Found this comment on a news site covering the California fires, Tamara Cardona's repley, "This is ...

genessa comments on Nov 13, 2018:

god has never been in california, or anywhere else, but playing along for a moment that there is a god, and that it's the chistian god, which is not everyone's god but again playing along, if that god is omipotent and omnipresent, how did anyone manage to take him out of california? did we build a god-proof fence? these people are not only unempathetic, which they certainly are. they're morons. g

Donna Zuckerberg: ‘Social media has elevated misogyny to new levels of violence’ | Books | The ...

genessa comments on Nov 13, 2018:

no. i don't agree at all. i think social media has just given it a platform, as it gives everything a platform, including the fight AGAINST misogyny. the right wing has elevated misogyny to new levels of real violence, as if the levels weren't high, real and violent enough before. men are not killing their girlfriends and wives more because of social media. they're killing them more because the people who have been in power are misogynist and encourage such attitudes. g

Who thinks asking inane questions is a good way to get points?

genessa comments on Nov 13, 2018:

not me. i think it's a good way to turn off people who seek interesting or even just amusing dialogue. the points come just as fast or slowly with a thoughtful or funny post as with an inane one. g p.s. this site's spellcheck things dialogue should be spelled dialog. sad!

Hmm I know dating can be a bit complicated at times but I am just curious to know what are you guy's...

genessa comments on Nov 13, 2018:

three come to mind, which is astonishing since that's not a much smaller number than the number of dates i've actually been on lol. the first two were dates from newspaper ads and the third from an online dating site. 1. he showed up dead drunk and seemed to get drunker as the night wore on, though i didn't see him drink. i demanded to be taken home, had no other way to get there but for him to drive, and he was driving drunk. scary. 2. we got along GREAT, like minds, like senses of humor, really, really nice evening, and then he took me home and we kissed... and his hands went around my neck. i told him i didn't like that. we kissed more and there were his hands around my neck. oops. he went back to his ex. 3. we met and he told me he was married. his profile hadn't mentioned that. he said he and his wife had an arrangement. i said i didn't. g

You are what you eat: True or false?

genessa comments on Nov 13, 2018:

if it was true i'd be lox. i'm not lox. therefore it's not true. it's partly true but it's far from wholly true. you are what you eat, what you think, how you sleep, where you walk, how much energy you expend doing what, what you say, whom you love and a bunch of other things. what you eat affects you. it doesn't BECOME you and you don't become it. that being said, i've known two people who subsist almost wholly on cola and chicken. they're both insane. g

I want to fall in love and be loved. I wonder why that is so hard

genessa comments on Nov 13, 2018:

it is hard for the same reason wanting to be married, without having a specific spouse in mind, is hard. it's a condition, not a thing, and it differs from couple to couple. being in love won't even feel the same with one guy as with another, and likwise being loved. i used to marvel at girls (when i was a girl) who wanted to be married. to WHOM? it's a CONDITION. don't worry about falling in love. be with people. if you fall in love with one, and he falls in love with you, that will be different from how it would be with any other couple, even if you were one half of that couple. think of it this way: look right at the sun. now look at the lights that dance in your vision. you can't. they float away. stop looking and there they are. it works like that. g

My left arm is losing feeling and strength, should I go to the hospital or trust it to pass?

genessa comments on Nov 13, 2018:

this isn't doctors dot com! seriously, emergency rooms have to treat you, insurance or not. go! g

We all , all that is, in any form is the source of being.

genessa comments on Nov 12, 2018:

would you like to clarify that? it seems not to make any sense. consciousness isn't "the" source. the source of what? as for our being consciousness, no, we're not. we have consciousness, but we are not consciousness. g

Did you have trouble accepting your lack of belief in religion when you realized you were ...

genessa comments on Nov 12, 2018:

not even a little bit. g

The word "blessed." Any of you non-religious types use that word?

genessa comments on Nov 12, 2018:

i bless people who sneeze. they are my own blessings and do not come from a deity so i limit myself to two per person. g

Happy veteran's day!! Foxholes have plenty of atheists!! I'm sure of it!!

genessa comments on Nov 12, 2018:

my late best friend was an atheist. he ran a business and one day he had sent his secretary out on an errand when two men burst into his office, overpowered him, tied him up and proceeded to rob the place. at one point he heard them discussing whether to kill him. the robbery took a long time; his perception was that it was hours. he was afraid that his secretary would come back and be killed. he was worried about what would happen to his dogs if he died. he told me later he was quite pleased to report that at no time did god or prayer or anything like that cross his mind. he was, of course, an atheist, but people do strange things under extreme stress. he was, however, an atheist in his foxhole, even though it was not wartime. i was proud of him too. he came from a catholic background. i was raised in a secular jewish household and we were not into prayer (religious jews would have been). in a catholic household, i imagine he had a lot of prayer in his family whether or not he participated; he went to a private catholic school, too. so he had good reason to be pleased with himself! g

