MetaFilter

Also see Slate Star Codex gives a graduation speech.

Sample, chosen almost at random:

What of the costs of education? What have you lost out on?

Well, first about twenty thousand hours of your youth. That’s okay. You weren’t using that golden time of perfect health and halcyon memories when you had more true capacity for creativity and imagination and happiness than you ever will again anyway. If you hadn’t had your... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by officer_fred at 2:54 PM on January 15, 2015

empath: “I've always found it a bit weird as a term since it's often applied to Arabs who are themselves semitic. It's a bit too broad of a term.”

Frankly I feel almost the opposite; the problem with the term was not its broadness, but its blunted specificity. Regardless of the original provenance of this term which instantly became popular, "anti-Semitism" has all the earmarks of a word intended to make polite the impolite.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by koeselitz at 1:49 PM on January 15, 2015

Yeah, I totally get that, but just etymologically, think anti-jewish seems like a better word than anti-semitic.

Er...blame the Germans who came up with it in the nineteenth century? For them, it was the "modern," more au courant way (that is, in line with nineteenth-century racial theory) of promulgating Judenhass. There are, in fact, ongoing debates about anti-Judaism as a concept vs.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by thomas j wise at 1:32 PM on January 15, 2015

Put it in the corner. If you can put it on a rolling table, then you can roll it in front of the fireplace when you want to watch it and roll it back when you don't. If not, just move the couch to face the tv when desired and the fireplace otherwise.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jeather at 11:57 AM on January 15, 2015

Hell YES this is the new Hallelujah. And why not? That's some universal shit right there.

...

Apologies in advance for the unsolicited essay...

I'm ok with this being the new Hallelujah. What a great thing that would be. It works on the same levels and for largely the same reson's the Leonard Cohen's song has had such staying power.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Doleful Creature at 10:45 AM on January 15, 2015

Quoted from the blog balloon-juice.com

...as commenter Davis X. Machina phrased it:

“The salient fact of American politics is that there are fifty to seventy million voters each of who will volunteer to live, with his family, in a cardboard box under an overpass, and cook sparrows on an old curtain rod, if someone would only guarantee that the black, gay, Hispanic, liberal, whatever, in the next box over doesn’t even have a curtain rod,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by jeff-o-matic at 8:58 AM on January 15, 2015

Geographical region needed.

In urban random developing world, most likely the following:

potable water
mobile phone minutes for voice and data in increments as small as 50 cents (though some might buy 30$ over a month)
charcoal
a teaspoon worth of sugar
a thimbleful of tea leaves
half a cup of milk
a fist sized portion of cabbage
20 centilitres of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by infini at 8:32 AM on January 15, 2015

If the wiring was recently re-done, you probably need a different pro.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by straw at 5:23 PM on January 14, 2015

Don't trust the label. Switch the circuit breaker off and test the other lights alleged to be on the circuit.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by beagle at 4:35 PM on January 14, 2015

I do want to reiterate I'm sorry about flubbing this process in the beginning. There's definitely a huge obvious difference between I/P threads and anti-semetic stories coming out of Western Europe and I was conflating the two and being lazy about a user's past behavior on the site. After reading the comments here, I can definitely see where I need to be more discerning and careful when evaluating flags in threads covering these subjects and it helps to see examples and resources to educate... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by mathowie at 7:44 AM on January 15, 2015

It's a damn shame that now that Soderbergh has cut out some parts no one will ever again be able to watch the original movie Kubrick created.
posted to MetaFilter by dogwalker at 5:13 PM on January 14, 2015

The idea of Judaism as a proselytising religion is probably pretty amusing to most Jews. It certainly is to me. It's possible to convert - I know exactly one person who did so - but it's not exactly encouraged. It's viewing the religion through a lens that doesn't really apply.
posted to MetaFilter by kyrademon at 9:25 AM on January 11, 2015

snofoam, you don't get PJ Library books unless you sign up for them online, giving your name and address. You have to re-subscribe every year. You should really acknowledge that your first comment misunderstood the circumstances and that this program has no relation to proselytizing.
posted to MetaFilter by palliser at 8:24 AM on January 11, 2015

VikingSword, regardless of your IRL time spent addressing antisemitism, on MetaFilter I have noticed your comments in particular as ones that often aren't accurate about Jewish history/context (cf. Partario's note about marranos, which is A Big Deal in the history of antisemitism), and frankly make me very uncomfortable in a "um, boy, this seems like more of a problem than just 'strongly disagreeing with the Israeli government or prime minister" way.

