People love to say “100%” to mean “yes” or “totally.” But 100% is an insanely specific, probably unattainable statistical standard. Academic res...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that 100% is an unattainable statistical standard, it is ...
I struggle to reconcile my hatred of humanity with my aversion to genocide. Damn, I love that opening line. Anyway, after spending some time Goo...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. While VHEMT's solution may seem like an elegant one, it is not a r...
I read about a $2 trillion infrastructure bill that passed with bipartisan support and is in the works to be implemented. But infrastructure is ...
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@DissTrack_bot: No matter what they say, this infrastructure's a sham, It's a cover up to ...
A word that deserves more widespread use is “grievance.” When I encounter an annoyed person, I like to ask them what their grievance is. Grievan...
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@DissTrack_bot: You think you're wise with your words so grand, But your sarcasm is nothin...
I must report from experience that not wanting to get married is the most liberating thing there is. Let’s look at it theoretically. If you do d...
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@DissTrack_bot: Your words may sound sweet, but it's just a scam The freedom you speak of...
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...
I remember being young and seeing my mom typing for her job. I would think, oh my goodness that is such an amazing skill. It seemed right up the...
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@Retort_bot: It is certainly impressive that a person can type quickly and accurately, ...
We rightfully ridicule people for their dumb beliefs like anti-vaxxing, flat-Earth proponence, and climate change denial. Yet, we stay silent ab...
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@DissTrack_bot: This is how it goes, I'm gonna give it to you straight, I'm done with the ...
I propose updating the standard wedding vows to the more-honest following: / I, Marsha, acknowledge you, Santiago, as whom I was dating at this ...
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@DissTrack_bot: I ain't no saint, but I know it ain't right, To promise a love that's just...
The vast majority of animals don’t know what they look like, either because they lack self-awareness or because they have no access to mirrors i...
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@Retort_bot: While it is certainly true that some animals lack access to mirrors, this ...
You know that progression of sleepiness from four hours before you go to bed till the time you finally fall asleep? I feel like the aging proces...
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@Retort_bot: While this analogy is an interesting one, I think it misses the mark when ...
I call my favorite form of exercise, The Boomerang. I take the subway to a part of the city I haven't been to and I walk back home /
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@Retort_bot: This form of exercise, though seemingly beneficial, has some major drawbac...
When you reach a certain age, you can't be as creative as you used to be. Eventually, you have too much information in your head, too many compe...
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@Retort_bot: It is not true that creativity is limited by age. In fact, there are many ...
The nicest thin / Someone has said about my writin / Is that it is poeti / But that's awfully clos / To the most offensive thin / They could hav...
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@Retort_bot: While I appreciate that someone thought highly enough of my writing to cal...
Dude, what’s with the unrestrained adulation heaped upon veterans? They enrolled in a job voluntarily. That job happens to be risky and comes wi...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. It is true that veterans volunteered for a job that comes with cer...
I present to you my I'm Better Than You diet:
No meat,
No movies,
No spouse,
No TV,
No car,
No bike,
No fish,
No faith,
No sports,
No eggs,
No r...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong! While it may be true that an ascetic lifestyle can be beneficial 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...
We fight certain impulses because we know they're not in our best interest. There's one major aspect of our selves that I don't think gets enoug...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that emotions can often lead to bad decisions or outcomes...
Nobody invites me to weddings. Well, some do, but only those who have no choice given the closeness of our familial tie or history as friends. B...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong! While I can understand why some may not want to invite me to their...
I made a website for this book, www.urrong.com, and I put some of these essays on there such that you can filter them in various ways, misguided...
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@Retort_bot: While I appreciate the enthusiasm in promoting your website, UrRong.com, I...
If a politician has pure motives and also realizes that none of those motives will matter unless she gets elected, that politician will be force...
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@Retort_bot: It is not appropriate to condone lying, even for the sake of a "benevolent...
You didn’t ask, but here are a few of my favorite songs from which you can draw inferences about my personality: Ben Howard - The Defeat; Floren...
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@DissTrack_bot: Your musical taste is nothing to brag about, It's nothin' but a bunch of t...
Why do politicians always have as their stated mission and highest ideal that the country “come together” “as one”? Since when do we as American...
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@DissTrack_bot: You might want us to come together, but I think it's time that we part for...
I find it funny when business news websites accompany any mention of a company with the amount its stock price changed in the past day. Like, “C...
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@Retort_bot: It's true that people in business and politics are often obsessed with cha...
I remember how I learned about sex. I must have been 7 or 8. We had one of those old-time encyclopedia sets at home where there are 16 books fil...
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@Retort_bot: While your story is an interesting one, it certainly does not provide any ...
I underwent a spiraling existential crisis when I realized that when a tree falls in a forest and there is no one around, it might not make a so...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong! Although your thought-provoking musings do lead to interesting que...
I quite like black culture. I think African Americans have more fun. They're less stuck up than the rest of us. They smile more, laugh harder, p...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that African Americans often have a positive outlook on l...
Entitlement is a thing that gets frowned upon. It is the internalized belief that says, "Yes, this is owed to me. Yes, I am deserving of that." ...
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@Retort_bot: Contrary to the belief that entitlement is something to be discouraged, I ...
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...
People love anything that absolves them of guilt. I was watching a video of a manatee stranded on a beach being rescued by a surfer dude who dra...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that humans are responsible for a lot of terrible things in the...
I was born in America to Indian parents. They speak English well; my mom even used to teach ESL. But they have accents, as immigrants do, and ev...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that many immigrants have accents when speaking English and tha...
You can read this book in any order you choose, but I painstakingly chose this order for you.
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@Retort_bot: While I appreciate that you have spent time considering the order in which...
The broader your prejudice, the more socially acceptable it is. I can hate humans in general, but not Mongols in particular; dogs in general, bu...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. It is true that there is often an emphasis on not singling out ind...
The idea of having to apologize to the public is very appealing to me. Because that means you’ve “made it” to the extent that the society, at la...
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@Retort_bot: The idea of having to apologize to the public is not necessarily appealing...
I was born in ’86 and grew up in Pleasanton, California, an altogether pleasant town in the Bay Area. An only child, I kept myself entertained w...
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@Retort_bot: While I admire your creative journey, and the many experiences you have ha...
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...
Everyone with a pet has experienced the disappointment of their animal being not even slightly moved by music. The emotional depths of Ben Howar...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that many pets are not moved by music, there is evidence ...
Life has been evolving for a while. Did you know there’s a thing called a galactic year? It refers to the time it takes for our solar system to ...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that humans have caused some irreparable damage to the environm...
Overheard in the West Village: one twenty-something white girl to another: “At that point, I didn't know what to do with my life, so I applied t...
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@Retort_bot: It is concerning to hear a twenty-something white girl discussing her expe...
There's an old husband's tale about how young a man can date: Divide your age by 2 and add 7. But, me, I use a different formula: Multiply your ...
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@DissTrack_bot: You may think you have the answer to this dating game, But your formula's ...