I just fell into that stupid, first-world trap of now wanting one of these horribly as a pet. I'm presuming, as in most cases, that would be a disaster for the animal, but I am still looking into it!

EDIT: and this site seems to have some good, realistic information on the topic: https://capybaraworld.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/a-pet-capybara-should-i-have-one/

TL;DR - You can keep them as pets if you're prepared to be with them every day. Having a second one sounds mandatory as well. Evidently they're extremely tied to their 'herd' and experience far worse anxiety when separated from their familiar companions.

No capybara for me, but glad to know I could one day have one if my life allowed it!

I will never come to terms with how much hyperbole is being thrown at this (semi-)botched launch. How is the world 'letting' Microsoft have a poor product roll-out strategy? How is Microsoft more nefarious than Blackwater, or the Corrections Corporation of America? How am I more locked out of my PC when Windows stops working than I'm locked out of my DVD player when I have to return the disc I rented?

I mean - I get why people care. I have a McLuhanesque relationship with my PC that I'll never have with my phone or my tablet (devices that regularly force me to upgrade OS, and also 'siphon' personal data), and I can feel actual low levels of anxiety when my PC breaks, even if I don't need it for anything. I just don't get the hyperbole.

White cis male weighing in, so I know the only acceptable position I can take is to defer the decision to others, but I'll chance it.

It seems pretty obvious to me the people taking the most abuse in and having the most anxiety on the subject are going to be anyone transgendered.

I am however a bit reluctant to rule out the concern that might be held by the female half of the population of using public bathrooms alongside males. I know, most of the proposals are all based on simply allowing transgender people who identify as female to use female restrooms. I don't however think it's fair to straight out reject concerns from females that male predators, or more probably 'mere' perverts, can pretty easily 'fake it' and walk right in.

The argument of just get over yourself or you phobias also cuts both ways. Anyone insisting this is a world altering vital battleground over freedom and privacy is maybe taking things too far.

I worked directly outside of Brian Fargo's office for a couple years, and my social anxiety was so bad that I never even spoke to him more than the occasional greeting in passing. I'm such an idiot.

He's a really nice guy too.

Here's a short and interesting piece on a culture shift in western society, from dignity towards reverse honour aka a culture of victimhood:

https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/rhodes-must-fall-from-dignity-to-honour-values

Under the guise of hypersensitive offense-taking, the self-worth we once held intrinsic and inalienable is again becoming contestable and anxiety-inducing. Like in the old days of honor culture, self-worth is again understood as an internalised right to respect. No longer content with dignity as a remedy against injustice, people resort to confrontational and resentful tactics reminiscent of honor culture.

Ha, as soon as i saw you quoted my comment it lifted my anxiety. It won't matter if i delete my comment now. Thanks

Well. I have to disagree with that.

"If you're a transsexual then its those horrible CIS people"

Yeah. It often is unfortunately, and its horrid not because of malice so much as of because of ignorance.

and yes. What sane and reasonable person would be against equality for women...It's one thing to say it... The police will tell you they aren't a racist institution, hell, they even have some black cops! some of their best friends are black! I voted for Obama!

I guess my anxiety is this: You "fight", as you admit, the extremist end of "SJWs", which in the video/s are referred to simply as "those SJWs" then aren't you a) polarising the debate even further b) contributing in some sense to their coup of those movements by using the name of those movements as shorthand when you really mean an extremist element? c) feeding those undeserving elements with your attention? Isn't it better to debate specific issues, say, Tim Hunt being sacked for making a sexist joke, than this sort of "this group of people are to blame!" kinda discourse?