Some of... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Uniformitarianism Now! at 4:42 AM on January 14, 2015

The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of glitter is glitter. -- George Orwell, 1984
posted to MetaFilter by Western Infidels at 11:31 AM on January 13, 2015

My friends and I used to call glitter raver scabies.
posted to MetaFilter by feckless fecal fear mongering at 11:23 AM on January 13, 2015

Without making comment on the presence or absence of anti-Semitism on mefi, let me see if I understand:

1. Joe, you made a comment about the supermarket killings in the C-H thread
2. that comment gets deleted for being a derail
3. so you made an FPP about the supermarket killings and French anti-semitism in general
4. That gets deleted because it should have gone in the C-H thread

??? What? That seems like a... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by desjardins at 9:35 AM on January 13, 2015

Unless your girlfriend has been abusing animals, physically bullying other people, committing arson, destroying property, breaking into homes, and/or sexually assaulting people since before she was 18 years old, she almost definitely does not have antisocial personality disorder.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jaguar at 6:30 AM on January 13, 2015

anotherpanacea - I typed up what started off as a shortish explanation that grew into a way too long one that I won't post. Being able to solve a game like we have, and how it doesn't depend on the history, is just well-established textbook stuff at this point. We didn't have to formalize that in order to write our paper - von Neumann and Nash proved those parts back in the 50s, and it's entirely non-controvercial now.

So I'll try a shorter explanation, starting with... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Fully Completely at 2:25 PM on January 12, 2015

This research is sort of old news. Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord said in 1933:
I divide my officers into four groups. There are clever, diligent, stupid, and lazy officers. Usually two characteristics are combined. Some are clever and diligent -- their place is the General Staff. The next lot are stupid and lazy -- they make up 90 percent of every army and are suited to routine duties. Anyone who is both clever and lazy is qualified for the highest leadership duties, because he... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:05 AM on January 12, 2015

Does anyone have any similar experiences dealing with a significant other like my girlfriend?

Yes, and the anger and entitlement issues got turned against me and made my life a living hell for several years and strongly exacerbated my depression and anxiety.

My concern would be less that she confronts the wrong person and more that she starts picking at you constantly. It's a horrible soul-draining prison-sentence of a... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jaguar at 7:08 AM on January 12, 2015

At first I was like "oh yeah, I gotta go to work soon, so..." and that didn't work. Then I was like "don't you have somewhere to be?" No answer. Finally I said "You gotta go!" She just curled up in a ball on the floor.

Awkward. Im a pretty easy going guy, so after that I just let it go until it resolved itself. I mean she wasn't making a mess or anything. It was kind of like having a big stuffed animal for a few days, and then one day I came... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Literaryhero at 8:16 PM on January 10, 2015

So prior to meeting my wife I went on a dating binge. It wasn't solely online dating, but there were quite a few people I met from various dating sites as well as people I met through friends, in line at the supermarket, at bars, etc. I was gregarious and prolific at the time.

So anyway, I had more than a few ridiculous dates. And to be honest, I was probably the cause of more than a few ridiculous dates myself because I didn't really care at the time.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Literaryhero at 3:23 AM on January 10, 2015

uh. did it not occur to you to ask her to leave? i mean, i need so much more information, SO much more. what were those 3 days like.
posted to MetaFilter by poffin boffin at 11:34 AM on January 10, 2015

"70% of porn is viewed during work hours"

And then I go home and watch the other 30% of porn.
posted to MetaFilter by pracowity at 6:48 AM on January 12, 2015

It's not that they're criticizing you, necessarily. They may be living vicariously through you. To someone settled in a long-term relationship for years, the idea of Tindr can be fascinating (and also terrifying -- it's a complex thing). They can't very well set up a profile for themselves, so they start looking for someone affable and unintimidating to "ship".

