about:stuff

The Internet is a worldwide double edged sword. Allowing people to have unprecedented access to accept and gather information is fantastic. The balance to this equation however is enough to overwhelm the novices and continue to harden the veteran users. Rome had their Colosseum, contemporary sports have their stadiums, and cyber-warriors will have their forums.

Forums are the everyman’s battleground. A chance to diminish and obliterate some unsuspecting n00b or to challenge the near-infallible veteran troll. These battles wage until one person often just gives up and leaves, leaving the victor to soak in the e-glory of his latest e-kill. For the most part these fights are victimless but quite a few times intelligence, reason, and logic are not involved in the victory.

With this in mind I present: The Top 9 Things the Forum Nerds Will Never Admit

INEQUALITY AMONG SEXES

The Battle of the Sexes is as old as the Earth. It has regurgitated itself over and over again and perhaps will continue on into eternity. Forums are havens for misogynistic tendencies as is most community driven areas of the internet. MMO games, global chat rooms, basically anywhere you’d think a typical gal might avoid. The kind of statements about women relegate mostly to the inferior talent in male-dominated arenas like technology, gaming, geekdom, etc. But you also have the always witty “get in the kitchen and bake me a pie” crowd. Taunting their surrounding cohabitants into a fight, hopefully with a real live girl this time. These guys are actually in the minority in most cases, surprisingly.

Next up you have the valiant protesters of the above expressed opinions. These are the true losers of the battle. The guy who comes in crashing hard to state his piece on why women are to be exalted above all else. The motives for said individuals can vary from the extreme “never-touched-a-boob” crowd to the “gets-regular-ass-but-want-to-feed-troll(s)”. I would consider both to be vanity-related actions. The extreme virgin wants to look good while the seasoned playa wants an excuse to showcase his prowess. In the end both are so similar, having been baited into the age old, never-ending debate that it just gets too BORING to read anymore.

The bottom line is there are inequalities and until we evolve into a-sexual beings there always will be. I could go on and on citing source after source linking to why men are better at one thing and why women are better at another but what is the point? The main thing to remember is that in a majority gender domain, the minority gender will tend to ultimately be inferior. Whether that gender is a minority in the field for sexist reasons is a completely irrelevant point. Acknowledgment of superior party is not a crime.

Catering to a view or taking a certain stance to win over the affection of a group is by all means pathetic, no one likes a suck up. Not even the people you are sucking up to. Now please go back to lying about all the tail you get, or jerking off to shemale vids.

VISTA IS GOOD

If there is one conglomerated entity that existed for the purpose of being a technological scapegoat it would be Microsoft. To some they are worse than Communism was to McCarthy. To others they are a mere disappointment, akin to your favorite novel adapted into a Hollywood movie. Never quite living up to your expectations and leaving you grossly unsatisfied.

The primary example of this would be the ’06 release of Windows Vista. No one likes it, no one really understands the advantages. The recommended system requirements and the minimal requirements were set shorter then they should have, yes. But all in all after SP1 all the major issues are nothing but an afterthought. I was skeptical myself until the need arose to purchase a laptop with Vista installed on it. Guess what? It works. Oh and I’ll enjoy the benefits of being able to go beyond 4 GB of RAM. I have my processes and the UI slimmed down to the most efficient settings for an extra little boost in resources as well.

It’s a fair guess that the majority of Vista haters are the same guys that go out of their way to bash Microsoft and all the evil they produce in this world. Forget the fact that Bill Gates redefines philanthropy by every stretch of the word, Microsoft is just baby-sacrificing evil. No single group of people jump this bandwagon more than the same group of fuckheads using IE (uses less resources then Firefox typically) on Windows XP. Oh yeah, you guys are hardcore “anti-M$” alright. Shut the fuck up already.

A small section of this clique is the Apple fanboi lovefest. These guys live to circle jerk around a Windows user like they were the last woman in the trailer park. Picture 12 Justin Longs surrounding a lone John Hodgman in the center. “I’m a Maaaaaaaaauh-uh-uh-ccccc” in unison as Hodgman cries, “I’m just a Peeeeeeeeeeee CEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”. Yeah it’s definitely on the paper bag covered side of ugly. These guys would suck off Steve Jobs in a heartbeat if it meant their Apple hip-cred would go up in the process. Picture the largest iPhone line you’ve EVER seen. Now multiple that by 20. That’s the amount of fanbois that would line up to be the Monica Lewinsky of Apple, Inc.

