FSTDT Forums
Community => Society and History => Topic started by: R. U. Sirius on April 17, 2014, 01:29:50 am
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Inspired by a recent Cracked article, I thought it might be fun to start a thread where we post common bits of advice and comforting platitudes that have little to no basis in reality. I'll start off.
"It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you."
Um, yeah, it does. While you shouldn't allow others to determine your self-worth, how other people (particularly ones in authority) think of you will have an enormous impact on your life. You won't get a promotion unless your boss thinks you'll do a good job. You won't get the romantic partner you want unless they think you're worth their time. You won't be found innocent unless you can convince at least twelve complete strangers that you have no idea where the meth came from or why there's a severed human head in your refrigerator.
Every single powerful, influential person in the world has power and influence for a single reason: They've convinced other people that they're worth listening to. Whether they dispense sage advice like Gandhi, injure or kill anyone who opposes them like Kim Jong Il or speak entirely in "aw, shucks" folksiness and appeals to an invisible man in the sky like George W. Bush, the fact remains that their ability to affect the world rests entirely on what OTHER PEOPLE think of them. If everyone in the world decided that they were full of shit, didn't have anything worth saying and were completely unable to carry out a threat, their power and influence would instantly evaporate.
You know the clinical term for someone who doesn't give two shits about what anyone else thinks of them? Sociopath.
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"Money can't by happiness."
-Rich white people who don't know how the real world operates
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Not wearing a jacket in cold weather will give you the sniffles. Also, greasy food gives you acne.
It's amazing how many people actually believe these two.
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Not wearing a jacket in cold weather will give you the sniffles. Also, greasy food gives you acne.
It's amazing how many people actually believe these two.
The jacket ones true in the sense that the dryness can cause irritable sinuses and thus lead to excessive production of mucus.
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Not wearing a jacket in cold weather will give you the sniffles. Also, greasy food gives you acne.
It's amazing how many people actually believe these two.
The jacket ones true in the sense that the dryness can cause irritable sinuses and thus lead to excessive production of mucus.
In other words, right for the wrong reasons.
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"Money can't by happiness."
-Rich white people who don't know how the real world operates
Last I heard, there's pretty clear evidence money makes you happier up to a point, and then ambiguous evidence on whether more money helps after that.
On subject: pretty much every bit of dietary advice you've ever heard has at some point been refuted by a study, and then had another study come out in favour, and then another against, and so on and so forth. It not so much "false" as "nobody knows what's true anymore".
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"Money can't by happiness."
-Rich white people who don't know how the real world operates
Last I heard, there's pretty clear evidence money makes you happier up to a point, and then ambiguous evidence on whether more money helps after that.
On subject: pretty much every bit of dietary advice you've ever heard has at some point been refuted by a study, and then had another study come out in favour, and then another against, and so on and so forth. It not so much "false" as "nobody knows what's true anymore".
Its probably a case of "it really does depend on the person in question."
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"Money can't by happiness."
-Rich white people who don't know how the real world operates
Last I heard, there's pretty clear evidence money makes you happier up to a point, and then ambiguous evidence on whether more money helps after that.
On subject: pretty much every bit of dietary advice you've ever heard has at some point been refuted by a study, and then had another study come out in favour, and then another against, and so on and so forth. It not so much "false" as "nobody knows what's true anymore".
Its probably a case of "it really does depend on the person in question."
It doesn't help that humans tend to look at things in relative terms, rather than absolute. This means that somebody can make more money than I'll see in my lifetime, and yet be unsatisfied because he'll be comparing himself to Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.
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This isn't a specific quote or anything, but some people insist that a positive attitude can fix all your problems and make life peachy. No. A positive attitude won't bring back lost loved ones, change your financial situation, or suddenly make you into a happy go-lucky problem solver. Sure, it may work for some people, but there are plenty of people that it fails for and even leads to worsening depressing or other mental disorders.
