Adahn

[font=Arial][size=1][color=#4b0082][Quote=DeadSeraphim][/color][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=1][color=#4b0082]Except your kids wouldn't. Cosmetic surgery isn't a sweeping epidemic, it's a decision undertaken by the vast minority who want it to feel better about themselves, or get ahead, or whatever. And besides, ever notice how the actresses most praised for their beauty have no cosmetic surgery whatsoever? Nicole Kidman springs to mind immediately, but when society still holds Audrey Hepburn up as the most beautiful woman of all time, I think it's indicative of how baseless your argument is.[/quote][/color][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=1][color=#4b0082][font=Tahoma][size=2][color=black]I never said anything about appearance improved through plastic surgery being better than natural beauty. I'll use a metaphor to describe what you've done with the above statement. You squatted over the floor, and emptied your bowels upon it. You then proceeded to argue with your new creation, and found something flawed in its argument. The next time you pull something it out of your ***, please don't hold it out to me and say, "Here, this is yours."[/color][/size][/font] [/color][/size][/font][font=Arial][size=1][color=#4b0082][Quote=DeadSeraphim] Society doesn't hold aloft beauty gained through pain, in fact if gossip tabloids have anything to say, it's that the average person is genuinely shocked when a celebrity gets cosmetic surgery, and decries it - even something as irrelevant as a boob job. Your argument that cosmetic surgery erodes society's perception of beauty is deeply flawed, bro.[/quote][/color][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=1][color=#4b0082][/color][/size][/font] [size=2][color=black]My argument is that cosmetic surgery erodes society's perception of beauty? Wow, I wasn't aware of that! I thought my argument was that our society's flawed perception of beauty is what created plastic surgery, something I wish was socially irrelevant and worthless.[/color][/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Here's a little story, and it's true. A woman has been working at a company for a while, so she's getting older. She feels that she needs a facelift to keep looking young, so that she won't get passed over for advancement opportunities by people who are younger than she is. In order to succeed at her job, she needs to meet society's standard of beauty, which requires her to get plastic surgery to succeed. From where I'm sitting, this looks like a pretty bad deal, and I wish crap like this didn't happen.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Aaryanna, I consider breast reduction in the case where the weight causes physical pain not to be cosmetic surgery, though a more proportional figure may be a side effect of the operation. I'm not mad at the people who get cosmetic surgery, and I don't hold it against them. I only wish that there was no reason for them to get it in the first place, and it is for that reason that I take a stand against it.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]T13M. Plastic surgery makes physical attraction meaningless. Things men and women find attractive about each other often have something to do with fertility. If you take the biology out of sexual attraction, then beauty becomes irrelevant. So, all the people who shouldn't be breeding are breeding, and those who should be breeding are breeding with the wrong people. This will ultimately result in everybody being ugly and infertile.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]*note* If this offends you, then I'm joking. If it doesn't, then I'm not.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]If I saw a beautiful woman in front of me, my first impression would be that, well, she's really hot. If I found out that she smoked, then she becomes less attractive than an 80 year old who doesn't. If I found out she had plastic surgery, it would lower her in my eyes. I might still admire her, but I wouldn't want to touch her.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]For me, if I really get to know someone, physical beauty becomes less relevant. Two girls I was studying with wanted to know which of them was cuter, and I honestly couldn't say. It wasn't because I didn't want to hurt one of their feelings, it was because once I knew them, I couldn't easily separate their personality from my perception of them. Once you really look at someone for who they are, you can't go back to knowing nothing about them and seeing them only physically. Or, at least, I can't.[/size]

