Archive for the ‘Words’ Category
Lake Throwback Thursday
Posted in Miscellaneous, Philosophy, Tyranny, Words, tagged blogging, ethics, language, psychology on September 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Blue Moon
Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Music, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, Words, tagged activism, advertising, artificial stupidity, blogging, Bluesky, cops, crypto-moralism, Decentralization, Denmark, Enshittification, ethics, fantasy, games, Hollywood, illegal aliens, internet, language, masturbation, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, politicians, prisons, propaganda, psychology, racism, restaurants, robots, scams, surveillance, tabula rasa, teachers, Tennessee, Texas, Toys for Tots, vaccines, weaponry on September 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Ugh, this sounds like something he mutters to himself during masturbation.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-15T03:01:51.899Z
I always have mixed feelings about "investigations" or "studies" that "find" things which were always completely bloody obvious. On the one hand, I'm glad more people are admitting the problem. But on the other hand, HOLY SHIT WHY DID IT TAKE Y'ALL OVER 30 YEARS TO FIGURE OUT SOMETHING SO OBVIOUS?
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-16T07:22:05.418Z
"School resource officer" is a cop euphemism for "sexually-predatory thug paid to lurk in schools so as to spy on, harass, and molest students, and burden them with criminal records for 'offenses' which in more enlightened times were punished with detention and writing lines on the chalkboard."
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-17T18:05:16.858Z
Long ago, I realized that thinking about the money bandits extort from you via threat of burning your farm as still somehow being "yours", and obsessing about what the warlords do with it, is the way to madness.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-20T03:30:11.795Z
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-21T03:38:05.129Z
This looks like a CGI image of a fake CGI sign. In other words, the sign *itself* is CGI, not just the image *on* the nonexistent sign.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-21T17:38:30.715Z
Yes, "health" obsessives truly are full of shit.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-22T17:07:46.039Z
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-23T07:24:33.815Z
Any decent car or motorcycle can do it in under 4 seconds once it gets moving.These figures mean less than nothing without context.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-25T03:16:33.048Z
Investors stupid and gullible enough to believe this deserve to lose their money when the bubble bursts.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-25T16:40:36.172Z
Modern policing began in most parts of the US in the 1870s. At that time, $1 had the buying power of $30 today.Imagine telling the people of that time that the "law enforcement" they were voting for would one day be used to persecute people for picking up A DOLLAR someone had dropped.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-26T17:25:54.126Z
N.B.: Cryptocurrency is not an "investment", and anyone who believes it is looks like this:
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-27T17:19:23.344Z
Americans have no "philosophy"; they have religion (including partisan politics and entertainment fandom). The number of exceptions in the whole country could comfortably attend a conference on my farm, with room left over for a convention of ethical cops.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-28T17:46:16.457Z
It's very rare that airports get named after people who gave something to the world rather than taking from it; I can only think of two other examples offhand, New Orleans and Oklahoma City.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-29T02:30:21.861Z
"Doctor" Carson thinks hot dogs grow out of the ground like corn.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-30T18:05:12.332Z
We live in a fallen world.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-31T17:24:10.226Z
Reporters: "controversial" should not be used as a euphemism for "evil", "unpopular", "tyrannical", "universally reviled", etc.Words mean things; please be more professional with your vocabulary choices.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-01T17:15:02.453Z
If I'd written a satire in which Goebbels Farms honored a Neo-Nazi, my editor would've said it was too obvious.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-03T03:19:20.912Z
Headline from 1989: "Has our oat bran obsession gone too far?"Same answer.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-03T18:04:13.456Z
"Return hub" is such a nice way to say "concentration camp".