It's something that's always irked me, especially with all the recent "Strong" movements like "Boston Strong" and "Stronger than the Storm" (after the hurricane in New Jersey). People are admired for staying strong after losing something dear to them, whether it's a limb, a family member, or their home. People who grieve are not, despite their actions being incredibly understandable. If I lose my legs, I'm not going to embrace the new me. I'm going to be depressed as fuck because I'm, you know, missing my fucking limbs. And yet I see people looked down upon for such a thing. I dunno, the general concept has always bothered me.
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"Money can't by happiness."
-Rich white people who don't know how the real world operates
Last I heard, there's pretty clear evidence money makes you happier up to a point, and then ambiguous evidence on whether more money helps after that.
More money will definitely help if you're trying to pay of your college loans.
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"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
Should be self-explanatory. Psychological abuse exists.
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"Ignoring a bully always works" and "Fighting back against a bully makes you a bully." NOPE. Fighting back shows that you are not afraid.
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The version I like is, "Money can't buy happiness, but it makes your unhappiness a lot easier to bear."
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"Ignoring a bully always works" and "Fighting back against a bully makes you a bully." NOPE. Fighting back shows that you are not afraid.
Standard practice when I was in elementary-middle school was for the bullies to verbally harass a victim until he physically fought back. Then they would hit him even harder and run off to tell the nearest authority figure what happened. Said authority figure would then let the bullies off the hook because the victim threw the first punch and was therefore at fault.
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"Ignoring a bully always works" and "Fighting back against a bully makes you a bully." NOPE. Fighting back shows that you are not afraid.
Standard practice when I was in elementary-middle school was for the bullies to verbally harass a victim until he physically fought back. Then they would hit him even harder and run off to tell the nearest authority figure what happened. Said authority figure would then let the bullies off the hook because the victim threw the first punch and was therefore at fault.
Unfortunately, that's the American school system for you. They don't look into it as they should. If I were in charge, each case of bullying would be analyzed with the same thoroughness of a murder case.
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"Ignoring a bully always works" and "Fighting back against a bully makes you a bully." NOPE. Fighting back shows that you are not afraid.
Standard practice when I was in elementary-middle school was for the bullies to verbally harass a victim until he physically fought back. Then they would hit him even harder and run off to tell the nearest authority figure what happened. Said authority figure would then let the bullies off the hook because the victim threw the first punch and was therefore at fault.
Unfortunately, that's the American school system for you. They don't look into it as they should. If I were in charge, each case of bullying would be analyzed with the same thoroughness of a murder case.
Considering enough of it could possibly lead to there being a murder case, or several, that's probably not a bad approach.
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Not eating right before you go swimming.
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"Money can't by happiness."
-Rich white people who don't know how the real world operates
Last I heard, there's pretty clear evidence money makes you happier up to a point, and then ambiguous evidence on whether more money helps after that.
I think at the very least, the point where it stops making you happier is the point where you have enough money for financial security. Someone who's living paycheck to paycheck will almost always be happier when they can stop worrying about whether they'll have enough to eat or make their rent payment.
Financial security is probably the one thing I want the most. I can focus more on other things when I don't need to worry about starving or becoming homeless. Which is why I jumped into a professional life as fast as possible: I've spent the time my peers are in college making money and building a business. I'm currently well on the path to owning my own independent production company within just a few years.
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"Ignoring a bully always works" and "Fighting back against a bully makes you a bully." NOPE. Fighting back shows that you are not afraid.
Standard practice when I was in elementary-middle school was for the bullies to verbally harass a victim until he physically fought back. Then they would hit him even harder and run off to tell the nearest authority figure what happened. Said authority figure would then let the bullies off the hook because the victim threw the first punch and was therefore at fault.
Unfortunately, that's the American school system for you. They don't look into it as they should. If I were in charge, each case of bullying would be analyzed with the same thoroughness of a murder case.
(http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/500x/48691926.jpg)
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"Money can't by happiness."
