Death of Hypatia®

Category: Blog

  • WIBCI Post #86

    WIBCI ‘Stars’ of the big and little screens weren’t such sellouts?

    Per The Urban Dictionary: In the words of zefrank, a sellout “doesn’t have to do with actually having money, it has to do with the perception that your pursuit of popularity and potentially making money has caused you to sacrifice your core values.”

    Why is it that I’m seeing more and more successful actors hawking the wares of online streaming services, internet providers, and games?

    Are they starving for attention or do they need the money? Because, if people who have been in movies find it fiscally necessary to make embarrassing ads that damage their reputations as artists, what position do they think the average American finds themselves?

    When ‘Actors’ have jumped the shark:

    • If you say the phrase ‘no ads’ in an ad
    • If you are singing and/or dancing in an ad
    • You won an Academy Award
    • If your presence in an ad causes an eeesh reaction in its viewers and conjures up concern for how you have invested

    WIBCI those who have made millions found it irresponsible to promote things that waste the time and money of lay people worse off than themselves?… more “WIBCI Post #86”

  • Know Thyself Post #86

    Know Thyself through YOUR NAME part II:

    Back in Know Thyself Post #10, I asked whether you knew the origin, meaning, and impetus for your first name. Now, let’s talk about Middle Names.

    The middle name is the portion of someone’s personal name that exists between someone’s ‘given name’ and their ‘surname/last name/family name’. This is often abbreviated to just an initial.

    Sometimes a person is given a middle name to distinguish them from someone in their family with the same first name. Sometimes middle names are the mother’s maiden name and sometimes they are purposely left blank.

    Sometimes middle names are the father or mother’s first name, and if the tradition continued and this child were to have a child the current baby’s first name would become the future baby’s middle name and so on and so on.

    Did you know in some states you can just change your middle name on-line?!

    Some people have chosen to be known by their middle name or an abbreviated version like: John F(Fitgerald) Kennedy, J(ohn) Edgar Hoover, and F(rancis) Scott (Key) Fitzgerald.

    And apparently Spanish painters’ parents circa late 17th and early 18th centuries went a little crazy with the cheese whiz with Dali’s full name being: Salvador-Felipe-Jacinto-Dalí-y-Domenech, and Picasso’s full name being: Pablo-Diego -José-Francisco-de-Paula-Juan-Nepomuceno-María-de-los-Remedios-Cipriano-de-la-Santísima-Trinidad-Ruiz-y……….-Picasso.

    Do you have a middle name? Do you know why that name was chosen if you do, or why no name was given if you don’t? Have you ever given a middle name? Why did you choose that name if you did, or why didn’t you choose a name if you didn’t?… more “Know Thyself Post #86”

  • WIBCI Post #85

    WIBCI we learned from HISTORY and LITERATURE?

    In 1778 Pierre Beaumarchais wrote the play, The Marriage of Figaro. At this time in France, the theatre was THE political space for critical public opinion. This play mocked and ridiculed the old aristocratic value system of France and per the lecture: Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon S1 E2 Privilege: Old Regime Society: ‘(the play) gives us ‘insight into the mood of public opinion in the 1780’s.’

    King Louis XVI was shown this play by royal censors and stated: ‘This shall never be played. It would be necessary to destroy the Bastille itself before this play would be without dangerous consequences. This man mocks at everything in the Government which should be respected.’

    Déjà vu …. no?

    The play was banned, but underground, in private salons, performances of the play were ‘secretly popular’, and in 1784 royal censors allowed it to be publicly performed. So popular was opening night that reportedly a few people were crushed to death when the doors opened. The Marriage of Figaro was about a then debunked tradition of noblemen having the right to replace the groom in bed with new brides on their wedding nights. The servant who was constantly one-upping his master is the main character whose main concern is that his fiancé will meet this fate. The servant angered by the state of hierarchy states:

    ‘Because you are a great nobleman, you think you are a great genius… Nobility, fortune, rank, position! How proud they make a man feel! What have you done to deserve such advantages? Whereas I, lost among the obscure crowd, have had to deploy more knowledge, more calculation and skill merely to survive than has sufficed to rule all the provinces of Spain {France} for a century!’

    -Pierre Beaumarchais, The Marriage of Figaro

    This struck a nerve in France and started the public thinking about the morality of its leaders. Oh and if you don’t know how King Louis XVI ended his reign….look it up.

