I'm so torn here. On one hand, I think she deserves all the hate she gets. It's objectively a bad song and the shithead mom just paid her no-talent daughter into fake fame. But at the same time, The death threats are obviously crossing a line and so is the supposed bullying.

It swings both ways. On one hand, I don't think I will ever understand the "quest for fame" that some people strive for. Sure virtually everyone wants to be known and have the respect of their peers. I just can't contemplate being so craving for attention to put myself through something like that. So part of me wants to blame her and her mom for their low sense of self-worth that they have to crave that sort of fame.

But on the other hand. I blame society in general. regardless of whether you like the song or hate her guts, a lot of people put a non-insignificant amount of time and effort into liking or hating her. Why are we so bored that we're willing to like an objectively bad song or spend hours on youtube making hateful comments.

Then of course there's the whole money aspect of things. If all they cared about was getting paid...well obviously the mother's scheme worked. She's set up pretty good and all she had to do was make her daughter a national spectacle.

Is it worth it? Should it be worth it?

I think only two things are certain for me. 1. The mother is a horrible person for putting her kid through that. 2. This is an indictment of the music industry that they're so desperate for anything to sell they resort to the circus acts and freak shows and actual singing ability be damned.

Trump is so much the epitome of the vain, self-centered, horrible person, moron, type of capitalist, it's amazing. He's like a lightning rod of bad personality traits.

edit: Oh, and a liar... I almost forgot. And a terrible one at that. And bad taste. Geez, the man has some shitty taste.

I disagree with Ron Paul on so very many things (including on abortion, and pretty much everything else other than foreign policy), and I can't help but like the guy. He's consistent, he believes what he's saying, and he acts like he speaks. I can't think of another politician like him - I just wish he was somewhere else on the political spectrum.

By contrast, Santorum is a horrible person; here, and everywhere else I've seen him, he's been a disingenuous, loathsome, pandering prick - and I'd happily say that even if he agreed with me on anything.

>> ^peggedbea:

When my son was born I was a radiology tech in a hospital. I was not for circumcision, I thought it seemed totally unnecessary. Then I got bombarded with horror stories from all the nurses I worked with and actually ended up having to do a procedure on a little boy whos foreskin looked like it had NEVER EVER been cleaned. It was 1. the only foreskin I'd ever seen and 2. totally traumatic. In the end my sons father INSISTED he have it done, and I was a little too fucked up from having just given birth to argue anyway. So the doc gave my son a chocolate dum dum and stuck that little plastic bell thing on his penis. He was maybe 3 hours old. He didn't cry, or even seem to care. The foreskin fell a few days later.
If I ever have another kid, I won't circumcise him. But I don't feel like a horrible person because I let my son get circumcised. I used to watch a lot of things about female circumcision, the mother's who do this to their daughters think they're doing the right thing. Because in that culture, no one will want her if she isn't cut. In that culture, women don't generally get to lead lives without men. In the end, I don't begrudge parents too much for wanting to raise children who will be accepted in their respective societies.
Yeah, I get it, it's altering someones body without their consent. But individual parents aren't horrific monsters for doing things within in their respective cultural norms. It's the cultures that are fucked up and wrong. And it's complete ignorance that lets these practices continue, not malice.


You are absolutely right about ignorance and tradition being at the core of the problem, and your story illustrates my point about community pressure. (Far from me the will to guilt-trip you, Ryjkyj or anyone else for circumcision(s) already performed, in optimal circumstances. Preventing future occurrences and raising awareness on the issue is the idea here.)

There is quite a big difference between the constraints of tribal culture in the deserts of Sudan and those of Americans, between "civilised" societies and those living in bronze age cultures. For one, we are (or at least can be) aware of such notions as "rights of the individual" and the like. Secondly, HYGIENE. @Kofi summed it up neatly, and your story adds to the illustration. Parents who "NEVER EVER" clean their child's weewee are guilty of child abuse (in the form of neglect), and should be regarded with horror and disdain, in an age when access to information has never been easier. That bronze age desert-dwellers with no running water would practice circumcision makes some sense, but that it be culturally accepted elsewhere is untenable.

FGM enrages and disgusts me far more than circumcision, and I argue strongly against the cultural relativism and cowardice (vis-à-vis Islam) which allows it to go one in "civilised" countries, while supporting its eradication worldwide. Male circumcision is a far lesser evil, but the one should not be used to dismiss/excuse the other.

