The Kurgan Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 From that absolutely brilliant essay: One may object that there have been conspiratorial acts in history, and there is nothing paranoid about taking note of them. This is true. All political behavior requires strategy and many strategic acts depend for their effect upon a period of secrecy, and anything that is secret may be described, often with but little exaggeration, as conspiratorial. The distinguishing thing about the paranoid style is not that its exponents see conspiracies or plots here and there in history, but that they regard a "vast" or "gigantic" conspiracy as the motive force in historical events. History is a conspiracy set in motion by demonic forces of almost transcendent power, and what is felt to be needed to defeat it is not the usual methods of political give-and-take, but an all-out crusade. This was true in Hofstadter's time and it is even more true today. From those who see vaccines as some kind of big pharma, "new world order" take over scheme to those who see Disney princesses as a device of the patriarchy to condition women for domestic subservience and so much else, MOST social and political discourse Stateside these days is increasingly coming from an armed camp, siege mentality. This is but one example of the consequences of there being such a toxic political environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Skywalker Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Kurgan, my daughter has decided that Princesses are lame, so she wants to be a boy since they have more fun. To the point where she put on her astronaut hat and paraded around singing, "I'm the Man I'm the Man I'm the Man I'm the Man". My black feminist heart broke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kurgan Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 she put on her astronaut hat and paraded around singing, "I'm the Man I'm the Man I'm the Man I'm the Man"Now you got that old Anthrax tune playing in my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolence Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Heaven help her if it's not just a phase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Jade Skywalker Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I'll justify my response, if that's what we're doing now: saying that everyone who goes to Disney is a pathetic wannabe princess loser with mental problems is like saying all nerds are virgins who live in their parents' basements. It's lazy and out of touch. If you really want to rag on Disney people (and I know because I am one), you need to mention obsessive planners and parents who think their little princess deserves not to wait in any lines and parents who think that interacting with any princess-oriented thing will make their son gay and the Brazilian tour groups, my god the Brazilian tour groups, not to mention the Asian tourists and their selfie sticks, and the scooter people who zoom in front of you and the double-wide stroller that jabs into your ankles and the huge family reunions with no sense of spatial awareness. The middle aged women who love princesses don't even really factor into the craziness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Skywalker Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Brazilian tour groups make me want to cut someone. Heaven help her if it's not just a phase.Eh, I went through it, too, at about this age. Hopefully mom the engineer can be a good role model to prove girls have just as much fun, and usually with better clothes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Jade Skywalker Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Brazilian tour groups make me want to cut someone. Go Green was out in force two weeks ago. I stopped counting the number of times I got stuck in their crowds. They didn't seem as loud and obnoxious as usual, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacen123 Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Uggh. A commenter on a local news site questioned whether the measles outbreak began with the vaccinated or unvaccinated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pong Messiah Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Kurgan, my daughter has decided that Princesses are lame, so she wants to be a boy since they have more fun. To the point where she put on her astronaut hat and paraded around singing, "I'm the Man I'm the Man I'm the Man I'm the Man". My black feminist heart broke.Whoa... you just brought on a weird flashback, Destiny. One of my friends had no interest in normal kid toys as a little girl (would prefer an encyclopedia for Christmas), and when excited, would run in circles around the dining room table repeatedly exclaiming "I'm a satellite, I'm a satellite, I'm a satellite!" It would go on for several minutes. Her dad thought it was funny and clever, but it worried and annoyed her mom. Sadly, she turned her back on science as an adult, and while not a full-on anti-vaxxer, is "keeping an open mind" on the idea that vaccines, fluoride, GMOs, etc. are part of a larger conspiracy (larger conspiracy to do what I'm not sure). No word yet on chemtrails, but I'll keep you posted. OMG I have to find out now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerina Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Kurgan, my daughter has decided that Princesses are lame, so she wants to be a boy since they have more fun. To the point where she put on her astronaut hat and paraded around singing, "I'm the Man I'm the Man I'm the Man I'm the Man". My black feminist heart broke.My son spends more time planning his wedding, future bride, and future children than my husband is comfortable with. So take that, gender norms! Put me down as an obsessive/excessive Disney planner as well. Touring Plans baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kurgan Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I just laugh at the obsessive Disney planners. You guys can have it. All I can think about is how expensive it would be: to get in, to eat crappy concession stand food, to buy tacky crap from the gift shop. Traffic getting there. Parking. Line ups to get in. Line ups at all the rides and attractions. Crowds. Ugh. Count me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerina Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Uhh...excessive planning cuts out, well, all of that. Seriously. Last time, we didn't wait more than 15 minutes for a single attraction. Actually, Disney doesn't even have much crappy concession stand food. I mean, it's there, but most of the food is