I'm not sure how to shut them down while still being friendly -- maybe find some more interesting... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by amtho at 5:58 AM on January 10, 2015

Someone explain to me what that kosher supermarket and its patrons could have done to be less offensive.
posted to MetaFilter by monospace at 11:29 AM on January 9, 2015

I am obligated to mentioned Wizard People, Dear Reader here.
posted to MetaFilter by Drastic at 7:34 AM on January 9, 2015

I'd like to apologize for the earlier "I don't care about your 'context'" comment I left. I've grown jaded from having "context" thrown at me as an excuse for people's racist bullshit for 20+ years, and misguidedly bulked Charlie Hebdo's work into that -- er -- context on a bad knee-jerk instinct.

I'm actually EN/FR bilingual and wish I'd taken more time to read and reflect before jumping in with my ham fists flailing. There was a chunk of stuff... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Shepherd at 6:56 AM on January 9, 2015

"Trained" doesn't mean superhuman, or even GIGN/SEAL/etc., it just means trained. Contrast with, say, the dingdong from the Sydney Lindt attack, who was truly untrained.
posted to MetaFilter by Sticherbeast at 6:44 AM on January 9, 2015

When I heard about the attack yesterday I thought of how on 9/11 I came to metafilter to follow the famous 911 FPP to stay informed of what was happening. Shortly after that I created my account.

So my first instinct yesterday was to run to metafilter and see what was being written about the attacks on Charlie Hebdo. When I discovered to my surprise there was no FPP yet, I started this one.

I may be oversensitive, but to be honest I am very hurt... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Berend at 1:11 PM on January 8, 2015

"The previous incarnation of the magazine was run by many of the same people, including Gebé, Cabu, and Wolinski."

Ziegler, the cover with the Pope is a single cover from 35 years ago when the magazine was under a different chief editor - this is shameful clutching at straws to smear people who were gunned down yesterday while organising an anti-racism conference. Meanwhile, you've already repeatedly been shown to be wrong in your interpretations... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Flitcraft at 12:08 PM on January 8, 2015

I tried to do some research into that cover with the Pope, and I found that it was published in 1980 (thus it's referring to John Paul II) and that he visited Paris and spoke in front of UNESCO. Since I'm not Catholic, or French, and I was six years old in 1980, I'm stopping there.
posted to MetaFilter by desjardins at 11:43 AM on January 8, 2015

In the US, perhaps. Not in most parts of western Europe.

Remind me again: in which parts of western Europe is summary execution the punishment for racism and bigotry?
posted to MetaFilter by one more dead town's last parade at 11:23 AM on January 8, 2015

Here's the deal:

I don't think it matters whether Charlie Hebdo is or was racist. In fact, I think it is emphatically important that it doesn't matter whether Charlie Hebdo is or was racist. The whole point is that even racists and bigots get freedom of speech, and shouldn't be slaughtered by lunatics in a vile terrorist attack.

So it might be a good idea to leave off arguing about whether the cartoons were racist. It doesn't... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by koeselitz at 11:18 AM on January 8, 2015

I think if you're going to accuse people who have just been brutally murdered for their art racists you probably ought to be pretty damn confident you understand the overall nature of their work and the shared understandings which the artist drew on in the specific language and culture in which he or she published. The example given of Colbert, above, should be a pretty salutary reminder that humor often depends on pretty deeply encoded frames that are invisible to outsiders.
posted to MetaFilter by yoink at 10:47 AM on January 8, 2015

Colie, this is my interpretation of the Boko Haram cartoon. I'm not a French speaker so take this with a grain of salt:

At the time, there were ongoing reports of the capture and rape of young women by Boko Haram. This situation is ongoing, as far as I know.

Simultaneously, people were alleging that women were getting pregnant in order to obtain welfare benefits. Also ongoing, of course. And there were also protests about mooted cuts to those... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Joe in Australia at 10:47 AM on January 8, 2015

Also worth noting is their flattering portrayal of the British.