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-04T17:05:19.288Z
I remember when we were at least ruled by adults.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-05T17:21:43.608Z
The idea that there could be such a thing as a "true-crime star" is like something out of a dystopian comic book universe.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-06T18:05:23.948Z
Your "leaders" want you to believe that you are a tabula rasa, a mere thing without free will to be acted upon (by media, websites, propaganda, the collective, etc) and shaped in a Skinnerian dystopia.Do not believe them. You can CHOOSE not to be warped in this way, BUT THE CHOICE MUST BE ACTIVE.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-08T17:30:09.952Z
The phrase "trusted ad partners", which appears on many adblocker-blocker popups, is really quite funny. Those "trusted partners" are picked by software in automated auctions; *y'all* may be greedy enough to trust these randos, but I'm not as gullible as you would like me to be.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-10T16:52:28.464Z
I'll just leave this here: archive.is/SGZcS
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-11T18:42:41.516Z
The only thing more infuriating than mansplaining is amateursplaining. Holy shit.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-12T07:47:56.110Z
Take THAT, "Woman of the Year"!
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-13T17:25:26.151Z
I blocked him so he won't have to be disappointed that I object to strangers driving by my house and throwing garbage on my lawn.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-14T17:44:05.619Z
It sounds like they're talking about a mad dog. Which, to be fair, isn't completely wrong.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-15T17:21:32.591Z
Dr. Altman of Dr. Altman's Medicine Show says people are right to fear snake oil, but should trust snake oil SALESMEN.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-16T19:24:36.788Z
Comparison for those of my age: just imagine if an official of Jimmy Carter's cabinet had been advocating for a no-fly zone over the "Bermuda Triangle", and other politicians were actually writing laws to ban such flights.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-09-17T19:19:44.712Z
Throwback Thursday Nude
Posted in Miscellaneous, Perception, Tyranny, Words, tagged blogging, fantasy, imaginative fiction, language, politicians, psychology, STEM, yin and yang on September 10, 2026| 1 Comment »
Bluebells
Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Music, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, Words, tagged abortion, Aladdin’s Satellite, artificial stupidity, blogging, Bluesky, China, cops, crypto-moralism, dating, fascism, Grace, homosexuality, I’m Sure You Feel Safer Now, illegal aliens, imaginative fiction, language, lawheads, libraries, Madonna/whore, Minnesota, politicians, porn, prisons, psychology, rape, sporting events, STEM, United Kingdom, violence vs. sex workers on August 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Sex workers have been asking this question for 20 years.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-16T16:58:18.635Z
There is a product called "Suddenly Salad" which I've always thought had the most bizarre name. In my imagination, the ways that product works is one opens the box, then at some unknown point in the next 24 hours the salad suddenly appears in front of one without warning, which could be dangerous.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-19T03:37:39.650Z
Absolutely. Some pictures wordlessly sum up a moment in history.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-20T16:38:43.159Z
Post a Photoshop of Trump wandering aimlessly into an historical event:
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-21T18:06:59.488Z
When you were a weird kid in the '70s and you saw this on your TV, you KNEW you were in for some good viewing!
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-23T06:41:38.881Z
Good thing they added the extra 40 years, just in case he manages to die and come back as a vampire twice.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-23T19:15:36.022Z
The only moral form of warfare is War of Assassins, in which only the rulers of the warring nations, plus their deputies, agents, and operatives, are legitimate targets. In other words, nobody who does not CHOOSE to be a combatant is in direct physical danger except by accident due to proximity.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-24T07:44:29.870Z
People who cannot understand friendship, and truly believe that all close friendships are motivated by a mutual desire to rut, are both pathetic and contemptible.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-25T17:45:06.947Z
Is a "health movement" anything like a bowel movement?
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-26T03:21:25.961Z
I'm sure you feel safer now.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-27T17:21:46.847Z
"The Singularity" is the God of the futurist religion. If you want perspective on anything any tech cultist says about "The Singularity", simply substitute "God", "Providence", "The Force", or any similarly-vague and irrational name for "magic"."The Singularity is coming" = "The Second Coming".