Last and certainly least are everyone’s least favorite people. The one and only thing and brings Vista users and MacBook Pro users together in harmony. The Linux elitist. These guys are so smug in their OS of choice you wouldn’t even like their personality in real life, it’s so self-saturated. Like the true vegans of the computing world, no one listens to what they have to say, or care. Have you ever gone into a hippy-esque, new agey restaurant and looked at the menu? It’s positively atrocious.

APPLE ISN’T JUST FOR YUPPIES

In true rival fashion there is plenty of hate for Apple to go around. Like the innocent, pretty, untainted church girl that all the guys lust after and of whom all girls are envious. Apple remains a shining beacon of holy grail-like proportions. And if there is one thing people as a whole love to do, it’s to breakdown a shining beacon of anything. Humanity can’t stand purity, in any form, even electronic. Even something that gives off the illusion of purity is like ultraviolet light is to the Microsoft vampires inhabiting the dark corners of the internet. As with anything universally despised, Apple haters will never cease to run out of material. If you truly hate something, you will always be able to find new reasons to support it.

Leading the pitchfork revolution in true hillbilly hick fashion is the Microsoft fanbois. Admiring themselves like they’re the last bastion of loyalty they march in unison seeking out any mold spots, bruises, or worms in Apple that may or may not exist. It seems to me they fail on an epic level since most of the arguments against Apple skip over the product and go straight to the end user. Terms like fanboi, yuppies, hipsters, maybe even elitist to round out the straw man quad combo are often used against people who own Apple products. I can’t say it’s not effective, too many people will not be interested in a product if they fear it will give others the wrong impression. But if you’re afraid of what the rabid Microsoft crowd thinks of you, you’re better off just becoming completely agoraphobic.

What these kinds of people fail to realize is the blatant contradictions in calling someone else elitist. To consider yourself superior to others because of their seemingly poor choice of hardware, to actively exude your pride in being one with Microsoft is nothing short of absolute elitism. But of course this is the internet and the kettle never seems to grow tired of the pot calling it black. It is on the same level as the people get go out and get tattoos and piercings to “rebel”, citing whatever lame bullshit reasoning everyone else does. It is the ultimate social paradox, everyone conforming to nonconformity. So instead of being the dirty, jealous whore in the back pew constantly attacking anything innocent with malicious intent why not just leave? No one likes or respects you anyway.

SHIA LEBEOUF HAS TALENT

For several years now he has been the subject (a.k.a. target) of some off-the-wall attacks on the Internet. This type of mudslinging goes down in forums of all types, even those the furthest thing from movies. The majority of these are baseless and menial contrivances such as: “he sucks”; “he’s horrible”; “I hate him”; “I hope he dies”; etc. Sometimes he’s used as a weapon to discredit someone’s opinions if they happen to hold him in any kind of positive esteem. These are the people who laugh when he’s seriously injured in a crash or hurt in a stunt on set. The reasonless bantering from the lowest denominating factor of trolling.

I can’t understand why there is so much hate for the guy. I mean what did he do exactly? Did he ruin your childhood(s) by starring in a live action Transformers movie that just didn’t live up to your expectations? Does his young success smack you across your poor, old, unsuccessful face? Maybe it was the unfortunate FAIL of the lackluster Indiana Jones 4? Reality check: It’s not his fault. I can probably sum up why you harbor this hatred than in 4 words. Michael Bay CGI Monkeys. But hey, it’s easier to pick a scapegoat than to trash the bad ideas of Steven Spielberg or that your crappy nerd cartoon Transformers is going to suck as a live action movie no matter who it is bringing it to life.

If you’re going to dislike someone, at least have valid reasons. For instance, I don’t find Robin Williams funny. I think he’s outdated, and his brand of humor is too immature (borderline cliché) for someone with my tastes. He plays the same annoying middle-aged man in many movies without much acting range with the exception being something like ‘Insomnia‘, which is on the serious half of the spectrum. In this day and age it’s simply too easy to go online and read the negativity surrounding someone’s personality/character and getting immediately angry at them. It’s a living cesspool of degenerative jealousy that often results in some seriously disturbing psycho-insults. When a group of people with bottled hate come together online to focus it in one direction, at someone, it becomes a shit storm of complex poo-flinging you often see at the zoo. Next time you feel like blasting someone’s character online, think about why first (make sure it’s true), and include those in your rant.

