Arrogance and Condescension

[thebigcheese]

your two-year-old might not understand why it's bad to eat chocolate chip cookies for lunch, but really there's a good reason for it.

I still don't understand...

[Imogen]

@krebscout- i think i'm the token non-mormon with no real religion, thus my special status remains!

this was interesting to read. ahem, i don't think you're being arrogant or condescending. those are the wrong words for what you're feeling (as i understood it reading what you said). you would be arrogant if you took people to task for their behaviors in a way that was superior. you know "oh...you got a tattoo...that's idiotic and you're going to burn in hell." THAT would make you arrogant. i don't know the word for what you feel, but your feelings aren't WRONG or BAD.

i can say, i love to drink. i don't drink everyday, or even every week, but i love doing it. sometimes i get (very) drunk. and i have done things i probably wouldn't have done when i was sober while i was intoxicated. but, i don't regret those things. maybe i'm a "good" drunk, but i've never regretted anything i've done while drunk. i did get alcohol poisoning once, and it was very scary and awful and has never happened again. but i also have a brother who is an alcoholic, and has been since he was a kid. my family has tried to help him quit, but he always goes back to it, despite being raised in a very religious environment (my grandma raised him). since i don't want to be anything like him, i make sure to watch myself carefully when i drink.

tea saved my voice for my opening night this past friday, so i LOVE TEA! it's a huge part of my dad's culture, and i love sharing that with him. it connects us.

i have had pre-marital sex, but i was responsible and haven't had any health scares, which i'm grateful for. i worked for our local AIDS foundation, and reducing risky sexual behaviors is a major issue in society at large. people don't think about consequences. or some people know them and don't care.

i think, ultimately, you guys tend to think about the effects of your actions more than most people, which is great! it's something people don't do often enough. but you shouldn't assume that someone who does something you disapprove of didn't think it through. my very dear friend just moved in with her boyfriend to decrease expenses while she finishes school, but they got a two bedroom place and don't have sex. it's may be unusual for a couple in that situation, but it makes sense for them, and they thought about it a lot before making up their minds. i have 4 tattoos, but i don't regret any of them, and i'm glad to carry them for life. i thought it through.

so, in conclusion, you're only arrogant if you degrade people for their behaviors you disagree with or assume they didn't think things through.

[Emiliana]

Sorry, Imogen, I wasn't intending to steal your place as Token Non-Mormon. I humbly acknowledge that you've been hanging around this place longer than I have, so I concede my title if you want it back.

You bring up a good point about the connection between strict moral choices and thinking about the consequences of actions. But I also know plenty of people who stick to certain standards simply because it's what they've always been taught and never questioned, as well as people who think through their choices and still come to different conclusions than I do (such as your self, it would seem). I wonder if there's a sampling bias among people who frequent sites like the Board, though, if they're just more likely in general to over-think things. Thoughts?

That, or we could hijack this thread and discuss the glories of tea and alcohol.

[Emiliana]

Not tea and alcohol together, though, because that just sounds nasty.

[NerdGirl]

Not tea and alcohol together, though, because that just sounds nasty.

It does sound nasty, which is a bit odd when you think about because alcohol and coffee and even alcohol and hot chocolate seem like pretty popular combinations around here. Here being where I live, not this message board.

[ahem.]

Here being where I live, not this message board.

What do you mean? I love me some liquored up cocoa!

[Whistler]

well, it's easy to stick in a little vanilla...

[Imogen]

Not tea and alcohol together, though, because that just sounds nasty.

actually, one of my favorite drinks is iced tea, lemonade, and vodka. mmmmmm tastes like summer. and sweet tea vodka is very popular down here in south texas. i promise, it's tasty!!

and cocoa is easily liquored up with kahlua.

i know i sound like an alcoholic, but i wanted to be a bartender (they make so much money!), so i know a lot of good drink combos. but, i became a teacher instead.

[Emiliana]

Not tea and alcohol together, though, because that just sounds nasty.

actually, one of my favorite drinks is iced tea, lemonade, and vodka. mmmmmm tastes like summer. and sweet tea vodka is very popular down here in south texas. i promise, it's tasty!!

Oh, I guess I was just thinking of hot tea. Sweet tea vodka doesn't sound bad, though. Hmm, I might have to try that sometime.

I'm not all that fond of the caffeine+alcohol sensation, though ... I know a lot of people like it, but it just makes me feel irritable.

[Tao]

Not tea and alcohol together, though, because that just sounds nasty.

heh, my first thought was of Long Island Iced Tea. Which, while tending to be short on the tea and long on the alcohol, qualifies in name at least of having the two together.

[Imogen]

Not tea and alcohol together, though, because that just sounds nasty.

heh, my first thought was of Long Island Iced Tea. Which, while tending to be short on the tea and long on the alcohol, qualifies in name at least of having the two together.

long island ice teas don't actually have tea in them. it's rum, vodka, something else alcoholic i can't remember, and coca-cola. total misnomer.

@emiliana- caffeine and alcohol are actually a terrible combination for the body and brain because they trigger different responses. caffeine is a stimulant, and alcohol is depressant, which confuses the brain's wiring. it is very easy to get alcohol poisoning when drinking something like vodka and redbull, or even something mixed with caffeinated sodas. (i knew being a substance abuse prevention educator would come in handy on this board one day!)

[TheBlackSheep]

@Imogen - You're forgetting gin and tequila. Oh the unexpected things I know from work.

[Tao]

And triple sec. And while most places use coke, there are some bartenders that will use tea instead of cola. But that's a small minority; the name comes from the look, not from any tea in the original recipe.

[Imogen]

oy, blacksheep. no wonder i'm always loopy after a long island. gin is not my friend.

[Emiliana]

So Tao, I'm hoping this comes out as the furthest thing imaginable from judgmental, but how do you know so much about alcoholic drinks? Are you Mormon? I'm not saying that it's impossible for a Mormon to know about Long Island Tea, but most of the Mormons and other non-drinkers I know just don't have any reason to.

@Imogen, I figured that the combination of stimulant/depressant was why I didn't like it, but it didn't occur to me that it's actually harmful. Good to know, I guess!

[Tao]

A good question, and one I'm somewhat abashed that I don't have a better answer to. I am LDS, and am a teetotaler, yet still have the makings of a fair bartender. I guess I tend to pick things up without fully recognizing the source as I really don't know where I picked up my info on drinks, nor my ability to float a layered drink.

All things considered, I'm glad I didn't make any mention of speedballs when the conversation turned to the combining of stimulants and depressants. Knowledge of alcohol may be quirky, other info may make me look downright deviant.

[Emiliana]

Fair enough, Tao. In the last two or three days I've been asked why I know so much about platypuses, Hinduism, and baking terminology, and like you ... I really don't remember. I just like knowing things.

[Craig Jessop]

Fair enough, Tao. In the last two or three days I've been asked why I know so much about platypuses, Hinduism, and baking terminology, and like you ... I really don't remember. I just like knowing things.

I know EXACTLY how that goes. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

[Emiliana]

Fair enough, Tao. In the last two or three days I've been asked why I know so much about platypuses, Hinduism, and baking terminology, and like you ... I really don't remember. I just like knowing things.

I know EXACTLY how that goes. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I suspect it's a common problem for those of us who frequent the 100 hour board, this insatiable urge to KNOW things.