As a humanist, what would you call your outstanding achievements in your life as of now?

genessa comments on Nov 12, 2018:

i have achieved nothing specifically as a humanist. as a human being i have taught a lot of teens and young adults to think, not WHAT to think but HOW to think, how to use logic, and how to value themselves as human beings. i helped one young man discover what he wanted to do with his life, and no, i did not guide him -- he found his way. i hope my writings have meant something to some people. i hope i have changed the life of my guy for the better. i don't know what else i have achieved that is outstanding. maybe i have achieved some things without knowing it; i hope i have. i'd hate to think i was keeping a list! g

Do You Feel Like an Outsider?

genessa comments on Nov 12, 2018:

i have always felt that, from a very early age. i think, oddly enough, i feel less so as i get older. i am not conforming more. i just care less about what people think of me. i should care even less but hey, perfection is impossible! g

Would like to ask if some women are looking for a nice guy who treats them right how come I never ...

genessa comments on Nov 12, 2018:

i went to check your profile to see if i could find more of a clue than your asking in this post, since the post alone is a bit of a turn-off, not trying to offend but it IS. i was told you are not available. g

Let's pretend, you just won the lottery and now have more money than you could possibly spend even ...

genessa comments on Nov 12, 2018:

oh well i have had a dream for years now, and a newer one too, but the newer one is more expensive. i'll tell you about both, since the money is so ample. the first dream, which i still have, is to establish a shelter for abused women and children, with equine therapy, cottages and gardens, and a main house for me and my guy and our pets, on the same premises. we would have experts hired (equine therapists and caretakers, shrinks and doctors and nurses, social workers if need be) and there would be no driving on the premises, but some cars and drivers to serve the guests when they needed groceries or anything else. there would be no more than a dozen cottages, each private for a woman and her children. the rest of the details i have not worked out because there is no way i will ever be able to make this happen. the more expensive one is to establish a dementia village to live in with my alzheimer's-stricken guy, based however loosely upon the one in the netherlands. no, i wouldn't just isolate myself from the world. g

I’m just wondering if ppl say “have a blessed day” in other parts of the country.

genessa comments on Nov 12, 2018:

some do. i don't hang out with them. they work in shops. that's where i might see and hear them. they are not harming me. i have no reason to pick fights with them. g

S11E6- Demons of the Punjab SPOILERS Discussion post for the episode

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

i knew this one was going to make me cry. it did. g

How much weight have you lost and kept off?

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

my response is not as if the question means "ever." i am responding for now. i have recently been ill and lost three pounds. it's not much and i didn't do anything purposefully to lose it; i was sick is all. but it's stayed off even through my recovery (which is not complete). i was sick for five weeks! g

S11E6- Demons of the Punjab SPOILERS Discussion post for the episode

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

so far so good... i was relieved when the aliens spoke. last week, they just hovered and turned stuff off, you know? and the topic is of interest, even current interest when you think about it. it's only halfway through so i'll say no more. g

Perhaps someone can explain to me WHY Xtianity/Xtians, who so loudly proclaim themselves to lovers ...

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

i've never been christian but i can speculate it had to do with the crusades, during which christians marched off to convert or kill the muslims, without a preference which they ended up doing, as long as they got the goods they'd been missing when the muslims cut off trade with europe. g

Why are “most” humans AND religions so concerned about sex?

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

oh you mean why is everyone so concerned about OTHER people's sex! (concern about one's own is different.) because everyone is SNOOPY! g

Some women feel they are nothing without a man. Me, I feel that I am nothing without a cat. :-)

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

i wouldn't say i am nothing without a cat, but i am less without a cat. cats bring out the best in me. cats bring out the best in my dog, too. she goes up to my biggest cat and nuzzles his chest. he puts his arm around her and kisses and bathes her. cats improve everyone and everything. g

What dog breed is your favourite and why?

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

my favorite breed is the border collie, and here is a picture of one i found on the web because i do not have a border collie of my own. my second favorite breed is the shetland sheepdog, and here is a picture of my late great sheltie sarah. i currently have a mixed breed dog, ramona, two years old last month, who is mostly long-haired chihuahua but with a little papillon in there somewhere (perhaps the ears). here is a picture of her, for your amusement and enjoyment. g

Do you celebrate the holidays and if you do how.

