It's more that I'm reserving judgement absent positive confirmation to the contrary
“Wait,” she said, looking around in confusion. “Where did—”
She cut off as one of the wheeled beds in the corner rattled and slid sideways. That was all the warning Lauryn got before the man exploded toward her, leaping off the floor between the beds like a tiger. It happened so fast, she didn’t even have time to scream. She just dove sideways, knocking Will out of the way as well as the man flew past where they’d been to land in the cluster of terrified staff behind them.
What happened after was a maelstrom of bodies and blood and screams. All around the room, bloody eyed patients were ripping themselves out of their beds and turning on the hospital staff like ravenous lions. The nurses tried to run, but the room was too crowded and the panic slowed them down, making them easy prey for the gray skinned monsters their patients had become. By the time Lauryn had pushed herself off Will, the screams were competing with the unmistakable sound of tearing flesh. The sound alone was enough to make even Lauryn want to vomit. That was what she was concentrating on when something grabbed her and yanked her off the floor.
The moment the hand closed around her arm, she began to fight, flailing wildly in an effort to keep whatever it was away.
“Stop,” commanded a familiar voice. “It’s me.”
Lauryn blinked at the sound and looked up to see Talon standing over her, sword in hand.
It was a sign of just how messed up this whole situation was that the sight of a crazy man with a gleaming blade was almost enough to make her cry with relief. If things had been less dire, she would have, but Lauryn was too busy to break down right now.
“We have to get out of here!” she cried, grabbing his sleeve. “They’re changing like Lenny!”
“They are,” Talon agreed. “But we can’t run.”
“Why do you always say that?” she hissed as Talon reached down to grab Will next. “This isn’t like under the bridge. Running is the only plan. We’re facing a full blown outbreak!”
She didn’t realize how true those words were until she said them. All around the room, the bitten victims, including the tech she’d bandaged less than a minute earlier, were pulling themselves up from where they’d fallen. They rose like marionettes, their bodies cracking and bending at unnatural angles.
“You know, running is starting to sound like a great idea,” Will said, glancing backwards at the heavy fire doors where all the medical staff lucky enough to be away from the beds when the situation had gone to hell were currently fighting each other to get out. “Let’s—”
“We have to stay here,” Talon said, his voice firm. “Look at them. They’re hunters. If we run, they’ll chase, and then there’ll be nothing to stop them from infecting the whole hospital.”
“Oh, come on!” Will yelled. “That’s bullshit. They’re druggies, not zombies.”
Lauryn wasn’t so sure about that. By this point, most of the hospital staff who could run had done so, fleeing through the fire doors down the hall that led to the elevators. Behind them, the patients were in hot pursuit, their crooked bodies becoming more graceful—more predatory—with every step they took. It was like seeing the birth of a new kind of hunter in slow motion, and as she watched it go down, Lauryn realized—in one way at least-Talon was absolutely right. Whatever happened, whatever was actually going on here, they could not let those things get up to the rest of the patients in the main hospital. She was still trying to figure out how to do that when a fresh chorus of screams rang out from the hall as the fleeing workers were taken down. This was followed by a few seconds of eerie silence, and then the creatures reappeared, stalking back inside the ward toward Lauryn, Will, and Talon.
The only prey left.
“That’s it,” Will said, raising his gun. “We need to run now. Stick close to me. We’ll take the fire escape up to the street and—”
“No!” Lauryn said, grabbing his arm. “Talon’s right. We can’t run.”
Will’s face went blank in disbelief. Lauryn couldn’t blame him. They were now the only unchanged people left in the giant ward filled with…she didn’t even know what to call them. Monsters felt wrong, but they were definitely no longer human.
She scanned the room once more. At this point, every one of the original patients who’d been brought in had torn themselves off their gurneys. The rest of the medical staff—both the ones who’d run and those who’d been caught before they could—were down on the ground, but a few of the bodies were already twitching, their bloody eyes flying open in that horrified expression Lauryn had come to dread. The first ones were starting to rise, their gray, corpse-colored bodies slowly taking on the terrifying and oddly inhuman predator movement she’d seen before. Soon enough, they’d realize they didn’t need to chase these three, and then the attack would come.
Under any other circumstances, that would have been cause for panic. Now though, with seven floors of vulnerable patients waiting above them, it gave Lauryn an idea.
“We can’t let them get upstairs,” she whispered, gripping Will’s arm as hard as she could. “We have to keep them down here somehow.”
“Are you crazy?” Will hissed. “We can’t stay here!”
“They haven’t attacked us yet,” she pointed out. An observation that made no sense now that she thought about it. “I wonder—”
“It’s the sword,” Talon said quietly, gripping the bright blade in his hands. “Demons are cowardly by nature. They only attack when they think they can win.”
“Yeah, well, you might want to check the odds on that,” Will muttered, clutching his gun. “’Cause they seem to be getting less afraid by the second.”
He was right. The longer they stood without attacking, the bolder the changed patients became. Already, they were inching forward, surrounding the three of them in a ring of red eyes and long teeth. If they didn’t move soon, they’d be cornered completely. The problem was if running upstairs wasn’t an option, Lauryn didn’t know where to go. Other than the fire doors, the burn ward didn’t even have other rooms save for the bathrooms in the hall and the pharmaceutical closet at the room’s far end. The one with reinforced, key locked door designed to protect hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of prescription medication…
Right.
