Posts by Joseph Bailey41

Pavuna just proved God exists using a simple equation:

0+God=God

🙏🙏🙏

Anyone got the key to this one? 😁

Brandon Lopez6 said:Listening to Bloodhound Gang? Nice, real nice. 🥳
Plus you get some practice with the US military alphabet at the same time.

Respect. 👏

😛

Mmmm... I wouldn't say that. 😍

Brandon Lopez6 said:Russ had the Like, and now we're stuck with Lucy? 🥳

Foxtrot, Uniform, Charlie, Kill, Oscar, Foxtrot, Foxtrot. 🙂

Brandon Lopez6 said:Don't go there. In some parallel universe, everything actually went perfectly fine 😳.

In a parallel universe, I'm actually the first American woman in space, so honestly, who cares? 👍

Brandon Lopez6 said:Were you one of those people who had a loan officer (or whatever they call them, I’ve never actually taken out a loan 😳) tell you straight up that it was a terrible idea, only to have your neighbor's cousin convince you it was the greatest thing since sliced bread? 🙂

Mhm. And then they turned around and claimed the whole thing was just in my head. 🕺

Brandon Lopez6 said:I'm trying 🕺.
Right now, my biggest stressor is the potential flooding, and honestly, that's pretty much where all my thoughts are stuck.
Some neighbors already have water sitting in their yards, and back in 2014, a bunch of folks had it inside their houses. We were lucky, thank God—thanks to some smart architect who built us on high foundations—but we still ended up totally cut off from everything.
I'm currently loading up on portable power banks, just in case we hit another blackout and I actually need to charge my phone.
And look, as much as people say how stupid it is to "worry about things you can't control," there's actually a weird kind of relief in having a tangible problem to deal with, rather than just spiraling through those imaginary circles of hell I go through every single day.

See? Real-world problems are actually a great antidote to the imaginary ones. That’s exactly why I took out that Swiss franc loan. 🤣

Brandon Lopez6 said:Screw this 🤣🤣

Chuck is still hanging around, probably not going anywhere anytime soon, but honestly, the stuff that’s gone down over the last few days? I've seriously never felt anything like it 🤷.

Nobody’s been messing with me lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been my own worst enemy because, well, I can be pretty self-destructive 😳.

I’ve got an appointment with my therapist on Tuesday.
I’d swallow every single pill they put in front of me just to make all of this stop 🥳.

It’ll pass on its own. The main thing is to surround yourself with people who love you and who you love in return. Or just be by yourself, even if it feels lonely or strange. Or find that "something" special. That "something" loves you. And you should love it back. 😘

This thread was spun off from the discussion Is believing in God a delusion? located in the off-topic section. We’ll also be moving off-topic comments from other threads over here if they start cluttering up the main flow—it’s better to relocate them than to just delete everything. Feel free to use this space as a general lounge if you just need somewhere to hang out.
(Op. admin)
__________________

Brandon Lopez6 said:I finally feel like my brain is actually working again today and my thoughts are making sense. 🎉

Well, your head has been a complete Chuck for quite a while now. 😬

It took a little bit of a wake-up call to clear all that fog away. Just take it easy, look after yourself, and don't let anyone push you around. You managed to pull through this time, but we aren't immortal. 🧐

Betty Fowler said:Not necessarily. Pornography addicts tend to bounce from one genre to the next, often chasing the next hit until they find themselves drawn to something like trans women just to feel anything at all.

I can't say I agree with that. If I were to view an attraction to trans people as a sexual orientation, I’d categorize it under bisexuality. In my opinion, though, it's primarily a fetish.

So, we're talking about a man who lacks that specific anatomical feature and basically presents as a woman.
Can a trans woman actually have a vagina? From a biological standpoint, what’s being created is an imitation—essentially just a surgical opening that lacks the fundamental internal components and the actual physiological functionality of a natural vagina.

Sure. But that pull toward certain characteristics exists for a reason—it's all driven by sexual reproduction. When a trans person presents as a woman, it’s a bit like a civilian putting on a police officer's uniform. A police officer has a specific function, just as men and women have their own distinct roles to play.

It’s not just about being a man; it’s about someone putting in the work to present as a woman—though, depending on the individual, the results can vary quite a bit.

