Ferrets, even when de-scented, are smelly little fucking bastards. They are very sweet and a lot of fun, but the odor makes them totally not worth keeping as pets.
I think I understand why Mark Webber and possibly Will Power are both relatively tall drivers though...giant spiders.
Relatively taller to other drivers, but give me some 6 foot rally drivers, drifters, and V8 supercar drivers any day. F1 is a sport where your physical limitations are important - the tiny guy shaves off a little weight and size of the car, providing a small advantage in a sport where a small advantage can win you the race. In, for example, V8 supercars, you can be a bigger guy like me, and still not only compete, but win - You can't even cram all 6'4" of me into an Indy or F1 car, not without chopping off a few bits. Same with rally, same with drifting, etc, etc. The wideness of your ass or the length of your legs isn't a factor - it's all about your skill, and your car.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not shitting on F1 and Indy drivers, they're seriously skilled, and the cars are the cutting edge of engineering - but it's not a sport that I like very much, particularly as someone who loves cars and driving, because it's something I can never, ever do, no matter what I do short of changing the rules of F1 and Indy.
Ferrets, even when de-scented, are smelly little fucking bastards. They are very sweet and a lot of fun, but the odor makes them totally not worth keeping as pets.
My ex-fiancee used to work in a vet's practice, and told me horror stories about expressing ferret's glands. The way she described the small was nothing short of poetic in it's horribleness.
People have been experimenting with the covered cockpit in F1 and there is that weird fan car in Gran Turismo, so maybe there is hope if they do a covered car. Is there Le Mans style sports car racing in Australia? If so, there's also Prototypes.
People have been experimenting with the covered cockpit in F1 and there is that weird fan car in Gran Turismo, so maybe there is hope if they do a covered car. Is there Le Mans style sports car racing in Australia? If so, there's also Prototypes.
Yeah, there's stuff like the Australian Endurance championship, and the Bathurst 12 hour and Bathurst 1000. Nothing quite like Le Mans, though.
Wow, okay, geez. This is why I don't go on the forum at work much anymore, because I would be too tempted to flame away in the middle of the day when release of the game looms large on the horizon.
I am actually rather happy with parts of this thread, even though that poor enforcer's story was rough. Some guys here have the empathy to really get it. While I can't speak for how it feels to be a man, or someone of another race, I can listen to my friends who are part other groups and try to understand other perspectives by reading and listening to voices not my own. I cannot tell someone who is not me what they can and cannot feel, cannot deny that individual their feelings and experiences. We can talk about rational and irrational reactions to certain things and debate stances on issues, but the fact remains that many people have, over their life, developed certain survival responses and fear reactions. Just because you don't share those does not mean that they are invalid.
I can tell you: Sometimes, it's fucking terrifying being a woman. I try to be brave and strong, but there is a predatory mentality directed toward women's bodies and sexuality that does not manifest in the same manner towards men. I've been very lucky in that I've had mostly good experiences with the men in my life, but even then I have to deal with the wolf whistles on the street, guys hollering at me. Especially at night, I can't deny that my pulse quickens and I think "Is this going to escalate? Can I get away? If this shouting guy came after me, how could I best defend myself?" Just by the statistics alone, there is a large chance any given woman will be sexually assaulted at some point. (Also, a not insignificant one that a given man will be as well.) The vast majority of these attackers will be men. I know it seems strange to believe that women spend a lot of time afraid, but it's true. It sucks.
I will tell you a story of today. On Twitter, my internet friend was talking about how she gets hollered at in her neighborhood. She posted this article. Hey Baby! Women Speak Out Against Street Harassment I made a few comments on Twitter supporting the article, and went about my business. Later on, when I was going home on the train, the guy next to me looks over and asks me if the book I am reading is Chinese. I tell him No, it's a Japanese textbook. This is a fine subway interaction and I feel totally cool. Fine. Then he starts really harassing the lady across from me, like "You're so fine, so hot girl, can I get your number" and she tells him that she doesn't have one, but he keeps it up and pests both her and the girl standing next to me. I wanted to say something so bad, but I was so nervous that he would bother me instead that I got off the train. I felt like a jerk that I had seen the exact thing in the article but couldn't say anything because I got scared.
I guess, guys, if you want men to not be seen as threatening, don't be horrible and don't condone horribleness. You can only really do two things: control your own behavior and spread memes to make good behavior the norm.