“Follow me!” she cried, pushing off the wall.
“Follow you where?” Will yelled as Talon ran after her. “Lauryn!”
I 100% guarantee you giant swaths of this were Wesley's ideas and creative input that Ray Norman composed.
They're like, pure uncut Wesley Snipes.
Also this is seriously is fucking Blade fanfic holy shit Wesley Snipes you insane magnificent bastard.
It's more that I'm reserving judgement absent positive confirmation to the contrary
“Wait,” she said, looking around in confusion. “Where did—”
She cut off as one of the wheeled beds in the corner rattled and slid sideways. That was all the warning Lauryn got before the man exploded toward her, leaping off the floor between the beds like a tiger. It happened so fast, she didn’t even have time to scream. She just dove sideways, knocking Will out of the way as well as the man flew past where they’d been to land in the cluster of terrified staff behind them.
What happened after was a maelstrom of bodies and blood and screams. All around the room, bloody eyed patients were ripping themselves out of their beds and turning on the hospital staff like ravenous lions. The nurses tried to run, but the room was too crowded and the panic slowed them down, making them easy prey for the gray skinned monsters their patients had become. By the time Lauryn had pushed herself off Will, the screams were competing with the unmistakable sound of tearing flesh. The sound alone was enough to make even Lauryn want to vomit. That was what she was concentrating on when something grabbed her and yanked her off the floor.
The moment the hand closed around her arm, she began to fight, flailing wildly in an effort to keep whatever it was away.
“Stop,” commanded a familiar voice. “It’s me.”
Lauryn blinked at the sound and looked up to see Talon standing over her, sword in hand.
It was a sign of just how messed up this whole situation was that the sight of a crazy man with a gleaming blade was almost enough to make her cry with relief. If things had been less dire, she would have, but Lauryn was too busy to break down right now.
“We have to get out of here!” she cried, grabbing his sleeve. “They’re changing like Lenny!”
“They are,” Talon agreed. “But we can’t run.”
“Why do you always say that?” she hissed as Talon reached down to grab Will next. “This isn’t like under the bridge. Running is the only plan. We’re facing a full blown outbreak!”
She didn’t realize how true those words were until she said them. All around the room, the bitten victims, including the tech she’d bandaged less than a minute earlier, were pulling themselves up from where they’d fallen. They rose like marionettes, their bodies cracking and bending at unnatural angles.
“You know, running is starting to sound like a great idea,” Will said, glancing backwards at the heavy fire doors where all the medical staff lucky enough to be away from the beds when the situation had gone to hell were currently fighting each other to get out. “Let’s—”
“We have to stay here,” Talon said, his voice firm. “Look at them. They’re hunters. If we run, they’ll chase, and then there’ll be nothing to stop them from infecting the whole hospital.”
“Oh, come on!” Will yelled. “That’s bullshit. They’re druggies, not zombies.”
Lauryn wasn’t so sure about that. By this point, most of the hospital staff who could run had done so, fleeing through the fire doors down the hall that led to the elevators. Behind them, the patients were in hot pursuit, their crooked bodies becoming more graceful—more predatory—with every step they took. It was like seeing the birth of a new kind of hunter in slow motion, and as she watched it go down, Lauryn realized—in one way at least-Talon was absolutely right. Whatever happened, whatever was actually going on here, they could not let those things get up to the rest of the patients in the main hospital. She was still trying to figure out how to do that when a fresh chorus of screams rang out from the hall as the fleeing workers were taken down. This was followed by a few seconds of eerie silence, and then the creatures reappeared, stalking back inside the ward toward Lauryn, Will, and Talon.
The only prey left.
“That’s it,” Will said, raising his gun. “We need to run now. Stick close to me. We’ll take the fire escape up to the street and—”
“No!” Lauryn said, grabbing his arm. “Talon’s right. We can’t run.”
Will’s face went blank in disbelief. Lauryn couldn’t blame him. They were now the only unchanged people left in the giant ward filled with…she didn’t even know what to call them. Monsters felt wrong, but they were definitely no longer human.
She scanned the room once more. At this point, every one of the original patients who’d been brought in had torn themselves off their gurneys. The rest of the medical staff—both the ones who’d run and those who’d been caught before they could—were down on the ground, but a few of the bodies were already twitching, their bloody eyes flying open in that horrified expression Lauryn had come to dread. The first ones were starting to rise, their gray, corpse-colored bodies slowly taking on the terrifying and oddly inhuman predator movement she’d seen before. Soon enough, they’d realize they didn’t need to chase these three, and then the attack would come.
Under any other circumstances, that would have been cause for panic. Now though, with seven floors of vulnerable patients waiting above them, it gave Lauryn an idea.
“We can’t let them get upstairs,” she whispered, gripping Will’s arm as hard as she could. “We have to keep them down here somehow.”
“Are you crazy?” Will hissed. “We can’t stay here!”
