Being a Male feminist

wordywalt comments on Mar 19, 2018:

I guess that I have been a male feminist for a long time -- probably since the mid 1970s..

What would it take for you to be a 'whistle blower'?

wordywalt comments on Mar 19, 2018:

If I knew of a truly illegal or unethical behavior and also knew that it was probable, I would be a whistleblower, readily. I have done it before -- without harm to my career.

John O.

wordywalt comments on Mar 19, 2018:

Damned right!!

Baseball fans?

wordywalt comments on Mar 19, 2018:

One of my favorite memories was in 1950, when I was 13. Knowing that the National League playoff game between the Dodger and the Giants was on, as soon as school was out, I rushed home , hoping to catch some of the game. i arrived at home just in time to hear the 9th inning on the radio, when the Giants completed a fantastic comeback when Bobby Thompson hit a 2=run home off Ralph Branca with 2 out in the 9th. Being a Yankee fan at the time, I rooted for anybody to beat the Dodgers.

If we were all forced to wear a warning label, what would yours say?

wordywalt comments on Mar 19, 2018:

Incivility not tolerated!

So I'm trying to cut expenses and went looking in a retirement community for a cheaper home since ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 19, 2018:

I am 81 years old, and I will NEVER go into a retirement community. It constitutes a total loss of independence and real stimulation. It has No appeal to me whatsoever. My sister, who is a year older, decided that she wanted to go into an assisted living facility to make life easer. Just this past week, she is extremely depressed and suffering panic attacks, realizing that she is probably stuck there for the rest of her life.

Someg you might find amusing.

wordywalt comments on Mar 19, 2018:

I call him the anus. His mouth has the same ugly pucker as an asshole and pours out loads of crap.

Should psychics and fortune tellers be handled like con-artists and thieves?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

At best, they are entertainers. At worst, they are con-artist charlatans who would take advantage of people.

If you could improve one of the following areas of your life: Love, Social Network, Career and Sense...

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

At my age, it would be health. With better health, I could take care of the rest for myself.

Monogamy

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

Monagamy is a cultural practice in our society and in many others. Even if it were not, I believe that I would prefer monogamy. I think that it would be too difficult to sustain tryly loving and caring relationships between myself and more than one woman.

So all you fellow post readers out there that were religious before 'seeing the atheist light', are ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

No. Never.

Allow me to vent a bit.

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

I agree. I would never abandon animals.

Do theists understand the historical context of their ancient texts?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

Mpst dp mpt/

Should you ask a date for his/her credit score? Why/why Not?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

Not a casual date. If it were someone I was considering for a deeper and continuing relationship, I might.

If you could be safely frozen for 500 years and then thawed out - would you?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

No. Why would I? I would know no one, have no connections to the current state and would be deeply lacking in the knowledge gained in the interventing time.

I would be interested in hearing what what the group thinks about this question: Is there a ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

A fact is an evidence=based data point. Truth is the match between assertion and reality.

Do you judge people base on how they look, talk, act, and how much money they make? If so why

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

Yes, I do judge people on whether they make an effort to look presentable, on the intelligence and morality of their behavior, and on the intelligence and morality of what they say. As for the rest -- NO. It is garbage.

I notice that a lot of non-religious folks absolutely love animals.

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

I have a sweet little part Siamese cat. She adds a lot of joy to my life.

What is the common cause of your anxiety and how do you feel when it attacks?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

In 81 years, I have never experienced an anxiety attack.

Do you like to go fishing?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

Like you, I have fond memeroeies of leartning to fish with my father. Just being on a stream, lake or on salt water is a joy in itsself. But, the experiencing of a big fish on the line, sensing iuts actions, dealing with its varied attempts to escape, and landing it successfully is simply magnificent. I also greatly greatly enjoy cllking and eating fish I have caught -- particularly in the format of a southern style fish fry, with hushpuppies, cole slaw, and grits.

Do you have anyone who you can rely on to be completely wrong, so that no matter what that person ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

Try Donald Trump.

