Pet Peeves

[Sunbird]

When it's 11pm and I suddenly can't remember whether or not I've eaten dinner. o_O

[Delightful]

When it's 11pm and I suddenly can't remember whether or not I've eaten dinner. o_O

well the important question is: are you hungry?

[Delightful]

When you're discussing something like hydra!cap and the other person goes "ok but why do you ever care so much, it's just some stupid fake story someone made up, it's not even real".

I KNOW ITS NOT PHYSICALLY REAL WHY DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF STORYTELLING?

:( :(

Ahem, sorry just lost my inside voice there for a minute. Seems to be back now.

Edited May 29, 2016 by Delightful

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

When you're discussing something like hydra!cap and the other person goes "ok but why do you ever care so much, it's just some stupid fake story someone made up, it's not even real".

I KNOW ITS NOT PHYSICALLY REAL WHY DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF STORYTELLING?

:( :(

Ahem, sorry just lost my inside voice there for a minute. Seems to be back now.

 

Of course. It's not like characters shape our perception of reality or anything. And it's not like there were any kids who found hope in the story of Steve Rogers, who was bullied all his life and used his powers to stand up for others who were bullied, whether by individuals or society. It's not like he was their hero or anything, and it's not like hearing he was working for Hydra all along was as crushing a blow as hearing that the nice neighbors they had as children were recently arrested for child molestation.*  

 

*Happened to me recently. I'm keeping it in a footnote so as not to make this discussion all about me, but…yeah, that was a thing that actually happened. The nice elderly couple who lived next door when I was a kid were recently arrested on charges of child molestation. Hearing that was like having someone wipe the frosting off my cupcake to reveal the live maggots inside.

[Delightful]

Ouch Twi, I'm so so sorry. and, well, I'm glad you're finding this out many years later not....y'know......that you weren't a victim of theirs. I'm glad you're ok and I'm sorry.

This person - it wasn't about cap in particular. It was more of a general "well stories aren't real so don't matter anyway" attitude and I sort of froze because how do I convincingly explain how much stories mean to people, standing on one foot? It's like a whole different mental world.

Edited May 29, 2016 by Delightful

[Orlion Blight]

Ouch Twi, I'm so so sorry. and, well, I'm glad you're finding this out many years later not....y'know......that you weren't a victim of theirs. I'm glad you're ok and I'm sorry.

This person - it wasn't about cap in particular. It was more of a general "well stories aren't real so don't matter anyway" attitude and I sort of froze because how do I convincingly explain how much stories mean to people, standing on one foot? It's like a whole different mental world.

"Literature illuminates life only for those to whom books are a necessity. Books are unconvertible assets, to be passed on only to those who possess them already."

-Anthony Powell

You can't convince someone about the power of storytelling if they have never experienced it themselves.

[Delightful]

For me at least; it doesn't matter what format the story is in either. Book, movie, tv show, comic.......I don't understand how someone can live without stories.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

For me at least; it doesn't matter what format the story is in either. Book, movie, tv show, comic.......I don't understand how someone can live without stories.

 

Me neither. There was a pastor at my family's old church back in Spokane who didn't read fiction. He stuck exclusively to nonfiction—history, yes, but mostly theology and whatnot. I never understood how he could do that, or why. What's the point? 

[Orlion Blight]

Me neither. There was a pastor at my family's old church back in Spokane who didn't read fiction. He stuck exclusively to nonfiction—history, yes, but mostly theology and whatnot. I never understood how he could do that, or why. What's the point?

It helps to maintain his world view. Once you take in multiple points of views, your own view tends to evolve and adapt. Many people are so convinced of their interpretation of the cosmic mysteries, they do not want its "self evident truthfulness" marred.

It's also interesting to note that the only thing that separates theology from fiction is belief.

[Delightful]

So if I really believe Hogwarts exists, that becomes theology?

History is stories too- mostly. Unless youre reading about like ancient farming techniques or something.

[Orlion Blight]

So if I really believe Hogwarts exists, that becomes theology?

Complete with arguing over vague passages in your holy books

History is stories too- mostly. Unless youre reading about like ancient farming techniques or something.

That's called world building

[Mestiv]

Me neither. There was a pastor at my family's old church back in Spokane who didn't read fiction. He stuck exclusively to nonfiction—history, yes, but mostly theology and whatnot. I never understood how he could do that, or why. What's the point? 

 

I guess he wouldn't be happy if I told him I consider his Bible one of the oldest fantasy books  

[Delightful]

I guess he wouldn't be happy if I told him I consider his Bible one of the oldest fantasy books

It's an interesting one. I was always taught that magic doesn't exist, but black magic used to and it was forbidden.

Enter miracle stories. Flying chariots, stopping the sun, Angels massacring an enemy encampment in their sleep........at that point labelling it magic or not seems like semantics. Miracle, magic, it's holy if it's from G-D and it's not if its not, y'know? It's a matter of belief really.

[Orlion Blight]

It's an interesting one. I was always taught that magic doesn't exist, but black magic used to and it was forbidden.

Enter miracle stories. Flying chariots, stopping the sun, Angels massacring an enemy encampment in their sleep........at that point labelling it magic or not seems like semantics.

