Want to know what percentage of the community believes in free will?

daniellaws comments on Jan 29, 2018:

I can't believe that I'm in the majority here, so pleasantly surprised!

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 29, 2018:

Yeah, given the backlash I received from previous statements about our lack of free will I thought for sure I was in a tiny minority. I guess people aren't as vocal about something they don't need to defend?

Want to know what percentage of the community believes in free will?

Solidarity comments on Jan 29, 2018:

Ha ha! My vote made the poll tied! At least for now. In philosophy free will is the idea that people can make decisions purely by will, with no other causes influencing the outcome. But isn't that the same as saying there is no reason at all for some or all decisions? There is always a reason we ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 29, 2018:

Computers can't produce random numbers either. ;-)

Want to know what percentage of the community believes in free will?

Dwight comments on Jan 29, 2018:

There is no supernatural force directing our fate. We are free to chose, do and fail or succeed on our own.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 29, 2018:

@Dwight So you *do* believe such a natural force exists, you're just still under the illusion you consciously control it.

Want to know what percentage of the community believes in free will?

Dwight comments on Jan 29, 2018:

There is no supernatural force directing our fate. We are free to chose, do and fail or succeed on our own.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 29, 2018:

@Dwight Do you believe ants and/or dogs have free will?

Want to know what percentage of the community believes in free will?

Funandfondles comments on Jan 29, 2018:

No free will, but so random it might as well be free will. We will never know if we do or don’t have free will, I vote it does not matter, they have the same effect.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 29, 2018:

They don't though. There are a lot of ramifications to thinking someone who did X could have done something else.

Want to know what percentage of the community believes in free will?

Dwight comments on Jan 29, 2018:

There is no supernatural force directing our fate. We are free to chose, do and fail or succeed on our own.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 29, 2018:

No one is claiming it's supernatural. Actually, it's exactly natural.

Want to know what percentage of the community believes in free will?

Heathen2 comments on Jan 29, 2018:

I can't vote if you don't define your terms. Do you mean: 1. I-chose-to-view-and/or-participate-in-this-poll-when-I-might-have-abstained kind of free will? 2. Neurological findings that part of my brain activates before my conscious mind is aware that I chose to push button A and the naive ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 29, 2018:

It's whatever 'free will' means to you. Why would you vote and say you have or don't have free will based on definitions that you don't agree with?

What are your opinions on prostitution?

LEPeff comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I have very mixed feelings about this. I'm a libritarian and feel that any adult should be allowed to do whatever they want so long as they are not hurting anyone else. Unfortunately many sex workers have a history of victimization and exploitation and are probably not really willing participants ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 29, 2018:

@LEPeff Well, it is a real condition, and those *are* the types of questions you are inviting with your political philosophy. Something to think about, maybe, before continuing to support that ideology?

Scientist announces a laser so powerful it can tear empty space

gater comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Tear empty space? I don't think so - sounds like a physical impossibility

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 29, 2018:

@gater Well, the material exists already, so I don't know what there is to call BS on... Search for Vantablack. Considering that, I'd be willing to bet it is you, sir, that is failing to understand.

How much do brand names matter?

HippieChick58 comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Velveeta is not real food as far as I am concerned, even though I grew up eating it. When I was eating store bought I ate only Skippy Peanut Butter, liked the flavor so much more. For the past 5 or so years I've tried to eat food closer to how it occurs in nature rather than boxed and processed ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@shockwaverider But Cheddar is lumpy and oily.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

JustLuAnn comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Each of us makes a choice in how we behave, and in what we believe.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@JustLuAnn You absolutely can know you can't fly, but that knowledge is not a choice and you technically can't prove it.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

GipsyOfNewSpain comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Cause and effect... once the ball get rolling is not going to be stop until you stop it... but if you remove the ball from ever being rolling... Is sunday morning not my time for philosophy. Value or not value. But for sake of argument and experiment your theory... take this loaded gun... put it to ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@TommyMeador I wasn't even going to bother at that point...

You have a magic button in your home!

AxeElf comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I don't believe in legislating morality or making something God created illegal.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@AxeElf "You shall have no other gods before Me." "You are not to make use of the name of the Lord your God for an evil purpose; whoever takes the Lord's name on his lips for an evil purpose will be judged a sinner by the Lord" "I, the Lord your God, am a God who will not give his honour to another; and I will send punishment on the children for the wrongdoing of their fathers, to the third and fourth generation of my haters" Sounds to me to be exactly like the human definitions of jealousy and vengeance (which is petty as fuck). We're talking about the same guy, right? This is the same motherfucker that drowned the whole goddamn world for like an entire year because people weren't worshipping him and following his rules? "God is going around getting revenge on everyone who wrongs Him" That's literally the story of Noah's Flood. Legit, read your book.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

JustLuAnn comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Each of us makes a choice in how we behave, and in what we believe.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@JustLuAnn Not trying to be a dick, but you oddly enough picked two statements to illustrate your point that were both untrue. If it's something you KNOW it would be independent of any choice or illusion of choice. Also, you wouldn't be able to prove you couldn't fly, only that you refuse to prove that you could, if you could. (e.g. Would it be proof that someone couldn't speak French if they said, "I can't speak French" and then didn't speak French?)