“They haven’t attacked us yet,” she pointed out. An observation that made no sense now that she thought about it. “I wonder—”
“It’s the sword,” Talon said quietly, gripping the bright blade in his hands. “Demons are cowardly by nature. They only attack when they think they can win.”
“Yeah, well, you might want to check the odds on that,” Will muttered, clutching his gun. “’Cause they seem to be getting less afraid by the second.”
He was right. The longer they stood without attacking, the bolder the changed patients became. Already, they were inching forward, surrounding the three of them in a ring of red eyes and long teeth. If they didn’t move soon, they’d be cornered completely. The problem was if running upstairs wasn’t an option, Lauryn didn’t know where to go. Other than the fire doors, the burn ward didn’t even have other rooms save for the bathrooms in the hall and the pharmaceutical closet at the room’s far end. The one with reinforced, key locked door designed to protect hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of prescription medication…
Right.
“Follow me!” she cried, pushing off the wall.
“Follow you where?” Will yelled as Talon ran after her. “Lauryn!”
I 100% guarantee you giant swaths of this were Wesley's ideas and creative input that Ray Norman composed.
They're like, pure uncut Wesley Snipes.
Also this is seriously is fucking Blade fanfic holy shit Wesley Snipes you insane magnificent bastard.
It's more that I'm reserving judgement absent positive confirmation to the contrary
“Wait,” she said, looking around in confusion. “Where did—”
She cut off as one of the wheeled beds in the corner rattled and slid sideways. That was all the warning Lauryn got before the man exploded toward her, leaping off the floor between the beds like a tiger. It happened so fast, she didn’t even have time to scream. She just dove sideways, knocking Will out of the way as well as the man flew past where they’d been to land in the cluster of terrified staff behind them.
What happened after was a maelstrom of bodies and blood and screams. All around the room, bloody eyed patients were ripping themselves out of their beds and turning on the hospital staff like ravenous lions. The nurses tried to run, but the room was too crowded and the panic slowed them down, making them easy prey for the gray skinned monsters their patients had become. By the time Lauryn had pushed herself off Will, the screams were competing with the unmistakable sound of tearing flesh. The sound alone was enough to make even Lauryn want to vomit. That was what she was concentrating on when something grabbed her and yanked her off the floor.
The moment the hand closed around her arm, she began to fight, flailing wildly in an effort to keep whatever it was away.
“Stop,” commanded a familiar voice. “It’s me.”
Lauryn blinked at the sound and looked up to see Talon standing over her, sword in hand.
It was a sign of just how messed up this whole situation was that the sight of a crazy man with a gleaming blade was almost enough to make her cry with relief. If things had been less dire, she would have, but Lauryn was too busy to break down right now.
“We have to get out of here!” she cried, grabbing his sleeve. “They’re changing like Lenny!”
“They are,” Talon agreed. “But we can’t run.”
“Why do you always say that?” she hissed as Talon reached down to grab Will next. “This isn’t like under the bridge. Running is the only plan. We’re facing a full blown outbreak!”
She didn’t realize how true those words were until she said them. All around the room, the bitten victims, including the tech she’d bandaged less than a minute earlier, were pulling themselves up from where they’d fallen. They rose like marionettes, their bodies cracking and bending at unnatural angles.
“You know, running is starting to sound like a great idea,” Will said, glancing backwards at the heavy fire doors where all the medical staff lucky enough to be away from the beds when the situation had gone to hell were currently fighting each other to get out. “Let’s—”
“We have to stay here,” Talon said, his voice firm. “Look at them. They’re hunters. If we run, they’ll chase, and then there’ll be nothing to stop them from infecting the whole hospital.”
“Oh, come on!” Will yelled. “That’s bullshit. They’re druggies, not zombies.”
Lauryn wasn’t so sure about that. By this point, most of the hospital staff who could run had done so, fleeing through the fire doors down the hall that led to the elevators. Behind them, the patients were in hot pursuit, their crooked bodies becoming more graceful—more predatory—with every step they took. It was like seeing the birth of a new kind of hunter in slow motion, and as she watched it go down, Lauryn realized—in one way at least-Talon was absolutely right. Whatever happened, whatever was actually going on here, they could not let those things get up to the rest of the patients in the main hospital. She was still trying to figure out how to do that when a fresh chorus of screams rang out from the hall as the fleeing workers were taken down. This was followed by a few seconds of eerie silence, and then the creatures reappeared, stalking back inside the ward toward Lauryn, Will, and Talon.
The only prey left.
“That’s it,” Will said, raising his gun. “We need to run now. Stick close to me. We’ll take the fire escape up to the street and—”
“No!” Lauryn said, grabbing his arm. “Talon’s right. We can’t run.”
Will’s face went blank in disbelief. Lauryn couldn’t blame him. They were now the only unchanged people left in the giant ward filled with…she didn’t even know what to call them. Monsters felt wrong, but they were definitely no longer human.
She scanned the room once more. At this point, every one of the original patients who’d been brought in had torn themselves off their gurneys. The rest of the medical staff—both the ones who’d run and those who’d been caught before they could—were down on the ground, but a few of the bodies were already twitching, their bloody eyes flying open in that horrified expression Lauryn had come to dread. The first ones were starting to rise, their gray, corpse-colored bodies slowly taking on the terrifying and oddly inhuman predator movement she’d seen before. Soon enough, they’d realize they didn’t need to chase these three, and then the attack would come.