Here's a little thought experiment I came up with when writing a science fiction story: Lt's say ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

It would become a sterile, totalitarian society which would eventually crumble. Your idea reminds me of the image of "the communist utopia" which Marx and later communist intelledtuals predicated. All total system idelogies-- religious or political -- fail if they of their total system ideologies come into power.

Birth order as a predictor or personality and behavior 1 High academic achievers 2.

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

I was the younger of two children, and by far the highest academic achiever. My sister has always been more likely to uphold the status quo.I did smoke, rebel, take risks, and challenge the status quo. So, 2 of the 3 conclusions are confirmed in my case.

Several of us have spoken about some way the atheists could be seen in a positive manner.

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

Avoid labels which could allow others to stagmatize you. Adopt a label which most people could possibily identify with.

As a progressive liberal I just want to point out that we should not permit anyone who has opposing ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

I do not believe that universities should ever allow a person from an extremist point of view -- left or right -- speak, except in the framework of a real debate in which a person of equal or greater stature and intellect also provides an opposing point of view. Otherwise, it is license to engage in demagogery.

If you were raised religious, how much did you dread prayer?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

I tolerated prayer in church, but always felt uncomfortable when called upon to lead prayer. I never prayed on my own, even as a child -- except for night-time prayers as a small child.

Have you taken tests that proved things aren't as they appear?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

You sound like a person I would like to know. As a mature adult, from my late 20s onward, I was always a risk-taker. Being arisk-taker certainly makes life richer, with some real highs and lows.

Best Place To Live?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

That depends on what a person wants from life. To me, an ideal place would be in the Pacific northwest with wooded areas and flowing wstreams -- but also near enough to cities to also engage in the world of culture and intellect.

I have quite recently thought that perhaps most atheists etc.

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

Yes, we did note the discrepancies between theology and reality, and that was a major reason for freeing ourselves from all theology.

How do you deal with mixed signals?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

What kind of mixed signals, and in reference to what?

The Bible Says The World Is Going To End On June 24, 2018

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

And, when it does not happen, it will not deter a single "true believer." They will namufacture some excuse for why it did not happen, or say the God was just testing them. See Leon Festinger's book, WHEN PROPHECY FAILS.

Do you feel that our society is getting far to used to the violence we see in today's media?

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

No. I think that the large majority of our people are distrubed by the amount of violence. What is even more disturbing is the collapse of moral intrgrity among our politicians, particularly Republicans, shown in their unwillingness to do anything to deter violence-- particularly gun violence.

While I don't ride the stereotypes against anyone, and I don't jump on racism bandwagon, I would ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

Yes. The proof is in the pudding. Just look at the composition of the groups.

Do you remember your 1st kiss?

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

I was 7 years old. A classmate of mine named Ann Murray were walking together leaving sschool at the end of the school day. Ann motioned for me to come with her and she moved to a secluded spot near the corner of a house. Then she just kissed me. Iwasn't into girls at that age and was shocked and embarrassed -- and hurried home. I didn't walk with Ann after that.

Have you ever had a moment where you stop and look around wondering how you got to where you are?

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

There have been so many critical decisions in my life that could have changed my path that it is impossible to predict where I could be if ...

HAhahahaha

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

Love it!!

Is old age something to look forward to or is it generally filled with loneliness, health problems, ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

Old age is simply a final stage we must pass through if we do not die sooner. It is a process of being forced to give up things which were once central to who you were. It is a time of increasing infirmity and in dependence on others. Still, it is a time which still provides much joy and meaning if one is a realist and adjusts one's perspective to find purpose in more limited perspectives.

Saw this online. Just wanted to share it.

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

Stupidity is stupidity, no matter what century.

What One Year of Trump Feels Like [youtube.com]

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

One year too damned many!!!

GMO - If you had the option of altering embryonic dna for the selection of particular traits in your...

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

Only to remove DNA segments that cause genetic diseases.

Reaction to the mentality of our founding fathers and the descendants.

