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2:50 AM
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Q: Questions around policy, misinterpreted to be about policy advice

Gregory CurrieI seem to notice a bit of a pattern. Whenever there are questions that come up that involve some sort of policy, or law, a lot of people think: "Oh, this is asking for us to interpret the policy or law". Even when that is not actually the case. Questions seeking advice on company-specific regula...

 
 
7 hours later…
9:37 AM
@Lilienthal @Old_Lamplighter Done, waited two days after sending an email to the third person at HR. I spoke to the third person I emailed, she said that she didn't know I lost internet connection when taking the hacker rank challenge. It was the second or third person I emailed about losing my internet connection during the hacker rank challenge. Should I forward that email to her that explains the internet connection loss I experienced during the online coding challenge?
@Old_Lamplighter You write in C++ which can be quite cryptic. A programming language like Java or to a lesser extent C# that spells out what the programmer is doing would be easier to maintain in the long run, I imagine.
 
10:17 AM
@starboy there's plenty of unmaintainable code in any language. I've written a ton of Java and C#, and it all starts to rot the second you commit it.
Code is kind of like a fruit really
Starts off amazing, and gets worse and worse with age until it's a moldy mess that no one wants anything to do with, even if no one's touched it the whole time.
 
@Old_Lamplighter I've often apologized for my poor code in the comments.
 
@Snow been there, done that!
 
@motosubatsu So what's it like after a week of being married to kilisi?
 
10:33 AM
@Snow lol, so far so good. He snores though
 
I'd be chewing my arm off by now.... :D
 
folks, I need some language assistance
does "taring" have a specific pre-defined meaning in a team-management context?
specifically as in
> your duties are recruitment of the team, taring and managing them, planning and implementing the project, etc
 
I've never heard of that word before. I assume that "tare" is a weighting term.
 
@Snow that's the only context I know the word from
 
10:49 AM
If I read that I'd assume it was a typo, but can't think what it would be from
"teaching" if it was written on a mobile swipe keyboard maybe?
 
I'd assume it was a typo, but I couldn't really guess what the intended term would be. Possibly "caring", but even that looks a bit daft.
 
the only thing I can think is a an autocorrect from a mangled spelling of "training"
 
@motosubatsu ah. yes. that makes the most sense.
thanks!
I was (s)taring at it too close and I missed that connection
 
Yeah, "training" would fit. Even then a manager wouldn't really train their team, they'd send them to training classes maybe, but not personally train. But it seems close enough to warrant the assumption.
 
Maybe they meant "tarring and feathering?"
 
10:54 AM
"tearing and mangling them" with two typos perhaps
 
Programmer's heaven and Programmer's hell is the same place. You are sentenced to eternity maintaining your own code. I think I'm in purgatory
 
 
1 hour later…
12:11 PM
@PlayerOne Interesting analogy
@PlayerOne How do Google, Microsoft, and Apple remain so efficient when their codebase is decades old?
 
1:05 PM
@EmilioPisanty Taming?
Depends on the team, but sometimes taming is appropriate :-)
 
1:57 PM
@starboy Code doesn't decay and get slower over time. It gets slower if people are not taking the time to keep it in good working order when they change it. Also, you know, the most useful property for code bases are good abstractions. It means you can replace bits of the codebase without having to update the entire codebase.
 
2:07 PM
@starboy Also, again, want to throw it out there that Google, Microsoft, Apple don't have a single codebase each, they have multiple code bases. And I know for a fact that all three use both C and C++ extensively. So it is possible to have maintainable codebases in those languages.
 
2:40 PM
@GregoryCurrie Yup, too many chefs in the kitchen ruin the meal, or so it goes. Would Test Driven Development help make code easier to maintain?
@GregoryCurrie That's good to know. From what I've read C++ has changed so much over the years that C++ code from more than five years ago would look almost unrecognizable to modern C++.
 
