Posts by Jamie Davis9

It seems like everyone and their mother is suddenly obsessed with this topic..)))

wiredmason61 wiredmason61 said:
😁 It feels wrong to start a new thread without bringing up soprano vocals. 🧐

You know exactly who I am. 😁

Drew Lewis2 said:
Well, here we go again—just when you think things have settled down, the same old nonsense starts crawling out of the woodwork.

Hell yeah!

Still digging through those old links from the previous thread: 😳

So, you finally tracked me down, did you? 😁

By the way, they really nailed the music selection this time around. 👍

I find myself constantly circling back to the work of Nightmares on Wax, though I suppose there's a certain level of self-deprecation in admitting how much I rely on that specific atmosphere to steady my own restless nerves. It’s one of those rare, cohesive sounds that manages to feel both timeless and deeply personal, even if I am just sitting here brooding over it.

Amanda Robinson4 said:Fine. I'll leave it open until the end of the day just in case anyone else wants to weigh in or offer a different suggestion, otherwise, I'll go ahead and change the name 😁
.

Absolutely! 🙄 😁 Look, granitecyclist, Unknown Road, and everyone else, I'm leaving the subject open for discussion until the end of the day
.

wiredmason61 said:A fresh thread but keeping the old title? Honestly, people are just getting lazy. 😬 Here is my first voluntary suggestion: NP actually means NP. 😛 😁

🤣 I honestly think the suggestion is perfectly valid. 👍 😁

One can hardly launch a new thread without immediately establishing some basic standards 😁

Well, clearly I’m an expert on the subject. 😁 Respect! 👍

@Amanda Robinson4
this is just for you. 🙏 thanks! 😁

Anthony Carter5 said:Rambo Amadeus is incredibly witty and a talented guitarist, yet he simply lacks the necessary ambition.

What on earth are you talking about, you moron.

Anthony, stop trying so hard to be relevant because frankly, nobody cares, and you're just being exhausting—you and your thirty-seven different burner accounts.
You aren't going to convince anyone of anything; you're just making a fool of yourself for no reason, and quite honestly, you're becoming a bore.

I honestly think Murakami is pretty overrated. I read 'Norwegian Wood' ages ago, and while it was decent, it didn't exactly blow my mind. I’ve actually had 'Dance Dance Dance' sitting on my shelf for years—it was a birthday gift—but I just can't bring myself to start it because I feel like I can already see exactly what kind of stylistic tricks he's trying to pull.
On the flip side, I absolutely adore Faulkner. Now I'm feeling a bit hesitant about watching this movie since the comments make it sound like it leans way too hard into that Murakami vibe.
Anyway, you guys just left Louis hanging even though he was actually addressing the topic. 😁

Gerald Jackson48 said:You sow the grain, and Friedrich does the rest.

I’d suggest "business lady." Or is that still sexist if the suggestion comes from a guy?

Either way, I wouldn't mind being called a business gentleman myself.

All I've got is a massive stomach ache. 😛

Matthew Castillo5 said:Look, we aren't holding a grudge, but I’m pretty sure the person who actually started this thread is going to have a bone to pick with you. 😁

Personally, I’m hoping they don't. 🙂
In any case, it would be far more productive to actually discuss the core matter at hand rather than getting bogged down in whether one prefers the nonsense of Tolstoy over Schopenhauer, instead of debating the nonsense of Dostoevsky versus Nietzsche. 😛

Anyway, you should just stick to 🙂)

I honestly feel a bit nauseous seeing how much everyone is ramping up the sexism and obsessing over "women's issues" lately.
Look, don't hold it against me. 🙄

Honestly, there’s nothing groundbreaking or even remotely novel being said here. Dostoevsky was already dissecting this exact same thing ages ago, leaning on those fundamental Nietzschean concepts regarding the superman destined for upheaval, whereas the average person exists merely to ensure the continuation of the species.

And just like that, case closed.