When my son was born I was a radiology tech in a hospital. I was not for circumcision, I thought it seemed totally unnecessary. Then I got bombarded with horror stories from all the nurses I worked with and actually ended up having to do a procedure on a little boy whos foreskin looked like it had NEVER EVER been cleaned. It was 1. the only foreskin I'd ever seen and 2. totally traumatic. In the end my sons father INSISTED he have it done, and I was a little too fucked up from having just given birth to argue anyway. So the doc gave my son a chocolate dum dum and stuck that little plastic bell thing on his penis. He was maybe 3 hours old. He didn't cry, or even seem to care. The foreskin fell a few days later.

If I ever have another kid, I won't circumcise him. But I don't feel like a horrible person because I let my son get circumcised. I used to watch a lot of things about female circumcision, the mother's who do this to their daughters think they're doing the right thing. Because in that culture, no one will want her if she isn't cut. In that culture, women don't generally get to lead lives without men. In the end, I don't begrudge parents too much for wanting to raise children who will be accepted in their respective societies.

Yeah, I get it, it's altering someones body without their consent. But individual parents aren't horrific monsters for doing things within in their respective cultural norms. It's the cultures that are fucked up and wrong. And it's complete ignorance that lets these practices continue, not malice.

On the bright side, it has validated your mother's decision to abandon you. >> ^gwiz665:

I just got the test results. It says that you're a horrible person. It says so right here, a horrible person. It's funny, we weren't even testing for that.
>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
On chapter 8 now and completely blown away. The plot twists are excellent and the dialog is laugh out loud funny. The puzzles are easier, but they are far from dull. I think they wanted to keep the story pacing brisk. It would be nice if they released a difficult puzzle pack.

I just got the test results. It says that you're a horrible person. It says so right here, a horrible person. It's funny, we weren't even testing for that.
>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

On chapter 8 now and completely blown away. The plot twists are excellent and the dialog is laugh out loud funny. The puzzles are easier, but they are far from dull. I think they wanted to keep the story pacing brisk. It would be nice if they released a difficult puzzle pack.

He's a bar owner, and a horrible person it seems...

>> ^skinnydaddy1:

>> ^SveNitoR:
>> ^skinnydaddy1:
>> ^SveNitoR:
>> ^skinnydaddy1:
So, the guy animates on a computer that uses 4 times the amount of materials that is in a mobile device. Just to tell us our love of gadgets is enslaving people who can only be freed by starting a war to kill the dictator and if we do that, we get antiwar animation pointing out how we are war mongers and now everyone hates the war mongers because they started a war and the only way not to make the rest of the world like them is to give up everything and live like a third world country while no other 1st world country does the same thing.
Right....
Define hypocrisy.

No, he claims that our extreme consumption patterns have negative effects, not that we should invade countries. We buy new, throw away, buy new, throw away... and so on. This is a quote from someone, whom I unfortunately forgot the name of: "We buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't care about".

Sorry, still can't muster up enough to care anymore. Its just gotten to the point where some Self-righteous ass has to tell me how terrible a person I am because I got up this morning had a cup of coffee. SO instead of wasting their time creating an animation telling me I'm a horrible person. Take that time to volunteer and do some real work for once. I no longer will apologies for the way I live. I do not spend more than I have and if other people do that its their business. I know, I know. I sound like a douchbag. But to me now, So does the guy who created the animation. At what point do I get to live my life with out criticism? With out someone telling me what I should or should not do?
I've told this story in another of a video comments not long ago. I spent 5 months in and around Europe not long ago doing contract work. The job had me going from city to city just about every week. In EVERY city the second someone found out I was from the U.S. I had to hear about how we were destroying the world. The hypocrisy of being criticized by some ass holding blackberry or Iphone or netbook or whatever just because I was from the U.S. really really got to me. And if I said I have heard this before they just get really pissed like what they were saying was so different then what the last 10 people said.
I know its trendy to look progressive and forward thinking about the impact of what just owning a cell phone can be but FFS change your own life and live by example not by yelling at the Evil American. and before you say it. No I do not have to watch the video, but I did receive the link to it by someone saying how clever it was. So instead of the Funny I was looking for I got the "your killing the planet by breathing" video.
Sigh, Ok, I've ranted enough here. I really did not mean for it to go this long but explaining it never seems to fit in to a few line.
This rant brought to you by "Douchbag American" If the rest of the world don't like it. Blame the U.S.!

