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[testing4l]

There is truly something poisonous in the one-upmanship of our society.

Some examples:

lishd had an amazing portrait of a hawk carved into her side over the course of five hours

Comments

[lishd]

heh. the amusing thing about my portion of this post is that brands can often hurt less, as the nerve endings are killed pretty quickly. (brands also tend to spread; i'd never be able to get this level of detail in a brand... but that's beside the point.) really though, anyone getting into a pissing contest over bodyart is Sincerely Doing It Wrong. bigger doesn't guarantee better, & the degree of pain tolerated is meaningless unless it's for a reason more substantial than "'cause i'm tough".

but yeah, people do tend to want to be more & badder & bigger than whatever you've got. it's sad.

[lishd]

ps. thank you for the compliment. it's particularly significant to have my mods complimented by a blank. :)

[londo]

Not that we know each other or anything, but... carved? Can you elaborate, please?

[lishd]

check the latest post on my lj. it's public.

[lateblt]

Heck, that's nothing. I already recognized my own asshole tendency to one-up people, apologized publicly for it, and reformed my evil ways in kindergarten.

Speaking seriously, though, kudos for recognizing that "hypocrisy" does not in any way lessen the import of your words. There's some kind of strange rationale people seem to cherish that if you've ever done something in the past, that automatically disqualifies you from speaking against it because OH NO YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE HOW CAN YOU BE SO RIGHTEOUS WHEN YOU HAVE DONE THIS YOURSELF? People change. There's something inside us that always makes us want to be better than other people. Eventually, if we're self-aware enough, we recognize this tendency and correct for it, and life goes on. That's simply part of growing up and becoming a mature person.

[testing4l]

Speaking seriously, though, kudos for recognizing that "hypocrisy" does not in any way lessen the import of your words.

That wasn't really the thrust of this, but thanks, I guess?

Anyway, I'm not sure that I actually am a hypocrite. I can't think of any particular case in which I acted contrary to my sentiment here. However, I recognize the possibility that I may have acted hypocritically in writing this post

[londo]

Irritation over this sort of thing is why I started declaring that my penis was *so* large, it was visible from space. I'd see two or more people (usually, but not always, guys) one-upping each other over something stupid, and in the hopes of short-circuiting the conversation (or at least getting a chuckle) I'd just declare, regardless of actual topic, that my dick is "no small moon" or whatever.

Which is to say, I was noticing this before noticing this was cool. Also, don't call me Ariel, my name is Helvetica.

[testing4l]

Two important point missing one-ups!

1) "no small moon" -- the line is "That's no moon!"

2) Also, don't call me Ariel, my name is Helvetica -- actually the font is spelled Arial.

Which is to say, I was noticing this before noticing this was cool.

I think I've firmly established that noticing it still isn't cool.

I'd just declare, regardless of actual topic, that my dick is "no small moon" or whatever.

I didn't know that this was the origin of that. I was -- if you'll forgive the lewd pun -- a Johnny-come-lately to that party.

[londo]

If you haven't seen it, hipster Ariel is hella funny: http://fuckyeahhipsterariel.tumblr.com/post/3188550510/buzzfeed

If you have seen it, then clearly it is now passe and I never liked it that much anyway.

And, yeah, that's why I started that, though like you, I've committed this crime myself. And I guess that, in some circumstances, I'm okay with it - the quest for the Most Awesome [insert category here] is worthy, right? But often it's badly done and annoying to watch. Or something.

[testing4l]

If you haven't seen it, hipster Ariel is hella funny:

You damned paramecium! You invoked "hella" with a posteriori knowledge of how much that grates at me, didn't you?

I'm not at all certain that I'd seen it, but either way, my foreknowledge of the correct spelling would have destroyed what little humor potential there may ever have been.

the quest for the Most Awesome [insert category here] is worthy, right? But often it's badly done and annoying to watch. Or something.

The quest is worthy. The detractors are not.

[majesticzaichik]

There are so many things wrong with this entire post.

A friend of mine responded with "Wow -- why are you hanging out in Hicktown?"
Another friend responded with "Why did you go out for it? There's only a 30% chance of it launching."

What is wrong with those answers? I would have said the exact same thing. I would not want to hang around Hickville even if it's the same name as my boyfriend and going to Florida with a 30 percent cancellation rate is WAY too risky for me.

I also don't get what's so wrong with the brands answer.

The art of conversation is not a matter of flapping your lips at one another for an extended period of time. It is about listening, understanding, and responding thoughtfully. In our age of instant gratification, it is most unfortunate that people see a period of time for reflection in the midst of an argument or conversation as an imperfection.

Yeah this is just incredibly hypocritical for you to say this.

[testing4l]

What is wrong with those answers? I would have said the exact same thing. I would not want to hang around Hickville even if it's the same name as my boyfriend and going to Florida with a 30 percent cancellation rate is WAY too risky for me.

Because it's completely missing the point.

It was the last shuttle launch. If you wanted to see a shuttle launch, you had to be in Titusville (AKA "Hickville") during the launch window. 30% is not 0%, after all.

It turned out to be a good thing. You would have missed it. I did not.

I also don't get what's so wrong with the brands answer.I'm convinced that you don't get what my objection is, so we'll ignore your comment about hypocrisy for the time being. I actually find that comment somewhat odious as it implies that from your viewpoint, I don't value what other people have to say

[majesticzaichik]

If you want me to understand your objection better, you will have to be much clearer because much of this made little sense other than it knocking down peoples' responses to certain comments.

I'm not sure if I would exactly say that you don't value what others say, I think that you may value it in some way, but whatever anyone says is completely irrelevant to you because you are incredibly dogmatic ,actually possible the MOST dogmatic person I have ever met in my life, and that's no compliment. So you may acknowledge what they say in some regard, but it doesn't matter because you are set in your ways and will not change your mind. I don't really know you so well, so maybe there have been occasions where others have changed your mind, but I know of none.

[testing4l]

but whatever anyone says is completely irrelevant to you because you are incredibly dogmatic ,actually possible the MOST dogmatic person I have ever met in my life

It is surprising that you could attend game night for as long as you have and come away with that impression.

It is, of course, folly to attempt to dissuade you of that notion, but this thread in which I argue devil's advocate strikes me as being a direct rejection of a dogmatic outlook.

All that I can conclude is that you mistake the certainty with which I will express an opinion as being dogmatic. In truth, I do not disagree with people on the basis of dogma. Rather, I disagree with them because I reason that they are wrong.

Generally, I'm happy to elucidate on that reasoning roughly until hell freezes over. That's not a trait of dogmatic reasoning.

I'm inclined to suggest the possibility that you're using the word "dogmatic" incorrectly.

[kenshiro]

I still find it incredible how people can't believe there's a Wii version of Black Ops. Granted, you get the complete game on HD.

[testing4l]

I have to admit that I don't find first person shooters to be very compelling -- it seems like most of them are ultimately still Doom with a lot more finger ballet.

[kenshiro]

Nah on modern times they're just Doom + 'aim down yer sights!'

I blame Resident Evil!