3:17 PM
@starboy The important thing about code is good form and maintainability. For my latest project, I am reaching back to use procedures I wrote five years ago, completely unchanged. Hard code as little as possible, parameterize as much as possible, and modularize as much as practical.
Also, SHOP STANDARDS ARE A BIG THING
Naming conventions, meaningful variable names, and following your own rules.
 
@starboy I doubt TDD itself is useful when talking about legacy code. Automated software testing is crucial when refactoring for instance.
@starboy TDD uses automated testing (or almost always uses).
@starboy I actually think TDD is stupidly overhyped and not generally practical, at least for the work I do.
 
 
1 hour later…
4:39 PM
And now, it's time for the Old Lamplighter's cranky rant about words he'd like to see banned:

* Problematic
* Toxic
* Unpack
* Proactive
* anything ending with "ist", "ism", "ic", or "phobe"
* mansplaining
* diversity
* inclusion
* representation
* empowerment
* engagement
* marginalized

And before anyone flips, we should all be good to each other. I don't like those words because they're generally used by people who's motives are less than pure. None of these words really mean anything on their own, and are most often used to bully people.
3
 
5:00 PM
@Old_Lamplighter Let me check if I understand those tech terms. Procedures are functions. Modularize means to break code into smaller parts, so does modularize mean to put code into functions and classes that you can instantiate or classes that are used as libraries?
@Old_Lamplighter What does parameterize mean?
@GregoryCurrie Why wouldn't TDD be useful for legacy code?
@GregoryCurrie Like Jenkins? Any other popular automated testing software tools?
@GregoryCurrie One of the companies that want to interview me use TDD and pair programming. Pair programming kinda concerns me as I can't multitask, and might find it difficult to focus if I am paired with someone when developing software. If pair programming is a red flag please someone let me know. I sense micromanagement when I hear pair programming.
@GregoryCurrie Why do you think TDD is overhyped? Does it slow down the development process by any chance.
@Old_Lamplighter haha, you sure are not part of generation z. If you were, thinking like this would get you in big trouble with your peers.
 
5:16 PM
@Old_Lamplighter Not a fan of "unpack" and "problematic" you cranky bastard
@starboy By definition TDD means to write tests and then develop code. If you already have legacy code, it just doesn't fit. I mean, you can write automated tests to ensure there is no regression, but that is not TDD.
 
@Old_Lamplighter speaking of offending people. This happened to me on the bus. I saw and heard a 17 year old girl talking loudly to her gen z friends about a guy she knows, she described him as retarded, only to then reveal seconds later that he is autistic and has ADHD. One of the guys she was telling this to then tried to explain that "ADHD is someone who can't pay attention".
@Old_Lamplighter I read an answer of yours which mentioned you either had autism or ADHD, how do you feel about someone publicly making very derogatory remarks like this like it is acceptable to do so? This is why I don't think people should mention mental health issues when applying for jobs. This girl could be working in HR, and reject every applicant who mentions ADHD or autism.
 
@starboy my hide is as thick as an elephant's. Whever someone insults someone by using the word "autism", like "Damn, I didn't know that level of autism existed", I'll chime in by saying "Hey now, we've got a bad enough rap as it is, don't make us take credit for him too!"
Humor is the best weapon, or turning it back on people, or just being friendly.
 
@starboy And as for why I think it's over-hyped? It's a development paradigm that focuses on the end result at the expense of have a well designed process to get that result. I'm am mildly concerned about the initial time investment. Like, if TDD was used to make cars, you basically be assembling the car as you go. And you get towards the end and you're like: "Oh, this car was meant to have 4 doors, let's just weld these additional doors here".
 
@GregoryCurrie Oh really? In TDD you write tests before you code, not after. Test after you code makes more sense.
 
@starboy: Parameterize = use variables and don't hard code.
 
5:25 PM
In reality, you should write the code considering your requirements, and not just bumbling along hoping to make more and more tests pass, and hope that at the end of the process the code that has been written is sane.
I'm sure TDD has its uses. But I've not come across them in my professional life.
 