It’s worth it, simply because I said so. principles It’s essentially the same thing. It all comes down to how the brain processes sensory input from its surroundings.
It’s a simple comparison: one scenario involves an exchange of traits between species, while the other involves an exchange between genders. In the first instance, we see animals exhibiting human characteristics, which leads us to categorize them as humans. In the second, we see men displaying feminine traits, which results in them being categorized as women. Does that distinction make sense?

Richard Nelson84 As I was saying:
It really just comes down to sexual preference. Some men are simply going to be attracted to trans women, and that’s that. There isn't much more to it than that, is there? It’s nothing out of the ordinary. ☕

Is there actually any man out there who finds himself attracted to trans women, yet feels absolutely nothing for biological women?

My bad, I misspoke earlier. I meant to say "attraction to the opposite sex," not the same sex.
But here’s the real question: you posted a photo of a bald "man" the other day, but it turns out they're actually a trans person.
Does that person still appeal to you, knowing they are biologically female?

PS. We've all pretty much figured out you're gay—your avatar and bio make it pretty obvious.

I did a little digging on Google... if you find yourself attracted to men, women, and trans people, that's actually called pansexuality. It's basically bisexuality on steroids. 🤣

Michelle Evans said:An Andromimetophile...

That definitely sounds a bit more elegant. Thanks. 🎉

What about when you're attracted to intersex people?

Richard Nelson84 said:Look, there isn't a massive divide here, but let's be real: heterosexual men and men who are attracted to trans women aren't exactly in the same category.

Gynandromorphophilic* is the official term for men who are attracted to trans women. 🍿 Give it a shot! Try saying it out loud! 🤣

There is one. Research. It works on basically the same principle. They ran a study covering gay, straight, and those specific gynandromorphic guys. 😁

The study results were pretty much exactly what I expected! It turns out gay men reacted only to gay porn. Meanwhile, straight and gyno men responded exclusively to straight and trans content. Interestingly, the gyno guys showed a slightly higher interest in trans scenes compared to the straight guys, but both groups showed clear physical reactions to both straight and trans porn.

Maybe it’s because they were attracted to some trans woman? 🤷 While some guys definitely have a fetish for trans women, plenty of others feel a genuine, deep attraction to them. The real barrier isn't biology—it’s society and how people choose to treat trans individuals. That's the true deciding factor.

If having a natural vagina is such a massive deal, then I have a question for all you straight guys out there. Would you actually sleep with this man?



What? And what if I told you this guy actually has a vagina? Still nothing? Seriously?

Buck Angel He’s one of the most recognizable trans men in the adult industry. Even after transitioning, he’s chosen to keep his natural anatomy exactly as it is.

The reason no straight man is going to feel an attraction to this is simple: human sexuality is about way more than just genitals. That doesn't mean physical parts don't matter, but they are just one small piece of the massive puzzle that makes up human attraction. Secondary sex characteristics play a huge role here. It’s all about the whole package! 🍿

Transgender people.

Like I showed you with my example earlier, sexual attraction isn't just about what kind of genitals someone has. Secondary sex characteristics play a massive role too!

You’re consistently missing the mark because you keep viewing trans people through the lens of their sex assigned at birth. Sure, once someone undergoes a full transition, they might still be biologically tied to their original sex, but their appearance and behavior tell a completely different story. That right there is the core difference!

Look at the facts. Transgenderism is a medically recognized diagnosis. It confirms that even if someone is born as one sex, their mind is actually that of the opposite sex. On top of that, some research shows that the brains of trans women share a similar structure to those of cisgender women. This means you don't just "become" a trans woman—you are born that way! 🧐 Despite the delayed transition.

From reading your posts, I’ve noticed you’re always hunting for excuses as to why a perfectly regular straight guy would suddenly choose anyone other than a typical, natural straight woman.

Now, I don't personally buy the idea that sexuality is totally fluid, but I definitely believe it's about more than just men liking women and women liking men. To me, human sexuality is a massive spectrum with endless variations. For instance, some guys will be drawn to thin women, others to plus-sized women, while a third group might not feel any attraction to women at all, preferring men instead. Then you have those who are attracted to trans women. Beyond that, you've got the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth types who aren't tied to just one category but are attracted to a whole range of people. It just goes on and on forever.

No thanks, I'm good. 🤣

Is there actually an official term for women who find Buck Angel sexy?

