Check it out…

Well, it’s a start. Go see the new blog:

http://www.stinkin-thinkin.com

All suggestions welcome!

 

Administration

Well, dang. A few days ago, we banned one nasty bigoted asshole from Stinkin’ Thinkin’, and we thought that’d be that. But, tonight he tried out his new proxy IP address to leave a comment. It takes half a second to install akismet or hit the trash button — so no big deal.

But we followed a trackback to a messageboard, where Cuda, McGowdog and Tony J hang out and talk about us all day, and found something interesting.

See, what happened is that Tony J posted a link to his unwelcome comment (deleted) on that messageboard, to show his friends his new IP, but this link generated a pingback in our stats, which led us to their board.

More specifically, it led us to a thread, started by Cuda, titled “For Those That Don’t Play Well With Others” instructing Tony J on how to hide his IP address so that he could comment on our blog, which he has been denied access to. Deluded fundamentalists once again expose their sense of entitlement, lack of respect for anyone, and belief that the means justifies their self-obsessed end. People with these “character flaws” are the reason that locks were invented.

Anyway, the only reason I’m mentioning this in public is that since these twits are now taking their lessons from internet lowlifes: stalkers, spammers and scammers, we’re going to tighten things up here for a little while. Well, first of all, they’re all disinvited: Tony J, Cuda, and McGowdog (We didn’t want McGowdog to feel left out). And for the time being, all comments from first-time commenters will be held for moderation. Once your first comment is approved, all further comments will appear immediately (unless they trigger something in the filter… but if that happens, we’ll approve the comment as soon as possible). We are also considering requiring WordPress registration for comments, too. We’ll keep you posted.

I’m sorry to make posting here a pain in the ass. We really had it in mind to never ban anyone, and to keep this court of public opinion as public as possible. But, while these turds in the punchbowl are congratulating themselves on taking names and kicking ass, speaking truth to power, or whatever, they are really more interested in filibustering an open forum. Please remember that we still maintain a policy of open dialog, and will not censor or edit anyone’s comments.

*Considering their ethical standards, I wouldn’t be surprised if they deleted the thread before you could see it. So we froze the page along with this jewel, where they dedicate a topic to another forum where they were also banned.

 

Joe Jackson Reviews Crazy Heart

Another Hollywood Sermon

from Spiked

I confess I have my own bias here. I’m convinced that many people are in AA for peculiar, narcissistic reasons. I’ve been to a few AA meetings myself, as a guest and observer, and they gave me the creeps. The people I’ve known who have quit drinking without AA have all seemed healthier and less neurotic, and it strikes me as sad that the only alternative to self-destruction should be a quasi-religious cult, with a Holy Book, a set of rules and its own Devil; booze continues to occupy a place of dark, exalted power in these peoples’ lives.

I’m not the first to point out that we live in strangely puritanical times, in which everything is seen as dangerously ‘addictive’ and the road to Redemption lies in therapy. Nevertheless, I try to put my personal reservations about AA aside when people say it has saved their lives. It’s pretty hard to argue with that. Yet Crazy Heart does seem to me to reflect a climate in which people are obsessed with risk-prevention, in which children are wrapped in cotton wool, and no middle ground is seen between destructive excess and puritanical self-denial.

Read the whole review…

 

I am doin’ stuff!

I’m messing with the layout colors and backgrounds, so… if things get ugly around here (yah yah), that’s why.

 

Denial

By Dan –

Denial (the technique):

The abusive manipulation of the subject wherein both agreement to and denial of an accusation confirm the accusation. This methodological technique of breaking down the subject’s resistance to control and manipulation was borrowed by Freud from Nietzsche’s claim to understand the mind’s of those long dead for the purposes of undermining their professed beliefs. In psychoanalysis, any statement by the patient is interpreted to confirm the analyst’s preconceived diagnosis, invariably based on the Freud’s (evil and preposterous) insistence that all neuroses, that is, behavioral problems, derive, ipso facto, from suppressed childhood sexual lust for the opposite parent. The idea is, “I hear what you’re saying, but know what you’re unconscious thoughts are.” In other words, the subject is “in denial.” There could be no greater abuse of the notion of self-hood than convincing the gullible that their own thoughts are lies, for no other purpose than to suit the preconceived notions of the therapist or sponsor in proselytizing the fanatical, quasi-religious cult of AA.