    WIBCI we started thinking about the morality, or lack of it, in politics? WIBCI we were talking about inequality today?… more “WIBCI Post #85”

  • Know Thyself Post #85

    Know Thyself through HYGGE:

    The dictionary defines Hygge as: / hoog-uh / n. /: the feeling of coziness and contentment evoked by simple comforts, as being wrapped in a blanket, having good conversations, enjoying food, etc..

    Wikipedia’s explanation of the word: Hygge is; Danish: [ˈhykə]; Norwegian: [ˈhŷɡːə] is a word in Danish and Norwegian that describes a cozy, contented mood evoked by comfort and conviviality. As a cultural category with its sets of associated practices, hygge has more or less the same meaning in both places and in both languages; however, the emphasis on hygge as a core part of Danish culture is a recent phenomenon, dating to the late 20th century. In the 21st century, the concept has also been familiarized abroad.

    In the intro of The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking, he describes the term as follows: Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things. It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe, that we are shielded from the world and allow ourselves to let our guard down. You may be having an endless conversation about the small or big things in life – or just be comfortable in each other’s silent company – or simply just be by yourself enjoying a cup of tea. 

    Doesn’t that sound delicious? The book goes on to describe the importance of lighting, especially candles, little scrumptious nooks to cuddle into and drink warm drinks all squishy in a sea of blankets and pillows. There are recipes for comfort food, explanations for why hanging out with other humans is good for you, and why such wonderful things can lead to happiness.

    Tomorrow, I’m making a Hyggekrog / hoog-uh-crow / n. / in my home. Meik Wiking translates this as: ‘The nook of a kitchen or living room where one can Sit and have a hyggelig time.’ 

    I want to have a hyggelig time.

    I want to be in a contented mood evoked by comfort and conviviality.

    I want to be shielded from the world and allow myself to let my guard down for a few f@#%ing seconds.

    Do YOU have a Hyggekrog? If not, where would it be? All the Danes are doing it…

     … more “Know Thyself Post #85”

  • WIBCI Post #84

    WIBCI: Paying Taxes wasn’t considered Plebeian?

    In an explanation as to why the Danish people rank among the happiest people in the world year after year:

    To many, it is quite the mystery, as besides the horrific weather, Danes are also subject to some of the highest tax rates in the world. 

    Interestingly, there is wide support for the welfare state. The support stems from an awareness of the fact that the welfare model turns our collective wealth into well-being. We are not paying taxes, we are investing in our society. We are purchasing quality of life. The key to understanding the high levels of well-being in Denmark is the welfare model’s ability to reduce risk, uncertainty, and anxiety among its citizens and to prevent extreme unhappiness.

    –Meik Wiking, The Little Book of Hygge

    I feel like we are ‘off’ with how we think about our country as a whole. We are doing away with the programs that taxes pay for, yet the only people really paying taxes are those that would benefit from the programs. And why are we so down on immigrants, if we gave them citizenship, they could work for decent wages, sneaky employees would be forced to declare their existence and get them insurance and benefits, licenses, and money to spend/reinvest in the community. And you know one thing a newly made citizen is most certainly going to do?……………………

    Pay taxes.… more “WIBCI Post #84”

  • Know Thyself Post #84

    Know Thyself:

     

    I believe a leader should be judged by how they react to criticism and dissenting views.

    Respect that is demanded, not earned, does not endure.

    – me

    … more “Know Thyself Post #84”

  • WIBCI Post #83

    WIBCI: Justice were more justifiable?

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If there were more satisfactory justice per the rich and powerful who get wrist slaps for obliterating lives? You know the Diddi’s, Dr. Huxtabulls, and Harvy BeerSteins of the world? Per Diddi a handful of months in resort prison seems a bit unjust, no? Dr. Huxtabullshit has been a free man since 2021! He is sitting on his couch getting royalty checks, cause his  show airs EVERY DAY?!  People should have listened to Courtney Love in 2005 but instead careers and money have proven way more important in show-business/Hollywood/the world than the dozens Harvey the Hutt destroyed.

    Maybe we need to create a new criminal charge, one that actually considers the level of mindf@#$ing that victims suffer, will continue to suffer for the rest of their lives, and make the guilty sentencing minimums and maximums just.

