genessa's Profile

Is Christmas a well earned break from the working world or a major inconvenience because you can’t...

genessa comments on Nov 25, 2018:

for me, neither. it's an affront to those who are not christian (and those who are not capitalist, but we're used to that, daily, not just at christmas). from october through mid-januray i, a jewish atheist, don't exist in the media, on the street, in shops, anywhere. i am accosted by christmas everywhere i go. if someone wishes the world a happy chanukah (during chanukah, which this year, as in many years, does not fall during christmas but certainly falls during the christmas season) i practically pee myself, even though chanukah is not "the jewish christmas" and isn't even a major jewish holiday (unless you're a kid or have kids). hell, it's not even mostly a religious holiday; it's got a miracle at the end but most of the story is about an historical war, and god isn't mentioned throughout. i don't even think he's mentioned in the miracle part (which can be taken metaphorically). anyway, it doesn't exist as far as the overwhelmingly christian society in which we, in the western world, live. i don't exist. no one asks "what if anything do you celebrate?" then there's the outcry about the so-called war on christmas, an example of which my post is NOT (i'm just qvetching). put christ back in christmas. well, okay, yes, get him out of MY face, anyway. put him back in your home if you must and your church, which i won't attack, honestly, but keep him off my tv and off my street. that's one part of the christian invasion. the other part is of course the capitalist part, and it's overwhelming. it was before i was an atheist and it is now, too, though it's easier to hide now. (you should see how mad my mom got when my second-grade teacher had class making christmas wreathes; poor teach had no idea what she'd done wrong; don't jews celebrate christmas? actually i had an acquaintance with whom i was friendly and spoke on the phone sometimes who, upon finding out, to her shock, in her adulthood, from me, that jews don't hold jesus as the messiah or any representation of god at all, dropped me cold. it was just too horrible for her to bear. she'd had no idea that jews were not just some other kind of christian. this is an american, raised in the united states, presumably among people. i may be presuming too much there; after all, that's why god invented home-schooling, right?) grrr, don't get me... well, you already got me started. don't get me continuing! christmas. i'm not a scrooge. i'm not a grinch. i'm just not christian (or theist but that's continuing and i said i'd stop, didn't i? sort of?) g

Today's America is like the plot of an old western movie.

genessa comments on Nov 25, 2018:

the problem is, there IS a john wayne lol. john wayne was a poseur, never served in the military (which in itself is not a crime. some say he was a draft dodger and others say he wanted to serve but for some reason couldn't (or wouldn't). i don't care; the point is that everyone thinks he did and people treated him as if he had, and meanwhile he was an open racist. we need someone other than a john wayne. we HAVE a john wayne, complete with bone spurs and racism. g

Did any of your parents believe in demons?

genessa comments on Nov 25, 2018:

not my folks. i never even found out whether they believed in a god until i was well into my 20s and had left home. they weren't sure even then. my mom thought maybe she did. my dad thought maybe he didn't. i got the impression they hadn't given it a lot of thought. g

Our new Maine Coon, Nebula.

genessa comments on Nov 25, 2018:

what a pretty kitty! my golde, who is not related in any way to a maine coon (if she has a breed it must be wisconsin marmie) sometimes walks up behind me while i'm sitting here and grabs my ponytail in her teeth, giving my hair a good yank to get my attention. g

Did you ever use one of these?

genessa comments on Nov 25, 2018:

eww NO! i don't smoke, haven't smoked, won't smoke. i have asthma! one reason i have it is that both my folks smoked. g

There is a $5 fee to join.

genessa comments on Nov 25, 2018:

there is no member of that exact name. if you want to make a link to the party, put @ in front of it. if you want to do that OR not do that but have US search for the party, you need to spell the party's name right. so we remain clueless. you have not said to join what, you have not correctly told us the name of the member and you have not linked to the post itself. how can we proceed? g

Helping one another

genessa comments on Nov 25, 2018:

survival of the species, to begin with. altruism developed along with our brand of sentience, to continue, and that is of course an extension of the survival of the species but has reached beyond it, perhaps. g