[QUOTE=DeadSeraphim][color=indigo][size=1][font=Arial]In fact, I daresay it doesn't concern you at all. Besides which, you're all assuming people only get cosmetic surgery for vanity reasons, which simply isn't true. Cosmetic surgery isn't evil, kids. It's just one more thing consenting adults have the freedom to do as they please, and no matter their reasoning, I don't think anyone has the right to judge them for it.[/font][/size][/color][/QUOTE] [size=2]I think other people getting cosmetic surgery does concern me. What if I don't want my kids growing up in a society where artificial beauty gained through pain is lauded? If there's anything I can (reasonably) do to turn our society away from cosmetic surgery, I will do it. It is my right and privelige to try to shape the world in such a way that it will allow my future children to grow up happy, with self-respect and confidence.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Vanity is one reason for cosmetic surgery. I also stated that in our society, unnatural beauty has its benefits, but perhaps I must elucidate. Women will get better jobs, attract richer, better husbands, and get all sorts of priveliges in our society from plastic surgery. It has a societal value. Ideally, I would have plastic surgery devalued (besides for reconstruction).[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]You're right, we don't have the right to judge people for their decisions, but I still think plastic surgery is wrong. I think it's disgusting, and I find it extremely unattractive. It's almost as unattractive as smoking. Whether it's evil or not doesn't matter to me. I think we would all be better off if non-reconstructive plastic surgery was made irrelevant by a change in our society's paradigm.[/size]

[size=2]Joe was actually a pretty good guy. He made me food sometimes and liked to keep our dorm clean.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]There were a couple things that were kind of annoying, but they weren't that bad.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Once, he left for the weekend, but he didn't unset his alarm so it went off in the morning when I was trying to sleep and I had to climb down out of my bed and unplug it because I didn't know how to turn it off.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Another time, it was Spring Break, and he and his girlfriend went off for the week and said they'd be staying somewhere else. I had my girlfriend over, and, well, I thought we were alone so...[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]anywho, I hear knocking on the door, which freaks me the hell out. Joe came back to our dorm and said he needed some duct tape. I got it for him, and he left again. It's a good thing I locked the door...[/size]

[size=2]I can't in good conscience tell you about the best time in my life, because, eh, it's pretty personal.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]I've got a couple things that I remember making me happy, though.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]One is running around outside barefoot in the summer catching fireflies with my neighbors. It was so dark, and I felt like I had the energy to run all the way around the world.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Another is when it was a warm, summer night, and it was raining. I went over to my neighbors, and there were a bunch of people outside playing. I remember jumping on the trampoline and running around squirting each other with squirt guns filled with pop.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]It was so nice to be a kid...[/size]

[size=2]Well, for the most part, I'm in pretty good shape. I've got a girl who loves me and who I love back, I'm in college with relatively little debt student-loanwise, I'm on track to getting into grad school and getting my PhD, which will set me up to live a financially secure life, start a family, and work at something I love doing.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]What got me here? I had bad eyesight when I was young, and I was socially inept. I was also fairly intelligent. I had glasses, was smart, and anti-social, and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it. So, I got picked on. I had low self-esteem and was shy, so I didn't develop any strong relationships with boys or girls for a very long time. I did what I was supposed to in school, and obeyed all the rules like a good little boy. As a result, school built me into a learning machine, so I have a sort of photographic memory and curiousity that allows me to easily excell in all types of learning environments. My girlfriend had social problems too, and was about as romantically inexperienced as I was. So, we hit it off, and bonded to each other very closely. Neither of us has really experienced the loss of trust that comes from being betrayed by someone close to us, so we lack the cynicism and skepticism of most people, allowing us to be honest with each other, and to have little fear of being betrayed.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Despite all this, everything's just not perfect enough for me. Our society did a ****** job of building me up as a moral person, so I constantly have to struggle internally to resist bad influences and ideas that have been wired into me by the mass media. It's kind of funny that my biggest problems in life come from internal moral struggles, and goes to show how priveliged I really am. Whatever our situation, we've all got battles to fight, regardless of their magnitude. I hope you all can resolve all your big problems so you can focus on some of the less painful ones.[/size]

[size=2]Well, I don't think my girlfriend will get it for cosmetic purposes, and neither will I, so on a personal level it's kind of a non-issue.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]As for the rest of it, reconstructive surgery is absolutely fine.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]It's a shame anyone would get plastic surgery to improve their appearance. All that tells me is that we put too much stress on beauty in our society. Plastic surgery is the new girdle. Women died from girdles, and now they die from plastic surgery. Men have to deal with it, also, but I think my blanket statement of "Women get plastic surgery (not reconstructive) more often than men" holds true.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]So long as unnatural beauty is valuable to us, people will get plastic surgery. Women [i]do[/i] benefit from it in our society. Personally, I'd like to see more of a stigma attached to beauty gained through pain. I'd like people who get plastic surgery to look better to feel shame. Maybe then we could begin to move away from it towards a future where men and women can value each other and themselves on things more important than appearance.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2][/size]

You say you live in a state with no [i]good[/i] art schools, but remember, schools jack tuition up quite a bit for out of state students. Consider your financial situation, and how you plan on using your education to make money. My parents don't have a lot of money, so I picked an in-state school with many scholarships awarded for academic achievement. Many universities have good art programs, even if they aren't an 'art school', and I'm sure there is something in your state that will save you a huge hassle as finances become an issue later in life.

