macphysto

Just to clarify, Maher's actual statement (linked by you on November 22) was "Ultimatums don't make people rethink their politics, they make them rethink you." I modified it to suit my comment about Kevin Veegan's Facebook post. I don't know the details about why you stopped eating meat, Cap'n. I described my epiphany on November 13, and it didn't happen because I was scolded, ridiculed, or smacked upside the head with sarcasm. My unwitting "guru" didn't browbeat me with her vegetarianism. She simply and eloquently responded to my question "Why are you a vegetarian?" I'm following her sterling example. I'm not badgering carnivores about their (to me, heartless) diet. I'm like Dracula, figuratively speaking. I must first be invited into the conversation. I don't just rudely and self-righteously pounce on meat eaters, fangs bared, eyes a-blaze bellowing, "VILLAINS! FOR SHAME! REPENT" Holier-than-thou is not a good look on me . . . or anyone, IMO.

No apology necessary, Lindy. It seems the stylish, 50+ traveling gals privatized their Facebook club. That would be my cue to remove the listing from my previous post. But if the FB group interests you, I'll leave it be.

I don't know why some people think that scolding, ridiculing, and sarcasm are effective methods of persuasion. At the risk of incurring your ire, Cap'n, I agree with Bill Maher (and I'm paraphrasing), ridiculing doesn't make people rethink their behavior; it makes them rethink you. The adage "You catch more flies with honey than you'll catch with vinegar" applies. Although, excrement probably catches the most flies, so . . . so much for that "wise old saying." A better, more successful strategy to entice carnivores toward veganism or vegetarianism is to attract them with tantalizing descriptions of how delicious dairy-free substitutes and meatless comestibles are. Ultimately, everyone's taste buds are different. Some folks will never enjoy oat milk, soy milk, tofu, or an eggplant burger (Present! I hate eggplant!). But some adventurous explorers with willing palates might. There are beaucoup non-dairy and meatless plant-based alternatives on the market, some of which, to me, are very tasty! I'll give a shout-out to Field Roast Grains Meat Company Smoked Apple & Sage Plant-Based Sausages, Daring Original Shredded Plant Chicken, Beyond Burgers and Impossible Burgers, Alpha Foods Grilled Chik'n Strips (lamentably, no longer available at supermarkets near me), and Tofurky Plant-Based Deli Slices. Vegan Kevin needs to toss out the vinegar and replace it with honey . . . and take a spoonful himself to sweeten his sour disposition.

I second the motion. Perhaps create a "Gender Politics" forum. As for men deserving societal criticism and blame, men have mothers who are partially responsible for the type of men that their sons become. BobDylan, in the poll Is U.S. ready for a woman president? , you and I broached the subject of women who support and perpetuate The Patriarchy. I was hoping more nBP members -- particularly women members -- would weigh in on that subject. Instead: crickets. Therein lies the problem. No argument from me that "toxic masculinity" is damnable. Likewise, I agree that American men (I am ignorant about male upbringing in other countries) are deserving of criticism and blame -- but only 50%.

All I know about Scott Galloway is what I've seen in the interviews on MS NOW, the Anderson Cooper 360° snippet shared by V.3, and The Daily Show clip. I agree with much of what he said during those interviews. But from an admittedly irrational and visceral standpoint, I'm not a fan. I dislike his looks, manner, and (from what I've seen) personality. He strikes me a huckster hawking his neurosis about a condition (being a man) that, to me, is old news. Feh! Marketers-cum-quasi-sociologists set my teeth on edge. But, that is my neurosis. I entirely agree. I am not pro feminist (Pleased to meet you. Hope you guess my name.) and am not receptive to -- and certainly not swayed by -- lectures from men who are pro feminists. IMO, the argument that "men must stand up to other men" fails because Man (in the broadest sense of the word) is not a monolithic species. There is no "hive mentality" among humankind. Viz., we the people are not all one.

