Change!!!

[Jumbo]

I have an idea for a primitive cognitive behavioral experiment. :cool:

Assign your standard level of stupid (as you perceive yourself) when participating in political threads a number between 0-10 with 0 being "typical tailgate partisan hack stupid" and 10 being "well-informed objective human of healthy social development who doesn't post on the interwebz."

Then, having selected a numerical value, subtract a value of "four" from it as a minimal weighting adjustment for the various forms of self-delusion that prompt ego-inflation. :D

Then begin practicing being extra aware of when you're having a thought connected to any aspect of any political topics. Having identified the thought, remember your (adjusted) number and remind yourself "this is how stupid I usually am" by your own ranking. ;)

Now, if you are intending on communicating this thought in some form to others, focus on doing so only after changing as much as possible about the original and fundamental nature of your thought.

The goal should be to raise your number value with that particular statement, and simulaneously lower your stupid factor. The more divergent your new thought is from your "normal" thought, the more likely it is to be less stupid. Sometimes a "cheap and easy" guide to getting things rolling is to simply write down your first reaction to a matter, read it, and then figure that the more something is roughly opposite to it, is probably moving your numerical value in the "smarter" direction. :)

Practicing this simple approach effectively in the beginning should allow enough reward of success for you to fine-tune the process into a more subtle and nuanced form over time.


In our social system, this intervention strategy has greatest efficacy with the following political groupings:


liberal, conservative, republican, democrat, libetarian, socialist, anarchist, and, of course, radical/extreme subsets of any of these groups.


Try this for a week, and then re-evaluate your numerical ranking and see if it's moved closer to "10". :applause:

You may also use other people's reactions to your comments as a guide.

Report results, both challenges and successes here!


Have fun and good luck! :cheers:



:silly:

[Forehead]

Wow, I was only going to give myself a 2, because I usually stay out of them and have little to contribute. Does this mean I have to be a -2 to start out. I thought 2 was a pretty non-ego evaluation.

[skinsfan_1215]

Well I'm already a 10, so I'll sit this one out.:silly:

[Teller]

If I did the math right, I think I'm a four. (An eight in my own mind, with your standard four-point deduction.)

As fours go, I feel that I am the utter cream of the crop, and truly can't get much better, so the rest of your post doesn't apply. :silly:

[ACW]

Cool, so libeRtarians don't need this :D
Don't know who these libetarians are though :silly:

[twa]

Did ya hear they are trying to run the coons off the Whitehouse grounds?:rubeyes:
Expert ,Tim McDowell said he will be happy to get rid of them
"I won't charge 'em nothing," he said.

"We do it every day," he said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020501306.html


Well I never......Somebody oughta call PETA,thats raccoons for you city folk.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/dan55362/COON.jpg

First Lady Grace Coolidge with her pet raccoon Rebecca would be appalled



Houston,we have a problem....you did say subtract 4?

New! Get the latest news on coons in the whitehouse with Google Alerts.:rotflmao:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/wteach/3xmore/funny-pictures-raccoon-subprime-mor.jpg

Moving on up to the Whitehouse baby

http://markhalperin.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/raccoonsinvade.jpg?w=360&h=235

[Teller]

Funny as hell, but see you in a few, t-dub. :) ;)

[Burgundy Burner]

I ended up with a minus sixty-seven. This modern math is tough.

What were we talking about?

[zoony]

I started with a 5, which makes me a 1. ****!

[PeterMP]

What is infinity-4?

[Burgundy Burner]

What is infinity-4?

I'm not sure, but it probably has something to do with Detroit.

[Special K]

Way too many numbers her for me to not messs up. Pleople can do whatever they want with my name here.

[zoony]

Way too many numbers her for me to not messs up. Pleople can do whatever they want with my name here.

don't worry, most of us have been trained well. Women are always right. Even when they're wrong.

So you're good.

[techboy]

My initial response was that this is a great idea. So, I wrote it down, and realized that I would thus be much smarter to reject it out of hand as stupid. That's somewhat self-defeating, so now I'm just confused.

[Califan007]

I didn't read the entire post, but I agree, meatloaf taste good. :thumbsup:

[btfoom]

Umm, but my score goes to 11.

[BigMike619]

yeah it was a tragedy.

but im telling you right now that was going to happen Jumbo and Im sorry you got so offended over it. I really wish things were different now but they arent. We are just going to have to try and put it behind us and move on...

[GibbsFactor]

My initial response was that this is a great idea. So, I wrote it down, and realized that I would thus be much smarter to reject it out of hand as stupid. That's somewhat self-defeating, so now I'm just confused.