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

the holidays? my holiday hasn't got a tree in it. yes, i light the candles and eat fried foods and dairy foods, and tell the story of a real war that happened. i downplay the miracle part at the end, taking it figuratively. g

Maybe aging is a disease and Earth is quarantined, maybe that's the reason aliens don't visit us...

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

and maybe the moon is made of green cheese. every bit as credible. g

Do you think Trump is credible/believeable?

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

here's a toughie: if you had to believe either that there is a god or that trump tells the truth.... never mind. it's impossible forget i said anything. g

Study of religious beliefs vs intelligence

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

religious people do not have to be stupid. being brainwashed and having low intelligence are not the same thing, and even intelligent people can be brainwashed and may need deprogramming. people DO compartmentalize, you know. it is possible that more intelligent people have a better chance of resisting the tug of conformity in terms of religion but chance is chance, and it's not a given. i wouldn't just paint all religious people as stupid. intelligent people do stupid things. some people are smart about this and stupid about that. i give you frank zappa as an example: he was brilliant, undeniably brilliant. there is no one in the world who can accurately paint that man as stupid, and it might be more accurate to call him a genius. but he was an IDIOT when it came to tobacco. he was totally convinced it was harmless, right up to the day it killed him. so he was stupid. does that stupidity invalidate his genius? it can't. how do you account for this? only compartmentalization can explain it, or you can call it people's having blind spots, or both. it doesn't just apply to intelligence either. it applies to who we call a good or a bad person. look at thomas jefferson. his achievements were amazing, he loved this country, he cared deeply about science, and he had children with a slave of his who, whether or not she loved him, had no choice in the matter. then there is the fact that he even HAD slaves. how to you hold both thomas jeffersons in your mind? granted some folks are more complex than others (i can't think of any redeeming qualities in the white house's current resident) but we should not rush to judge people on one thing alone, unless it's... you now, like timothy mcveigh might have liked butterflies or been kind to little old ladies or something (i'm not saying he did or was) but i think we can judge him without considering it a rush! g

If you want to change someones mind, you probably won’t be able to if you insult or belittle their...

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

the people whose minds i would most like to change are angry people who already hate me without even knowing i individually exist. they're lynch mobs. they do not want to ask questions and they sure as hell wouldn't sit still for anyone to explain what s/he believed. i won't be attempting to change their minds. what i sometimes attempt to do is make sure they don't change people's minds! that means that when i engage in battle with one of them here, i may very well insult or belittle them, ALONG with reasons, to bring them out, so that others who might otherwise find them convincing will see them for what they are and not go that way. it's not for the benefit, or even to the detriment, of the unconvincible. it's for the sake of the lurkers. g

What did everyone do 3 minutes ago 11 11 11?

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

i was playing a game called howrse, thinking about lunch, thinking about my alzheimer's-afflicted guy and thinking what i could do for him, and how no matter what i do i will lose him, and not thinking about wwi, which is something i think about sometimes on other days because i had a grandfather and some great-uncles in that war. my grandfather was sent to brest, france, and never cracked a smile about the name of the town while telling me about it. he wasn't a doctor or even a nurse but he ended up somehow doing something with regard to wounded or sick soldiers, and so he learned, he said, not to screw around, since he saw a lot of venereal disease there among the soldiers and it was awful enough to make a lasting impression. he also told me how when he and one of his brothers enlisted, he was bullied by an antisemite who tried to beat him up. tall as he was, his brother was taller and came to the rescue. neither was bothered again. remember, this is not memorial day. this is veterans day. memorial day is when we remember the fallen. veterans day is to honor veterans, living people some of whom need our help! g

Is it right to feel paternal over a pet?

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

i am biologically unsuited to feel paternal, but i feel maternal! i am the mother of three cats and a dog, and the bubby of two cats. g

The Desert Quadrilogy of the Jews?

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

i'm confused. where does mel brooks fit in? g

I really wish that I had at least one Atheist friend here in Bethel Alaska.

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

i am sorry you have it so rough. some of the meme, by the way, is true, and some of it is not. i've seen this meme a million times and it's not mostly ABOUT the where you're born in most cases (in countries with official religions, yeah, but not others). it's about your families, and in today's mobile world, and with home schooling and charter schools, that can be anywhere. but yeah, to the rest of it. g

When you are born atheist❣

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

Everyone is born atheist :-)) g

Do you ever feel like you're absolutely alone?

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

in my atheism? no. i've got y'all. g

Love and Relationships

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

snoop around the groups here that exist for that purpose. you will likely have more luck than just posting in the community, where many of us are here just FOR the community. just a suggestion, not criticizing. g

Scientists get-green light to resurrect the dead with stem cells.