@starboy as to modularize, I mean make plenty of functions, classes, libraries as possible. If a piece of code is doing more than one or two things, see if it can be broken out. into smaller pieces. And yes, once you build your own library, it can greatly reduce dev time, and increase accuracy as well as limit bugs
I'm def not Gen Z, but I like the zoomers. much more sense than previous generations.
 
@GregoryCurrie Some of those words scream passive aggressive. I see @Old_Lamplighter 's point, some people weaponize some of those words for their own gain all the while believing themselves to hold the moral high ground.
 
Well, I question how "unpack" is a moralistic term. Though I've heard "problematic" in that sense.
Though I regret that more and more words are getting bastardised by the woke brigade.
 
Unpack is just a buzzword I don't like. The rest are more moralizstic terms
 
You don't like unpack? Ok, sure. I'll be sure to use it as much as I can in the future.
 
5:29 PM
> Damn, I didn't know that level of autism existed"
 
I will make you tolerant one way or the other.
 
Where's the laughing emoji when you need it :D
 
@GregoryCurrie The wokerati are just a bunch of people who are jealous of folks that have real prblems
2
 
> Hey now, we've got a bad enough rap as it is, don't make us take credit for him too!
And this is a damn good comeback
 
@starboy The first time I saw that, I actually laughed as well.
The thing is, there are things about disabilities that are funny. My literalism has caused quite a few laughs
 
5:31 PM
@Old_Lamplighter I'll keep that in mind, when next someone is being a donkey
 
There have been quite a few laughs over my being dumbfounded by the saying "what do you mean by that"?
Huh? I meant what I said? what do you mean, "what do I mean"? I don't understand
 
@starboy You didn't seem to know what Test Driven Development was when you asked this question
Wouldn't it be better if you spend some of your time understanding what concepts were before trying to see if they can be shoehorned into things.
 
@GregoryCurrie I see, so TDD gets in the way of having a well thought out development plan
 
Well, yeah
But I suspect if you walk into an interview and just blurt that out, it's not going to serve you well
You actually need to understand concepts and not just regurgitate sentences you see here
 
@starboy at the risk of sounding like a koan, "You need to work the systems, and not let the systems work you"
@GregoryCurrie going back to the good old days of ancient Greece, eh? Opinion vs understanding?
 
5:35 PM
@Old_Lamplighter Fashion sense you mean :D
 
I believe it was Socrates who once said, "I drank what?"
 
Soon face tattoos will become cool
 
I don't know what it is in philosophical terms, but in blunt terms it is: "To know what the fuck you're talking about"
 
@starboy I have never understood the need to vandalize oneself with body grafitti.
 
Me neither
I've never understood the need to vandalize your body either.
 
5:37 PM
@GregoryCurrie the most armor piercing word in the English language is "why?"
@GregoryCurrie Yeah, and westerners can get huge surprises when they travel to Japan and get the reception they are not expecting.
 
AIQ
Good morning ...
 
@Old_Lamplighter I'm sure people make space for you on the train if you have a nice face tat
 
@Old_Lamplighter Wow, this is deep. It makes a lot of sense. A lot of the woke people are earning a decent living or are well off. They must see themselves as saviors
 
@starboy ding ding ding ding
You won the internet todsay
 
Well, it's not exactly complicated is it
 
5:39 PM
@Old_Lamplighter Yeah, same. If I lacked self awareness and didn't care, I would use it myself, it's so funny
 
@starboy as Aristotle said, "the unexamined life is not worth living"
 
AIQ
It's much better though in the USA ...
In Canada ... omg!
 
But, Plato, Socrates, Euripides, Diogenes, it's all Greek to me.
 
AIQ
We are pretty much screwed here ...
 
5:41 PM
@AIQ yes, it's ironic that the nation of PC taken up to 11, has a prime minister who was photographed in blackface, and nothing happened.
 
Are you Canadian?
I guess that's a yes
 
Hey, Canada produced Jordan Peterson!
 
Is it different east vs west, with respect to wokeness?
 
So, there is hope
 
AIQ
@GregoryCurrie No ... I am Bangladeshi ... I came to Canada for my master's
@GregoryCurrie Let me just tell you that I have to be very careful when I talk to people here ...
 