Assange's threat to the Corporatocracy's MSM PR machinery is something they can't allow.

genessa comments on Nov 25, 2018:

assange is not challenging corporate america. assange works for russia, which loves corporate america, especially american oil. just because no one wants him to print his stolen and altered secrets that doesn't make him a journalist. he doesn't report the truth. he reports what russia tells him to report, and it is altered material at that. it is possible to hate someone AND have that person also be a criminal creep, which is what assange is. g

Do you believe in ghost

genessa comments on Nov 25, 2018:

life is an unexplainable experience. just because something cannot be explained doesn't mean there is a supernatural explanation. our ignorance doesn't indicate ghosts, gods or leprechauns. now TROLLS i have seen lol but they're not supernatural. g

Dangers of Woo: "Orgone Energy"! - Suris [youtube.com]

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

you know who swore by orgone? orson bean. you know who his daughter married? andrew breitbart. 'nuff said. g

I'm a bit more left than right, but this is hilarious.

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

sorry, but you've been believing propaganda about hillary. it is all there for those willing to believe lies. she did support the war in iraq; it was NOT for money in exchange. everything else is just garbage. g

What can we do about this Barnum & Bailey government we have in our country?

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

vote. g

The job of a lobbyist is to educate the legislators as to the various subjects they need to tackle ...

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

you are correct. people want to eliminate lobbying. for the most part they're right because of how lobbying is used. i am with them to a large extent but the citizens have a right to lobby, and citizens have a right to name a representative to lobby for them. it is corporate lobbying that should be banned. g

Why is the left lacking the personality mouthpieces to offset the right mouthpieces?

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

because we're not insane is one reason. another reason is we don't have mouthpieces. we have thoughtful commentators who actually understand history and put current events into perspective. oh and those fox news ladies... fox isn't news and those ladies aren't ladies; they're barely women. but you're wrong about female stars. how about joy reid? and why do they have to be female? chris hayes and lawrence o'donnell are fantastic even with y chromosomes. the thing about stars is that you have not defined stars. if you mean noisy racist bitches (i refer to the men as well as the women using that word), then yeah, we lack those. fox has 'em. g

Both Hitler and Donald Trump are going to "heaven", but the 6 million Jews killed in the holocaust ...

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

since there is no such thing as heaven and no such thing as hell, sainthood is a catholic concept in which i have never believed (never gave it a moment of serious thought) and sin is a religious concept, i cannot possibly participate in this poll. when i die, and it might be soon, my brain will stop functioning and there will be no more me except in the memories of those who knew me. g

Hi I was born in Boston, MA to Jewish parents.

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

your parents will get over it, and it is always good to travel, even if you do have to put up with a little bible study (it's better than christian bible study anyway -- no fire and brimstone, and pilpul can be interesting!) you made me hungry, by the way. i want all of what you just mentioned, for lunch, right now! upload knishes, please! (and kasha!) (why does so much jewish food begin with K?) anyway, nice to meet you even if you DID make me hungry. g

This place is looking too much like the reason I don't like going out to bars.

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

really? i see lots of women here. of course i'm not looking for women (or men). thing is, this isn't a pickup place. i mean i suppose you could try to use it that way but you're going to encounter a lot of people who will be smartass with you for trying. the community is a good way to get to know people safely without committing to so much as a "well i MIGHT be interested romantically" -- just like real life (outside of bars). this place is the opposite of a bar. here you can talk to people and NOT be mistaken for wanting to jump right into the sack. there are conversations going on all over the place, and both men and women are participating in them. you wanna just hang out in the parts where singles are looking for each other without getting to know each other? yeah you'll see a lot of guys there. you wanna actually get to know someone? you do know people fall in love at work and at the gym and in the park and wherever, ANYWHERE, better than at a bar, right? so you put yourself into the most bar-like part of the site. of course that's what you'll find. try the actual community. g

Here is a poem by Marge Piercy which I'm sure all opera lovers will relate to! Enjoy .

