I Had A Random Thought...

[Gormongous]

Conversely, nonfiction tends to me to be intensely irritating because, as Gormongous says, I'm much too aware of its inherent fictionality through omission and interpretation while pretending to be otherwise. Especially most popsci stuff reads more false to me than a lot of fiction (say Munro) which can be so honest and insightful that I definitely feel it has expanded my appreciation for others' points of view.

 

My personal opinion right now, battling a migraine as I try to find a decent source to cite the marriages of Adelaide del Vasto, is that fiction has almost a better chance of achieving meaning, because it is the prerogative of an author writing fiction to limit the world of their work to whatever they think is meaningful or at least useful. Meanwhile, an author writing nonfiction has to contend with all of reality, which is often (and by "often," I mean "usually," because it's late and I'm tired) devoid of meaning. My consumption of a hundred years of charters and chronicles about a noble family, in order to produce a meaningful (or, at least, useful) narrative on the forces behind their rise and fall, is a conspicuously creative act, as I'm feeling it right now.

[Merus]

I just don't see how useful a single individuals perspective is without any larger data set to back it up. It feels like the anecdote v. data problem.

 

See I think this might be the crux of the problem here. You familiar with big data, Cordeos? The phenonema where you have so much goddamn data that drawing any conclusions from it is nigh-on impossible?

 

The non-fiction you prefer does also present a fictionalised view of the world, except they're essentially pretending they're real. Sometimes what they describe is real, sometimes it's illusory. This is the way conspiracy theories work; clearly fictional, but made up out of real parts.

 

For most people, fiction allows people to cut through the noisy data to the emotional signal. I'm reminded of the fictionalised movie Milk, based on Harvey Milk's life; in order to create a good story, it had to fill out the personality of Milk's murderer in a way that's hard to do in a fact-based account, where the fact that the man killed a beloved gay rights campaigner overwhelms every other fact about him. In fiction, doing that makes the story worse.

 

Humans are storytelling creatures, we think in terms of cause and effect, so this is a natural way of thinking about the world to most people. Maybe not for you?

[Zeusthecat]

I just recently learned that it is supposedly rude to recline your seat on a flight. That is one of the more ridiculous things I've heard lately. If I'm paying a few hundred dollars to sit in a human version of a dog crate for 4 hours, I'm fucking utilizing one of the few "luxuries" I'm afforded. Besides, my knees are crushed by the same amount regardless of whether or not the person in front of me reclines so I'm really doubtful that people's knees are up high enough for that tiny degree of incline to bother them that much. And if it does, I guarantee that if they just relax and recline themselves, they will experience less pain than this weird scenario they want where everyone is supposed to sit in a rigid 90 degree position for crazy lengths of time.

[Gormongous]

Related to the murderous discussion of copyright in the "Ethics & Journalistic Integrity" thread, a federal judge just ruled that the copyright for "Happy Birthday" that Warner Music bought from Birch Tree Group for $25 million in 1988 is only for the arrangement, not the song itself. Said song was written in 1893, but only copyrighted in 1935 after a protracted legal battle, which made its copyright due to expire in 2030 if Disney were to lose all of its lawyers and money suddenly between now and then.

 

Copyright is so fucked. I live with its annoyances every day (since my dissertation is based on a work that was published posthumously in an extremely limited run by a defunct organization, yet is unavailable online because the date was after 1923) but I still forget how deep they go.

[Twig]

I just recently learned that it is supposedly rude to recline your seat on a flight. That is one of the more ridiculous things I've heard lately. If I'm paying a few hundred dollars to sit in a human version of a dog crate for 4 hours, I'm fucking utilizing one of the few "luxuries" I'm afforded. Besides, my knees are crushed by the same amount regardless of whether or not the person in front of me reclines so I'm really doubtful that people's knees are up high enough for that tiny degree of incline to bother them that much. And if it does, I guarantee that if they just relax and recline themselves, they will experience less pain than this weird scenario they want where everyone is supposed to sit in a rigid 90 degree position for crazy lengths of time.

let's just say

 

are you six foot four

 

are your knees LITERALLY IN PAIN FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION OF THE FLIGHT

 

does the person in front of you leaning back MAKE THAT PAIN A HUNDRED TIMES WORSE

 

because that's my fucking life on a plane and every time someone leans back on me, seriously, nothing NOTHING in life makes me more filled with hatred for a human being