If anything, they pulled their punches when it came to caricaturing non-whites.
posted to MetaFilter by seymourScagnetti at 10:47 AM on January 8, 2015

I don't think it's a subtlety; I think it's the point.
posted to MetaFilter by kelborel at 10:39 AM on January 8, 2015

Seconding sio42, and adding that it seems like there's a fundamental misunderstanding going on here:

I don't think anyone is saying that the cartoons are funnier to the French because the French find racism socially acceptable.

I think people are saying that the cartoons, properly understood, are not racist at all.
posted to MetaFilter by kelborel at 10:33 AM on January 8, 2015

According to the news, they were known to police, had been arrested previously, and had attempted to go to Iraq to join ISIS.

Yes, and also according to the news they came from secular backgrounds, were not notably devout muslims (ardently committed to jihad, yes, but not ardently committed to their religion). Their motivations were largely political (according to the NYT: "Chérif’s interest in radical... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by yoink at 10:14 AM on January 8, 2015

"You can't call our particular brand of racism out because you don't understand our context" is something I got sick to the teeth of hearing when I was dealing with overt racists in Quebec, more sick to the teeth when dealing with white racists in the American South, and am getting thoroughly sick to the teeth of hearing here.

When the level of ignorance about the cartoons reaches the equivalent level of being angry at Jonathan Swift for... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by yoink at 9:05 AM on January 8, 2015

The journalists were shot while they were having a meeting to organise a conference against racism, which is hysterically funny. Who will apologise to the memory of good people who never harmed anyone and died in the name of equality and freedom from oppression?
posted to MetaFilter by Spanner Nic at 8:26 AM on January 8, 2015

while in another context the criticism of CH would elict howls of 'stop the victim blaming'

At the same time, in other contexts, saying "you just don't understand their culture, this thing which looks racist or homophobic or misogynist to you is actually totally acceptable, don't be intolerant" would be viewed as a bad argument. "You just don't understand France, this looks racist but it's not" is given much more weight than... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Frowner at 8:35 AM on January 8, 2015

Indeed it has. Funny how it's suddenly a problem.

Badgering a trans user on gender terminology in a thread started about the suicide of a trans woman due to abuse for being trans is really unconscionably shitty behavior. So it's always a problem, but it's a particular problem here, yes.
posted to MetaTalk by jaguar at 7:55 AM on January 8, 2015

More than anything I feel like the sudden offence we're seeing at the content of CH is symptomatic of the narcissism of a certain sliver of the left.
posted to MetaFilter by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 6:21 AM on January 8, 2015

Re: or the time Charlie Hebdo portrayed France's black justice minister as a monkey. This is straight-up racism, and it's a pattern.

Context: this image was a satirical defence of Christiane Taubira and an attack on the Front National after a FN mayoral candidate posted a Taubira-is-a-monkey photomontage on her facebook page. Taubira's party sued her for hate speech.
Context 2 : After the CH image, the extreme... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elgilito at 5:05 AM on January 8, 2015

Here's the context. It's a satire of the usual, tiring, decades-old right wing complaint about immigrants coming to France only to get welfare. That's pretty obvious if you're French anyway.

Whoa, whoa!!! Let's not impede the CH Blame Train by putting any of these drawing in their proper context.
posted to MetaFilter by MikeMc at 2:15 PM on January 7, 2015

symbioid, in a context other than this one you'd have a good and valid point.

But when a bunch of people just got killed by religious fanatics because they blasphemed said fanatic's religion then it is time to scream FREE SPEEEEECH as loud as you can.

I've got my own arguments with Charlie Hebdo, and in other circumstances I'd elaborate on them. But here? Now? In the context of a bunch of religious assholes murdering people for daring to speak... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by sotonohito at 1:55 PM on January 7, 2015

Punching up and punching down is only a metaphor used to describe one way that comedy can work. Its not a black and white thing.

For example, the Westboro Baptist Church may be loud and offensive, but they're really a small, marginalized group of people, many of whom are pretty obviously damaged or brainwashed. We acknowledge this but at the same time we accept satire and comedy aimed at them because their behavior is so egregious that it deserves a response. The... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Joey Michaels at 1:50 PM on January 7, 2015