Maria Barnes said:Here is what Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman says in his excellent book Thinking, Fast and Slow:

Being poor makes one miserable, and that being rich may enhance one's life satisfaction, but does not improve experienced well-being.

So, money might stop you from feeling wretched, but how much can it actually boost happiness? Here is the bombshell discovery:

The satiation level beyond which experienced well-being no longer increases was a household income of about $75,000 in high-cost areas (it would be less in areas where the cost of living is lower). The average increase of experienced well-being associated with incomes beyond that level was Zero... (this refers to a US household)

To me, this is an incredibly important and comforting finding—the idea that there is a finite number, not some unimaginable figure, beyond which more money stops mattering for happiness. That number might seem high here, but it’s actually quite reachable for many people in Europe, maybe around $5,500 a month per household. That's it. You don't need more, because once you hit that point, you simply can't feel the difference; extra cash stops impacting your day-to-day happiness. Zero. Cristiano Ronaldo might earn 200 times more, but he isn't going to be any happier than the average Dane.

Check out this useful AsapScience video on the topic:

I actually own that book, but I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I think I've already heard that specific figure mentioned somewhere.
What I find so baffling is why people don't just take advantage of an opportunity once they finally get their hands on it. Is it some kind of dopamine addiction or something? 🤔

bluemason3 said:Memory isn't lying to me here. Research suggests that our sense of satisfaction regarding our finances doesn't actually hinge on absolute numbers. Instead, it’s all about how we stack up against everyone else.

To put it bluntly: you're happier if you're outearning your neighbor. In a neighborhood where the average income is $60,000, someone pulling in $80,000 will feel more successful than someone making $200,000 in a zip code where the average is $250,000.

That doesn't quite line up with my own experience, though. I tend to feel pretty down when I'm surrounded by poverty, but seeing someone drive a nicer car or wear more expensive clothes doesn't really touch my own sense of happiness at all.

ny qezo said:Even Paul talks about how Gentiles are saved in his letter to the Romans:

"For whoever sins without the law will also perish without the law, and whoever sins under the law will be judged by the law. For in the sight of God neither are those who listen to the law righteous nor are those who follow it. For Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires. They are a law to themselves, even though the law is not written on their hearts, but in their minds and conscience, which now testify against them and even against their thoughts. This will be evident on the day when God judges people's secrets through my gospel" (Romans 2:12-16).

So even non-believers have their own internal laws. Why would that make Pavlov any better?

Joseph Bailey41 said:Huh. The internet is such a strange place. I just realized I’m actually an INFJ, even though I was absolutely convinced I was an INTJ.

It feels like my whole life has been one big misunderstanding. 😲

False alarm. My cognitive functions have just been a bit scrambled lately, so my N kind of pushed my T to the back burner. 🎉

I’m pretty sure it's just the result of some ancient curse that says, "May your fractions never cancel out." 😲

Huh. The internet is such a strange place. I just realized I’m actually an INFJ, even though I was absolutely convinced I was an INTJ.

It feels like my whole life has been one big misunderstanding. 😲

Matthew Cruz44 said:That’s a rather peculiar way to split them up, isn't it?

In my view, perception really does fall under the umbrella of intuition, whereas attention feels much more like a rational faculty.

But sure, they aren't identical twins, I'll give you that. I actually sat through one of those personality assessments recently—the kind you might see on a Gallup StrengthsFinder report—and it showed that while my perception is incredibly sharp, my intuition scores quite low.

Before I went through that, I had always walked around thinking I was highly intuitive, assuming that's exactly what was happening in my head.

It seems like you all are speaking in very strict scientific terms here, but honestly, it doesn't quite click for me; if perception is considered cognitive, then surely attention is too? It's almost like we're splitting hairs, and I can totally see why someone reading that original post would wonder if they were losing their mind. I don't know...
?

We don't need to get bogged down in technical jargon; we actually drifted a bit away from the main point there.

Everything we do with our brains is "cognitive"—perception, attention, learning, memory, processing, and sorting data. In the framework we've been discussing, intuition is considered a cognitive function, though if you look at alternative options, people have much different views on it.