Not agreeing to feel guilty about rapists does not mean I lack empathy.
*I* fucking cross the street when I see a guy coming down the sidewalk I don't recognize, it's only he and I around, and I get a bad vibe (nearly always). It's not about not understanding fear and vulnerability.
Shit, the first time I ever went down to Orlando on my own, I had sexually suggestive shit hollered at me by two separate pairs of really big, really tough looking dudes on my walk from my hotel to a nearby Pizza Hut. Scared the shit out of me. I was a scrawny 17 year old (and even though I look a bit like a doughy truck, now, I sure as fuck can't take anybody in a fight.)
Not that I'm trying to perpetuate this train wreck any further, but the almost utter lack of understanding in this thread is seriously depressing.
Yes, statistically, physically, men are in less danger and I'm not equating the two. All I'm saying is that I get it. I get that the fear I've felt may be 1/10th what a woman might feel (or not, how would I know?), but I still get the fear.
One doesn't have to feel ashamed for being a man because some men rape, and the prevailing opinion in this thread all day sure seemed to be YES, ONE DOES, and that's fucking sick thinking.
I never told anybody not to cross the street, avoid questionable people in the elevator, move to another subway car, or get their mace out, nor did I call anybody any names for doing those things. You do what you feel you need to do to be safe in the moment. The only thing I take issue with is the assumption that not only COULD that guy be a horrible rapist, but that it's extremely likely. That's not doing our society any favors.
Do you always cross the street when a guy's just walking towards you down the sidewalk?
Usually with me its the other guy crossing the street.
That's happened to me, too, especially when my hair is longer and I'm a bit thinner, even more so when I used to wear long coats. I look like a much tougher, non-pussy than I am. :-)
Anyway my post above might come off as "boo hoo me too" and that's not what I'm getting at. I just don't like the "some guys in this thread have the empathy to understand" crack. I don't think anybody in this thread is condoning rape or calling women stupid for being cautious, although I really am surprised to learn that young women in college today are walking around in fear of imminent rape, if that's true. I really would love to see a survey or two or three. I'm not sure if that's what people in this thread REALLY mean, or if they just mean in the lonely sidewalk scenario, in which precautions just make sense.
I don't think I ever said to feel guilty. You should only feel guilt over things you have done, things that you can change or had control over. However, you should be aware that you may belong to a group that has oppressed another group and that that oppression may continue to this day, and recognizing this is the only way to fix these problems. Guilt is all about the past. The future and the long road ahead is what should be focused on in righting these inequalities. I remember talking about this in another thread with a guy who was angry because he felt he was often being blamed/made to feel guilt because other men act poorly. I used this analogy: America (the nation) invaded Iraq (the nation). Emily is an American, and she is against this war. Did Emily invade Iraq and should she feel guilty for having done so? Men (the sociological group) attack Women (the sociological group.) You are a man, but you have (I assume) never raped a woman... All Emily can do is use her voice and her power within the group to move it in a direction she feels more supportive of. Same goes for a man in the group "men." You see what I mean? We are all involuntary members of all sorts of groups, possessing all sorts of social descriptors. We want people to see us as individuals, because we are not just some number, and all the stereotypes do NOT apply to us. However, we do need to look at the big picture and realize that Men-the-Group continues to do some fucked up garbage.
No, not you personally, but this thread got into a serious hate-on for hours and hours today and it was pretty disturbing.
I think we're talking past each other. I don't get offended when you say that men as a group are the statistically more likely perpetrators of sexual assault, or domestic violence, or anything else. That doesn't inspire guilt or anger in me. It makes me sad, but not ashamed. I'm not the butthurt guy that says "You can't say anything bad about men, the group, because I'M in that group and I'M nice!" I get that I am distinct from the group while also being contained by the group, if that makes sense.
What I have an issue with are people who say "Men as a group are, statistically, monsters, and if you don't feel guilty about that and go out of your way to accommodate people who hold you personally responsible, you are a bad person," like open_sketchbook in this thread.
But what I am saying is that the woman who looks at you nervously out of the corner of her eye is not scared of you personally, she is scared of Men-the-Group, of which you are, like it or not, a representative. All you can do is do is recognize the validity of her fear of the group and accommodate it, putting her at ease. That not only makes you a good person, it also boosts Men-the-Group, colors it a little less scary. I had this feeling as an exchange student. I cannot control other gaijin, but I hope that through my individual interaction with people, their feelings about the group "foreigners" will be positively affected. It is frustrating when people look at me and expect a negative stereotype, but all I can do is choose my behavior and be one person who does not conform to the stereotype.
I tend to accept the negative stereotypes about men because it lets me undo them. Most females I know always took care to remind me, when I objected to them talking about all men sucking, that I was different. Accepting that they're not wrong about the majority of men, and that you can actively work to be less creepy, that's always felt like the right path to me.
But I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just not going to walk around with my eyes downcast and apologize when I stray within 3 feet of a woman on a public sidewalk.
I'm also not going to stride along like a thug on a dark street with a hoodie on towards a girl walking the other direction, looking like a tough guy, because there's no reason to paint a scary picture just for the sake of it.
I don't think there's anything wrong with either of these sentiments.
I tend to accept the negative stereotypes about men because it lets me undo them. Most females I know always took care to remind me, when I objected to them talking about all men sucking, that I was different. Accepting that they're not wrong about the majority of men, and that you can actively work to be less creepy, that's always felt like the right path to me.
I have a serious issue believing that the majority of men are abusive dickbags, sorry. A very prominent and loudly represented minority, I have no trouble believing. In the social circles with which this particular forum is most likely familiar, the ratio is probably significantly higher due to social awkwardness and other issues that tend to correlate with geekiness.
Also, women, as a group, tend to say "he's different" about whomever they are currently interested in, regardless of whether that particular subject is actually any "different". It's a meme wherein the guy you're in love with is the one truly sensitive, loving guy on the planet in a sea of jerks. It's a harmful meme.
An equivalent (in terms of ubiquity and unfoundedness) male meme about women might be "she's not just a girly girl" or "she doesn't mind getting her hands dirty" as if all women are only into "feminine" stuff.
It wasn't a matter of they were interested in me, it was a matter of they were my friends because I wasn't a dick.
So that doesn't necessarily apply to you. I still don't buy "most men are jerks/abusive/negative descriptor." That's crap unless maybe you apply it to "humans". You're always going to find SOME negative thing about an individual that will allow you to put them in the jerk pile, at least in isolation.
More than 50% of guys I've met are just inherently creepy and/or assholes.
You understand that as an anecdote, this is mostly meaningless. Maybe you hang out in creepy/asshole circles. Maybe you yourself are awkward around other men. Guys are bad at platonic relationships in general, I think, which further limits the number of guys you're likely to get along with and not consider "creepy".
"Most guys are jerks" is a popular sentence to repeat for young men and young women alike, it was when I was in school, too. Hetero guys tend to like it because they can paint themselves as that one guy that the girl has been looking for. Popular media reinforces the meme, too.
It's misandry, plain and simple. Most men are not terrible people. It's complete nonsense to believe this.
But I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just not going to walk around with my eyes downcast and apologize when I stray within 3 feet of a woman on a public sidewalk.
But I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just not going to walk around with my eyes downcast and apologize when I stray within 3 feet of a woman on a public sidewalk.
No one has asked you to.
Sketchbook certainly seems to believe that men in general should. Lyddi seems to think so. A few other drive-bys in this thread today as well. I didn't pull this from my ass. It's not a strawman. It's what people think a reasonable way for men to appear non-threatening is.
But I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just not going to walk around with my eyes downcast and apologize when I stray within 3 feet of a woman on a public sidewalk.
No one has asked you to.
Sketchbook certainly seems to believe that men in general should. Lyddi seems to think so. A few other drive-bys in this thread today as well. I didn't pull this from my ass. It's not a strawman. It's what people think a reasonable way for men to appear non-threatening is.
Ugh you've got it all wrong (as usual)! Nobody was saying you should be ashamed! YOU were the one whining about that! YOU inferred that for yourself. During your whining you were implying that women are wrong for being afraid all of the time of potentially being raped/attacked. THAT is why I got so angry at you! That you would imply women are wrong for trying to be safe, that women are sexist for erring on the side of caution around unknown men, that since most men aren't bad we shouldn't worry about it. You were trying to fight all of the statistics by saying rape doesn't happen as much as we think it does. Your arguments were very insulting towards women and all victims of rape/crime.
