consider this like those short answer paragraphs you had to fill out on exams

there was a meme going around livejournal, involving a series of questions to write on. i decided to snag it and answer a few of them as a reminder to myself that i have investments here. maybe.

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3) What is the difference between a dork and a nerd?
i always define nerd as someone connected with academic achievement or interest. loves books, etc. like Stephen Fry. dorks are people who like WoW and playing D&D and other such games. or reading/writing fanfiction. geeks, in turn, are those who like science, as opposed to just academics. science fiction, and robots, and technology, etc.


6) Do you think that sex addiction is real?
suppose that depends on how one defines 'addiction'. if you treat sexual desire/intercourse/etc as something one can crave and develop a psychological need for, then of course, like many other things, one can be addicted to sex. i doubt that is something people disagree on.

however, there is a far different stigma attached to being a 'sex addict' as opposed to someone who just 'fucks around' or is a 'slut'. maybe that's what people object to? because if celebrities in sexually scandalous situations can be spun as needing help, as having some sort of compulsion, then it can be said that he wasn't entirely in control of themselves, and therefore deserve less scorn that people who simply don't want to keep their junk in their pants. because of the high-profile nature of sex scandals, there is always a possibility that someone might say he/she is addicted to sex, but not actually be so?

then, of course that idea trickles down and re-erects (pun accidental, but rolled with) the stigma associated with sex scandals that aren't based in addiction or psychological dysfunction. and then those who actually do have some serious problem may not be able to get help.


8) Do you think that some people are not meant to be parents at all?
yes. parenting is a lifetime investment that involves not just birthing and feeding and teaching hygiene; a parent must prepare the child for 'normal' methods of social interaction, supporting oneself financially, making decisions based on rational principles in order to positively affect one's direction in life, etc. when you bring a life into the world, you take on the responsibility of setting it on solid ground and letting it run amok. there is no 'break it & buy it' policy on Life, but neither is there a reset button on the Soul. every idiosyncrasy a parent has is catalogued by the child for mimicking at a later date, until a severe introspective study provides the impetus to discard every terrible virtue imprinted on a person by a family member. assuming, of course, that the introspective study is something everyone undertakes (they don't).

a friend of mine answered it brilliantly, and so i shall simply steal an excerpt from her:

I think that parenthood is a calling, like becoming a member of the clergy, rather than something everyone ought to do to live a full life. Some children want to grow up to have a family and know it even when they're young; and even though it's much, much, much more encouraged and accepted in girls than it is in boys, I've known plenty of young men who strongly desired to have a family and are actively making plans to accommodate one in the future. I think that while many uncalled people thrust into that situation can adapt to it and become a passable or even great parent, people who don't feel called to start a family shouldn't feel any pressure to do so, or face any negative repercussion from friends, family, coworkers, strangers, or employers for choosing not to. We who don't want to be parents should never feel like we should.

[LiveJournal user laskuraska]

i don't answer the question under the belief that there's a parenting gene or anything, but there are people who just can seem to make responsible decisions, or who show concern only over their own well-being. and they should never be parents.