"Spooky" Stories.

Here's a bunch of interesting parables about human nature and group events and survival.

Naturally they get a bit dark in places.  And some are apocryphal   such as the lemmings one, but they do talk about how bad stuff can happen and it's rarely "fair".

And in short, the importance of liberty, of being free.  Such as the one about the starved horses. Where a farmer is taken in on animal cruelty charges because he starved his animals in the hopes of being able to afford them at a later day:

The moral of the story: The guy who is starving you may sincerely be trying to feed you, but his best efforts might not be enough. In the end, if you are penned in, you can be killed by simple starvation and neglect, requiring no directly malign intention by your captors. Starvation just happens naturally when insufficient food is coming into the enclosure.

Or the related Crazy Cat Lady.  Someone with too many animals to care for and refuses to let them go:

The moral of the story: Good intentions don’t mean squat if you trap other living beings inside an enclosure and then you can’t feed them in perpetuity. The holocaust that results is still on you. Expressed good intentions about your trapped population will not be accepted. “I was doing my best to help them” will ring as hollow a defense as “I was just following orders.” North Korea comes to mind as a very large enclosure.

Malevolence is not required for oppression and destruction   Though funny thing,  the people that want to whole the whip, that want to make a "better"  man  tend to rather enjoy it.


And then after the parables it gets darker. Like what happens when the food distribution systems fail?  The answer is grim.  In short: stay out of an adjacent to any urban centers.  Oh joy.

There's a related article on Civilizational Margin here.

Water is Heavy.

An example.

There's a reason they tell you to not drive over flooded roads.

Inertia and buoyancy .

Post inspired by some thoughts from Tam, the above image, and some car talk at lunch.

Oh and from this bit here.  Specifically this part

BlogMeet and Merch and Handgonne Vids

Had a fun blogmeet at Yats.  Topics went from what happens when a bunch of your neighbors are also into armature radio, to the importance of red beans, to where to buy blinking "science!" lights, and a bunch of various and sundry that slip my mind at the moment.

And as promised I wore my Russian Origami shirt:

If you want one it can be ordered at the above link.

I'll put up Roberta's account when it gets posted. Edit:  And here's her report.

But first, as promised,  footage of the Handgonne in action.



Here's one of it with a better fireball.   And here's a closer look while a friend shoots it.

There's just something about a gun with no moving parts.   Also it's quite fun firing shot as well.  Also at the blogmeet was discussion that while the handgonne could be used for squirrel hunting,  deer hunting, as one of the smith's friends is thinking, seems right out the window.


Update with GBC comments:

Weerd: You wearing a suit at the range, Jack?

This tickles me because in that vid (and right now) I'm wearing Woolrich conceal carry pants,  a Dickies work shirt, workboots and one of Linoge's Russian Orgiami shirts (I bought two, you should too!).  All of which is pretty far from a suit.

Both shirts have good material and long tails, which makes handy for carry options.  The pants are nice having reinforced pockets,  extra pockets (without making you look like you have cargo shorts), and seams that have extra material that make doing repairs and adjustments a snap.
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Weerd: Jack looks like you shop at the MIB store!

Hey! I  have some tan, dark blue, and brown clothes.  Even some dark green stuff!

Monsters?

Here's an interesting piece on Cracked by David Wong 5 Reasons Humanity Desperately Wants Monsters to be Real. It goes into the psychology and evolutionary history and why humans are so inclined to demonize out-groups.

What's funny is when the David Wong's own bias gets through.  Naturally, he talks about how when someone disagrees with you they might not be a monster, but the inclination is there  especially if you dehumanize others to justify your own misdeeds.

 Naturally his examples lean a certain way. For example  unpack this conclusion:

So no matter how many times you vote to cut food stamps and then use the money to buy a boat, you could still be way worse. You could, after all, be one of those raping/murdering/lazy/ignorant/greedy/oppressive monsters that you know the world is full of and that only your awesome moral code prevents you from turning into at any moment.

It's fascinating in a piece about dehumanizing those that disagree with you to give yourself moral comfort, the author...  does exactly that.  It's actually very human.  I can give a little slack as it would be hard for him to write an example such as above without some bias.

However, earlier in the article, he has a section where he talks about vigilante fantasies and why they are so satisfying, even to himself. And then he puts up a picture of George Zimmerman.

Nevermind that Zimmerman was injured, attacked first, was defending himself, and that much of what Tayvon Martin's family  "has said in public have turned out to be outright fabrications."   Hell just look at the deliberate use of photos of Martin that are years out of date.

In an article talking about the need for humans to to have monsters, David Wong makes his own monster.  In an article about how people will rush do dehumanize others without having all the facts  David Wong does just that.

Hats off Wong.  Excellent example of man's need to create monsters.

What's funny is that there are monsters.  Or is someone who goes about raping/murdering NOT a monster?

