Random Rants LIII: F My Life

[hobbsyoyo]

Reminds me of this Russian (?) kid who was in some of my uni classes. He wasn't so much a show off as much as he was showing off his anti-capitalist opinions, which isn't wrong in and of itself, but was annoying because he'd do it constantly and passive-aggressively and in the most random and unnecessary times. And whenever the professors got questions from this kid they'd sort of have that "oh god why does this kid ask these annoying questions" look.

I had the exact opposite - a hardcore libertarian/conservative in my microeconomics class that was constantly espousing the evil gubnit conspiracy and the virtues of the free market. He would interrupt our professor and ask questions to bait her into debating how amazing capitalism was. Thing was, the class had absolutely no political bent to it, it was about as apolitical as a class about economics could be. Thankfully, she got fed up with him after an appropriate amount of allowing him to sidetrack and just started shutting him down politely.

Professors have to do that, they need to both allow students to express themselves but also reign them back in when they cross lines. My current professor is just too damn nice and lets this kid run roughshod over the course. It's to the point where every time he speaks, the class audibly facepalms in unison. We have also lost the equivalent of a full lecture's worth of time thanks to this kid sidetracking everything.

@mango elephant: i c wut u did thar

 

[Kozmos]

I had the exact opposite - a hardcore libertarian/conservative in my microeconomics class that was constantly espousing the evil gubnit conspiracy and the virtues of the free market. He would interrupt our professor and ask questions to bait her into debating how amazing capitalism was. Thing was, the class had absolutely no political bent to it, it was about as apolitical as a class about economics could be. Thankfully, she got fed up with him after an appropriate amount of allowing him to sidetrack and just started shutting him down politely.

Professors have to do that, they need to both allow students to express themselves but also reign them back in when they cross lines. My current professor is just too damn nice and lets this kid run roughshod over the course. It's to the point where every time he speaks, the class audibly facepalms in unison. We have also lost the equivalent of a full lecture's worth of time thanks to this kid sidetracking everything.

@mango elephant: i c wut u did thar

Can't you Malcolm Tucker him? (youtube him for relevant info)

The Niger Delta is a microcosm of everything that is wrong with this world.

Shell and the Nigerian government grow fat from the oil there, while the inhabitants never see a dollar of the wealth it's creating. The fish are dead, the fishermen are broke, the forests are gone, the water is polluted, the farms are greasy and poisonous with the slick of the oil, the people are poisoned and poor, and the seas and roads are infested with pirates and terrorists who fight the government and the corporations that have destroyed their lives. Meanwhile, the rest of the world buys the oil to fill the cars that they don't want to part with.

There's no hope.

There is hope. Where else despair? If there were no hope, people would turn Russian or Buddhist.

 

[Phrossack]

There is hope. Where else despair? If there were no hope, people would turn Russian or Buddhist.

I mean there's no hope for the people in the Niger Delta. That oil won't last forever; there's a limited window in which people can benefit from it (though I'd argue that we should kick the oil habit ASAP). Compare the Niger Delta with Norway. Norway enjoys a stable and honest government, and has taken advantage of that window of oil opportunity to benefit the people. Nigeria's oil, meanwhile, helped cause a horrific war, and instead of benefiting the people in any way, it poisoned them. Meanwhile, this ruthless exploitation has provoked violent resistance that makes things even worse. Eventually, the oil will dry up and stop poisoning the people of the Delta and attracting violence, but the people will still be dirt-poor, diseased, and devastated by the resource that could have made them happy and healthy. By then, Nigeria will have no environment left at all (the rainforest is on the verge of annihilation, probably within six years or so), an enormous population, and no more oil to exploit. It'll still be a polluted, corrupt conglomeration of groups that hate each other. And regardless of how Abuja and Lagos fare, the other people in the Delta are still screwed.

 

[Kozmos]

I mean there's no hope for the people in the Niger Delta. That oil won't last forever; there's a limited window in which people can benefit from it (though I'd argue that we should kick the oil habit ASAP). Compare the Niger Delta with Norway. Norway enjoys a stable and honest government, and has taken advantage of that window of oil opportunity to benefit the people. Nigeria's oil, meanwhile, helped cause a horrific war, and instead of benefiting the people in any way, it poisoned them. Meanwhile, this ruthless exploitation has provoked violent resistance that makes things even worse. Eventually, the oil will dry up and stop poisoning the people of the Delta and attracting violence, but the people will still be dirt-poor, diseased, and devastated by the resource that could have made them happy and healthy. By then, Nigeria will have no environment left at all (the rainforest is on the verge of annihilation, probably within six years or so), an enormous population, and no more oil to exploit. It'll still be a polluted, corrupt conglomeration of groups that hate each other. And regardless of how Abuja and Lagos fare, the other people in the Delta are still screwed.