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

Huh?

CNN headline quoted the minority-elected one as saying, "I like conflict.

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

He would provoke a civil war if he could. We must not let him.

A forgotten hero stopped the My Lai massacre 50 years ago today

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

One person with a moral backbone who is willing to speak out can stop a lot of vicious stupidity.

Without usng the internet, and just using a slide rule, can anyone calculate the the square root of ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

1.73 +

Please help me strengthen my argument (sorry for the long post) Some Context: A very dear ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

I don't think I can help you. Sounds like you will bve outvoted 2 to 1. In the case of my death, I have already made sure that this will not happen. My unequivocal instructions are that there will be no service of any kind. I will be cremated and my wife and daughters will scatter my ashes at one of my favorite fishing spots.

How do you feel about Zeke Emanuel's view that after 75 serious medical treatment is a waste of the ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

When a person has contributed a lifetime of producive work and citizenship, he or she has earned comfortable waing years. I do not believe that dramatic effort should be made to sustain life with no quality. But, as a man of age 81, I have medical conditions which must be managed, but which still allow me to enjoy life if I take care of myself. I have earned that.

What traits make a good boss? Have you ever had one?

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

A good boss has a real and posiive vision of what he and his organization want to accomplish and recognizes that people are absolutely essential to attainment of that vision. He or she encourages his employees, treats them with dignity and respect, gives them opportunities to grow, and recognizes and rewards them when they succeed. At the same time, he or she seeks excellence in the performance of individuals and in theentire organization. He corrects people caringly when they are not meeting standards or going in the wrong direction, and points them in the drection of more effecive action. He or she celebrates personal and organizational victories. He or she tries to get "the big picture" and encourages others to do the same. He or she wants effective planning to attain organizational goals, but also encourages nimble action when new opportunities arise. I have had some good bosses, but never a great one. Read IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE.

Is humanity in the decline?

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

All civilizations rise and fall under what Paul Bohammon called "the curse of culture." Every belief, nrom, practice, way of thinking that comes into existence in a culture limits that which follows and channels it. When the burden of that cahnneling becomes so restrictive or wrong'headed, in leads people to act disfunctionally, leading to the downfall of the culture. Thee is a real danger that it is happening now, unless we can act with wisdom, independence of thought and action, critical thinking, and constructive action in new directions.

Fox News....

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

If that were the case, they would not be fighting for Trump. Trump is a lying fraud and traitor.

Are humans genetically loaded for extinction? | Genetic Literacy Project

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

It is likely that environmental degradation due to human overpopulation, or some natural extinction event will do in our species. It is just a quetion of when.

I’m usually a glass half full type of person but I have reason to believe that there are no ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

Having grown up in north Florida, I know that the big majority of men still living there are religious, bigoted, and ultraconservative. But in a city like Jacksonville, there have to be a number of men your age who have finally grown up intellectually, philosophically, and morally.Hope some can give you a strategy for finding them.

How many non-believers and others here are currently or previously expatriates?

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

I loved my time in Berlin, Germany. It changed, broadened, and matured me in so many ways. It enabled me to see my native culture withiout blinders on. Learning to speak and, read, and write German, and teaching English to Germans taught me more about my own language than all of the English courses I ever had. Also, being in Berlin at the height of the Cold War, surrounded by 300,000 Russian troops, taught me to live in the moment in very positive ways.

A follow up: What makes you a terrible partner?

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

Your behavior is always your choice. Evidently, you do not feel a sufficient need to act any differenttly. It that is so, you can expect similar results in the future..

Which five non-fiction books would you recommend to help create a more well-rounded, enlightened ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

There is no single set of 5 that I can recommend. What I can recommend is that each person read as much as they can in the areas of science, cognitive psychology, social psychology, history, analytical thinking, organizational excellence, anthropology. The more well grounded thought that we read and internalize, the wiser and more ethical we are.

Jane knew a chimp when she sees one

wordywalt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

A wise woman describing a stupid man.