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

here is a better source and there are a LOT more reasons to doubt than to trust, especially considering that no animal tests have been done, and success would rely on blood flow to the brain, which in a dead person simply is not happening. note that the proposed subjects are brain dead but certainly on life support. nobody is digging up corpses here. still, i wouldn't, pardon any inherent pun, hold my breath. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/resurrected-a-controversial-trial-to-bring-the-dead-back-to-life/ b

Changes and Reflections: Rights of Nonbelievers Publicly Acknowledged at UN - TheHumanist.com

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

when the united nations was founded, several countries objected to its charter's not containing something about god! this is indeed progress. g

Former KKK leader David Duke: 'Our people have played a HUGE role in electing Trump!'

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

most of us with hearts and brains knew that. what puzzles me is why so many do not know (or admit) it. g

Most people have a full measure of life and most people just watch it slowly drip away but if you ...

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

it would have more merit if someone could provide any evidence about what most people do or do not have in terms of a "measure" of life, what that would even mean, and whether or not most of them watch this undefined thing slowly (or quickl?) drip away. i don't think MOST people feel that way about their lives, but i wouldn't declare outright that they didn't, or that they did, because i do not have that information. i don't think anyone has that information. observing a person from the outside is not a surefire way to know such a subjective thing. we could judge people by whether they write great plays or lead great empires, but that would be pretty superficial. (i ran out of stamps.) g

I don't get this whole level thing

genessa comments on Nov 11, 2018:

you get access to more features as you gain levels, which you do by just participating. it's to reward participation. sometimes it leads to members' making garbage posts just to get points but for the most part we ignore levels and are happily surprised when we reach a new one. g

Blind faith?

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

brainwashing from an early age. it's not necessarily a sign of low intelligence, although it certainly can be. one doesn't have much control over what one's parents tell one repeatedly from birth. g

Is time a real thing or is it simply another way of man controlling the masses.

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

can't time be real AND a way of controlling the masses? but i think the latter is just silly. time was a concept long before there even WERE masses. it's a slightly incorrect concept, since the real thing is time-space. not everything is a conspiracy to control the masses. really. g

What book (or series) would you like to see made into a movie?

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

the possessed, by dostoevsky, and i once began to adapt that myself, but got distracted. g

Scientists get-green light to resurrect the dead with stem cells.

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

ridiculous "announcement" and if the question were asked without it, i might be inclined to play, but no, not with even the hint of a presumption that this is true. sorry. g

I have the privilege of being born in England.

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

castles and cathedrals are still cool. what happens within the cathedrals, not so much, but architecture is always inspiring. we can offer logic as inspiration. it's rare, so it should be inspirational when we find it. g

[yahoo.com] Why Do White Women Vote Like Their Republcan Husbands?

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

generalization, to start with. but i am only interested in what fox says insofar as it gets back to the orange one and stimulates his rotten behavior. g

Are you a nihilist?

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

no, and i am saddened by how many of y'all say you are. g

With the appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting Attorney General, I am afraid that we are losing ...

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

that's what it took? because we've been losing it since before trump even took the oath he neither understood nor cared about. g

White House Says Cutting Meals on Wheels Is ‘Compassionate’

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

the white house can't even cut meals on wheels. it's a private nonprofit, not a government agency. it gets part of its funding from a block grant from which it is one of many recipients, but that's not its only or even main source of funding. yes, cutting the block grant would hurt it but it would not close or cut it. g

What is the most laughable story in the Bible?

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

i agree, although it's the talking snake that always makes me laugh. g

When teenagers are expected (if not encouraged) to date as many people as they can prior to ...

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

why should children be seeking anything but fun? why expect a teen to know what s/he is looking for while still a teen? let kids be kids. g

Circumcision.

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

i have no dog in this race. i am a woman and i have never had kids, male or female. when i first became aware of this controversy i did some research and this is what i found: there is no consensus on whether there are direct health benefits (or detriments) to circumcision, but most people who are not coming from a base of anger admit there are cleanliness benefits. i have seen no indication that circumcism impairs the man's ability to feel sexual pleasure. i have been intimate with circumcized and uncircumcized men and can offer my observation (and the testimony of my partners) that there is no impairment. female circumcism DOES impair the ability of the circumcizee to feel sexual pleasure, and is not even ostensibly done for reasons concerning health or cleaniliness; the only reason ever given has to do with men controlling women. i don't think what i am offering constitutes a shitstorm. g

Has anyone read Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, among ...

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

i highly recommend all the nonfiction of joanna russ, notably *how to suppress women's writing*. g

Red Dwarf was the absolute best science fiction TV series ever.

