What is reality? How do you make sure you are not in a bubble? And do you care?

[GammaGlobulin]

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

Perhaps as a hallucination. It's funny how people reporting being abducted by aliens usually report anal probing. 

Yes, truly it is.

 

In fact, this reporting seems to be some sort of deep-down wishful thinking surfacing, in other words...wishful thinking which somehow demonstrates their deep-seated and secret wish to get probed in real life, maybe by their friend or neighbor.

 

OK.

 

In this case, you and I see eye to eye.

 

Take care, my friend.

 

 

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Jingthing....

 

Just a question...

 

Do you know anyone who has been in bed with a Martian?

 

Not sure, but thought you had known of one, or two.

 

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

That was a more simple example.

In the real world, it can be harder to distinguish between facts, opinions, and lies.

In the modern vernacular "alternative facts" are generally lies. 

 

In that example:

 

Most likely a true fact reflecting reality based on the two participants: Sex 3x a week

Opinions: Cited before

Lie: Martians were in bed with them 

Men are from Mars... not - but microscopic bacteria too small for any know device to detect? 

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Perhaps as a hallucination. It's funny how people reporting being abducted by aliens usually report anal probing. 

If we were to visit another planet and find little entities walking around, we too would pick them up and exam them, sort of like what we do w/ants... the abductees are pretty credible to me... 

 

1. I met one guy, an abductee, and he was mostly credible, - 70%

 

2. I knew another guy in Central Pa. who had an alien ship visitation and he is 99.999% credible... 

[ozimoron]

7 hours ago, Hummin said:

How old they are and how long been married is important information when considering who is right. 

 

Twisted truths used as click baits is the media we have nowadays! 

 

Nobody care about well documented non biased truths anymore

you are confusing opinion with fact. The number of times is the fact, whether it is often or rarely is opinion.

[OneMoreFarang]

9 hours ago, ozimoron said:

I view truth and lies as absolutes. There can only be one truth about any particular issue.

No, it depends on the view and maybe parts which are not reported.

And not just in this picture.

 

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

No, it depends on the view and maybe parts which are not reported.

And not just in this picture.

 

You're missing the point in my opinion. It's not what the picture shows one way or the other, it's the actual truth. The picture is not proof of truth. Truth exists without the support of any evidence for or against.

[OneMoreFarang]

7 hours ago, Grecian said:

Pls tell me about the BBC and bangkok riots. I only know you as a poster, but if trust you over the BBC anyday!

We could fill a book about that. But I am a little tired to discuss this, especially here with too many red-shirt fans.

Just look up the articles on BBC from 2010 and talk to people who were in Bangkok and saw reality with their own eyes at that time.

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

We could fill a book about that. But I am a little tired to discuss this, especially here with too many red-shirt fans.

Just look up the articles on BBC from 2010 and talk to people who were in Bangkok and saw reality with their own eyes at that time.

You might be making a mistake about who is a red shirt fan. A stopped clock is right twice a day. Nobody is ever always wrong or always right.

[BritManToo]

14 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Many of us always tell the truth , I would say that most people are honest and always tell the truth and that just a few lie .

   Saying that *Men always tell the truth and Woman always lie* is infact untrue in itself 

Most men I've known didn't appear to lie in order to pointlessly blacken the name of former lovers. 

[ozimoron]

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Most men I've known didn't appear to lie in order to pointlessly blacken the name of former lovers. 

Did the women appear to "always" lie in order to pointlessly blacken the name of former lovers?

[KhunLA]

12 hours ago, Adumbration said:

"What do you do to get an idea what is really happening in Thailand, maybe in your home country, Ukraine, the rest of the world?"

 

Nothing.  I don't care.

Yep, as hard to care about anything, that no matter any opinion or input you could do, or care about, wouldn't change a thing.  So why bother, and simply enjoy being where ever at that moment.

 

I stopped caring a long long time ago.  Way to frustrating.  Now just shake my head & laugh.

[BritManToo]

28 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Did the women appear to "always" lie in order to pointlessly blacken the name of former lovers?

