Jump to content
Zeusthecat

I Had A Random Thought...

Recommended Posts

For me it sounds weird calling someone an "oriental" because it sounds so old and outdated.  It's similar to if I heard someone use the term "colored" to refer to a person, though obviously not on the same level and less directly racist.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I find it hilarious that the NAACP has not changed their name to remove the word "colored" and replace it with something else. Another example of a term that used to be considered opinionated in a way that is different from me but is now deemed offensive.

 

I find the concept of being "offended" very interesting and I wonder how that process works. As a rule of thumb, I never get offended by anything unless it is intended to be derogatory because I cannot come to a logical conclusion as to why I should feel offended. For example, if I hear someone say something is retarded my first instinct is to laugh (perhaps because I can't help but try to look at the world as a hilarious place full of hilarious things happening all the time if you look at them a certain way) because I see zero connection between the way they are using the term "retarded" and them actually degrading retarded people (er, mentally challenged? I guess that term was euphemized too).

 

I guess what I'm saying makes me sound like a total asshole but I just prefer to live life in a way where I can laugh at everything and not waste any energy being offended if I can't justify feeling that way. Either that or I just watched way too much Dave Chappelle in the early 2000s.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's not really your place to decide if someone gets to be offended by a historically discriminatory term though, is it? Especially if the word doesn't apply to you, in which case your opinion really shouldn't matter.

 

If someone asks me to not use a word on the basis of its discriminatory nature, I immediately drop it, because it's literally the least I can do to make themselves and others that fall under the same category feel more comfortable.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I really really really can't stop listening to Kate Bush.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think you misunderstood my post.

 

1. I am only talking about my personal choice to not be offended by things I hear other people say. And I only said "I find it interesting". I never once implied that my logic is universal or that I am deciding whether other people should be offended.

2. I did qualify that I only get offended if something is intended to be derogatory (or discriminatory as you put it).

3. I also did not say that I go around using these words. I was simply observing how they are perceived from a philosophical perspective.

 

I apparently did not make my point clear enough and I am sorry Tegan. I understand everyone has different experiences in life and we view the world through different lens. I hope you don't see me in a negative light because of my light-hearted view of the world.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't think it's a matter of being offended. I think it's a matter of basically being polite. You shouldn't call people--or groups of people--names that they don't appreciate being called. I mean, it takes literally no effort on my part to use the words "Chinese" instead of "Oriental," for example. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

That's fine. Sorry to misinterpret. I've just been having this discussion a lot more than I'd like lately.

 

Sometimes these sorts of things can be weird too. I still have no idea how I feel about using the word "queer" to describe myself.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't think it's a matter of being offended. I think it's a matter of basically being polite. You shouldn't call people--or groups of people--names that they don't appreciate being called. I mean, it takes literally no effort on my part to use the words "Chinese" instead of "Oriental," for example. 

 

Right, that is the part I did a really shitty job of explaining, I live inside my own head and I sometimes forget that other people have different heads and hear what I say differently than I do. I absolutely do not use most of these terms myself (I do say retarded and midget because more people generally find those funny rather than offensive) because to live in a society with other people we all have to agree on a certain code of conduct in order to live harmoniously. I do think it is very important to treat everyone with respect and part of that is understanding that others do get offended by certain terms. I am just interested in what it all means and why people have the reactions they do, not saying how things should be.

 

So let's escape from that thorny subject and talk about balls or something. Did you know that you can tuck your penis into your nutsack if it is loose enough and glue it shut with hairspray so that it looks like you have a bullfrog hanging off your pelvis? (That one was for you Ben X :violin: )

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sometimes these sorts of things can be weird too. I still have no idea how I feel about using the word "queer" to describe myself.

 

I don't think you should have to assign a label to yourself. You are a person with many different qualities and I think it is unfair that you even have to make that consideration. Hopefully society will soon get to the point that you being who you are is not viewed any differently than anyone else being who they are.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Labels can be empowering, though. Especially for trans people, for whom their very identity is taken for granted every day. I think it's easy to say "who needs labels" but with labels can also come community, and that sort of thing can be VITAL. Self-identifying as something can be a way to combat the very strong feeling of "otherness" that can occur if you're in a minority group, whether that means being comfortable calling yourself queer or being comfortable calling yourself fat. In a perfect world none of this would be needed ever, but since we aren't in a perfect world, it's still useful. 

 

Or as James Brown put it: 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

While we're on the topic of labels, has anyone else besides me felt (perhaps unnecessary) embarrassment at self identifying as a 'gamer'?  Most of the people I see/work with on a daily basis are considerably older than I am and I know for a fact they don't play video games.  When I get asked the question "What did you do over the weekend" and the answer mostly amounts to "I played a game", I feel very self conscious about it, even though I know I shouldn't.  I've never gotten strange looks or ridiculed or anything like that, but I can't shake the feeling anyway.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

While we're on the topic of labels, has anyone else besides me felt (perhaps unnecessary) embarrassment at self identifying as a 'gamer'? 

 

Yes! There are certain people that I work with that have basically said "Oh, you're a gamer" in a super snarky, condescending tone. Then I ask them what they do for fun and they say they go hiking and biking and running and never watch tv. Then they levitate off the ground and float away with their godlike powers because they haven't been corrupted by modern technology and I feel inadequate because video games. Then I convince myself that my hobby is developing my cognitive skills to a degree that their hobbies don't and I convince myself that they are stupid for refusing to experience what the 21st century has to offer.

