So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[Harp]

I'm surprised so many Americans still "celebrate" Easter. I'm guessing it's only because the candy, egg, and basket industries have found a way to cash in on it just like...well, everyone...has figured out how to turn Christmas into the biggest money-making holiday in human history.

All due respect, bit cynical. The festive celebratory neither diminish nor obviate Easter's religious significance.
Pax vobiscum babycakes.

 

[Harp]

I'm surprised so many Americans still "celebrate" Easter. I'm guessing it's only because the candy, egg, and basket industries have found a way to cash in on it just like...well, everyone...has figured out how to turn Christmas into the biggest money-making holiday in human history.

All due respect, bit cynical. The festive celebratory neither diminish nor obviate Easter's religious significance.
Pax vobiscum babycakes.

 

[WonkyBloke]

I don't mine the "my truth" thing. It's just a new way of arguing objectivity vs subjectivity, or the old "your mileage may vary". If they said "the norm doesn't apply to me because...", or "I view things differently, due to...", it may be more palatable to though who haven't adopted the new lingo. Wrapping it up as "my truth" differentiates their perspective from others, and doesn't impede on other people's perspectives of the world.

 

[Edward]

Not in MAY!!!!!

Oh, believe me - plenty of us around the world would be very happy to have that year round. I'd like a couple of weeks in August when it got warm just to have the opportunity to wear linen suits and straw. Otherwise, frankly, the warm weather can do one.

This is not trivial, but it does tick me off: the voluminous amount of lies spouted by the lamestream media here, and the way in which millennials fall for everything they say as though it were true. Whatever became of simple commonsense? Didn't their parents guide them through the early part of their lives to any extent, or impart any basic wisdom for living to them at all? And if you try to help or correct them, and they see the truth, they then say, "Oh, that's your truth, but I have my own truth." No, kids, truth is truth. You might believe you can stand in front of the 4:45 bus and not get killed, but you will soon find out that "your" truth is just wishful thinking. The hard way.

I've certainly seen plenty of people fall for misinformation online, though no evidence it pertains to any particular age-group. I did catch on Amazon an interesting short-documentary series in which two conspiracy theorists with whom Sacha Baron Cohen had lived with for a few days in character in one of his Borat films. They looked specifically at the evidence for and against theories these two guys had expressed (things like the Soros / Jewish control myth and such) and considered the evidence, discussed it with them. Interesting to see what they were and were not quite ready to accept, and it was a very sympathetic discussion with the pair, not a hatchet job or making them the butt of the joke. Both men in their middle fifties. I've never seen conspiracies to have a particular age-bias, though I've certainly noticed that they are often more popular in contexts where people's access to verifiable information may be limited. Oddly enough, though, the vast majority of people I've encountered who buy into this sort of stuff tend to be male. No idea if that's coincidence or if there's something about the male psyche which is more susceptible to misinformation.

 

[Harp]

This is not trivial, but it does tick me off: the voluminous amount of lies spouted by the lamestream media here, and the way in which millennials fall for everything they say as though it were true. Whatever became of simple commonsense? Didn't their parents guide them through the early part of their lives to any extent, or impart any basic wisdom for living to them at all? And if you try to help or correct them, and they see the truth, they then say, "Oh, that's your truth, but I have my own truth." No, kids, truth is truth. You might believe you can stand in front of the 4:45 bus and not get killed, but you will soon find out that "your" truth is just wishful thinking. The hard way.

Here Stateside, Chicago Southside, truth, like morality is all relative. Racism is now all the rage, systemic, home-spun,
homicidal-maniacal, window-dressed, name-your-game. And the circumference expands a societal vortex,
all and everything, the entire kit and kaboodle are challenged. Mercurial truth can be discerned but not through
rose colored glasses. The larger media Rex-ers stoke the fire, set agenda whenever wherever. The latest Corona virus
search query back to Genesis Wohan lab mice ignored by mainstream Rex-ers who simply play the blame game-
won't mention any names here-and deliberately ignore the truth expose their charlatan selves.
And it is all so naïve stupid.
I don't even read the sports page anymore....