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

it was wonderful indeed. the ABSOLUTE best? and that has nothing to do with star trek. i am a whovian! i'm also a leaper. the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy was a limited series, too. none of this detracts from the wonderfulness of red dwarf but i'm sure not promoting it above doctor who. g

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the ...

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

we had a protection. it was called the voting rights act. scotus scotched it. we need it back and we need it back NOW. g

"If there is a just God in heaven how can babies be born with brain cancer." Marquis DeSade

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

i understand where this idea comes from, but there is a trap in this line of thinking. the thing is, it doesn't lead to a disbelief in god. it just leads to a disbelief in a JUST god. worse, it leads theists to believe atheists are just mad at god (implying that atheists are not being honest about a disbelief in any gods). i am convinced there are no gods, just, unjust or disinterested. that makes me an atheist. if i then gave the above as part of my reasoning, i would be betraying a dishonesty, perhaps with myself, about being an atheist, or about what an atheist is. so it appears to make a good point but it's not an atheistic concept. that's okay, if that's what you mean to express, and the marquis was certainly not the only person to think of it or say it, but i just want to point out that it does not get weighed on the atheistic side of the scale of belief or disbelief. it puts an ounce or a pound on the other side. (god exists but he's bad.) g

Reincarnation

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

it's an enjoyable mental game to play but of course physiologically impossible. g

‘Fascism In The Flesh’: Trump Warns of Violence If Dems Win Midterms | Michael Stone

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

"warns" is too gentle. he THREATENS violence, and he knows how to incite it, too. g

I just had to share this, i was arguing religion with my mother and she said i'm not a very good ...

genessa comments on Nov 10, 2018:

not a good atheist because you KNOW too much... did you tell her that it is BECAUSE you know so much that you're an atheist? as for the hijab, the last person (here) with whom i argued that freedom of religion includes freedom to do wear a hijab, for the same reason you stated, i was verbally abused on the false assumption that i was a muslim (as if that would be a good excuse for verbal abuse!) when i say abuse i mean my attacker was totally vile, not simply that he disagreed with me or even that he refused to believe i was neither a muslim nor any theist at all. i hope i can assume your argument with your mom, even if it got heated, was not characterized by that kind of vitriol! g

This profile [agnostic.

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

i called her out on her first post and it did not deter her. i don't think she reads the responses; she is waiting for messages. i would block her but i want to call her out on each of her posts, to warn others. g

Do you display any symbols of your humanist philosophy?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

i don't feel the need. if it comes up in conversation (either initiated by others or by me), fine, i'm not shy. i don't think i have to label myself or identify myself as a nonbeliever with my wardrobe or adornments! i have an agnostic dot com t-shirt coming one of these years because of the level i've attained but i may just add it to the collection of shirts i never wear, because t-shirts are usually cut rather high in the neck and choke me. otherwise i might, for a kick, from time to time. i don't feel compelled. g

Recently I rediscovered ( on You Tube) episodes of Vicious, a British series with an amazing ...

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

vicious is fabulous! as far as i know i've seen every episode, which makes me sad because i wasnt more! i once interviewed derek jacobi (for an article i wrote about branagh's hamlet, in which jacobi played claudius). he is a wonderful actor and a lovely man. g

Girls, have you ever done a three-way with two men? How did they handle it?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

why would a girl do an anything-way with men? why would men want to do anything with a girl? wouldn't it be more appropriate for a woman to be involved, rather than a girl? g

It finally occurred to me that I was trying too hard.

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

you don't have to mute your personality. if you feel you come off too strongly, maybe you ARE trying too hard -- but that's not your personality. that's anxiety. calm down and be yourself and maybe your "self" won't be overwhelming. g

I've been inivited to victory party by the local Democratic Club.

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

the main thing i like about democrats is that as a group they care about their constituents rather than their personal power. it WAS a victory. was it a complete victory? no. is it wonderful that now the house will be controlled by people who will actually investigate what the republicans pretended to investigate, and won't put bad legislation on the floor? yes, it is wonderful. voltaire said the best is the enemy of the good. he was right. if you want perfection, you are bound to be disappointed. g

Democrats Now Control These Committees-WATCH OUT TRUMPTY DUMPTY: Ethics Judiciary Oversight ...