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

Dida comments on Jan 28, 2018:

My house has doors that limit my freedom but I can still choose within that framework.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Dida The best part is that you have no control over whether or not you believe in free will or not. Either you will discover whatever the requisite amount of evidence your particular brain state needs to believe the proposition, or you will not. How much research you do, how you evaluate what you learn, and how much value you place on each source and piece of evidence is all outside of your control as well. (e.g. An annoying co-worker uses his uncle Saul as his source for yet another outlandish claim, can you suddenly decide to trust him as a valuable source of information despite all previous evidence to the contrary?) When I was reading Sam Harris' Free Will I was saying aloud, to myself, "This is such bullshit." I actively didn't want to believe the proposition that I did not have free will. Somewhere in the middle of the book it clicked and I just thought, "Son of a bitch." Clicked even harder when I realized that me believing that proposition, even though I didn't want to, was further proof that he was right.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

bleurowz comments on Jan 28, 2018:

We don't have a choice in what happens to us. We do have a choice though in how we respond.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Dida If choice is conditional and you cannot choose the conditions, how is it free? I'd say the same to you. Just because you were in a position where it seemed as if you had free choice didn't mean it's proof of it. That's the reason they call it 'the illusion of free will'.

Is being an atheist important?

Heathen2 comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Frees up a lot of time on the sabbath.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@BlueWave And money...

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

Dida comments on Jan 28, 2018:

My house has doors that limit my freedom but I can still choose within that framework.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Dida Yeah, I think so. I mean, there *is* programming in the world. That's what DNA is. More importantly though is that the subconscious mind works like a black box with a complicated algorithm. It takes all available information from the entirety of your human experience and coupled with the physical and chemical composition of your brain "spits out" an answer. You can, quite often, detail reasons why you chose what you did, but that is actually rationalizations not reasons. Have you ever made a decision without knowing why? Can you explain how you can make some free choices without reasons? Then when you look at the fact that all of that input that your brain used to make the decision was also outside of your control you start to realize that you don't have any choice at all.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

sirbikesalot06 comments on Jan 28, 2018:

If you want to believe that you're a biological robot, then go right ahead.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@sirbikesalot06 That is the exact opposite of what most religious people believe. They love to tout the existence of free will because it's necessary for their version of reality to exist. How would they account for the problem of evil without free will?

RIGHT NOW ON AN EXTREMELY LO-CARB DIET AND REALLY CRAVING SOME FOOD PORN.

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Here's a few things I made for myself in the past several weeks.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@kmdskit3 Anything for someone with kitties in their profile picture!

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

icolan comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I call BS, I make choices all the time, granted they are influenced by events and circumstance, but I still have the choice. If life has its own destiny apart from man, who or what gave it this destiny?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@icolan Just because *you* think they make the less desirable choice doesn't mean anything, as you do not have the same physical/chemical composition of brain nor the same entirety of human experiences as that person that informed their "decision".

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

RichCC comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I've never heard of a test as to whether we have free choice or not. How do we test it? By what conditions do we tell if the test is successful or not? If A happens, we know the world is preordained -- else the world is not preordained. You know what. Since I can't tell one way or the other, I've...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

You've perfectly summed up the illusion part of the illusion of free will.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

bleurowz comments on Jan 28, 2018:

We don't have a choice in what happens to us. We do have a choice though in how we respond.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

Sadly, you don't. I've mentioned several times about a woman at work I was having this discussion with who claimed the same thing: that people can choose how they feel about things. A few weeks later her husband abruptly left her and she was devastated. She even cried at work and was beside herself with grief. If I was a tiny bit more of an asshole, I would have asked why she didn’t just choose to be happy he left her. In speaking to someone else about it they said, “Well, maybe not *right away*, but after a while…” So I probed, “How long of a while? Is *that* under their control? If it was they could just reduce that time to nothing and start being happy. If not, I need you to explain again how people are able to choose how they feel.”

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

Dida comments on Jan 28, 2018:

My house has doors that limit my freedom but I can still choose within that framework.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Dida See that's what you're not seeing. It's not *just* the robber. There are millions or even billions of bits of information that your brain processes that shape every facet of every "decision" you have presented to you. Why did you live where you lived? Why did you pick the combination of things that made the robber target your house? Why wasn't there any friends, family, or neighbors there that night to deter the robber? Did movies of how people tried to escape during home invasions inform your decisions on what to do? Why did you see those movies? Why did you value or not value the information you saw in them? Did how much you worked out changing your ability to fight someone off? Whether or not you believed in guns? If you ask yourself 'why' enough, sooner or later every single line of questioning will end in something outside of your control.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

sirbikesalot06 comments on Jan 28, 2018:

If you want to believe that you're a biological robot, then go right ahead.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

He had no choice but to come to that conclusion given the information that was presented to him.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Puzzlement, the intent of your two and a half statements is not clear to me, particularly that last half-statement. Neuro-scientists, psychology researchers and philosophers have been saying for some time now that freewill is not as it seems. Even Sam Harris has written about the illusion of ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

There's about as much difference between 'choice' and 'free choice' as there is between 'Scotsman' and 'True Scotsman'.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

ripcurldane comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I choose to answer this post. Was that not my choice? I also choose to say Fuck!! That's all me.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

No, sadly, it wasn't. Unfortunately, it wasn't my choice to read it or spend my time responding, either.