 

[tonyb]

...

Oddly enough, though, the vast majority of people I've encountered who buy into this sort of stuff tend to be male. No idea if that's coincidence or if there's something about the male psyche which is more susceptible to misinformation.

Without getting into a nature v. nurture debate, it’s all of a piece with how we fellows are more given to “making our mark” on the world, for better or worse, whatever the etiology. We boys, in general, have a far greater need to “win.”

 

[tonyb]

Curious, ain’t it?, that those most given to bashing the “lamestream media” rarely if ever include Fox News in that category. Judging by its ratings, Fox is about as main/lamestream as it gets.

It’s just name-calling, and it tells us more about the name-caller than whatever he may be commenting on.

 

[WonkyBloke]

We boys, in general, have a far greater need to “win.”

Yes absolutely, and to band together against a common enemy (whoever/whatever we may perceive that to be).

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
“Winning” for the sake of winning seems an eternal curse. Sometimes we fail to consider just what our “victory” has netted us. And often, once we’ve vanquished our adversaries, we go in search of another. In the absence of a clear outside enemy, we tend to turn on ourselves.

 

[Harp]

Yes absolutely, and to band together against a common enemy (whoever/whatever we may perceive that to be).

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact.
Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Marcus Aurelius

 

[WonkyBloke]

^^^^^
“Winning” for the sake of winning seems an eternal curse. Sometimes we fail to consider just what our “victory” has netted us. And sometimes, once we’ve vanquished our adversaries, we go in search of another.

I think that at an animalistic level, we tend to need both the company of our pack/tribe/clan/creed, and also a common purpose to bring our communal unit together. Remove that enemy to be defeated, and social cohesion tends to weaken. Introduce a new one, and we metaphorically form ranks again.

It's essentially all "us versus them", but without a "them", "us" has no purpose. Sadly, this means we'll always be fragmented, devisive, squabbling creatures, unless some extraterrestrial "them" forces "us" to forget our differences, and find some commonality.

Although of course, that's all just my own truth

 

[tonyb]

The stovetop is hot (unless it’s one of those newfangled induction jobs), no matter my opinion, no matter my perspective.

 

[Harp]

I think that at an animalistic level, we tend to need both the company of our pack/tribe/clan/creed, and also a common purpose to bring our communal unit together. Remove that enemy to be defeated, and social cohesion tends to weaken. Introduce a new one, and we metaphorically form ranks again.

It's essentially all "us versus them", but without a "them", "us" has no purpose. Sadly, this means we'll always be fragmented, devisive, squabbling creatures, unless some extraterrestrial "them" forces "us" to forget our differences, and find some commonality.

Although of course, that's all just my own truth

Understood. However, societal cohesiveness can form around accepted standards, without need of opposition
to achieve purpose or cause analogous cellular mitosis which metastasize spirit and soul.
Singular and collective own purpose and right within our fallible selves and I choose to admire human nature
and recognize the truth that is life.

 

[Zombie_61]

All due respect, bit cynical. The festive celebratory neither diminish nor obviate Easter's religious significance.
Pax vobiscum babycakes.

Oh, very cynical. In this case, I suppose that comes from years of associating with people who call themselves Christians but really worship "Churchianity", i.e. they go to church on Sunday morning, behave themselves for 45-60 minutes, then go home and go back to drinking and drugging and lying and cheating until the next Sunday; lather, rinse, repeat. Not a whole lot of Pax goin' on around here.

 

[Harp]

Oh, very cynical. In this case, I suppose that comes from years of associating with people who call themselves Christians but really worship "Churchianity", i.e. they go to church on Sunday morning, behave themselves for 45-60 minutes, then go home and go back to drinking and drugging and lying and cheating until the next Sunday; lather, rinse, repeat. Not a whole lot of Pax goin' on around here.

My earlier comment addressed your prior post sole reference commercialism as pertains the holy day.

