I'm an atheist and will always be one of the first in line to suggest that religions should be subject to criticism and the rule of law just like any other organization.

That being said, I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea that congregations are complicit in the misdeeds of the institution itself, whether or not they are aware of verified instances of misdeeds. ...Pretty slippery slope.

Expand that to, say, nations. In the history of the US, the government has committed some pretty indefensible atrocities. Genocide, mass relocation, and other offenses against Native Americans in the name of "manifest destiny". Enslavement of a race of people based on skin color, with disenfranchisement and continued abuse well after slavery was abolished, with elements that certainly persist to this day. Funding and supplying extremist organizations because they happen to have a short-term enemy that coincides with ours, which frequently comes back to bite us in the ass later. Using underhanded tricks including false-flag operations to justify wars and other offensive actions. Attempting to assassinate democratically elected leaders of foreign governments. And on and on.

Are all US citizens complicit in those misdeeds, merely by an accident of birth? But those things were in the past, you might argue. Given the depth of dirt you can find on our past with a little digging, I'd say it is reasonable to expect that there's things that the government is doing now that we may or may not be aware of that would be similarly difficult to defend.

Many/most Catholics can either remain intentionally blissfully ignorant about these problems, or will be able to go to great lengths to rationalize their way around them. Just like most US citizens don't lose much sleep over our government's past and present misdeeds. In either case, indoctrination puts the blinders on -- and can be incredibly difficult to escape.

For the religious, "love the sinner, hate the sin" is an oft-repeated phrase. As an atheist outraged by these scandals and the decades/centuries of intentional cover-ups by the Church itself, I might be tempted to turn that on its head. "Accept the religious, hate the religion." By all means, be outraged towards the institution itself. By all means, fight to end the protections that have allowed this kind of abuse to go unchecked. But perhaps try to keep some (Christian?) empathy for the average Catholic congregation members who have been brainwashedindoctrinated their whole lives and are likely in too deep to escape. Reserve that hatred for the clergy that abused their positions of power and control to commit these crimes, and the organizational system that systematically allowed it to happen while covering it up. They deserve every bit of hate you throw their way.

@ChaosEngine --

I was mostly just being facetious. Although I do think that "blissful ignorance" is a fine approach when it comes to appreciating media / art / whatever. As such, I'd rather ignore any of the behind-the-scenes stuff and evaluate such works strictly in their own right.

I think that works well (for me at least) for existing, completed stuff. But it is honestly a shame when that behind-the-scenes stuff gets in the way of expansions, follow-ups, or graceful conclusions to the good stuff that came before. Doesn't mean I will enjoy the good earlier works any less, though.

shiiiit. sure everything is stitched together. that's the modern digital audio workstation (DAW).
What folks don't realize is that Anteres Autotune is THE standard in the studio. Every pop star and song gets their dose.
That, ultra compression on everything and ultra repetition in production, gone are the days of creamy analog bliss by good musicians, performing a well-written song actually written by the artists.
Now everything is done post-production, and Autotune is 'the sound' of today's pop. The writing is done by teams of "producers" who have mastered today's pop sound and format.

And then LAWYERS.
For hip hop, in the 2000's lawyers began suing the shit out of anyone who sampled old stuff. Today, an artist can use samples, but they must PAY quite a bit. So, only artists with labels behind them can AFFORD to sample. Hence, Bruno Mars can sample everything, and steal everything, then autotune the shit out of it. And wha-laa - he's got a super-produced, money-backed hit where his producers just copy the shit out of everyone.
And in the end, Bruno Mars is the P.F. Changs of music - white appropriation all-dressed up, pre-packaged and sold.

Stop caring about votes. Comment on what you are passionate about. Submit videos that moved you to joy, happiness, sadness, rage, anger or bliss.

this is amazingly tranquil and good. Not giving up on the awesomeness bliss of the song. *doublepromote

You have got to be kidding me! That's some old bullshit, turning public roads into toll roads. How do you get to own one, because it sounds like a sweet plum.

I grew up in Houston, and that traffic was insane in the early 80's and only got worse. More than once I rode my bike completely across town, +-15 miles, faster than my mom could drive.
I love where I live. Rush hour means slowing down to near the speed limit...we simply don't have traffic except at accidents and road work. It's bliss.

The fact still remains the same and the statement is still true.

No white male police officer has ever been convicted of murdering a black male in america's entire history.

This is not a claim. It is the truth. Accepting the truth is a choice to be made by the individual and if you do not accept it then that is ok. There are many non believers of facts to keep you company and there is always enough bliss to go around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvaE_HCMimQ

the tingle is prevalent. Strong. Blissful. Glorious.

Thanks for the message Chicchorea, always happy to hear from you. Happy Easter!

Spoiler Alert - there is no escaping eternal death, no matter what your redeemer of choice might say third hand. Everything has to end. No green pastures, no eternal smell of grandma's cookies you remember as a child, no eternal torture for child molesters, no eternal bliss or eternal suffering, nothing.

I have accepted that truth into my heart and will have everlasting death.

I'm using my frankness to inspire your eventual break from the repressive social attitudes of your ant regime. Magic is symbolic of the grand illusion of all societies. Especially ant society. Kind of scary, your hive's influence on us humans. It's such a blissful possibility being made part of one mind.

You did not listen? How could you have heard anything? Main stream media swayed its followers into a false bliss of an easy sure thing Clinton win.


