Things You Consider to be 'True' -

[Boundman]

We all have things we fundamentally believe are true, for example, some people absolutely believe that people don't change.

What have you found to be absolutely true in your life? (with the least amount of powerlevelling, if possible)

I personally believe that we are all drawn to certain genetic traits and you will never be happy until you accept and embrace them and work on yourself from there. People I've met act like they're the protagonist in some movie and think they're tougher than they are because of it. If they accepted they are fairly weak and began to work around that or work on it they'd be much happier than they are with pseudo traits they attempt to give themselves.

 

[autisticdragonkin]

It is true that sensory information and thoughts exist regardless of their source (although some basic inference can lead to the conclusion that the most likely scenario is that they have the sources generally ascribed to them at about 99.999999% probability)

 

[Boundman]

It is true that sensory information and thoughts exist regardless of their source (although some basic inference can lead to the conclusion that the most likely scenario is that they have the sources generally ascribed to them at about 99.999999% probability)

I'm referring to things you have learned and live by.

I dunno if you meant that and I'm just being autistic and reading it the wrong way though hahaha.

 

[Bronchitis that Lingers]

Karma will come and bite you in the ass, one way or another.

 

[autisticdragonkin]

I'm referring to things you have learned and live by.

I dunno if you meant that and I'm just being autistic and reading it the wrong way though hahaha.

I misunderstood what was being asked

As far as things I have learned and live by:

Things are not always as they intuitively seem so always do the math to check your intuition

 

[Bronchitis that Lingers]

The only thing I can be completely certain of is that everyone posting in the Laverne Cox thread can go suck a giant bag of dicks.

What happens in the Laverne Cox thread, stays in the Laverne Cox thread.

 

[Boundman]

Karma will come and bite you in the ass, one way or another.

I've never been a believer in karma, always cause-and-effect. If you do something bad often enough, eventually something will give and it'll all come out. Some attribute that to karma, I attribute it to chance. You roll the dice enough and eventually you'll get two sixes.

 

[Bronchitis that Lingers]

I've never been a believer in karma, always cause-and-effect. If you do something bad often enough, eventually something will give and it'll all come out. Some attribute that to karma, I attribute it to chance. You roll the dice enough and eventually you'll get two sixes.

I can agree with that. Everything has a balance. Tip it one way too far and something else has to correct it.

 

[Abethedemon]

Metal, but only true metal

 

[Philosophy Zombie]

What happens in the Laverne Cox thread, stays in the Laverne Cox thread.

That was a joke in poor taste and I apologize.

some people absolutely believe that people don't change.

In my opinion, people are more malleable than some people think. Thinking you are unable to change can lead to complacency and a failure to improve your life. For example, many fat acceptance activists think that weight is all genetic and weight loss is a fluke, so they put on pounds until they're 500+ not because they can't make the lifestyle changes necessary to lose the weight but because they are unwilling to make the effort to change.

 

[Bronchitis that Lingers]

For example, many fat acceptance activists think that weight is all genetic and weight loss is a fluke, so they put on pounds until they're 500+ not because they can't make the lifestyle changes necessary to lose the weight but because they are unwilling to make the effort to change.

This is so true. Change starts from within, if you tell yourself that you can't change, you never will. This is my problem with fat acceptance; it's good to not hate your body, but you're still putting yourself at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. that should not be accepted. That's just an excuse to not change yourself for the better, to perpetuate laziness, and most likely has to do with the fear of failure if one tries to lose weight but nothing comes of it.

 

[Boundman]

This is so true. Change starts from within, if you tell yourself that you can't change, you never will. This is my problem with fat acceptance; it's good to not hate your body, but you're still putting yourself at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. that should not be accepted. That's just an excuse to not change yourself for the better, to perpetuate laziness, and most likely has to do with the fear of failure if one tries to lose weight but nothing comes of it.

"Beauty at any size" is so ridiculous. I dislike the way people attempt to remove stigma from everything.

Like it or not, stigma is necessary for society. If you don't shame those who don't work and stigmatise them, then people won't work. If you don't make jokes about the guy who doesn't shower, then you discomfort other people who have to be near them.

I do believe that being fat doesn't make you inherently ugly, but what I do think society should call ugly and shame is those who are evidently overweight and obese and doing nothing about it. These are the last people who need approval society should say "No, you're not beautiful, you're a strain on the economy and you're unhealthy. Go for a jog.".

 

[NobleGreyHorse]

How do you know the person is "doing nothing about it" unless you know them, though? Like, I imagine I'd have to live in a really small town to know that Jane Q. Smith wasn't practicing portion control or had never discussed safe weight loss with her doctor. It's also possible to be obese and anorexic at the same time, so Jane might be going too far in the "doing something about it" direction and again, how would you know? It doesn't always lead to the skeletal figure we think of with anorexia because people can fuck up their endocrine systems for life that way. Serious biz.

Also, from the sheer number of people just on these forums who go all Better Than Chris by bragging about how they were off work for a week one time because of a sprained ankle, and they nearly an-heroed because of blinding, soul-crushing boredom, it seems to me that there are people who would do some work-like activity regardless of pay, etc. Otherwise, how do you explain volunteerism? Again, I'm not trying to state flatly that you're wrong, but I'm actually interested in how your worldview accounts for those things.