5:43 PM
Why the fuck would you go to canada when australia is next door
 
@GregoryCurrie "Baizuo" is a Chinese word that means "white left", it is an absolute mockery of the woke left.
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Old_Lamp, not sure if you are a fan, but did you ever read Marvel comics?
 
@Old_Lamplighter haha. Are you Zoolander. The conversion you describe sounds like:
 
@AIQ Yes, I know all about the red skull
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Yeah ... I was going there ...
I was really hurt at this ... like leave the man alone ...
@GregoryCurrie Well I came here in 2016 and didn't know these things then ...
 
5:46 PM
@AIQ another word of warning about the woke left. If you are of a "protected class", and disagree with them, they will drop all sense of pretense and come after you HARDER than anyopne else, because they feel that you are ungrateful for all their hard work.
 
AIQ
We don't have these ideological issues back home ... our main priority was to find food to eat ...
 
@AIQ Again, nailed it. That's why the American midwest isn't woke either.
 
@Old_Lamplighter Uncle Tom all over again. You gotta be a good little minority.
 
@GregoryCurrie True. I wasn't planning on integrating it into my workflow. A company that wants to interview me use TDD, I wanted to know if it will be a dealbreaker for me, that and pair programming
 
@GregoryCurrie yeah, they lose their crap when I pound on the American's with disabiltieis act. Hell, what do I know, I'm just an American with disabilities, while they are the wokerati
 
AIQ
5:47 PM
@GregoryCurrie I don't play along with their bullshit ... The things that say ... no one is grateful for anything ... they are all someone complaining about everyyyythingggg
 
@starboy it sounds like you don't really understand it to make an assessment.
I'm always reminded of this clip: youtube.com/watch?v=-Igzro4CwVs&t=4s
 
@starboy one thing you should keep in mind: You don't want to pass an interview just to end up working for a company you hate.
 
AIQ
Ok so, I see these few people everyday ... I have been going to this particular starbucks for like 3 years now ... I pretty much wrote half of my master's thesis sitting there ...
 
@Old_Lamplighter Is that the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people? If you know law then that background should give you a big advantage in knowing how to "work the system".
 
AIQ
there is this 20 year old girl who is very sweet and nice and we talk all the time ...
 
5:50 PM
@starboy It just means that systems are guidelines, and you need to know the system well enough to know where it doesn't work, then make your own rules
 
@GregoryCurrie There is such a thing as "faking it to make it", but I get your point
 
AIQ
She reminds me of my niece in many ways, my niece is 19 and I haven't seen her since 2016 ... so ,.., anyways ... I was talking to this girl and asked her if she would consider moving to the States for her college or graduate studies ... she is very interested in studying Psychology ...
 
@starboy oh, I'm expert at that one. Two jobs I got, and did well at, I knew literally nothing going in the door.
 
AIQ
She replied "No, never the US. I don't want to go to a country where you can buy guns in Walmart."
And I instantly knew, no matter what I said next can't change her mind ...
 
@AIQ we only have problems with guns where they're banned.
It seems the criminals don't want to start trouble when the citizens can return fire
 
5:52 PM
Like Australia
Wait
Nevermind
 
@Old_Lamplighter I knew it. I'm yet to see an older person with tattoos, except retired athletes. I don't have one myself but I see them as art. In some cultures like the Maori of New Zealand, tattoos are like a birth right.
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Yeah that logic or statistics won't work with these people trust me ... they don't read but are all about going down to protests and all about the free-life ...
@GregoryCurrie Are you from Australia?
 
@AIQ I was in Colorado when some California street gangs tried to move in. That didn't last long, as cowboys don't tend to run from a fight, and come well armed.
 
@starboy If you're asked to make a decision about something, you need to try to understand enough to be able to make a decision (and be able to justify it). Rather than getting a single opinion that may have absolutely NOTHING to do with what you need to do.
I mean, you can't fake something you fundamentally don't understand.
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter I really want to move to Texas or some place like that ...
 
