Her experience matters. If she's suffering, but "most people are doing all right," it's not wrong of her to give voice to her suffering and to want it to stop.

Well, I'm not on a stage at the moment, so I guess I'll stop singing… :(

Is singing along to "Colored Spade" from Hair an edge case?

I thought this was a pretty good column (very good, given Esposito's rep, actually), but I didn't read it the same way you did — that "an emotional argument should automatically trump a researched argument." I *did* get the suggestion that there's something… bloodless about a purely "researched argument" where the…

My first impression, based on this, is that you and I could probably have a lengthy (and hopefully enjoyable) conversation on these kinds of issues. I don't know whether this is the best forum for that sort of dialogue. Until then, I respect the fact that we may disagree. So for now I'll only say that if…

I try not to feel sorry for myself — what good what it do? But otherwise, I completely agree with you. Those of us who *do* believe in "being levelheaded" have a lot of work in front of us.

LOL, I understand. I'll work harder to present a clear target for your disapproval in the future. :) (Though I like to believe, at a place like this, that we can continue to come together over a shared love of pop culture.)

Agreed on all counts. But I wouldn't take your job as any sign that you're not special. After all, you're a fucking astronaut!

I think we agree more than we disagree at this point. And we both love Party Down, so, yeah. Thank you.

I appreciate your saying that. I'm trying my best to be a decent guy, and it isn't always easy. (And I don't know that I always succeed.)

I didn't mean to imply that everyone who argues "that people aren't special" are abusive, or want others to be abused — I'm very sorry if you took that as a passive aggressive dig, or something; it really was not meant to be.

It's a shame, too, because I think that the "participation trophy" thing has been largely misunderstood. I think there are a lot of people who see it as there are "winners" and "losers" and the participation trophy crap is just to make the losers feel better about themselves.

I think that every person is special insofar as we all have a unique perspective. No, not everyone will be great at something, or have a unique talent, or etc. But… our inner lives are one-of-a-kind in that our experience of happiness, or of sadness, or etc., is absolutely unique to us individually. No one has…

I don't know what you're asking exactly — for a full rundown of the philosophy? I can tell you initially that there's no "some people can't amount to anything" belief, and that there's no "poor people are stupid and deserve what they get" belief.

It is not true that "Randian's" believe that people who fail deserve it with no exceptions — or it's not true of any Objectivist of whom I'm aware, at least. You can certainly fail through no fault of your own. This is twice in just a handful of days where you've made a claim about "Randian beliefs" and been wrong.…

LOL, fair enough. :)

I accept the fact that you and I disagree on philosophical matters. Perhaps under other circumstances we could have some good discussion about them; and hell, if you're right and I'm wrong, hopefully I'd even come to change my mind. But the reason I've followed up with you isn't to suss out our differing…

But I'm not Ayn Rand and neither do I aspire to be. Based on what I know about her, I think that she had some admirable qualities and some awful ones — like most people I've known, honestly.

I've thought about it. I don't have an answer for your behavior, which is why I asked. I'm not a mind-reader and I don't like speculating a lot about the motives of people I've never met… but it seems rude to me, and hostile. I'm pretty sure I've done nothing to deserve it.

You're saying that I don't think? You don't know me. Why would you go out of your way to be insulting like that?