Ditto. I'm not buying Professor Galloway's "the sky is falling" alarm strictly on his say-so. I need more data from other studies. Here's an expanded interview, about the same topic, with Galloway on The Daily Show. A sidebar to the Anderson Cooper and TDS clips is the disappointing December 18 discussion Misogyny Has Gone Mainstream. What Can be Done? on the KQED radio show Forum. Disappointing (to me) because, aside from the male host, the participants were entirely women, making the discussion, IMO, a hen party -- more specifically, a hen-pecking party. Based on my parents' stormy marriage* and my own similarly tempestuous relationships with women, I more and more believe that men and women aren't compatible. I reckon that two homosexuals paired together makes for a happier, more harmonious match.** After all, they're not called gay for nothing, right? * I am the product of a mixed marriage. Pater was a man. Mater was a woman. So, as you might suspect, there were problems. ** Three or more homosexuals paired together makes for an orgy or a disco or both.

I describe the world as it is because that is the world that I live in, Cap'n. I can hope for and dream of a better world -- but I must live in The Real World. I can join other fellow travelers to work toward and fight for a better world -- the better world that I want but, at my age, shall never see. I have seen a lot of change during my lifetime. Change in America. Change in the world. Change in societal and cultural mores. Change wrought by science and technology. Change birthed by the arts. Change for the better and change for the worse. Yet though I have seen a lot of change, I am always sobered by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr's maxim "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."* I have seen a lot of change. But not enough of the change that I want to see. Michelle Obama would agree with you. Last week on MS NOW she chastised the "entitled" studio audience and at-home viewers for giving in to despair and hopelessness and giving up the fight. Because giving up, she lectured, is denying children today and future generations the right to a better future. The rights, benefits, and privileges that we have today were bestowed upon and bequeathed to us by our ancestors who struggled, fought, and died for us so that we could have better lives than they had. We owe them tribute for their victories and their sacrifices as much as we owe the generations who follow us a better tomorrow. To wit, we need to keep our eyes on the prize -- and that prize is children. * The more things change, the more they stay the same. This is the third time that I have employed Karr's aphorism on nBP. It probably won't be the last.

I earnestly wish that I could agree with you, Cap'n. But I cannot because we, in fact, do not all want the same things. The state of the world and the behavior of Man are irrefutable testaments to that tragic reality. Yes, we are all human. But, we are not all humane. . . . and that we have laws, police, and government confirms and affirms that everyone does not believe that "we are the same things." That holy precept, created by Man, is much exalted, oft quoted, abidingly taught, and casually obeyed. Like a New Year's resolution, it is a commitment and ambition that is not always achieved. . . . maybe tomorrow. Maybe next year. More likely, never.

I entirely agree with you, BD. However, I once worked with a hardcore right-winger who would bellyache about having to pay taxes to support schools. “I don’t have kids!” ,he’d kvetch. Again, I’m on your wavelength. But, my hackles get raised whenever I hear or read “We all” or “Everybody.”

A safe neighborhood, I won't argue about, scarylibrarian. But, not everyone wants to be a homeowner or a parent.

Are any of these the Facebook posts that you wanted to promote, Lindy? A Fly Guy's Cabin Crew Lounge My America Solo in Style: Women 50+ Travelling & Loving It!

During today's broadcast pf the Ralph Nader Radio Hour, Executive Director of the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Illinois Sarah Moskowitz is interviewed. She addresses Ralph's questions about how A.I. data centers are causing electric bills to skyrocket. . . . yet another episode in the familiar American, capitalist horror story Privatizing the Gain and Socializing the Pain. What's Spiking Your Electric Bill?

"Unfortunately for them, the diner is closed."

If aliens from other worlds are truly superior to earthlings, they know better than to visit, let alone help, us.

The same A.I. conceived, created, and hyped by humans? Pull the other one, Cap'n. I can imagine a variation of that argument being made about almost every invention during The Industrial Age and The Information Age. Inventions that subsequently contributed to the corruption and destruction of the environment. IMO, expecting A.I. to save us from ourselves is like expecting a fox to guard a henhouse. Hit it, Mr. Jordan.