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

i read a novel by piercy about a million years ago and absolutely hated it, didn't go back for decades, then suddenly encountered one of her poems and discovered to my surprise that as bad a novelist as i had estimated her to be, she was a marvelous poet. go figure! g

What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving?

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

february. i like when it gets to be february and the next "important" holiday is my birthday. that is my favorite part of thanksgiving. g

Tell us how you fared another Thanksgiving with Christian Trump-supporting parents?

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

my folks are dead but they were, in life, staunch democrats and civil rights proponents. g

So, I considered myself agnostic for most of my life.

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

something like this, in your own words: honey, your nana doesn't think there are any gods. your mama thinks there is one. we're not mad at each other. we just don't agree about this. do what your mama tells you, but remember, you have a brain and you can make your own decisions about what to believe. if you decide you believe the same way as your mama, my feelings won't be hurt, and if you decide you believe the same way i do, my feelings won't be hurt, and it's okay to think about it and talk about it now, but until you're old enough to do your own thing, do what your mama tells you. if you want to talk about it with me, any old time, i am here. g

Our XMas tree this year is a 6'4" man.

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

will you be decorating with tinsel? our christmas tree will be... well, he's only five seven. we're jewish. we have a nice menorah! we like candles! no jesus, no saturnalia, not even kwaanzaa, and i know i probably have an extra A in there. i might mention the oil miracle for richard's benefit but i'll also mention it's the miracle part, to keep it in perspective (fiction, and all) and all the other parts are, you know, history (war with the assyrians, no gods involved). we're not sure about judith and holofernes but it's a cool story and a good excuse to eat cheese. for those who don't know the story: assyrian leader making war on jews, nice jewish girl brings gift basket if wine and salty cheese into his camp, she's pretty and he's horny so he lets her in, she gets him drunk and beheads him, carries his head openly through camp, horrifying his soldiers to the extent that they don't lay a hand on her as she leisurely escapes. true story? who cares? again, no gods in the story; yay for the nice girl with the sword! eat cheese and enjoy! g

How would you convince a closet atheist to "come out"? [vox.com]

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

i wouldn't. i don't know everyone's circumstance. what if it was nazi germany? would you encourage a jew to come out and be killed? there are still places in the united states where it is not safe not to be openly and loudly christian, much less to be an atheist. it is not my decision whether someone else comes out of the atheist closet. there is strength in numbers but people need to be physically safe. g

Any fairly single women around Hilo/Puna-side... on the big island?

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

i'm neither single nor in hawaii but i have to say something here: if i were single, in the area and in the market, i'd want to know more about you FIRST. something. anything. g

Why are women more inclined toward religious belief?

genessa comments on Nov 24, 2018:

because women are controlled by men and men use religion to control them. it is not nature. g

If you were to die tomorrow, what would be your biggest regret?

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

i could not have any regrets. i'd be dead. g

What is Spirituality?

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

people have different ideas. mine is simple. it's religion light. g

What's your stance on naps? Will you be taking one this weekend?

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

one? only one? g

Where do you stand in the belief of an existence of a soul without believing in religion and the ...

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

i say there is no such thing. when you're dead you're dead, consciousness isn't higher or lower, it just is, and it's the result of energies including electrical ones from the brain. when the brain's dead it's gone. we can talk about a soul in a figurative way, as in a person with a lot of soul (meaning a good person, with a lot of heart, which also has nothing to do with the actual heart but at least we know there IS such a thing as a heart!) but to speak of it as a literal entity, perhaps one which survives the body? nah-ah. g

Many thanks to all who posted nice messages.

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

i am sorry for your loss. g

Help. Is it worth it turning down everything I believed since I was born in this world?