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

JustLuAnn comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Each of us makes a choice in how we behave, and in what we believe.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@JustLuAnn if you are free to choose what you believe, can you choose to believe that you can fly, and then prove you actually believe and you're not just saying it by showing us you can?

Free choice is a myth. Life has its own destiny. Apart from man.

JustLuAnn comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Each of us makes a choice in how we behave, and in what we believe.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@TommyMeador Saying it's a choice, but not a free one is like saying someone's a college graduate, just without any degrees. The free part is the essence of choice. If you HAVE to do one thing over the other it's not *any* kind of choice.

How much do brand names matter?

Wafflestomp comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Only for ethical reasons. I will not buy papa johns pizza or jimmy johns subs etc., because I don’t want to support those businesses. I really miss Jimmy Johns.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Wafflestomp I do care. I always care when people say and do illogical things, especially when they can affect me. Is that not a common theme among atheists?!?

What are your opinions on prostitution?

LEPeff comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I have very mixed feelings about this. I'm a libritarian and feel that any adult should be allowed to do whatever they want so long as they are not hurting anyone else. Unfortunately many sex workers have a history of victimization and exploitation and are probably not really willing participants ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@LEPeff Not prostitutes. I should have been clear what that was a response to. I was talking about your statement that people should be allowed to do whatever they want as long as they're not hurting other people. Should people allowed be allowed to do whatever they want even if they're hurting themselves? I mean, I assume you believe people should be allowed to take whatever drugs they want, right? But should people be allowed to have fully functional limbs surgically removed? Do you draw a line anywhere in the freedom granted by your statement?

What are your opinions on prostitution?

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Wow, good topic. There are plenty of good reasons to be against the legalization of prostitution. 1. I believe there is a very clear disparity in the "control of sex" in our culture. It permeates every facet of our lives from our personal relationships to our movies and televisions shows. The ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Ligeia So the fact that I started writing this last night and walked away because I wasn't satisfied with my answer, shows? I think about things extensively before I state my position on them. It's kinda my deal.

You have a magic button in your home!

AxeElf comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I don't believe in legislating morality or making something God created illegal.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@AxeElf Dude, your book is exactly where I got two of those adjectives. He openly admits to being jealous and vengeful, which, incidentally, also makes him petty. (Fuckwit is my own interpretation of someone with those qualities.) Maybe *you* should keep reading to learn about the nature of your God.

Scientist announces a laser so powerful it can tear empty space

gater comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Tear empty space? I don't think so - sounds like a physical impossibility

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@gater On the material or the laser?

How much do brand names matter?

Wafflestomp comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Only for ethical reasons. I will not buy papa johns pizza or jimmy johns subs etc., because I don’t want to support those businesses. I really miss Jimmy Johns.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Wafflestomp Oh geez, this debate again. I just don't see where the moral high ground these people are standing on is coming from. I mean, unless you're vegan then maybe, but then why would you care about not getting to go to Jimmy John's even without the big game hunting?

What are your opinions on prostitution?

Twisty420 comments on Jan 28, 2018:

It's the oldest profession if the world. If someone has the ability to sell their " goods " and someone else wants to buy them, then go for it. It shouldn't matter one bit as long as no one is getting damaged and it's no one else's business besides those involved in the transaction. Just my ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

I brought up the idea of poor people selling body parts. Does selling a piece of your liver count as damage? Do you not count emotional or psychological damage?

What are your opinions on prostitution?

IAMGROOT comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Absolutely! Decriminalizing this consensual activity will free police up to go after real criminals. Additionally, it will satisfy the needs of many men who, for whatever reason, are unable or find difficulty getting into a romantic, intimate relationship. Consensual sex among adults is not a ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

I brought up the idea of poor people selling body parts. This can legally be done for free, so should it be legal to do for money?

Oklahoma Lawmaker: Rape and Incest are the ‘Will of God’

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 24, 2018:

If he ever gets anally raped, (and I hope he does) I hope the police dismiss the seriousness of it and tell him it was god's will.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@snytiger6 Wishing ill on someone is nothing more than a descriptive tool to show how much disdain you have for them, until such time that my wishes come true and then I'm a fuckin' superhero and won't really care about all those pieces of shit I brought harm to.

What are your opinions on prostitution?