I don't believe I've ever had a relationship with a woman that didn't tell me bad things about a previous lover.

Obviously that didn't apply to the women where I was their first, but after it was over they said bad things about me to their next lover.

 

How about you? Did your lovers tell you bad things about their previous lovers?

I'm betting they did, and you believed them.

 

I always thought, if true ............

1. why didn't you leave

2. why didn't you report them to the police?

3. why didn't they get jail time?

 

It's not as if every town in the west doesn't have a women's refuge.

Oddly I've never found any men's refuge, but have known many men mistreated by women.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

24 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I don't believe I've ever had a relationship with a woman that didn't tell me bad things about a previous lover.

Obviously that didn't apply to the women where I was their first, but after it was over they said bad things about me to their next lover.

 

How about you? Did your lovers tell you bad things about their previous lovers?

I'm betting they did, and you believed them.

 

I always thought, if true ............

1. why didn't you leave

2. why didn't you report them to the police?

3. why didn't they get jail time?

 

It's not as if every town in the west doesn't have a women's refuge.

Oddly I've never found any men's refuge, but have known many men mistreated by women.

To be honest I can't think of a girlfriend that talked bad about previous partners. Maybe some snark here and there. Maybe you are attracted to a certain type of woman.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

I noted media in which I faith that the facts are correct. Sometimes a thing they do that I don't like is they can get a bit uppity in the fact that they fact check and have high standards in their journalism.

The facts about an event may be correct but the manner in which it is told is somewhat judgemental and can go beyond just stating the facts.  It's like they are saying 'we are sensible and kind and they are misguided and cruel'. Stories about gender, race, and migration can be affected this way. Sometimes I concur with their conclusion but sometimes I just prefer the facts and they can let me decide.

[OneMoreFarang]

6 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

I noted media in which I faith that the facts are correct. Sometimes a thing they do that I don't like is they can get a bit uppity in the fact that they fact check and have high standards in their journalism.

The facts about an event may be correct but the manner in which it is told is somewhat judgemental and can go beyond just stating the facts.  It's like they are saying 'we are sensible and kind and they are misguided and cruel'. Stories about gender, race, and migration can be affected this way. Sometimes I concur with their conclusion but sometimes I just prefer the facts and they can let me decide.

I think the better, fact checked media, often omits details, and sometimes important details. Or they don't ask important questions.

 

Just today I read an article about a guy who fled a massacre in Sudan. He finally arrived in the UK and now the UK wants to send him to Rwanda. Lets assume he fled a massacre in Sudan and he should get help.

According to his own information he fled through Libya, Malta, Italy, France and then he crossed the channel in a little boat. Nowhere in that article was a comment or question why he didn't stay in any of the safe counties through which he traveled. Now he blames the UK. He could have applied for asylum in any of those countries he traveled through. But obviously that is not what he wanted. Any question why? No question...

[Fat is a type of crazy]

55 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I think the better, fact checked media, often omits details, and sometimes important details. Or they don't ask important questions.

 

Just today I read an article about a guy who fled a massacre in Sudan. He finally arrived in the UK and now the UK wants to send him to Rwanda. Lets assume he fled a massacre in Sudan and he should get help.

According to his own information he fled through Libya, Malta, Italy, France and then he crossed the channel in a little boat. Nowhere in that article was a comment or question why he didn't stay in any of the safe counties through which he traveled. Now he blames the UK. He could have applied for asylum in any of those countries he traveled through. But obviously that is not what he wanted. Any question why? No question...

That's a good example. It is almost like they are concerned about seeming  harsh or vulgar so they start with the premise of the poor refugee who had no options, which in many cases is true, but not necessarily as your facts show. A further thing they do is pick certain stories. Today a huge fall on stock market but main story on CNN is about the massacre in Buffalo. Definitely an important story, and good reporting, but a story that might be less kind to the Democrats is less likely to get on air. 

It just seems though that those on the  right wing side just seem to generally go way more over the top in the other direction.

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by Fat is a type of crazy

[ozimoron]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I don't believe I've ever had a relationship with a woman that didn't tell me bad things about a previous lover.