5:54 PM
@Old_Lamplighter You mean westerners covered in tattoos would get a lot of attention from Japanese women?
 
@AIQ Yes
 
AIQ
Where I will not suffocate like I do everyday ...
 
I lived in a town where literally every home had at LEAST two guns. ZERO crime
 
AIQ
@GregoryCurrie Oh nice ... I love Aussie Man btw ...
 
Thank you
Oh
Ozzy Man?
 
5:55 PM
@starboy, oh, they'd get attention, just not the good time.
good kind
 
@GregoryCurrie Well, there's a pandemic. So that's one reason to get a face tattoo.
 
Tattoos in japan = Yakuza, or other criminal
 
AIQ
@GregoryCurrie Oh yeah sorry that was stupid of me ...
 
Yes, literally the public will think you're a criminal. Though I suspect in tourist spots maybe not so much.
@AIQ He is a funny cunt
 
AIQ
@GregoryCurrie Yeah, I find really valuable insights in his comedy ...
 
5:57 PM
@starboy there was a video going around about a guy who had a mask made to look like his face, and he got the mask patrol all in a tizzy
I love Ozzie's music ;)
LOL
 
AIQ
The awful things schools are doing here ... it breaks my heart ...
 
@Old_Lamplighter I am proud to be the internet champion. I will defend it against any challengers :D
 
Well, bed time fo rme
 
@starboy in the early days of the internet, when we spoke of kilobytes and floppy disks, and some of us even of tape drives, I was a grandmaster troll. Now, I have retired and teach the youngling of the true art of trolling.
 
AIQ
@GregoryCurrie Goodnight!!
 
5:59 PM
@GregoryCurrie goodnight sir, good to chat with you.
 
@Old_Lamplighter Haha, excellent point, but Justin Trudeau is so handsome, how can anyone criticise him for being caught in black face. They say that good looking people get away with more, if you needed further evidence look no more.
 
@AIQ I'll say one thing. I've always respected the Bangladeshi who have come to America. Most hard working, dedicated folks I've ever met.
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Ben Shapiro seemed genuinely pissed as this ... like every JP fan was super pissed ... I am a big Captain America fan ... and this really made me feel like throwing up ...
 
@Old_Lamplighter And half the music industry. I never get why Canada is known for maple syrup when most of the good musicians are Canadian.
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Thanks!! :D
 
6:04 PM
I actually learned about Jordan Peterson from the efforts to cancel him. The man is about as far from a racist or a yatzee as one can get.
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Yeah ... me too ...
 
Good heavens, the man took 45 minutes to answer the question "do I believe in god"
 
AIQ
I heard his talk and I saw not a single bit of hatred ... frustration yes, but not hatred ...
 
@AIQ he's frustrated because he knows what's coming, as do I, as do many older folks. We've been around the block enough time to see the signs of trouble.
As it is, the attacks on him contributed to his breakdown and nearly dying, while his enemies reveled in it. disgusting.
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Well consider me "old" then too cause I don't like what's going on ... total government takeover ... an authoritarian left to rule us all ...
 
6:06 PM
@Old_Lamplighter Damn you're dropping truth bombs today. You really are lighting ;) this place on fire
 
AIQ
I have serious logical disagreement with what they are doing here ... in the name of diversity and equality/equity ... they are actually depriving people of opportunity ...
 
@starboy, here's a powerful weapon: Never attack the logic, attack the premise. One can put forth unassailable logic from a false premise, but if you refuse to accept the premise itself, the logic falls apart.
2
@AIQ That's why I hate the Americans with Disabilities act, it has made it HARDER for people with disabilities
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Can you give an example of this?
 
@Old_Lamplighter Isn't the American midwest where people shot each other for any altercations? That's what I read was the reason people in the midwest are so nice to each other. You won't find many people starting drama with strangers over there.
 
@AIQ Employers dont want to hire "Walking potential lawsuits", an actual term I've heard
@starboy The American midwest is sparsely populated, and very VERY hostile terrain. People NEED each other. If you see someone at the side of a road, you WILL stop and help, or they may die waiting for help.
 