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

it is up to you what is worth doing, but you know, there not being a god doesn't mean there isn't right or wrong. you can still be you, and have ethics, and care for people, and have nothing in particular change about your approach to life except depending on a fictional character and the interpreters of that fictoinal character to tell you what to do. one thing you said, though, makes me think you may or may not know what it is you do or don't believe. you realize that the one you've been praying to and praising all your life doesn't hear you. does that mean you believe there is no god or that you believe there is an uncaring god? my belief, which need not be yours, is that there are no gods of any kind. you might want to figure out what it is you yourself believe. g

Dating younger / older Now myself dating a younger woman (25 years) any opinions about people ...

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

none of the answers suits me since every single one makes a judgment based on a generality. how about if it's okay for this one and not okay for that one based on who the individuals are? g

You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

there is not just one culture here. you need to change the channel. g

It's a balmy 19 degrees out here in Philly. Does that make anyone else feel frisky too, or just me?

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

you know, i don't even know what the temp is outside here in mn, but i have the window cracked and i'm actually wearing an article of clothing (unusual for me indoors) and it feels stuffy! frisky? i am going back to bed to snuggle with the cats. g

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around can trump still blame the democrat's ???

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

he will whether he can or not. g

Do we need governments or states

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

well DUH. no, let's just have every man/woman/child for him/herself. of course we need governments, and the world is rather large so we need states. what we don't need is the system of pitting the states against each other as if the people of one are more valuable than the people of other. government needs to be drilled down locally of course, or it's unwieldy, but nationalism kills everything. g

This site is awesome a bunch of lefty loopers kicking each other in the nuts.

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

the democratic party is not as divided as folks say, but of course it has its divisions; that's natural. it's not a cult, after all. people have different ideas. we do not kick each other in the nuts; many of us do not have nuts, and we think that those who put too much importance in having them are not fit to lead. meanwhile, there is only one major political party in the united states right now. that is the democratic party, which would not suffer from being broken into two parties once we get rid of the criminal organization posing as the other major political party. then we'd have two again. yes, people who place too much value on having nuts DO make too much noise, but as shakespeare said (somewhat differently) it signifies nothing. g

I’m my own god

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

if you worship yourself, only the very naive will also worship you. hey i have an idea: how about being your own human? there are no gods but i've met humans. g

Who is God

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

he is a fictional character and therefore he is in the imaginations of those who created or believe in him. he is one of many such, actually. there are many fictional gods (well, they're all fictional). i assume from the way you stated your question that you mean the christian god. g

In my turkey-induced laziness this evening I began researching Chibnall.

genessa comments on Nov 23, 2018:

i feel slightly differently about it. he wrote some of the best ones but also some of the worst. i don't think he understood smith's doctor at all, alas. the one he wrote best for smith he wrote also for tennant, and hurt lol, so now you know which one i mean. that one was very clever. but he has a few nasty habits, only one of which is making things unnecessarily convoluted for convolution's sake instead of for the sake of our enjoyment, and he has a fixation, it seems, on (what he probably considers) poetic repetition. "are you my mummy?" went a little overboard but at least it was appropriate to the situation. later, in the episode about the second story of the house that didn't have a second story, a passerby would respond to a child's calling "help me" with "help you?" always with the same tone of voice. if you heard a child crying for help and decided to respond, is "help you?" what YOU would say? okay, maybe, but is it what EVERY BLESSED PERSON who heard it would say, and in the same tone? it was jarring and when something is jarring it pulls us out of the story, and when we get pulled out of the story, we're disgruntled, or at least i am. i want to suspend my disbelief and he would throw stuff like that in to make my disbelief go kerplop. so... he's a mixed bag at best. he's certainly not an untalented man. and i don't hate him lol. but... i think he did a disservice to doctor who a good deal of the time. and by the way, i liked broadchurch. so go figure, right? (i should see which torchwoods were his, because some episodes i adore and some are just horror. i am not into horror, which makes it strange that i like a show like doctor who, with the obligatory monsters, though we all admit many of the worst whovian monsters are human). but i do. i adore it (in case that didn't show). g

Who do atheists thank on Thanksgiving? [youtube.com]

genessa comments on Nov 22, 2018:

i did the cooking. my guy thanked me. g

Why am I like this?