-Rich white people who don't know how the real world operates
Last I heard, there's pretty clear evidence money makes you happier up to a point, and then ambiguous evidence on whether more money helps after that.
I think at the very least, the point where it stops making you happier is the point where you have enough money for financial security. Someone who's living paycheck to paycheck will almost always be happier when they can stop worrying about whether they'll have enough to eat or make their rent payment.
Yeah, pretty much. I think the ambiguity in results comes from there being at least two groups of people:
1)Those who, once past financial security, go from stressing about not having enough money to stressing about getting even more money, at which point really no amount of money will satisfy you.
2) Those who actually have a practical use for their money beyond their own needs (donating to worthy causes, building some major project, helping family in need, whatever) and thus more money has an actual effect in their lives beyond being a number.
Of course, maybe I'm being too optimistic, the second group doesn't exist, and there's just people who really like diving in pools of $100 bills, hunting species to extinction, and burning ancient manuscripts in the face of historians.
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"Money can't by happiness."
-Rich white people who don't know how the real world operates
Last I heard, there's pretty clear evidence money makes you happier up to a point, and then ambiguous evidence on whether more money helps after that.
I think at the very least, the point where it stops making you happier is the point where you have enough money for financial security. Someone who's living paycheck to paycheck will almost always be happier when they can stop worrying about whether they'll have enough to eat or make their rent payment.
Financial security is probably the one thing I want the most. I can focus more on other things when I don't need to worry about starving or becoming homeless. Which is why I jumped into a professional life as fast as possible: I've spent the time my peers are in college making money and building a business. I'm currently well on the path to owning my own independent production company within just a few years.
That's what I meant, the saying is meant to say that you shouldn't worry about money despite the fact that money is basically the way anything runs in the world.
Like what, should I stop caring about my retirement, loans, medical costs, ect.?
Yeah, next white guy who says that money isn't really important and you shouldn't worry about it is getting shipped off to a small African nation.
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"2) Those who actually have a practical use for their money beyond their own needs (donating to worthy causes, building some major project, helping family in need, whatever) and thus more money has an actual effect in their lives beyond being a number."
Yo. Right here. I'm one of those "if I hit the lottery, I'm setting up me and mine for a good long time, and gifting as much as feasible to local food pantries, fixing the house up to code since it's 125 years old, and donating the fuck to cystic fibrosis and cancer research."
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"2) Those who actually have a practical use for their money beyond their own needs (donating to worthy causes, building some major project, helping family in need, whatever) and thus more money has an actual effect in their lives beyond being a number."
Yo. Right here. I'm one of those "if I hit the lottery, I'm setting up me and mine for a good long time, and gifting as much as feasible to local food pantries, fixing the house up to code since it's 125 years old, and donating the fuck to cystic fibrosis and cancer research."
*Quietly hides plans for robot exoskeleton*
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"2) Those who actually have a practical use for their money beyond their own needs (donating to worthy causes, building some major project, helping family in need, whatever) and thus more money has an actual effect in their lives beyond being a number."
Yo. Right here. I'm one of those "if I hit the lottery, I'm setting up me and mine for a good long time, and gifting as much as feasible to local food pantries, fixing the house up to code since it's 125 years old, and donating the fuck to cystic fibrosis and cancer research."
If I won the lottery, the vast majority of the money would go into the most secure form imaginable while I continued to work for a paycheck.
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>.>
<.<
I'll just leave this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8zdNe_l3M8
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I can't think of any off the bat, so I'll just quote the cracked article. (http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-6-most-quoted-pieces-advice-that-are-usually-wrong/)
I agree with all of them are bullshit except for number 3. I don't like the implications of what the author is saying; basically that we just have to bend over and accept crap from people because they have a position of power. Sure, we shouldn't act over the top like the movie examples, but
That's what Hollywood will never accept, but its audience has to. Although it's completely awesome to see the corporate bad guy from RoboCop getting shot out of the top window of a skyscraper, in real life that guy wins more often than not. He's the one who controls who has a job in the company. The one who's on a binding contract. The one with the money for the best lawyers. And even in the worst case scenario where he gets fired for being a douche -- which quite frankly isn't going to happen -- he can simply walk into the next company and have a high paying job secured by the end of the day.