Which test did you take? Send over a link so the rest of us can try it out. 😁

(On that success traits test I took, I only got a decent score for Machiavellianism, whereas my scores for narcissism and psychopathy were embarrassingly low.
🕺 )

I don’t really fit into the whole theist, atheist, or agnostic labels. To be honest, I couldn't care less about the answer to whether God exists or not. I’m perfectly fine with the idea that I might just cease to exist one day, and even if there were an afterlife, it wouldn't exactly blow my mind. Because of that, I struggle to wrap my head around these kinds of debates. It leaves me feeling like I’m missing out on something vital—some fundamental human experience that everyone else seems to be sharing. I guess I'm just a little confused. 😁

Thomas Nelson25 said:I basically have to decode all this stuff and translate it into my own headspace before I can actually connect the dots and make sense of it with what I already know. Since I'm an INTJ, that makes the whole thing way more interesting—everything's up for grabs.

What really trips me out are those random thoughts or memories that just pop up out of nowhere—without any obvious link to what’s happening around me (or maybe it just feels that way) or how I'm feeling at the moment.

For me, the struggle is more about translating everything into "human" language. Something might make perfect sense in my head, but it takes quite a while before I can actually put it into words that other people will understand.

Thomas Nelson25 said:I basically have to decode all this stuff and translate it into my own headspace before I can actually connect the dots and make sense of it with what I already know. Since I'm an INTJ, that makes the whole thing way more interesting—everything's up for grabs.

What really trips me out are those random thoughts or memories that just pop up out of nowhere—without any obvious link to what’s happening around me (or maybe it just feels that way) or how I'm feeling at the moment.

I actually really enjoy those moments and don't bother trying to analyze them, especially since they tend to be pleasant memories or positive thoughts. It's when associations start kicking in that I end up on the much darker side of the spectrum. 😢

driftingbear29 said:I’m one of those visual learners who needs everything to be color-coded. How can I even put 🤔 It’s like my brain just attaches a specific shade to a certain topic, and then the memory clicks... It sounds hard to explain, but it works perfectly for me. I honestly couldn't function without my highlighters. I don't think I would have ever passed an exam if it weren't for this method.

I actually wasn't surprised by that. 🤣

For me, it's all about how the text "feels" kinesthetically. I process things through textures and sensations—stiff versus flexible, dry versus damp, heavy versus light, tense versus relaxed, fast versus slow, hot versus cold. Most academic papers tend to be pretty dry, cold, and rigid, so that style doesn't really help me absorb the material at all.

Roger Kern16 said:Type 4, type 9, then type 5; 4w5. I’d bet my life that a few years ago, that five was way higher on my scale. 😁

Intriguing questions. I was actually spiraling through these exact thoughts recently. I think the core driver is just innate curiosity, but sometimes it gets tangled up with something slightly pathological that just leaves me frustrated. When it's pure curiosity, I usually hit that hyperfocus state—almost like a "flow"... but when it's the other thing, it's driven by this existential anxiety. Like I'm missing the point of everything. Or that I get too excited about one thing and jump to the next too fast and lose focus. That I'm not diving deep enough into, say, philosophy. That I'm wasting my limited time... not knowing myself well enough... etc., etc. Basically, it's this feeling that the big truths are slipping through my fingers and I can't quite grasp them or make them part of my actual life.
I rarely ever feel like I "know" things. Knowledge always feels like it's just two steps ahead of me... I'm not even sure I'd recognize the sensation if I felt it. 😬 I've noticed I tend to dodge debates that aren't really about being curious, but are more about people just trying to ego-trip and prove they're bigger than everyone else. It probably stems from my own insecurities, but I just don't have the urge to put myself out there just to engage in some mental tug-of-war. This "exhaustion" might also be explained by toxins from my last relationship, because I don't think I used to be like this... but that's a whole different rabbit hole, never mind that for now. 😁

What about you two? (And everyone else lurking) How much does your drive for knowledge differ from mine?

I know someone pretty well who is an INFP. She practically plays the "ditzy blonde" role all the time, even though I know she's incredibly bright and well-read. It used to drive me absolutely crazy because I perceived it as a form of manipulation—like, "I'll act clueless so nobody expects anything spectacular from me, and maybe someone will just step in and do things for me." It just occurred to me that this might be Ti in the eighth position—that sense of "I'm not sure what it feels like to actually know something." In my case, I have Fi there, and I'm a big fan of the mantra "feelings aren't facts."

That whole ego-stroking stuff is Te. Sometimes it's Fe, too. In those kinds of arguments, the person with the stronger J usually wins, even if they're putting on a massive show of being an E. ☕