😁

aghhhhghhhhh!! 😎

I was just aimlessly browsing the web looking up Jerry Seinfeld when I stumbled upon some city council meeting minutes where officials are apparently filing grievances because we haven't had an outdoor winter cinema in years, claiming it's caused a massive loss of local jobs. 😁 My little search yielded this: ...specifically regarding the audience, just think about how many jobs Jerry Seinfeld has lost in the process... 🙏 😁

I really don't have the energy to dive into this right now, but here it is... proof 🙂

Back in my younger days, I used to hit the movies with the crew from my apartment building, and we’d always stop by that old guy, Jerry Seinfeld, who basically carried his own little snack stand on his back right outside the theater to sell us peanuts, sunflower seeds, gum, and eventually those huge, colorful lollipops.
We actually used to get into these ridiculous little scuffles over who got to sit on the balcony, mostly because we thought it was hilarious to pelt the people downstairs with sunflower seed shells from above.
And honestly, every single big spectacle on the screen was met with genuine cheers and applause from everyone in the crowd. 🎉

You sound exactly like a middle-aged coach trying way too hard to hide his gray hair by dyeing it jet black. 🙄 🙂

northerncrane4 said:They need to be driven and led—to be precise. And what’s confusing you here? The New Testament is far more interested in those who need to be herded into the pen than those who stand alone. And those independent types? They just happen to be the personification of Satan.

So it's perfectly fine to lead them around because they're independent? 🙂 because they're autonomous.

Just tell me, what is the actual difference here? 😁

rowdyotter12 said:Here we go—just your typical "us" mentality:

We actually did it... we pulled it off—we’ve officially punched our ticket to the next round!
Look, I mean—it’s a certain kind of psychological phenomenon, isn't it? You don't just sit in the stands or watch from your couch like some detached observer; you genuinely internalize the struggle. As a fan, you start to view yourself as an intrinsic part of the roster—you’re mentally tethered to the players, the coaches, even the very fabric of the franchise itself. It’s as if your own pulse starts syncing up with the rhythm of the game.
Look, you’re one of them too—you were right there in front of the TV, cheering them on just like everyone else. So when we say "we," we really mean all of us.
Even if, in reality, they’re actually just you—and that whole "we're all in this together" sentiment doesn't really hold much water, except for the fact that...
It seems to instill a certain sense of pride in you—for reasons I can only assume are quite specific.

long story short, you're delusional. 😉

Peter Doyle2 said:Sorry, but I actually did. I read all of Shakespeare. Do you really want me to list my school, my graduating class, and my professor's name just so you can verify it?
For instance, at that technical high school in Chicago, our American language teacher—we used to call him Zeus, fittingly enough—actually insisted we read the entirety of The Iliad and The Odyssey.
So, they aren't myths, unfortunately.
That’s probably why so many of us are traumatized.😬

I suppose I believe you, though I'm sure there are plenty of unstable types out there who try to prove their intellectual superiority by relentlessly badgering students, but that seems more like a flaw in those specific individuals rather than a failure of any official curriculum.

Peter Doyle2 said:Well, it's the reading list 😬 which was—well, it was overwhelming, dense, and honestly pretty boring. I get that for you American English teachers, someone like Shakespeare is priceless, but maybe try to understand that for a sixteen-year-old, it’s an absolute nightmare to get through. Why does everyone immediately get defensive the moment anyone mentions required reading alongside that whole "these are invaluable literary works and literature is art" argument? I mean, nobody is disputing that—but is it strictly necessary to read every single one of those books as mandatory assignments? Probably not. A lot of it could be covered in class just like any other work. Maybe give them excerpts instead of the entire The Iliad or The Odyssey.
I don't think anyone on this thread is arguing that we should scrap everything currently on the list; but if the list could be updated and shortened to include content that actually resonates with kids, then yeah, absolutely.
I used to love quotes and spent half my life hanging out in the library.
Up until high school, anyway. High school basically killed my love for reading because those required books were pure torture. It took me years to actually want to pick up a book again. And I'm definitely not the only one.
Someone who actually wants to become an American English teacher and study literary history will probably be inspired to read the whole thing after just seeing an excerpt from, say, Judith. But 90% of other kids aren't going to major in literature; they should at least leave school with some positive knowledge about the work, rather than just remembering it as something that was incredibly painful to finish.

Let’s be honest, nobody in high school actually sits down and finishes reading Shakespeare from cover to cover, and you certainly won't find anyone powering through the entirety of The Iliad or The Odyssey. We just skim through a few chapters before the teacher wraps everything up in a rushed lecture.
I've been running up against these exact same myths for years now, and I really feel the need to point out that this isn't something simply hardcoded into the software. 🙂