My true things about the world are almost in opposition:
1. Sociopaths (or psychopaths, or people with Antisocial Personality Disorder, however you classify them) are real. The leading researcher on them estimates they may be up to 4-5% of the population. That's a lot. I was married to one, and like my ex, most of them fly under the radar. They sabotage other people's lives; they play people against each other; they become your instant but very fake best friend... but they are not like Dexter or even Bendybum Cumberbund as Sherlock. They work hard to seem very ordinary, but occasionally the mask slips; they say something terrible and baseless about you or your friend/family member/etc. and you're like "Dude, wtf?" Toward the end of my marriage, my sister was using her half of my mother's estate to work with the most reputable international-adoption agency in the US, and then-husband accused her of "buying babies." For some reason, that was worse than the putdowns of me I had become so used to.

2. However, for the non-sociopathic majority of the population, most of them will turn out to do really cool things if given a chance. Example: I used to have a seizure disorder that was caused by my complex PTSD -- apparently this is more common than it sounds like. And one day, I had one when I was almost home, very close to my front door. The guy who came and helped me was a Black guy who looked like every "ghetto" stereotype a racist could dream up: sagging his jean shorts, hair in cornrows, wearing a white t-shirt but with a different t-shirt slung over his shoulder. And that was the guy who crossed the street (just before the seizure, I had seen him coming up the other side of the street, and I remember thinking he was kind of cute) and made sure I didn't bash my head in on my own porch. Afterwards, he asked me if there was anything I needed, would I like him to call anyone, etc., and when I said all I needed was to get inside, he helped me up the steps, waved goodbye, then sauntered off without waiting to be thanked (or to see which apartment I went into). Like this was his normal day, saving women from seizures. I never got his name and I'm not sure I've ever seen him again. But damn, he did a good thing for no reason and with no apparent expectation of reward.

 

[dabluearmedbandit]

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. And if words can hurt you, you're a pussy who probably deserves it.

 

[AnOminous]

These are the last people who need approval society should say "No, you're not beautiful, you're a strain on the economy and you're unhealthy. Go for a jog.".

People have the right to do all these things. You have the right to have a shitty diet and not exercise and be fat, to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day, to drink yourself into oblivion every night. What you don't have the right to do is demand that people actually approve of your shitty decisions.

 

[Boundman]

How do you know the person is "doing nothing about it" unless you know them, though? Like, I imagine I'd have to live in a really small town to know that Jane Q. Smith wasn't practicing portion control or had never discussed safe weight loss with her doctor. It's also possible to be obese and anorexic at the same time, so Jane might be going too far in the "doing something about it" direction and again, how would you know? It doesn't always lead to the skeletal figure we think of with anorexia because people can fuck up their endocrine systems for life that way.

If you know someone who's massive for about a year or two and never changes, then they aren't doing anything about it. If they were, then they'd be skinnier by now.

I'm not saying "Find people above x pounds, laugh at them", I'm saying society has a duty to place stigma on a size so the person feels bad for it. If they're ill, obviously this is an exception.

It's like smoking weed, if you do nothing but smoke weed all the time then society labels you a lazy stoner and rightly so. But if someone is using weed as an escape or has a reliance on it, that's not their fault. The same goes for eating shit and doing nothing about it vs someone who is addicted to food or ill and so it is out of their control.

Whilst I am happy we're discussing this, I don't want to veer too far off the conversation topic, so I'm going to limit myself to what I do and don't respond to.

 

[SU 390]

"Beauty at any size" is so ridiculous. I dislike the way people attempt to remove stigma from everything.

Like it or not, stigma is necessary for society. If you don't shame those who don't work and stigmatise them, then people won't work. If you don't make jokes about the guy who doesn't shower, then you discomfort other people who have to be near them.

I do believe that being fat doesn't make you inherently ugly, but what I do think society should call ugly and shame is those who are evidently overweight and obese and doing nothing about it. These are the last people who need approval society should say "No, you're not beautiful, you're a strain on the economy and you're unhealthy. Go for a jog.".

There are ways to encourage people to lead to a healthy lifestyle and there's ways of being a dick. Your post makes you sound like those arrogant bodybuilders and the fucktards over at ROK that believe fat women and selfie sticks are the death of America(bullshit, greedy politicians, economy linked to China, and sub-par infrastructure is the death of America). Some people have reasons for being the weight they are. Yes, obesity is a strain to the economy and an issue, but so is anorexia. Shaming someone is only going to make them even more upset and possibly prevent them from changing. This is coming from someone who's thin with a fast metabo.

Otherwise, how do you explain volunteerism?

Volunteerism helps gain employment. If you're someone with no work experience, who the hell is going to hire you? Retail can be an exception but not all the time.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. And if words can hurt you, you're a pussy who probably deserves it.

That's debatable.

Back on topic these are what I think are 'true'.