NO RAPE KIT NEEDED: GEORGE LUCAS DID NOT VIOLATE YOUR CHILDHOOD

Long ago, in a decade far far away… a movie so original, so ground breaking, so perfectly written that it made lots of money and lots of fans. The Star Wars franchise is always going to be the one to beat. From the endless supply of costumes for the casual fan or super-nerd, to comics, books, toys, games, etc. It’s huge, it’s billions of dollars. The story is not that unique though. The story arcs and the progression of the hero archetype have been rehashed and reused since mankind began the art of storytelling. With this in mind the only thing left to distinguish this as unique is the actors, the cinematography, the settings the movie takes place in. When Star Wars hit the scene it was all never-seen-before, it was a game changer, it was the creme de la creme of mixing a great story in a great setting. (The Dark Knight also accomplished this, it also made a little bit a money.) So with it’s claim to fame centering around supporting set pieces and special FX it’s no wonder these would be utilized again in the future.

The hype for Episode 1 was so intense you’d have to be living in a 3rd world country in order not to feel it’s effects. People waited in line for days to see it on opening night. The trailer was so anticipated you could almost attribute half of Meet Joe Black‘s theatrical box office gains to the trailer alone. However I remember seeing the world premier trailer on Channel 9 News the very next night in it’s full length goodness without going anywhere. There is a reason you don’t buy into the hype, your mind is a fantastical machine capable of conjuring up the impossible and setting imaginary expectations through the limitless roof. This is the main reason I think most people love to hate on the prequels. They will bitch about too much special effects, too little story, shoddy acting or Jar Jar Binks in general and overdo it. Episode 1 had a lot on its plate to begin with, these movies would have been so much better if the mindset of its viewers wasn’t stuck in the original. If they were made in order they would have told a much better, much grander story. But for an unbiased, nonpartisan opinion, find someone (if you can) who hasn’t seen any of them and do it chronologically; hell, even do it in the same order they were released in just view them all within a month or less and ask them what they think. I guarantee their feelings on the original trilogy will be less enthusiastic than yours and their feelings on the prequels will be more positive than yours.

The last and more recent turmoil in Lucasland flowing across the never ending reaches of the Internet is the latest Indiana Jones trip. Now I have my beef with this movie as much as the next guy but again, some people feel like this has taken a massive shit over their collectively nostalgic faces. Taking out the vine swinging, CGI monkey part and the nuclear survival by hiding in a fridge and it’s a better movie. If you’re going to suspend disbelief there has to be some laws of survival that followed and neither of these are really possible by any stretch. Countless forum dwellers will go the extra mile and discuss the absurdity that is an alien ship, and as such, alien beings that exist in this reality. I beg you to reconsider on account of the supernatural events surrounding the original trilogy, events happening in every single one. To someone who doesn’t believe in any gods, those movies would be as completely full of shit as this one was to the folks who don’t believe aliens exist either. This is not a good basis to judge as there is a definite higher probability that aliens do exist in some form, somewhere in the universe than there is of some omnipotent sadist who loves to watch humanity suffer and destroy themselves from the comfort of his invisible sky throne.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE IS STILL FUNNY BUT NEEDS MORE COWBELL

Despite what a plentiful bunch of trolls say, SNL is still getting laughs and is still hilarious. You can’t get very far on a multi-aged forum without seeing someone’s garble on how SNL isn’t funny. These kind of high brow ‘humor experts’ are so above the curve that you’ll rarely laugh at anything they say. Why is it the people who spit out nonsense about something not being funny on a consistent basis are the ones who have little to no sense of humor? The order of annoying forum posters follow this sequence: “omg first post!!1111!!1” -> “OFN u fuking idit!” -> “Not funny. Never was funny. Never will be funny.” Way to be the buzzkill. These “not funny” people are the same quasi-elitists who go on Thoreau style rants against society mostly because society left them roadside for the more funny, more amiable friends. They dwell in what they deem themselves to be upper intelligence pools of enlightenment. Sitting on the throne of the desk chair casting judgements on what is cool, or funny, or appropriate, or moral simply because their egos are out of check and their sense of reality is grossly out of touch. Pay no attention to them and they’ll be enraged enough to quit. Nothing kills these types faster then not giving them the attention or adoration they seek.