I am a fellow cynic and I approve this message.

Well. There's no accounting for tastes, is there. Thank you, BobDylan, for your kind response.

A danger that you're not addressing, Cap'n, is the destructive environmental impact of A.I. data centers. One thing that really bugs me about idealistic, starry-eyed futurists is how they eagerly go All In for The Next Big Thing and display little or no regard for the potential and actual disastrous consequences as they blithely and confidently lead The Common Clay towards Utopia and Nirvana. Such appalling nonchalance strikes me as sociopathic. California’s AI Data Centers Taking Growing Environmental Toll A.I. Is on the Rise, and So Is the Environmental Impact of the Data Centers That Drive It

Hold up! Let me put some clothes on! Ready! This is the kind of situation that I simultaneously eschew and welcome. Eschew because my response will alienate people. Welcome because my response will alienate people. By the way, that clipping sound you hear? That's me "nipping it in the bud." 1. Who cares what I think? My thoughts, ideas, and perspective are not profound, stimulating, or interesting. To apply comedian Robert Klein's impression of President Gerald Ford: I am a mediocre man. Nothing to see here, Folks. Move along. 2. V.3, you wrote to BobDylan that he was more social than you are. I'll wager that you are more social than I am, Cap'n. Indeed, I bet that I would win in an nBP Most Antisocial Member competition. I am reclusive and misanthropic by nature and in real life. Earlier this year I had to attend a "fun" team-building event during which attendees were instructed to share pictures and stories about their personal histories. While listening to my colleagues regale everyone about their "fascinating" lives, I had to mightily resist the urge to scream, "Just call me Jimmy Crack Corn, y'all. Because I . . . DON'T . . . CARE!" When it was my turn to share, I frostily informed the room, "My personal life is private." Andy Warhol acutely predicted*, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." Unfortunately and annoyingly as far as I am concerned, Warhol was right. In the 21st century, "thanks" to the Internet, everyone can stand on his/her cyberspace soapbox and shout "Look at me, World! Here I am!" to claim his/her "right" to fame. So what? and Big Whoop is my reaction. All of which begs the question, "If you feel that way, what the hell are you doing on newBluePlanet, Hypocrite macphysto?" A fair question. What can I say? I'm like Shaft. I'm a complicated man but no one understands me but my woman. And even she doesn't understand me! THAT'S how complicated I am! * Actually, he didn't.

Just the response that I would expect from AI, "Bob."

I joined Bluesky this past spring, but deactivated my account after three months. It wasn't my "cup of tea." However, I very briefly reactivated it last month strictly to promote newBluePlanet (or NewBluePlanet . . . correct spelling, please, Site Captain!). I think "word of mouth" is the type of promotion that V.3 wants, right, Cap'n? Besides acquiring more members, nBP needs more participation by members in its forums. I see that membership is increasing and I sometimes see a lot of "guests" online (some of who are probably lurking nBP members). But, I don't see an increase in forum action. Très disappointing.

With all due respect and with neither malice nor offense intended . . . Are you . . . uhhh . . . (Ahem!) are you AI, Cap'n? An entirely sensible question these days, I think. In fact -- show of hands, please -- How many of you members are AI? That's okay, you don't have to answer. I have my suspicions. And just because I'm paranoid . . . . . . doesn't mean y'all aren't out to get me.

Ahem! W-h-y are you collaborating with "The Enemy," Cap'n? Such fraternizing does not bode well for Mankind, IMO. Resistance is futile. Surrender. Obey. Conform.

We both know the score on that comparison, BD.

I had the same thought while watching One to One: John & Yoko. Lennon had adopted New York City (and ergo the USA) as his new home. While living in America, he was constantly worried about being deported. Had that happened and had he returned to the UK, I cannot help but wonder if he might still be around today.