The Barstool Experiment

[Jenne]

It doesnt matter what you call it, fact is, you ARE brainwashing / guiding ... ur children. as U pointed out, sometimes u do it on porpose, sometimes (prbly more often) u dont even notice it.
The 2 year old girl / boy does not hold the spoon like daddy because she THINKS it is right or because she likes daddy so much.  she/he does it because its the only person she can imitate properly.
Is that brainwashing?
I say yes, but it has no negative aspects, actually it is necessary.
U might want to use the term "guidance" here because it is necessary.
Still, the point im trying to make is:
Ppl shouldnt bother about if they are brainwashing their children, since they will do it.
Its just important to keep in mind that U are doing it, and teaching the child to think for their own, even if it is a pain in the ass.
HOW to achieve that, i dont know.

Actually, children think on their own all the time.  You don't have to teach a child to be selfish, they come out of the womb that way.

Also, primates MIMIC social behaviors most times, to the point where some cultures don't even overtly parent/rear a child, just expect it to do everything by imitation.  Actual mental and physical coercion varies greatly from sub/culture to sub/culture.

[Jenne]

Jenne--I salute you for actually parenting.

Discord--please to be employing Y and O key. I might be the only one here who finds it difficult to take someone seriously when they are being addressed as "U," in which case I'll shush up. But ow. I am fairly certain you made good points, but I will get back to you on that.

RWHN--You bring up "for the child's safety" and "brainwashing." I completely agree with what you've said, but I just want to bring this up purely for the sake of bringing it up. In the case of many religious parents (such as my aunt and uncle, for example) they think that what they are indoctrinating into their children IS for that child's mortal safety, just as much as teaching them not to jump off the roof is, perhaps even more so. I personally think that's dumb. But how do you determine where the line is drawn? How do you determine when something is actually for the child's safety or if it's simply your own biases coming into play? What's "good" for a kid is so damn subjective.

Of course, I am a prick and will gladly pass judgment on religious people raising their kids as drones, even though I have no children of my own. But we all need our own little foibles, I suppose.

Hey, thanks.  I think I need to work on being that "happy medium" mom where I'm neither bitchy nor ubertehcooltotehmax...but then I think my problems as a parent are my problems as a person.  *shrug*

As to your point about religious people, I think you're 100% spot-on.  And yeah, it's easy as an outsider to judge, but we all do it.  It's just a fact of life, doesn't necessarily make us pricks until we abuse people over it.

[Triple Zero]

since someone asked ..

[saint aini]

Two wealthy snobs were talking in a bar.  Both of them were in fetish attire.

"So, you see that barstool over there.  The atoms are so far apart that it can't hurt you because it's mostly empty space."

"Actually, how do we not know we are not imagining it to exist based on impulses to our optic nerve?"

At that point, the barstool bitchslaps both of them on command of its Master.

[Jasper]

You just wanted to insert fetish attire into it.

[saint aini]

You just wanted to insert fetish attire into it.

That and forniphilia with bratty subs.

The implication is that they're using submissives as barstools.

[Jasper]

Such a rich and nuanced subculture.

[saint aini]

Would you like pictures?

[Jasper]

Have em.  SG FTW.

Added:  Even if it is softcore.

[saint aini]

I was thinking more along the lines of House of Gord.

That guy is a genius.

[Jasper]

I had some plans along those lines eventually, but I'm sticking with what I know until Rev. Michal's up to speed.

[fast speed]

ok here we go.

"lookey here mam... my points are that not only does things we look at sometimes seem unreal, but also our very own existence. "

i mean by this that i do not know for certain that anything exists. that means that i do not know for certain that i myself exist. that is why i chose to make the barstool sapient and sentient. the barstool is a metaphor for all matter as i understand it, both selfconscious and not. in short: in that i am uncertain of everything, i identify myself with the barstool. note that i identify myself with all the basic elements of the parable.

"and if i can think like that, i can certantly not have bill and joe becomming pretentious assholes because i would be one myself..."

i do not think that bill and joe are pretentious assholes. i agree with what they are both saying and if they deserve a beatdown so do i.
if i dont think that they are pretentious assholes in any of the stories then i would be equally surprised if i heard them being called just that in either of the stories.

what i meant by the whole "greatest way to kill me" "come be one of us" rant was that it  seemed to me that i was beeing hated upon by silly silly sillycybin. i did not like that nor did i understand it because the purpose seemed to be to shut me up or test my gusto. i doubt it was the latter but i included it in my advise to ignore someone if what they say is worthless anyway.

and now for lmno.

1. i believe i answered that above.

2.  pretty good. fuck pragmatism in a very secret place. but yeah i did that didnt i... sigh.

3. How would two assholes be enlightened after being hit by a non-sentient barstool?

[fast speed]

lol

[Doktor Loki]

-snip-
1. i believe i answered that above.

2.  pretty good. fuck pragmatism in a very secret place. but yeah i did that didnt i... sigh.

3. How would two assholes be enlightened after being hit by a non-sentient barstool?

fuck pragmatism?  lol.

as for #3, you've never been hit with a barstool whilst having a solopsist conversation, then, I take it?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

3. How would two assholes be enlightened after being hit by a non-sentient barstool?

You would be amazed at what applying hardwood to someone's head can do for their outlook on life.