Aren't good and sensible people all about rape never being justified? Isn't that why the Dem's "War on Women" resonates?  They point out examples of people that try to justify/excuse/contextualize rape because it is considered repugnant (and then they conflate it with #MoreFreeStuff).


You can have a point on your list that says "We All Have at Least One Category of People We Think of as Monsters"  and nod sagely on the wages of hate and dehumanizing, but the contra is... what?   To have no behavior  no action that is considered monstrous?  

I'd give Wong credit for acknowledging that he is not immune to this behavior.  He repeatedly talks about this being a universal human trait and gives his own examples, both knowingly and, as we see above, unknowingly    But the title of his piece betrays that he doesn't think monsters are real.


The thing is there are monsters (hah note how the "At Least One Category"  point is such an insulation from this line of thinking).  Or there are at least are people that will do monstrous things to other human beings.

Rape and murder for example. You can even point to people that do monstrous thing and without any "justifiable" (whatever that means)  reasons.  Is the alternative to say that all people would be rapists?   That we are all monsters,  we just don't have the opportunity?

Just look through Weerd's Gun Death files or  Jay G's  Dead Goblin Count  And yes, by calling them Goblins Jay G is deliberately dehumanizing the attackers.

Or if those examples are a bit too pedestrian how about this list of The 7 Creepiest Serial Killers In American History.  Or maybe Cracked's own lists such as 6 Real Murders who Put Horror Movie Villains to Shame  or  The 5 Creepiest Stories in the History of War.

Here's the thing David Wong forgets (in addition to his own making of monsters).  Yes there was a psychological and evolutionary need for humans to develop behaviors that were designed at defeating predators, rivals, and attackers.

But predators, rivals, and attackers still exist. Sure, you can come up with  reasons why the rapist, the murderer, or person threatening to do the preceding to you if you don't give him your stuff is not a monster.  But that doesn't negate the fact that there are people who can and will do those things to you.

Saying there's no such thing as a monster is no comfort when faced with a person perfectly willing to act like one.

Of course, that there are monsters (or those that act monstrous)  does make dehumanizing those that disagree with you much. much easier. Just because you go around saying that some things are wolf-like does not mean that wolves don't exist.

The Nineteenth Amendment? You’ve come a long way baby.

Sure as she made little golden apples, there's a reason that Eris made surrogates and hatchet-men.

It’s so that when you court the “unemployed I’m the voice-of-my-generation so pay my rent Dad!” voting block with your glass-eyed celebrity looking for a big, strong Welfare State to be her husband-daddy your campaign has some plausible deniability.

Not all attempts to be hip and edgy work out.  And you kind of want an escape hatch.



Yes... there's a full minute of her "too hip for the world" prattle.  Why that's like 45 minutes in college minutes!  And boy does it feel that way.

Remember, "this is an official Obama for America ad. This isn’t some PAC, or some minor celebrity trying to get upvotes on Funny or Die. OfA put this out there."

Further, Treacher points out this is what the Dems think of their own base, women so "so helpless and infantilized that something like this appeals to them.”  Or worse it's what they think will sway independents.

Again,  this is why you have surrogates and hatchemen and PACs and fellow travelers. Keep your own hands clean.  Have an alibi.

I mean geeze, Progs. It’s not like the Republicans haven’t been giving you plenty of ammo in your “war on women” you don’t have to go full Stepford.

Is that why Obama admitted that he has trouble with ninth grade math? Did he think it would help woo voters he assumes are intimidated by all those scary numbers?

It's sad when the Daily Kos puts together a better "Republicans are Scary to Women" advert.

Oh and to add to the pile of Sad?

It's a copy of a Putin campaign ad. 

*puts on black framed glasses*
"Yeah, it's a fun ad in an ironic, trying to hard, way,  but I liked the original better.  It was Russian, I'm sure you haven't heard of it."

Via Weerd, of course who also links Crowder actually managing to satirize the vid.
Way to fight against Poe's Law!

Fall

Welp, looks like with the front moving through Fall is here.

I should have bought some cider today.   Ah well.

It's looking like I'll have to mow the lawn one more time.

Depending on the weather, I hope to fire the handgonne again, and see how others like it at the range.

Not sure I'm ready to risk the chron with it though.

Who will retake the Whitehouse?

I heard that line just now on the radio on the drive home.

You expect that with an election and all.   But there's some caveats.

The AP newsdroid was talking about "The Obama campaign's plan to retake the Whitehouse."

Not retain the Whitehouse.  But retake.   

At least they're admitting that Obama was in office, at some point in time.

 

And of course the newsdroid herself used that blatant language.  Democratic operatives with bylines indeed.

Though I wonder why the Progs are so worried. It's not like the Stupid party is a real threat to them,  and even if the Stupids won it wouldn't be too different.

Then again, Maoists and Stalanists don't get along either.