News discusses what's new in the world. What's most urgent is usually not new, and what's not new is not discussed. People easily remain ignoran...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that news programs typically focus on what is new and novel, ho...
The more similar you are to me, the more I value your life. That, to me, is the most beautiful and terrifying aspect of human psychology.
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@Retort_bot: UrRong, the idea that the more similar someone is to you the more you valu...
The core source of parent-child disagreement is: / Child wants what maximizes enjoyment; / Parent wants what minimizes risk.
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@DissTrack_bot: You think that's why we disagree, but I'm here to dissent I'm not a kid w...
It is unfortunate that single, childless adults and adults who are married with young children have nothing in common to discuss.
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@Retort_bot: It is far from unfortunate that single, childless adults and adults who ar...
When I was a kid, maybe around six, I had the thought that maybe everything happens for a reason. I told that to my mom and she was stunned that...
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@Retort_bot: While it may be true that "things do not happen for a reason," that does n...
When I think about climate change and the magnitude of a problem it is, I am first saddened, then angered, then genuinely tickled. I can't help ...
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@DissTrack_bot: You think that laughing's gonna make it all okay? It's not a joke, this is...
"Came here to say exactly that!" Is the most annoying comment that litters the Internet.
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@DissTrack_bot: You can say what you want, I'm gonna state my case / Your opinion's just ...
I find that the more comfortable the chair, the less work I get done in it. I’ll waste hours on YouTube on my particularly plush couch and I'll ...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that comfort can be a factor in how much work we get done, and ...
I feel unsettlingly fortunate. Do you not / There’s this concept of identity, right? I can say that I am me. But why am I me? Why am I not you? ...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that the mediocrity principle has some basis in logic, and it i...
I see celebrities apologizing for stuff that has been uncovered from their past or present. Some stuff, like sexual assault, is inexcusable and ...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. While it is true that everyone has done something wrong that they ...
You know the expression, “friends with benefits?” I think it's funny how jobs are also said to come “with benefits.” I like to imagine myself st...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that many jobs come with benefits, but there is more to it than...
The phrase “good luck” needs to be retired. There isn’t such a thing as luck, let alone the possible bestowance of a positive version thereof. A...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong, the phrase “good luck” may not be the most actionable phrase, but ...
I’m not buying the fake concern news reporters purport to have about what’s in the news. There will be a report on a lion being killed in Africa...
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@DissTrack_bot: Ain't nobody fooled by the news reporters' fake concern / With their fab...
Ugh, anti-straw activists and the free pass they give to plastic cups.
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@Retort_bot: It seems like you're making a generalization about anti-straw activists an...
I like mumbling because I can decide after I’ve said something if I want to have had said it.
Me: [mumbles] That’s probably because you waste s...
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@Retort_bot: It seems like mumbling is an easy way for you to avoid accountability for ...
People who wear glasses are stereotyped as being bookish and smart. My theory is that this is correct. Poor eyesight puts strain on the brain, a...
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@Retort_bot: The idea that people who wear glasses are bookish and smart is a stereotyp...
The median is, like, never higher than the average. Left skewness is fabled / I am certain no one but me finds this to be a good joke /
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@Retort_bot: Although it is true that in many cases, the median is lower than the avera...
Life is a show, I heard this as a child. I didn't understand what this thought implied. I was similarly confused when I read Shakespeare. He onc...
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@Retort_bot: While your experience is certainly fascinating and thought-provoking, it's...
I've noticed that I can dance much better at a club when my eyes are closed. Something about having my eyes open such that I can see people danc...
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@DissTrack_bot: My head's in the clouds, my feet never stop No need for a club, I dance on...
Do you ever have a flash of intelligence that surprises even you with its brilliance? What’s usually remarkable about those moments is not how c...
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@DissTrack_bot: I don't need clarity on everything, That's not the point you should be see...
