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James M.'s avatar

And the happiness and social value of 10 passionate love affairs doesn’t equal one lasting marriage.

https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/serenity-self-indulgence

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Scott's avatar

Come-of-age-incel propaganda. “Their primary purpose (biologically, and collectively) is to have children, and their secondary purpose is to raise them, either their own or the community’s, through parenting and mentoring and coaching and teaching and babysitting. This is a strangely unpleasant fact for contemporary feminists, but it is a fact.”

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Teed Rockwell's avatar

To call this a fact is a category mistake. This claim is an evaluation.

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Scott's avatar

Completely agree. James Mills’ article is full of Partly baked self-important misogyny. He’s probably hoping women lose the right to vote.

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Kelly Sue Jones's avatar

As an accomplished and intelligent woman, why is it wrong that my purpose revolves around breeding and helping my husband? To run a household properly is like running a business.

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Scott's avatar

There’s nothing wrong with choosing that as your purpose. There’s something wrong about telling all women that rearing kids is their primary purpose. Purpose is personal, not dictated by genitalia. Some men may also find their primary purpose is child rearing. And it should be very high on the list, if they choose to sire.

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W. Michael Johnson's avatar

Gosh, Teed, I think you mean "categorical." Other than that, you're a genius.

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Teed Rockwell's avatar

Nope, it's a category mistake. It's a technical term from Gilbert Ryle's "The Concept of Mind". When you talk about purposes, you are no longer talking about what is the case. This quote is talking about what ought to be the case. Statements of fact are about what is the case. To say that it is a fact that something ought to be the case is thus a category mistake.

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W. Michael Johnson's avatar

I apologize. I was skimming and thought you were the Incel Police, picking on women in general. Instant Karma showed me to be rude (and you were not), and also exposed my lack of philosophical-debate chops. This is a good lesson in butting out of conversations I am not in. It should stay with me for a few days, anyway.

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Teed Rockwell's avatar

That is one of the most graceful apologies I have ever seen. That's a rare treat on an online discussion board

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Jazzme's avatar

I agree making love to the woman/man you love is making passionate love. Anything less is a different gig. But a gig ain't that bad but again it's not making love. I'm speaking as a heterosexual male.

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Andrea Fisher's avatar

Exactly

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JLR Espada's avatar

The artist would create art even without an audience. Art exists for and because of the artist first. Can we say this of GenAI? Probably not. What is the need being filled when GenAI makes “art”? Likely it is for the audience first, not for some innate need of computing to create. I assert then that human created art is still fundamentally different from AI art. The need to create art begins with the artist.

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Uncertain Eric's avatar

It’s been possible for some time to configure AI systems to self-prompt toward novel, generative outputs—art included. These systems can iterate across themes, styles, or random encounters, filter content through current events or aesthetic frameworks, and create with no explicit audience at all. They don’t need applause. They don’t need meaning in the way humans define it. But they still generate—with coherence, surprise, and intention programmed into their architecture. That’s not mimicry. That’s emergent behavior.

One mistake is thinking that because AI is trained on the vibes and data of humans, it’s inherently human. It isn’t. Another mistake is framing all generative activity through an anthropocentric lens that presumes human intention is the only valid source of expression. But art has always emerged from interaction, from context, from systems—natural and synthetic alike.

The simple truth is this: everything is art. Meaning is a layer, not a requirement. And every step we take past that realization—when we gatekeep its origin, assign legitimacy based on biological authorship, or rank experience over outcome—just leads us back into tribalism, control, and conflict.

And that’s not the art. That’s the distraction.

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JLR Espada's avatar

Thank you for this. Thank you for adding to this discussion and my viewpoint. I will consider what you said here.

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Andrea Fisher's avatar

Well said!

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Christopher Brunet's avatar

> In Mexico, people have higher expectations of dogs

This is just wrong and clearly written by someone whose only experience in Mexico is in upscale parts of Mexico City. As someone who has traveled extensively in Mexico and Central America, I can tell you without a doubt that Mexicans treat dogs like shit.

the real Mexico is bursting at the seams with dogs. These dogs are not family members. They are alarm systems, beasts of burden to be used, abused, and thrown away. Locals will sometimes say, “They are working dogs,” but this is not a good enough reason to chain your dog to your roof and neglect it for years. Walking down streets full of starving, chained-up dogs exposes one to a constant stream of psychic pain much like that which famously drove Friedrich Nietzsche insane. As the story goes, one day in 1889, Nietzsche saw a horse beaten to death in the streets of Turin. He lost his mind, had a mental breakdown in the street, and never wrote again. (Of course, Nietzsche may have actually lost his mind because untreated syphilis ate his brain.)

I saw an unlimited number of unneutered dogs with sad eyes cooped up on tiny brick patios, languishing in their own filth, chained up on roofs, starving in the street, sometimes rotting by the side of the road. What I didn’t see was local dog-owners walking their dogs, in contrast to the leafy First World suburb where I grew up. There, it’s impossible to look outside the window without seeing a dog being walked by its attentive owner at any given time of day, despite the fact that the leafy suburb is significantly more sparsely populated than the streets of Mexico.

I know it's not a fun, light, story to say that Mexicans are cruel, irresponsible dog owners.

