Snowflake's Forum

It’s the weekend.  What do you want to "yakety yak" about?  Your current problems?  Upcoming events?  Best way to meditate?  Favorite color?  What's for supper? 😁 Your call.  We're all here for each other! [Our little Mutual Admiration Society] (by PrimalSoup)

As part of SNOWFLAKE'S FORUM'S unending quest for truth, justice and the American way in Canada, we need to consider anger. Fomenting anger is an easy, fast and fun tactic to lower people's IQ by about 30 points and con them into believing things that just aren't true. This video describes how it is done and what effects anger has on politics and society.   By Germaine: Professor of advanced dark free speech technology

 What are you ANAL about? Are you a fuss pot? Do you have a fixation or obsession about something? Believe it or not, your favorite Snowflake, IS a fuss pot. Anal. Obsessed. About what? you might ask. About cleanliness. Example: I was never able to date anyone who was a clutterbug. Dust bunnies drive me crazy. So, of course, I do the house cleaning. Geri doesn't mind. I can't STAND dirty dishes. Have always been this way. Can't help myself. My new SUV is spotless inside and out.  That is MY anal obsession. WHAT IS YOURS? Oops, did I just get "dirty?"  😳

As the campaign season heats up, it's time to fire up our defenses against brain rot. Here, legal immigrant, and now naturalized citizen, John Oliver provides some deep insight into the always fun astroturfing industry. By Germaine: Professor of advanced dark free speech technology

Here’s a toughie: Question : When does human consciousness begin? In the womb After birth For you metaphysical types, before birth/conception    It’s always existed , we just “tap into" (borrow from) the/a Master Consciousness Consciousness isn't real.  It's all just one big simulation Other Give it a lot of thought, then post your conclusion, along with your supporting argument(s). (by PrimalSoup)

  Signs allegedly advertising 'whites-only' playgroup condemned as 'vile' by Canadian mayor Fliers allegedly spotted hanging around a Canadian town have received backlash for calling local parents and kids to join a "whites-only" playgroup. Posts about the signs  began appearing on social media Sunday, saying they had been spotted in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and other towns in the Metro Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. The sign invites "proud parents of European children" to join the group if they are "looking for somewhere your children can play with others that look like them," are "tired of being a minority" or looking to "escape forced 'diversity'" and give children the "gift of time spent amongst their own people." https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2023/09/27/signs-advertising-whites-only-playgroup-canada-condemned/70983397007/ News outlet  CBC News located some of the posters  

 OR, just call them white whiners. white whiner A white person who was raised with all the opportunities in the world, wasted them all, and now continually whines about whatever they're currently upset over. Can also be white people who "used to  be somebody " but have seen  tough times  and  still feel  entitled to a life of luxury, and whine profusely about whoever they blame for their current situation whenever the opportunity presents itself. He's always blaming somebody and never  stops   complaining  about how  messed up  his life has become. He's a real white whiner. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=white%20whiner Whatchathink? Should regular dictionaries pick up the term like urbandictionary has? Know any white whiners? 

First, let’s discuss you atheists: If it’s done uninvited (a key word here, meaning done offensively, not defensively) is there anything wrong (unethical, rude, inconsiderate, overbearing, [xxx]) with an atheist trying to destroy a theist’s grounded belief in their religion; as if the atheist knows something the theist doesn’t? Is it just plain mean and arrogant to be so offensive regarding the theists’ subjective feelings?   Does it insult you that a theist would dare challenge your non-belief? How about you theists: Now let’s reverse the above scenario.   I won’t retype it, but just reread the above, substituting theist for atheist. Question : When is the right time for one side to challenge the other side?  It is always the right time, whether invited to do so or not?  Is the aggressor always in the wrong, the “bad guy,” ethically?  And the agress-ee just an innocent bystander who is the other's punching bag? Yes, a lot of questions here.   How do you approach the s

Regarding SNOWFLAKE’S Forum here, do you think it has helped shape you in any way?  I’m especially referring to you long-timers here, but all feel free to discuss/disqus.   Do you find that this forum has, for example: Helped validate your opinions and embolden you Caused you to do a lot of second-guessing about your views Made you dig in your heels even deeper, on your viewpoints Given you a sense of community, of belonging See it more as your daily “Dear Abby” Provided an outlet, a relief valve to bloviate Mostly pissed you off, but like a moth to a flame, you can’t help yourself Other effects What emotional effect has this forum had on you?   Please explain in detail.   Enquiring minds (and I) want to know. 😁 (by PrimalSoup)