 

[Zombie_61]

My earlier comment addressed your prior post sole reference commercialism as pertains the holy day.

Yeah, well, I don't know any Boys From Marketing who are true Christians either.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Curious, ain’t it?, that those most given to bashing the “lamestream media” rarely if ever include Fox News in that category. Judging by its ratings, Fox is about as main/lamestream as it gets.

It’s just name-calling, and it tells us more about the name-caller than whatever he may be commenting on.

Don't know much about Fox, being here in Australia, but I'm happy to call out the lamestream media here when you constantly get incidents like this one: A scientist went on to a TV program well known to favour a particular bias, and then went on to criticise a certain radio personality for some scientific facts and figures he presented on air. The rest of the happy gang in the studio chimed in, trying to make the radio presenter out to be an idiot, and irresponsible, and an outright liar. Problem for said scientist and friends, however, was that the next day, the radio presenter appeared on another channel and replayed the interview from which he got the supposedly erroneous and biased facts and figures. The source? The very same scientist who'd tried to make him look stupid the night before, in an interview conducted several years earlier.

If you want to find out what's really going on in this country, you can't switch on the radio or TV, you have to thoroughly research all the facts of a matter for yourself, or else forget it and just swallow the happy pill of media soma Those Who Seek Control want to feed us.

 

[tonyb]

...
If you want to find out what's really going on in this country, you can't switch on the radio or TV, you have to thoroughly research all the facts of a matter for yourself, or else forget it and just swallow the happy pill of media soma Those Who Seek Control want to feed us.

I’ve found myself immune to the evils concocted by “Those Who Seek Control” ever since I did my own research and figured out that the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles. With space lasers, with which they start forest fires.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Well it's fortunately not quite as bad as that here yet, Tony, but give 'em time. They're nothing if not inventive, so I wouldn't be surprised what they come up with next week.

 

[Edward]

Without getting into a nature v. nurture debate, it’s all of a piece with how we fellows are more given to “making our mark” on the world, for better or worse, whatever the etiology. We boys, in general, have a far greater need to “win.”

Yes, I think there's a lot to that analysis - it's what, at least on the 'nurture' side of the argument - is what is widely known as 'toxic masculinity' these days. It also seems to be common among the "left behind" in society. I suppose if people feel like they have lost, there can be an openness to being made to feel that they are in possession of 'special knowledge' - that professor guy might have had all the benefits of formal education, that rich guy has the money, but they know how the world really works, and its' not their fault they've been kept down. I'm not sneering at people when I say this, I should stress: I think to a large extent it's an understandable reaction to a world that seems beyond their control and where they don't feel they have experienced al the wonderful things about our current world that they are told about via media and such. It's not hard to see how people fall prey to these sorts of things. The scary thing are those who would exploit them by deliberately feeding misinformation, whether to attract others to their own, dangerous extremism or - and often this seems somehow worse - to exploit them for a quick buck.

Oh, very cynical. In this case, I suppose that comes from years of associating with people who call themselves Christians but really worship "Churchianity", i.e. they go to church on Sunday morning, behave themselves for 45-60 minutes, then go home and go back to drinking and drugging and lying and cheating until the next Sunday; lather, rinse, repeat. Not a whole lot of Pax goin' on around here.

As the man said, "By their fruits, so shall ye know them".

Whenever I hear people either celebrate or bemoan the vastly dropped off numbers of people attending church (or other forms of worship) regularly, I'm always inclined to the view that there's been no actual change in the number of people who truly believe and live it - it's just no longer a social nicety or of any advantage for the vast majority to be seen to be attending church (exceptions exist, I know Sunday Catholics whose attendance is based on getting their kids into a good school), and so by and large those who keep it going are there because they want to be. Far be it from me to compare myself to the Almighty, but I know I'd rather have a class of 20 students who really want to learn than 200 who are there because they have to be - no matter how capable they are; I kinda often suspect the Big Man might feel the same.