Is it P.U.-OR- Pew???? -Funny Prank Call To a Church Woman

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

This is lunacy!

Ugly?

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

IN every sense! Another of Trump's corrupt scumbags. Did you hear that he took over a million dollars worth of unauthorized military flights?

Turning the tables on the theists, I say "There's a lot more to life than faith.

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

Amen, brother!

Was anyone here involved with Televangelism?

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

I always found televangelism intellectually and morally repugnant.

I've never been as close to anyone as I am to my husband.

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

If he asks, tell him. Otherwise, since he already knows that you are agnostic, forget about it. My wife is a devout Catholic and knows that I am an atheist. We each respect the other's right to believe as we see fit.

Hello from Orangeburg, SC!

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

Welcome. My family on both sides settled in South Carolina in the mid 1750s in the "Dutch Forks" area near Columbia, and over the 1800s migrated to Georgia, then Florida..

Why is so difficult for people to ask a lady / man out on a date?

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

Yes, it is mainly fear of rejection.

What makes you unique?

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

My DNA, my experiences in multiple cultures, myt education, and my mind -- and the interactions between these.

Public speaking/performing. Terrifying or fun? I'm all ears!!

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

When I firest started speaking in poublic, I was so scared that my voice would shake. I would have to talk to myself in my head: "Get a grip on yourse3lf Walt! You can do this." Little by little I got used to it, then actually enjoued speaking before groups of up to 500 people. It just takes practice and preparation.

This is a question for recovering addicts (drug, sex, food, etc) .

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

I had a nicotine addition -- smoked up to 3 packs a day. My real incentive was that my lknew wifel said that she would leave me if I did not quit. I did not want to lose her. Simply used the gum to break away from the habits associated with smoking, then switcvhed to the patch and got off. It was not easy. Her added incentive made the difference.

Phone addiction?

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

When I see people constantly on their cell phone at the grocery store, at the gym, and everywhere else, it really bothers me. They are not aware of their surroundings and of the people around them, and seem to prefer the sterile distance of a phone conversation or of texting to real human interaction.

When you questioned, was critical thinking discouraged?

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

The pastor's actions were entirely inappropriate ane unethical. He should have been fired.

It will not be China, India or handouts from Western Countries that will transform Africa.

wordywalt comments on Mar 15, 2018:

Are you saying that Africans lack the intellectual ability to do anything of value? If so, you are an intolerable and destructive bigot!

Getting desperate

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

Call your senator and tell him or her not to vote for Mike Pompaeo (or however you spell his name) for Secretary of State. Pompaeo is a militaristic right winger who is not to be trusted with the task of conducting our foreign relations. He tells Trump what Trump wants to hear.

We have our first event set up for Central Florida Freethinkers.

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

When and where?

Do You Have An Age You Turned Which Made You Sad?

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

I'm 81. Reaching a particular age ever made me sad. Still, getting old is a process of having to give up things that give up things which were central to your life -- sports, driving, recreational walking, reading, and more. We just have to learn to adapt and to make our goals more immediate ones, easier to fulfill.

So who wants to put together a meet and greet for Florida.

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

I live in Carrollwood. Don't drive anymore due to vision problems. Still, might be interested in a get-rogether if it is convenient. Keep me informed.

Punch a Nazi or no?

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

If you resport to violence, you are playing their game. Use the law and public disdain for them to hold them in check.

Why do we label everything?

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

Labeeling is a lazy device so that we do not have to deal with the specific instance.

Generally speaking, I'm not very good at self-care, but it's a goal on my radar.

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

You have to create a sense of meccesityand allow no esceptions.

Re: The National Student Walkout I am truly heartened to see so many thousands of kids exercising...

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

Let us hope that the young people, the "me too" movement, the repugnance of the Trump administration, and the agsence of moral and patriotic gonads among todau's Republicans creates a HUGE wave of righteous indignation that sweeps away the whole damned lot of political corruption!!

Horns of a dilemma.