Hehe, yeah that was quite an impressive rant.
I understand your frustration with being treated like an asshole just because of your nationality (and I would guess that the average Swedish person is worse than the average USA-citizen when it comes to using resources). They are the idiots for doing that, but I believe the video was not aimed at Americans specifically, but rich societies in general. We all live more luxuriously than what the earth can support in the long run and quite frankly need to change our lives a bit.
Nothing dramatic, just stop buying tons of new shit all the time and see if there are any used products available instead. I'm equally bad at this and love having new stuff as much as anyone, but still see the need for a change.

Ya, I know. Its not been a stellar few years for me. Needless to say the company that sent me all over Europe to do work for went out of business before I got back to the U.S.. SO I did not get fully paid for the work done. No, It was not a free trip. I had to cover my own way back and that killed the little pay I did receive. Hey, Fun way to discover your company has gone under. "Credit Card Declined" and no answer at the main office while trying to check in to a hotel. I love new stuff also. I've not been able to buy new for a awhile now.
My personal favorite from the trip, Being told off by some French ass who was riding an $800 bike wearing Italian fashion, holding a blackberry. I'm on a park bench trying to figure out how I'm getting home in a late 90s tshirt i got free from a tech expo and jeans. Just because I was from the U.S. The Kicker, I almost get arrested because "I" was causing a commotion or something. (I'm not sure as I do not speak French and the person translating I'm pretty sure left some things out) Oh well. It's over with so I'll tag as an over costly learning experience and I can one up a lot of people in a "Worst Trip Ever" story.


Yeah you would definitely win over me there

I would say that experiencing different cultures in such a way is a very unique and good experience to have, both personally and professionally. Now you know what it's like to be both poor and an immigrant at least to an extent (of course that could have been true before that trip as well). I find that experiencing hardship in different ways has allowed me a more direct (not just intellectual) understanding of others, since I'm from a pretty safe middle-class, white neighbourhood. It helps me empathize with their struggle.

Not much consolation, but the loud mouthed idiots are not a majority anywhere in the world. They're like internet trolls: they take up a lot of space, but they do not represent the population in general. At least I hope that's the case

>> ^SveNitoR:

>> ^skinnydaddy1:
>> ^SveNitoR:
>> ^skinnydaddy1:
So, the guy animates on a computer that uses 4 times the amount of materials that is in a mobile device. Just to tell us our love of gadgets is enslaving people who can only be freed by starting a war to kill the dictator and if we do that, we get antiwar animation pointing out how we are war mongers and now everyone hates the war mongers because they started a war and the only way not to make the rest of the world like them is to give up everything and live like a third world country while no other 1st world country does the same thing.
Right....
Define hypocrisy.

No, he claims that our extreme consumption patterns have negative effects, not that we should invade countries. We buy new, throw away, buy new, throw away... and so on. This is a quote from someone, whom I unfortunately forgot the name of: "We buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't care about".

Sorry, still can't muster up enough to care anymore. Its just gotten to the point where some Self-righteous ass has to tell me how terrible a person I am because I got up this morning had a cup of coffee. SO instead of wasting their time creating an animation telling me I'm a horrible person. Take that time to volunteer and do some real work for once. I no longer will apologies for the way I live. I do not spend more than I have and if other people do that its their business. I know, I know. I sound like a douchbag. But to me now, So does the guy who created the animation. At what point do I get to live my life with out criticism? With out someone telling me what I should or should not do?
I've told this story in another of a video comments not long ago. I spent 5 months in and around Europe not long ago doing contract work. The job had me going from city to city just about every week. In EVERY city the second someone found out I was from the U.S. I had to hear about how we were destroying the world. The hypocrisy of being criticized by some ass holding blackberry or Iphone or netbook or whatever just because I was from the U.S. really really got to me. And if I said I have heard this before they just get really pissed like what they were saying was so different then what the last 10 people said.
I know its trendy to look progressive and forward thinking about the impact of what just owning a cell phone can be but FFS change your own life and live by example not by yelling at the Evil American. and before you say it. No I do not have to watch the video, but I did receive the link to it by someone saying how clever it was. So instead of the Funny I was looking for I got the "your killing the planet by breathing" video.
Sigh, Ok, I've ranted enough here. I really did not mean for it to go this long but explaining it never seems to fit in to a few line.
This rant brought to you by "Douchbag American" If the rest of the world don't like it. Blame the U.S.!