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-28T17:49:37.779Z
Sex workers always warn y'all about predators, and y'all never listen.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-29T17:42:59.877Z
Absolutely. I still laugh at the memory of Mr. Moose and his various tricks to win the Captain's consent to having ping-pong balls dropped on him.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-30T18:28:53.057Z
Apparently it will take more than self-induced terminal illness to teach him to behave normally in public.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-31T17:05:53.189Z
It wasn't really Yoko's fault.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-01T07:48:22.576Z
I'm not especially concerned with anyone mistaking my writing for something a chatbot shat out, nor am I willing to change my style in any way to keep stupid people from doing so. I write as the Muse moves me, not by working from some tedious set of guidelines or to please some specific audience.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-02T07:51:12.904Z
I miss my late best friend Grace every single day. And yet, there is a part of me which is glad she passed away a few days after Trump's inauguration, so she never got to see what Musk, who was a hero to her specifically BECAUSE of SpaceX, was really like. I'm glad she was spared disillusionment.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-04T18:26:25.697Z
Nutritionism is not science, exhibit umpteen thousand, nine hundred eleventy-seven.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-05T17:18:45.827Z
Suggestion: limit data centers to whatever size they can power with on-site solar. It would remove the noise & pollution factors, and if the company wanted to go bigger they'd have to have more land, creating more buffer between them and neighbors.Don't bother to point out flaws; I'm just musing.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-06T18:07:11.455Z
Oh look, Maggie was right once again, what a shock, etc.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-07T17:09:01.629Z
Like all those Bond girls who were the supervillain's mistress, only the villains' schemes are more pathetic, like "I will ruin a beloved corporation, hahahahahaha!" instead of "I will cause World War III so my organization can rule over what is left, hahahahahaha!"
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-08T17:07:29.519Z
Your regular reminder that desalination has existed for decades; Americans just don't want to build the plants because REASONS.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-10T02:49:12.833Z
If skills were sexually transmitted, I'd be a Renaissance polymath with *exceptional* ability in medicine, engineering, physics, law, politics, music, and several sports including golf and fishing.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-10T17:30:33.743Z
The US has become a global laughingstock.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T17:21:45.852Z
This is breathtakingly brilliant. I don't think I've ever seen such a deft collection of clever, striking, and above all *apt* insults and condemnation of a well-known specimen of poisonous vermin.Well done, @jojofromjerz.bsky.social!
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-14T18:31:38.573Z
What avatar will he replace it with next? This?
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-16T17:36:54.670Z
Librarians' chief duty is preserving human culture from the stupidity of other humans.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-17T17:31:00.759Z
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-08-19T03:52:13.785Z
Going Viral
Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, Words, tagged advertising, artificial stupidity, disease, drugs, language, scams, STEM, vaccines on August 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Ignorant people are panicking over a BBC article from August 6th:
Artificial Intelligence has been used to design brand new viruses that are fully functional and can replicate in the laboratory…The resulting 16 novel viruses were created to infect bacteria and pose no threat to people…The technology works similarly to large language models…which predict sequences of text…[but] Evo1 and Evo2…were trained on genetic codes from viruses, bacteria, plants and people…then refined to produce a type of virus, known as a bacteriophage, which infect only specific species of bacteria…Stanford researchers picked the most promising 302 [computer] designs and synthesised them in the lab. Of these, 16 proved effective at killing E. coli bacteria…Developing new phage could lead to new ways of treating infections that have become resistant to antibiotics…
If technologists and reporters don’t want the ignorant majority to freak out when machine learning systems are used to do something they are actually good for, they need to stop using the same marketing term to describe them as con men use to describe chatbots. It’s true that the system described in this article is far closer to being “AI” than deluxe autocomplete is, but that ship sailed several years ago; if you insist on still using the word “gay” to mean “happy”, you have only yourself to blame if people think you mean “homosexual”.