 

have some fucking courtesy FUCK i'm mad thinking about it

 

sorry but for real it really makes me angry you have no idea how uncomfortable flying is for me

[Twig]

and what's worse than that is when i have LITERALLY NO POSSIBLE WAY to maneuver my legs and readjust my position without bumping into the reclined seat in front of me

 

and the guy in that seat in front of me stands up, turns around, and yells at me to stop kicking his seat, when i'm in actual real pain because of this shit bag fuck wad who thinks he owns the space i occupy

 

i've never punched someone in the face before

 

i've never come so close to punching someone in the face before

 

i am using "LITERALLY" in the actual real definition way, this is not exaggeration, it actually physically hurts for the entire flight unless i contort myself into an uncomfortable position that hurts for entirely different reasons and also requires me straining my muscles constantly so as to not press my knees into the sharp edged table or whatever the fuck else they have on the backs of those seats

 

i'd be much more sympathetic to the reclining shitfuck if the backs of seats were pillows or something soft and cushiony instead of whatever demonic material they craft these pain devices from

[Twig]

i'm about to go to bed angry

 

YOU DID THIS TO ME ZEUS!!!

 

   

[Reyturner]

I'm 6'8" and I'm literally fuming!

[syntheticgerbil]

I just recently learned that it is supposedly rude to recline your seat on a flight. That is one of the more ridiculous things I've heard lately. If I'm paying a few hundred dollars to sit in a human version of a dog crate for 4 hours, I'm fucking utilizing one of the few "luxuries" I'm afforded. Besides, my knees are crushed by the same amount regardless of whether or not the person in front of me reclines so I'm really doubtful that people's knees are up high enough for that tiny degree of incline to bother them that much.

Yeah man, fuck that shit, especially for 8 or so hour flights where you gotta sleep. The way to resolve this is to recline as well , then everyone puts their seats up for food time. It's a perfectly standard setup on flights. Well what would be perfect if they didn't jam so many god damn seats in an airplane. The knee room stuff makes me feel claustrophobic if the flight doesn't have enough room and they start hurting and then I have to do that thing where I'm constantly shifting, trying to put my legs out straight under the seat in front of me. Probably the only time in life where it sucks being tall.

 

Although I am worse because I'm that asshole that takes his shoes off on the flight and will walk to the bathroom in my socks, because I don't give a fuck I guess. And I get up a lot because my fucking knees hurt.

 

i've never punched someone in the face before

 

i've never come so close to punching someone in the face before

The pilot is gonna threaten to turn this flight around.

[syntheticgerbil]

Actually now I'm just mad at airlines and I think all seat should be prereclined, or just stop stuffing too many people in a plane (but that's not gonna happen).

 

I think I need to obtain rich with a private jet, and a yacht and then this wouldn't be a problem.

[Twig]

I'm 6'8" and I'm literally fuming!

wow i'm so sorry that's awful

[Merus]

I never fly cheap because I don't want to start a holiday with a shitty experience. It means I take fewer holidays, because I've got to budget for the added expense, but honestly it's accommodation that ends up being the big expense. Airbnb's made holidays way more affordable for me.

[Jutranjo]

I'm 197 cm (6.46' or 6'55'' according to Wolfram) and I hate buses, vans. My knees hurt so much, there is no room.

[Cordeos]

I'm curious what your opinion of video games is then.  From how I'm reading your words, I guess they have no value to you because they're all created?  Is Gone Home devoid of value because it was entirely crafted by Fullbright and not "real"?

 

I didn't mean to imply fiction had no value, I was just questioning it usefulness in understanding the real world. Fiction has huge cultural importance and at worst is a fun escape. I enjoyed Gone Home, but I don't believe its a particularly useful way to understand the struggles of a child whose parents/society don't accept their lifestyle. As much as I dislike Libertarian philosophy and liked Bioshock, I would never hold it up as an argument against. On the other hand many Libertarians were inspired by Ayn Rand's fiction so maybe its more applicable there.

[SecretAsianMan]

I didn't mean to imply fiction had no value, I was just questioning it usefulness in understanding the real world. Fiction has huge cultural importance and at worst is a fun escape. I enjoyed Gone Home, but I don't believe its a particularly useful way to understand the struggles of a child whose parents/society don't accept their lifestyle. As much as I dislike Libertarian philosophy and liked Bioshock, I would never hold it up as an argument against. On the other hand many Libertarians were inspired by Ayn Rand's fiction so maybe its more applicable there.