In the short term? Yeah. In the not so short term? Still screwed. But after a while, say 50-100 years we will get on it. Good things come to an end, but so do bad things. Our personal scales make it hard to see that. Civilization was built on tons of suffering. Nowadays we are bargaining on acceptable levels of suffering so we can maintain what we have already built. (unacceptable really) Fortunately we can think and see ahead. Make plans. We can repair our environment, diversify it through imagination or adapt to survive it. We can even make anarchist collectives on Mars if we try really hard. Earth has gone through many changes and will continue to go through many changes, we simply have preferences for savannah's and forests and grasslands because it is what our brains know and have known for the longest time. People who know me call me a cynical, depressed, pessimistic bastard but really I only view the best in our long-term future. Provided we don't get splashed by extinction events or random nuclear holocaust. (but even that would just set us back considerably, trial and error folks)

 

[Tahuti]

In the short term? Yeah. In the not so short term? Still screwed. But after a while, say 50-100 years we will get on it. Good things come to an end, but so do bad things. Our personal scales make it hard to see that. Civilization was built on tons of suffering. Nowadays we are bargaining on acceptable levels of suffering so we can maintain what we have already built. (unacceptable really) Fortunately we can think and see ahead. Make plans. We can repair our environment, diversify it through imagination or adapt to survive it. We can even make anarchist collectives on Mars if we try really hard. Earth has gone through many changes and will continue to go through many changes, we simply have preferences for savannah's and forests and grasslands because it is what our brains know and have known for the longest time. People who know me call me a cynical, depressed, pessimistic bastard but really I only view the best in our long-term future. Provided we don't get splashed by extinction events or random nuclear holocaust. (but even that would just set us back considerably, trial and error folks)

With your previous avatar in mind, I can easily imagine Sailor Ripley saying all this!

 

[GamezRule]

Oh god. I knew a similar guy back when I studied at Harvard. I mean, he wasn't socialist or anything, he would just talk about his dog constantly. We were at Harvard, and he was from a town that wasn't Harvard, but he should've anticipated missing his dog when he decided to go to Harvard! I accepted not seeing my bird when I decided to go to Harvard. You would think someone who went to Harvard would be smarter than that. Harvard is a great school, but it occasionally attracts students who aren't as smart as the rest of us at Harvard. Besides that, though, Harvard was great. Harvard.

You studied at Harvard? Aren't you still in High School?

 

[Kennigit]

We at fair Harvard rid ourselves of such barbaric naming conventions of the Colonial education programs. Please refer to "high school"--what a dreadful name!-- by it's God-given Queen-Knighted name, "Upper Commons Tertiary Academies"

but yes, mango I believe is going to soon complete his Concentration of General Studies to enter the Lower C levels of an approved Lord's Primary Preparatory Principality of Professorship, of which Fair Harvard can provide progression to Lower Levels A & B as well as up to Oxfordian Levels A-K.

 

[The_J]

3 days at a retreat, and NO INTERNET!!!
Pure hell!!!

I caught a really cute guy glancing in my direction multiple times today in a waiting room and I was /this/ close to walking up to him and starting a chat but askdfha;osehjfkasd;fjaks;df

Like, there's a 99.95% chance he's not interested. I know I have nothing to lose if I talk to him but it's just feels weird to just go up to someone and talking, I guess.

No guts, no glory.
Nothing will change if you don't try.

Replaced two tires and the battery on my rider lawnmower and cut the grass in a t-shirt in 10 degree rainy weather.

Why???

 

[timtofly]

I was being obstinate.

 

[GamezRule]

Now I'm just confused.

 

[timtofly]

This is the rants thread.

 

[GamezRule]

Congratulations.

 

[timtofly]

Being in MI, I thought you would understand the inanity of mowing grass this week.

 

[Mango Elephant]

You studied at Harvard? Aren't you still in High School?

No, I'm so smart I skipped most of what regular kids experience as "school". Basically I came out of the womb and landed in a Harvard lecture hall. My friends like to call me "The Second Coming of Leonardo Da Vinci" because I'm so talented.

but yes, mango I believe is going to soon complete his Concentration of General Studies to enter the Lower C levels of an approved Lord's Primary Preparatory Principality of Professorship, of which Fair Harvard can provide progression to Lower Levels A & B as well as up to Oxfordian Levels A-K.

Indubitably!

 

[Arakhor]

My friends like to call me "The Second Coming of Leonardo Da Vinci" because I'm so talented.

Apparently not talented enough to spell Leonardo's name correctly, though.

 

[Mango Elephant]

Apparently not talented enough to spell Leonardo's name correctly, though.

Oh, haha. In Britain, people do things funny. You drive on the left hand side of the road, for goodness' sake! I'm sure a Brit would spell Leonardo's name "wacky ping pong flower pot" or something else ridiculous. That's just how you people are. Not that that's a bad thing. I'm sure some people would find it charming.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

Rant: torrential downpour last night leads to leaky basement today... 1800 square feet of soggy joy!

 

[peter grimes]

The Niger Delta is a microcosm of everything that is wrong with this world.

Shell and the Nigerian government grow fat from the oil there, while the inhabitants never see a dollar of the wealth it's creating. The fish are dead, the fishermen are broke, the forests are gone, the water is polluted, the farms are greasy and poisonous with the slick of the oil, the people are poisoned and poor, and the seas and roads are infested with pirates and terrorists who fight the government and the corporations that have destroyed their lives. Meanwhile, the rest of the world buys the oil to fill the cars that they don't want to part with.

There's no hope.

You should try to watch the documentary "Darwin's Nightmare".

 

[madviking]

i've been suffering from some serious existential guilt lately

 

[shadowplay]

So I've been so god damn emo since last Friday's events and it doesn't seem to go away at all.

Therefore I post this


Link to video.

Worth a listen people.

Bat for Lashes are very good. Saw them open for Depeche Mode last fall.