586 replies to this topic

[Mishelle]

We need to dismantle capitalism

Harry Potter is boring and overrated

Bradley Cooper is ugly as sin 

Dreadlocks on white people look horrible 99.9% of the time

Abortions should be covered by medicare if the woman can't afford one

[Coops]

Tesla is the really master of science. Fuck Edison.

[FelisNoctua]

I think stray cats and dogs (and other invasive species like ring-necked European doves) should be rounded up and used to supply homeless shelters and the like with meat. We have so many hungry people, and so many invasive animals wreaking havoc on the environment; two birds with one stone.

[Keil]

Celebrity deaths on social media are now a spectacle than genuine grieving.

[HiMyNameIsNick]

I strongly dislike Harry Potter

 

 

This + hardcore HP fans

[Rocket]

I've lost interest in Walking Dead. I'm not into it anymore

[Drakonid]

I give as many fucks about us shootings or EU terrorist attacks as I do whatever middle eastern war is going on right now. That amount could be rounded up to 1, but it's closer to 0.

This place is a fucking feelings circlejerk.

Most of the things young adults like are overrated shit.

[sprockets]

Tried to watch the original trilogy of Star Wars, was not a fan. And thus I haven't watched any of the new ones. 

[cara]

I don't have any interest in playing Pokemon Go

I don't like Beyonce

I hate going to the hairdressers, I have not been in over ten years

I hate shoes, I only have two or three cheap pairs at all times

I find pugs extremely ugly, and not in an 'ugly but cute' kind of way

I could not care less that Paul Walker died

 

And the worse one yet, I do this because I feel as though it is more efficient  .........................

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

So basically I'm Satan. 

[Bee]

I don't like Beyonce either, or Rihanna (or 'popular' music, for that matter).

I hate reality TV.

I find selfies weird.

[Sirius]

I don't like Adele. 

Smoking/using marijuana is stupid, and those who get arrested for it deserve it.

[HiMyNameIsNick]

I give as many fucks about us shootings or EU terrorist attacks as I do whatever middle eastern war is going on right now. That amount could be rounded up to 1, but it's closer to 0.

 

This

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

Same here

[Bone]

I heard the new Britney Spears song on the radio this morning, it sucked.

Thank you for the heads up that there's a new Britney song

[Prisca]

Most of my opinions are unpopular. 

I dislike opinions. 

I am a very opinionated person.

[Shannon]

Daenerys Targaryen and her plot lines are overrated.
People shouldn't be so cavalier about heavy drinking.
Sleeping with the blinds wide open isn't actually scary. Worth it to wake up with the sun.
Zoos are barbaric and the "animal awareness" they bring to people does not excuse that.
Baseball is the worst, most boring sport in the history of sports.
Math and science courses should not be compulsory in higher education.

[Scot]

Obama is a good president

[blue]

What's wrong with the ketchup and fries? @cara

Cheese sucks!

[Drakonid]

What's wrong with the ketchup and fries? @cara

Cheese sucks!

 

It should be on the side.

[Bone]

Having (non-adopted) children is selfish.

 

Daenerys Targaryen and her plot lines are overrated.
People shouldn't be so cavalier about heavy drinking.
Sleeping with the blinds wide open isn't actually scary. Worth it to wake up with the sun.
Zoos are barbaric and the "animal awareness" they bring to people does not excuse that.
Baseball is the worst, most boring sport in the history of sports.
Math and science courses should not be compulsory in higher education.

 

I know this isn't a debate thread, but have you considered the conservation research that most reputable zoos undertake? e.g. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/ & http://institute.sandiegozoo.org/. The roadside attraction-style zoos are definitely monstrous, though.

 

Also I agree with the rest of these lolz,

[Shannon]

I know this isn't a debate thread, but have you considered the conservation research that most reputable zoos undertake? e.g. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/ & http://institute.sandiegozoo.org/. The roadside attraction-style zoos are definitely monstrous, though.

Also I agree with the rest of these lolz,

Yes, definitely more impressed by zoos who are involved in conservation, but I still firmly believe an animal shouldn't be plucked out of its natural environment and thrown into a much smaller, artificial version of it.

I actually used to help out at the Smithsonian National Zoo - this was before I hit the age where I started questioning the ethics of just about everything ever - since a family friend was the director of the invertebrate exhibit. That exhibit has since closed down so the zoo could afford to buy a panda. And where did those invertebrates go? Right over into another zoo. There's almost no way to introduce an animal back into its natural environment. I could maybe be alright with animals as small as most of those invertebrates with much smaller environments (that can actually be recreated) being kept on display for the sake of teaching, but it's usually the large mammals kids beg their parents to go to the zoo for anyway.

[Bone]

Yes, definitely more impressed by zoos who are involved in conservation, but I still firmly believe an animal shouldn't be plucked out of its natural environment and thrown into a much smaller, artificial version of it.

I actually used to help out at the Smithsonian National Zoo - this was before I hit the age where I started questioning the ethics of just about everything ever - since a family friend was the director of the invertebrate exhibit. That exhibit has since closed down so the zoo could afford to buy a panda. And where did those invertebrates go? Right over into another zoo. There's almost no way to introduce an animal back into its natural environment. I could maybe be alright with animals as small as most of those invertebrates with much smaller environments (that can actually be recreated) being kept on display for the sake of teaching, but it's usually the large mammals kids beg their parents to go to the zoo for anyway.