1. 90% of the time, humans are inherently selfish. These days especially, humans are selfish. Everyone is secretly looking out for their own asses. If shit hits the fan(in terms of the stock market crashing or another Great Depression, hopefully those two won't happen but who knows) everyone will fight tooth and nail for survival.

2. No one is equal. As much as I want equality for everyone, we're not equal. SJWs and Progressives can try and change shit but at the end of the day we aren't equal. Sure we all have something in common at the end of the day, going home, eating, settling down before going to bed and back to work/school/looking for work. We're all different in a way.

3. Nothing lasts forever and make the most of it. My quiet life died in 2007 and I have pieces of it whenever everyone is in bed, or when I'm taking a walk, going to school, working(volunteering for my end, hopefully and it will change soon). Sadly to say I took my quiet life for granted and now am suffering. I know my situation isn't permanent but I long for the quiet life I enjoyed in my childhood to mid teen days.

4. No one can judge you, you know who you are. Whether you're a good person or a piece of shit you know who you are. Some people can say they know you(depending on how long they've been in your life) but you're the only that understands you. If you change for the better, good, I'm happy and wish you the best. If you change for the worst or if you're already a shit person and you won't ever change, fuck you, stay out of my life and personal space.

 

[Marvin]

"Beauty at any size" is so ridiculous. I dislike the way people attempt to remove stigma from everything.

Like it or not, stigma is necessary for society. If you don't shame those who don't work and stigmatise them, then people won't work. If you don't make jokes about the guy who doesn't shower, then you discomfort other people who have to be near them.

I do believe that being fat doesn't make you inherently ugly, but what I do think society should call ugly and shame is those who are evidently overweight and obese and doing nothing about it. These are the last people who need approval society should say "No, you're not beautiful, you're a strain on the economy and you're unhealthy. Go for a jog.".

Why should they do anything about it if they're happy? Like really, fatness is a bad thing, in absolute terms, but no one lives a 100% healthy life. Like, you might as well go around judging every person for not jogging every day and living like a monk. Also, no, actually fat people can look beautiful. Genuinely. For a big part of human history, fatness was attractive. Tastes change, of course, but you can't really say, categorically, "you're fat and thus not beautiful".

Like, see, the big problem is that you can see fatness, while you can't see other health issues. It reminds me of racism (in design, not in extent). Like, as far as racism goes, I don't think black people or dark people exist as a special category of stereotyping. All ethnicities get stereotyped. Polish, Italian, French, whatever, they all get stereotyped. But the difference is that you can't see frenchness. I think I mentioned elsewhere, but it's like my roommate. My roommate is italian, and he can indulge in his italianness when he's telling a funny family story or talking about his ethnic heritage. But when he needs to, he can drop any ethnic identity and get all the benefits of being white. Like with his job. Black people can't really do that.

Similarly, fatness is one of the few health issues that you can see. Someone can drink like a fish, and they don't get judged by how they look. Someone can be a pack-a-day smoker and they don't get judged (unless they're caught in the act).

I mean, not that I blame people for this. Reacting to someone's appearance is a very natural, human response. But I'd hope people would think about it a bit more and try to temper their reactions.

 

[Bronchitis that Lingers]

There are ways to encourage people to lead to a healthy lifestyle and there's ways of being a dick. Your post makes you sound like those arrogant bodybuilders and the fucktards over at ROK that believe fat women and selfie sticks are the death of America(bullshit, greedy politicians, economy linked to China, and sub-par infrastructure is the death of America). Some people have reasons for being the weight they are. Yes, obesity is a strain to the economy and an issue, but so is anorexia. Shaming someone is only going to make them even more upset and possibly prevent them from changing. This is coming from someone who's thin with a fast metabo.

There are people who are overweight, and then there are people who are obese, on the verge of death, gaining everyday, that has the option to lose weight but doesn't take it.
There's a fine line between accepting your body type/genes, and refusing to lose weight even in the face of heart disease or other conditions.
It might not matter to the person who's doing this to themselves, but what if they have a spouse or children who will desperately miss them once they pass due to their own diet? That's when stigma comes into play. Not every person is like this, there are millions of overweight people who work their ass off to lose weight and can't, and then they accept that's something they can't change. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But if someone with a small frame has started eating themselves under the table, never works out and starts developing heart conditions, something is needed to snap them out of it before they do irreversible damage. I agree that it is not a perfect system, because like you said, anorexia can have the same effects (heart disease) and if becoming and increasingly bigger problem every day.

There just needs to be more of a line between acceptance and pure laziness, just like how there needs to be a larger line in between being healthy and starving yourself.
Everything in moderation, which going back to the topic, is another thing I follow.

 

[AnOminous]

Similarly, fatness is one of the few health issues that you can see. Someone can drink like a fish, and they don't get judged by how they look. Someone can be a pack-a-day smoker and they don't get judged (unless they're caught in the act).

There's nothing more despised than a smoker these days, and no habit that more people will not openly criticize someone for, even (especially) their friends and family. And the rate of smoking has sharply declined as it has been increasingly stigmatized. It's not like the fact that it's bad for you is recent news. However, the social stigma and actual legislation and regulation burdening the choice to smoke is.