    The charge kinda exists (Abuse of power or abuse of authority, in the form of “malfeasance in office”) but I can’t find instances of guilty verdicts or examples of sentencing. So I propose a new offense/criminal act to which do-badders could be charged: Gross Abuse of Position. Under this ‘offense’, offenders could be charged if they systematically abuse others through one or more of the following:

    • Mind Control tactics (popular with cults, Gooogle it and you will quickly find many, many ‘lists’ of successful manipulation techniques) like social isolation and conditioning, created group dynamics/language/hierarchy/rituals, punishment, banishment, peer pressure and shaming.
    • Financial control/manipulation in the form of unfair wages, working hours, or responsibilities and/or control of housing, transportation, and financial independence.
    • Non-Professional Personal Life control/manipulation including: determining cadence with pre-existing friends and family, romantic relationships, sexual relationships, access to information, physical appearance, free time, social interactions, blackmail, threats, and retribution.

    Sentencing should be equal to the number of years it will take to un#$%^ each person and financial retribution. Just need to figure out how to create a new criminal charge…..… more “WIBCI Post #83”

  • Know Thyself Post #83

    Know Thyself through TRUTH:

    There is a lot of talk about the word Truth lately.

    Wikipedia defines the word as: truth or verity: is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.

    But this word seems to have taken on a subjective characteristic of late. It is like if the speaker believes what they say, the way it SHOULD be in their mind, then it is truth. I do not believe this is the case.

    I DO believe in universal truths no matter the level of narcissism of the speaker.

    In Buddhism there are Four Noble Truths: which are: the Essence of Gautama Buddha’s Teachings, which say that suffering is caused by ignorance, and can be overcome by following these teachings.

    In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

    – George Orwell

    What do YOU think of the word truth? What does it mean to YOU?… more “Know Thyself Post #83”

  • WIBCI Post #82

    WIBCI those on-line were EMPOWERED?

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If we used Catfishing techniques against the Catfishers?

    According to Wikipedia, Catfishing refers to: the creation of a fictitious online persona, or fake identity, with the intent of deception, usually to mislead a victim into an online romantic relationship or to commit financial fraud, such as the pig butchering scam. Perpetrators, usually referred to as catfish, generally use fake photos and lie about their personal lives to present themselves as more attractive for financial gain, personal satisfaction, evasion of legal consequences, or to troll.

    Having watched many episodes of Catfish, there seemed to be learning on the part of the ‘victims’, and little to no repercussions for the ‘perpetrators’.

    But….it seems like a precaution exists in the act itself. Step one in every episode of Catfish includes running the pictures through an image search. Why is that on us to see if people are fake if the platform could do that itself? Why doesn’t the platform that is allowing for the fake profiles to exist have some skin in the game? Why not include an image search before any image is approved for upload? If the image is found to already exist somewhere else, you aren’t allowed to upload it. And why not create a page of the most catfished images so people can recognize if they are being scammed by professionals? Seems win/win no?… more “WIBCI Post #82”

  • Know Thyself Post #82

    Know Thyself through your OBITUARY:

    Try This:

    Write your own Obituary.

    But write your life story as if it ends 10 years from now. Write what has happened up to now and then what you want to happen in the next 10 years.

    When writing your history through today, see what stands out as momentous events when they are put on paper.

    See what were seemingly negatives that you turned into positives.

    See what adjectives and adverbs you use.

     

    For your final 10 years, this requires imagination.

    What could be the momentous events?

    What negatives could become positives?

    What adjectives and adverbs could you use?… more “Know Thyself Post #82”

  • WIBCI Post #81

    WIBCI we exhibited more SOLIDARITY as a populace?:

    Wikipedia defines Solidarity or Solidarism as: an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single-issue politics. Still, solidarity does not reject individuals and sees individuals as the basis of society.  It refers to the ties in a society that bind people together as one.

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool if all journalists walked out when the AP could no longer report from the White House? WIBCI other Higher Education institutions backed Harvard when Harvard was sued? WIBCI States banded together when support for its residents was taken away.

    We are stronger together.… more “WIBCI Post #81”

  • Know Thyself Post #81

    Know Thyself through your Birthday:

    What day of the week were you born on?

    Mine was a Monday, or per Greco-Roman, the ‘day of the moon’.  Here are the meanings of the other days per Wikipedia: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

    Did you know:

    • the month you were born has a tie back to a Greek god?
    • Besides a birthstone, each month also has a flower and two zodiac signs?
    • The zodiac for your birthday has a symbol (usually an animal), constellation, element (Fire, Earth, Air, and Water), a sign ruler, a Detriment, an Exaltation and a Fall?

