Hello everybody

[b etor]

Speak for yourself, B. I know that, when I have a bad day, it's really hard not to vent by obsessively marginalizing and denigrating a largish demographic group. Back when the kid had bad gas pains, I spent whole days writing letters demanding draconian new powers for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

...I was. I said *I* multiple times. I also have no idea wtf you're talking about...

[giblets]

Speak for yourself, B. I know that, when I have a bad day, it's really hard not to vent by obsessively marginalizing and denigrating a largish demographic group. Back when the kid had bad gas pains, I spent whole days writing letters demanding draconian new powers for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Shouldn't the Indians have to send thank you notes for being liberated before they get anything? Ungrateful bastards.

[Elok]

...I was. I said *I* multiple times. I also have no idea wtf you're talking about...

The original argument was that we should cut BK's gay-bashing some slack because of hard times he might have been going through--as if continually despising and demeaning a whole group of people were somehow comparable to slamming doors or snarling replies after a bad day. That was my (admittedly heavy-handed with the sarcasm) rejoinder. Sorry if it was muddled.

[b etor]

Oh I see. My confusion may have more to do with my extremely intoxicated state, rather than your mudddled-ness. (practicing for my 21st by drinking every night the week preceding it. (people are out to get my shtfaced for whatever reason..., particularly by bff tyler)

[Ben Kenobi]

Imagine how gay people must feel when not allowed to marry, dickhead.

I thought european people were supposed to be tolerant? Apparently not.

[Elok]

As a certified pushing-30 old person, let me be the first person on here to advise you that, if any person pushes you to drink more than you are comfortable drinking, said person should be instructed to engage in carnal relations with his/her parent. Or just punch 'em in the liver. That solves most problems.

[Ben Kenobi]

The difference is Ben's goals are to create those things to deal with for other people. His aim is to bring people down and prevent them from being true to themselves.

Actually, we have a fundamental disagreement. You believe that a person's identity is confined in whatever they do, which is a nominalist position. I believe that a person has fundamental qualities that cannot be expressed in their actions, which is an idealist position.

I'm both a realist and an idealist, while you are a materialist and a nominalist. That's where the disagreement comes. The difference is that I understand your position, while you do not understand mine.

[Dinner]

Alberta now has Muslim and Jewish mayors in the two major cities, and a female liberal (or red tory, at least) as the premiere with a strong mandate.

The days of right-wing white Christian men ruling the province are over.

Ben and the National Post weep.

If you keep this up we won't be able to keep calling you Canada's Texas for much longer.

[Ben Kenobi]

The original argument was that we should cut BK's gay-bashing some slack because of hard times he might have been going through--as if continually despising and demeaning a whole group of people were somehow comparable to slamming doors or snarling replies after a bad day. That was my (admittedly heavy-handed with the sarcasm) rejoinder. Sorry if it was muddled.

Elok, what do you believe that scripture teaches on this issue? Asher is a materialist, you are not, so your approaches to this question are a 180 from Asher's.

[giblets]

Nominalism is a metaphysical view in philosophy according to which general or abstract terms and predicates exist, while universals or abstract objects, which are sometimes thought to correspond to these terms, do not exist.[1] Thus, there are at least two main versions of nominalism. One version denies the existence of universals—things that can be instantiated or exemplified by many particular things (e.g. strength, humanity). The other version specifically denies the existence of abstract objects—objects that do not exist in space and time.[2]

Most nominalists have held that only physical particulars in space and time are real, and that universals exist only post res, that is, subsequent to particular things.[3] However, some versions of nominalism hold that some particulars are abstract entities (e.g. numbers), while others are concrete entities—entities that do exist in space and time (e.g. tables, chairs).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominalism

How does this have anything to do with gay marriage and ben's bigoted attitude toward homosexuals?

[Ben Kenobi]

How does this have anything to do with gay marriage

Believing that one's sexual orientation is a fundamental characteristic of being is a nominalist position - you are asserting that a person is what they do.

[giblets]

I wouldn't call someone a "basketball player" unless they played basketball. I wouldn't call a man a "homosexual" unless he found men attractive. Apparently you think otherwise...?

[Ben Kenobi]

I wouldn't call someone a "basketball player" unless they played basketball. I wouldn't call a man a "homosexual" unless he found men attractive. Apparently you think otherwise...?

Can someone stop being an active basketball player? If so, it's not a fundamental attribute of the person, it's just an occupation.

[giblets]

Yes... but the inclination to play basketball still exists. And I don't think someone can make the inclination to have sex with men go away.

[Ben Kenobi]

Yes... but the inclination to play basketball still exists. And I don't think someone can make the inclination to have sex with men go away.

So you can discriminate against someone for playing Basketball?