Why does anyone find the ability of the 20% deadenders to deny reality so exceptional? Denial is an amazingly powerful psychological mechanism that allows one to live in a state of dissonance, without that dissonance crashing the mind. It does so by never allowing certain data to reach the conscious threshold. To do so would trigger in essence an "identity failure", a complex and painful state to recover from. (Argubly much of the important growth we do in life is a result of various disruptions of perceived self, ergo someone cut off from this process via denial is also removed from the chance to grow.)

We've all heard of women who flatly deny that their husbands molested their children for decades, even though the proof abounded. Or men who deny that they're gay, in spite of a lifetime of furtively sneaking into nightclubs and trawling for men on the net. If people can wield denial over such monumental and personal issues, surely it's even easier to invoke on issues which less personally threaten one's sense of self?

"Momento" was an art-house release about a soccer mom with chronal aphasia who is pertually driving her kids around in an SUV because she can't remember if she's dropping them off at a game or taking them home. *spoiler* The movie ends when the 15th consecutive trip through the same Taco Bell drive-through results in colon failure for everyone in the vehicle.

It's the typo thread. I wrote "pertually" instead of "perpetually", which made it sound like she was just bouncy and sunny.

Meanwhile, as for PKD, I'd like to a filmmaker tackle one of his more challenging works, like "Galactic Pot Healer". But only if it were done by someone of Andrei Tarkovsky's calibre.

As I wrote to Feministing earlier today on this very article, they just need to add a final component that induces servility. Then it's ready for market, trade name Patriarxil.

Next up is a pill which will let men trade a year of life for an inch of penis length. It's expected to reduce the average male lifespan from 72 to 19.

While others like Godfrey apparently don't. It's not the drug itself that is inherently bad, it the positioning of it as a dual godsend when in reality it's a "cure" for a problem that society has invented - namely that women just aren't skinny enough and sexy enough. Explicit in that is the notion that women need to be "fixed", while men just get to stay as they are. (As a male I'm continually aware of this priviledged position that all patriarchal societies afford.)

Oh, and my comment about the penis enhancing drug was a joke. You know, the type of linguist construct that is processed with a sense of humour? Maybe some of you should look into a pill that restores that.

There is no "patriarchy."

Correct. There are only patriarchal societies. Which is just about all of them at the moment, except for a few matrilineal tribal groups out there.

So a world ruled by men and male-centric societies is not the same as a coordinated global patriarchy. But it practice it may as well be.

ANYONE who supports the war and doesn't either serve themself or pressure their service-age children to enlist needs to explain themselves. Because we all know there is only one actual answer for the lack of service - "I/my children are too important to die in a war, unlike you little people". This better-than-thou attitude needs to be brought out starkly and clearly, particularly at a time when so many leading liberals are veterans and so many conservatives aren't.

His asslicking hagiographic line about St. Ronnie and Iran shows just how willing he is to distort history to serve party interest. Reagan & company made deals with the Iranians to NOT release the hostages until Carter was out of office. That kind of politics-over-people machination continues to this day in the Republican party. Indeed, it's their very hallmark.

His comment brought up echoes of his equally fictious "Thank God Bush is our president!" line. It's bad enough that we've got politicians willing to miscast existing comments for politcal gain. We certainly don't need one willing to manufacture those distortions out of whole cloth.

It's easier to talk with Reagan's dick in your mouth than with Bush's.

(And a big thanks to shitter242 for fluffing Bush while the big go-down on Ronnie was in session. We all know how pissy W gets when he's not being serviced.)

More like a pre-Reconstruction mind-set. Maybe even pre-Enlightenment, given their distrust of science.

Don't believe me? Take any press release and replace the word "terrorist", "communist", or even "liberal", with the word "witches".

See?

For bonus points, replace "President" which "Witchsmeller Pursuivant". But do it before the exchange occurs in real life.