Under any other circumstances, that would have been cause for panic. Now though, with seven floors of vulnerable patients waiting above them, it gave Lauryn an idea.
“We can’t let them get upstairs,” she whispered, gripping Will’s arm as hard as she could. “We have to keep them down here somehow.”
“Are you crazy?” Will hissed. “We can’t stay here!”
“They haven’t attacked us yet,” she pointed out. An observation that made no sense now that she thought about it. “I wonder—”
“It’s the sword,” Talon said quietly, gripping the bright blade in his hands. “Demons are cowardly by nature. They only attack when they think they can win.”
“Yeah, well, you might want to check the odds on that,” Will muttered, clutching his gun. “’Cause they seem to be getting less afraid by the second.”
He was right. The longer they stood without attacking, the bolder the changed patients became. Already, they were inching forward, surrounding the three of them in a ring of red eyes and long teeth. If they didn’t move soon, they’d be cornered completely. The problem was if running upstairs wasn’t an option, Lauryn didn’t know where to go. Other than the fire doors, the burn ward didn’t even have other rooms save for the bathrooms in the hall and the pharmaceutical closet at the room’s far end. The one with reinforced, key locked door designed to protect hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of prescription medication…
Right.
“Follow me!” she cried, pushing off the wall.
“Follow you where?” Will yelled as Talon ran after her. “Lauryn!”
I 100% guarantee you giant swaths of this were Wesley's ideas and creative input that Ray Norman composed.
They're like, pure uncut Wesley Snipes.
Also this is seriously is fucking Blade fanfic holy shit Wesley Snipes you insane magnificent bastard.
talon wants to fight, lauryn wants to run, will wants to run.
then
talon convinces lauryn they can't run, will still wants to run.
then
tho she was initially vomiting in terror and wanting to run, lauryn then decides on their best strategic bottleneck to fight from. talon follows her implicitly.
For the record, when being irritated at my fellow nerds for going too far, I agree that there are words that take it in a gross direction and so I wouldn't use them. For example, I'll never use "virgin" as an insult, because I don't fucking care about someone else's sex life, there's nothing wrong with virginity, and mocking people based on sexual prowess is a tool of the patriarchy.
But neckbeard? Neckbeard refers to someone's inability to realize they should trim their beard better, or so I thought. What deeper meaning does it have that I don't understand?
it's akin to "redneck" in that it's sort of shaming somebody for poor hygiene. It invokes a stereotype of the solvenly, cheeto-dusted fat man whose obsession with the minutiae of some esoteric hobby has overtaken his ability to hold a standard conversation or operate in social settings outside his tiny sphere, while simultaneously has filled him with the conceit of certainty that leads to overbearing and off-putting confrontational approach to situations he can control or impose his will on.
I know this died a while ago in the last thread but I was busy today and I think it's super super important to stop and think about what we say and WHY something might be offensive.
Neckbeard is an ok insult I think. It's reductive, as all insults are, but beyond that it doesn't open the door to some dark dimension of discrimination and hate. I think the assertion that one should make an effort on hygiene and social graces is not some horrible statement demanding conformity. It's a reminder that appearance is important and socialization is important.
I don't think the comparison to redneck fits because redneck is not a hygiene issue, at least not in a way that's especially important. Redneck comes from literally having a red, sunburned neck, but the implication is not that the person has failed to take adequate care of themselves (though that may be the case). The implication is that this is a lower class person who works outdoors for a living. This is someone who toils under the sun, running a tractor or working construction. That work has marked this person in a way that now defines them.
Growing a neck beard is not an occupational hazard that comes from watching too much anime or from getting way into board games, not in the same way. Nor does invoking the stereotype dig into anything beyond hey, maybe shave from time to time and be less of a jerk. It's a far cry from "be higher educated and have a job that doesn't involve *spit* manual labor".
Edit: Also literal rednecks pls apply ample sunscreen, cancer is bad.
Donkey Kong on
Thousands of hot, local singles are waiting to play at bubbulon.com.
For the record, when being irritated at my fellow nerds for going too far, I agree that there are words that take it in a gross direction and so I wouldn't use them. For example, I'll never use "virgin" as an insult, because I don't fucking care about someone else's sex life, there's nothing wrong with virginity, and mocking people based on sexual prowess is a tool of the patriarchy.
But neckbeard? Neckbeard refers to someone's inability to realize they should trim their beard better, or so I thought. What deeper meaning does it have that I don't understand?
it's akin to "redneck" in that it's sort of shaming somebody for poor hygiene. It invokes a stereotype of the solvenly, cheeto-dusted fat man whose obsession with the minutiae of some esoteric hobby has overtaken his ability to hold a standard conversation or operate in social settings outside his tiny sphere, while simultaneously has filled him with the conceit of certainty that leads to overbearing and off-putting confrontational approach to situations he can control or impose his will on.
