Pretty much this. There are enough vile beliefs out there that have real-world negative effects that I’d pretty much give a pass to this, if it didn’t seem to be otherwise affecting their life.
It’s like religion. I’m not going to get all bent out of shape over a regular everyday Catholic or Methodist, or the like. But if they start coming in with all the hateful bigoted, “prosperity gospel” crap that causes so much real trouble, that’s different. I’ll worry about the little stuff once the big stuff is dealt with, which will probably be “never”.
It was a short period of renewed glaciation 13-11 thousand years ago. It wasn’t exactly a global event, either. Hancock ties the start of it into flood myths in his followup to Fingerprints, Magicians of the Gods (haven’t read that one).
The important thing to remember is that if you fall in love with a mermaid, make sure it is the kind with the fish part on top and the lady parts on the bottom.
You’re familiar w/ the song? I think it ends up describing the mermaid’s sister who is set up as you describe and mentions “getting fishhead from the other end.”
A guy I play music with likes to sing dirty ditties. This is the first time I heard the original version. I guess my buddy added the line about “fishhead” in the last verse.
I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my closest friends is someone I’ve known since our college days. We’re now both retired, and have known each other our entire working lives. We get along amazingly well despite the fact that his political beliefs skew to the far right. I guess it’s because he’s not an activist or a proselytizer, he just holds right-wing views. If our conversation drifts into politics as it sometimes does, it’s always in the tone of good-natured disagreement rather than hostility, and we cheerfully move on to other topics. He’s a good guy and there are more important things in life than politics.
Treading carefully here, in case this person ever read this board and knew who I was here – no, and no, so far…
I have a family member with whom I’m close who believes in all kinds of “woo.” Bigfoot, UFOs, ley lines, you name it – if it’s spooky and kooky and ooky, this person is all over it. They have also had many mystical or paranormal experiences. I will gladly discuss personal experiences with an open mind – I don’t think they’re lying or making stuff up – but as for the broader theories, I just smile and nod. I will not be drawn, and I will not read the relevant literature. I think my respectfulness on the topic of what they have personally experienced gives me some cred regarding my lack of interest in the wacky underlying theories.
This person’s political thinking is all over the map as well. I’m not offended, and I never argue about this either, because we don’t have the same frame of reference.
I used to think nothing too much of it. But lately I’ve noticed that those with such wacky beliefs seem to be fertile ground for conspiracy nonsense that actually matters–i.e. they become Q followers.
That said, I’m not exactly sure how to respond any differently to it. But I do kinda wish I did debunk that guy who was really into end times stuff, and now is a Q faithful.
This is only about a quarter way as far back as the younger Dryas, but you will gain renewed respect for what some of the ancients understood if you read about the Antikythera device, an incredible astronomical calculator.
Yeh - way cool. I’ve long been interested in how learning has been “lost” and “rediscovered” throughout history. And I’m willing to “fill in gaps” - tho I generally liberally wield Occasm’s razor!
But I tend to be pretty skeptical of outlandish claims.
You seem to have an overly-broad definition of the word. “Goofy” is far more properly defined as something that is odd but harmless. Your first example is definitely an example of goofiness; your second example is emphatically not.
I can’t agree. It’s not at all uncommon to refer to politician as being goofy when they say something dangerous. The main aspect is that the idea is so absurd that it’s kinda funny. There’s nothing harmless, for example, about someone thinking that Jewish people have space lasers. It’s still antisemitic.
Obligatory joke:
Judge: You can’t divorce Minnie just because she is odd.
Mickey: I didn’t say she is odd. I said she is fucking Goofy!
I read a lot, so I place one of those pseudo history boos on Hold at the local library.
I suspect my fried lacks critics thinking/skepticism in this area. Come to think of it, he lives in a condo, and does not have to maintain a yard. He has show himself to be pretty ignorant re: aspects of natural history. This might just be a tale that he finds attractive/romantic.
Just kinda odd, because the guy is SO informed as to music/theater/etc. Clearly knows more in those areas than I. Whereas I am more of a generalist - a vast shallow pool of knowledge, expert in nothing!
I’ve more frequently encountered the opposite - scientific folk who are ignorant as to philosophy, art…