  HOW AMERICA GOT MEAN In a culture devoid of moral education, generations are growing up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world. By  David Brooks O ver the past  eight years or so, I’ve been obsessed with two questions. The first is: Why have Americans become so sad? The rising rates of depression have been well publicized, as have the rising deaths of despair from drugs, alcohol, and suicide. But other statistics are similarly troubling. The percentage of people who say they don’t have close friends has increased fourfold since 1990. The share of Americans ages 25 to 54 who weren’t married or living with a romantic partner went up to 38 percent in 2019, from 29 percent in 1990. A record-high 25 percent of 40-year-old Americans  have never married . More than half of all Americans say that no one knows them well. The percentage of high-school students who report “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” shot up from 26 percent in 2009 to 44 percent in 2021. My second

Possibly the Mother of all Religious philosophical questions, here’s something heavy for your weekend (granted, I don’t expect much participation, other than our more devout regulars… btw, luv yuz!: If God is “good,” why is there so much evil in the world? Yes, it’s one of those “gold standard” type questions, way up the philosophical list, but is it really a tough question?   I’m tempted to chime in here, but I’ll save my opinions for down in the posting section, so as not to “taint the jury.” 😉 So, do you know the answer to that question? Now, put on two hats: If you are not religious, give your answer as if you were religious. If you are religious, give your answer as if you were not religious. I.e., play both sides of the issue; or, dare I say, play "Devil's advocate." 😈 (by PrimalSoup)

So, the US is not even in the top 10 of my preferred countries to live in? But Canada is #3? Say what? And your personalized set of top 10 best countries includes:   Australia   Switzerland   Canada   Sweden   New Zealand   France   United Kingdom   Germany   Italy   Netherlands Based on what you considered most and least important for a country's overall success. I tried to answer the questions in the following quiz as honestly as I could after careful consideration: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/quiz-find-the-best-country-for-you And came up with these results: SUBRANKING IMPORTANCE WEIGHT Quality of Life 5 - Extremely important 15.15% Entrepreneurship 3 - Somewhat important 9.09% Agility 3 - Somewhat important 9.09% Social Purpose 5 - Extremely important 15.15% Movers 2 - A little important 6.06% Cultural Influence 2 - A little important 6.06% Open for Business 3 - Somewhat important 9.09% Adventure 4 - Pretty important 12.12% Power 2 - A little important 6

With all the kerfuffle lately over ChatGPT, I decided to look into it. Upon my initial inspection, it seems that ChatGPT is a little more sophisticated than Siri or Alexa, going beyond just giving links, the weather, and/or doing some fast math calculations. Chat GPT is able to perform more complicated tasks, like writing you up a short story about, say, Susan, an avid mountain climber who falls and breaks a leg.   Here’s what I got when I asked ChatGPT for that:   Susan had always been a fearless mountain climber, conquering peaks that dared to challenge her spirit. Her latest expedition took her to the treacherous heights of the Himalayas, where she aimed to ascend a peak that had never been summited before. With every step, Susan felt the thrill of adventure coursing through her veins. She relished the biting cold, the howling winds, and the breathtaking beauty of the snow-covered landscape. But as she neared the summit, disaster struck. A loose rock sent her tumbling, and she c

 Believe it or not, I was NEVER a fan of 2001 - too dry, too slow. On the other hand, a cheaply made poorly acted sci-fi movie is still one of my faves - the original Terminator. I sort of liked the first three Star Wars movies, though corny as you know what. BUT then they made it into a franchise and now - forgetaboutit! Couldn't stand ET either.  SO for me the bestest of the best sci-fi movies makes a short list: The 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the sequels.  Alien and Aliens, none of the alter sequels. Contact The Truman Show Children of Men Avatar, but not the sequel Close Encounters of the Third Kind and who can dispute one of the greatest classics of ALL time: NOW YOUR TURN!

Racial discrimination exists all over the world.  No big surprise there.  If you are among your country’s majority race, you likely have it a lot better, racially, than your country’s minority counterparts.  Here in mostly White America (71% according to Wikipedia) discrimination is also alive and well and doing its negative, destructive thing.  Most if not all of us here on this forum acknowledge that discrimination still happens within our “shining city on a hill.”  If we are White, we already know about and have experienced our “White privilege” by way of good jobs and other connections/benefits.   I know I have.    Any White person who denies that is only fooling themselves and lives in an alternate reality; they are not seeing things clearly.   If you are not White, you also know very well the “other side of the story.” Granted, discrimination-wise, things have gotten a lot better here in the U.S. since the ‘60s.  In general, that’s fair and accurate to recognize. But it’s f