Another angle some approach this subject is a cast comparison. You’ll often see examples of why cast member a is inferior to old cast member b. Hardly ever is this comparison in reverse. It’s always the new coming up short of the old glory. It happens everywhere. The same people who argue today’s SNL is nothing compared to yesterday’s are the very same people who defended yesterday’s SNL to the people who were bigger fans of years prior. It’s more widespread now with the prevalence of the Internet but it’s the same generational dispute it always was. I recently went back and watched ‘SNL in the ’90s – Pop Culture Nation‘ and they include this very topic. They had the 80s lovers hating on the 90s era cast. Much like we have the 00s hating of today. This type of argument has no winner as both are acclimated to their particular tastes. Also, arguing against someone’s nostalgia is one of the more fierce uphill battles you’ll ever face. If you have someone who laughed themselves to sleep as a kid watching SNL in the 80s you’ll never win them over to the SNL crowd of today. Eras are simply too dated, pop culture humor only works in the culture it makes fun of (for the most part). What passed for laughs 20 years ago will rarely pass today. Everyone will be better off remembering this.

A tangential issue with that mindset is the phobia of new things. Not exactly an anxiety-inducing fear, but a calloused resistance to new things. People hate change, people hate changing things they like, it’s ingrained into their very souls. It’s why old people are often the most stubborn, it’s why religion is highly out of date, it’s why people are still voting for McCain. Sketch comedy is always trying to evolve, to up the ante, to maintain a sense of edginess and still remain fresh. This is why there are reoccurring elements of SNL, from TV Funhouse to SNL Digital Shorts, on to whatever the next big thing will be. While short lived, these are the often the best parts. You try and compare Deep Thoughts or Lower Expectations with newer elements like Digital Shorts or MacGruber but it just won’t match up. Some people cling to the oldies like it’s a religion and close their mind up to anything new. You see elements of this in music, in fashion, in entertainment, in literature. Older generations have always held disapproval for these areas and SNL is the embodiment of all of those facets, so it’s no wonder the order generations hold the same contempt for the ever evolving sketch comedy show they once loved.

POPULAR = EVIL

There’s always going to be a small niche of folks who simply dislike something because it’s popular. Sometimes it turns out to be a good thing, in the case of say popped collars or guido spikes. Other times it actually affects them negatively and makes it a real drag to converse with them. Usually when it’s about music, or movies, or books these people live in perpetual obscurity. They will continually make references and receive props for being so “out there” but no one is more full of shit. I mean I could spend all my time soaking in all things non mainstream but what would I get out of it? The e-pat on the back from other loserville – population: us folks who never stop pining for the pinnacle reference that gets noticed by the least amount of people. All they are doing is creating the environment for the truly inside joke and skimping on the best that popularity brings. This is actually why many people will choose Linux over any other OS options. It’s not because they crave eye candy or want something easy to use, nope. They want to be different and will shit on your favorite artist/film/book to do it.

A derivative of this cultural schism is the beautiful irony of the non-conformist. Forget what I said about the anti-pop pro being the most full of shit. I forgot about the resident non-conformist. These guys live in a dream world. A world which “the man” and “big brother” and “society” are the eternal enemy. From brand name merchandise, to popular coffee shops, to crème de la crème of Internet communities, it all must go. Somewhere along the line these people said “Hey, let’s stop conforming to what advertisers, teachers, parents, “the man” want us to be and let’s do our own thing!” The irony flag gets waved as soon as a group of these ass clowns congregates to express their “similar or identical” views, which by its very nature makes one a conformer. These guys are so biased and pointed in their opinions it really comes down to which has a higher name recognition and it’s the sole basis of their attack. Specific stores, specific brands, specific lifestyles disgust them. The reason for this attitude probably varies from person to person. I mean one guy could’ve been raped by a Buddy Lee doll when he was a kid and now hates that brand and any other kind of blue jean out there. Who really knows, but it’s important to recognize who these people are so you can call them on the absolute drivel that emanates from their various screen names.

