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I found this fascinating.

http://hint.fm/wind/

Today, kansas appears to suck more than usual.

I read this thread, and then while cruising the internet on work-related business, I came across this:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/08/13/trapwire_internet_rumors_about_the_surveillance_software_aren_t_based_in_reality_.html

I'm not saying that the gov't doesn't watch us with their baleful eye-in-the-pyramid and all, and that there is little we can do about it.  But it sounds like this TRAPWIRE isn't what it is being billed as.

The legendary Bob Ross in "Happy Little Clouds"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLO7tCdBVrA&feature=g-logo-xit

Put an arm on it!

What would Bryce Shivers do with this?

1.  I'm aware of what "the brown acid" is.  I have running sores older than you.

2.  What pissed me off was the incredibly condescending manner of your post, and the passive-aggressive follow ups.

3.  I'll let this go.  You might consider reading your posts from the other guy's POV before posting.  It is entirely possible to get your point across without sounding like you're talking to a 10 year old.

I'll take you at your word that you are ancient, but I find it hard to believe that you are that much older than I.  Not that it matters.

I think these kinds of forums make it excruciatingly easy to both give and take offense.  I rarely intend to give offense, and I do my best to not take it.  I'm not always perfect at either.

I've always tried to consider both my audience and my message when writing.  Perhaps I've misread this audience, perhaps I'm much more abrasive than I thought.  But in general, I will stand by what I've written and will try to clarify if I haven't communicated my intent appropriately.  In a place where the meaning of words is debated regularly, I would imagine this is necessary frequently.  I can see how my post could have been taken that way, and it sounds like you respect that it wasn't my intention.  I'm more than happy to consider constructive criticism, and will do my best to heed your recommendations.

The brown acid is a reference to a quote from the original woodstock. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=brown%20acid

I was referring to the third definition given in the link. "3. Something that was supposed to be pleasurable but turned out nightmarish."

There was no intent to accuse you of any specific act of any kind.  I did not mean to devalue your opinion.  It is a valid opinion.

I do maintain that it is largely negative in nature.  That's ok with me, but I try to keep more positive about things.  The point of my post was to show that contrast.  I thought the brown acid metaphor was appropriate, because it addressed how people can choose to have a negative experience if they want and nobody can stop them.

I expect part of this misunderstanding is due to vastly dissimilar experiences.  I don't think that should keep us from being able to along though.

I'm sorry, did I tell you how to be a discordian?  I thought that I gave my perspective on the issues you brought out in your original post.  I'm fine with you believing what you want, like I could stop you if I wanted.

I did not mean to imply that you were on drugs, it was a metaphor.  I'm so very, very sorry that it offended you.  But offending you appears to be very easy.

I'm probably done for today.  I'll be back, at some point.  I likely won't go through all of your invective to respond to every attack you've come up with (you are prolific).

I will reply when I feel I might be able to add something.

The first thing I thought of when reading these questions was the conundrum of Thomas Jefferson.  He understood the underlying moral issues with slavery, and maybe even saw the untenable nature of that institution as a lasting economic base.  He wrote documents propounding the moral failure of slavery, but continued to practice it regardless.  How should we judge him?  As a complete hypocrite who would not implement what he felt in his heart to be true?  Or as a visionary who saw what was right and laid the framework for it to gain ascendancy, even though he couldn't realize it in his life?  There is value in both of those perspectives, and to many others, I'm sure.  The lesson I take from this, is that even making small changes, can have large effects well beyond the small world I inhabit.

Learn to [/tag], wlfjstr.

Also, that is an unfortunate stance to hold.  Society in theory is a good thing, but society in reality, at least the American one, which is the only one I know, in reality it allows the people who hold power to crush and terrorize the people who don't hold power.

Realizing that you have a voice and using it is a way to fight against the reality of societal power, given enough voices. 

"Allowing billions of people the chance to work together to create something bigger than themselves?"  Well, that would be nice, in theory, if there weren't a small but vocal (there's some people who've found their voice) percentage of the population who want you to be re-educated, or jailed, or killed, simply because you don't believe the same things they do.  Their vocalness serves the people who hold power, and the people who hold power tell the people who tell people things to tell the people with no power that this is what most people want, and then most people, who don't think they have a voice, go along with it because they don't use their voice.

Edit for sentence completion.

Yeah, I should have used the preview button at the very least, to see the error beforehand.