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

not until january. there is still plenty of time for the republicans to do lots of damage. g

Thoughts on American Athiest Convention?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

lol if it's your thing, go (but -- not trying to be grammar nazi but since it's an atheist convention it could matter -- please spell atheist right! you never know who will hold that against you!) me, i don't... convene, ya know? i mean, i am aware that there are no gods. i am also aware that there is no tooth fairy. i don't go meet with folks about the latter so why the former? now, if they are also secularist, meaning they talk about stuff like making sure church and state are separate, and all that, that would be interesting to me. but just talking about why or how there are no gods? i've been an atheist since i was 15 and i think i am pretty secure in my lack of belief in deities. g

In the Spare Time

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

i don't consider anything i do a hobby and i have no spare time. i do somethings that other people consider hobbies, though usually not on a regular basis, and those include making beaded jewelry and painting in acrylic. i cook... but it's not a hobby; if i don't cook, i don't eat, and i like to eat good food. i write, but that's definitely not a hobby. i am a writer. i have made a living writing. g

My 25 year old coworker actually complained to her two workers who work nearly every day that she ...

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

she has choices. she can work a full-time job and DO THE DAMNED JOB. she can take a part-time job. she can change her school schedule -- what kind of school, at 25? is she still working on her ged or is she in grad school, and if the latter, what kind of hours does she expect to work in the field that requires her graduate degree? does she think doctors work a couple days a week (before semi-retirement)? how does she vote, anyway? does she know where the weekend comes from? does she pay union dues? g

Do you eat less meat?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

less meat than whom? than i used to? no, i eat the same amount of meat i ever did, give or take, depending on what i can afford. i eat a reasonable amount of meat. i do not eat as much as i am told the average american does, but i get my animal protein. if i have a steak at home, i have half of it; my guy and i share one steak. we do not need a whole one, and we have tons of veg with it. i am diabetic so i should actually eat more meat, but it's expensive. g

What are the biggest challenges you face as an atheist?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

i've been an atheist since i was 15. i have not noticed its creating any special challenges in my life. i think it has probably relieved me of some. g

Sin or not, if yes, why?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

actually some people do point to the tale of onan to say masturbation is a sin, and that is why masturbation is also called onanism. however, the story of onan is just damned confused. read it. you'll see. was he being punished because he spilled his seed, which he had good reason to do, actually, or because he had a short name, or because it was time for god's periodic petulant kill, or...? there is just as good an argument in that story for masturbation as against, if you read it sideways, or is that the right way? but i would not assume that every religious person said masturbation was a sin, especially considering that most religious people don't want to talk about masturbation to begin with. it's almost as if talking about it were a sin! it also depends on the religion... and the gender. in orthodox judaism (which represents a teeny tiny minority of jews) only male masturbation is a sin. it is spilling the seed in vain, and it somehow also related to having impure thoughts about someone other than one's wife (i don't know why one couldn't masturbate while thinking about one's wife, though). i have no idea whether or not buddhists masturbate. if i ever become well enough acquainted with a buddhist to ask, i'll let you know. g

With all of the accomplishments of humans since we walked on 4 legs, isn't our propensity to kill ...

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

humans never walked on four legs. our direct ancestors didn't, either. that was a while back. since when are we reasonable? g

It's extremely odd that the coverage of the 'migrant caravan' has ceased entirely.

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

election's over. suddenly we're out of danger from middle-eastern-descended barefoot guatemalans driving planes into buildings and raping americans on their way to throw stones at border patrol in preparation for begging for asylum (don't you always throw stones at people you intend to ask for help? and of course that's the same as shooting someone with a gun, don't forget!) now it's journalists who pose the biggest threat. or is it the house of representatives? it's so hard to keep track, but hey, as long as we have a common enemy, we won't have time to notice we have a dictator dictating. g

Well that's my work's xmas party sorted..in Dublin. Woo hoo! ☃️☃️☃️?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

i love dublin. yep food prices are high in ireland but i think you can manage a pint. i like the jewish irish museum, myself, and hope it still exists, but just looking at the colorful doorways on the homes and businesses is a trip in and of itself. talk to the people! the people are the country! g

What is a parenting technique used on you as a child that you will never use on your own children?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

saying i had been going to give something or allow something but now that the child has misbehaved, withholding it (when i had no intention of giving or allowing it to begin with). example: "i was going to let you go to the concert but now i won't," concert not having been offered to begin with. it's a terrible technique (and as the recipient of it i can tell you it doesn't work, either). g

Please give us your feelings about the following, which I gave as a reply in another post.

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

can you be specific? opinions are not allowed WHERE? in what context? of course opinions are allowed -- when they're expressed as opinions and not presented as, or mistaken for, facts. sorry, those phrases don't mean anything to me. the first one could be improved and the second one isn't even true, since scientific results may vary (with variables lol). so... nope, won't be using those. i'll be adapting my responses to whatever it is i am responding to! g

Post concerning whether to let secularists in this site or not.