BULLSHIT.
The good guys DO win sometimes. It's not as bleak as this author makes it out to be.
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Before even opening that article, I knew it would either be David Wong or John Cheese. The two of them are the ones who most often speak based on their own experiences, which unfortunately makes them very cynical. Cheese, in particular, fully admits to having a horribly abusive childhood and past alcoholism. While this does explain his cynicism and often bitter writing, it doesn't make it correct.
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Yeah it was written by John Cheese (I actually thought it was John Cleese at first). Sounds like he got dealt a lot of crap (can't blame him for being cynical). I just resent the notion that we should bend over and take shit (even though I admit to being a pussy myself).
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I can't think of any off the bat, so I'll just quote the cracked article. (http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-6-most-quoted-pieces-advice-that-are-usually-wrong/)
I agree with all of them are bullshit except for number 3. I don't like the implications of what the author is saying; basically that we just have to bend over and accept crap from people because they have a position of power. Sure, we shouldn't act over the top like the movie examples, but
That's what Hollywood will never accept, but its audience has to. Although it's completely awesome to see the corporate bad guy from RoboCop getting shot out of the top window of a skyscraper, in real life that guy wins more often than not. He's the one who controls who has a job in the company. The one who's on a binding contract. The one with the money for the best lawyers. And even in the worst case scenario where he gets fired for being a douche -- which quite frankly isn't going to happen -- he can simply walk into the next company and have a high paying job secured by the end of the day.
BULLSHIT.
The good guys DO win sometimes. It's not as bleak as this author makes it out to be.
I kinda have to agree with him.
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"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! <3 uwu" (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/19/304528674/mental-and-physical-toll-of-bullying-persists-for-decades?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140419)
What doesn't kill you only makes you...stranger.
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"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! <3 uwu" (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/19/304528674/mental-and-physical-toll-of-bullying-persists-for-decades?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140419)
What doesn't kill you only makes you...stranger.
Oh God, I'm in 2008 again.
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What doesn't kill you makes you suffer and wish you were dead.
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What doesn't kill you makes you weaker.
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What doesn't kill you makes you suffer and wish you were dead.
See: bronchitis, pneumonia, long-running and harsh flus.
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What doesn't kill you makes you suffer and wish you were dead.
See: bronchitis, pneumonia, long-running and harsh flus.
And watching "Scary Movie".
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What doesn't kill you makes you suffer and wish you were dead.
See: bronchitis, pneumonia, long-running and harsh flus.
Losing a limb or two, losing both eyes, kidney failure, losing a couple of metres of bowel, torn muscles, castration, deafness, losing all of your teeth. I could probably max out the character limit, were I to go on.
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Consistently popular enough to win elections:
"I'm voting for a Democrat because I don't want the other guy to win."
Surely he will stick up for worker's rights and not his wealthy benefactors.
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"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! <3 uwu" (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/19/304528674/mental-and-physical-toll-of-bullying-persists-for-decades?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140419)
What doesn't kill you only makes you...stranger.
Oh God, I'm in 2008 again.
Holy fuck, it HAS been 6 years. Son of a bitch, it only seems like last month when that movie was new.
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Consistently popular enough to win elections:
"I'm voting for a Democrat because I don't want the other guy to win."
Surely he will stick up for worker's rights and not his wealthy benefactors.
American election are basically just having someone ask "Would you rather we tazed you in the balls repeatedly or broke all your fingers?"
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American election are basically just having someone ask "Would you rather we tazed you in the balls repeatedly or broke all your fingers?"
Oh, here's another one: "By not voting, I'm sticking it to the man!"
