I Had A Random Thought...

[Ucantalas]

But then his posts will be in sweet 3D!

 

What could be radder?

...3D that actually works?

[Twig]

You could color-code your posts, Twig. Can we change the font color on this forum? I've never tried. Then your signature could be all if I'm typing in red, I sound pissed off or if I'm typing in cyan, I sound condescending.

 

Wait, never mind, that shit's hard to read.

Hahah if only it didn't take so much effort.

 

When I'm saying something sarcastic or deliberately stupid, I type in all lowercase without punctuation. It's a habit I picked it up from another forum years ago and it's stuck with me forever.

I actually do that, too, but it's sorta difficult when your sarcasm/deliberate-stupidity is all interspersed in your serious, which is something I do a LOT.

[SecretAsianMan]

I always liked the thing the Elcor do in Mass Effect. They're the race that express their emotional state through subtle body language and scent. When they interact with other species who can't pick up on those things, they prepend all their statements with the emotion they mean to convey.

[Ucantalas]

(sincere response) Thats not a half bad idea.

[Twig]

(sarcastic response) That would never get old.

[Gormongous]

(waggish retort) Link the Elcor Hamlet ad next!

[Ucantalas]

(melancholic realization) You're probably right.

[SecretAsianMan]

(waggish retort) Link the Elcor Hamlet ad next!

 

Haha, an Elcor theatre troop does sound awesome.

[Twig]

(excited exclamation) No, that's a real thing.

 

[SecretAsianMan]

(genuine surprise) Oh shit, I didn't realize that actually existed.  I feel quite the fool.

[Zeusthecat]

Whenever I'm in a car I do this weird thing where I press my toes down against the bottom of my shoe as things pass by the side of the car. I will often do it with curbs along the side of the road where I try to time the pressing down of my toes to the instant the start of the curb would pass my foot and then I lift my toes the instant the end of the curb passes my foot. I've done this since I was a little kid and I have no idea why.

[subbes]

That said, I don't feel irritated by anyone here.

 

 

Clearly I have not been doing my job.

 

 

 

Also I like this thread when it is funny and ignore it when it isn't.

 

 

 

ps you all have aspergers {|} :saddowns:

[Patrick R]

Whenever I'm in a car I do this weird thing where I press my toes down against the bottom of my shoe as things pass by the side of the car. I will often do it with curbs along the side of the road where I try to time the pressing down of my toes to the instant the start of the curb would pass my foot and then I lift my toes the instant the end of the curb passes my foot. I've done this since I was a little kid and I have no idea why.

I do the same thing, only I tap my teeth together. And I can only do it when I'm not driving.

[Twig]

I erratically wiggle my fingers to the beat of the music in my headphones whenever I'm walking around outside.

[subbes]

When I'm at rest I'm hyper-aware of where my teeth are because I grind my teeth, so I forced myself to use the placement of my tongue in my mouth to prevent that - which is great until you start drifting off and your jaw snaps closed and fuck i bit my tongue

[Sententia]

I've got the same teeth grinding problem, my solution is letting my jaw slack a little so my mouth is slightly open.

 

Worked with my mom in the local farmer's market selling independently produced farmers' products and lemonade, I've realized another aspect of myself.  You know the thing where the people who know you, see you in a particular light that you're absolutely aware of and subconsciously or consciously try to fit into?  Like how you act different around your family than your friends or lover/s.  Upon being introduced to people (the customers walking the market) in a way where I should be socially forward and drive the conversation, I discovered a talkative, funny, gesticular me, very different from my usual quietness and small presence.

[Roderick]

That's very good. That's you putting forward a different, yet totally valid, aspect of yourself that enables you to meet & socialize with strangers.

[syntheticgerbil]

That is literally how I feel about these forums but I pretend it doesn't bother me for the sake of my own sanity.

 

I think in general, this is how you should approach any online area where strangers can read what you say. Just in case.

[clyde]

I'm very interested in how perceived roles affects behavior. I tend to think about it until I get to the point where I say "well, maybe I should consider the possibility that freewill does not exist." and then I get freaked out about personal accountability and take a nap.

[Zeusthecat]

I'm very interested in how perceived roles affects behavior. I tend to think about it until I get to the point where I say "well, maybe I should consider the possibility that freewill does not exist." and then I get freaked out about personal accountability and take a nap.

 

I think a lot of people project their own opinions of what their perceived roles entail. For example, two men may have very different views on what it means to be a "man" and, if they identify themselves as belonging to that role, might assign the behavior they exhibit to the "man" role.