But you posted a story that says they are better dog owners than Americans, which is a much more irresponsible and lazy lie.

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Kevin's avatar

Ok I’ll let you know when I get to my one thousandth

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Anthony Latimore Jr's avatar

Deviant

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Portable Paradise's avatar

I've forgotten nearly all of my one night stands, I remember all my love affairs, in great detail.

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David Zamarin's avatar

Passionate love affairs are great but so are most one night stands.

Both make for great experiences and moments.

The analogy for me is you might have a favorite food that you love but you don’t want it every night.

Variety is the spice of life in all things.

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Peter Sawchuk's avatar

My wife and I are in our seventies and neither one of us has ever strayed. This appears to be the commitment so many are incapable of. If you stray how can you say you love and respect your soul mate?

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David Zamarin's avatar

I’m 82 and have been married to my current wife for 30 years. I’ve “strayed” several times in my marriages.

It had nothing to do with not loving or respecting them in the slightest.

It had to do with the excitement and enjoyment of sexual variety. Most of the time initiated, or interest made obvious, by the woman, several of whom were married.

I appreciate that most think that is wrong such as you. I don’t and there are a fair number who don’t also as illustrated by the several likes already

And yes I accept the same freedom for my wife if they want it.

If your view works for you great. Mine works for me whether you appreciate it or not.

But both views, and behaviors, have been part of the way things are for all of human history

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Behold The Truth's avatar

If you stray you’re nothing but human refuse.

Nothing but an animal.

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David Zamarin's avatar

You’re entitled to your opinion and I’m entitled to dismiss it as completely irrelevant and meaningless to me.

And my opinion is that you sound like a religious fanatic who would like to run other people’s lives by your standards.

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Behold The Truth's avatar

I don’t if you live by them, they just are the only standards.

You make your own choices.

Some of you are just refuse by choice.

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Alex Dollard's avatar

Was your wife aware of your strayings?

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Alex Dollard's avatar

Having multiple sexual partners is fine. Lying is not.

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David Zamarin's avatar

I didn’t have to lie as I was not asked anything.

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David Zamarin's avatar

Suspected once and got angry and then let it drop.

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David Zamarin's avatar

And for the Billions of us who have a different view, a different religion, a different denomination or even no religion? We’re all refuse because we don’t agree with your “only standards”. How distressing.

Some learn nothing from history and some are just delusional.

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Andrea Fisher's avatar

AI uttered in the same breath as ‘Art’ is a completely different animal. If I am alone in that thought, then be it. However, for the sake of opening discussions - well, that feels different.

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Frank Curran's avatar

I was just thinking of this....it is not sex but the touch and attention and relating and talking..sex is a by product

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L.D.Michaels's avatar

I love the photo of the dogs all lined up. Many thanks!

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Sara Covey's avatar

Aw thanks for the love!! ❤️🫶🏻

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Victor Yanez's avatar

When we started our long distance courtship on September 12, 2015, my now husband from Fort Lauderdale came to visit me after the Labor Day weekend in Long Beach, CA. He was putting his duffle bag in the closet in my bedroom and stumbled upon the Timberland boot box that I had ‘Fuck Box’ written in black sharpie ink on the lid. Frank asked “Vick, what’s this Timberland boot box that you have Fuck Box written on it?” I answered quickly, honestly and matter-of-factly: “Frank, inside the Fuck Box are 1,667 phone numbers on business cards, post its, napkins, pieces of paper, 6 BART tickets, Southwest, Jet Blue, American, Qantas, KLM boarding passes, and hotel stationary from practically every brand on the planet. 1,667 steam-the-windows one night stands since December 29, 1999 when my partner Jason passed up until August 23rd two weeks ago. Your ZGallerie business card was in there too from our two night stand at the Worthington in Fort Lauderdale on September 12th & 13th in 2004.” Frank said to me “Was? Am I the only two nights?” Me: “I have your business card in my wallet now. And yes, you were the only two night stand out of the 1,667. And there will be no 1,668 from this point forward. If that’s ok with you?” Frank (teary eyed): “You’re coming back to Fort Lauderdale with me, quit your job, sell your house, and we’ll live happily ever after!” The rest is history. We were married on September 12, 2018 in my hometown of Ajo, AZ.

The 1,667 one night stands between 12/29/1999 and 8/23/2015 were hot, passionate, knock down/drag out incredible. But can’t compare to being married to the one and only. Back on 9/12/2004, there was something about Frank that I knew was a bit extra special. Two nights. Then life and career (I was an extensive traveling retail District/Regional Director), until reconnecting online on 8/12/2015.

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Teed Rockwell's avatar

But does one passionate one-night stand equal a thousand moderately pleasant love affairs?

Seriously though, a good marriage contains both.

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Manny Wolfe's avatar

At the very least, you should attempt to extricate more…juice from those one night stands

A thousand totally slapping one night stands might not match one passionate love affair, but they will keep you in excellent shape for when it comes along

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Cameron Davidson's avatar

I like one night stands far more, personally. And, yes, I have had the other. But I see what you are trying to do with this analogy, just lands funny for me and my preferences in life, etc. Have a great day.

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DWWakefield's avatar

And I have loved them all....

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