Testing Chat IV: A New Hope

[Glass Fort MacLeod]

This is also probably very bad of me, but he acquired the name 'Freethinker' for alot of his odd notions relating to Starcraft (or scifi in general) on the SB vs debates before he.. moved on from there.

As someone who never played any Starcraft game and only has a minimal exposure to the franchise... what does that mean ?

Alot of very odd ideas. railguns that eject casings (8mm spikes from .50 cal casings at that.) that normal (unarmored) people can supposedly wield because they incorporate antigravity and (more recently) autoaiming, and supersonic tanks. ACtually it was the supersonic tanks notion that got him the title.

And brinign up his freethinker title isn't the worst bit. The worst bit is that I'm believing its perfectly typical of Space Battles to want to try to develop a 'consensus' on something. The Force chart of rape categorized by degree or something equally arbitrary or silly.

[Glass Fort MacLeod]

You're not missing out on much, Oxy. I've gotten shitfaced twice in my life--both lock-ins at a friend's place--and while being drunk with my friends was a good time for us all, we've had plenty of fun in other ways. And the actual act of drinking was a terrible, miserable, nearly unbearable experience (because I can't stand the taste of alcohol, no matter what it is or what has been done to it).

I've gotten drunk only a handful of times in my life, and once just to see what it was like, and most of the times it was just because I wasn't thinking clearly and just trying to get drunk (not even to forget anything or any reason, just becuase I could) Never had a hangover, only had to throw up once, but I don't ever really feel any great reason to drink, even socially, except occasionally.

Which is funny because I have a ton of very expensie liquor up above the oven.

I think its just one of those things that gets over-glamorized in media and conventional wisdom but is more hype than substance.

[Aaron]

I used to be an alcoholic. It's over rated, as vices go.

[Glass Fort MacLeod]

I used to be an alcoholic. It's over rated, as vices go.

I think my dad may becoming one. He's got alot of personal issues he goes to therapy for, except that he doens't really talk about them at therapy to the therapist (or anyone) and he avoids interacting with people except through my mother. And within the past six months he's moved from daily drinking of a glass of wine and a beer to drinking a glass of much harder liquor.

And yes I feel vaguely cynical today, which probably explains my suddenly talkativeness about my bizarre love/hate relationship with spacebattles. apologies if this irritates anyone, and I should have been thinking ahead more before posting this.

[Aaron]

It doesn't bother me if you want to chat about SB.

Yeah...unfortunately you've got to be involved in your therapy for it to work. I've mentally checked out of many a session, probably half of them for the first couple years, osmosis doesn't work.

Not for that.

[Oxymoron]

My dad drinks two 33cl beers a day, one per meal. And some more liquor in his office behind closed doors.

We've tried hinting that he may have a drinking problem, but he just won't listen...

[Aaron]

The amount isn't necessarily the issue, its more of "does he need it to get through the day"

[Glass Fort MacLeod]

I've learned over the past few weeks (the hard way) that its important to pay attention to other people's perspectives on things, and that you can't simply assume 'therapy is working' just because the person is in therapy. I've had to have a more active role in my other half's therapy stuff to help make sure she is getting the help she needs, because she clearly wasn't.

I suppose that's one thing rubbing me the wrong way when it comes to spacebattles and this stuff. When it comes to issues like 'what is rape', this is something you have to listen to and rely on the perspectives of other people than yourself, especially women, because its a topic that encompasses far more than 'just your perspective.' Sort of like discrimination.


Aaron: That's my main worry. The problem is I don't have proof of this either, except that its a very sudden thing and he generally was never one for buying hard liquor before (too expensive!)

[Oxymoron]

The amount isn't necessarily the issue, its more of "does he need it to get through the day"

If he does, he doesn't share the thought with us.

[Infinity Biscuit]

Did You Know ??

Refusing to have sex with someone who doesn't want it is the easy way to get into the "friend zone".

[Aaron]

I've learned over the past few weeks (the hard way) that its important to pay attention to other people's perspectives on things, and that you can't simply assume 'therapy is working' just because the person is in therapy. I've had to have a more active role in my other half's therapy stuff to help make sure she is getting the help she needs, because she clearly wasn't.

I suppose that's one thing rubbing me the wrong way when it comes to spacebattles and this stuff. When it comes to issues like 'what is rape', this is something you have to listen to and rely on the perspectives of other people than yourself, especially women, because its a topic that encompasses far more than 'just your perspective.' Sort of like discrimination.


Aaron: That's my main worry. The problem is I don't have proof of this either, except that its a very sudden thing and he generally was never one for buying hard liquor before (too expensive!)

I sat in my sons recent therapy session and listened to him bullshit her for 20 minutes before I stopped him and told him to tell her the truth. Its very irritating.

Oxy: thats what I figured.

[Aaron]

Did You Know ??