[size=2]If you aren't sure why he wants to keep your relationship a secret (possibly because he's shy), then is there any reason not to ask him? It is a strange request, and getting a straight answer from him will allow your heart and mind to rest on the matter. Suspicion can eat away at anyone, especially early in a relationship when trust is just developing.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]As for kissing, just try to be gentle. I've never knocked teeth with my girlfriend (I don't think). Just let the lips touch and go forward from there. Remember, you're not bobbing for apples or anything.[/size]

[size=2]If I could, I'd be naked all the time. Sure, it would get cold, so I'd put some clothes on to go out into the Michigan winter. I'd also be nice and put a towel down so my *** sweat doesn't get all over the stuff I sit on.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]You might think that in this sense, I'm a nudist, but I'm really not. I'm the only one who gets to be naked. There are some people I really don't want to see naked, and there are some people I don't want other people to see naked, either. I can't change those needs about myself, but my being allowed to be naked doesn't compromise those needs, and lets me be as comfortable as I want to be, wherever I am.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]As usual, wishes and wants are worth about as much as a pile of dog doo-doo, so I have to have a plan to bring my desire into fruition. I'm going to create something that will become absolutely essential to everyone, and I will monopolize and withhold it unless my demands are met. Among them will be my right to be naked all the time.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]You can piss and moan about how it's not fair if you want, but I don't see you creating something wonderful to get the same privelege![/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Don't worry, you'll get used to it, and after a while seeing Erik naked will be about as offensive as seeing a baby naked.[/size]

[size=2]In my state, an old woman had a license plate that said, "NWTF", which stands for North Wood Tree Farm, a, well, tree farm that she and her husband own and run. On the internet, due to AIMspeak, this means now what the ****. So, they took away her license plate.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]She got mad, and ended up getting it back, but it just goes to show you what ridiculous levels censorship can be taken to if unchecked.[/size]

[size=2]In the computer game, Planescape: Torment, the main character is nameless. In fact, his name shows up as "Nameless One". When people ask him for a name, you can choose to lie. The name he always says is, "Adahn".[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]So, my name is a name made up by a computer game character. I am Adahn everywhere, in some form or another, except where someone else has already chosen that name.[/size]

[size=2]I don't know if keeping him alive would have been a good idea. If he's still got bullets in his gun, he's deadly. The quicker you take someone like that down, the better. Only one person died on site? We should all just be thankful that he's much better posing with a gun than shooting one. Can you imagine what it would have been like if he was [i]trained[/i] with it?[/size]

[font=Verdana][size=2]Since anybody who attempts to hijack a plane in the next 100 years will probably be beaten to death by the passengers, why not take some of the money going to airport security and use it to increase school security? It might be a hassle for everyone, but I'll take a hassle over getting shot at anyday.[/size][/font]

