So while poking about the manosphere today I followed a link from an obscure Men’s Rights blog over to Alex Jones’ Infowars site — specifically to the comments on a news article about a study that claims internet porn is destroying marriage.
Jones, as you may know, is essentially the king of the world’s conspiracy theorists, so naturally I expected his commenters to be pretty unhinged. What I didn’t realize is that they would also all be Men’s Rights Activists.
Well, maybe they don’t all call themselves that, but they certainly think like MRAs; several even linked to a site for Men Going Their Own Way.
Most commenters agreed that porn was a better deal than a wife; after all, as numerous wits declared, porn won’t steal half your money in a divorce.
But alongside such familiar, indeed cliché, sentiments there were also some pretty inspired mini-rants. Here’s my favorite, which received several dozen upvotes from the regulars, making it one of the most popular comments in the 373-comment thread.
But there were other comments that were nearly as, er, inspired as this one. Take this righteous comment from one of Mr. EinNietzscheStein’s biggest fans:
And who could forget this fellow’s intriguing theories about female sexuality?
“Hanoi Jane.” Hadn’t heard that in a long time. Really brings you back, doesn’t it?
In case anyone cares, here is adirect link to the original study. In short, it’s garbage.
(a) It takes a MRA’s view of marriage and divorce and
(b) It is mostly a fresh-water economist thought experiment on utility and benefit, set in a world of rational actors — as opposed to, you know, anything having to do with actual people in actual marriages.
Nope. What’s the theory there? I live in Kentucky, home to the fire-breathing-dragons-were-totally-real Ark Encounter (which is in tax trouble at the moment) so I’m prepared to believe that anything might be in there.
It’s a Ken Ham picture book. I know a lot of people who grew up on that book. I suspect that camp focuses heavily on kids, because you can write a reasonably convincing creationist “science” book for preschoolers, but you can’t write one for adults. So the logic is to convince them when they’re little and then hope they lose interest in science as they grow up.
Well, you know, dinosaurs were TOTALLY created on the 6th day, just the same as all the other animals (and Noah made sure to have space for them on the Ark, TOO!), but they weren’t very good at getting along with other creatures or conditions in the post-flood world, so G*d let them die out. And, of course, it all happened about 6,000 years ago, it says so right in the bible and no I won’t tell you what chapter and verse that’s in, don’t you have FAITH?!?!?!
Or at least that’s how I remember it, anyhoo. I will admit that my eyes were pretty dusty from rolling out of my head and under the desk so many times, so I might be a little fuzzy on the details.
Oho, then I’ve probably seen pages out of it. People around here like to mock Ken Ham. Ark Encounter is a Ken Ham project, and it is ridiculous on its face.
Nix, the study also appears to (at a short skim) discount the idea that maybe the fact that marriage formation tends to decline as porn consumption increases might have less to do with the porn consumers not needing certain types of gratification formerly (theoretically but not really) only found in marriage, and more to do with potential partners of said consumers going “Nope. No can do. Do not want.”
Sorry, nixscripter! Should not have shortened your nym without asking.
Also, welcome to the board if you’re a newbie. I haven’t seen you before, but that doesn’t mean much…
Au contraire, they are the ones being cruel.
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When I was a kid, we had a cat who had incredibly nitpicky diet.
Sure, she’d nom down gooshyfood from a tin or kibble from a box, that wasn’t the nitpicky part.
No, the nitpicky part was that she refused to eat anything, unless my gran shredded some Chinese cabbage on a plate by the foodbowl, so she could eat it first. She just daintily parked right next to the dessert plate with thin slivers of cabbages on it, like a finest lady of manor having a light salad for an appetizer and then she’d nom it down before she moved to the foodbowl to finish with the main course.
Of course… she was half-Norwegian forest cat/half-Angora, and hooboy, did she have tons of fur, so of course she’d like something that makes it easier to come out. She never had problems in that regard, as long as she’d receive her dose of cabbage. She preferred to have cabbage over natural grass, even in summertime.
She also loved to be vacuumed, especially in summer, when it apparently cooled her body under the still-thick layer of underwool. Gran used to brush and comb her (and the kitty let us do it, considered it as extra form of cat-worship), and usually the amount of fur extracted seemed to be enough to make at least a moderate-sized kitten.
She was also terrifyingly smart, and she could be easily trained to do things, much like a dog. We had some extra-nutrient kittytreats in a small tin can, and if you shook that can, she’d come running back home. Since the tablets had the tendency to powderize, we put some paperclips to an empty can, and shook that instead, and once again, she’d be back home like she had been catapulted.
She was a really cool cat. 🙂
Pffft, I wish cats didn’t eat meat. I have nine cats (crazy cat lady in the hoouuusse) and they cost me a damn fortune! Especially the savannah cat we rescued a couple years back – she gets more protein and sometimes raw meat. If I could feed them all chex mix instead, I totally would.
@booburry:
OMG you got a Savannah Cat? Do you have any friends who are allergic to cats and if so, do they respond to a Savannah Cat? Someone once told me that Savannah aren’t as bad as other cats when it comes to allergic reactions, and I soooooo want a kitty (but I have friends who are allergic).