No, you had it right. Stick to your guns.

[Jumbo]

Well I'm already a 10, so I'll sit this one out.:silly:

Gicven the directions, you get the only "fail" likely to be passed out in the thread. :silly:


Cool, so libeRtarians don't need this :D
Don't know who these libetarians are though :silly:

Jeeez, get that up-n-mighty over a typo. Times are lean. :D

I ain't even gonna edit it, either. :cool:


I ended up with a minus sixty-seven. This modern math is tough.

What were we talking about?

Exactly.


I started with a 5, which makes me a 1. ****!

You are much loved.


My initial response was that this is a great idea. So, I wrote it down, and realized that I would thus be much smarter to reject it out of hand as stupid. That's somewhat self-defeating, so now I'm just confused.

I'm afraid the OP clearly specified politically-related thoughts. But I know how you struggle with reading comprehension, scientific method, and logic. hehehehehehehe. I know, I'll pay.


I didn't read the entire post, but I agree, meatloaf taste good. :thumbsup:

That's all I'm saying


Umm, but my score goes to 11.

Winner. :applause:


yeah it was a tragedy.

but im telling you right now that was going to happen Jumbo and Im sorry you got so offended over it. I really wish things were different now but they arent. We are just going to have to try and put it behind us and move on...

You know how highstrung I am.

[McD5]

2 people have sent me private messages to tell me I am a 14 on this scale.

10 for discourse and intelligence.

And an additional 4 points for humility.

I am truly honored.

[MLSKINS]

Wow, I was only going to give myself a 2, because I usually stay out of them and have little to contribute. Does this mean I have to be a -2 to start out. I thought 2 was a pretty non-ego evaluation.

That is what I am saying too.

[Jumbo]

2 people have sent me private messages to tell me I am a 14 on this scale.

10 for discourse and intelligence.

And an additional 4 points for humility.

I am truly honored.


Unfortunately, those two people were Ladell Betts and his mom. :)

[skinsfan_1215]

Gicven the directions, you get the only "fail" likely to be passed out in the thread. :silly:



lol

Dammit, and I was off to such a good start too.

[MLSKINS]

Unfortunately, those two people were Ladell Betts and his mom. :)

:owned:

[techboy]

I'm afraid the OP clearly specified politically-related thoughts.


All politics are local. Are can be mathematically expressed as equal, so we have

all politics = local

therefore, we can say that

local = politics

Which expresses back to

All things local are politics.

In today's internet age, everything is local.

Therefore, everything is politics.

Therefore, your post was political.

I'm even more confused now. :(

[Who Del]

I'm a negative four. And I doubt its gonna change.

[GibbsFactor]

All politics are local. Are can be mathematically expressed as equal, so we have

all politics = local

therefore, we can say that

local = politics

Which expresses back to

All things local are politics.

In today's internet age, everything is local.

Therefore, everything is politics.

Therefore, your post was political.

I'm even more confused now. :(

You were almost there. Think local politics. ES politics. C'mon TB!!!

[Jumbo]

All politics are local. Are can be mathematically expressed as equal, so we have

all politics = local

therefore, we can say that

local = politics

Which expresses back to

All things local are politics.

In today's internet age, everything is local.

Therefore, everything is politics.

Therefore, your post was political.

I'm even more confused now. :(

I didn't say there was only one experiment in play. :laugh: (<---pervy smiley is growing on me)

[techboy]

I didn't say there was only one experiment in play. :laugh: (<---pervy smiley is growing on me)

10 is defined as a person who does not post on the internet.

You are urging people to move towards being a 10, and in particular those people that like to participate in political threads, not coincidentally, the very threads in the Tailgate that cause the moderators grief.

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/watermark.php?src=wp-content/uploads/2007/12/what-you-did-there-i-see-it.thumbnail.jpg

[Jumbo]

I am nothing if not transparent.

[techboy]

I am nothing if not transparent.

If only your posts were. It would save me a lot of needless scrolling. :D

[motorhead]

:laugh: (<---pervy smiley is growing on me)

-2 for typing that.:D

[Cherick]

All I want is a job and tax cut/return/whatever. So I guess that makes me -4.

[Prosperity]

one millions billions

[Jumbo]

It would save me a lot of needless scrolling. :D


That may be the most obvious set-up since Ed said to Johnny: "How cold is it?" :)


I can dent 1/4" steel plate with my right index finger thanks to your posts. :silly: