The Code Nov 21st, 2006

[Angstwolf]

They sort of just melted together for me. I'm surprised I noticed you quoted the wrong book. They were both good, but way too similar.

Your least favorite part is mine too, even though I don't know what you're talking about. A remake of Charlotte's Web sounds really awful.

[Bocaj Claw]

I would avoid the movie theaters for a while then.

I actually purposefully mis-summarized it. You win the double prize of the "Noticing It" and "Dragging this Thread Kicking and Screaming Back to it's Original Point" awards.

[Angstwolf]

Good, then I achieved my goal.

[Phoenix]

if people don't want to get beaten up, they should submit if someone like that is attacking them. But then, that's not a satisfactoy solution either, because then they have to suffer the pressure of always repressing their desires, and the disgust of knowing that they can't stand up for themselves. Either way they go, it won't lead to happiness for them, so what can they do?

Not fighting back doesn't mean you want to. I'll never lay a hand on a soul, even if you started to beat me up. I wouldn't want to, and I wouldn't be repressing any desires. If you don't like pacifism but you are one anyway, you're missing the point. (this of course excludes a simple smack shared with a friend)

Oh, I wasn't meaning repressing the desire to retaliate, I meant having to stop doing what you want to do - ie dressing in a particular fashion - as the only way to avoid being attacked, leading to one of two scenarios: Either you behave the way you want and suffer constant abuse and attacks, or you are forced to stop behaving the way you want. Either way, it's a no-win situation for the victim, which is why I disagreed with Sandblaster's earlir comment that the victims could simply stop their torment by conforming - it only leads to a different kind of torment.

I'm more or less pacifist myself - I'll never hit anyone out of anger, and I won't hit someone who hits me out of anger if I've done something wrong. I will - or hope I will - strike back at those who attack me or my loved ones simply because they enjoy inflicting pain, or those who try to rob/murder etc, though I'll always try to hit only to disable. If it's purely in defensive purposes, I think some violence is justified.

[Dr. Doog]

mmkay that's cool phoenix.

And in case you guys haven't noticed, Dan Brown's books are the exact same, except he changes the proper nouns and whatnot. I devised the formula once, but I forgot most of it.

[Bocaj Claw]

*ahem*

Start with one (1) measure of geeky, but strangely studly scientist of obscure field add one hot female lead who's also some kind of intellectual, liberally sprinkle in random conspiracy theories, add one misunderstood secret society. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then, while put the one supposedly friendly but inevitabley evil person on to boil and sprinkle with killer with odd characteristic (albino, hashishim, et cetera). Now, add some main evil guy deluding killer into helping him by pretending to be supportive of that person's goals while in actuality wanting the opposite. Add one plot twist where it turns out that the evil person wants exactly the opposite of what's been implied the whole book.

Now, add some nerdy stud saves the day with his narrow specialist field knowledge and lightly (very lightly) sprinkle some sex at the very end of the book.

Serves two to millions.

[nickspoon]

Some people are very strange, and it wouldn't hurt them to be more normal. This isn't always the case but sometimes it is.

Eh, and what if I don't want to be normal? I, surely, can exercise the right to dress however the hell I like without being subject to violence. Were I to wear a large purple sombrero with green spots and orange ribbons, would I be hurting anyone? Would violence be justifiable? Would what I'm doing be *wrong*?

Just because it wouldn't hurt to be more normal, doesn't mean I have to.

(And yes, if I had a purple sombrero with green spots and orange ribbons, I would wear it just for the funny looks. I'm that kind of person.)

[Angstwolf]

Well since we're off topic again, I'll go ahead and state my opinion.

I believe you can, in fact, be too weird. You are too weird if you are hindering someone else's ability to accomplish something. A (completely random) example of this would be playing with a very noisy babby toy in the middle of a college lecture.

No matter what, weirdness should never be dealt with using violence. Nothing should, to be honest. It's a whole lot easier to solve a problem with words. They don't even have to be unpleasant words.

[Bocaj Claw]

(And yes, if I had a purple sombrero with green spots and orange ribbons, I would wear it just for the funny looks. I'm that kind of person.)

You're the coolest person I know for the next five minutes.

[nickspoon]

(And yes, if I had a purple sombrero with green spots and orange ribbons, I would wear it just for the funny looks. I'm that kind of person.)

You're the coolest person I know for the next five minutes.

I'm honoured.

[Bocaj Claw]

Annnnnnnnnd time's up. I have a short attention span, donchaknow?

[Muninn]

My favorite part of that book is when I realized that it had basically the same plot structure and plot twist as the Da Vinci code.

Actually Angels and Demons was written before The Da Vinci Code.

Anyway, Focault's Pendulum seems better at the worldwide apocaliptic conspiracy stuff.