Seriously, just stop it. Again, NOBODY IS SAYING YOU SHOULD FEEL LIKE A JERK. YOU inferred that for yourself. I am saying you should stop assuming women are sexist and wrong for being afraid!!! I was explaining the actions I take to make myself feel safer in sketchy situations, to try to give perspective of why women may act weird when you come across them. For the third fucking time, you do NOT have to feel like a jerk/rapist/whatever, just UNDERSTAND why women are afraid. Jesus, I don't know the last time I got this mad at stupidness over the internet, congratulations.
Comments
Edit; Im going to bed now. You kids had better play nice or its half an hour in the tool shed with uncle Churba.
She also was lax about their litter pan and hardly every took them to a vet, so...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not shitting on F1 and Indy drivers, they're seriously skilled, and the cars are the cutting edge of engineering - but it's not a sport that I like very much, particularly as someone who loves cars and driving, because it's something I can never, ever do, no matter what I do short of changing the rules of F1 and Indy. My ex-fiancee used to work in a vet's practice, and told me horror stories about expressing ferret's glands. The way she described the small was nothing short of poetic in it's horribleness.
I am actually rather happy with parts of this thread, even though that poor enforcer's story was rough. Some guys here have the empathy to really get it. While I can't speak for how it feels to be a man, or someone of another race, I can listen to my friends who are part other groups and try to understand other perspectives by reading and listening to voices not my own. I cannot tell someone who is not me what they can and cannot feel, cannot deny that individual their feelings and experiences. We can talk about rational and irrational reactions to certain things and debate stances on issues, but the fact remains that many people have, over their life, developed certain survival responses and fear reactions. Just because you don't share those does not mean that they are invalid.
I can tell you: Sometimes, it's fucking terrifying being a woman. I try to be brave and strong, but there is a predatory mentality directed toward women's bodies and sexuality that does not manifest in the same manner towards men. I've been very lucky in that I've had mostly good experiences with the men in my life, but even then I have to deal with the wolf whistles on the street, guys hollering at me. Especially at night, I can't deny that my pulse quickens and I think "Is this going to escalate? Can I get away? If this shouting guy came after me, how could I best defend myself?" Just by the statistics alone, there is a large chance any given woman will be sexually assaulted at some point. (Also, a not insignificant one that a given man will be as well.) The vast majority of these attackers will be men. I know it seems strange to believe that women spend a lot of time afraid, but it's true. It sucks.
I will tell you a story of today. On Twitter, my internet friend was talking about how she gets hollered at in her neighborhood. She posted this article.
Hey Baby! Women Speak Out Against Street Harassment
I made a few comments on Twitter supporting the article, and went about my business. Later on, when I was going home on the train, the guy next to me looks over and asks me if the book I am reading is Chinese. I tell him No, it's a Japanese textbook. This is a fine subway interaction and I feel totally cool. Fine. Then he starts really harassing the lady across from me, like "You're so fine, so hot girl, can I get your number" and she tells him that she doesn't have one, but he keeps it up and pests both her and the girl standing next to me. I wanted to say something so bad, but I was so nervous that he would bother me instead that I got off the train. I felt like a jerk that I had seen the exact thing in the article but couldn't say anything because I got scared.
I guess, guys, if you want men to not be seen as threatening, don't be horrible and don't condone horribleness. You can only really do two things: control your own behavior and spread memes to make good behavior the norm.
Not agreeing to feel guilty about rapists does not mean I lack empathy.
*I* fucking cross the street when I see a guy coming down the sidewalk I don't recognize, it's only he and I around, and I get a bad vibe (nearly always). It's not about not understanding fear and vulnerability.
Shit, the first time I ever went down to Orlando on my own, I had sexually suggestive shit hollered at me by two separate pairs of really big, really tough looking dudes on my walk from my hotel to a nearby Pizza Hut. Scared the shit out of me. I was a scrawny 17 year old (and even though I look a bit like a doughy truck, now, I sure as fuck can't take anybody in a fight.)
Not that I'm trying to perpetuate this train wreck any further, but the almost utter lack of understanding in this thread is seriously depressing.
Yes, statistically, physically, men are in less danger and I'm not equating the two. All I'm saying is that I get it. I get that the fear I've felt may be 1/10th what a woman might feel (or not, how would I know?), but I still get the fear.
One doesn't have to feel ashamed for being a man because some men rape, and the prevailing opinion in this thread all day sure seemed to be YES, ONE DOES, and that's fucking sick thinking.