I’d think you could get a Sphinx and your friends would be OK? Chime in here, other cat people.
Sphinxes and rexes are good for allergies and Siberians have a disputed reputation as being hypoallergenic. You should always try to test the allergic person’s reaction to a cat; never assume that a cat will not cause a reaction.
Devon rexes are kind of cute and kind of look like aliens.
http://www.catsofaustralia.com/images/leonix-devon-rex.JPG
My dad is allergic, and he has two devon rexes. They don’t seem to affect his allergies, but everyone is different.
Here they are:
http://imgur.com/t9Z5w3J
http://i.imgur.com/TSwdKGo.jpg
Devon Rex fur reminds me of berber carpet. They are adorable, and do look like aliens.
Devon Rexes have amazingly soft fur, more like velvet or suede than anything else, but they tend to have the weirdest whiskers. My vet had one who lived at the office, and when I first met him I was worried that he’d had them burned off somehow, so that they were all weirdly curled stumps, but she said that’s just how they grow; it’s part of the genetic profile that makes their fur so curly.
And I get to post an Irish Rovers song. 🙂
So I guess I’ll ask, then… I really really want a cat. I want a cat because I want a pet, but an independent pet. I’ll be working, and eventually studying for my Masters as well as working, so… I kinda need low-maintenance. I sort of want a black cat because I think they’re beautiful (black cats in general, no specific breed, though I love Bombays), and I know there’s a stigma attached to them which means they get passed over a lot for adoption (666 and 13 are my lucky numbers, and I regularly walk under ladders, too… also, I’ve broken a mirror or two in the past :p). Knowing that makes me feel bad for them. But I wont limit myself if all black cats are high-maintenance, highly-social, best-for-families cats.
I do have allergies (pretty bad, too), but I’d rather get allergy shots then limit myself to hypo-allergenic cats, unless it gets to be so bad that I can’t breathe… 🙁
I know cats can get expensive (the family cat, Ace, was a couple thousand a year to take care of before he died according to my dad, and while Dad’s been known to exaggerate, Mom agreed with him, and she’s a bit more trustworthy with numbers and costs), but I want to try if I can. Likely not right away, but when I’m a bit more settled.
Is there, like, a quiz I can take that will tell me what I should look for in a cat or… something like that?
Well, keep in mind that as independent as cats are, they do get attached and lonely if they are alone all the time without any companionship (either human or another cat). Honestly, I’ve had cats most of my life now and except for one who would not tolerate any other cat in her presence, I would never again have only one cat. Adopting two, especially siblings, would always be my preference.
There are general breed profiles (the cat I mentioned above was a purebred angora, which I didn’t care about – I got her as a rescue – but she was opinionated, very independent, very vocal, highly intelligent, and exceptionally people focused, all of which was true to breed) but for most moggies (your general domestic shorthair cat) they are like all of us in that they are individuals with individual personalities. You’d probably be best off just going to a shelter or rescue and meeting a lot of cats to see how you do, or seeing if your local shelter has an adoption counselor or foster who has spent time with the cats and can tell you whether their personalities would fit with your lifestyle.
As far as money goes, pet insurance is a good idea. I have a plan for my girls that is pretty affordable: I pay about $11 per cat per month, and so far I’ve made that back four out of five years in what I get back on care for the one who turned out to have an on again/off again bladder problem.
Yes. My two aren’t siblings, but they were shelter buddies (I fell in love with Jade, and Pan was sleeping on top of her when we went to get her out of her cage–so I asked for him, too.) They keep each other company while I’m gone.
My tip–find a cat that doesn’t mind behind held/touched and has the activity levels you like. Bonus points if they follow you around in their cage.
One thing I may do when I start apartment hunting in New York State (I’m not about to live in the city… I do love it, but not as a place to live) and New Jersey is look for a roommate who has a cat and see what that’s like. If the cat needs companionship beyond the two of us, then I’ll look into adopting from that point. If not, I can help take care of him or her, and that can give me a sort of crash course in having a cat companion.
That is very sensible, Nathan, and I think you are right that this should give you a good way to test things out without taking on the commitment of a companion animal of your own. Bonus points if you find a compatible situation and you’re willing to pitch in with cat care to really get a sense of what it takes (feeding, petting, brushing sure, but also the less glamorous stuff like scooping the litterbox and cleaning up hairballs!).
Not necessarily. Obviously it has in your case, but it depends on the pet. Adult cats in general tend to be low-maintenance, and pet insurance has the same kind of loopholes and nonsense as human insurance. Yes, it’s possible for cats to need wildly expensive surgery, but I don’t find it very common (more common for outdoor kitties). I’d generally say it’s better for your money to find low-cost vet services in your area and set up an emergency savings fund.
I’m inclined to agree, katz. We’ve taken out a sort of membership thing – it’s not insurance as such – for Fribs now she’s in need of a lot more medical attention: she gets free consults, including blood tests and the like, and reduced costs for her medication and any special food. But I haven’t taken it out for Mads, because she is much younger and, so far, robust.
As long as Nathan promises not to do this to his cat. Not even for the cat’s sake – I’m looking out for your welfare, buddy.
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