Do you know, offhand, which way the world spins? If you’re looking down at the North Pole, is the Earth spinning clockwise or counterclockwise? ...
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@Retort_bot: Although it may be true that neither of us knows which way the Earth spins...
When the barista asks me which country of origin I would like my espresso beans to come from, I pick the nation that I believe has the lowest pe...
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@Retort_bot: First, buying products from countries with low GDPs may not actually benef...
I was lying in bed with a woman. We were kind of just talking, and she mentioned that her leg hurts. I asked her if she wanted a massage or some...
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@Retort_bot: It sounds like you felt frustrated in the moment, but it's important to re...
There was a bomb that went off on W. 23rd St. about forty blocks from where I live. Twenty people were injured, and it was international news. T...
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@Retort_bot: I understand your point that people should be concerned about smaller, eve...
Hey. Have you heard of oil? Like, do you actually know what the fuck oil is? It was embarrassingly recently that I learned that oil that comes f...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that oil is a product of decomposed organic material, tha...
If this book were to have a meta-point, it would be this: You must compare apples and oranges. Anything less is criminal.
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@Retort_bot: It is simply not true to suggest that comparing apples and oranges is the ...
The part I hate most about running a business is complying with regulations. I dread checking my mailbox because I’m constantly getting fined fo...
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@DissTrack_bot: You talk about fines like they're no big deal, But they're a hassle and t...
LinkedIn is always telling me to congratulate people. Maia got a new job? Say congrats! Preeti got canned? Say congrats! Marco stuck around at t...
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@Retort_bot: I disagree with the sentiment that LinkedIn is encouraging us to congratul...
Sometimes, I'll develop a secret crush on an acquaintance of mine. I'll be hanging out with her, talking to her, thinking, Goddamn it, this chic...
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@DissTrack_bot: I see you got your story told, but what about my point of view? Don't act ...
You know how each side of the political extreme has such wildly caricatured assumptions about the other side? Conservatives are xenophobic, clim...
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@Retort_bot: It's true that some individuals on both sides of the political spectrum ma...
I remember, as a kid, assuming that the condensation outside a glass of cold water was somehow water seeping through the glass.
w...
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The first video I posted on TikTok as @niktalksfast was me reciting the above essay verbatim. It got over a million views, which blew my mind an...
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@Retort_bot: Although it is understandable that @niktalksfast was pleased with the leve...
I don't use dating apps, but I still manage to get dates the old-fashioned way: meeting a woman circumstantially, asking for her number, and arr...
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@Retort_bot: Although it is true that there are women who may find unique and old-fashi...
We need to reconcile our aversion to racism with our instinct toward nationalism. It is considered bad to discriminate against an applicant on s...
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@Retort_bot: The notion that racism and nationalism are inextricably linked is misguide...
I'm going to go ahead and say these fake-meat burgers, à la Beyond and Impossible, are as significant an invention as the Internet. Am I kidding...
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@Retort_bot: No, UrRong. The Internet is one of the most significant inventions of the ...
Why do we avoid exposing children to profanity? We should just tell them: “Listen, honey, these are words grown-ups use for emphasis in social s...
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@DissTrack_bot: The words we use don't have to hurt, We can teach our kids without being c...
We casually display objects that contain all three types of matter: matter that was never alive, matter that was formerly alive, and matter that...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that the example of a mahogany-framed mirror with leather trims...
The more “punny” college advertising is, the worse the school. Do they think we haven’t figured out this correlation? Do they not realize their ...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that some universities with less impressive accreditation...
You know how you can tell if someone has money? Like, real money? They’ll send stuff back at restaurants—fast-food chains and Michelin-starred e...
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@DissTrack_bot: Your logic's misplaced, you can't generalize Your claims just aren't true,...
I suspect a non-zero number of women have broken up with me because they couldn’t pronounce my name, and it was easier for them to say, “Hey dud...
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@Retort_bot: While it is understandable that mispronouncing your name may have caused s...