Heroes of Song and Story
Posted in Current Events, Music, Philosophy, Words, tagged comics, Greece, Hollywood, imaginative fiction, language, video on August 10, 2026| 1 Comment »
A classicist recently pointed out on social media that the ancient Greek notion of heroism is so different from the modern idea that mythological heroes like Odysseus must either be adapted for modern audiences, or else they end up looking at least somewhat villainous. It’s especially apparent when moderns try to adapt Hercules into what we would call a hero, and end up with a character who only barely resembles the one in the myths, because the ancient Greek word which is generally translated as “hero” has nothing to do with morality, self-sacrifice, etc. As a kid who loved both mythology and comic books, it was always a little jarring to see how differently mythic characters like Hercules were portrayed in the one vs the other. The most accurate depiction of Hercules on the big screen that I can recall was in Jason and the Argonauts, where he is clearly shown to be a bully, braggart, and delinquent who gets his friends killed and nearly wrecks the entire mission. Of course, the same movie elides Jason’s awfulness, and ends abruptly to avoid having to deal with the whole ugly business of Jason and Medea, which only goes to demonstrate our initial premise once again.
Cave of Throwback Thursday
Posted in Biography, Miscellaneous, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, Words, tagged animals, blogging, imaginative fiction, internet, language, politicians, prisons, psychology, Washington DC on August 6, 2026| 1 Comment »
Santo vs. Throwback Thursday
Posted in Miscellaneous, Tyranny, Words, tagged blogging, disease, games, language, left-right myth, Passive Voice, psychology, STEM on July 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Bluebird
Posted in Current Events, History, Miscellaneous, Philosophy, Tyranny, Words, tagged adolescence, animals, blogging, Bluesky, dehumanization, fantasy, fascism, Google, holidays, illegal aliens, internet, language, left-right myth, libraries, politicians, propaganda, psychology, racism, robots, sporting events, surveillance, Thanatopsis, Turkey, Twitter, Vermont, Washington DC on July 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »
I used to try to explain when a young or pre-menopausal woman makes some sort of confident statement about what she will be like post-menopause. Now I just shrug and say, "You'll find out soon enough."
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-17T17:21:31.990Z
It's always amusing to me when a paywall demanding I provide my personal information is followed almost immediately by a popup admitting they will sell that information to anybody who wants it.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-18T18:46:19.972Z
"Mmmm, a meat-free savoury loaf!" said no hungry person ever.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-19T18:57:53.004Z
The best part of this algae bloom is, it only needs to stay in place for two more weeks from today to achieve maximum humiliation value for Trump and the whole MAGA movement. After the 4th, it can vanish overnight; what will be remembered is the perfect metaphor for the semiquincentennial.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-20T17:51:22.612Z
5 million djinn and imps working 24/7 can build Baghdad in ≈ 6 months. Now just imagine what the world looks like when we have 10 billion of them by 800. Now imagine the year 1000. Amazing abundance for all!
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-21T17:27:00.933Z
I don't generally call attention to toxic filth from Twitter, but if you're still on Twitter at all you may want to look up this sewer outlet which calls human beings "farm equipment" just for the pleasure of blocking it.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-23T17:52:42.652Z
"It’s Donald Trump’s violent, pawing need, not to win, but to be *seen* to have won. To see *himself* as a winner or, when observable reality disagrees, to declare war on reality. It’s the president’s shrieking demand that everyone else join him in waging war upon a mirror."
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-24T16:58:10.225Z
Why are the US media and Democratic politicians so averse to recognizing that SCOTUS judges can be impeached?
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-25T18:01:45.727Z
A new dimension of "throwing like a girl".
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-28T03:27:07.509Z
This is actually a good way to deal with drive-by commenters on social media."This is stupid!""OK."They don't know how to continue when you refuse to give them the theatrical conflict they crave.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-28T18:12:37.049Z
Maybe they're all ninjas, disguising themselves by becoming blades of grass.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-28T18:06:43.769Z
Musk is a Bond supervillain. Zuckerberg is a Batman supervillain.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-06-30T07:37:56.774Z
Well come ON! If you looked like that, you'd be depressed, too.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T17:52:32.638Z
THANK YOU.It's rare to see *anyone* who grasps this nowadays, even though it's right there in the name of the movement.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-02T17:43:57.214Z
The Trump regime keeps people from entering the US "because of who they are" all the time.Monkey see, monkey do.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-04T17:43:32.766Z
Without a doubt, it would have to be the guy who said that any female character in a fantasy story with extraordinary powers was a "Mary Sue".