 

Well, the invertebrate exhibit (which was fucking awesome) wasn't exactly shut down "so the zoo could afford to buy a panda;" it was shut down because the zoo's budget was slashed by Congress/budget sequestration, it was one of the least popular exhibits, and easiest to transfer animals to Front Royal and other zoos/conservation institutes.

 

The idea behind conservation-based zoos is that many of the animals exhibited/held in captivity would be extinct or gravely endangered if it were not for the efforts of conservationists and zoological parks. See: the black-footed ferret, golden lion tamarin, Kihansi spray toad, kakapo, Arabian oryx, Przewalski's horse.

 

There are definitely ethical questions, especially for some large mammals, but at the end of the day an animal not being in its "natural environment" is preferable to extinction when the "natural environment" has been modified by humans or completely destroyed. Even for animals that aren't endangered in the wild, zoos often provide opportunities for more in-depth study that can help for future conservation efforts. To just condemn zoos because you don't like to see animals in cages obscures the big picture.

 

As a side note on large mammals, while they often do receive seemingly undue attention by zoos and other conservation efforts, there have actually been a lot of positive side-effects to this. Because they often require large continuous ranges, tiger/panda/etc conservation programs have also preserved habitat for tons of other animals. And the "big-ticket" animals are the best at raising funds for conserving lesser-known but ecologically- and genetically- more important animals. While it would be dubious to claim a tiger in a zoo is living its best possible life, it's sure as hell better than being killed by encroaching humans or starving to death due to habitat destruction. 

 

ANYWAYS HOORAY FOR BIODIVERSITY 

[Romy]

Capitalism is the reason almost all of us live so comfortably. Try finding a successful democracy that has another type of economy.

 

People that complain about their rights being infringed upon need to stop complaining. You don't realize how good you have it. (Americans)

 

A universal income, universal healthcare and free education are the hallmarks of a great nation. 

 

Slashing the military budget hurts veterans and the enlisted. If you want to stop the military-industrial complex, elect new politicians.

 

The shooter in Dallas was radicalized by the BLM movement. Same as others are radicalized by religious extremists. He was a terrorist.

 

Gun laws are best left to the states than the federal government. If California bans the AR-15 that's fine. If the feds do, that's an abuse of power.

 

 

I think I'm done for now.

edit: Last one. If you think there should be a limit on the number of abortions a woman can get OR think that women should be only allowed to get an abortion under certain circumstances, you're an asshole. 

 

Edit 2: Super unpopular opinion. Men should be allowed to relinquish responsibility for an unborn child they don't want the same way a woman can terminate a pregnancy she doesn't want.

[Shannon]

Well, the invertebrate exhibit (which was fucking awesome) wasn't exactly shut down "so the zoo could afford to buy a panda;" it was shut down because the zoo's budget was slashed by Congress/budget sequestration, it was one of the least popular exhibits, and easiest to transfer animals to Front Royal and other zoos/conservation institutes.

The idea behind conservation-based zoos is that many of the animals exhibited/held in captivity would be extinct or gravely endangered if it were not for the efforts of conservationists and zoological parks. See: the black-footed ferret, golden lion tamarin, Kihansi spray toad, kakapo, Arabian oryx, Przewalski's horse.

There are definitely ethical questions, especially for some large mammals, but at the end of the day an animal not being in its "natural environment" is preferable to extinction when the "natural environment" has been modified by humans or completely destroyed. Even for animals that aren't endangered in the wild, zoos often provide opportunities for more in-depth study that can help for future conservation efforts. To just condemn zoos because you don't like to see animals in cages obscures the big picture.

As a side note on large mammals, while they often do receive seemingly undue attention by zoos and other conservation efforts, there have actually been a lot of positive side-effects to this. Because they often require large continuous ranges, tiger/panda/etc conservation programs have also preserved habitat for tons of other animals. And the "big-ticket" animals are the best at raising funds for conserving lesser-known but ecologically- and genetically- more important animals. While it would be dubious to claim a tiger in a zoo is living its best possible life, it's sure as hell better than being killed by encroaching humans or starving to death due to habitat destruction.

ANYWAYS HOORAY FOR BIODIVERSITY

I definitely see and agree with some of the points you made (mainly the zoo vs. extinction one). While I really don't like the phrasing of "To just condemn zoos because you don't like to see animals in cages", you're right that there's definitely some big picture ideas concerning zoos that I should look into more, because zoos aren't exactly going away anytime soon. Like I was saying about the "animals in cages" comment, I think other people seeing that in zoos really perpetuates the idea that it's okay for us to keep doing that, leading to families owning exotic animals that have no business in a house or on a small piece of property. I guess all I can really hope for is that more zoos strive to be like the Smithsonian's, and that more effort is put into making their habitats more suitable for the animals they're forcing into them.

Also, yeah I know about the budget slashes but it was pretty disheartening to see what I thought was the most interesting, educational exhibit of that zoo lost to an animal that isn't even from our continent /: It was really sad to see my friend lose her dream job because of such a money-grubbing move. I'm pretty sure she's working at Front Royal now, though.

Anyways ya those are just my (laywoman's) opinions but I appreciate all the info you've laid out here and when I have some more time I'll read more into the links you shared. (:

[cara]

Same here

 

Good, we can be outcasts together. 

 

What's wrong with the ketchup and fries? @cara

 

Apparently pouring it all over the fries is weird. Which I refuse to accept because to me putting it on the side is weird .. all that energy to dip every single fry ........... 

 

It should be on the side.

 

It should be poured all over every fry to ensure maximum ketchup experience.