 

The general sentiment for a lot of people might be that a true "man" doesn't cry and should act tough. That is not what the role means to me, however. I feel that a true man should cry if he needs to and should never needlessly act tough. I think it is more "manly" to confront emotions rather than run from them. I also think it is more "manly" to be honest and show that you are in pain and need to go to the hospital if you just broke 4 ribs or something like that.

 

But I think what you are saying is also true. For a lot of people, they most likely accept some general characteristics that society has attributed to a role and try to fit that to a certain degree. I also think what you hinted at with personal accountability has a major influence on how much importance people place on conforming to a role. Some people are scared or intimidated by the thought that they have free will (and yes I think people truly do have free will) and conform to certain roles as a way to avoid it.

[Twig]

Meanwhile: I'm jus' a big ol' baby!

[clyde]

But I think what you are saying is also true. For a lot of people, they most likely accept some general characteristics that society has attributed to a role and try to fit that to a certain degree. I also think what you hinted at with personal accountability has a major influence on how much importance people place on conforming to a role. Some people are scared or intimidated by the thought that they have free will (and yes I think people truly do have free will) and conform to certain roles as a way to avoid it.

This is such an interesting way of seeing it; specifically the idea that people are attracted to social roles in order to avoid free will.

 

I'll describe my position a bit more thoroughly.

I think that the systems in which we inhabit (social roles) are the biggest factor in how we behave. Of course it's a mixture of social roles for each of us, and they are prioritized differently in different circumstances. I would define "environment" as the mixture of circumstances, systems, and the social roles of those around us. I believe that our environment necessitates that we behave in certain ways. Sometimes we have some flexibility in how we go about doing it, but let's face it, there are some default methods in our society to achieve food, shelter, and sex. Those default methods have a convenience to them and it takes a lot of effort and awareness to do anything but the default. 

So because I feel that most of our behaviors are just base desires and the convenient methods to achieve those desires, free will may exist, but it doesn't seem to come up in the decision making process very often. This perception makes me want to change the default systems in such a way that compassion and awareness and trust are more convenient. I think that my environment in a Virginian college town has managed to do a lot toward this goal when compared to an anarchic situation, but I want to improve it further or at least spread my environment so that others can be compassionate and aware conveniently. In other words, I depend less and less on the idea of free will. But when I get to a certain point in this paradigm, personal accountability comes into question. Should a person be held accountable for their actions, should they receive the rewards and punishments duly? Or should their environment?

 

If an example would be useful to the discussion:

I think that the United States military uses this concept to their ends. You can take a peace-loving hippy, give them weapons and training on how to use them, then put them in a situation in which people who speak a different language are shooting at them; and the peace-loving hippy will shoot back. They aren't really making a decision of free will, they are just acting a role in their environment.

[subbes]

Meanwhile: I'm jus' a big ol' baby!

 

as long as you're not doing some sort of adult baby/diaper fetish thing i guess it's ok to admit it

[Sententia]

In other words, I depend less and less on the idea of free will. But when I get to a certain point in this paradigm, personal accountability comes into question. Should a person be held accountable for their actions, should they receive the rewards and punishments duly? Or should their environment?

 

My view on this is pragmatic rather than idealistic.  There are several reasons to punish wrongs, the biggest among them: to create the fear of punishment to discourage others from committing wrongs, and to prevent that individual from committing the same wrong again.  Also we can speak very generally about the average person and creating an environment where compassion is convenient and awareness is taught by society rather than independently learned, but that doesn't mean we should ignore the fact that there are people who consciously eschew what's convenient when it doesn't match up with what's good.  Just because the bell curve exists and most people fall in the middle doesn't mean the ends aren't real.

 

I think you're conflating the concept of free will with the idea of fate.  I'm not the most eloquent type so the words aren't coming exactly right, but the way I see it is because our universe lacks randomness in any capacity, everything that happens would always have happened regardless.  In a sense 'fate' is reality because of this.  It doesn't mean we don't make choices, but our choices will be based on our genetics and upbringing, who our friends and relatives are and how they behave in front of us; the cumulative experience of our life, all of which was predetermined.

[Zeusthecat]

It doesn't mean we don't make choices, but our choices will be based on our genetics and upbringing, who our friends and relatives are and how they behave in front of us; the cumulative experience of our life, all of which was predetermined.

 

Or another way to look at it is that there are an infinite number of parallel universes where every possible outcome of every choice exists. 

 

That's how I prefer to think of it. I don't like the idea that if I was presented with two equal choices that the way it turns out is the only way it possibly could have turned out. Because that would mean video games really are just movies.