LEPeff comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I have very mixed feelings about this. I'm a libritarian and feel that any adult should be allowed to do whatever they want so long as they are not hurting anyone else. Unfortunately many sex workers have a history of victimization and exploitation and are probably not really willing participants ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

What if they are hurting themselves?

What are your opinions on prostitution?

twshield comments on Jan 28, 2018:

My grandmother always said that a woman should never be broke because she is sitting on a gold mine! I think its a personal choice and i have no issue with it.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

My friend's grandmother called the netting inside men's swim trunks a "lunchbox". Grandmas say some hilarious shit.

How much do brand names matter?

VictoriaNotes comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Definitely depends on the quality. *Bring out the Hellman's and bring out the best.* I agree. ;)

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

So all this Hellman's talk made me hungry, so I just used my pressure cooker to make the perfect hard steamed eggs, peeled 'em, and mixed 'em up with some Hellman's, only to take a bite and remember that Miracle Whip makes infinitely better egg salad. Fudge nuggets.

How much do brand names matter?

Wafflestomp comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Only for ethical reasons. I will not buy papa johns pizza or jimmy johns subs etc., because I don’t want to support those businesses. I really miss Jimmy Johns.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

Wait, why Jimmy Johns?

How much do brand names matter?

VictoriaNotes comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Definitely depends on the quality. *Bring out the Hellman's and bring out the best.* I agree. ;)

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

When I was little I either misheard or misremembered the jingle to be, "Bring out the Hellman's *or* bring out the best" and thought it to be a pretty terrible slogan.

How much do brand names matter?

VictoriaNotes comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Definitely depends on the quality. *Bring out the Hellman's and bring out the best.* I agree. ;)

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Lauren I guess I'm slower than you. How is that a pun?

How much do brand names matter?

HippieChick58 comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Velveeta is not real food as far as I am concerned, even though I grew up eating it. When I was eating store bought I ate only Skippy Peanut Butter, liked the flavor so much more. For the past 5 or so years I've tried to eat food closer to how it occurs in nature rather than boxed and processed ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@shockwaverider I don't understand how that's possible. Have you never gone to a PotLuck? I think it's legally required that at least 3 dishes contain Velveeta.

How much do brand names matter?

Tmstffrd comments on Jan 27, 2018:

There is a website called brandless, if you wanna check that out. I haven't bought anything from them, just letting you know there are movements to remove brands and just sell "Organic peas" or "Potato crisps" instead of Dole and Pingles.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

Isn't "Brandless" in essence just the brand name then?? What am I missing?

How much do brand names matter?

resserts comments on Jan 27, 2018:

Brand names don't matter much to me. Usually the same quality exists in an off brand. In fact, sometimes the same product *is* the off brand. (When there was a recall on peanut butter several years ago, it was specifically Peter Pan peanut butter and a particular off brand. This isn't to say that ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

About 10 years ago there were several free after mail-in rebate blank DVDs on Black Friday. I bought so many that I have yet to need to buy any. Anyway, there were some generic ones that had the exact same PO Box listed on the MIR form as the Memorex ones.

How much do brand names matter?

Piece2YourPuzzle comments on Jan 27, 2018:

Just like you said, it depends. When I have a chance to buy a box of no name or lesser known name of 250 tissues for $1 instead of a box of Kleenex with 250 for $4 then I get the no name every time. When it comes to electronics, I only try to buy the best. Name brands are usually the best ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

Yeah, that's a good point. Western Digital Black. I have had several inexpensive HDs take a shit on me, and when that happens, you don't just lose the cost of the device.

How much do brand names matter?

VictoriaNotes comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Definitely depends on the quality. *Bring out the Hellman's and bring out the best.* I agree. ;)

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

This is one of the products ALDI has not conquered yet. I did a blind taste test and Hellman's destroyed the ALDI counterpart.

What are your thoughts on the etiquette of paying for dates?

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 28, 2018:

That article wasn't helpful, at all. While they said less than 25% of respondents didn't say the man should pay, they didn't say the gender composition of that group. All I know is that if the check comes on the first date and the dude suggests they split it, it's highly unlikely that there will ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@kensmile4u Nope. I can't find a woman [that fits my parameters] that wants to go out with me when I'm willing to pay. Not going to reduce my pool of potential mates any further for something as meaningless to me as a hundred bucks or so. Edit: Oh, did you mean regularly dating the same woman? Eh, that probably just happens. The girl I wanted to marry who wanted kids slightly more than she wanted me and I made about the same amount of money and it just kind of happened. We were so into each other the money never even crossed my mind. I just wanted to do as much for her and spend as much time with her as I possibly could. And I guess if it didn't it would depend on our financial situations.

Do you find it hard to be friends with someone who is a over 25, but has the mentality of a ...

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I'm confused about your living situation... To the main question, I have a hard time being friends with people with lots of different deficiencies. *Probably why I practically have no friends.*

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Sarahroo29 Ah, okay. I didn't know that. In that case, I would probably be more patient than I otherwise would, but in the end, a friendship is supposed to be a symbiotic/ mutually beneficial relationship. If one party just feels bad all the time, it's not a good situation.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

RobCampbell comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I believe reading this entire string made my head hurt.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

That's unfortunate.