Because nothing screams "defiance" like rolling over and accepting more of the same.
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"If your dog shits on the floor, rubbing his face in it will teach him!" I shouldn't have to explain this one.
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Totally unrelated, but I love your new name.
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"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! <3 uwu" (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/19/304528674/mental-and-physical-toll-of-bullying-persists-for-decades?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140419)
What doesn't kill you only makes you...stranger.
Oh God, I'm in 2008 again.
Holy fuck, it HAS been 6 years. Son of a bitch, it only seems like last month when that movie was new.
I remember the age well because I was one of many high school students who really thought the Joker was cool.
Unfortunately, I was one of the few to grow out of it within a year. I still vividly remember all of the weird "loners" (you know, the kind who claim to be antisocial loners but actually have quite a few friends who are just as weird and claim the same thing) who were obsessed with Heath Ledger's Joker for several years after the fact, and some continue to make the character uncool now through their association.
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"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! <3 uwu" (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/19/304528674/mental-and-physical-toll-of-bullying-persists-for-decades?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140419)
What doesn't kill you only makes you...stranger.
Oh God, I'm in 2008 again.
Holy fuck, it HAS been 6 years. Son of a bitch, it only seems like last month when that movie was new.
I remember the age well because I was one of many high school students who really thought the Joker was cool.
Unfortunately, I was one of the few to grow out of it within a year. I still vividly remember all of the weird "loners" (you know, the kind who claim to be antisocial loners but actually have quite a few friends who are just as weird and claim the same thing) who were obsessed with Heath Ledger's Joker for several years after the fact, and some continue to make the character uncool now through their association.
My favorite fan theory about that version of the Joker was that he was an ex-soldier, probably even black ops. It would explain his scars, his skill with and ready access to weapons (firing a rocket launcher out of a moving vehicle accurately enough to hit another moving vehicle is NOT easy), his use of stealth, psychological tactics and explosives, and his use of soldiers being hit with a IED as an example of "the plan", while his mental instability could be an extreme case of the "traumatized soldier" stereotype. It may even explain why the GPD couldn't find any trace of him before emerging as the Joker; he might have been involved in operations so secret that even the existence of the people involved was sealed behind high-level security. It also explains why he specifically targets government authorities with his attacks...they represent the system that he felt had failed him and his comrades.
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"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! <3 uwu" (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/19/304528674/mental-and-physical-toll-of-bullying-persists-for-decades?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140419)
What doesn't kill you only makes you...stranger.
Oh God, I'm in 2008 again.
Holy fuck, it HAS been 6 years. Son of a bitch, it only seems like last month when that movie was new.
I remember the age well because I was one of many high school students who really thought the Joker was cool.
Unfortunately, I was one of the few to grow out of it within a year. I still vividly remember all of the weird "loners" (you know, the kind who claim to be antisocial loners but actually have quite a few friends who are just as weird and claim the same thing) who were obsessed with Heath Ledger's Joker for several years after the fact, and some continue to make the character uncool now through their association.
My favorite fan theory about that version of the Joker was that he was an ex-soldier, probably even black ops. It would explain his scars, his skill with and ready access to weapons (firing a rocket launcher out of a moving vehicle accurately enough to hit another moving vehicle is NOT easy), his use of stealth, psychological tactics and explosives, and his use of soldiers being hit with a IED as an example of "the plan", while his mental instability could be an extreme case of the "traumatized soldier" stereotype. It may even explain why the GPD couldn't find any trace of him before emerging as the Joker; he might have been involved in operations so secret that even the existence of the people involved was sealed behind high-level security. It also explains why he specifically targets government authorities with his attacks...they represent the system that he felt had failed him and his comrades.
My personal theory adds that he was then exposed to the fear gas and it drove him over the edge.
Ironbite-and then pulled him back up.
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"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! <3 uwu" (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/19/304528674/mental-and-physical-toll-of-bullying-persists-for-decades?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140419)
What doesn't kill you only makes you...stranger.
