Comments for James Poulos

Comment on Screwing the SCOTUS Pooch by Matt Frost

Matt Frost — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:37:41 +0000

At risk of pedantry, a rabbit punch to the gut is an oxymoron — like a gut-punch to the neck.

Comment on And When They Meet, It’s Happy Land by Doc

Doc — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:45:28 +0000

Talking, touching, holding, singing, eye contact . . . are all good ways to achieve optimal oxytocin levels because they urge the body and the mind to support its own oxytocin release. Even still, building trusting relationships is a process and is not something that takes place within a few moments in time or is limited to happening within a certain time period. It is quite possible that you may not even know it is happening until you experience that first smile or other unique cue, and respond appropriately. For that reason I use this sub-lingual homeopathic oxytocin accelerator. I find that it really supports these behaviors and helps me to feel more. Here is a Url to read more about it. http://www.oxy-tocin.com/

Comment on Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! by steve

steve — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:30:23 +0000

One of the tenets of fundamentalism is control of all aspects of a person’s life. From that POV, this kind of stuff makes sense. Islam does the same kind of stuff. The Orthodox make it clear that only PIV sex (their term) is acceptable. For Christians, none of this is in the Bible. It is all added on stuff legitimized by tradition or some convoluted reasoning.

Steve

Comment on Bye George by Terry

Terry — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:09:04 +0000

I get it. I was born in 1950. The point is the current lack of comedic muscularity. Carlin for all his hipness was never metrosexual.

Comment on And When They Meet, It’s Happy Land by Senescent

Senescent — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:48:53 +0000

Gah. Bother.

Comment on And When They Meet, It’s Happy Land by Senescent

Senescent — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:48:30 +0000

So what would we get out of resolving this tension that makes it worthwhile to other?

Comment on Bye George by Mitch

Mitch — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:58:07 +0000

What’s the point of this? Do you like Carlin and Apatow? Or hate them? Or like one and not the other?

Comment on Oh, Go Nudge Yourself by Senescent

Senescent — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:42:43 +0000

But a big part of the new self-consciousness is being able to admit that, in fact, you are a statistic, right?

Comment on When International Laws Attack by Sonny Bunch

Sonny Bunch — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:49:46 +0000

So, I responded over over at my joint, but I did want to ask one question I forgot to raise: Do you think that the American officials in questions are “despots, cranks, and scumbags”? Because you seem to be unworried about our people not being brought up on charges because it’s bad for the abstract idea of “international law,” and not because they’re unworthy targets of prosecution.

Comment on How Bazaar by KSE

KSE — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:18:39 +0000

“I know I have to be very careful to admit that wealth, longevity, and happiness are not trivialities. But they certainly and unquestionably depend upon a great collective appreciation for trivialities — a commitment to living in a relatively very trivial society.”

Yes!

I imagine the counterargument would go something like this: Our society may be trivial, but at least we’re not killing each other. It’s the “sentimental moralist’s” obsession with “thick identities” and “meaning” that is responsible for cultural conflict. And at the root of this obsession is an inability to identify, scrutinize and overcome our natural inclination toward our own, the wonderful feeling of bringing forth new life, etc.

I happen to think that the defender of this trivial society is seriously underestimating the (also natural) human inclination toward novelty. There are only so many things you can throw in an omelette. And when you’re not committed to your “rites” for any other reason than because they’re new and interesting, boredom, restlessness, anxiety, etc. will follow. I myself might be seriously underestimating our ability to combine cultures creatively, but the way I see it boredom is itself a path to conflict.