Maybe not "wrong", in the sense that 2+2=5 would be wrong. But it does suggest unflattering things about the academy's criteria.

There's really only one way this can end and knowing this won't make it any less harrowing.

I don't mind people sticking to scripts - actually a big fan of small talk! - but it can be grating when they're trying to be oh-so-witty about it. Seriously, "Horrible weather we're having" is usually better than the lame joke.

There's nothing wrong with polite and brief. The problem is that this people are trying to be funny.

Man, I relate. I feel like I spend most of my time "reading", but when I count the actual books I read last year, it's depressing. I'm starting to worry about my eroding attention span. Definitely with you on that new year's resolution!

"Do" is a tough requirement - the most I can say with some certainty is that media often changed the way I felt about the things I was or wasn't doing already anyway.

Sure, Tumblr's hit and miss. So is the A.V.Club. Standards of discourse vary wildly across different comment sections even here.

"Living on a Thin Line".

Glad we cleared that up!

Because calling someone a tumblr clown is the height of maturity?

Because it's not about looking decorative, but about expressing something about your personality (ie. that looking most pleasing to the highest possible number of people is not one of your priorities)?

Make jokes at your own expense only
- when you're in a position of stength and want other people to be less intimitated by you
- you're reasonably certain they're actually funny.

Such a pity about Bjorn - child Bjorn was one of my favs, forever side-eying his dad about his questionable choices. I don't want to blame the new actor too much (he never stood a chance with me anyway, sad as I was about the recast) - I'm not sure anyone could do much with the material he's been given.

So much about finding an appreciative audience is about timing and managing expectations. Sometimes the idea is great, but the people just aren't ready for it, or can't see it for what it is, because they were expecting something else.

Finally catch up with the Americans. I love that show; lots of people says it's only getting better and better - but I know, once I'm in, it's going to be a marathon, and I just don't feel like I can make that kind of investment right now.

I find it very useful - MRAs getting offended about something is a fairly reliable indicator that I might want to have a look at it. Might not have gotten the notion of watching Mad Max otherwise, for instance.

I'm assuming you wish for privacy to protect the victims, but sadly, it usually ends up protecting the abusers most of all.

There's some truth to that. That said, in my experience most people aren't born so overly guarded, but ended up like that as a result of having been too open with the wrong person before. Too much emotional honesty can cause a lot of damage, and there's no point in denying that either, because people tend to base…

Start writing your memoirs.
Find more descriptive names for the folders on your computer.
Sort out your wardrobe and throw away the stuff you're not going to wear anymore.
Solve a crossword puzzle.
Make a list of all the new things you tried this year and rank them from best to worst experience
Ask your mum about her…

"Part of me wonders if there might be a decent person in there who can be rescued or salvaged…"