Re: The YouTube thread [2]

[azriel]

[halfwise]

He's far more intellectual and well spoken than you would expect, given the characters he's played.

[Mrs Figg]

He got his masters degree from Oxford, he is very bright.

[Pettytyrant101]

{{ Yeah very intelligent man indeed. }}

[Forest Shepherd]

i'm reading a book concerning a similar topic, it's called The Coddling of the American Mind. In the book there's a parallel example given in the form of the history of peanut allergies. Peanuts have been kept out of school cafeterias and the danger of peanut allergies clearly explained to parents. Ironically, peanut allergies are far more common now than before.
More recent research has discovered that when toddlers are exposed to small amounts of peanut throughout their developing years, they will generally not develop a peanut allergy. Meanwhile in the control group, a lack of exposure to peanuts predicted a higher chance of allergy acquisition.

This is only a parallel of course, the book is mainly about issues of mental resilience, not physical, exemplified in pushes for "trigger-warnings" and "safe spaces" on college campuses throughout the U.S. beginning within the last ten years.

Speaking of well-spoken British dudes, here's some interesting stuff from the Munk debate that Stephen Fry attended:

[Mrs Figg]

safe spaces for adults turns them back into toddlers incapable of having a robust adult debate about 'difficult' topics, or the incapacity to accept anything that doesn't fit their narrow identity politics. It is like somebody trying to have a constructive argument about race or religion and the other person saying "stop shouting at me" and running off to hide. It is nauseating and probably comes under the heading of social engineering. For fucks sake! 80 years ago youngsters were fighting for their lives in the trenches, there were no safe spaces there.

[azriel]

[halfwise]

ingenious!

[azriel]

I truly thought this was a mega wind up. No way can this be a real bird, its an animatronic device or something cooked up in a studio to fool people. yet, Ive Googled & spent most of today looking & I have to concede that it is real tho I still find it astonishing.

[halfwise]

Once you've seen a pangolin in real life you're willing to believe anything. I met one in west africa. They're pretty lovable.

[azriel]

Oh I love those little things ! wish people would stop hurting them !

[halfwise]

These could go on the cat or dog thread, but need to go on both so I'm putting them here.

[Mrs Figg]

awww adorable.

[azriel]

so sweet