Hehe, yeah that was quite an impressive rant.
I understand your frustration with being treated like an asshole just because of your nationality (and I would guess that the average Swedish person is worse than the average USA-citizen when it comes to using resources). They are the idiots for doing that, but I believe the video was not aimed at Americans specifically, but rich societies in general. We all live more luxuriously than what the earth can support in the long run and quite frankly need to change our lives a bit.
Nothing dramatic, just stop buying tons of new shit all the time and see if there are any used products available instead. I'm equally bad at this and love having new stuff as much as anyone, but still see the need for a change.


Ya, I know. Its not been a stellar few years for me. Needless to say the company that sent me all over Europe to do work for went out of business before I got back to the U.S.. SO I did not get fully paid for the work done. No, It was not a free trip. I had to cover my own way back and that killed the little pay I did receive. Hey, Fun way to discover your company has gone under. "Credit Card Declined" and no answer at the main office while trying to check in to a hotel. I love new stuff also. I've not been able to buy new for a awhile now.
My personal favorite from the trip, Being told off by some French ass who was riding an $800 bike wearing Italian fashion, holding a blackberry. I'm on a park bench trying to figure out how I'm getting home in a late 90s tshirt i got free from a tech expo and jeans. Just because I was from the U.S. The Kicker, I almost get arrested because "I" was causing a commotion or something. (I'm not sure as I do not speak French and the person translating I'm pretty sure left some things out) Oh well. It's over with so I'll tag as an over costly learning experience and I can one up a lot of people in a "Worst Trip Ever" story.

>> ^skinnydaddy1:

>> ^SveNitoR:
>> ^skinnydaddy1:
So, the guy animates on a computer that uses 4 times the amount of materials that is in a mobile device. Just to tell us our love of gadgets is enslaving people who can only be freed by starting a war to kill the dictator and if we do that, we get antiwar animation pointing out how we are war mongers and now everyone hates the war mongers because they started a war and the only way not to make the rest of the world like them is to give up everything and live like a third world country while no other 1st world country does the same thing.
Right....
Define hypocrisy.

No, he claims that our extreme consumption patterns have negative effects, not that we should invade countries. We buy new, throw away, buy new, throw away... and so on. This is a quote from someone, whom I unfortunately forgot the name of: "We buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't care about".

Sorry, still can't muster up enough to care anymore. Its just gotten to the point where some Self-righteous ass has to tell me how terrible a person I am because I got up this morning had a cup of coffee. SO instead of wasting their time creating an animation telling me I'm a horrible person. Take that time to volunteer and do some real work for once. I no longer will apologies for the way I live. I do not spend more than I have and if other people do that its their business. I know, I know. I sound like a douchbag. But to me now, So does the guy who created the animation. At what point do I get to live my life with out criticism? With out someone telling me what I should or should not do?
I've told this story in another of a video comments not long ago. I spent 5 months in and around Europe not long ago doing contract work. The job had me going from city to city just about every week. In EVERY city the second someone found out I was from the U.S. I had to hear about how we were destroying the world. The hypocrisy of being criticized by some ass holding blackberry or Iphone or netbook or whatever just because I was from the U.S. really really got to me. And if I said I have heard this before they just get really pissed like what they were saying was so different then what the last 10 people said.
I know its trendy to look progressive and forward thinking about the impact of what just owning a cell phone can be but FFS change your own life and live by example not by yelling at the Evil American. and before you say it. No I do not have to watch the video, but I did receive the link to it by someone saying how clever it was. So instead of the Funny I was looking for I got the "your killing the planet by breathing" video.
Sigh, Ok, I've ranted enough here. I really did not mean for it to go this long but explaining it never seems to fit in to a few line.
This rant brought to you by "Douchbag American" If the rest of the world don't like it. Blame the U.S.!


Hehe, yeah that was quite an impressive rant.

I understand your frustration with being treated like an asshole just because of your nationality (and I would guess that the average Swedish person is worse than the average USA-citizen when it comes to using resources). They are the idiots for doing that, but I believe the video was not aimed at Americans specifically, but rich societies in general. We all live more luxuriously than what the earth can support in the long run and quite frankly need to change our lives a bit.

Nothing dramatic, just stop buying tons of new shit all the time and see if there are any used products available instead. I'm equally bad at this and love having new stuff as much as anyone, but still see the need for a change.