I know this died a while ago in the last thread but I was busy today and I think it's super super important to stop and think about what we say and WHY something might be offensive.
Neckbeard is an ok insult I think. It's reductive, as all insults are, but beyond that it doesn't open the door to some dark dimension of discrimination and hate. I think the assertion that one should make an effort on hygiene and social graces is not some horrible statement demanding conformity. It's a reminder that appearance is important and socialization is important.
I don't think the comparison to redneck fits because redneck is not a hygiene issue, at least not in a way that's especially important. Redneck comes from literally having a red, sunburned neck, but the implication is not that the person has failed to take adequate care of themselves (though that may be the case). The implication is that this is a lower class person who works outdoors for a living. This is someone who toils under the sun, running a tractor or working construction. That work has marked this person in a way that now defines them.
Growing a neck beard is not an occupational hazard that comes from watching too much anime or from getting way into board games, not in the same way. Nor does invoking the stereotype dig into anything beyond hey, maybe shave from time to time and be less of a jerk. It's a far cry from "be higher educated and have a job that doesn't involve *spit* manual labor".
Edit: Also literal rednecks pls apply ample sunscreen, cancer is bad.
Neckbeard is used as an insult to mean "unattractive/fat/nerdy guys" now, though, not just the aforementioned savant.
Edit: also a lot of the times those people don't know better, it's a stupid moniker
bowen on
not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
who actually uses redneck or neckbeard innocently, tho? it strikes me as quite rare to see either used according to their etymology without the nastier connotations of class, trashiness, gross social inadequacy etc
who actually uses redneck or neckbeard innocently, tho? it strikes me as quite rare to see either used according to their etymology without the nastier connotations of class, trashiness, gross social inadequacy etc
I am contending that redneck can't especially be used innocently because of its history and what it means. Neckbeard can be used innocently and even when used as an insult, it strikes a fair target.
Thousands of hot, local singles are waiting to play at bubbulon.com.
who actually uses redneck or neckbeard innocently, tho? it strikes me as quite rare to see either used according to their etymology without the nastier connotations of class, trashiness, gross social inadequacy etc
A lot of people want to take the term "redneck" back but I don't think that's what you're talking about.
every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.
Poland looks amazing. Also another female leader to the list.
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Donkey KongPutting Nintendo out of business with AI nipsRegistered Userregular
Yeah I am not talking about reclaiming either term, both of which are ongoing.
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CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
edited December 2016
I finally got the wedding present from my parents. It's a subscription to yet another bullshit Catholic magazine filled with stupidity. If it weren't for the fact that it was printed on glossy paper I'd use it for my new composter.
Meanwhile Strikor's parents sent us a really nice garage door opener that I wanted and a leafblower for our wedding. They sent me a painting I wanted for my birthday and are sending us more gifts for Christmas.
I know it's not right to "compare" presents (especially since Strikor's an only child while I'm the youngest of 12), but honestly I'd prefer a card to the passive-aggressive "gifts" they're sending. Or if they wanted to send me something Catholic, they could have gotten me a subscription to the beautiful Magnificat magazine, which I would have loved. Or they could have even donated to a Catholic charity in my name and that would have been lovely. But no, they had to send me shit explaining constantly about what a great guy Trump is and how the media is totally against him you guys but he's going to bring God's kingdom back to earth. Ugh.
Cambiata on
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
Funny "taking it back" story. Old boy was going on about how proud he was to be white trash right after he yelled at one of my guys so I hit him with "we know. I mean look at your boat"
He wasn't as proud of the term anymore for some reason.
idk, neckbeard seems to me to go way beyond 'smelly and poor social graces'. i agree with tldr that the predominant use i see is nastier than just 'learn to talk about stuff other than star trek'. vicious disability-bashing seems to be there to me.
I finally got the wedding present from my parents. It's a subscription to yet another bullshit Catholic magazine filled with stupidity. If it weren't for the fact that it was printed on glossy paper I'd use it for my new composter.
Meanwhile Strikor's parents sent us a really nice garage door opener that I wanted and a leafblower for our wedding. They sent me a painting I wanted for my birthday and are sending us more gifts for Christmas.
I know it's not right to "compare" presents (especially since Strikor's an only child while I'm the youngest of 12), but honestly I'd prefer a card to the passive-aggressive "gifts" they're sending. Or if they wanted to send me something Catholic, they could have gotten me a subscription to the beautiful Magnificat magazine, which I would have loved. Or they could have even donated to a Catholic charity in my name and that would have been lovely. But no, they had to send me shit explaining constantly about what a great guy Trump is and how the media is totally against him you guys but he's going to bring God's kingdom back to earth. Ugh.
great Googly moogly
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ElldrenIs a woman dammitceterum censeoRegistered Userregular
Is there a way I can dragoon someone with access to a pc to help me prepare a set of pictures for inline posting here?
I assume everybody here has seen the EverydayFeminism cartoon about "neckbeard" as an insult?