Refusing to have sex with someone who doesn't want it is the easy way to get into the "friend zone".

Being a creeper probably helps too.

[Glass Fort MacLeod]

I sat in my sons recent therapy session and listened to him bullshit her for 20 minutes before I stopped him and told him to tell her the truth. Its very irritating.

The sad part is, I probably would have to do that for my dad if I could actually get him into the right therapy. My mother does that role currently although she's stopped doing the talking for him.

I've sat in on some therapies with the hoarding therapist when she comes, there's alot of mess up there. And this is coming from me, and I have plenty of messed up shit of my own in the past.

[Infinity Biscuit]

I suppose that's one thing rubbing me the wrong way when it comes to spacebattles and this stuff. When it comes to issues like 'what is rape', this is something you have to listen to and rely on the perspectives of other people than yourself, especially women, because its a topic that encompasses far more than 'just your perspective.' Sort of like discrimination.

Yeah, the ability to look at it from another perspective is really the key thing, and it's missing for so many people. For some it's not even that they don't consider other perspectives, but don't believe other perspectives even exist! That they're either the result of outright crazed delusion or severe incomprehensible stupidity.

[Oxymoron]

Re the daily beers : at this point I think it's more of an habit / a routine than anything else.

He started years ago after having had an ulcer and a subsequent operation of his gastro-intestinal tract. 'Said the yeast in the beer was good for what he had...

[Infinity Biscuit]

If it's habit and you worry it might be an issue, could he drink beers with less alcohol, or perhaps smaller bottles? Replacing a habit's easier than cutting it entirely, even if it's not necessarily the full step needed.

[Oxymoron]

Beer Procurement has been aiming toward this, yes. Though I don't know what's the current status on that - so far I know we've successfully reduced the consumption to 2x25cl a day instead of 2x33cl.

[Aaron]

I'm sorry, how much is that?

[evilsoup]

My dad drinks two 33cl beers a day, one per meal. And some more liquor in his office behind closed doors.

If he's drinking in secret, then yeah that definitely sounds like a problem. Not sure if that's what you meant, though. One per meal also sounds excessive.

[Glass Fort MacLeod]

Yeah, the ability to look at it from another perspective is really the key thing, and it's missing for so many people. For some it's not even that they don't consider other perspectives, but don't believe other perspectives even exist! That they're either the result of outright crazed delusion or severe incomprehensible stupidity.

I see it more as what my mother terms 'magical thinking' because I see similar mindsets amongst my father. Basically I see it as him having this little script in his head where he thinks people will ACT the way he thinks they will, but when they act contrary to that, he acts all shocked/upset/offended. Its actually caused alot of friction between him and me, and him and my brother, because he says/does things based more on what he thinks and totally ignores our input.

In the case of Spacebattles, in many of these 'rape' related threads I basically see people who react with hostility because they think they're being 'attacked' (inability to separate themselves, personally, from a discussion of the topic.) and thus they seek to demonize/trivialize the problem, or they look for some sort of 'loophole' that validates their preconceptions/wishes/desires/whatever. The whole issue of sex whilst intoxicated and how and whether that constitutes rape is a good example of that, I think, because you get some really wacky and frnakly disturbing shit brought up either as defense or justification.

[evilsoup]

cl=centilitres, 25 cl is a bit under half a pint (0.43 pints according to our Californian overlords)

[Glass Fort MacLeod]

You can't treat all alcoholic beverages equally, evne when it comes to beer. Alot of it will depend on the strength of the liquor as much as the frequency. And I'm not sure having it with a meal is neccesarily a bad thing (it could just be a tradition or a habit for example), whereas as Aaron says drinking to cope with something or to fortify you is probably an alarm bell.

For example: I have in the past had alcohol as a way to escape from stressful or upsetting situations. I have very rarely done it, but its still a very risky/bad thing to do because you're using alcohol as an escape. If I had done it more often, it garners the risk of becoming habitual (and possibly escalating) and that would definitely have been a problem.

[Aaron]

Oh, 250ml then. Thats...a really small beer. Yet another cultural thing.

Yeah, it used to be more common to have a beer or drink with lunch or dinner here. But that was in Grandpa's day.

[Oxymoron]

My dad drinks two 33cl beers a day, one per meal. And some more liquor in his office behind closed doors.

If he's drinking in secret, then yeah that definitely sounds like a problem. Not sure if that's what you meant, though. One per meal also sounds excessive.

It's not a secret though. He just keep it to himself. One of "his" vices.

Yeah, all thing considered, it's far from being dramatic, but this is still worrying, as he's got a lot of unhealthy habits like that (habit being the keyword). Like for example he also has his weekly cigar.

[adr]

I notice facebook has options to share with only me, friends, friends of friends, or the general public.

But where's the option to share with Big Brother? I guess you can't turn that one off.