 

Quote of the Day

“My Higher Power today is not a God in the Judeo/Christian sense but more of an amalgamation of belief systems. There is a little Buddhism in Her, a bit of the Native American Great Spirit and a lot of my son in Her.  Sometimes I call Her HP…sometimes Great Spirit and sometimes just ‘Dave’.”

– Kim Manlove, treatment center volunteer and AA advocate

 

The Truthiness, The Whole Truthiness and Nothing But The Truthiness

Truthiness noun – 1) the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true; 2) truth that comes from the gut not books

“The truth only carries so much weight. What we believe to be the truth will trump the actual truth every time.” – Cuda

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The above quote summarizes, in a nutshell, AA’s approach to recovery — or their approach to almost anything else for that matter. There is a reason why the endless debates which take place in our comment section will never be end, and that is because the two sides are playing with different points of reference – with one relying on logic, skepticism and rational thought; and the other relying on what they want to believe.

 

Just Quit?

OK. Let’s just say that ST were a support forum for recovering alcoholics – which we’re not, but let’s just say – and that, therefore, we’re obligated to tell people what to do. And let’s also just say that the AAs around here are correct when they say that we have nothing to offer but “Just Quit.” We write these interminable posts that distill down to nothing more than “Just Quit.” I can see that. I mean, without a set of instructions, a manual of some sort, an army of panty-sniffing camp counselors, and a Higher Power, to whom you can ungratefully return your divine gift of free will, we got nothin’.

My question is – assuming we were all about trying to get people to quit drinking by the “Just Quit” program – what is actually wrong with “Just Quit”? That phrase seems to have so much packed in there for AAs, that when you say “Just Quit” it has the same effect as saying “Hitler” in a political discussion. Yall just “get it.” That says it all.

You have to understand that, not being an AA member myself, and, in fact, being quite allergic to AA, as I assume many of our readers are, I don’t get it. And I am hoping that you can unpack this little phrase for us and explain why “Just Quit” is so obviously asinine. What is does it mean? What does an alternative to AA need to possess in order for it not to be “Just Quit”?

 

Ninth Stepping With Tiger Woods

We knew it would come, and after three months of laying low, Tiger Woods has come out with his 9th step mea culpa. With all the sincerity of a guy who got caught, Tiger decided to make amends to those to those for whom he could give a shit before his harem of homewreckers came crawling out of the woodwork looking for their fifteen minutes. It was beautiful to watch. He listed out those he had harmed, invoked his religious philosophy, and with hand on heart, promised to keep it in his pants from now on.

It was a well crafted apology, hitting the points any good amends will contain, and though it didn’t include the required slogans and aphorisms – most likely because those editing it had not been conditioned by twelve-step programming – it was still unilateral,  as is any good amends letter, with reporters being disallowed from asking questions. Once Tiger begins to speak openly and off the cuff, the slogans should come rolling with ease of anyone subjected to 45 days on in-house rehab is able to do.

I must confess that I am ignorant of sex addiction treatment. Unlike standard 12-Step drug and alcohol treatment, sex addiction is not treated with complete abstinence. This would not be a problem for most guys in Tiger’s situation, considering the fact that he is married to a smoking hot Swede, and his trysts (at least the ones who went public) were with mostly butterfaced* skank. My guess is that Tiger would be a good candidate for Moderation Management. That might teach him that if he can’t keep it in his pants, he can at least keep it in his family — and he would not be subject to another humiliating episode of making a public amends.

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*Butterface - Her body ain't bad, but 'er face needs some work.