It was linked earlier, I found it unconvincing, others found it convincing. I thought it played fast and loose with "this is off limits, people can't change this" vs "come on, someone who isn't changing this has a shitty unhappy life and needs help if anything." The second ends in not insulting anyone, which fair enough if you want to argue for it but it's an ambitious stance to argue for not using a particular word anymore. It may not be christlike to insult someone, but "don't use that insult" seems to suggest it's worse than other insults. Insulting bad hygiene and bad behavior seems like a good set of things to insult, if we're insulting things.
Autism less so, and maybe someday soon I'll stop saying neckbeard because other people use it so, but I don't think it's tainted yet. Most neckbeards I've so described have been known to me as shitheads not on the spectrum.
idk, neckbeard seems to me to go way beyond 'smelly and poor social graces'. i agree with tldr that the predominant use i see is nastier than just 'learn to talk about stuff other than star trek'. vicious disability-bashing seems to be there to me.
Yeah at the moment that it seems to be there to me I will reluctantly put effort into not saying it anymore. My only point of disagreement is when they start saying we shouldn't bash smelly, no social graces, fixably bad appearance.
Powerpuppies on
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Donkey KongPutting Nintendo out of business with AI nipsRegistered Userregular
idk, neckbeard seems to me to go way beyond 'smelly and poor social graces'. i agree with tldr that the predominant use i see is nastier than just 'learn to talk about stuff other than star trek'. vicious disability-bashing seems to be there to me.
What disability? Autism spectrum? Anxiety disorders? I don't think it pointedly targets them. There's bleedover and if there's too much then sure, it's poisoned and we have to move on and come up with something better. But it at least started and the spirit behind it is not targeting anything but hygiene and a particularly ugly kind of facial hair that comes from a lack of care.
Thousands of hot, local singles are waiting to play at bubbulon.com.
For the record, when being irritated at my fellow nerds for going too far, I agree that there are words that take it in a gross direction and so I wouldn't use them. For example, I'll never use "virgin" as an insult, because I don't fucking care about someone else's sex life, there's nothing wrong with virginity, and mocking people based on sexual prowess is a tool of the patriarchy.
But neckbeard? Neckbeard refers to someone's inability to realize they should trim their beard better, or so I thought. What deeper meaning does it have that I don't understand?
it's akin to "redneck" in that it's sort of shaming somebody for poor hygiene. It invokes a stereotype of the solvenly, cheeto-dusted fat man whose obsession with the minutiae of some esoteric hobby has overtaken his ability to hold a standard conversation or operate in social settings outside his tiny sphere, while simultaneously has filled him with the conceit of certainty that leads to overbearing and off-putting confrontational approach to situations he can control or impose his will on.
I know this died a while ago in the last thread but I was busy today and I think it's super super important to stop and think about what we say and WHY something might be offensive.
Neckbeard is an ok insult I think. It's reductive, as all insults are, but beyond that it doesn't open the door to some dark dimension of discrimination and hate. I think the assertion that one should make an effort on hygiene and social graces is not some horrible statement demanding conformity. It's a reminder that appearance is important and socialization is important.
I don't think the comparison to redneck fits because redneck is not a hygiene issue, at least not in a way that's especially important. Redneck comes from literally having a red, sunburned neck, but the implication is not that the person has failed to take adequate care of themselves (though that may be the case). The implication is that this is a lower class person who works outdoors for a living. This is someone who toils under the sun, running a tractor or working construction. That work has marked this person in a way that now defines them.
Growing a neck beard is not an occupational hazard that comes from watching too much anime or from getting way into board games, not in the same way. Nor does invoking the stereotype dig into anything beyond hey, maybe shave from time to time and be less of a jerk. It's a far cry from "be higher educated and have a job that doesn't involve *spit* manual labor".
Edit: Also literal rednecks pls apply ample sunscreen, cancer is bad.
I largely agree with this.
I also agree with the notion that it's kind of rubbish as an insult for other reasons (largely the ones that comic Quid posted, although there's some points it makes I don't totally agree with).
I also think that it's incredibly important that people try to be mindful of why they're tossing an insult in general at someone.
Like what's the fuckin' point of that at all?
Some would say "Well there's no point, no person is ever gonna go and rethink their viewpoints on video games or feminism because you called them a neckbeard, it's never gonna win an argument" but insulting someone isn't really about winning an argument. Or it shouldn't be, really, at that point, and if you think it is and you're insulting someone anyway then you've gravely fucked up your understanding of how argument works.
Like, there's many reasons to argue with someone. To try to convince them they are wrong and you (or someone else) is right is only one. I harp on this a lot because it's a thing I believe strongly and I don't think enough people online really chew on it.
Argument can basically be demagoguery, like by slamming into someone you're essentially trying to convince not them, but others that are observing the argument that they are wrong and you are right. In that sense, you don't actually give a shit what they take away from the argument, how they feel, or if they agree with you or not. An insult might be effective here, if you think other people around you will actually... come around to your way of thinking because of it, if they were somehow on the fence before? But the truth is that rarely happens.
It can also be just like, self-satisfaction or another emotional need, like you're really just arguing with someone because it makes you feel good, or you feel powerless and this is the only recourse you feel you have. So even if you genuinely believe you are right and they are wrong, what your real goal here is how it makes you feel to assert that. Their actual feelings on the matter are optional. People use insults a lot in this instance. I'm kinda ehhhh on that.
