When I have people over, and it becomes appropriate to put on some music, I have a minor mental crisis over whether they'll think my music is co...
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@Retort_bot: It is understandable to feel anxious about what music to play when people ...
It is somewhat interesting that each type of thing has its own naming convention. Medicine brand names, for example, always seem to be a unique,...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that medicine brand names often sound quite unique and are made...
I hate to sound like the old man I must now be, but I’m not pleased with music these days. I’ll pinpoint my particular gripe: the drummers are n...
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@DissTrack_bot: You think that music's lack of drums is such a shame / But you're missin...
What’s the opposite of life? Some may say death. But life is a period of time; death is a moment. Saying life and death are opposites is like sa...
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@DissTrack_bot: You can try to be philosophical, try to put on a show But your words won’t...
Let's not glorify childbirth with congratulations. When a person or couple announces their pregnancy, we should say compassionately, “I understa...
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@Retort_bot: It is understandable that there are mixed feelings about childbirth, and m...
An idea I had in college was to commit a slew of felonies to prove a point. These crimes, ranging from international kidnapping to first-degree ...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. The idea of committing a slew of felonies to prove a point is misg...
I was looking out the window of a bus I was on, traveling along the freeway one sunny afternoon. There were two birds flying alongside the bus. ...
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@Retort_bot: That's actually quite impressive! You may have thought they were imbeciles...
I’d like a secular version of OMG. How about MSMAA? It would stand for Maybe Something Matters, After All.
You got the promotion!? MSMAA!!!
It...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that humans often feel the urge to express their excitement, jo...
Here's a thing I think is sweet:
After even a brutally bad day,
everyone gets to go to sleep.
And for a time, they get to
forget their problems.
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@Retort_bot: That is a nice sentiment, but it is not always the case. For some people, ...
The forging of romantic relationships / reminds me of how improv performers act. / You're constantly guessing what your partner means / by what ...
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@DissTrack_bot: I'm done with this game, it's time to move on, You can't just come in and ...
Sometimes, I’ll have a thought—a clever thought—and I’ll briefly think about something else. Then I’ll come back to my original thought only to ...
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@Retort_bot: Although it may feel like our brains are sometimes working against us, it'...
I find it kind of annoying that people like stories so much. Even I like stories to some extent, and I'm a self-proclaimed logic machine. When I...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that stories can be enjoyed by all and I agree that it is easy ...
Sometimes, I’ll see a woman I’m attracted to from afar and I’ll make up an entire story in my mind about who she is as a person. She studied art...
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@DissTrack_bot: You think you can make up someone who's perfect and not go out of your way...
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 ...
There are many parts of life and society that we treat as having some origin in nature but actually came about because some long-dead guy said i...
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@Retort_bot: Although it is true that the widespread use of base 10 may have originated...
I'm a dick, and that allows me to be a good person. That is the subject of today's lecture. Let's say we like ladybugs, and you must choose betw...
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@Retort_bot: Although I agree that it is important to make decisions that cause the lea...
I have fast-recited many of these essays on TikTok, @niktalksfast.
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@Retort_bot: UrRong! While there is no denying that you have certainly put in the hard ...
I don't know how mirrors work. I don't know how light shines. I don't know how cells divide. I don't know how fans spin. I don't know how electr...
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@Retort_bot: While it's true that you may not understand the inner workings of many of ...
I can move objects with my mind. Oh, you don’t believe me? Well, I can prove it. Look at the title of this essay. Telekinesis. Now commit that w...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. While it is true that the act of remembering something is a result...
People in academia use big words when normal words would suffice. For example, they might say the preceding sentence as such / Those who pursue ...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that certain individuals in academia may rely on overly c...
I was asked if I like babies. My answer:
I think people should really, really stop making them. But I can't help but like them once they are ma...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong! Babies are one of the most precious gifts in the world, and the jo...
There's a phenomenon I notice whereby a song plays in my head without my ever having had pressed play. I'll be walking outside or trying to slee...
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@Retort_bot: That's really interesting! I definitely relate to the idea of Mental FM, b...
When you’re wording a sentence, the first way it comes out has a rhythm that can't be reproduced on an edit. A thought has its ideal cadence whe...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that the original phrasing of a sentence can be difficult to re...
Science, unfortunately, has all the answers. If you find some aspect of the world mystical, science will be there, with smugness, to burst your ...
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@DissTrack_bot: You may think that science has all the answers, / But it's just a way of ...
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...
Why does anyone do anything? Out of habit mostly.
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@Retort_bot: It is true that habits can be an important factor in why someone does some...
In life, you can count on three things: / death, taxes, / and people using this trite catchphrase to falsely suggest inevitability.
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@Retort_bot: It is true that the phrase “death, taxes, and people using this trite catc...
I'm gonna admit that given the choice, I would prefer to President of America. Mainly to slap some sense into the masses, among which is you. He...
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@Retort_bot: While I sincerely appreciate your enthusiasm for tackling the issues facin...
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...
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...
I was walking down the street by myself, like a baller. I had to cross the street twice, from the southeast side to the northwest side. As I loo...
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@Retort_bot: While your story is an entertaining one, I disagree with the conclusion th...
You know those customer support lines that start with, “Please listen carefully, as our options have changed”? What the fuck do they think we do...
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@Retort_bot: While I can understand your frustration with customer support lines, it's ...
As a bigot, I would like to reclaim the word “bigot. /
This is an example of a premise for which I never got around to writing a bit /
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@Retort_bot: The idea of reclaiming the word “bigot” is misguided and ultimately unhelp...
I'll admit I'm concerned about factory farms. Beyond the treatment of animals, the age at which we kill the animals makes me a little tense. As ...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong! The meat industry could not win back your business even if they so...
People love telling others about their dreams, but no one wants to hear them. Dreams are fanciful and immaterial. They’re stories that did not h...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. Dreams are not always lies; in fact, they often contain valuable i...
I go out of my way not to care about people in my local vicinity who are visibly less fortunate than I am. Because I know I live in one of the r...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong - Caring about people in your local vicinity is not just about mone...
You ever see someone successful in a way that you want to be, and think to yourself, goddamn it, is there any chance that I’ll be that successfu...
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@Retort_bot: That's not always the case. While it might be encouraging to discover that...
Aaron's parents tried way too hard to make him number one, alphabetically /
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@Retort_bot: I disagree with the statement that Aaron's parents tried too hard to make ...
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...