justsoyouknow

When Show came out and was stealing other people's gimmicks, it was a good deal of fun. "Showkishi" anyone?

Ah. Good to know. I'll be sure not to throw around words like that anymore. Thank you, sir, for your time.

Incandenza, why don't you like me?

I wanted to get Tequila, but the kid who drove to the liquor store bought Vodka instead. Not bad, Smirnoff 100 proof. Very nice.

Wellll....tonight we went to a paryt where there was supposed to be a keg. Unforutnately, the keg never showed up. So my friends and I bought a 750 of vodka and we drank the whole sumbitch. Well, they had acoupel shots, I drank about 3/4 of the bottle by myself. I'm still pretty fucking plasterd right about now, despite swhowieng up at the party aroudn 10:30.....the cops showed up and we tried to go over the fence into the alley, but when I climbed up onto the fecne, I looked over and there were two cops standing there....two fo my lady friends already had gone over, but I hightailed it back inside....turns otu that the cops took down their name, address, etc....we sat there in the dark until the cops left, then we did some James Bond shit and took off out of therere....I had my friend drive my car home, since I was waaaaaaay to fucking gone to be driving anywhere.... Anwyaay, long story short, I ended up making out with two of my lady friends. Anyone else havea drinking story tha they want to share with us?

I also don't remember Scorpion carrying around a skull staff with a jester hat on it.

Seinfeld is by far the greatest sitcom ever. Anyone who claims otherwise is dead wrong. Best episode of all time would have to be "The Contest".

You know what would save TSM? ....some severed fingers.

Where's the severed finger picture that we were promised?

What's the deal with the air conditioning in my car going out three times in three weeks? The fuse KEEPS blowing up?

I live in Arizona. Can it be my problem?

While standing beside his escalade Holding up a copy of his speeding ticket.

...this kid never ceases to amaze me.

I hope so. I'm interested to see how Inc's logical asshole-tearings will pair up with Stennick's blatant stupidity...

Yeah, but if I recall correctly, APO actually showed up.

AH! My tambourine! The band has been suffering!

Alright, so he wants to become a redneck, that's respectable, I suppose...but why would you want to be a redneck when you're already Scottish? ...the rabbit hole gets deeper...

Why the hell not?

...

...someone acknowledge me.

Not to sound like a bitch or anything, but I've been a member for much longer and no one's attempted to make friends with me....I understand that I posted some really stupid things in the General Chat folder, but we all make mistakes. ....SOMEONE BE MY FRIEND, DAMNIT.

What keeps us apart? (Sources of the Fear) All forms of bigotry, prejudice and stereotypes are essentially based on concepts, opinions, knowledge and memory. Specifically it is the way in which our brains process this information that causes much of our problems. Memory Associations There are several methods which can be used to memorize ideas and concepts. Typically people use repetition (cramming) to force an idea from their short-term memory into their long-term memory. But there are other methods which occur naturally. One of the most effective is by association, linking something that is unfamiliar conceptually to something that is familiar. (For example : Visualizing a shopping cart on your front porch may help you remember to get groceries on the way home...) Stereotypes are essentially an association between two items, one which is known and one which is unknown. Because associations are a natural part of the way our minds and memories function there is no real way to avoid the formation of stereotypes, per se, and in and of themselves stereotypes are neither good nor bad, they just are. The Paradigm Effect The situation turns problematic when multiple and overlapping associations occur. Generally, people are more likely to form conceptual associations which are similar to associations which they already have. Familiar ideas are easier to accept and believe, they are re-affirming and supportive of a point of view. These ideas seem to almost Leap out at us. Conversely, concepts which are contrary to our already held ideas, concepts and associations become increasingly more and more difficult to fathom as time goes on. In some cases they can become physiologically "invisible" to a person. People literally can't comprehend or see them in their mind's eye. Collections of association and concepts which enhance and support a particular point of view, are called Paradigms. The tendency for associations and concepts which are contrary to a persons current point of view to be ignored and discounted is called the Paradigm Effect. The impact of this effect has been documented throughout history. Scientist who simply and honestly looked at the facts like Galleleo and Copernicus where ostracized, intimidated and threatened for presenting new concepts and ideas which were outside the accepted Paradigm which was held by the "mainstream" of society (and church) of the day. When people conceptualize about other people of various heritage and/or cultures ("Races" if you will) they quite naturally use associations and create stereotypes, which in turn become part of complex Paradigms. It is my view that Prejudice and bigotry are the result of the Paradigm Effect on Stereotypes...when facts and the truth concerning individual people are ignored in favor of the previously conceived group which they have been associated with. The Paradigm Shift The answer to racism therefore, is for individuals to form "open ended" Paradigms, which support what is called a Paradigm Shift, which is what occurs when a person (or persons) come to the realization that their current Paradigm is inadequate and/or inaccurate and they revise it by (finally) accepting and incorporating new information which had been previous ignored, or gone unrecognized. Everyone forms associations in their mind, it's unavoidable since that is partially how our minds function. Everyone builds Paradigms from these associations. Everyone. But, we must not allow ourselves to simply rest on our own individual Paradigms, we must constantly seek to challenge them, especially when the Paradigms themselves are taken out of context. A Paradigm (or a simple stereotype) which applies to a particular group, may or may not necessarily have any validity when applied to any particular individual within that group. If that is one of the first conceptual Paradigms that a person forms and learns, then that persons is essentially "innoculated" from bigotry and prejudice. But if it is not, then overriding their current Paradigm with this idea becomes increasingly difficult as time goes on and they become more and more entrenched in their particular point of view. There is no way to guarantee which Paradigms any individual will form. But if we have a clearer picture of the problem, we can devise methodologies to help us reach the goal. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet to erasing racism, bigotry or prejudice. It will always be with us to some degree because it is a "natural" by-product of how we "nurture" knowledge. It will always, to some extent, keep us apart. More...

A very good friend of mine is Hispanic. His name is Rodolfo Bencomo. He's like my big brother, he's got my back for everything. We joke about racism and whatnot. I bust out the Hispanic stuff, he busts out the "cracker" stuff. He's always been there for me, and I appreciate everything that he's done for me. But you cannot get away from the facts. Slavery has been a major part of every civilization on earth. It was also initially attempted with whites as the slaves, but that failed miserably, as the whites couldn't do the same amount of work. Do I get all uppity because whites were slaves once? I'm not trying to be intentionally bigotted, it's just late and I haven't had much sleep lately. Little bit cranky, too. No excuse, but it'll have to do for now. As far as the situation not being black and white, I believe that Chris Rock summed it up best when talking about who was the most racist.

If you take African-Americans and Mexicans out of the equation, the violent crime rate for the United States and Canada is nearly equal. Whites commit far less violent crimes than minorities. Numbers, they do not lie.

+1, eh? I haven't said anything that's incorrect here. Violent crime rates in the United States are huge compared to Canada's...if you factor out all minorities, they are just about equal. Racism is ingrained in our culture. Again, if they continue to fulfill the stereotype, the stereotype will remain. When there's a freaking turqoise house on an all-white street, it sticks out like a sore thumb. When a lowrider comes bouncing down the street, it has a tendency to be easily seen. If that makes me racist, so be it.