Then there's silencing, and this is where I think insults are both good and bad. Argument can be a way to make a wrong person silent. Disempowered. They don't actually agree with you, they're not conceding shit (or are doing so in a way that's hilariously obvious they don't actually). But they're going to shut the fuck up, and they're going to either get the fuck out or grit their teeth and do things your way. Shaming, intimidation, etc. These are often treated as absolute evils, but I'm not so sure on that. Making it clear to a racist that spouting racial slurs at people is completely fucking unacceptable is sort of more immediately important when they're doing just that then trying to convince them to unpack why they're a fucking racist. Sometimes, this is better done with diplomacy. More often, I'd say. But sometimes it's not! And in those instances, insults can be part of a whole array of options to just tell a person no. Unacceptable. Fuck off. Shut up. That sort of silencing tactic shouldn't be necessary in an authority-driven civil space, like a workplace or a moderated online community, as there are people whose job it is to correct that behavior with other, less vulgar tactics. But in other circumstances, you might not have that luxury.
+1
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TL DRNot at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered Userregular
Stepping aside from 'neckbeard' for a moment to say: any claim to the effect of "this implication could be really bad and hateful but people aren't really doing that" only betrays insufficient exposure to the bulk of the internet.
I finally got the wedding present from my parents. It's a subscription to yet another bullshit Catholic magazine filled with stupidity. If it weren't for the fact that it was printed on glossy paper I'd use it for my new composter.
Meanwhile Strikor's parents sent us a really nice garage door opener that I wanted and a leafblower for our wedding. They sent me a painting I wanted for my birthday and are sending us more gifts for Christmas.
I know it's not right to "compare" presents (especially since Strikor's an only child while I'm the youngest of 12), but honestly I'd prefer a card to the passive-aggressive "gifts" they're sending. Or if they wanted to send me something Catholic, they could have gotten me a subscription to the beautiful Magnificat magazine, which I would have loved. Or they could have even donated to a Catholic charity in my name and that would have been lovely. But no, they had to send me shit explaining constantly about what a great guy Trump is and how the media is totally against him you guys but he's going to bring God's kingdom back to earth. Ugh.
I was hoping that Magnificat was a magazine for Catholic cat enthusiasts. I was sorely disappointed.
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wafflesmageeI like pancakes.Registered Userregular
So I was watching the news with one of my patients today and there was a story about a high school that has an annual tradition of getting students to participate in an eggnog chugging contest.
Whoever can chug a quarter of a gallon of eggnog and keep it down wins.
On the plus side the news wasn't totally depressing but why?
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ChanusHarbinger of the Spicy Rooster ApocalypseThe Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered Userregular
why does no one ever point it out makes absolutely no sense for a pacific island nation to have a native translation for merry christmas that also happens to be a nearly phonetic cognate
Posts
oh god this changes the game completely for some reason
oh god, I forgot he was the homestuck guy.
So many successful people used to and do hangout here. What am I doing with my life.
I 100% guarantee you giant swaths of this were Wesley's ideas and creative input that Ray Norman composed.
They're like, pure uncut Wesley Snipes.
Also this is seriously is fucking Blade fanfic holy shit Wesley Snipes you insane magnificent bastard.
this kills my fantasy. gayness is the only impediment to me having sexual intercourse with her.
I'd be sharing images of this bounty but imgur mobile is an absolute dog
This is why I posted it.
god bless
preordered
talon wants to fight, lauryn wants to run, will wants to run.
then
talon convinces lauryn they can't run, will still wants to run.
then
tho she was initially vomiting in terror and wanting to run, lauryn then decides on their best strategic bottleneck to fight from. talon follows her implicitly.
godbless
I am not sure what I just read.
I know this died a while ago in the last thread but I was busy today and I think it's super super important to stop and think about what we say and WHY something might be offensive.
Neckbeard is an ok insult I think. It's reductive, as all insults are, but beyond that it doesn't open the door to some dark dimension of discrimination and hate. I think the assertion that one should make an effort on hygiene and social graces is not some horrible statement demanding conformity. It's a reminder that appearance is important and socialization is important.
I don't think the comparison to redneck fits because redneck is not a hygiene issue, at least not in a way that's especially important. Redneck comes from literally having a red, sunburned neck, but the implication is not that the person has failed to take adequate care of themselves (though that may be the case). The implication is that this is a lower class person who works outdoors for a living. This is someone who toils under the sun, running a tractor or working construction. That work has marked this person in a way that now defines them.
Growing a neck beard is not an occupational hazard that comes from watching too much anime or from getting way into board games, not in the same way. Nor does invoking the stereotype dig into anything beyond hey, maybe shave from time to time and be less of a jerk. It's a far cry from "be higher educated and have a job that doesn't involve *spit* manual labor".
Edit: Also literal rednecks pls apply ample sunscreen, cancer is bad.
it's somehow adorable and endearing and humanizing to see them just throw that shit out there for the world to see and not give a fuck
Neckbeard is used as an insult to mean "unattractive/fat/nerdy guys" now, though, not just the aforementioned savant.
