I'm not sure which way the causation runs (if it's devalued at higher levels because there's no funding at lower levels or vice versa), but there's also a very depressing process going on in cultural discounting of the arts.  I see this a lot teaching college; programs increasingly focus on only what's important for…

@avclub-487cf32249fbaaa5a79258e26d54fe19:disqus  My gf makes a mean bowl of chili indeed - and if I could, I'd serve you up a big helping!

Thanks, @avclub-02c1dd6ad234773aeffd7f7067784d58:disqus.  I really appreciate it - I won't lie, it's been rough, but I'm making it through.  I never was much of a fan of Christmas, and this crap didn't help, as you can imagine!  I'm saving up my money to go somewhere far away for Xmas 2013 - what I'd like best is to…

@AnalBumCover:disqus  What, you don't crumble up your graham crackers when you make s'mores?

BUT HE MAKES SMORES!

Wow, that's….rough.  I'll leave it at that.  Is your brother schizophrenic?

Thanks, man.  I really do appreciate it.  The show's got some brilliant writing and some really great characters.  Tree Trunks is, incidentally, totally my sweet old bonkers-but-in-a-good way southern Grandma.  And they both make a hell of an apple pie!

Aww, thanks, @avclub-487cf32249fbaaa5a79258e26d54fe19:disqus.  I can use all the hugs, Internet or non, that I can get.  I had a good cry, and then my girlfriend made me chili, and now I feel nice and warm and am waiting for Bioshock Infinite to release at midnight like the game dork I am.  So I can't complain too…

I love so many things about this show, but what I love most is that it doesn't have that Mountain-Dew-and-Doritos-extreme, too-cool-for-school vibe to it.  So many of these characters are just plain nice.  There's none of that "smirk at the camera" thing I hate in so many series.  If I had a son and he wanted to be…

My mom was always crazy, but as she's gotten older she's gotten crazy and dangerous.  She knifed my father over Christmas.  I'm going through that struggle of hating what she's become (because besides being crazy she's also a hateful person) and having those last little strands of little-kid-for-Mummy love.  For some…

@avclub-589622fb3974db41fbe4a37b78d8585c:disqus, geez, I have rarely seen more tapdancing around having said something some people found dumb and/or offensive.  If you find "lesbian" hard to spell, that doesn't mean I would have to accept you calling me a "dyke," right?   You have the right to say what you want, and…

The difference between AHS and The Americans to me is the fact that I felt like throwing up every time I saw nudity on AHS, but I would pay extra if we could see Nina's butt at least twice per episode of The Americans. 

@avclub-3e4d20980bad82814414cb12fecc0e18:disqus, number of times I started following someone on here because they pointed out ignorant shittery when I said "screw it, someone dumb enough either to be intentionally that offensive or to not realize that's an ignorant thing to say": well, one, now.

I might agree that both Troy and Britta are immature in some ways, but they're not immature in the same ways, if that makes any sense.  Britta's made bad choices, but she's been on her own to do so.  She's traveled, gotten involved in causes, whatever, paying her own way.  Troy went from being a high school jock to…

I could see ways that the age difference wouldn't bother me (when I was 19, I was dating a 26-year-old, and she was probably pretty immature, all considered, whereas I was more on the mature side - at least in terms of supporting myself, working full time, not having mommy/daddy to bail me out, etc - and it worked…

I hadn't really thought about that - but now that I do, maybe that's where some of my discomfort is coming from too. 

I guess I'm probably right between Britta and Jeff in terms of age (thanks, by the way, @avclub-8c3b50b8ec30d193d47be99100ef44a5:disqus - I thought Britta and Jeff were closer age-wise).  But the idea of dating someone who so recently was in high school (and especially who doesn't have any extenuating circumstances…

I'm sure someone here has hashed this out before, as, come on, it's the AV Club and Community.  But the Troy/Britta thing bugs me not only because it seems to have come out of nowhere, more or less, but also because it has a certain wrongness to it due to age/maturity level issues.  One of the things I really liked in…

I would seriously be proud if I had come up with this quote before anyone else did here.  Since my life basically consists of waiting for moments to throw out random Simpsons quotes.

Huh.  I just learned I can no longer read the phrase "banging whores" without hearing it in my head as Danny DeVito on Always Sunny: "bangin' huoooo-eeerrrrs."