I don't believe my stance is that unfortunate.  I have been blessed with some of the best things this world has to offer, it has given me the chances, that others don't have, to grow as a person, and to help others as I am able.  I just don't see the point in yelling at people to change.

Society isn't a theory, or a good thing, it's just a thing.  American society (a subset of the greater human society?) is flawed, just as everything we humans do is flawed, but as I responded on the other comment, it has improved.  When was the last time a company hired a bunch of thugs to kill strikers here?  the 1930's?  In the 1930's, if a priest abused you as a child, what were the chances the priest would pay for his crime?

There has always been that small vocal group who thinks they know the right way, and sometimes they get in power.  But then another group sees what's wrong with the first group, and they become the group who thinks they know the right way, they fight altruisticially for their goal, and when they get power...
It's a vicious circle, that we apparently learn from very slowly.

There is another small group that is nearly as vocal fighting against the injustices that continue.  I believe the direction society goes is a product of the interplay between these groups and all the others (even those whose voices you don't hear).  It is exceedingly unclear to me which one is right over the other.  Each side has salient points at one time or another, and determining truth, for me anyway, is a tricky endeavour.   I think you should count yourself lucky, if you are sure of the right path in all these things, then count yourself lucky.  Faith in your convictions is a powerful bulwark.

I'm a little troubled that you see yourself or others on this board as a 'superior mutant'.

You should seek help, if you're troubled.

Of course, if you're sure you're on the high ground, by all means look down and tell us what you see.

Absolute perfection.  Everything's GREAT, ALL THE TIME.  What COULD be wrong, in this best of all possible worlds?  It's not like the humans are ripping up the bottom of the lifeboat to make clubs to smack each other with, right?  Right right right?  Or that our economic system is being policed by thieves, worldwide?  That's just silly.

And it's not like the vast majority of humans would kill you if you tried to improve things, and in fact have consistently done exactly that, right?

No, humans are great.  I was totally kidding about the mutant thing. 

*burp*

Dumbass.

You choose your trip, whether it's the brown acid, koolaid, or communion wine, it's your choice.  It sounds to me like you choose to look at all the bad and surmise that the world is just a bad place.  That sounds to me alot like the curse of Gruad Greyface.

Most of the things you whine about happening in the world, are things that change slowly.  Nearly all of them are things that have improved throughout history improving most people's lot.  The 'theives' that run our economy are better by leaps and bounds than the 'theives' who ran our economies 150 years ago.  These things are changing for the better, and it is important that people continue to strive for their improvement, and improvements have been made.

Sure, there is lots of bad in the world, but there are a lot of good things, too.  I personally try to keep in mind all the bad that people can do, and then focus on the good I see, and can create.  If you want to get angry and holler, that's great, too.  But I'm under no obligation to join your revolution.

Is slack a sub-genius thing?  Those guys are weird.

I don't recall discordianism ever requiring having a voice or using it.  Either to rant at others, or belittle them. It is interesting to get other people to think if only for a moment, but thinking isn't strictly necessary.

I'm a little troubled that you see yourself or others on this board as a 'superior mutant'.  Any mutations among us are sufficiently small as to make us virtually indistinguishable from each other.  Looking down on others is a little pointless, when the location of the high ground is still in question.  Of course, if you're sure you're on the high ground, by all means look down and tell us what you see.

You seem to see our society as some kind of trap to hold us back, when it seems to me that society is just as likely the wind beneath our wings.  Allowing billions of individuals the chance to work together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.  The best part is, we don't even have to see our part in this, we don't have to understand it.  It works in spite of our intelligence and ability to see what is going on.

It's quite the trip.  If creating subversion is your trip, do it.  If it's catching the latest episode of Breaking Bad, do it.  If it's killing your fellow man, well, I would never counsel that others do that, but I know that some freak out there will, do it.

Sometimes I think you got hold of the brown acid, and are having a bad trip...
But it's your trip, have fun!

Occam's Razor cuts out all the good bits - wlfjstr

So, how many people posted?  I can't tell if it's parody, or drama.

But I'd buy seeds from J.A. Simmers.

Wait!  I'm still a Discordian?!  Stupid deprogramming courses never work...

I've always been uncomfortable dumping in less than private circumstances.  But I have done it when necessary.

On a side note, there is a wonderful discussion about a related topic in Günter Grass book, The Flounder.  He questions why we will sit around our table and discuss the food we put in ourselves, but never get together at the other end (so to speak) and discuss the same items on the way out.