genessa comments on Nov 22, 2018:

it's not weird but it's inconsiderate. you put her in a potentially embarrassing position. maybe for you the thrill was that you could get caught. oh boy, exciting. for her, it wasn't thrilling, just as i say potentially embarrassing. and how rude to your family, even if they never knew. you were trying in some way to pull something over on them. haha, look what i can get away with, and you're all so stupid, you'll never know. weird isn't the word. just juvenile and inconsiderate -- and even if your family deserved it (i don't know them so i can't say) if she's your girlfriend can't i assume you at least like her well enough not to want to make her feel bad? g

There is an intimate relationship between gratitude and happiness.

genessa comments on Nov 22, 2018:

i don't agree. there can be mutual respect without gushing about it. sometimes gratitude is born of obligation, and that is a nice short cut AWAY from happiness. even if i granted that sometimes gratitude is related to happiness, it is most certainly not the shortest short cut, not that there IS a short cut. g

You know there is no god when you suffer bullying all your life, school and work, your dad is in ...

genessa comments on Nov 22, 2018:

no, that is not how you know there is no god. that is how you know there is no good god. there could, if that were the only criterion, be a bad god. how you know there is no god is that there is no evidence whatsoever for a god, and either an explanation or a theory in progress for everything for which this imaginary god is purportedly responsible. being mad at god is not the same as not believing there is one. i am sorry about your dad and the rest of it. g

I have no idea what a person has to do to get above Level 1.

genessa comments on Nov 22, 2018:

hi. a common error people make when intending to find dates or more on this site is to eschew the community. the community is a good way to get to know people without jumping into a relationship. it is also how to get the levels up. i see you've made two posts and no comments on anyone else's posts. if you want your levels to go up (and the levels are just rewards for participation) then find topics of interest to you and respond to posts in those categories, make posts about things that interest you and hope others are also interested and respond, and look at who writes what. you'll find out who you like and who you don't, and you can proceed from there! g

What two questions would you ask to get the most information about who a person truly is?

genessa comments on Nov 21, 2018:

there is no such question. you can't get that kind of information by asking a question. you can get that information, if you're very observant, by listening and watching. usually it takes time. g

Help from Spiritual guide

genessa comments on Nov 21, 2018:

why do i need a spiritual guide? i think of spiritualism as religion light. i eschew it. nor do i care for anyone you have named. g

What differences, if any, have you found in the ways men seek attention vs the way women seek it?

genessa comments on Nov 21, 2018:

some men are gentle and some women are not but in general the two comments already here are spot on. men get attention with aggression more than women do -- especially, but not limited to, aggression against women. g

Your first non religious inspiration.

genessa comments on Nov 21, 2018:

i never really had or needed one. i didn't feel alone in my atheism; i was already alone for being a jew. i got chased, hit, called names, had pennies thrown at me -- but i didn't feel alone by virtue of believing something different, since i was religious and i couldn't tell that my tormentors were either. it was all social bullying, not like they were trying to convert me or anything. kill me maybe lol. so when at 15 i realized there were no gods -- and i did this without any inspiration from any books or speakers or anyone at all -- it wasn't as if i was going to make an announcement. i think i told my best friend and she turned out also to be an atheist; it couldn't have been a big deal because i don't remember how we found out; we just always talked about everything, as best friends do. so i never felt the need to do any research or anything. g

I went out to grab Thanksgiving groceries today and of course there were so many people out.

genessa comments on Nov 21, 2018:

i got a ride to the store this afternoon and it was a bit crowded but everyone was nice, polite, laughingm moving their carts over so others could get by, really friendly -- except this ONE woman who was ahead of me in line. i don't know whether i drove my cart into her butt or whether she backed up into my cart but i assumed the former and apologized, and she just gave me the nastiest look, as if she thought i did it on purpose. g

What's the craziest pseudoscience you've heard about women's health?