What TV shows are you currently watching?

Alliegirl comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I loved Godless! Very good show. I also love Grace and Frankie, Longmire, Gilmore Girls. I’ve also started Black Mirror and its very interesting.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@evestrat Previous season favorites were Playtest, White Christmas, San Junipero, & Hated in the Nation.

What TV shows are you currently watching?

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 27, 2018:

My favorite current shows are Better Call Saul, Black Mirror, and Modern Family.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@evestrat Uugh, I know. 10 episodes a year is just not enough.

Scientist announces a laser so powerful it can tear empty space

gater comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Tear empty space? I don't think so - sounds like a physical impossibility

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

So does the concept of a piece of cloth you could hold in your hand that is so black you can't see it. Yet, they did it.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

GipsyOfNewSpain comments on Jan 27, 2018:

a prison keeper becomes a prisoner of those he imprison.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@GipsyOfNewSpain I get that. And I imagine some people really are trapped in their marriage, and that's very unfortunate (and obviously excluded from this), but a lot of the time it's manufactured plight, or more accurately, a belief that a near equal amount of displeasurable qualities would be realized if the "condition of chains" was undone. Either way, I still don't feel that these people are prisoners or slaves in any real way that doesn't diminish the plight of actual prisoners and slaves. I suppose we just need a better word?

Imagine a world where if a man finds you attractive, he can pretty much do anything he likes to you...

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I don't know that I can really get on board with everything here, mostly because I'm not a 'throw a bunch of shit at the wall to see what sticks' kind of guy, but I get your fear. Even when I agreed with this fear on another post a woman insinuated I should stop having one night stands and that I ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@Ac08 Oh, sorry, I was talking about the method guys use to hit on a million women in the hopes of finding the one that says yes.

You have a magic button in your home!

AxeElf comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I don't believe in legislating morality or making something God created illegal.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

@AxeElf The nature of god? What book are you reading? Most of the descriptions of gods from religious texts I know depict him as a petty, jealous, vengeful fuckwit. Either way, it seems silly to subscribe to a theory that you know is complete nonsense *[in this lifetime]*. Human nature is motivated by selfishness because that's how we evolved to be here. Evolutionary theory doesn't even allow for a system by which this trait can be completely "bred out". There is a cyclical pattern to traits like this. For example, the more a trait like selfishness got bred out, the more advantageous it would become to be selfish and the trait would begin to get bred back in.

Do you find it hard to be friends with someone who is a over 25, but has the mentality of a ...

Babyseal comments on Jan 28, 2018:

In my opinion with the way you are ranting a few chill pills from your doctor or a big joint is what you need

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 28, 2018:

Really? My initial thought was that she just needed to be figuratively shit on by a shirtless dude in his 50s. I think you may have fixed all her problems without any drugs at all...

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

Rick_T comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I have gotten rid of it all... sold the car, gave away most of my possessions, moved 3,000 miles away and never looked back. Not easy, but sometimes necessary. However, there is no great awakening nor did I expect any. I was sick of my life and so I discarded it. No regrets. As for “owning” a ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@BucketlistBob A half. $125/mo. Edit: Just got my tax bill. It went up to $792/6 months.

What TV shows are you currently watching?

Alliegirl comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I loved Godless! Very good show. I also love Grace and Frankie, Longmire, Gilmore Girls. I’ve also started Black Mirror and its very interesting.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@evestrat Really?? Callister, Hang the DJ, Black Museum? They were amazing! And there was only one bad episode in the bunch.

What TV shows are you currently watching?

RogerTheAtheist comments on Jan 27, 2018:

Game of Thrones, and I recently finished the new Season of Black Mirror. There are a ton of shows in my queue that I plan to get to eventually. My favorite shows are those, The Walking Dead, the new Cosmos, Arrow, Nikita, Family Guy, Stranger Things, Heroes, and Awake.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

Heroes is in my top 5 all-time. (The other 4 being Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Friends, and Desperate Housewives.)

You have a magic button in your home!

AxeElf comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I don't believe in legislating morality or making something God created illegal.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@AxeElf But unlike a lack of a belief the "what is left" is still a thing. There will still be a hierarchy, and it will most likely be based on who has the best weapons (with the ability to use them effectively) and the least empathy. Is that honestly the world you want to live in? Because you do realize that anarchy simply cannot evolve into a utopia, right?

Where do you spend your vacation?

silvereyes comments on Jan 26, 2018:

I like to go to different places on vacation. My favorite place is Hawaii. And, I've never left the U.S. On my list of places I would like to go includes Portland, Seattle, and Alaska. Maybe after I've explored great places in the U.S. I'd branch out to Japan or Italy.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@silvereyes Good enough for me, and I imagine better than you'd find at any hotel in the US for the price. A couple of the places had free room service day and night. I'm pretty easy to please though. Give me a pool with a free open bar and some sunshine and I'm good. *Well, plus unlimited free tasty food.*

If the world was populated with clones of you- what would it look like?

birdingnut comments on Jan 26, 2018:

Well, for one thing, there'd be no junk food, no pollution, and no children. We'd quickly go extinct!

