns?

At 11/26/06 02:40 PM, Grammer wrote: Who's setting up the Political Awards thread? RedSkunk, right?

I have some suggestions for new awards if you dun mind

Ya read Dredd's post? It's been a different user every year. But if Dredd wants to do it again, that's fine by me. I have no interest running it this year. And a lot of the newer users don't even know what the hell the year-end awards are, so..

And of course, awards change yearly based on whatever the person in charge thinks.

And I'd just like to be a nominee for every award yet win none of them again this year. It's my shtick. =]

At 11/25/06 07:32 PM, RydiaLockheart wrote: Yeah, it's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it's 66 degrees out.

Hush, this weather is awesome. I woke up at noon today, I walked out of my house with my coat expecting 40s, and BAM. Beautiful. Fuck the christmas spirit. I'd rather not freeze any day of the week.

Oh, but Santa is bringing me camber plates and springs for my car... =]

Or maybe a header.. mmm...

At 11/25/06 08:59 PM, TheShrike wrote: oi what's this?

Oy. I should have your number, I would have totally dropped by last Monday night. Instead I drove straight from Atlanta to Ithaca. It was hardcore, yo.

At 11/25/06 11:20 PM, I7REI7I7 wrote: It's almost time for NGP elections, so i expect that'll shake thing up a bit..

Woot.

yawn.

Longer exposure.

At 11/22/06 05:16 PM, Imperator wrote: Which is fine right up to addressing a public crowd. I have no problem insulting people either, but as soon as I say it in front of other people (instead of a private one on one), all hell breaks loose.

Your post made no sense. I didn't say that I "don't have a problem insulting people." I said I don't have a problem not insulting people. Which means I don't accidently walk around calling people niglets and spics. And if you do actually "accidently" say these sorts of things, it's more of a reflection on you than "PC culture."

You need to calm down a little for these rants. I can almost feel the spittle hitting my face.

Oh, the Kramer thing. Yeah, he's an asshole. Big surprise there, eh?

At 11/21/06 11:25 PM, Imperator wrote: It actually kinda irritates me, cause I am quite tired of having to watch what I say, and to whom I say it. One slip of the tongue and you're ruined in today's world, and it really sucks. We are expected to be perfect, never doing wrong, never out of place, never making mistakes.

Let me preface this by saying I don't know what the fuck you're all talking about. But do you really need to watch what you're saying and to whom all the time? I think that might say more about you than popular society. I have no problem not insulting people on a day to day basis...

At 11/22/06 01:17 AM, JoS wrote: Why does it seem ever thread I post in dies as soon as I post, with or without a lock?

I can explain the "with lock" scenario for you if you're really stumped Rugby...

At 11/20/06 10:59 PM, stafffighter wrote: Well I have other interests than hopelessly hitting on you. If you can't deal with that I'll stalk someone else.

Is hitting on different people on the internet really considered "other interests"?

Man, some asshole trucker with a load of poorly wrapped mulch or rocks or something created a big (read - small) ding in my hood! First ding on the entire car. Scraped a bit of paint too, I'm so pissed. Driving the car in the winter is going to be so saddening.

Ahh. Spartanville, South Carolina. $58 double hotel rooms with free WiFi. Life doesn't get much better than that, huh?

Oh, wait. It does. My entire trip is being funded by the student government association.

Score. =]

Now if only I could get in touch with shrike to get a place to sleep Monday night...

607-339-7562;....

At 11/16/06 04:48 PM, Draconias wrote: It's all a question of "Do the ends justify the means?" Scientists haven't really shown that stem cells actually can treat those diseases, and embryoes are not the only source of stem cells, just the easiest.

No, embryos are not necessarily "easier" than other sources, but yes, science has shown the worth of stem cells. The byline of easily found article says, "Scientists have used stem cells from human bone marrow to repair defective insulin-producing pancreatic cells responsible for diabetes in mice."

One example.

K, then I should have left it at my first post in the thread.

... *leaves it at that*

*whistles*

some good ol' double-post whoring to make up for my absence...

Hey, I have a gold whistle now too! Was wondering why my whistle hadn't changed when they changed it.. Neat.

At 11/16/06 01:06 PM, Freakapotimus wrote: Also Easily mispronounced domain names.

LOL.

What are you arguing here lazydrunk? I have no response because I have no idea what you're trying to say. It seems as if, boiled down to its core, you're trying to justify genocide because a certain group of people have nothing of value in your eyes and might possibly be dangerous.

Just realized that the link was from a database that everyone might not have access to. This is a talk that he's given on the same subject. Slightly different but I think it hits the essential points.

At 11/16/06 12:10 PM, LazyDrunk wrote: So, if the leadership of a nation isn't responsible for this culture, who is?

Read Timothy Mitchell's McJihad. I found it to be illuminating.

Otherwise, I think a lot of your post is overly simplistic and ignoring the historical realities. The conservative Iranian government is a result / reaction against perceived westernization / secularization of the Middle East, of which the US has been the leader. The animosity towards Israel is obvious not only because of Israel's actions but because of how they function as a stalwart, an outpost of said westernization. Nazi Germany is too easy but I'll use it. The popular support of the Nazi regime did not mean that Germans were universally bad people at that time. They were reacting to the structural and historical realities of the situation. They didn't become Nazis because it's a great theory, they did it because it made sense taking into consideration things. Someone needed to be blamed, the spirit of the German people needed to be raised.

Humans aren't agents of change. Their actions are the manifestation of systems. Because a group of people believe something [we perceive as] ass-backwards doesn't mean it makes sense to slaughter them.

But read McJihad.

The fact that the US itself doesn't rely heavily on Iraq oil doesn't mean the invasion wasn't about oil.

It's probably important to acknowledge this, because it lessens the idea that some might have of American exceptionalism in this case. The reason Mexicans come to the states is for better living conditions. The fact that other countries have worse conditions than Mexico shouldn't surprise anyone. And the fact that some flee to Mexico shouldn't either.