I winder if California really is an alien place where the inspiration for these things happen. To imagine most of the sandwiched heartlands between the coasts are spared? have not advanced to? such subculturisms.
On "Condemnr": this is why you just take a side. It's literally impossible to pander to all these divergent moralities, but in a group with a moral consensus, it's extremely easy to figure out what you're supposed to say.
I propose instead not having to say something about every terrible thing that happens (except if you have something novel to say, or if you wish to share your emotions, or if you have a friend who is touched by the disaster, and whom you wish to support, etc.), and not being friends with people who would think you're an asshole for not going through the motions of commenting on everything.
In fact, I would say that one of the points of silence is giving yourself time to think it through and deliberately discarding the social pressure to have an opinion right away. The latter only harms your world-modeling. With social silence, you're allowing yourself to say to yourself, for example (well, in my case) "hell if I understand this-and-this conflict; I understand that people are suffering and dying and that I'm scared for everyone and I wish they were OK; and there's some complicated politics behind this and media is dragging me toward a certain conclusion, but I'm not sure if it's correct or not, I need more time to think it through". And then you give yourself time.
Was the 'laundering murder via witchcraft' scheme inspired by Agatha Christie's Gurcnyrubefr (rot13), or was that convergent evolution of elaborate criminal schemes?
Jezebel posted an article on September 8, "We paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk." I'm pretty sure that's the "really high-profile case involving a widely-read online magazine" referred to.
I assumed it was a reference to Bill Fitzhugh‘s novel Pest Control, in which a mafia hitman whose hiring contacts had been disguised as an actual pest-control service was inundated with unwitting customers who didn’t know it was a front and vice versa.
I'd say parks and paid venues are the main alternatives, yeah. Restaurants are a notable subset of paid venues. Also worth noting that if the house is an apartment, then instead of taking place in the apartment, it might take place in one of the building's common areas, which might include parts of the roof (or secondary roofs lower than the main roof). Is that still a "house party"? I dunno.
a) a 'party' in a park is called a 'picnic' or a 'barbecue' instead, unless it is a drinking bout of questionable legality by young, unemployed people (in which case there may also be a specialized word for it, depending on the area; there is one in Spain, for instance);
b) a 'party' in a restaurant is not called a party, unless it is some sort of expensive life-cycle event for which the entire restaurant is booked, in which case, again the word 'party' may be deprecated in favor of 'reception' (when is "party" still used? Retirement, Sweet Sixteen, quinceañera, ba(r/t)-mitzvah?);
c) I take a party in a dorm's common areas is not a house party, whereas a party in a non-frat college party house would be a party. Would a frat house/eating-club party still be a house party? Don't know. Gray area. I'd say a party in someone's living quarters in a dorm is a house party, at least if said quarters comprise at least two distinct rooms. Discuss.
c') It's a recent development that young professionals in NYC pay top dollar to live in places that feel like really nifty dorms, with common areas, small libraries and so forth. Would a party there not be a house party? A friend took me to one - it was still a house party, I'd say, just one without a house. Of course people in SF who hold very similar parties in communal living arrangements may feel differently about the issue.
Oh, right, there are office parties, and academic common-room parties, which are a subset thereof. Still, people would call them "office party" (at least when non-academic), specifically; a house party would still be the default.
Wow, this Bay Area House Party was *particularly* spicy! It's always fun to see Scott's mean streak peek through the usual mild-mannered book reviews and philosophical essays.
wake up everyone my favorite series just dropped another post
Yeah I make sure all of my sf parties are sex balanced
I make sure all my sex parties are sf balanced
I make sure all my sex is balanced. Except that one time in the shower.
I winder if California really is an alien place where the inspiration for these things happen. To imagine most of the sandwiched heartlands between the coasts are spared? have not advanced to? such subculturisms.
The BA, and SF specifically, is like no other place on the planet. For better AND worse....
reading this ironically gives the impression that you are maybe a little too immersed in internet culture
Where else is he going to get material?
"A dear uncle of mine, after whom I was named…"
Oh, I wasn't expecting The Baker to be at this party. ;)
On "Condemnr": this is why you just take a side. It's literally impossible to pander to all these divergent moralities, but in a group with a moral consensus, it's extremely easy to figure out what you're supposed to say.