Obviously that didn't apply to the women where I was their first, but after it was over they said bad things about me to their next lover.

 

How about you? Did your lovers tell you bad things about their previous lovers?

I'm betting they did, and you believed them.

 

I always thought, if true ............

1. why didn't you leave

2. why didn't you report them to the police?

3. why didn't they get jail time?

 

It's not as if every town in the west doesn't have a women's refuge.

Oddly I've never found any men's refuge, but have known many men mistreated by women.

You would be wrong. I've been married three time to Asian women and still talk to them. I've never been accused of domestic violence, either physical or psychological. I've never heard any of them speak ill of any of them. One Thai bar girl I brought to Australia for 6 months had a child and never spoke ill of her husband who died in an accident. The proposition that all women lie is nothing other than straight up misogyny.

Edited May 19, 2022 by ozimoron

[Walker88]

30 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

That's a good example. It is almost like they are concerned about seeming  harsh or vulgar so they start with the premise of the poor refugee who had no options, which in many cases is true, but not necessarily as your facts show. A further thing they do is pick certain stories. Today a huge fall on stock market but main story on CNN is about the massacre in Buffalo. Definitely an important story, and good reporting, but a story that might be less kind to the Democrats is less likely to get on air. 

It just seems though that those on the  right wing side just seem to generally go way more over the top in the other direction.

 

What might be called 'human interest stories' always tend to be subjective, lest there wouldn't be a story. One can take a critical eye to these.

 

Other times, on stories of wider interest and import, media outs itself. For example, I can watch a political rally live, listen to the guy lie through his teeth and utter absolute absurdities to an audience that is clearly left of the mean on the IQ Bell Curve, and then hear the media praise the speech and take no exception either to the lies or absurdities. I then have zero doubt that that particular media network is bogus, not 'sly'.

 

Sadly, we're on the verge of becoming even more tribal than ever, with one difference from history that the 'tribe members' no longer need be proximate to each other, since media is global and available to all. Far right and left extremes now join across borders and oceans. Couple that with the increasing sophistication of video and audio altering, and media will be able to paint whatever picture their owner so chooses. It is going to get a lot worse, and governments lack both any control and also the ability to control. Big money---murdock, sinclair broadcasting, etc.---has become more powerful than governments.

 

I admit to living largely in my own bubble (in the US I watch MSNBC, PBS, CNN if it's showing a Stanley Tucci piece on Italy), but if I were to be as objective as I can be, I find the most neutral network to be al Jazeera English. I also watch NHK English, though mostly for the cultural pieces on different aspects of Japan. Hardtalk on BBC is also sometimes entertaining.

 

Perhaps as a sign of the times, the one media personna I find most middle of the road, willing to slay extremists on both sides, is a comedian: Bill Maher.

[Jingthing]

4 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

If we were to visit another planet and find little entities walking around, we too would pick them up and exam them, sort of like what we do w/ants... the abductees are pretty credible to me... 

 

1. I met one guy, an abductee, and he was mostly credible, - 70%

 

2. I knew another guy in Central Pa. who had an alien ship visitation and he is 99.999% credible... 

Well funny that you say that. My Dad was an engineer with a background in aviation and military tech and he experienced a UFO sighting that he was convinced wasn't technically possible.at that time. No abduction though. As he had government contacts I recall he reported it as well.

[Skallywag]

22 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What do you do to get an idea what is really happening in Thailand, maybe in your home country, Ukraine, the rest of the world? Do you only read news from sources which you know write according to your believes? Do you try to look at neutral news? Do you even spend time reading the news from those other guys who always lie?

 

Personally I think it is more and more difficult to determine the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 

Not very concerned with most news.  Thailand is where I live, and to see what is really happening I simply go outside and walk each day.  Other happenings do not affect me so not that interested.  

 

Talk with friends back in the USA about events there and watch some youtube news clips from late night talk shows is how I get News from the USA

[RafPinto]

22 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Agree, we are bombarded in many directions.