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

i don't get it. secularists are already on this site, and what's wrong with that anyway? how is that in any kind of conflict with the purpose of the site? g

Were you religious at any point in life?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

i had what i call my religious year, which is an inaccurate description but it's short anyway. i was raised in a secular jewish household, and while we had a strong cultural identity and celebrated the major holidays, we never even mentioned the minor ones, nor talked about religion; i never even knew if my folks believed in god until i was an adult and had moved away from home and someone asked me. (i didn't know the answer so i called them long distance to ask them, and they were annoyed that i paid for a long-distance call for such a silly question!) so when i was 14 i decided i wanted to go to shul every friday night and take bible study classes on sundays. there wasn't even a real synagogue in my city; shul was just an ordinary house with two kitchens. it was pretty cool and i liked the rabbi, who, if i recall, was young. i found the other people my age kind of... i don't know, weird in some way. i didn't really relate to them. i didn't think anything of that; i didn't relate to many people my own age, jewish or otherwise. bible class i LOVED! i don't know if a christian could imagine this, but bible class wasn't about brainwashing or even convincing anyone of anything. it was like studying law, but law for the iron age. the case i remember best, and barely remember at that, was that of the two travelers on the narrow mountain pass. one was on foot and one had a donkey and a cart. the issue was which one should pass on the outside and which on the inside (nope, i don't remember the answer, or the reasons why, but they were deeply considered reasons). it wasn't a parable; it didn't represent anything except how to use logic and kindness together to figure out how to treat each other as human beings. but after a year of this i realized that i didn't want to hang out with the other people at the shul. then i began to examine everything my folks had ever told me (they hadn't told me any of what i'd learned over the past year; there was a different trigger, nothing to do with religion, that made me do this reexamination) and came to the conclusion that there was no god. that was the end of my religious year. that's all there ever was. by the way, i go to shul when i am well enough, on the high holidays and some other times, not often, sometimes not for years, sometimes a couple times in the same year. i enjoy it. i feel no pressure, i just take the "god" parts as figurative, and i enjoy the sermons a lot. (no fire and brimstone in shul! i remember one sermon about recycling!) maybe it's BECAUSE i rarely go. i like the music, too. i sure do like the food on break-the-fast! it's not an unpleasant place for an atheist. g

I like to eat meat.

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

i have diabetes. i also have the teeth and digestive system of an omnivore (and enough education to know that omnivorousness is part of the adaptability that helps a species survive -- albeit i am not a true omnivore in that i don't eat tin cans, other things that are not actually food, celery because i don't care for it and for no other reason, or anything with which an animal thinks or makes love). those elements make me quite fond of animal protein, and if i can eat a potato i didn't grow, i can eat a cow i didn't eat (responding to a comment below). there are animals who would willingly eat me if they could, and i don't resent that (even as i deliberately don't walk up to lions and say "hi, i'm here for dinner.. yours!") i adore vegetables (and fruits, and grains, and dairy foods). i proportion my meals so that they are usually lighter on meat than on veg, most of the time. but the meat (or fish, or poultry) is there, it's not microscopic, and it needs to be there. g

Did any of you go to the "No one above the law" rallies tonight?

genessa comments on Nov 9, 2018:

i wish i could have gone. i am glad to hear both parties were represented. i think the republican party is not even a political party, but a criminal organization posing as one -- but that doesn't mean that voters who vote republican all KNOW that, and apparently some of them are catching on. they're not all raving white supremacist trumpkins. (i cannot say as much for the politicians who still belong to that party; they know what's going on, and they could choose to leave the organization, or rebel and turn it back into the conservative party it used to be, which i never liked but which at least was actually a party.) g

Just curious on members belief in extraterrestrial life.

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

belief, as in... we think we know? that's kind of weird since we KNOW no one knows. it is very, very likely that life has developed somewhere else in the universe. it is also very, very likely that it is microbial. there is no evidence whatsoever, so far, that life advanced enough to go a-visiting, or a-building, has developed, or even SHOULD develop (should WE have developed?) anywhere else. there is no particular reason that it shouldn't have, except for its limited likelihood. but life, even if not as we know it? yes, sure, we have evidence that that's likely, even without evidence that it's so. so i would not use belief with regard to this issue. it's a matter of believing whether it COULD be, or is LIKELY to be. g

Social media use increases depression and loneliness In the first experimental study of Facebook,...

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

hunt never me me. social media saved me from deeper depression. i am disabled and it is often my link to the outside world. g

Are you an authentic person?

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

hell no, i don't always have my own way (no one does or should), i'm not at peace with all i do and am in my life, and i fail to see how this makes me an inauthentic person. what a weird definition! g

So, my mom told me tonight she knows a guy from my work (that I've not met yet) that is "such a ...