I propose instead not having to say something about every terrible thing that happens (except if you have something novel to say, or if you wish to share your emotions, or if you have a friend who is touched by the disaster, and whom you wish to support, etc.), and not being friends with people who would think you're an asshole for not going through the motions of commenting on everything.
In fact, I would say that one of the points of silence is giving yourself time to think it through and deliberately discarding the social pressure to have an opinion right away. The latter only harms your world-modeling. With social silence, you're allowing yourself to say to yourself, for example (well, in my case) "hell if I understand this-and-this conflict; I understand that people are suffering and dying and that I'm scared for everyone and I wish they were OK; and there's some complicated politics behind this and media is dragging me toward a certain conclusion, but I'm not sure if it's correct or not, I need more time to think it through". And then you give yourself time.
Great post.
Was the 'laundering murder via witchcraft' scheme inspired by Agatha Christie's Gurcnyrubefr (rot13), or was that convergent evolution of elaborate criminal schemes?
I think it was a reference to an article published shortly before the assassination of Charlie Kirk where the author paid an etsy witch to curse him.
Jezebel posted an article on September 8, "We paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk." I'm pretty sure that's the "really high-profile case involving a widely-read online magazine" referred to.
Ah, that makes sense. I hadn't heard about that.
I assumed it was a reference to Bill Fitzhugh‘s novel Pest Control, in which a mafia hitman whose hiring contacts had been disguised as an actual pest-control service was inundated with unwitting customers who didn’t know it was a front and vice versa.
Fun as always!
Fake Curtis Yarvin's text sounded like word salad to me. Were those real events he was referencing, or was it a mad libs thing?
Most of it was funny word salad but some of it was actual allusion to events in right-wing spheres, e.g. Covington Catholic.
Three takes on the Covington Catholic incident, depending on whether you prefer / trust leftist, rightist or centrist most:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/media-must-learn-covington-catholic-story/581035/
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-covington-story-was-not-about-race-but-about-people-in-power-attacking-people-theyve-failed
https://www.allsides.com/blog/media-misfires-covington-catholic-story
A love letter to the terminally online. Thank you Scott!
I really enjoyed this one :)
Excellent Bay Area House Party, as always.
This post made me so grateful to live in a small town thanks
I still find the term "house party" very funny. Isn't that where parties happen by default? Where else? A cave? A park? A paying venue?
I'd say parks and paid venues are the main alternatives, yeah. Restaurants are a notable subset of paid venues. Also worth noting that if the house is an apartment, then instead of taking place in the apartment, it might take place in one of the building's common areas, which might include parts of the roof (or secondary roofs lower than the main roof). Is that still a "house party"? I dunno.
My comment was tongue-in-cheek, but:
a) a 'party' in a park is called a 'picnic' or a 'barbecue' instead, unless it is a drinking bout of questionable legality by young, unemployed people (in which case there may also be a specialized word for it, depending on the area; there is one in Spain, for instance);
b) a 'party' in a restaurant is not called a party, unless it is some sort of expensive life-cycle event for which the entire restaurant is booked, in which case, again the word 'party' may be deprecated in favor of 'reception' (when is "party" still used? Retirement, Sweet Sixteen, quinceañera, ba(r/t)-mitzvah?);
c) I take a party in a dorm's common areas is not a house party, whereas a party in a non-frat college party house would be a party. Would a frat house/eating-club party still be a house party? Don't know. Gray area. I'd say a party in someone's living quarters in a dorm is a house party, at least if said quarters comprise at least two distinct rooms. Discuss.
c') It's a recent development that young professionals in NYC pay top dollar to live in places that feel like really nifty dorms, with common areas, small libraries and so forth. Would a party there not be a house party? A friend took me to one - it was still a house party, I'd say, just one without a house. Of course people in SF who hold very similar parties in communal living arrangements may feel differently about the issue.
Oh, right, there are office parties, and academic common-room parties, which are a subset thereof. Still, people would call them "office party" (at least when non-academic), specifically; a house party would still be the default.
Bars and clubs
That's why my comment was tongue-in-cheek. Whoever goes to those?
hehe
Excellent effort!
I think there someday could be a good market for Hakan Rotmwrt impersonators.
Don't worry the Steve Sailers impersonators will feature in the next house party.
Wow, this Bay Area House Party was *particularly* spicy! It's always fun to see Scott's mean streak peek through the usual mild-mannered book reviews and philosophical essays.
This is amazing! and it is a series, what a gitft