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

Well, technically if the whole world was populated with clones of any one person it would go extinct in one generation because there'd be no one to mate with.

Where do you spend your vacation?

silvereyes comments on Jan 26, 2018:

I like to go to different places on vacation. My favorite place is Hawaii. And, I've never left the U.S. On my list of places I would like to go includes Portland, Seattle, and Alaska. Maybe after I've explored great places in the U.S. I'd branch out to Japan or Italy.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@silvereyes I'm boring, I just go to tropical locations, primarily Jamaica. You can get an all-inclusive package that includes flight, room, food, & alcohol for as little as $100 per person per day. Just flight and hotel will run you close to that (if not more) pretty much anywhere you go in the US.

I grew up eating red meat.

AMGT comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I was vegan for 11 years. I gave it up when I was pregnant with my son, 21 years ago. I craved red meat like crazy, figured he needed the nutrients. I feel better physically and mentally as a meat eater and will remain this way from now on.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

I could never date a vegetarian chick.

Do most older men prefer a younger model?

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 27, 2018:

You can't take what rich men do and apply it to all males. I mean, if you put an insanely gorgeous young woman in front of any straight man, it's gonna set off some alarms. But that shouldn't be news to you. Can you honestly look at a shirtless Ryan Gosling and be like, "Nah, he looks too ripped and...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@JustLuAnn As for online dating, a lot of guys take the 'throw enough shit at the wall' approach. I have a piece-of-shit ex-friend who lived with 4 other guys in what was basically a mansion with a private walled-in pool jacuzzi party area. Every day at the same time they did what they called their "homework". They'd all get on social media sites and send out a copied and pasted pre-written message to 30 women each, then respond to any replies from the prior day with more personalized messages. They had a constant flow of women "in Tupperware" willing to hang out with them. It's purely a numbers game. A funny explanation of this phenomenon by David Cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffOMSlc2ay8

I hate when people make the statement where do atheists get their moral code from if not from ...

firecracker comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I caught my dad off guard one day. He said, "There are hundreds of thousands of pages of laws in Washington and the government is still writing more laws. God made 10 laws in less than 150 words and didn't leave anything out." I replied, "I don't need 150 words." I mean really, telling ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

Didn't leave anything out?!?

I am wondering, when you meet someone for the first time and they start talking about being saved up...

Charlene comments on Jan 27, 2018:

Yes I do the same..it saves my brain from hurting. I love religiturds after a disaster..Gawd spared them but fuck those other dead people.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

Those other people didn't pray as well.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

jlynn37 comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I doubt that you would ever hear someone on their deathbed say: "I should have spent more time at the office", "I should have spent more time cleaning my house", etc.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@jlynn37 So was mine??

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

Rufus_Maximus comments on Jan 27, 2018:

Fight Club was a satire of nihilism and anti-capitalism. Although the movie ends early, the story actually ends with the narrator trapped in the remnants of the possession-less life he tried to create, stalked by Tyler Durden and the people that still remember him and his ideals. Whilst this ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@DreadlySmart So it appears then that the only thing that needs to change is your perspective. And this is not something that can happen without outside influence. I'm trying to be that influence.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 27, 2018:

He said from his phone... I don't know, this kinda seems like a dilemma only well-off individuals would have. I mean, could you imagine saying this to a homeless person living in Cleveland in the middle of winter?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@DreadlySmart I do not believe your examples are analogous. In your examples both individuals have varying degrees of a similar problem, not one with a problem, and one who thinks he has a problem. Starving and freezing on the street and feeling trapped by material possessions are not varying degrees of a similar problem. If anyone wanted to stop 'being a slave to their things' they could simply give up their things. Not even give them away, literally just walk away from them and never return. When your cancer victim can walk away from his cancer and your pet owner can forget all knowledge of their pet as if it never existed to escape the pain of loss, we'll talk. If, however, the OP talked about an actual problem that needed solved (e.g. my landlord hasn't fixed the heat or hot water in my building and I can't afford to move to a nicer place) and I said what I said THEN you'd have a claim of Relative Privation.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 27, 2018:

The same principal is not limited to materalism. Theism happens to be an excellent example of and idea owning a person as they become a emotive and cognative slave to it. Do they really own the idea of theism? Do they control it or is it like a drug that controls them?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@DreadlySmart All changes to one's beliefs are directly caused by things outside one's consciousness (e.g. new information from outside sources). You also have no control whether said new information will change your beliefs or not. You have no control over how much you value information, if you will seek it, if you will understand it when you come across it, etc. etc.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