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

Cats on counters do not bother me. I have never suffered a foood-related illness from their being there.

I recently heard that the Koch brothers (with a big assist from Pence) are trying to call for a ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

No. But, if it is true, it must be fought with every bit of energy and intelligence that we have.

On average, how much do you read per day? Do you read everyday?

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

Due to macular retinopathy, I no longer read much. For 30 years, counting books, newpapers and magazines, I read an average of over 100 pages a day and loved reading. I miss it.

Changing history

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

I do not dwell on impossibilities.

Can true feminism ever be achieved?

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

In my 81 year lifetime, I have seen huge advances in the reduction in gender bias and I predict that within the next 25 years we will see real gender equality in the culture of our country and in many advanced cultures. Those dominated by religion are and will continue to be a different story.

Do you know anyone who is not agnostic?

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

I know many, many more people who are not agnostic or atheistic then who are. So long as they do not try to impose their beliefs on me and others, they have a right to be deluded.

I find it humorous and sad that when I do something such as an act of kindness ie: the other day I ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

It is troubling how zealously religious people project their prejudices on everything. They do try to make every good or moral act a religious one -- a self-aggrandizing act of bigotry.

What's the best live performance you've ever seen?

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

In the 1980s I saw Joel Gray in a live performance at the Starlight Theater in Kans City, MO. When he came on stage, I was struck by how physically small he was. But, his performance was so great that it seemed that he grew and grew physically as the perrormance went on. It was a truly GREAT performance!

Is advertising immoral?

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

Yes, much advertising is immoral. Whyen it attempts to convince people to buy things they do not need and plays on the weaknesses of people, it is not treating people with dignity and respect.

When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe nothing can stand in their ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

The comingling of religion and politics is a real threat to democracy and personal freedoms.

Who the fuk fires someone through a public tweet?!

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

A boorish lout!

If you are listening to the voices in your head.. Who's talking?? ?

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

The only voice in my head is mine.

"A study published in the journal Neuropsychologia has shown that religious fundamentalism is, in ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

I agree. Religious fundementalism is both a system of cognitive impairment, and a contributor to further cognitive limitation!

This is a question for those who have had strong feelings for another but could never get those ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

It is because of who you have let yourself become. Get some good psychological counselling!

Here’s How The Scientists Running for Office Are Doing - The Atlantic

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

Some intelligence in public office is badly needed.

Morning all.

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

Reject Trump and Trumpism!

Why do people hide their feeling/emotion? How do you let emotion out?

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

If you are dealing with a controlling and manipulative person, the more you eveal your emotions, the the more tools you give that person to play "mind'fuck" games with you.

Is what you do professionally now, what you wanted to do when you were growing up?

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

When I was in high school, I swore that the last thing in the world I would want to do was to become a teacher. I became a high school teacher, a teacher educator, and later a trainer of practicing teachers and administrators and a school improvement facilitator. Iguess that much of my motivation was to help insure to help ensure that more kids had better teachers than most I had.

We hold life in our hands, sometimes it slips through.

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

?

Human struggle

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

You ask such vague, global questions that it appears that you are fishing for any response, as opposed to having a specific purpose.

If you are a conservative, do consider insulting the president a personal attack on you?

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

There is a huge difference between an attack and an insult. An attack may be justified. An insult is a deliberate aspersion, often knowingly false.

Anti-Vax Mom: Death From Disease Part Of Divine Plan

wordywalt comments on Mar 12, 2018:

Sheer, dangerous idiocy!

Income inequality

wordywalt comments on Mar 12, 2018:

Yes, they could wipe out poverty, but only for an instant. Unless something is done to change the attitudes, behaviors, and skills of those in poeverty, most will lapse back into poverty. Yes greed motivates many of the wealthiest. But, some give back a great deal -- like Gates and Buffett -- and unlike the sociopath Trump.

Government Tyranny

wordywalt comments on Mar 12, 2018:

Onlyif some right wing nut factions try to stage some kind of uprising.