Oh God, I'm in 2008 again.
Holy fuck, it HAS been 6 years. Son of a bitch, it only seems like last month when that movie was new.
I remember the age well because I was one of many high school students who really thought the Joker was cool.
Unfortunately, I was one of the few to grow out of it within a year. I still vividly remember all of the weird "loners" (you know, the kind who claim to be antisocial loners but actually have quite a few friends who are just as weird and claim the same thing) who were obsessed with Heath Ledger's Joker for several years after the fact, and some continue to make the character uncool now through their association.
My favorite fan theory about that version of the Joker was that he was an ex-soldier, probably even black ops. It would explain his scars, his skill with and ready access to weapons (firing a rocket launcher out of a moving vehicle accurately enough to hit another moving vehicle is NOT easy), his use of stealth, psychological tactics and explosives, and his use of soldiers being hit with a IED as an example of "the plan", while his mental instability could be an extreme case of the "traumatized soldier" stereotype. It may even explain why the GPD couldn't find any trace of him before emerging as the Joker; he might have been involved in operations so secret that even the existence of the people involved was sealed behind high-level security. It also explains why he specifically targets government authorities with his attacks...they represent the system that he felt had failed him and his comrades.
My personal theory adds that he was then exposed to the fear gas and it drove him over the edge.
Ironbite-and then pulled him back up.
I like the theory that there is nothing special about him. He just wants to see the world burn.
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The fan theories are fun and all, but they kind of miss the general idea behind the Joker. He's meant to essentially be an inhuman force; he has no motive beyond chaos and proving that anyone can be chaotic. He has no past and all of his clothes are custom-made by an unknown tailor (maybe even himself) because he literally has no past. For all intents and purposes, he was simply dropped into the universe as is.
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The fan theories are fun and all, but they kind of miss the general idea behind the Joker. He's meant to essentially be an inhuman force; he has no motive beyond chaos and proving that anyone can be chaotic. He has no past and all of his clothes are custom-made by an unknown tailor (maybe even himself) because he literally has no past. For all intents and purposes, he was simply dropped into the universe as is.
While that can work as an explanation for his motives from the perspective of the characters, I find it boring. I've always preferred villains with motivations that make some sort of sense, even if only viewed through a cracked lens. The Joker's hinting at his past and laugh-crying (the script specifically says that it should be hard to tell which he's doing), along with his trying to get Batman to kill him, point to a death wish as much or more than pure chaos.
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And this is the Nolan-verse we're talking about. Where everyone has a believable origin. One that's grounded in reality. No super science here folks. Just good old fashioned boring reality.
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The things that really sold me on the Joker being ex-special forces were two minor details. His suit: it was tailor made, untraceable, with no tags. That is the epitome of being a soldier, especially one deployed to a place like Afghanistan. The other thing was the military precision of his tactics.
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Plus, he can take a god damned beating from Batman, which villains twice his size have never been able to accomplish. There's only so much that insanity can do...physical and psychological conditioning, however... Maybe the Joker was a SERE graduate?
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Going back to the topic of the thread, one piece of "advice" I heard that really annoyed me was from my 7th grade math teacher who thought telling her students, "Life's not fair" was some kind of earth-shattering but "Chicken Soup for the Soul" like wisdom that she was passing on to her students who would remember it for the rest of their lives.
I guess it worked, because I thought that was the most B.S. advice I ever received, and I still do now. At the time, I was growing up poor, and my best friend had moved away a year ago back leaving me to deal with my classmates that I really didn't held to high esteem and like wise. So that "advice" wasn't exactly a stunning revelation to me.
Besides, if you were to use that reasoning, then blacks shouldn't have fought for their civil rights, feminists shouldn't have fought for gender equality, and gays shouldn't be pushing for legalizing gay marriage because "life's not fair", you know.
Just because life's unfair, it doesn't need to stay that way, Mrs. Allen.