Edit: also a lot of the times those people don't know better, it's a stupid moniker
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I am contending that redneck can't especially be used innocently because of its history and what it means. Neckbeard can be used innocently and even when used as an insult, it strikes a fair target.
A lot of people want to take the term "redneck" back but I don't think that's what you're talking about.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
First new Civ announced.
Poland looks amazing. Also another female leader to the list.
Meanwhile Strikor's parents sent us a really nice garage door opener that I wanted and a leafblower for our wedding. They sent me a painting I wanted for my birthday and are sending us more gifts for Christmas.
I know it's not right to "compare" presents (especially since Strikor's an only child while I'm the youngest of 12), but honestly I'd prefer a card to the passive-aggressive "gifts" they're sending. Or if they wanted to send me something Catholic, they could have gotten me a subscription to the beautiful Magnificat magazine, which I would have loved. Or they could have even donated to a Catholic charity in my name and that would have been lovely. But no, they had to send me shit explaining constantly about what a great guy Trump is and how the media is totally against him you guys but he's going to bring God's kingdom back to earth. Ugh.
He wasn't as proud of the term anymore for some reason.
great Googly moogly
It was linked earlier, I found it unconvincing, others found it convincing. I thought it played fast and loose with "this is off limits, people can't change this" vs "come on, someone who isn't changing this has a shitty unhappy life and needs help if anything." The second ends in not insulting anyone, which fair enough if you want to argue for it but it's an ambitious stance to argue for not using a particular word anymore. It may not be christlike to insult someone, but "don't use that insult" seems to suggest it's worse than other insults. Insulting bad hygiene and bad behavior seems like a good set of things to insult, if we're insulting things.
Autism less so, and maybe someday soon I'll stop saying neckbeard because other people use it so, but I don't think it's tainted yet. Most neckbeards I've so described have been known to me as shitheads not on the spectrum.
the interviewers were pleasant people who seemed to like my answers
I'm crossing all my fingers and toes here
Yeah at the moment that it seems to be there to me I will reluctantly put effort into not saying it anymore. My only point of disagreement is when they start saying we shouldn't bash smelly, no social graces, fixably bad appearance.
What disability? Autism spectrum? Anxiety disorders? I don't think it pointedly targets them. There's bleedover and if there's too much then sure, it's poisoned and we have to move on and come up with something better. But it at least started and the spirit behind it is not targeting anything but hygiene and a particularly ugly kind of facial hair that comes from a lack of care.
I largely agree with this.
I also agree with the notion that it's kind of rubbish as an insult for other reasons (largely the ones that comic Quid posted, although there's some points it makes I don't totally agree with).
I also think that it's incredibly important that people try to be mindful of why they're tossing an insult in general at someone.
Like what's the fuckin' point of that at all?
Some would say "Well there's no point, no person is ever gonna go and rethink their viewpoints on video games or feminism because you called them a neckbeard, it's never gonna win an argument" but insulting someone isn't really about winning an argument. Or it shouldn't be, really, at that point, and if you think it is and you're insulting someone anyway then you've gravely fucked up your understanding of how argument works.
Like, there's many reasons to argue with someone. To try to convince them they are wrong and you (or someone else) is right is only one. I harp on this a lot because it's a thing I believe strongly and I don't think enough people online really chew on it.
Argument can basically be demagoguery, like by slamming into someone you're essentially trying to convince not them, but others that are observing the argument that they are wrong and you are right. In that sense, you don't actually give a shit what they take away from the argument, how they feel, or if they agree with you or not. An insult might be effective here, if you think other people around you will actually... come around to your way of thinking because of it, if they were somehow on the fence before? But the truth is that rarely happens.
It can also be just like, self-satisfaction or another emotional need, like you're really just arguing with someone because it makes you feel good, or you feel powerless and this is the only recourse you feel you have. So even if you genuinely believe you are right and they are wrong, what your real goal here is how it makes you feel to assert that. Their actual feelings on the matter are optional. People use insults a lot in this instance. I'm kinda ehhhh on that.
Then there's silencing, and this is where I think insults are both good and bad. Argument can be a way to make a wrong person silent. Disempowered. They don't actually agree with you, they're not conceding shit (or are doing so in a way that's hilariously obvious they don't actually). But they're going to shut the fuck up, and they're going to either get the fuck out or grit their teeth and do things your way. Shaming, intimidation, etc. These are often treated as absolute evils, but I'm not so sure on that. Making it clear to a racist that spouting racial slurs at people is completely fucking unacceptable is sort of more immediately important when they're doing just that then trying to convince them to unpack why they're a fucking racist. Sometimes, this is better done with diplomacy. More often, I'd say. But sometimes it's not! And in those instances, insults can be part of a whole array of options to just tell a person no. Unacceptable. Fuck off. Shut up. That sort of silencing tactic shouldn't be necessary in an authority-driven civil space, like a workplace or a moderated online community, as there are people whose job it is to correct that behavior with other, less vulgar tactics. But in other circumstances, you might not have that luxury.
Whoever can chug a quarter of a gallon of eggnog and keep it down wins.
On the plus side the news wasn't totally depressing but why?
mele kalikimaka is the new baby it's cold outside