>> ^SveNitoR:

>> ^skinnydaddy1:
So, the guy animates on a computer that uses 4 times the amount of materials that is in a mobile device. Just to tell us our love of gadgets is enslaving people who can only be freed by starting a war to kill the dictator and if we do that, we get antiwar animation pointing out how we are war mongers and now everyone hates the war mongers because they started a war and the only way not to make the rest of the world like them is to give up everything and live like a third world country while no other 1st world country does the same thing.
Right....
Define hypocrisy.

No, he claims that our extreme consumption patterns have negative effects, not that we should invade countries. We buy new, throw away, buy new, throw away... and so on. This is a quote from someone, whom I unfortunately forgot the name of: "We buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't care about".


Sorry, still can't muster up enough to care anymore. Its just gotten to the point where some Self-righteous ass has to tell me how terrible a person I am because I got up this morning had a cup of coffee. SO instead of wasting their time creating an animation telling me I'm a horrible person. Take that time to volunteer and do some real work for once. I no longer will apologies for the way I live. I do not spend more than I have and if other people do that its their business. I know, I know. I sound like a douchbag. But to me now, So does the guy who created the animation. At what point do I get to live my life with out criticism? With out someone telling me what I should or should not do?

I've told this story in another of a video comments not long ago. I spent 5 months in and around Europe not long ago doing contract work. The job had me going from city to city just about every week. In EVERY city the second someone found out I was from the U.S. I had to hear about how we were destroying the world. The hypocrisy of being criticized by some ass holding blackberry or Iphone or netbook or whatever just because I was from the U.S. really really got to me. And if I said I have heard this before they just get really pissed like what they were saying was so different then what the last 10 people said.
I know its trendy to look progressive and forward thinking about the impact of what just owning a cell phone can be but FFS change your own life and live by example not by yelling at the Evil American. and before you say it. No I do not have to watch the video, but I did receive the link to it by someone saying how clever it was. So instead of the Funny I was looking for I got the "your killing the planet by breathing" video.

Sigh, Ok, I've ranted enough here. I really did not mean for it to go this long but explaining it never seems to fit in to a few line.

This rant brought to you by "Douchbag American" If the rest of the world don't like it. Blame the U.S.!

This kind of thing is so fucking ridiculous. First of all Glenn Beck does it in the most recreant asinine way possible, 'I'm, not not saying that God didn't not cause the earthquake and send the tsunami to kill all those horrible Japanese people for not being American, cause that would be supposing God, but yeah he totally did.' At least Pat Robertson had the balls to right out say the crap he did.

Secondly, and more importantly, why the fuck do natural disasters have to have a human reason? Hiroshi Iwate was beating off to pictures of cartoon girls with impossibly large breasts, therefor, thousands of other people had to die. What about when earthquakes and other natural disasters just destroy plants and kill animals, did those animals do something, with their lack of free will, to piss off God? Are we to assume everyone who died was a horrible person who deserved it?

People need to stop with the kindergartner level of reasoning. Getting killed is bad, bad things should happen to bad people, therefore anyone who is killed is bad.
How about, shit happens regardless of where we are or what we're doing. Sometimes we're in the way sometimes we're not. There is no cause and effect between our actions and an earthquake, we can not decide to cause one by 'sinning'. We have no control over it.

And just to be fair apparently the the Governor of Tokyo said the quake and tsunami were divine retribution for the Japanese's egoism. So the crazy stupid magical thinking doesn't limit itself to the crazy and stupid in the US.

False dichotomy, much? Either go around or commit mass homicide? I'd hate to see you stuck behind a school bus letting out kids.

>> ^Darkhand:

Show me where there was room to "go around" and I'll agree with you that the guy that did this was a horrible person. My whole post was based on the fact that they were taking up the >ENTIRE ROAD<./em>

>> ^Darkhand:

Show me where there was room to "go around" and I'll agree with you that the guy that did this was a horrible person. My whole post was based on the fact that they were taking up the >ENTIRE ROAD<.
>> ^pho3n1x:

Yeah, no...
Critical Mass is an organized peaceful protest that occurs in over 300 cities worldwide. You can fucking go around. Disagreeing with a peaceful protest, or being annoyed with the protesters, does NOT give anyone the right to run down fellow human beings with a 2 ton vehicle, wholesale, without regard to anyone's life at all.
I don't know of any cities in the WORLD that could produce that many bikers and only have 1 major thoroughfare.



Oh, should I give you specific pause points in the video to show the many MANY intersections which were available to detour through?