A competitive game of semantics! One that views some miracles as being evil or fraudulent where the accepted kind is good and holy!

Personally, I've always believed magic is magic

[Oversleep]

Tsk.

Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from miracle.

 

Courtesy of Lev Grossman, quote taken from "The Magician King".

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

"A miracle is what seems impossible, but happens anyway." 

 

Griffin, Men in Black III

[Sunbird]

Facebook, I don't need you to tell me that "It's been a while since you've updated your profile picture." If I wanted to change my profile picture, I would have done it without you reminding me.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Government docs sites. 

 

They're billed as these magical wonderlands of primary sources. Census records! Population data! Digitized documents from as far back as 1790! It's a researcher's dream come true. 

 

Yeah….no. 

 

The first rule of government docs sites is that you can't search government docs sites. Type your query into the search bar, and you get an entire page of unrelated results—the website equivalent of an upraised middle finger. "No problem," you say. "I'll just browse." Oh, you sweet naive child. 

 

You see, government docs sites don't want you to learn what they know. They're stingy with their information. Once you find the document you want to look at—a process that could take hours, browsing being what it is—you're on your own. You cannot search within the document. There is no handy guide to reading the document. You are left on your own to sift through pages upon pages of government jargon. If the boredom doesn't kill you before you reach the thing you pulled up the doc for, you're left to puzzle over its meaning on your own, because there's nothing to tell you what a cryptic piece of information means. 

 

If I were a conspiracy theorist….

 

No, wait. Strike that. 

 

I am a conspiracy theorist. 

 

And I think the government is doing this on purpose. They're publicizing their information, then making it as dry and as dense as possible to keep even the most dedicated from sifting through it. And if you think the poor design is due to lack of funds or care, go to a government docs site. Spend some time looking for something you need, and then tell me it's not some grand conspiracy.  

[Arrae]

The best way to censor something is to make it public and deathly boring. 

[The Invested Beard]

It helps to maintain his world view. Once you take in multiple points of views, your own view tends to evolve and adapt. Many people are so convinced of their interpretation of the cosmic mysteries, they do not want its "self evident truthfulness" marred.

It's also interesting to note that the only thing that separates theology from fiction is belief.

 

Well even within Christendom there are different viewpoints on this. Christians like me who take more of a C.S. Lewis view on the subject see God as the ultimate storyteller and believe that the desire to tell and connect with stories of all kinds is something inherent in humanity that God put there after creating us in his image. Jesus taught mainly by telling parables, which are just stories told to point out truth.

 

I am sad for the Christians who don't see the connection between God as creator and his creation in turn creating new stories.

[Sunbird]

Menstruation.

 

Full rant in the spoiler to spare anyone who doesn't want to hear about it.

So my period has been happening for two weeks straight and shows no signs of stopping. It's gotten utterly ridiculous and completely unmanageable. Pads that advertise themselves as "8-hour comfort" have to be changed in half that time, and I dare not wear any color pants but black. I swear I must have bled enough in the past 14 days to give somebody a transfusion or two.

 

Also, doctor's offices and insurance companies. They seem determined to bleed me and my family dry by charging like $200 per visit to a "specialist" who does nothing of a specialist nature for me--just writes prescriptions and sends me to the hospital for expensive blood tests (and, I might add, who doesn't even have a doctorate degree). Time to find a new doctor.

[Orlion Blight]

Also, doctor's offices and insurance companies. They seem determined to bleed me and my family dry by charging like $200 per visit to a "specialist" who does nothing of a specialist nature for me--just writes prescriptions and sends me to the hospital for expensive blood tests (and, I might add, who doesn't even have a doctorate degree). Time to find a new doctor.

Hmm... That can potentially be insurance fraud. That's something to discuss specifically with your insurance company, but if your doctor/specialist is charging for services that aren't really provided (or for unnecessary tests procedures) that's fraud and something insurance companies frown on (to put it lightly).

[Sunbird]

Hmm... That can potentially be insurance fraud. That's something to discuss specifically with your insurance company, but if your doctor/specialist is charging for services that aren't really provided (or for unnecessary tests procedures) that's fraud and something insurance companies frown on (to put it lightly).

 

Well, part of the problem is the insurance company too. I used to see a different doctor (we'll call her Dr. Q) at this particular office who my insurance classified as a "family doctor," meaning I could just pay like a $25 copay for each visit. But in recent months Dr. Q has stopped seeing patients at that office so they turned me over to a nurse practitioner (we'll call her Dr. M) who practices under a neurologist. Since her superior is a neurologist, the insurance classifies Dr. M as a specialist, and on my policy that means I have a deductible and have to pay the full cost of each visit with no help from the insurance until I've paid $400 out of pocket over the course of the year. And apparently there are no other doctors at this office that my insurance classifies as family doctors. Thus, in order to not go completely broke from outrageous medical costs, I need to start seeing a doctor my insurance considers to be a family doctor.

[Orlion Blight]

Ah, ok. Hope you can find a good replacement!

[Sunbird]

Ah, ok. Hope you can find a good replacement!

 

Me too, but it's not off to a good start. I called one office to see about getting an appointment and was told they only serve employees of Vivint.