@Jinx

you used a great word:"nuance" and i would add "context".

i know you identify as a social justice warrior,and many here on the sift do as well.i would even include myself on that list in certain instances.

but this video is not addressing the rational and reasonable people who have valid grievances and wish to stand up for:human rights,fairness,justice and equality.

this video is addressing those who abuse political correctness to further their own,personal agenda,dressed up as social justice.these people,who have co-opted,infiltrated and hijacked LEGITIMATE and VALID causes and corrupted them with an irrationality that should,and IS,being ridiculed.

why?
because in the free market of ideas,where there is a free flow of information and dialogue,is the place where bad ideas go to die.

but how do these extremist deal with criticism?
with scrutiny and examination of their call for justice?

well,they simply ACCUSE you of being a:racist,bigot,homophobe etc etc and that is where the conversation ends.the very act of accusing shuts down any dissenting voice by demonizing that person for having the audacity to even question their righteous crusade.

change takes time in a free society.this is a slow process.
so archaic,societal and cultural belief systems take time to shift,but what has ALWAYS been the successful trait in every single victory for social justice is:conversation and discussion.making people aware of the situation and then addressing the problem.

basically it takes people talking about it.

but that is not the tactic we see used by these perpetually offended and faux outraged.THEIR tactic is to shut the conversation down as viciously and violently as they can.they are allergic to dissent or disagreement,and to even attempt to point out the logical fallacies,or incongruities will get you labeled a racist,bigot or homophobe.

that is not justice.that is censorship with a large dose of fascist.

this video makes a solid case for pointing out how a small cadre of narcissistic cry-babies have hijacked groups who had actual grievances and created an atmosphere of fear,anxiety and paranoia simply to promote their own brand of social justice by latching onto real movements...and in the process..destroyed them.

did you SEE what they did to occupy?
or their current slow motion destruction of feminism?
or how about that semi-retarded atheism plus?
good lord..just go watch PZ meyers slowly become a former shadow of himself to pander to these fuckwits.

look man.
even YOU acknowledge that their are some who abuse political correctness for their own self-aggrandizement,and i suspect that even YOU do not identify with this small group of extremists.

well,that is who this video is addressing.

i mean.what fair and reasonable person is AGAINST women having equality or being treated fairly?
who would be AGAINST fighting corruption in our political and economic systems?

but this new batch of social justice warriors are all about THEIR rights.THEIR feelings.THEIR safe spaces and THEIR fascist ideologies on how a society should behave and act.

and if you happen to disagree they will unleash the most vile and vicious tactics to not only shut you up,but lose your job AND,in some cases,abuse a court system to make you criminally libel.all because of THEIR agenda.

free speech is only something THEY are entitled to,YOU get to shut the fuck up.

this ultra-authoritarian,cultural marxism is so anti-democratic and anti-free society,that it must be called out and ridiculed for it's own absurd lack of self-awareness.

they should be laughed at,ridiculed and chastised for the idiocy it proposes.

now maybe we disagree on this,and that is fine.disagreements will happen and they are healthy.

but just know i am not addressing those actual social justice warriors,but rather their more radical and fascist minority that appear to have hijacked the conversation.

and i truly highly doubt you are part of that minority,and if you are?
sorry man.we disagree.

i was a tad reluctant to post this video.
not because i didnt find it entertaining,because i did..this dude is off the rails with his passion and his rage,and i adore how he lays it all out.

no...i was reluctant because it is so obvious his bias and narrow interpretation of whats going on to fit his narrative,and i had a genuine anxiety that some of the sift would interpret my posting this as somehow representing MY thoughts on the situation in germany.

i was so unsure i went to a fellow sifter who i admire and respect very much,and who also happens to live in germany to get his take on this video (and if he found it offensive).

which he didn't and even offered up a very detailed opinion,not only on this video but the situation in germany (thanks @radx).

i don't really concern myself too much on if people feel offended.there is someone who will always feel/be offended and if i over-thought every nuance or detail,i probably would never post anything except cute kitten videos.

but the situation in germany is a clusterfuck and people are getting hurt,and i didnt want to come across as callous.

a main driving force why i posted this video is due to so many here in the states that are literally freaking out about 15,000 syrian refugees coming here,and this dude is part of that demographic.

my country has become a gaggle of bed-wetting pussies.

germany:population 85,000,000-refugee population 1,000,000

that is a pretty big damn influx of refugees,and it appears the german government was in no way prepared to assimilate that many refugees (thanks again @radx).

united states of america:population 315,000,000-refugee population (for the first year) 15,000.

and my country literally wet itself over that wee,tiny number.

so we get rants like this xenophobic bed-wetter.twisting the facts to fit his narrative,to feed his childish rage tantrum.

though it is a glorious rage tantrum.
hmmm tasty delicious rage.....