6:11 PM
@GregoryCurrie Understand what?
 
AIQ
No like I meant a logic where you actually attach a premise ... sorry just trying to learn how this works ...
 
@AIQ Okay, take the term "mansplaining". I challenge that there is even such a thing. (Jordan peterson did the same thing). Get them to define their terms, challenge the assertions.
Another good one is the wage gap. Challenging that premise.....
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Oh I see ...
 
"If there is a wage gap, why are any men employed at all" @AIQ
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Now I got it ... yeah ...
 
6:13 PM
@Old_Lamplighter That's what I'm talking about, high five
 
"Why would I hire a man when I can hire a woman for less?"
@AIQ How can there be a wage gap when it is actually against the law to pay women less than men?
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter lol this is the kind of thing that when you say really infuriates the left ...
 
NEVER accept the false premise, as you've already lost the fight if you do so.
 
@AIQ She has a point thought. You could be minding your business singing "rain drops are falling...", and someone runs up to you and shoots you with the gun they bought at walmart.
 
@starboy yeah, but the other ten people would make fast work of that person.
 
6:16 PM
@Old_Lamplighter Interesting. Mass shootings are still a problem though.
 
AIQ
@starboy That can happen anywhere ... even if you say the chances of that happening in the US is much higher than in Canada, that still doesn't qualify as a good argument ... and it seems very ignorant to put down a country like that ...
 
@starboy not really, they are just way over publicised.
@starboy you are 50 times more likely to die in an auto accident than in a mass shooting
The devil is in the details.
 
AIQ
@starboy It is like saying I won't get out of my house because a tree can fall on me ... or a car can hit me ...
 
@starboy london had a far lower gun violence rate than New York, but London has a much higher murder rate
 
AIQ
Like okay imagine this, the conversation was about higher studies, right ... so think about it this way ... when you are thinking about applying to college, would you factor in the probability that a random person walks up to you and shoots you ...
 
6:20 PM
@Old_Lamplighter Did that happen in the US? I take it some countries take wearing masks more seriously than others.
 
@starboy ah, the mask stats. I know all about the gamesmanship with them.
Oh, BTW folks. nature hates neat statistics. if a stat ends in a 5 or a 0, it's likely fudged, not always, but likely.
 
@Old_Lamplighter Agreed.
 
AIQ
I think the best thing about the US is its Freedom of Speech ...
that we don't have here ...
 
@Old_Lamplighter Yep, the same people who think of themselves as being morally superior would dance around a fire at the news of Peterson's troubles.
 
AIQ
you say anything people don't like ... then you have committed a serious offense ...you have violently attacked them ... and the law will take you in ..
 
6:24 PM
@AIQ my grandparents came to the USA from German when a certain dictator was coming to power. believe me, I appreciate the USA
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter They are now burning all Harry Potter books
because they think JK Rowling is -phobic and because the last book was motivated by Cristian stories or values ...
 
@AIQ The same way salt or sugar in moderation is good, or even alcohol, is the same way that equality and diversity is good in moderation?
@Old_Lamplighter The elder has spoken, I will take heed of thy words
 
AIQ
@starboy I prefer equality of opportunity and diversity of thought as opposed to championing equality of outcome and diversity of race/ethnicity
 
Well, to pull a JP here, well, what do you mean by "equality", and "diversity"? Equality of outcome means punishing people for having natural talent or unparalleled drive.
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Yeah, that is what they want here ... they don't really understand that important distinction ...
 
6:31 PM
@Old_Lamplighter Damn. Another gem. Ever thought of writing a book about all this? Actually don't, the woktivists might come after you with their pitch forks
 
AIQ
How are you going to improve the inclusivity - what dimensions will be used? Now they use skin color and gender as the only two dimensions ... but what about - talent, income, wealth, height, IQ, country of birth, religion ....
 
