Well, I guess not then. Seemed to me like NatGeo had shifted from doing that sort of ethnographic voyeurism as much as before, but perhaps not.

Oh, I don't doubt that's what they clown intended. I was offering a possible explanation to Dodai about why Erin referenced animals rather than tribes-people. But, since quite a few people noted that joke about NatGeo remains alive, I was probably wrong.

Oh, I agree that's the racist joke the clown was going for; I was just saying that perhaps that could be why Erin missed it. However, as a number of people younger than I have noted, that stereotype for NatGeo remains alive, so perhaps not.

I wonder if that's an age thing...dunno your age, or Erin's, but I know mine, and I know that even as a kid, National Geographic had moved away from publishing as much of that. I had a collection of magazines stretching back several years before I was born, and I'm quite certain it was more prevalent in earlier…

I usually don't reply to your comments — but I have an amazing opportunity I want to share!

Here's the thing about our laws: they are both voluminous and almost always open to interpretation. The police, or the bureaucrats, or both can always find some way to legally make life difficult for you due to some sort of "legal violations" if they deem you a worthwhile use of their time. If it makes it to the…

I've got one for you: Organo Gold: http://www.organogold.com/ . Sells instant coffee blended with with magical Chinese mushrooms. Targets minority communities to a large extent, particularly African-American, but has branched out to the Hispanic community in a big way as well. Really pushes the materialism hard,…

Amen. The attempts to norm obesity, as though it's always beyond anyone's control, bother me to no end. Everyone, and I mean everyone, should be encouraged to live as fit and healthy a lifestyle as they can. For the VAST majority of people, "being fit" will very likely involve shedding some pounds; or at the very…

Oatmeal. Also groats, for variety.

I know what you're implying, but it's considerably more complex than that. Why do you think many jock-types go on to do well in business? Is it because their sports accomplishments are being rewarded by the many women who run the business world? No? Why would it be that in college, it's women who confer status,…

Thanks. Um, I dunno, I have the "Add Video" and "Add Image" links down below this comment box as I type. Perhaps it has to do with being on different browsers? I'm on Firefox 15, could be that Kinja is doing something which doesn't work well on some other browser? If you're using FF 15, though, I have no idea why…

My one and only meme I've tried creating...makes a good illustration for the cotd, though.

A pity, I was looking forward to the mansions.

Methodists aren't allowed to drink? Crap! I've been doing it wrong! OTOH, if you said Baptists....

Sorry, but you didn't do that very explicitly at all. The "dangerous concept" quote in the article is specifically referencing putting the submit clause in the vows, not talking about Christianity in general. And the article you commented on is about the vows, not Christianity in general. You may have intended to…

Why is it so difficult for lawmakers to stand up and say this when someone is proposing a new law to keep [some group non-violent offenders] locked up for years? Why do we have to wait until the taxpayers have shelled out millions before we are willing to acknowledge the obvious: that keeping people in prison is…

This. I mean, that has to be the lamest defense of putting it in the woman's vows possible since it completely begs the question of why they are not symmetrical vows.

You said parents should have access...but shouldn't read messages unless it's an issue of safety. I mean, I guess you're assuming you'd be able to tell from the "small clues" that the issue of safety exists. I think that's not so certain...but then again, I'd never have put anything personal anywhere where I thought…

Unless you're reading the messages preemptively, how would you not be the last to know? That would only help you confirm it...after you became the last to know.

Agreed. I think it diminishes laws when they are stretched to cover situations where they wouldn't meet the common understanding of what the crime is. Child porn prosecutions should absolutely require some sort of intent to sexualize the images of a child, there shouldn't be people for whom you can say, "but…