GipsyOfNewSpain comments on Jan 27, 2018:

a prison keeper becomes a prisoner of those he imprison.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@GipsyOfNewSpain I love using old sayings about the way things used to be to support the claims made in my social commentary. I just think it's disingenuous to compare the prison sentence of someone in prison with the "prison sentence" of someone who has extra responsibilities associated with their job (that they could quit at any time). That's as dismissive as someone responding to the plight of enslaved people by saying, "We're *all* slaves, man." Sorry for not putting down a bong and claiming how profound and enlightened your statement was.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 27, 2018:

The same principal is not limited to materalism. Theism happens to be an excellent example of and idea owning a person as they become a emotive and cognative slave to it. Do they really own the idea of theism? Do they control it or is it like a drug that controls them?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@DavidLaDeau It kinda just *is*. I mean, it's not any sadder than when a child is raised to be a racist or homophobe *or republican*. From their perspective, though, it's sad when children are raised not knowing the love of Christ.

You have a magic button in your home!

AxeElf comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I don't believe in legislating morality or making something God created illegal.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@AxeElf Ah, this discussion gets more interesting with each the post. See, that is the point where I flip back. In the case of trans-fats and other disproportionately dangerous food ingredients, the average person would have no way to know what was in it or how it was made, and, since it was sold as food, would assume it's safe to eat. Even with regulation, people are ingesting horrible, horrible things. Can you imagine if there was no regulation on the food industry? I see tobacco products the same way. The average person probably assumes that if used in their intended way, products that are allowed to be sold can't be *that* bad for you. In instances like this, where horrible shit is put in your food, I consider that to be a case of someone poisoning you. The Tide Pods, however, I view as someone poisoning themselves. A while ago, there was talk about banning the sale of Tide Pods because children were eating them and dying. This, I wholeheartedly disagree with. Stupid people will always find a way to do something stupid, and there's really no way to sterilize the world enough to prevent that. So if an individual or responsible party can't prevent harm in this way, maybe it's better that their genes aren't in the gene pool. One other thing is that any system of government or economics unregulated will fail under its own weight, including anarchism.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 27, 2018:

The same principal is not limited to materalism. Theism happens to be an excellent example of and idea owning a person as they become a emotive and cognative slave to it. Do they really own the idea of theism? Do they control it or is it like a drug that controls them?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

No one controls their beliefs, so no, it controls them.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

GipsyOfNewSpain comments on Jan 27, 2018:

a prison keeper becomes a prisoner of those he imprison.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

Except the 128 hours a week other people are covering the shifts and the several weeks a year he goes on vacation.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

Rufus_Maximus comments on Jan 27, 2018:

Fight Club was a satire of nihilism and anti-capitalism. Although the movie ends early, the story actually ends with the narrator trapped in the remnants of the possession-less life he tried to create, stalked by Tyler Durden and the people that still remember him and his ideals. Whilst this ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

Yeah, it's really hard to tell people the grass isn't really greener on the other side. I'll take my heat, AC, fridge full of food, 52" LCD, and big comfy bed. Anyone complaining about the burden of "stuff" is welcome to live in the box my stuff came in.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

Rick_T comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I have gotten rid of it all... sold the car, gave away most of my possessions, moved 3,000 miles away and never looked back. Not easy, but sometimes necessary. However, there is no great awakening nor did I expect any. I was sick of my life and so I discarded it. No regrets. As for “owning” a ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@BucketlistBob Damn, I'm in a condo and I pay $750/half. I think I need to move.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

jlynn37 comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I doubt that you would ever hear someone on their deathbed say: "I should have spent more time at the office", "I should have spent more time cleaning my house", etc.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

If you used 'what I'll think about on my deathbed' to shape all your actions, your deathbed will be a lot closer than you think.

"The things you own end up owning you" - From Fight Club A rail against capitalism and for always...

WizardBill comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I understand where you’re coming from. As a truck driver, it is very enticing to me to not have a permit or residence. Just have a PO Box for mail. Then, I could live in my truck. Life is much easier that way, no concern about the shit of restaurants etc.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

@Rudy1962 I was thinking maybe he was saying he gets to shit all fancy-crazy in restaurant bathrooms without having to be worried about cleaning them.

Do most older men prefer a younger model?

SKH78 comments on Jan 27, 2018:

Depends on where you go. I took a trip to Egypt, in 2006. I was 52 years old and got LOTS of attention from dudes who were young enough to be my sons. I am also overweight but got told many times that I was "beautiful."

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

So when is your next trip planned for? :-P

Where do you spend your vacation?

silvereyes comments on Jan 26, 2018:

I like to go to different places on vacation. My favorite place is Hawaii. And, I've never left the U.S. On my list of places I would like to go includes Portland, Seattle, and Alaska. Maybe after I've explored great places in the U.S. I'd branch out to Japan or Italy.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

I've found that vacationing in the US is at least 2x more expensive than leaving, which shouldn't be the case. I don't vacation in the US anymore...

Epistemolgy is the study of what we can know to be factual.

AnneWimsey comments on Jan 27, 2018:

What you " know" in your head can easily be influenced by your wants, your past, your hopes, and have very little relationship to facts, sorry.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

And the physical and chemical state of his brain.