 

So... yes, I obviously have some issues coming to terms with identifying as a 'gamer'.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have noticed that I tend to avoid the term "gamer" when I can. It still feels like it has a negative connotation to it, so I try to distance myself from it. But its still the best single word I have for what I like to do, so I'm conflicted at times.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I feel like gamer is a weird term because there really isn't a comparable word for someone who merely participates in or appreciates another activity or artform. Like, "gamer" doesn't really mean the same thing as "cinephile". There's not really an implied knowledge base or expertise with "gamer". Like, I am fascinated by video games and love reading about them and their history and playing them from time to time, but keeping up to date on the latest games or sinking a lot of time into any one game has never been my bag. I mostly like thinking about them and experimenting (there's a reason I never post in the "Completed Games" thread). 

 

Also, I'm not at all competitive and am technically really unskilled. I don't feel like a gamer. It's like calling someone who loves baseball and gets super into the season every year a baseball player. There should be different terms for enthusiasts and serious players.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I feel like another part of the problem is the variety of things considered "games". There are tons of genres and platforms. Is the person playing Farmville for 3 hours a day more of a gamer than the guy who spends an hour playing Borderlands and half an hour reading game news each day? Is the one who plays new FPS games a different class of gamer from the guy who plays Tetris competitively?

To take your analogy a bit further, sometimes its like calling someone who watches hockey a "baseball player".

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was cleaning up my apartment tonight while streaming the Ottawa/Pittsburgh game through my PC (now that I've discovered that CBC livestreams HD coverage of playoff hockey games, I may never need to pay for cable in my life. That was actually the ONLY thing I missed watching) and discovered the box that had all my old gamecube stuff in it. As I recently got a Wii U and have left the old Wii to live at my partner's house, I was struck by the realization that if I don't hook up ol' purple, I may lose the ability to play GCN games at home. So I got everything together, and after the game I lost the rest of the evening to playing Gamecube for no reason other than that I came across the system today.

 

Guys, Mario Sunshine is still pretty all right.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

First off, I want to say that, if it weren't for CBC's streaming, I would never watch hockey.

Secondly... I love finding old consoles, and hooking them up to play just once more. I was sad the last time I found my Sega Genesis, but couldn't find the Ac adapter thingy. I still have everything else (including a copy of Earthworm Jim) but cant play it because of that one missing cord.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I wish I hadn't sold off my Gamecube when I bought a Wii. It made sense to do it, but I had a lot of fond memories with the Gamecube, plus the Gameboy Player is one of the most useful accessories ever.

 

I really wish Nintendo would put out a patch for the Wii to make Gamecube controllers compatible with its menus, because it's basically a Gamecube to me at this point and I hate having to keep a Wiimote synced to it just to use a menu.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I wish I had kept all my old stuff.  I own or have owned every platform Nintendo put out in the US up to the Wii (with the exception of a few of the Gameboy variants like the Color or Advance SP).  I even had a lot of the accessories like a Super Scope and Power Pad.  I sold them when I went off to college.  I wonder now if the current generation is worth hanging on to in the same way.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I still have every last video game and console I have ever purchased from the Atari 2600 up to the current consoles. I even still pull out my Virtual Boy from time to time to play Mario Tennis and Wario Land. When I turned 16 and started working I would blow every single paycheck scouring pawn shops and Bookman's for every old console and game I could find and amassed a nice hoard of video game goodness. There is only one game I have ever traded in: Super Adventure Island. Fuck that stupid game and that goddamn retarded skateboarding caveman.

 

Sorry for boasting but my collection is my pride and joy and I am like a psychotic hoarding grandmother who won't admit she has a hoarding problem even though there are dead cats under her piles of junk. I sometimes sit on my couch staring at my 70 NES games daring myself to try to beat Ninja Gaiden and wishing I still had a cathode ray tv so I could play Hogan's Alley with the zapper. Maybe I'll post a picture of my hoard on the gaming setup picture posting thread thingy sometime. God you guys must hate me...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please post pictures! I love seeing that kind of stuff.

 

I love collecting things, but lately I've been trying to keep my own collection as trim as possible. Plenty of consoles, but just a handful of essential games for each one. One thing I'm really terrible for is buying multiple versions of the same game, so I've been pushing myself to just get all of my old games on Virtual Console and then sell off the physical copies.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I found another interesting thing in Candy Box,

 

There's a possible exponential loop in the system again: the more candy you currently have, the sorceress gives you more candy for the 300klp More Candy Now option, currently at about 1mil candies I'm getting 138k candy per 300k lollipops, so if I get around 3-4mil candy (if the math stays consistent) I'll be gaining more than 300k candies per 300k lollipops, and since you can convert candies to lollipops at a ratio of 1:1 I can feedback those candies into lollipops and vice versa, actually increasing the generation rate of lollipops exponentially above my current 300/s

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I just had a random memory from high school.

 

I went to a friend's house for the weekend and we stayed up all night playing Pokemon Stadium minigames on the N64. Sometime in the middle of the night we reached that point where we were both so tired that everything started getting really funny and we were laughing at the dumbest shit. Then we started playing the Clefairy minigame where you had to memorize a sequence of stuff the Clefairies were doing and repeat it. Whenever they did their sequence that we were supposed to memorize, they would just say "Clefaaaairy, Clefaaairy, Clefaaairy, Clefaaaairy" in various intonations as they did it. It was the funniest goddamn thing I had ever seen in my life because it was so absurd that some weird group of pink puff creatures was up there dancing and just repeating one word over and over to a song.

 

We watched the Clefairy game for 2 fucking hours straight, didn't even try to play it, just watched it over and over and over to bask in the comedic brilliance that is a singing Clefairy.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

same here, in middle school I'd get together with my best friend and sleep in the TV room, playing PS2 and SNES games and watching biker mice from mars while chugging down purposely staled marshmellows and boxes of cheez-its.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×