excellent. Even the counter service stuff is much more than hotdogs, hambugers, and chicken strips. You can get pretty decent BBQ, stirfry, half a chicken, lobster rolls, chili, a variety of salads, tacos, etc. You just need to know which restaurants to go to, which you'd totally already know if you planned ahead. And that's just at the Magic Kingdom. The food choices in Epcot or Animal Kingdom are phenomenal, whether you choose to sit down and eat at a restaurant or order from the quick service places. Seriously, going to Disney World is nothing like going to Six Flags or any other theme park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumberSix Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Yeah, if this turns into a "Six Flags sucks" thread, count me in. We've been to three of 'em and that was 2½ more than we needed to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Heh. I would rather go to the zoo and be yelled at by PETA than go to Six Flags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerina Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Hey Spam, remember Fiesta Texas back before Six Flags bought and ruined it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 heh yeah. My senior year at Katy High School I went on a trip to Fiesta Texas. It was way better. I've been many times after with the school kids on field trips at the end of the year and every year my experience gets worse. I think part of it is the luster of something new has worn off. Even with the new roller coaster because they tore the Rattler down it is just long waits and not a lot of fun. I used to work at Astro World. I was head person in charge of gum scraping and got promoted to selling stuffed animals at one of the kiosks. Now that I think about it... perhaps my experiences with amusement parks do color my reaction to Disneyland/world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copper Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I like Disney. The last time I went was when my nieces were tiny little things and they loved it. I like going to get the gumbo and eating in that one restaurant that's inside The Pirates of The Caribbean. It's silly and fun. I also am very fond of the Haunted Mansion. Disneyland has a special place in my heart because it's the only vacation we ever went on when I was a child; we didn't have much money, but Mom made sure to take us to Disney. It was really special because of that. Granted, I don't get the obsession that people have with it but I *do* understand obsession, so I don't think about it too much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Skywalker Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Right now one of my friends who is a foster mom is on the rampage because the state told her that they all need to get their flu shot or they're pulling their foster license and taking the kid. I think foster parents have to jump through a lot of hoops, but just get the damn shot already. No one wants a baby to get the flu and be hospitalized or worse. It's called CYA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest El Chalupacabra Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 The way I understand how vaccinations and immunity works, the more people who participate in it, the higher percentage of herd immunity. Back in the 1980s when MMR was at its peak, there was a herd immunity that all but eradicated measles. Then wacky parents started opting out, because of some half-baked conspiracy theories, thus dropping the percentage for herd immunity. So, thanks to dumb ass parents, these diseases started making a come back. Simply put, people who don't vaccinate themselves or their kids aren't just hurting themselves, but putting society at large at risk, too, because for MMR immunity to work, as close to everyone as possible has to participate for it to be as effective as possible. I'm not necessarily saying MMR shots should be compulsory, but if crazy parents don't want to vaccinate their kids, then those same parents shouldn't be allowed to enroll their kids into public school. And as for foster parents, foster kids are basically wards of the state, and the state SHOULD step in if said foster parents aren't vaccinating them, and take the kids out of that home, just like any other case of neglect. Vaccinations should simply be part of the deal, if foster parents want to take care of foster kids. It's pretty clear cut to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolence Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 It's really a simple, voluntary thing. You choose to vaccinate and be a productive, contributing member of society. Or you don't, and you go live on "crazy island" with all the other wackos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie Mathison Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I'm not necessarily saying MMR shots should be compulsory, but if crazy parents don't want to vaccinate their kids, then those same parents shouldn't be allowed to enroll their kids into public school. Why shouldn't they be compulsory? Stopping kids from enrolling in school may help, but it's not like that's the only time unvaccinated kids go out in public. This recent measles outbreak stemmed from Disneyland, not school. To me, it's real simple. You either get vaccinated or you forfeit citizenship and get deported to Africa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie Mathison Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Oh and by "you," I mean, the parents who make these decisions for their children. No reason why the children have to suffer. They stay here and become wards of the state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pong Messiah Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 hey.A guy I know who thinks marijuana + "ethical" (i.e. vegan) diet = no cancer evar just posted this article: Wow: Italian Court Rules Vaccine Caused Autism: US Media Blacks Out Story! It's been so "blacked out," he's only getting it to us from 2012 today! Sounds serious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Ender Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Let's just pretend that vaccinations do cause an increased risk of autism. Going with that premise, it bothers me that these parents would rather take a risk that their child will DIE from a preventable disease than risk having a child with autism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pong Messiah Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 but autism is the WORST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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