This isn't an uncommon view among less educated people in India. Even among some educated ones. When you walk around on the streets there, the HUGE number of men compared to the tiny number of women is really intimidating. And yes, even educated people will say this thing about women not going out after dark. What…

Yes this is how I feel about it too. Creation comes from chaos. Lots of creations are complete junk- most of them in fact. But you don't get the gems without the junk, and I'm not troubled by an abundance of junk. Does't spoil the gems.

lol- You are talking about "head canon". I have my own head canon too. I enjoy (usually) all the other movies and books etc that go against my head canon, but I watch them then revert to my own version of what a particular universe is like.

But this has been the case with religion all along! There are a bunch of different versions of Jesus's life and death. Even the four canonical versions disagree on some points. Etc.

Well, yeah, Trek did some things like that. The first on TV inter-racial kiss, the idea that there would be post-Cold War cooperation in space, etc. But that's not what made people like it. It's a character-driven show entirely. It's fun to have the alien storylines and larger universe as well, but none of that…

Yes I agree with this exactly. I enjoy his Trek movies, but I really never think about them again after they are over and could never really get involved with the characters as he presents them. They are fun romps, but I think there is still room for a good reboot.

This is a fun topic. Something I've always thought about is that lots of these scifi/fantasy franchises are in the hands of lots of different people over a longish period of time and so they change according to the changing interests of audiences and writers. OK, so basically we are talking about mythology (the…

I think it's absolutely different. We are an imported immigrant culture for one thing, that replaced an existing native culture. Now that's only applicable to the new world. When the term was coined, it was comparing the US to the old world. I think it's hard for Americans to understand what deep historical…

Could be. She lives in Vermont but I don't know if that's where they married. She's lived all over New England. She would've gotten married in the 90s though she told me about it later, and like I said, I've never thought about it until this discussion so I realize I'm probably misremembering context. I will ask…

Hmmm. I don't agree with that. I'm not a history teacher either, but I did originally take a history degree, not that this means I know for sure about all this since it wasn't my area. But it does come from A de Tocqueville originally, and he used it in the way mentioned above- as so many things about America being…

Oh I see. That's appalling, but at least it makes sense from his point of view. I can see hardcore no-sex-before-marriage Christian types thinking this would protect sanctity of marriage for all holy non-fornicators. Still sad though because that means that if you (virtuous Christian virgin) are getting married to…

I'm sure there is great variation in what different states tested for, as well as the cost of the testing and who pays for it. I have a friend who was tested for Tay Sachs for example, but this is something I've always just known, and now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure that I haven't misremembered the…

SOrry didn't see the "used to". I still don't understand the logic. I mean, people don't need a marriage license to have sex or have a baby.

Oh my Hugh is beautiful. Beckham needs to mess the sculpted hair up a bit.

Those bloodtests check for genetic disorders and stuff like measles. Not for STDs. Really it doesn't make any sense at all, but you are not prevented from getting married regardless.

Wow, so silly. Because you can't transmit an STD to a partner without legally marrying them first? I just don't even understand at all what in the world there just aren't words.

Yeah, that's the sort of marriage I have too. It's absolutely perfect for us. Egads I could never handle all the psychobabble pillow talk about the state of our relationship, etc. that a lot of people have. Though we did spend about six months seriously discussing whether or not to have kids and if so how we would…

Yes I agree totally. I understand people going through with the whole thing as a sort of ceremonial romantic gesture AFTER they've discussed marriage. But I can't imagine what it must feel like to be in a relationship with someone who you are eager to marry without them realizing it so that it is a happy surprise…

But you aren't subjecting him to humiliation. He decided to do something like that in public- it's a consequences of his choices, not yours. If you trust someone with your feelings, that makes you vulnerable. Mature and honest people can handle this by being careful with one another's feelings and reserving those…

He's a grown man, not a child. He's a grown man who made a really aggressive and loud choice to propose in a very large audience. Unless you two have discussed marriage before and you have given him some pretty good signs that you are eager to marry him, then I don't believe you are under any obligation to help him…