[size=2]Well, nezzyjean, I just looked at your profile, and you're about 17, right?[/size] [size=2]You should be able to make a decision on your own. However, seeing now as we know her parents don't want her stealing things, punished her for stealing, and wanted her to give everything back, one course of action seems best to me.[/size] [size=2]It can be awkward talking to other people's parents, but I think that has the best chance of a good outcome.[/size] [size=2]I'd tell them about the whale, and how it was a gift from your sister, and how rare it would be for two of them to be in one place. Tell them how you were at their house, and you lost it there, and that it ended up in their daughter's possession. Tell them that you know it's yours, and you'd really like to have it back, but their daughter doesn't believe that. If it's necessary, you can get your sister to vouch for you, but I don't think it will be. They will get your whale back, and if you don't say anything about her having stolen it, you may get out with your friendship intact, if you still want it. If your friend is angry at you getting it back and holds it against you, then she's probably too warped to be friends with anyone.[/size] [size=2]One last (I guess not last, since I'm still writing) note, judging by the purse comment I take it you're a girl? I'm sorry, but I thought throughout this whole thing that you were a male about 3 or 4 years younger than you actually are, and based most of my decisions on this. It really is strange the impressions we get when we talk to people on the internet.[/size] [size=2]Anywho, to recap. The parents don't like her having stolen property, they probably like you, and given the girl's history, will probably believe you over her, in a matter such as this. Be as honest and forthcoming as possible.[/size] [size=2]Lastly, if you take it without explaining everything to her parents, your friend may be able to convince them that you stole the whale from her, the rightful owner, which could open a rift between your two families.[/size] [size=2]This really is a touchy situation, and whatever you decide to do, proceed with care.[/size] [size=2]P.S. Now that you've been identified as a 17-year old girl, everybody's gonna think you're hawt ;)[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]EDIT: Pssh, holo Machamp. You can get one of those in the 10 dollar starter pack. Charizard is, always has been, and always will be, the ****.[/size]

[size=2]It really comes down to what I think are the right thing to do, and the best thing to do.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]The right thing to do is steal it back and don't talk to her anymore.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]The best thing to do is to get her to stop stealing, somehow, and let her give you back the whale.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Forget everything else I said. All of it. I change my mind all the time, and perhaps keeping it as simple as possible will leave me less open to attack.[/size] [size=2][/size]

[size=2]I don't have the American Christian perspective on sex, but I think it's what many people in my culture cling to. Many of them stress 'no sex before marriage', and with marriages coming later and later in our lives, people find themselves very sexually frustrated. Virginity MUST be intact for them, in all things that don't involve penile insertion into the vagina. If they, in their hearts, believed oral sex, handjobs, or something else to be 'sex' in the sense that it causes them to lose their virginity, then they would feel a great sense of shame, and would feel that they had betrayed God.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Perhaps this worldview which surrounds me has influenced my understanding of sex and virginity.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]The only sexual contact I ever had before actual sex was touching a girl's boobs. If that, without any involvement of genitalia, can be considered sex, then why not holding hands or kissing? I'd like to think I was a virgin when I was with my girlfriend for the first time, and I believe this is the case.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Since you all seem to have a broad definition of sex, where do you draw the line? I don't mean to be antagonistic, I am just curious. Perhaps you could tell us some activities that don't constitute sex and the loss of virginity? I've made my position quite firmly, already, but since I am by no reasonable definition a virgin, I am open to new definitions.[/size]

[size=2]Never have I said anything about the girl being justified, and I apologize, but if you think I said this, ever, you've greatly misunderstood me. I quoted something earlier, but I imagine I'll have to bring it to your attention again.[/size] [size=2][/size] Quote: Originally Posted by [b]nezzyjean[/b] [i] [size=2]This girl happens to have a history of stealing, she just got caught shoplifting at the mall 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I know she had stolen an [b]incredible[/b] amount of items before that..but she said that she would never ever steal from a person or one of her friends.[/i] [/size] [size=2]What I have suggested has nothing to do with trying to justify the girl's actions. I have done my best to see what anyone else who reads this should see: the girl has a serious problem with stealing.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Please stop telling me that what the girl has done is wrong. I know this. It doesn't need to be said anymore. Nobody, especially me, is trying to say that what she has done is right.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]The girl, in saying 'that she would never ever steal from a person or one of her friends', has obviously admitted to the thread-starter that she has a problem with stealing. In my opinion, someone should have brought this to her parents', guidance counselor's, and school's attention a LONG time ago.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]The easiest solution to this problem is what has been suggested; steal it back. The BEST solution to this problem is to recognize it as a problem, and treat it as one. Any of the courses of action I have presented will result in the whale returning to the original owner, with the benefit that people will be made aware of this girl's problem and deal with it properly.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Oh dear, a little bit of anger here.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]You people, telling him to do what's necessary to get the item back and nothing else, are encouraging him to encourage her to keep stealing. You are telling her, "It's not okay to steal from me, but I'm not telling anyone else about your stealing problem, okay?"[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]If you must persist in this nonsense, then I hope this girl grows up to be a master thief, and I hope she steals very, VERY valuable things from you, to the extent that you find your assets harmfully diminished, and you must survive on food stamps.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]You have an influence on nezzyjean, here, and if you won't take responsibility for what your statements can cause, then I can only hope that it bites you in the *** someday.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]If you think what I have suggested is a bad idea, then listen to Sara. You may be too young to take the responsibility of helping your friend into your own hands, and in that case, you should just take it back and let her deal with her problems on her own.[/size]

