Viewing profile — yelsgib

Even reading the title of this sent me into a downward spiral of intense paranoia/hatred/annoyance/terror. Was gift giving not already enough of a stilted, rote interaction? Do we …

Stop. Fast-forward. First of all, you're picking on a very small point. The fact that I referred to this guy/kid/whatever as a "child" isn't really crucial to my argument except pe…

I don't feed trolls.

Yes, I believe we should surround them with love and forgiveness. We also should -have- provided them with love and forgiveness so that they would feel comfortable talking about th…

Who do you trust to administer punishment? What did they do to earn that trust? The concept that one class of humans is the "punishers" who are teaching the other class(es) underli…

In my opinion, to situate this conversation in a framework where "alternatives" are to be considered is to already assume an authoritarian stance. I believe that the model you are …

What is the difference between a "reasonable, rational" individual and an "unreasonable, irrational" individual? What is the basis of your faith in "credible mental health professi…

It's unfortunate that you have such strong authoritarian beliefs. Can I convince you that your ideas that criminals (this child is 17 - he has not, by our own state's very definiti…

Neither do imply nor do I believe that a "loving community" can waive a magic wand and make this sick child better. I do believe that it is more or less the only chance he has. The…

For those of you who claim that the right thing in this situation would be to turn the child over to the authorities - what exactly do you think the authorities are going to do to …

What's the slowest book you've read?

The post is not arguing against conformity - it is arguing against submission. It is arguing against a system that rewards submission. I believe that a generation of extremely soph…

Try reading this with a sense of wonder, rather than as a heavy piece of social commentary.

Great comment, and I mostly agree :) Slight digression, but I was interested in your last few sentences. Why do you not think that math or physics have an end game? I think that ac…

Almost all societal problems are essentially organizational problems. E.g. food distribution. What do you expect the "center" of a food distribution network (Koch Brothers) to look…

No. I am not saying that. I'm saying that in this particular case a lot of the "negative behavior" stems from extreme internal pressures.

Yeah, I guess I was factually wrong about rates of women/men employment in tech. I'm not sure this is crucial to my original point, though... --- Construction workers are basically…

I think of stock brokers/financial workers as particularly miserable people - you can be rich AND miserable! I don't know any construction workers, but it really doesn't seem like …

Good questions! Sure, the guy's actions are unprofessional (though I hate the term), and discouraging. I wouldn't say creepy. I really hate the term "creepy" because probably (and …

I'm really glad I don't work with you, then?

Why is it abdurd to have compassion for jeffrey dahmer?

I do not feed trolls.

I have great compassion for Jeffrey Dahmer. And do you realize that you just compared making an awkward joke to killing loads of people?

Yeah, wouldn't it be great if everyone was just totally psychologically normal? I bet everyone can just fix everything that's wrong with themselves. Everyone has a surplus of love …

In my mind, an important point here is that NO ONE should be asked to put together a pot luck. Why does anyone think this kind of thing is appropriate in the workplace? It makes me…