Personally I tend to look at say three sources, then draw my own conclusion based on what I feel is a reliable source. That then may be colored later by additional info or commentary etc from family/ friends/colleagues.

 

Social media is awash with all types of manipulated paid for narratives and one should be very careful what you choose to believe in my opinion.

My main source of information and truth is ASEAN NOW.
Life is beautiful.

[OneMoreFarang]

30 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

What might be called 'human interest stories' always tend to be subjective, lest there wouldn't be a story. One can take a critical eye to these.

 

Other times, on stories of wider interest and import, media outs itself. For example, I can watch a political rally live, listen to the guy lie through his teeth and utter absolute absurdities to an audience that is clearly left of the mean on the IQ Bell Curve, and then hear the media praise the speech and take no exception either to the lies or absurdities. I then have zero doubt that that particular media network is bogus, not 'sly'.

 

Sadly, we're on the verge of becoming even more tribal than ever, with one difference from history that the 'tribe members' no longer need be proximate to each other, since media is global and available to all. Far right and left extremes now join across borders and oceans. Couple that with the increasing sophistication of video and audio altering, and media will be able to paint whatever picture their owner so chooses. It is going to get a lot worse, and governments lack both any control and also the ability to control. Big money---murdock, sinclair broadcasting, etc.---has become more powerful than governments.

 

I admit to living largely in my own bubble (in the US I watch MSNBC, PBS, CNN if it's showing a Stanley Tucci piece on Italy), but if I were to be as objective as I can be, I find the most neutral network to be al Jazeera English. I also watch NHK English, though mostly for the cultural pieces on different aspects of Japan. Hardtalk on BBC is also sometimes entertaining.

 

Perhaps as a sign of the times, the one media personna I find most middle of the road, willing to slay extremists on both sides, is a comedian: Bill Maher.

Good comment!

 

I think sometimes it is not only big money.

Lets say someone reports that a black guy was fired by his white boss. That must clearly be racism. That white guy must be a white supremacist and racist and make sure his picture is everywhere so that everybody knows the face of that bad guy. 

But maybe he was fired because he did a bad job. And maybe 3 other white guys were fired at the same time.

But no, that is not in the news. And who dares to question if maybe the bad work was a reason to fire that guy and not his skin color. 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

40 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

What might be called 'human interest stories' always tend to be subjective, lest there wouldn't be a story. One can take a critical eye to these.

 

Other times, on stories of wider interest and import, media outs itself. For example, I can watch a political rally live, listen to the guy lie through his teeth and utter absolute absurdities to an audience that is clearly left of the mean on the IQ Bell Curve, and then hear the media praise the speech and take no exception either to the lies or absurdities. I then have zero doubt that that particular media network is bogus, not 'sly'.

 

Sadly, we're on the verge of becoming even more tribal than ever, with one difference from history that the 'tribe members' no longer need be proximate to each other, since media is global and available to all. Far right and left extremes now join across borders and oceans. Couple that with the increasing sophistication of video and audio altering, and media will be able to paint whatever picture their owner so chooses. It is going to get a lot worse, and governments lack both any control and also the ability to control. Big money---murdock, sinclair broadcasting, etc.---has become more powerful than governments.

 

I admit to living largely in my own bubble (in the US I watch MSNBC, PBS, CNN if it's showing a Stanley Tucci piece on Italy), but if I were to be as objective as I can be, I find the most neutral network to be al Jazeera English. I also watch NHK English, though mostly for the cultural pieces on different aspects of Japan. Hardtalk on BBC is also sometimes entertaining.

 

Perhaps as a sign of the times, the one media personna I find most middle of the road, willing to slay extremists on both sides, is a comedian: Bill Maher.

Al Jazeera English and NHK English are good and definitely can give a different take on things. Vice News can be refreshing. Australian media is generally less partisan, but we have our Murdoch press which is fairly partisan, particularly with an election this weekend. The Australian used to be a good source of news, but Murdoch seems to have taken away it's credibility in recent years, and moved it to the right.