[quote name='Sandy']I know it's a lame excuse to avoid further debate over this very confusing issue, but I can only deduce that the word "sex" must mean a different thing in English language than it does in Finnish. You use it to describe just the intercourse, we use it to describe everything else of that nature as well. Let's just leave it at that, okay? ;D[/quote] [size=2]Done deal.[/size] [QUOTE=Sandy] I have to say though (and I'm not debating over this, just making a remark), that I find your assumption that I would be somehow clumsier with women than your average straight guy just because I haven't had any type of sex with one. I, however, do know where the "critical parts" are located in a woman, and the same can't really be said about some straight guys. ;P[/QUOTE] [size=2]I expect you find my assumption...something like ridiculous or unfair. If you haven't caught this already, you may want to edit your post so I can understand exactly what you're trying to say. You may not be clumsy, but you may find yourself surprised. As a man who has been with a woman, I know my own responses as well as a woman's, and they are, quite simply, different. The only way not to be thrown off balance would for YOU to have the conception that sex is just 'hardcore banging'. Practice makes perfect, but just because you're awesome at the batting cages doesn't mean you'll hit every (good) pitch thrown in a baseball game.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]As a respectable heterosexual individual, I don't like entertaining homosexuality in myself, but I will say that I have no misconceptions about being able to hold my own in a homosexual experience.[/size]

[size=2]Have you ever heard of nicotine or alcohol? Have you ever heard of drugs that can cause dependence? The word commonly used for the abuse nicotine, alchohol, or pharmaceuticals is addiction. In these cases, the drug causes a physical dependence. Nothing can MAKE them smoke another cigarette, drink another shot, or take another pill, but that doesn't mean it's easy for them to stop. Some people have the desire to stop, but they don't have the willpower. Some people go to alcoholics anonymous or narcotics anonymous, because outside sources can sometime help people deal with their addictions.[/size] [size=2]People with gambling addictions get a huge thrill out of gambling. It is a perfectly legal thing to do, but it ruins some people worse than alcohol, nicotine, or pharmaceuticals ever can. There are hotlines for people with gambling addictions, and many family members intervene in their loved one's lives, in hopes of helping them help themselves to stop.[/size] [size=2]I have been reading your posts closely, sakurasuka, and I'm trying to help you see a connection here.[/size] [size=2]Stealing is illegal and wrong, but the thrill people get out of it is the same thrill people get from gambling. In case you don't know, it really is a thrill. I've never stolen, but when I've considered it and known I would get away with it, I felt a heady rush. My morality stops me from being a thief, but it may have lost out had I gotten to like the feeling thievery brings.[/size] [size=2]I suppose you have no pity or desire to help those who gamble their lives away? We should shut down all the hotlines that help people with their addiction, because they can do it themselves? Should we eliminate alcoholics anonymous and narcotics anonymous, as well? Despite the physical dependence, some people can beat their addictions through a force of will, so we should remove the option for all people? Nobody tries to justify these things, but they seek to help.[/size] [size=2]Perhaps someone you care about will fall prey to an addiction, and then you may learn to empathize with others and try to help them. However, I hope you can learn these things on your own from human experience. Open your heart and see.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]EDIT: Oh spencer's, what a wonderful place. My girlfriend and I go there sometimes, but between the two of us, I guess we don't have the nuts to buy anything. We don't steal, though, we just look. The stores I've been to were cramped and dark, and with the things they sell there, it's a combination that just begs all the delinquents to come in and take whatever they can shove in their pockets. There's a difference between being a thieving jackass and having a problem with the thrill of stealing. When a girl steals an object of importance from her friend, you know it's no longer about wanting the stolen item, it's about the thrill of stealing.[/size]