genessa comments on Nov 21, 2018:

i know someone who used to think women peed through their vaginas. it's crazy that doctors are being ordered to tell women that having an abortion will lead to their getting cancer or becoming suicidal. g

I bet this has been proposed before but has anyone put together a calendar of “atheist ...

genessa comments on Nov 21, 2018:

holiday literally means holy day. holiness has religious connotations! unless you want to use the word to indicate a vacation or day off, which isn't likely to happen no matter what you put on your calendar, i would eschew the creation of atheist holidays! however, i think we should all celebrate the birthdays of hypatia (if known, and if unknown we can make one up), carl sagan and richard feynman. thomas jefferson was a deist but he believed so strongly in the separation of church and state that i think his birthday, april 13, deserves a nod. how about the cranky, unattractive but extremely important madeline murray ohare? and ron reagan is really strong with the freedom from religion foundation. g

@Snickers77, I didn’t want to highjack your mattress thread, so I’ll post a new one.

genessa comments on Nov 21, 2018:

a bolster pillow i got at a thrift store, not too soft, just right for under my neck. regular body pillows for everywhere else. i have fibromyalgia. i want my life to be surrounded with pillows and i don't need brand names. g

In the past 5 or 6 years, I've developed an obsession with all things Ireland.

genessa comments on Nov 21, 2018:

i love ireland and have no genetic or cultural connection to it or old. do you intend to go? i can make recommendations. i've been twice. g

Have you noticed this common logical fallacy?

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

yes, we have noticed. g

What life-altering things should every human ideally get to experience at least once in their lives?

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

everyone is different. there is no list that applies to all. some people should get married. some definitely should not. the same goes for having kids. the same goes for almost everything! g

What social media app do you use the most on your phone?

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

i do not use my phone for social media. i use my phone for phone calls, photos and, right before i lie down, because i have asthma and have to sit still before lying down, solitaire. i use my laptop, as i am using it now, for agnostic.com and facebook, two games, email and research, as well as some shopping. g

Who is the best friend you ever had?

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

every good friend is the best at something, but i did have one i considered my best friend for 27 years. unfortunately he turned out to be hiding that he was multiple, and his alter beat me up. that was the last time i ever saw him and he died a few months later. it took me a while to figure out what happened but then all the clues fell into place. he was a troubled person but we loved one another (as friends, not romantically). g

Going to be in Tallahassee, Florida, totally alone, for Thanksgiving.

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

sorry, not a snowbird. i stay up here in minnesota and trudge through the snow in my sandals. g

Tallahassee's not so much in the pan-handle as it is the armpit of Florida.

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

ha, all of fla is an armpit, except of course for the asshole part. g

Do you like the cats? Why?

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

i adore cats. they are superior creatures. they do not pretend to love you even if you feed them; when they say they love you, they mean it. g

Instead of using weed under ground tax it make it legal it cannot be worse than achohol.

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

worse than? it's not even a bad thing. anyone can be abused. i know two people who live exclusively on chicken and cola. they're mentally ill (i don't mean they live on that because they're nuts; i mean they're nuts because they live on that). you can abuse the internet or tv or blueberry muffins. alcohol has inherent dangers and alcoholism, which does not affect everyone, not even all heavy drinkers, is a real disease. so marijuana can be abused too but it is not itself a harmful substance, and has many health advantages, including but not limited to reducing insulin resistance in diabetics, reducing nausea and increasing appetite (useful for chemo patients, for example), killing certain cancer cells, reducing stress and preventing certain eye disorders/diseases. alcohol is a depressant and it is dehydrating. there is no comparison! g

How do you make a title in your post So that only your title will show in the dashboard rather ...

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

make spoiler spaces (scroll down for example) like this! g

What do normal people do when they feel this sad?

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

i don't know any normal people. g

Watching Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy to escape the absurdity of life

genessa comments on Nov 20, 2018:

the film? it's amusing but the tv series was better! g

Looks like Chibnall has Chris Eccleston syndrome: [outpostskaro.com]