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

i would stay away from that guys. he might inadvertently wipe your hard drive. g

Is this a good place to meet women

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

you've been here a whole day. i don't know why 100 women have not fallen right into your lap already! it couldn't be that you haven't written a bio and you've made all of two posts, one of which is your verdict on the site based on your lengthy experience here! g

Ouija boards

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

it is a game. it is marketed as a game. it is nothing but a game. g

"I have just unfriended a number of people on facebook that gave a positive response to a meme that ...

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

i don't know what it means. what's jenga? it doesn't LOOK funny but i don't get it. yeah i recognize what the picture is of. no, i don't know what the meme means. g

HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR So in reference to the future battle of Armageddon that will occur ...

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

i'm not christian so i will hop onto a pinto pony and trot off in the opposite direction. g

I'm never sick. Usually, if I get something it'll be gone in 24 hours, but this one... WTF?

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

i am sick with that, and today makes five weeks of it! i am much better than i have been but the sore throat is still lingering a bit, and it all triggered my asthma. try hot honey lemonade. g

Anyone else here enjoy drinking?

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

nope. even before i knew i was diabetic i didn't like drinking so much. i do admit i like the taste of kahlua cream, but that's because it barely tastes like alcohol. for a high i prefer weed. g

Just saw an interview with a well-known actress who says she's now only taking on "passion ...

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

care to share who it was? g

Those of you that are in a relationship with a theist or non-agnostic, what has been the most ...

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

it's mostly okay. he believes there is a god. he has no clue what kind of god; he hasn't read the (jewish) bible, and he is shocked whenever i read him bits because it's so ridiculous. when i want to cut him short i just say "talking snake." he honors his parents on their yahrzeit. let him. he's not hurting anyone. he doesn't like it when i say i am an atheist; well, he knows i am, so i don't have to announce it every minute, but sometimes i tell him about something i found here on this site, and i think he is kind of processing that. he has alzheimer's. i pick my battles. g

Christian Activist: By Voting, Democrats Are Violating the Will of the People | Hemant Mehta | ...

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

i think he understands how they work. i think he thinks WE don't understand how they work. he hopes we don't, anyway! g

Can We Guess Your Education Level Based On The American History You Know?

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

1. formal education or actual education? they're not mutually exclusive but they're not the same, nor are they of equal value. 2. why american history? is everyone here american? i am but that's me. i do not claim to speak for everyone here. 3. why american history? is that the only history that counts? and which history -- the one written by columbus advocates who think he discovered america and was a stand-up guy rather than a slave-trading, spanish-inquisition-promoting murderer, or the history that includes andrew jackson's crimes against native americans in the united states? the history that glorifies henry ford or the history that recounts how he took an obscure russian pamphlet (purporting to be about the jewish plot to conquer the world) called "the protocols of the learned elders of zion" and had it translated, printed and circulated all over the united states, thus singlehandedly stirring up a shitload of latent (okay, and active too) antisemitism? 4. we DO know that quiz sites are just gathering our contact info (and often more) in order to (at best) spam us later, right? g

Anybody do this trick on youtube?

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

no need. like the others who have responded so far, i just use adblock. g

How many scammers have you met on this site? I would like to hear your stories.

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

lots of trolls but only on erstwhile scammer so far, couldn't quite get that i wasn't interested in being his very close friend after i tell him everything about myself, everything do you hear? everything! this after i had already iterated what my profile already said, that i'm not looking for a romantic relationship, i have a guy, my guy has me, bla bla bla is all this idiot heard i guess. he backed off when i threatened to report and block him but i have no doubt he is bothering others. g

Why does Buddhism keep getting associated with Religion when it requires no belief in a Diety?

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

while the buddha was a real person and did not claim to be a god, and is not considered a god, there is prayer involved in buddhism. @mordant has the better answer; i am just adding this one detail lol g

What do you guys think of Andrew Yang for President in 2020?

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

i looked him up. universal basic income is a good idea but i do not like the idea of a businessman as president. i don't think he has PERTINENT experience or education for the post. if he somehow ends up being the candidate and runs as a democrat against trump, he has my vote, but if a used piece of toilet paper does that, it has my vote too, as it would be better than trump. that's not saying much! there are several highly qualified potential candidates. most have not expressed interest much less announced this early; eric holder has expressed interest and he's my top choice so far. others will announce, people i don't yet know, or don't know are interested. i have not been letting myself think about this much but now the midterms are... haha, not over but over as far as voting is concerned anyway -- well, now i can let myself think about it but i am keeping an open mind because anything can happen. but i am not terribly impressed with yang so far. it's early. maybe i'll hear more from/about him and he'll impress me more. who knows? g

What do you guys think of Andrew Yang for President in 2020?

genessa comments on Nov 8, 2018:

it doesn't play. g