zapatos

If we are going to use terms that broadly, then I guess everything I do is for breathing. I sit in class so that I can get a job so I can drive to work so that I can shop for food so that I can cook so that I can eat so that I can continue to breathe. etc.

Driving to work. Paying bills. Sleeping. Cooking. Shopping. Vacuuming. Sitting in class. Reading the news. Going to church. Changing diapers. Cutting the grass. How many would you like me to list?

What are you basing this belief on?

So what is the actual number?

https://www.csis.org/analysis/it-risk-america-china-holds-over-1-trillion-us-debt I'm hoping next time I ask you for a citation you'll be so good as to provide one.

I don't think America will go bust if China quits buying 6% of America's debt. It will be sold elsewhere. Agreed. It is an area that I think Biden has excelled at. Some things really do require years of experience in politics, rather than being an outsider with no political experience.

I think your bias against America is clouding your judgement. The US is looking at the total picture; weapons, economics, politics, the past, the future, influencing, cajoling, threatening, enemies, allies, quid pro quo, etc. Russia on the other hand is looking at the total picture; weapons, economics, politics, the past, the future, influencing, cajoling, threatening, enemies, allies, quid pro quo, etc.. The US is trying to minimize risk and maximize success. Russia is doing the same. The US (or Russia or China) would not be a very sophisticated country if they didn't take every action they could to try and tilt things in their favor. It is not arrogance. It is a smart move. Russia would like nothing more than for the US to sit idly by as weapons from China or anywhere else flowed into Russia.

Hmm. How do I respond to that without getting suspended...

Disagree. There were dozens of proxy wars during the Cold War and this feels similar. We did not get into WWIII after Vietnam (the Americans' turn), Afghanistan (the Soviets' turn), nor any of the other dozens of proxy wars.

I'll have what she's having.

I believe that much of what we have a distaste for is simply a vestige of our past. Some people won't eat peas because they remember them being gross when they were a kid. I about gag when I think about Wild Turkey because it gave me a two day hangover after my 21st birthday. Some people don't like thinking about gay sex because of how it was talked about when they were young. Unless you are outwardly displaying these distastes and causing issues for others I see no reason to be obliged to make an effort to reverse those distastes. They are like a singe mark on a piece of furniture from a long ago fire. I could certainly make the effort to erase it completely, but it doesn't mean much to me and I have other things occupying my time. I'm more concerned about people's actions than their thoughts. I don't deny that everyone making an effort to eliminate such thoughts would have an overall positive impact on society due to the fact that some will otherwise let their feelings show through. Similarly we should probably all limit salt intake due to the fact that some of us will otherwise develop high blood pressure because of it. But it seems to me to be a relatively small issue and a small risk. After all, those who are truly bigots wouldn't try anyway.

What does it mean when my feeling of distaste applies to fashion? Maybe. But does it really matter if I keep it to myself? And if it doesn't apply to my feelings or actions regarding equal rights, etc.? We seem to be straying into 'thought police' discussions.

Well, they might continue to find it distasteful only because they were conditioned to react negatively. Just because I find something distasteful does not mean I am making a judgement call. Perhaps I never bothered to "reason it out".

Maybe I'm misreading this, but I don't think anyone here is "denigrating" or "criticizing".

Yeah, we've never seen anything like that before... 🙄

I just looked at Walmart and another store, and found the prices for 90%, 99% and 100% are approximately the same.

Can you tell me how you link racism to genetics?

Are you saying that rockets don't actually work?

I don't believe that is quite what they are saying. Their argument is more along the lines of: Both homosexuals and heterosexuals cannot help liking who they like; they are born that way. Additionally, both homosexuals and heterosexuals have learned behavior, and being reasoning beings, can change their learned likes and dislikes. One example of a learned behavior is a prejudice against homosexuals, which is often exhibited by expressing a disgust of homosexual sex acts.

The first. And if it is on television I'll watch it like I'd watch any scene. I think I'd only frown at the thought of doing it myself. I agree the second behavior certainly sounds like prejudice. Thinking back in time to my youth, I believe I used to have a bit of a reaction to the sight of two men kissing. I also heard and told homophobic jokes, although I didn't really give them much thought. I mean it wasn't mean from my perspective, just a stupid joke, kind of like we'd tell Polish, or blonde jokes. It was only after gaining some maturity that I realized what the jokes were really saying. It is quite likely that my earlier strong-ish reaction to two men kissing was a learned behavior that went away with my youth.

The show Fear Factor was popular because it showed people doing things that others found 'distasteful', or whatever word we want to use. For example eating insects. Is that being prejudiced in some way? How is that different from finding gay, male sex distasteful. For the record, I fully admit to not enjoying the sight of two men kissing, whereas I do enjoy seeing two women kissing. I don't see how that has to do with power, nor how that makes me prejudiced. Feels more like a specific sexual preference for me. Just as some people like seeing women in high heels squishing bugs, which also feels distasteful to me without me being prejudiced.

What is your definition of "judging"? I've always felt "judging" required a conscious decision, whereas "distaste" is not necessarily arrived at with forethought. IOW, "distaste of a sex act" doesn't feel like a "judgement" to me.

https://biggeekdad.com/2010/10/side-by-side/

After reading through this part of the discussion I have to agree with you. People feel the way they feel about things. One can examine the reasoning behind those feelings or not. But as long as those feelings do not result in bias against another I don't see why anyone would think there is any harm in having those feelings. Even if the distaste of coconuts originated with a deep born hatred of Pacific Islanders because one of them stole a ball from you when you were a kid, if you currently have no bias against Pacific Islanders I see no great benefit in examining if the lingering dislike of coconuts comes from the original stolen ball episode, or if it is due to the fact that coconut has kind of a gross texture and aftertaste. You are under no ethical or moral obligation to work toward eliminating your distaste of coconuts.

Yeah, me too. I also saw them in concert about five times.