@AIQ true story: I was arguing with a woke woman (middle class) about "privilege" I said, gee, I didn't feel too privileged when I was homeless. Her response? "You were still white"
 
AIQ
Even then, (using their own logic against them), if you have 50 employees in a company, how will you ensure inclusivity? Because ... gender is fluid ... or infinite ...
 
@Old_Lamplighter That's useful to know
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Yes, White people are so cruel ... I wonder how I got into this country in the first place ...
 
6:35 PM
@AIQ yeah, we all mistreated the hell out of you here too, eh?
 
AIQ
Yeah pretty much ...
Fighting our fight when we don't have one ...
 
Another term I hate is "marginalized". Good luck to anyone who tries to push ME to the margins.
 
@AIQ The thing is I've seen enough videos/stories to know that is a valid concern for anyone who is thinking of living in the US.
 
AIQ
Ask any brown people, okay okay, let's not use that color, ask any South Asian person in NA, and we don't really care about the institutional or systemic racism ... we are happy ...we have food and clean water and clean air ...
 
@AIQ Help a man against his will and you do the same as murder him.
 
6:38 PM
@Old_Lamplighter hmmm, is that for the average person. I mean does that take into account their profession, like I'm sure that statistic for a high school student would be lower.
 
@AIQ it was the same for my family. The only reason my grandfather didn't die in Germany was because his best friend's family had a farm.
 
AIQ
@starboy Not sure about that ... if you ask anyone from my home region, they would gladly want to come to the US ...
 
@starboy the numbers are completely fudged. most years, deaths in mass shootings don't reach 100 out of 350 million, and never over 1000 that I know of. the WORST mass shootings in US history were done by the US government itself.
So, that's a better argument for GOVERNMENT control than gun control.
 
AIQ
I have encountered racist people, had conversations with them, then went home, and watched Netflix and then came out to play basketball with other white folks ...
 
@Old_Lamplighter Knife crime in the UK is pretty bad. I don't quite believe London has a higher murder rate than New York, considering facts, and the several TV shows in New York that are based around solving murder, e.g. CSI, Law and Order etc.
London's population might be bigger, if so, then it makes sense
> Oh, BTW folks. nature hates neat statistics. if a stat ends in a 5 or a 0, it's likely fudged, not always, but likely.
:D
 
6:42 PM
@AIQ dislike of the unlike is a basic human trait, and it comes from our disgust instinct. Simply stated, when Og and zog come out of their cave and meet groog from another tribe, they go home and zog suddenly gets sick and dies. So, we developed the instinct to avoid those that are different. it can be overome, but it is a natural instinct, and not at all related to hate.
It stirs up our threat instinct
@AIQ look up Daryl Davis for a truly remarkable man
 
AIQ
@Old_Lamplighter Old_Lamp ... I am currently working on a project as a research assistant ... it is about understanding and dealing with the barriers that students with disabilities and indigenous students face in going for international exchange study programs ... and some of the things I am hearing really doesn't make a lot of sense to me ...
 
@Old_Lamplighter Most European US citizens have German decent
 
@starboy they have "some", mine came right off the boat last century.
 
AIQ
Like Ben says, "Grow a thick skin" ...
 
@AIQ I grew up at a time when the mantra was "Life isn't fair", and "see the person, not the disability". We have to play in the real world, so we have to play by the rules of the real world.
The thing is, I've had more trouble with people trying to act in my interests than from actual bigots and bullies.
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals. -CS Lewis
 
AIQ
6:48 PM
@starboy I am copy-pasting some of the things Old_Lamp is saying in my diary of life lessons and hard truths ...
I want to get JP's books ...
 
@Old_Lamplighter Do you speak German?
Since you are third generation
 
AIQ
Ah well $45 that I don't have ...
Is @motosubatsu also a mod over at Writing SE?
Or is that someone else ...
 
@starboy I'm actually Gen 1.5 My mother's first language was not English. I can understand German, but not speak it well.
@AIQ Yes, I think that is moto.
@starboy ah, that brings me to another one of life's irritations. I was put in "special" classes growing up which conflicted with German classes, I could not take German in school.
 

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