Many people want to lump in specific groups into this point of view, from the true punk, to the goth and the wuss’ goth: the emo. While some may very well register as a popularity-hating, self-absorbed douche bag others may not be this way and I’ve met my fair share that sit on both sides of the fence. With the looming next generation’s kids coming of age the lines separating these three groups will become increasingly blurred. I’ve seen “punk” girls who dye a string of hair pink, wear socks with finger holes cut in them, and rock out to Hawthorne Heights or some other crap and actually think they’re punk. Same with guys, who wear women’s jeans so they’re skintight, maybe some nail polish, and are generally as pasty as possibly allowed. Both think they’re part of the punk movement when they’re simple one pair of thick plastic rimmed glasses from being 100% scene. Apply some makeup and they’re goth. Through on some whiny, heartbreaking, soul-exposing shit music and you have an emo too. Actually if you do the make up, glasses, and emo music you could have a Voltron of FAD coming straight for you. For the so called nonconformists in this group, it’s one giant fad and they make one giant hypocrite. The others are mostly the unpopular kids in school and with the implementation of the Internet they’re able to reinvent the meaning of “cool” and actually garner tons of friends who share their pointed, objective opinion. They actually wait silently in dark computer rooms waiting to rip apart anyone who might’ve been part of the ‘A group’ in school. It actually does make them feel better, too.

WELL, LIKE, THAT’S JUST YOUR OPINION… MAN… IMO

One of the many drawbacks to Internets discussions (read as: arguments) is the inability to grab hold of your opponents neck while you jab your knee into his scrotal-region. Research and development is of course in the works as the inventor of such a device would become the world’s wealthiest man. At no point in the heated battle would this thing come in more handy when the opposition is almost at the point of conceding but cops out with the timeless coward’s cry of “Well, that’s just my opinion”. Sounds familiar, yes? Well that’s because it’s what racist old ladies would say in defense of their unvarying points of view. It’s a completely ignorant path to succumb to when you’re cornered and on the ropes. What distinguishes these people from normal people is they absolutely refuse to admit to ignorance. Everyone once in awhile you’re see an “I stand corrected” or a “Sorry about that I jumped the gun” but the majority of the time those will instead be something juvenile and derogatory. Because when you’re argument has no substance it becomes 100% about who can lay down the epic burn first. Unharnessed wit and can mistaken for pure knowledge because both require a certain degree of intelligence. You’d do better to recognize the difference so you end up on the right side of the fence.

Part of the cause of some pretty outrageous flame warring is the fact no one has to take much responsibility for their actions. The minimal punishment is moderators doing nothing to the extreme of IP banning an individual from the site. So with a new IP and a new username that person is back in action, lowering the lowest common denominator just a little bit further and generally being a little douche. In a world where Lori Drew can use a fake Myspace profile of a boy to get the attention of a girl her daughter knew. To build up the beginnings of a relationship then to “dump” her in some huge blow out, causing her to commit suicide over it. In this world Lori Drew is charged with misdemeanors instead of felonies, there really is no accountability for Internet activity. It’s a sickening story of a 49 year old woman harassing a 13 year girl and ‘outsmarting’ her and tricking her into feeling some pretty powerful emotions, enough to hang herself over. Lori Drew is now pretty much the greatest provocateur of trolling the Internet has seen thus far. With anonymity comes absolute zero responsibility, don’t reach for the bait and certainly don’t feed the trolls in the process.

Whoever coined the phrase ‘opinions are never wrong’, was obviously not an Internet user. I actually don’t know if someone coined the phrase or not but it does get dropped in quite often. Opinions are pretty much the pilot light of every flame war to grace browser pages. There’s no accountability so there’s no respect of someone else’s views. However there are many times where someone else’s views and opinions are simply wrong. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. When someone is blatantly incorrect, there is no gray area. You’ll see a lot of conspiracy theorists channeling this cop out from time to time. From “In my opinion, the moon landing was fake. 9/11 was an inside job. JFK was shot by multiple people. Obama is the anti-Christ/Muslim/terrorist/socialist.” It’s painful to view but these people are enveloped in such a dream world they cannot think things out for themselves, they are like sheep to the words of louder idiots like Drudge, Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, Coulter, Robertson, etc. For once and for all, there was a moon landing, there were several. 9/11 happened, get over it and get off the high horse that brought on that attack in the first place. Obama is not a any of those things you were mislead to believe and for the last time, JFK was n— ok he might’ve been, that one kind of doesn’t add up at all.