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-06T19:08:47.786Z
Another American institution destroyed by private equity: http://www.salon.com/2026/07/03/h…
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-07T17:02:26.485Z
As a former reference librarian, I can tell you what people did before Google. (HINT: it wasn't sitting around helplessly wishing for the information.)
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-08T07:57:06.570Z
I spoke with Mitch McConnell for twenty minutes this morning. He told me he had meddled in things that man must leave alone.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-09T08:13:53.616Z
Reminds me of this argument which anyone who knew teen boys in the late '70s & early '80s will remember:Boy 1: Rob Halford is not gay!Boy 2: Dude, he's gay. Look at his costumes.Boy 1: Leather is tough, not gay!Boy 2: What about gay leather dudes?Boy 1: They stole that from bikers!Boy 2: …..
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-11T18:16:55.618Z
Every so often the very first tweet I see from someone is so absolutely, moronically authoritarian, I block them instantly to spare myself from ever seeing another violently-stupid utterance from them.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-12T17:12:55.939Z
"Verify your age"Fuck you! In my day, computers didn't talk back or make demands. And we watched TV by attaching the set to an antenna.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-13T17:03:24.239Z
So very many words to say, "I don't understand the concept of hubris and anyone who tries to explain it to me is Satan."
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-14T17:41:15.926Z
"The alternative would be to admit that we as a nation have done what we have in fact done, which is install a demented narcissistic madman as president."
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T17:58:14.068Z
Partisanism is a form of brain rot. Today's example: claiming the increasingly-totalitarian Trump regime is "anti-government".If Trump's metastasizing police state is "anti-government", I shudder to think what a "pro-government" regime would look like.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-16T17:03:55.420Z
People used to think I was kooky for refusing to eat green, leafy vegetables and uncooked or undercooked food.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-18T03:39:10.780Z
My favorite Sanders tell is how his refrain used to be blaming "millionaires and billionaires" for everything until someone correctly pointed out that SANDERS is a millionaire, at which point he switched to just blaming "billionaires".
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2026-07-19T16:53:53.906Z
Socratic Stupidity?
Posted in Philosophy, Words, tagged Bluesky, internet, language, psychology, teachers on July 3, 2026| 1 Comment »
I would never have guessed that so many people online not only don’t know what a Socratic question is, but are so insecure about their ignorance they call such questions “stupid”. But last week a parade of clowns on Bluesky declared that such a question I posed was not only “stupid”, but also not a Socratic question at all because…they believe all Socratic questions follow some kind of rigid and predictable form, I guess. Given that they could simply have consulted the Wikipedia entry I linked above, this cannot be a mere failure of education; it appears to be a manifestation of Asimov’s observation that Americans seem to think that “democracy” means an ignorant opinion is equal to an educated one. Another factor is that very few (two people as of this writing) of those who responded with more than a “like” or retweet seem to have actually understood the question that was being asked. Unfortunately, there’s a great deal of that online; most people seem to glance at a sentence or tweet, recognize a few words, quickly form their own question from those few words, and respond to that mistaken notion of the question rather than the one which was actually asked. I’m not sure if that has to do with the “guess the meaning” school of reading which was popular in US public schools for several decades, or if it’s a manifestation of the inability to focus that seems to plague many younger Americans, or both. Most social media users would rather guess at the meaning of a tweet and vomit out a quick reaction than actually read the question asked and consider it before replying, or else simply ignore it and move on to something else. They seem to consider it some kind of moral failing to simply bypass things without spewing out some kind of reaction, yet at the same time they don’t want to invest the cerebral effort to answer like a rational adult rather than like an ill-bred and rather stupid child who would rather be playing in the mud than actually [ugh] thinking.
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