 

I should clarify that when I said value I meant besides entertainment.

 

I really don't see how Gone Home isn't a useful way to understand the struggles of a child whose parents/society don't accept their lifestyle.  If I was told that it was based on a real person, played through the game, and got a whole new respect for the struggles of LGBT people (which except for the part about thinking it was real is exactly what happened to me), then was told that the game was a work of fiction and none of it really happened, does that invalidate my new outlook?  The value of the game to me was that it was a perspective I didn't have before.  It caused me to consider things I hadn't, look at things from a different point of view.  My mind was broadened by the experience and that is of extreme value to me.  Whether it was fact or fiction is irrelevant.

[Twig]

I'm 197 cm (6.46' or 6'55'' according to Wolfram) and I hate buses, vans. My knees hurt so much, there is no room.

I can't even sit on the train/bus seats here in Dallas without performing the dreaded "manspread" that's all the rage to hate these days, unless it's the big open seats meant for old and handicapped people. Not even a matter of pain, I just actually can't fit unless I spread my legs really wide.

 

Honestly I really wish I was half a foot shorter. People think being tall is great. WRONG! Being average height is great, because that's what everything is built for.

 

I am very passionate about this subject!!!

[Mangela Lansbury]

I didn't mean to imply fiction had no value, I was just questioning it usefulness in understanding the real world. Fiction has huge cultural importance and at worst is a fun escape. I enjoyed Gone Home, but I don't believe its a particularly useful way to understand the struggles of a child whose parents/society don't accept their lifestyle. As much as I dislike Libertarian philosophy and liked Bioshock, I would never hold it up as an argument against. On the other hand many Libertarians were inspired by Ayn Rand's fiction so maybe its more applicable there.

Fiction is a reflection of the world. It's not a perfect representation, but if a queer woman from NYC writes a book about a queer woman from NYC, that document is useful if you want insight into how real queer women from NYC think and live. Fiction doesn't spring forth from the ether -- it's a document created by a person who is alive in the world, and if that person is insightful then their work will be too.

[undermind9]

because that's my fucking life on a plane and every time someone leans back on me, seriously, nothing NOTHING in life makes me more filled with hatred for a human being

 

have some fucking courtesy FUCK i'm mad thinking about it

 

sorry but for real it really makes me angry you have no idea how uncomfortable flying is for me

im 5'9" and cramped in coach - i have never reclined my seat out of courtesy to the potential tall behind me.

 

However, i surely make it a living hell for any 5' 3" small in front of me when they do a full recline before wheels are up and then proceed to curl up in the seat with plenty of space.  want to rest your seat back on my knees? let me show you how i practice a double bass drum

 

flying is the worst. it might be my primary contribution to not liking travel, Merus is right, starts a vacation off on a bad foot

[Twig]

im 5'9" and cramped in coach - i have never reclined my seat out of courtesy to the potential tall behind me.

: D

 

Flying really is the worst. I've considered doing what Merus does and just saving up for first class but the price increase is just too much. I can't afford it.

 

Most of my flying isn't even flying that I've chosen to do, either, it's for funerals and shit, which just makes it even worse 'cause I know what's waiting for me at the end of this hellflight is just a hellscape of sadness.

[SecretAsianMan]

On the topic of flying being shitty, next year the Real ID act is going to take effect in the U.S.  The Real ID act will require you to show an ID that can only be obtained with U.S. Citizenship.  For some states, this does not include a driver's license.  You'll instead have to show something like a passport, which a reported 38% of people don't even have.  I have a passport but I don't carry it with me.  I'm imagining a scenario where someone has checked their bags in but can't board their flight because they can't get past security due to not bringing a valid ID.

[Twig]

I carry my passport with me 'cause my ID is expired 'cause I was too lazy to get a new one in Dallas, but yeah, that seems like a recipe for disaster, at least until people get used to it.

[feelthedarkness]

So this is how the GOP is going to steal the election? 

[Professor Video Games]

Actually it's about ethics in voter fraud.

[SuperBiasedMan]

That really sucks, but it sounds so backwards to me for drivers licences to be more ubiquitous. I always have to use my passport as ID, I have nothing else remotely official.

[Twig]

Honestly I think it's really dumb to have to carry around multiple IDs for multiple things. I wish I could just use my passport (or some equivalent) for everything in my life.