The other 1/2 of the county listen to facts. no pay increase in years, insurance premiums hikes, illegals being send back time and time again, some even committing violent crimes and zero, zilch happens to them. Jobs leaving the country left and right. Buying power of the dollar diminishing. Falsely reported employment rate and low job creation of any presidency.

And then you have all the Hillary shit.


But hey its over. The people have spoken, A historic landslide. A mandate from the people showing their disgrace towards the political establishment.

Trump as president will be the same as Trump as presidential candidate. There won't be policies and solutions, he wants to be a demagogue, giving speeches and basking in the adulation. He will delegate the hard work of running the country to other people and stoke his ego presiding over ridiculous meetings where he gives directions and derides his cabinet for failing. "You're fired!"

President Trump will get nothing done and when he pushes the wrong buttons he'll be impeached. The Trump presidency will not be 4 years.

But this guy's video is full of shit. He blissfully ignores the fact that a president must compromise and sometimes even make the best choice from a list of undesireable options. No President can, or should be able to, get everything they want. You can never judge a politician based on every naive expectation you have, because you have the luxury of idealism while they're dealing with reality. The best you can do is support someone who's agenda best matches your own and applaud them when they succeed.

It's like pinball. You can use what control you have to push the ball where you want it but you cannot ultimately control where it goes.

This video starts out be denigrating the idea that game theory should influence our choices in politics. Well that's one of the stupidest things he could say. You cannot refuse to throw the dice in monopoly, claim all the properties and believe you're winning. You have to develop the best strategy you can for the best outcome you can manage with the rules that are in place. If you don't like the rules...change them before the next game begins. Of course, that would require you to make an effort in between games. You don't get YouTube views for that.

I'm sorry, but that is an oversimplification too great to just allow you to apologise for and continue on with the point.

To suggest a narrative in which all Thatcher did was close a few factories and blame the communities for being too lazy to fend for themselves or find a new job is not only naive and ignorant of all the facts, but incredibly insulting to people from those areas.

An apology for oversimplifying? I personally think you owe one to the hard working people of northern mining towns that were not only made redundant by Thatcher (with no other jobs available), they were victimised by her and then blacklisted so that they would not be able to find work again - some have only been vindicated in the past few years.

The only redeeming aspect of your frankly disgusting ideas about deprived areas in the UK is that you are clearly not in possession of the facts. Lazyness? The miners were the backbone of this country, the WORKING class - you know? Steelworkers lazy?

To some people in this country there has been no recovery, they are more in debt than ever, they have less job and home security, they are depressed, there is no future and it doesn't even seem like their kids will be able to do any better. David Chameron appears on the TV and tells them we're all doing better and the recovery is going great and they laugh at him... THEY'RE USING FOODBANKS TO LIVE. Their families eat by the grace of generous community members who donate food... in 2016....... in the United Kingdom, ex-fifth largest economy in the world. Recovery!? That's how the recovery was FUNDED!!! By taking money from the poorest and most desperate in the form of cuts and austerity! They're using foodbanks right now so that you can claim the UK had a recovery. Disabled people committed suicide because they felt as if they were a burden, because they were scared and saw no hope, all so that people could claim we had a fucking recovery. But the average person is no better off and the debt that Osborne made such a big deal about has increased. He's missed every target he made for himself and redefined poverty so that the statistics looked better!

And that isn't BECAUSE of brexit - that was before brexit. Many people are blissfully ignorant of how some people have to live their lives in this country, especially those most influenced by the Westminster bubble. Politicians and political commentators have completely misjudged the mood of the nation; that led to brexit, that has led to Corbyn who in fact has been the ONLY man in parliament to be making these points.

And they think he's no leader? When he goes to work every day he has to deal with around 400 people spitting abuse and doubt at him. He stood in parliament with hundreds of them jeering him and faced them down and made the democratic will of hundreds of thousands of people (who were not in attendance) felt. He is the only man who looks like a leader right now, the only one who looks like he knows what the hell to do.

To quote Rashida, it is important to become more sensitive before being less sensitive.

I agree that being a Humanist is more inclusive. However, that umbrella word covers the valid word "feminist."

Trying to erase the word "feminist," scolding women and men for labeling themselves feminist, ignoring their particular need for that label as equality is struggled for is anti-Humanist, @newtboy.

Just sayin'.

And I'm the first person to speak up for how hard it is to be a man. Men are HORRIBLE to each other, for starters. In fact, I said it just last night, more than once, during a convo on the patriarchy after watching the 2007 movie made in Turkey called Bliss." There was some serious oppression of women in that movie -- very hard to watch. And it is important that the pressures that men are under are seen as just that -- human struggles and repressed pain that is masked by some really shitty outward behavior.

No need to tear down anyone else who is trying to improve their life and society in general. It is called being a Humanist.

@ChaosEngine

i think most people would consider themselves a social justice warrior of varying degrees.

i do not think it controversial to stand up against:discrimination,exploitation,oppression,bullying etc.

or to promote:equality,fairness and justice for everybody.

i think your comments have revealed that you have a pretty solid moral ground and are pretty even-handed in your dealings.

and then we have people like this bunch.who demand special privileges by way of bullying and intimidation.blissfully unaware of their own disconnect.

so you or i may not view this group as social warriors but that is exactly how they perceive themselves and their actions as being:they think themselves fighting for justice...and they need to be called out on their bullshit.