I am a huge fan of Bill Maher and love his take on religion and politics. I will say that in recent months I have found him getting a bit boring on politics. He seems to pick the low hanging fruit on both sides.

I went to university in the 80's and there were always full on feminists, lefties and over sensitive political types - it's the nature of students. But I find he'll take things the younger students and political wannabees say and be unduly critical. Be critical of Joe and friends, but let the students develop their ideas, like it was before social media.

He also whinges constantly about masks and similar rules, which I get, but I feel at  times he misses the bigger picture.  His latest special Adulting seemed like 90 per cent Whingefest and 10 per cent jokes. I still watch and like and admire the guy but I just hope he's not becoming a bit tiresome. 

Edited May 19, 2022 by Fat is a type of crazy

[EVENKEEL]

I prefer living in my bubble when the world has gone mad. Please peruse below article for a good head shake.

 

https://nypost.com/2022/05/14/kiel-wisconsin-school-charges-kids-for-using-wrong-pronouns/

 

 

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, ozimoron said:

You would be wrong. I've been married three time to Asian women and still talk to them. I've never been accused of domestic violence, either physical or psychological. I've never heard any of them speak ill of any of them. One Thai bar girl I brought to Australia for 6 months had a child and never spoke ill of her husband who died in an accident. The proposition that all women lie is nothing other than straight up misogyny.

You've had three failed marriages to Asian ladies ......... no violence or abuse .......

Yet I'm the bad guy who hates women.

 

Sorry, I couldn't make this stuff up 555!

Edited May 19, 2022 by BritManToo

[OneMoreFarang]

23 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I prefer living in my bubble when the world has gone mad. Please peruse below article for a good head shake.

 

https://nypost.com/2022/05/14/kiel-wisconsin-school-charges-kids-for-using-wrong-pronouns/

 

 

If someone would have shown us such an article a few years ago we would have all agreed that can and will never happen. Just never, not in 100 years.

And now it is obviously still strange but not really surprising anymore.

Crazy new world. And somehow I think it gets worse.

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

I prefer living in my bubble when the world has gone mad. Please peruse below article for a good head shake.

 

https://nypost.com/2022/05/14/kiel-wisconsin-school-charges-kids-for-using-wrong-pronouns/

 

 

Wow.. the NY Post... pretty crazy out there in that I see so much stuff in the news that is really insane and yesterday there was a video of a bully type kid in a lunchroom dragging another kid out of his chair... it was pretty mild compared to the everyday stuff in my middle class suburban neighborhood... which might have included a chocolate ring ding in someone's face... 

[1FinickyOne]

3 hours ago, ozimoron said:

The proposition that all women lie is nothing other than straight up misogyny.

There are studies that say everyone lies about 10x a day... and each society has different lies that they consider appropriate...

 

A childhood friend became a lawyer and prided himself on his honesty... way overboard... if a lady asked if her hat looked good he would tell her "No. And your shoes are ugly too." But, he was honest [and unemployable] 

 

He lived in poverty most of his life as his social skills were so poor that he could not keep a job [and was rarely offered one too] 

[Hummin]

That's the thing lying is connected to how well your social skills is and how you adopt to new social environments, and if practiced and understood correctly, it can take you far in life. 

 

I tell my gf she is the most beautiful in the whole world every day! Is it true? It doesn't matter, It is an important everyday ritual for our relationship. Not the only thing of course, but one of them.

[starky]

In your example there is how he experienced it how she experienced and what happened. There is no real "truth" as everything is subjective in such a situation.

   If you were there you would have your version of events. People today like to talk about "their truth" which is the biggest pile of steaming horse <deleted> ive ever heard.

 Science and maths have things that can be quantified and proven independantely these things are true. Any thing else is subject to your thoughts, feelings, bias, upbringing and countless other factors before you even delve into the rabbit holes of mass media, youtube and other internet sources as you have described.

  My problem with it all it seems now reasonable debate has gone. This was best seen in the Trump era. My opinion can and could differ to yours. That doesnt make me right or wrong, good or bad this dichotomy now where if you dont agree your the "enemy" seems so senseless and counter productive.