[QUOTE=Sandy]No, I'm just [i]gay[/i]. ;D And I'm most definitely [i]not[/i] a virgin. Virgins don't have the experience I have, [i]seriously[/i]. I can only assume that you live in a little heterosexual bubble where sex is hardcore banging, but people really are different out there. Separating sex and lovemaking as different things is going to pure semantics. It's basically the same type of action, the other word is just more emotionally charged. But I grow tired of debating over this thing, when obviously nothing I can say will make you consider your definition. You've learned that sky is blue, so I really can't make you believe it can sometimes be pink.[/QUOTE] [size=2]There's so little here, so I don't think I will stop. Besides, if you really were tired of debating, you wouldn't have written that second part there.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]I will ask you a simple question, because it is possible you have led me to believe something untrue through witholding information. Have you ever had sexual intercourse? If yes, then you are not a virgin. If you have not, then you are a virgin. I've searched and searched, and despite your italicized emphasizations, I just cannot find any reliable definition that is contrary to the one I take to be true.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]On the next part, I'm going to have to give you a little bit of a reality check. I live in a BIG heterosexual bubble, while you live in a comparably infinitessimal homosexual bubble. I don't believe I said anything that had anything to do with 'hardcore banging'. It must just have been something you added to goad me into a reply, while expressing a wish to stop debating, so you can catch me with the whole, "I wanted to stop, but he just kept going!" thing.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Let's examine the hypothetical experienced gay man gone straight. This person has never had sex with a woman, but is very, [i]very[/i] experienced with men. When he decides to change sides, what can he tell a woman? He can say he was gay, and he did a lot of things, but he's never had a woman. Most women empathize with gay men, so he might not have much trouble finding a woman. Now, I'm just speculating here, but I think sexual intercourse and gay sex would be quite a bit different. The gay man, with all his experience, just wouldn't know how to handle a woman. It's an experience that can only be had between a man and a woman. The physical responses and desires of men and women are quite different, and that gay man may find himself as clumsy and inexperienced as if he'd never had sex with anyone. They both would know that he truly was a virgin.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]If you want to say you've had sex, fine, just make sure you tell people it's gay sex, or they may not know exactly what experience you have had. If you want to not be a virgin, that's fine too, but you'll have to tell people you're not a virgin in the homosexual sense. Some of the rituals and physical actions may be the same, but in a very real sense, sexual intercourse and gay sex are distinctly different.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Since sexual intercourse, in all species in which it occurs, is infinitely more common than homosexual intercourse, it is homosexual intercourse which must be qualified. To the majority goes the term sex. The minority must abide qualification.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Now, to make it seem like I'm not a huge gay-person hating man, I'll make a comparison. As a white male, I generally may refer to myself as a man, without qualification. Black men, however, are more often qualified, because they are a minority.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Should we eliminate the majority/minority bias by, as a whole, accepting homosexual relations as equal to and indistinguishable from heterosexual relations? Whatever you believe, Sandy, you know this is not the case today. Would you have it be this way?[/size]

[font=Verdana][size=2]Nothing I've said says anything about how much experience I've had with sex.[/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2]Everything you've said has everything to do with what I consider 'lovemaking'. Sex is sex. Lovemaking is lovemaking. Two individuals of any sex can engage in lovemaking without having sex.[/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2]Calling someone a virgin because they have not had sexual intercourse is [i]ludicrous?[/i][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2]I can't think of anything else to say, after that. If you can honestly believe in the above statement, then there's really no need for me to try to convince you otherwise.[/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2]You're just weird.[/size][/font]