'Trump Was Merely Sharing The Gospel With That Porn Star,' Explains Jim Bakker

Shanabanana comments on Jan 26, 2018:

The gospel of Trumps dick?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 27, 2018:

Yeah, but that's like the shortest gospel, followed closely by the gospel of Trump's hands.

You have a magic button in your home!

AMGT comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I’m agnostic about your button

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 26, 2018:

Damn it! The correct response was, "If anyone has no knowledge about *the button* it's Donald Trump."

Does anyone really hook up on this site?

Knitfreak comments on Jan 26, 2018:

I'm meeting someone this weekend from this site. :) He seems like a lovely person. So yes, people do meet. Hookup? That term means getting together to bang... I don't know about that. I'm not seeking casual sex.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 26, 2018:

@btroje Bang?

Does anyone really hook up on this site?

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 26, 2018:

'Hook up' has shit connotation. To me it implies zero emotional or intellectual connection. That's not what I'm looking for, so I have no idea of this site would accommodate. I did, however, get a response from the lady I emailed. I'm charming as fuck and kinda funny when I wanna be, though, so...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 26, 2018:

@SteveB It'll totally work. How do you not go talk to that guy?

You have a magic button in your home!

AxeElf comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I don't believe in legislating morality or making something God created illegal.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 26, 2018:

@AxeElf So where do you draw the line, or don't you, in regards to damaging behaviors that ultimately raise collective healthcare costs? Did you disagree with the banning of trans fats? Also, are there any things you think are dangerous enough that you would ban them?

You have a magic button in your home!

AxeElf comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I don't believe in legislating morality or making something God created illegal.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 26, 2018:

@AxeElf Ah, so then you would push a button that would make all chemical additives to tobacco illegal? I can't imagine anyone describing the cigarettes we sell as 'natural'. *Also, what some tribe of people practiced as 'passed-down' wisdom is not really the yardstick by which I like to judge whether what I'm doing is safe or not.*

LegalFling consensual sex app is senseless—for everyone but assailants

AnneWimsey comments on Jan 24, 2018:

If you are so scared of being arrested, maybe it is time to stop one-night stands?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 25, 2018:

@AnneWimsey What the fuck do you mean *my* chances look good? Anyway, I was talking about the disparity between men and women. If those are accurate percentages for women the men's numbers must be practically nonexistent.

You have a magic button in your home!

AxeElf comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I don't believe in legislating morality or making something God created illegal.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 25, 2018:

God created rape, should that be legal? :-P But seriously, it's not about morality at all. I don't think it's *immoral* to use tobacco products. I just think they are terrible, especially as currently sold here, and don't even have redeeming qualities like alcohol or marijuana.

You have a magic button in your home!

AMGT comments on Jan 25, 2018:

I’m agnostic about your button

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 25, 2018:

You can't be, you have some knowledge about it. :-P

What is your opinion on capital punishment?

Jenilynn comments on Jan 13, 2018:

As long as there is the chance that an innocent person can be executed, I stand firmly against it. DNA is not the absolute prove-all, and evidence can be faked, hidden or corrupted. Besides, I just cannot understand the logic that claims, "you killed someone. Our society absolutely abhors killing. ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 25, 2018:

I've been saying that exact same thing for years. We thought fingerprint evidence was the be-all end-all. Then we learned about DNA, and we looked like ignorant fucks. Who could be so arrogant to think that we won't ever develop a vastly superior technology that will find people convicted with DNA evidence innocent?

What is your opinion on capital punishment?

Hellbent comments on Jan 13, 2018:

A wise man once said "To every complicated question there is a simple answer and it is wrong" Actually that's not EXACTLY what he said but you get the idea. I don't believe that any institution is infallible and I have enough experience with the legal system to be sure that it never will be. So ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 25, 2018:

I've said that for years. If you can't kill the animal yourself, you shouldn't be eating it.

What is your opinion on capital punishment?

Crimson67 comments on Jan 13, 2018:

I cannot in good conscious vote. If I ever find the boys/men who attacked my daughter I will kill them and feel no remorse about it. If I trusted the justice system to convict and punish, I would scream at the top of my lungs for them to die. However, I do not trust our justice system to ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 25, 2018:

Killing people as a reactionary, irrational individual is vastly different than the premeditated murder by a governmental body. No conclusions should be drawn from that comparison.

What is your opinion on capital punishment?

ScienceBiker comments on Jan 13, 2018:

I can't just say "yes" or "no" Under our current implementation, I would say "no" but only because there are far too many instances of innocent people, wrongfully accused and imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. Having said that, my criteria for the death penalty is there has to be ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 25, 2018:

There's no such thing...

What is your opinion on capital punishment?

Betty comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Studies have been done that indicate that capital punishment is not a deterrent. The justice system is flawed and in some cases corrupted hence The innocence project.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 25, 2018:

@Trajan61 Just less, huh? That'll be comforting when it's your innocent family member that's being murdered, I bet.