THERE IS NO GOD

This might be jarring to hear, even if it’s the 1,687,234th time you’ve heard it. You might think I’m some kind of sin-filled, immoral, God-hating atheist but I’m not. I’m actually quite a nice person if you really break it down. I hold doors open for everyone, I treat people with basic respect unless they manage to immediately prove they do not deserve it. I’m polite to others in attempt to nail every last please and thank you. And I’m willing to lend a helping hand to someone asking a favor of me. But there are people out waiting to shoot their righteous indignational load all over everything and these people have to be stopped. As an individual you can believe in whatever you want, I could care less. It’s the people who dictate public policy that really get my blood boiling. These people responsible for the laws and policies of this nation that have to account to us for their actions and “God” is not a reason to do anything. Whether it’s to stop homosexuals from marrying each other, to invading a foreign country because you think an invisible sky wizard is directing you to do so. People who talk to imaginary entities are insane, pure and simple. There’s no such thing as a talking snake. The entire legend is passed on down, dictated by the highest of authorities. Think about it for a minute: If the Germanic god Odin riding through the sky on an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir in the 13th century can become Santa Claus riding through the sky with eight reindeer in less then 800 years time than the legend of God and any affiliations could’ve started anywhere.

Dawkins has been quoted as saying “We’re all atheists, some of us just take it one god further.” This couldn’t be more precise. There are so many different religions and gods out in the world, not to mention the ones that have long since died out. To be so certain that your Muslim neighbor’s God is a false one and so certain that yours is the real one puts you in a permanent state of flux. The same goes for the Muslim neighbor who thinks the same of you and your beliefs. This is a topic that can span several large volumes of books and I’m not here to write one. I just want to express the basic points are not refutable. When you’re dealing with simple structures like non-living entities like rocks and dust their existence is of course very probable in every corner of the universe. When you deal with complex structures like the human brain, even DNA/gene structures, their existence (overall) is the opposite in terms of probability. It’s so unique that it probably doesn’t exist anywhere else in the universe. The main body of a Creationist’s argument is that it’s too complex to come into existence by chance, that it must be by design. They fail to realize that chance and design are not the only two players on the board. But the bigger question is that if something is so complex it must have been designed, then the Designer must be EVEN more complex in order to have made it. Since the Designer must be EVEN more complex, It couldn’t have come into existence by chance, something must have designed the Designer. This is where they walk away from you, unable to cope with the logical flaws they base their lives on.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that if religion was all butterflies and happy bunnies and created peace I would not take issue with it. As I’ve said before, as a person you can believe what you want to. But when that belief thrusts us as citizens, a nation, a race, into potential ruination, I can’t swallow that. There’s no reason why we can’t be solving the world’s diseases and health issues utilizing stem cells. Our progress is being halted due to what should be a nonexistent moral issue. We’ve spent nearly a trillion dollars on a war we shouldn’t be fighting, but because God said so now we all have to pay the price. Over the course of history the amount of people who have died due to religious reasons is astronomically high. Hell, even in the Bible the one killing everyone is the same God that loves you and wants you to have him in your life. The murderous Satan, yeah he got to off Job’s family, that’s pretty much it. Who’s setting the good example now? From the Crusades to the Ku Klux Klan, a cross symbol has been at the center of it. The things people will do because they think they were told to do it by someone that exhibits zero proof of his existence is too dangerous a phenomenon to be left to grow out of control on its own. These people base their actions and lives on a collection of books and policies that were systemically chosen to be included where as the other hundreds of books were excluded because they didn’t paint the right picture.

***

Everyone by now has probably seen some variation of the “Arguing on the Internet is like competing in the Special Olympics, even if you win you’re still retarded” phrase. While sometimes this would indeed apply, especially if the center point is about something so utterly inconsequential. But it’s a civic responsibility to correct people who are blatantly wrong. I have successfully convinced myself that allowing ignorance or apathy is not holding up my end of the Internet user’s responsibility. Some of these people have entirely twisted realities and they need to be exposed to something more in tune with reality. I’ll be the first to admit that in the early days I was a lot more ignorant with differing points of view and copiously more close minded than I am today. This was due to people hammering me with logic, and I would be forced to concede to an idea much bigger then myself. So arguing on the Internet doesn’t make you any more retarded then doing it in real life. Infact I encourage it, because even if your target can’t wrap his/her mind around what you’re saying, an onlooker might and probably will. And you’ll have been the unsung hero in helping that individual come to terms with an issue he/she may have been wrestling with. You never know who’ll you convince, or what they can accomplish if you do it right. The idiots and dumbasses will never stop running their mouths, so why should you?