[size=2]Philosophy definitely plays a part in many useful things, but how useful is it in itself?[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]First, you need a great mind. Your average Joe will not be a great philosopher. A great mind, though, can be many things. One could have a great mind for the practical, the spiritual, or the physical, and be a great philosopher.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Next, this great mind must decide to devote itself to philosophy. The person may have excelled in many fields, but this great mind must choose philosophy.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Now, we have a great mind focused on philosophy, and I'm going to make an assumption. Someone with a great mind dedicated to philosophy must live a particularly comfortable life. You cannot have time to devote to philosophy if you work 40 hours a week. It's exhausting, and progress will come slowly. Therefore, you must be a priveleged member of society to be able to pursue this successfully.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Now, the person devotes an amount of time to philosophy, and writes a whole bunch of stuff down. This stuff then has to be read and accepted for mass production. If this happens, then we have philosophy books written by our priveleged, great minded person.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]It takes time for people to read books, and even longer for them to impact the world. How many years will they sit on the shelf before they are used as guidelines for some 'real' thing? The philosopher has been published, so he has money now, and he/she can write to his/her heart's content, until the day he/she dies.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]There is no guarantee that your work will EVER impact ANYONE in ANY real way. They may enjoy your work, but it will probably never be any more than something enjoyable to read.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Philosophy is important, because some works do have an effect on society, but I think Retribution wants to have a real effect on it. He wants to do work that he know will change things. He wants his impact on the world to be real, even if it's only a thumbprint in the dirt.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Philosophy gives you no such guarantee. Your work may be completely useless, or it could change the world. Your impact could have the force of a meteor strike, or it could miss completely. Using a physical metaphor, philosophy is full of potential energy, which may or may not be transformed into kinetic energy. Retribution's ideas may have less potential, but there is some kinetic energy there, always.[/size]

[size=2]Well, before you steal your whale back, you might want to ask her for some tips, first (sort of joking). The worst thing that could happen in this case is that you get caught stealing it back, she fights for it, and the glass whale gets broken. Then the whale's gone, the friendship's gone, and everything sucks.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]If someone stole a gift from me that my dear little sister gave to me, I'd get it back, and I'd never talk to the thief again. Gosh, does that make me a hypocrite? Yeah, I suppose it does, but there's nothing wrong with looking at alternatives.[/size] [size=2][/size]

[font=Verdana][size=2]I'm in a genetics lab this term, and we're working with fruit flies. When female fruit flies emerge in their adult form, they are sexually mature. It takes males 8 hours to become sexually mature. If we want to breed those female fruit flies with another type of fruit fly with a certain phenotype, we must isolate virgin females. The reason for this is that the first time a female fruit fly has mates, it stores the sperm from the first mating and uses it in all of the eggs it lays. So, what you do is you kill all the emerged adult fruit flies in a tube, and come back within 8 hours and collect the females, because it's impossible for them to have mated with the immature males within that time period. Now, while you're away, those fruit flies can do some crazy stuff, rubbing their legs all over each other and licking each other sensually, but whatever happens, they're still virgins.[/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2]However many sexually enjoyable things you've done with a person, unless you've had sex, as it's always been defined, you're a virgin.[/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2]You may consider yourself very sexually experienced, but losing virginity is a simple, definable experience. Any person who has not had this experience can truthfully claim to be a virgin. They can say, "I've done a lot of things, but I've never had sex."[/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2]Homosexuals may have their own understanding of virginity, and this is a good, reasonable thing. How would it sound if your partner, with whom you've shared many a personal experience, called him/herself a virgin? It would undermine the relationship, and it would undermine what homosexuality stands for.[/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2]I do not ask that you stop calling yourself a virgin, that would be an unreasonable thing to do, but try to keep an open mind, and allow heterosexuals to keep their definition. People at this age are confused enough about sex without us changing its definition on them :)[/size][/font]

[size=2]Whether you want to give it a fancy name or not, compulsive stealing is a problem that may not be dissuaded by punishment alone. I have never known a compulsive stealer. Ever. I'm not saying it's not her fault she stole the whale, I'm saying that it may take more than a ***** slap to set her straight.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]Only nezzyjean and other people who know the girl personally can say whether she steals compulsively. How do you stop a compulsive gambler, take away their money? They'll sell their assets for that thrill. I just re-read the thread starter's post, and I think you all should see something again.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2][Quote=nezzyjean][/size] [size=2]This girl happens to have a history of stealing, she just got caught shoplifting at the mall 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I know she had stolen an [b]incredible[/b] amount of items before that..but she said that she would never ever steal from a person or one of her friends.[/quote][/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2]An incredible amount? Seems like a compulsive thief to me, and now it's gone beyond stores. It may seem like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill here, but I think you're making a molehill out of a mountain.[/size] [size=2][/size] [size=2][/size]