Posts by Michael Castillo

It’s not people that bother me—it’s the lack of humanity in them.

When I talk about "whining," I'm referring to posts that:
- lament the sheer horror of everyone's ignorance
- moan because certain people act like they have all the answers
- critique those on an ego trip

I made that point pretty clearly in my last post.
Are we really pretending you didn't get that?

And I never said you don't mind people.
On the contrary—I said you don't seem to mind the very traits you claim to be complaining about.
Which makes it look like people are actually what's bothering you after all.

rustymaker5, is there anything about you besides being fake?

First, you were whining about lack of education and illiteracy—but honestly, it’s pretty clear that stuff doesn't bother you at all (your attitude doesn't suggest it does, anyway)

Then you moved on to complaining about people acting like know-it-alls who are always right—I highly doubt those types actually annoy you (I didn't see you call out a single post where someone explicitly claimed "I know everything," despite plenty of them popping up)

Now you're attacking someone's ego—even though you just dropped twenty posts in a row following one specific person, all starting with some variation of "you're beneath me, but I'm superior (and magnificent)."
Clearly, an inflated ego wasn't your problem, since you had zero issues with it.

As for hurting others—it would be a lot wiser if you didn't bring up that topic.

Anyway, I don't really care.
Heading back to my own thread.

(And why did I even reply? Probably because it hits a nerve. )

This pseudo-spiritual nonsense is nauseating. Truly disgusting.

The real question isn't why you argue when you don't care—it's why you aren't arguing when you actually do.

Why does a bee sting?
It certainly isn't because it enjoys it.

Having some trouble wrapping your head around the physics here?

They could just as easily burn your house down.

I'm going to head out now and try walking at a frantic pace for about half an hour.
Let's see if there's actually any effect from that.

Anthony Rodriguez58 said:Marijuana isn't going to help you stay awake for five days straight. Honestly, I don't think anything will, because five days is just... excessive. I see you're really doubling down on this fixed idea of yours, but it's an impossible mission. 🤷

Two days?
I have to—no choice, really.

It’s a matter of life or death.
Or at least, financial life or death.

That's just a song title up there—not an invitation to go party.
Just trying to grab the attention of the curious readers out there.

Anyway, here's the actual situation.
Deadlines are breathing down my neck, I'm juggling five different gigs at once, and basically, I have to spend my nights writing instead of sleeping.

So, how am I supposed to pull this off when my eyes are practically glued shut?
Last night I had some fancy red wine, which didn't just make me drowsy—it also absolutely wrecked my stomach since it was so late. Instead of writing, I ended up singing Rigoletto. 😛

Coffee is out of the question too, thanks to my stomach.

Right now, the only things keeping me awake are Jimi Hendrix and Tina Turner (I crank the headphones up to max, and the vibrations literally shake my brain enough to stop me from passing out), but damn, I’m going to go deaf at this rate—so I need to find a tenth option.

Does smoking help you sleep or wake you up?
And what's the deal with the stomach?

I'm assuming it's fine for inspiration.

Just a heads-up: until a week ago, I was a total straight edge.
But hey, necessity changes the rules. And the principles.

Someone please give me some actual advice on how to stay permanently awake for the next five or six days.

Kenneth Lopez19 said:So, by that I mean 70 and up. What’s your take on this—do the older generations get in the way of the younger ones?
Thanks!

It's an interesting topic and feels like one we haven't touched on yet, so edit:

Ageism (ageism) refers to prejudices based on a person's age, though we usually focus on biases against the elderly.
It stems partly from gerontophobia—an irrational fear or hatred of aging and older people.

When explaining ageism and gerontophobia, Terror Management Theory (TMT; Greenberg et al., 1986) is the dominant framework. Put simply, older people serve as a reminder of our own fragility and mortality, highlighting the limits of our lifespan. Out of fear for our own deaths, older individuals trigger anxiety in us, which we attempt to manage by rejecting them. It's a way to distance ourselves from what we might eventually become.

Ageism is just a prejudice against our own terrifying future selves. (Nelson Mandela, 2009).

We can distinguish between benevolent and hostile ageism. Benevolent ageism involves viewing older people through stereotypes rooted in pity or a fear of aging. Hostile ageism involves active dislike or repulsion, viewing the elderly as worthless or otherwise negative.

Speaking for myself here.
I stopped by to see my old biology professor today.
Turns out she's near the end of her road and isn't doing great health-wise—she's about eighty now.
Her mind is still incredibly sharp, though; we had a great talk.
It doesn't bother me that she struggles to get around—I felt the need to help her out with some small things around the house. We actually made a plan for me to drop in every once in a while.

My grandfather was born in '26, a man with three college degrees under his belt. He's battling galloping dementia right now, which is heartbreaking.
I love visiting him, even if it’s always a bit heavy—you get this feeling like a wonderful person is just fading away right in front of you. I often ask if he could stay with me for a few days, but that’s not happening (my uncle and aunt are looking after him and my grandma).

With my other grandfather, I was his only company for quite a while before he passed—we were very close.

So, yeah—there are elderly people I truly care about.

I work for a private employer who is in that 70+ bracket.
He's perfectly healthy, unfortunately—mostly because he's the most corrupt and dishonest person I've ever met.

Honestly? If he collapsed at my feet tomorrow, I don't think I'd even offer him a glass of water.
I'd probably just walk right past him and keep moving.

Bottom line: how much I care about elderly people depends entirely on whether they actually act like human beings, rather than just shells that happen to look like them.

Jonathan Brooks8 said:

I haven't been able to find any information regarding that specific term... I'm afraid I might be missing some context here. kaže:
Go ahead—name just one single law, in any country on this planet, that doesn't discriminate against someone...

The Civil Rights Act...
The Anti-Discrimination Act...
The Anti-Discrimination Act (published in the official federal register)...

Discrimination is essentially the systematic stripping away of equal rights—a process that leads directly to social division and segregation... It’s more than just an unfair act; it is the fundamental mechanism used to isolate individuals and dismantle the very concept of equality within our society.

.. so .. if I went to sign up for a Juilliard dance program today .. and they turned me away ..
.. would that count as discrimination ..?

.. discrimination just means... making a distinction..
.. take vegetarians, for example.. they discriminate against meat as a food source..

.. I found something interesting recently.. not strictly about this topic, but it’s close enough..

.. she says.. how can you tell who lacks rights in any given country..?
.. well.. she says.. look at where the baton is being pointed.. yeah.. that’s your answer..