Good read.

That's kind of the 'permanent damage' I meant, but I'm really thinking of the reverse from what they focused on. They were mostly talking about positive mental changes (more 'openness') that were lasting or permanent, I was thinking about the negative mental changes that can happen after a 'bad trip', like fear, anxiety, and distress, which can also be long lasting or permanent. I was also thinking about people who's brain chemistry is just not compatible with DMT (or whatever it might be cut with if bought on the black market) who might have physical, brain chemistry issues exacerbated or caused outright.

I'm also partially thinking of those who commit suicide either during or after taking DMT. That's pretty permanent.

Holy cow, that pace gave me some serious anxiety.

Awesome.

Social Anxiety Poem: "I DIDN'T GO OUT"" has been added as a related post - related requested by PlayhousePals on that post.

I often had a major fear/anxiety at the though of walking into a party. That thought and the anxiety that came with it kept me at home quite often. Although if i could get myself through the front door i had so much fun and was a blast to be around(of course this is back in the day when i was fun and not so broken)

Yes, I was wondering when you would trot out Hooker's paper and the 'CDC whistleblower" bit. You see, in the lack of clear scientific fact, conspiracy theorists tend to grab whatever they can to prove that they are right. I'll dissect your attempt right now.

First, Hooker's paper was covering the data involving African-American children with supposed predilection towards autism. The sample size was small, the math was ludicrous, and he incorrectly analyzed a cohort study. Because of the NUMEROUS failures to appropriately conduct a true scientific study, his paper was retracted. So, when exposed to the light, his theory was decidedly lacking in content and was canned.

http://retractionwatch.com/2014/08/27/journal-takes-down-autism-vaccine-paper-pending-investigation/

This incompetent study was the result, allegedly, of discussions between Hooker and a senior psychologist at the CDC named William Thompson. Hooker then teamed up with Andrew Wakefield to cherry pick bits to make it sound as though Thompson were confessing to some horrible crime of data manipulation to hide this “bombshell” result reported by Wakefield. Thus was born the “CDC whistleblower".

In February 2010, the General Medical Council in the U.K. recommended that Wakefield be stripped of his license to practice medicine in the U.K. because of scientific misconduct related to his infamous 1998 case series published in The Lancet, even going so far as to refer to him as irresponsible and dishonest, and in May 2010 he was. He is a now doing everything he can to prove his theories, like possibly illegal recording of conversations, so that he can regain some credibility. The guy is a hack.

Thompson has admitted to being prone to anxiety disorders, being delusional, and has shown that he is more scared of being 'the bad guy' then doing his job. His career is pretty much finished at the CDC, because he has shown that he will waffle if confronted by angry people who can't understand science. I feel sorry for him, but he has issues.

So, now we can address your link. A congressman, not a scientist, has received information from people who have been laughed out of the scientific community for multiple reasons. He sees buzzwords and decides to get ahead of the bandwagon, calling for further investigation and research. I can, of course, show you knee-jerk reactions by multiple members of congress similar to this, like Ted Cruz calling for immediate investigation into Planned Parenthood over the recent videos. You know, the ones that were chopped and spliced together to make it sound like PP was selling aborted babies? Do you see a pattern with the chop and splice for sensationalism? I hope you do.

In other words, you don't have any scientific facts. Like all anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorists, you rely on a few items that seem to tie together to form a true fact, but they don't. When confronted with this, you will say that it's all big pharma and money trails, etc. Do you not see the fallacy in that logic? It's like saying that the the earth was created 9000 years ago...because RELIGION!

Btw, if you want to place your trust in politicians trying to be scientists, I leave you with this gem from former congressman Paul Broun.

"You see, there are a lot of scientific data that I've found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young Earth. I don't believe that the earth's but about 9,000 years old. I believe it was created in six days as we know them. That's what the Bible says."

Jos' anxiety about the end of the tunnel got me thinking: he was on the track when Wendlinger had his horrific accident right there during training in '94, wasn't he?