I never told anybody not to cross the street, avoid questionable people in the elevator, move to another subway car, or get their mace out, nor did I call anybody any names for doing those things. You do what you feel you need to do to be safe in the moment. The only thing I take issue with is the assumption that not only COULD that guy be a horrible rapist, but that it's extremely likely. That's not doing our society any favors.
I've been mugged before and I don't relish a repeat experience.
Anyway my post above might come off as "boo hoo me too" and that's not what I'm getting at. I just don't like the "some guys in this thread have the empathy to understand" crack. I don't think anybody in this thread is condoning rape or calling women stupid for being cautious, although I really am surprised to learn that young women in college today are walking around in fear of imminent rape, if that's true. I really would love to see a survey or two or three. I'm not sure if that's what people in this thread REALLY mean, or if they just mean in the lonely sidewalk scenario, in which precautions just make sense.
I remember talking about this in another thread with a guy who was angry because he felt he was often being blamed/made to feel guilt because other men act poorly.
I used this analogy:
America (the nation) invaded Iraq (the nation). Emily is an American, and she is against this war. Did Emily invade Iraq and should she feel guilty for having done so?
Men (the sociological group) attack Women (the sociological group.) You are a man, but you have (I assume) never raped a woman...
All Emily can do is use her voice and her power within the group to move it in a direction she feels more supportive of. Same goes for a man in the group "men."
You see what I mean? We are all involuntary members of all sorts of groups, possessing all sorts of social descriptors. We want people to see us as individuals, because we are not just some number, and all the stereotypes do NOT apply to us. However, we do need to look at the big picture and realize that Men-the-Group continues to do some fucked up garbage.
I think we're talking past each other. I don't get offended when you say that men as a group are the statistically more likely perpetrators of sexual assault, or domestic violence, or anything else. That doesn't inspire guilt or anger in me. It makes me sad, but not ashamed. I'm not the butthurt guy that says "You can't say anything bad about men, the group, because I'M in that group and I'M nice!" I get that I am distinct from the group while also being contained by the group, if that makes sense.
What I have an issue with are people who say "Men as a group are, statistically, monsters, and if you don't feel guilty about that and go out of your way to accommodate people who hold you personally responsible, you are a bad person," like open_sketchbook in this thread.
I had this feeling as an exchange student. I cannot control other gaijin, but I hope that through my individual interaction with people, their feelings about the group "foreigners" will be positively affected. It is frustrating when people look at me and expect a negative stereotype, but all I can do is choose my behavior and be one person who does not conform to the stereotype.
I'm also not going to stride along like a thug on a dark street with a hoodie on towards a girl walking the other direction, looking like a tough guy, because there's no reason to paint a scary picture just for the sake of it.
I don't think there's anything wrong with either of these sentiments.
prominent and loudly represented minority, I have no trouble believing. In the social circles with which this particular forum is most likely familiar, the ratio is probably significantly higher due to social awkwardness and other issues that tend to correlate with geekiness.
Also, women, as a group, tend to say "he's different" about whomever they are currently interested in, regardless of whether that particular subject is actually any "different". It's a meme wherein the guy you're in love with is the one truly sensitive, loving guy on the planet in a sea of jerks. It's a harmful meme.
An equivalent (in terms of ubiquity and unfoundedness) male meme about women might be "she's not just a girly girl" or "she doesn't mind getting her hands dirty" as if all women are only into "feminine" stuff.
"Most guys are jerks" is a popular sentence to repeat for young men and young women alike, it was when I was in school, too. Hetero guys tend to like it because they can paint themselves as that one guy that the girl has been looking for. Popular media reinforces the meme, too.
It's misandry, plain and simple. Most men are not terrible people. It's complete nonsense to believe this.
Regardless.
Seriously, just stop it. Again, NOBODY IS SAYING YOU SHOULD FEEL LIKE A JERK. YOU inferred that for yourself. I am saying you should stop assuming women are sexist and wrong for being afraid!!! I was explaining the actions I take to make myself feel safer in sketchy situations, to try to give perspective of why women may act weird when you come across them. For the third fucking time, you do NOT have to feel like a jerk/rapist/whatever, just UNDERSTAND why women are afraid. Jesus, I don't know the last time I got this mad at stupidness over the internet, congratulations.