    I share my birthday with one of my favorite historic humans of all time. But my birthday also shares the day with many bad moments including, in my opinion, a Death of Hypatia moment.

    What do YOU know about your birthday?

     … more “Know Thyself Post #81”

  • WIBCI Post #80

    WIBCI we had roasts instead of debates before elections?

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If when choosing between candidates, you could base it on how well they performed in, reacted to, and came off in their own roast?

    Think about it:

    • You would be able to find out if the candidates had a sense a humor?
    • You would get to see how they handled being purposely insulted by the best, professional comics of the day, live on camera, and to be rebroadcast relentlessly.
    • You would get to see if they could laugh at themselves.
    • You could judge whether the on-camera reaction was genuine or differed greatly from that which you imagine happened off-camera. Aka are they phony?
    • When they spoke, you could tell if they were in touch with pop culture, current events, and public opinion.
    • You could judge how articulate, smooth, quick, and witty they were?
    • Most importantly, you could see if they were funny.

    To me, that information is of more valuable than canned campaign promises and mud-slinging.

     

    Pick someone in government, alive or dead, and imagine how they would perform/react in their own televised roast.

    Gandhi and Honest Abe would slay…..Hitler, not so much.

     … more “WIBCI Post #80”

  • Know Thyself Post #80

    Know Thyself through PHILOSOPHY:

    Failure to cultivate virtue, failure to ponder what I have learned, inability to stand up for what I know is right, inability to reform my defects, these are the things that worry me.

    -Confucius

     

    Can you teach virtue? This was the question posed in a lecture by Daniel N. Robinson Ph.D. Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University in the video – The Great Ideas of Philosophy S1E9: Can Virtue be Taught?

     At the conclusion of the lecture, the answer to this conundrum was…. depends.

    His position is that some people are predisposed and therefore able to learn virtue or proper conduct, but some people cannot. No matter how many acts of selflessness/courage shown to them, they don’t learn the lessons within them; they just don’t get it. He likened it to playing a variety of symphonies to someone who cannot hear.

    “…not all are ready for it, and many are never going to be ready at any age. The students for this instruction must have already been prepared by the right sort of nature, at the right stage in life. Then indeed you might find within such persons something that will resonate when a virtuous act presents itself… you cannot present … actions that are, indeed, understood to be virtuous actions but presented to a person whose soul has been so corrupted… The point is: This is a two-way street. It’s not just a matter of holding up something. You’ve got to know who is on the witnessing side of this example and if it’s the wrong sort, no number of examples will get through to it.”

    To further stress this point, there is the discussion of Protagoras’ maxim ‘Man is the measure of all things’. SIDE NOTE: the actual quote from Protagoras is: “Of all things the measure is Man, of the things that are, that they are, and of the things that are not, that they are not” which explains the abbreviation and, no offense to Protagoras, sounds more like something I would hear at 3am in a dorm room with a black light than from a great Greek philosopher and rhetorical theorist. Professor Robinson goes on to poke a considerable hole in this condensed maxim, in the vein of…You can’t possibly mean ALL men?!

    “Why not just say: ‘I will act according to my caprice. I will do things that please me, and the reason I’m going to pay any attention to you at all is because you might be in a position to undo me, etc., etc. I’ll play the game in such a way as to keep you distracted, or keep you at arm’s length, but I say, at the end of the day, it’s my game that counts, and if that means you lose, so much the worse for you?’ – After all, if man is the measure of all things, then that becomes one acceptable answer to the problem of conduct. The way we solve the problem of conduct is for everybody to solve it for himself.”…

    Professor Robinson goes on to say verbatim what Socrates’ reply was when asked what he thought of this maxim. Socrates’ retort is over my head, but the professor sums it up as follows:

    “At the end of the day, the problem of conduct is a problem of principle, and if the principle is right, the principle is universally right. It is not tarnished nor is it reduced to something else by the mere showing that large numbers of persons don’t embrace it…No. Each man is not the measure of all things. There is a measure of things, and it is the task of the individual to come up with the means by which to understand that measure and apply it properly.”

    What do YOU think? Who do YOU consider virtuous?… more “Know Thyself Post #80”

  • WIBCI Post #79

    WIBCI we supported FREE PRESS?

    On 10/1 all Federal funding will end for Public Broadcasting.

    We are better because of PBS.

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If our government thought so?

    Maybe millions of people with little wallets and/or hundreds of people with big wallets will pick up the slack, but it would be cooler if we didn’t have to.… more “WIBCI Post #79”

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