We'd have to completely suspend disbelief here. The odds of any species, anywhere, evolving to look, speak, or act like us in any way is infinitesimal. I love my dog, for example, but... uh, I don't 'love' my dog. All species evolve to mate with their own kind. Barring hybrids from similar animals (e.g. ligers,…

Thank you for noting this, as it is one of the big reasons people don't appeal. This is especially true if the assessed value is already less than what they paid for the house.

I'm finding it immensely interesting that you can tell who the older people are in these replies. They reply with 'Match.com'. The younger ones lean toward Tinder and OKCupid.

That might be a fair point, although I still believe it offers diminishing returns as the scale of the project grows larger. People need to be very cautious when the timescale expands, or they might look ridiculous.

I'm all for the Scotty Method (never tell the Captain how long it will really take!), but the reality is that this is a poor metric. For one thing, consistently doing that will train you to think you are 'on-time', when you are really being inefficient. It removes the incentive to improve.

The 'paleo' diet has been discredited, just like every other fad diet.

"But all of it should be a non-issue..."

I didn't say the struggles of the LGBT community weren't a big deal. I said being gay just shouldn't be a big deal. And yes, I am mildly surprised that at this point, something so straightforward is still abig deal.

"I wish, however, you were interested in understanding. You seem more interested in talking about yourself, how good a person you are, instead of empathizing with other people who have to deal with people who aren't as good as you."

"And when mentioning your wife, were you at all worried about how your being married to a woman might be perceived and whether or not it might change things for you in the workplace?"

We're not that different. Sorry. I've spent enough time on these very forums to know that the whole "accept our differences" philosophy is absolutely and utter bullshit. Because acknowledging someone is 'different' means that sooner or later, you will use those differences against people as much as for them.

Fair point. It's a crappy issue. I'm not denying it, I'm just surprised that it still is. I guess in some ways I expected things to be better than the 1950's (or hell, even the 80's.)

Fair enough. But as has been pointed out in this thread, statistically, most people are straight. Thus, "I had no idea you're gay" is more akin (to me) to saying "I had no idea you could drive a manual". No one ever comments on whether or not you can drive an automatic, because it's far more common. So it's just a…

No, I see race. I just don't care.

Those are all fair points. It just sucks that that is the world we live in. I didn't change my attitude or opinion of my friend. He's a former Marine, has a wonderful daughter that he and his husband adopted, and is a great guy I know I can count on. I delivered a euolgy at his husband's funeral, and it just hasn't…

Honestly, I'm not being willfully obtuse... it's just a non-issue for me. My reaction to news about a straight couple having a baby is no different from my reaction to a gay couple adopting one. I've had both types of information related to me, and I didn't react any differently. "Oh wow, that's awesome!" was my…

Fair enough. It's not a minefield I have personally had to deal with, so I can't speak to what it is like for people int he LGBT community. All I know is how it should be. And personally, I can't envision that becoming the way it is as long as we continue to differentiate.

Then maybe that term needs to be retired. Because it strikes me as antiquated. Basically, the first time someone drops any kind of a clue about their orientation, they are "coming out", is what you are saying.

"If you saw a wedding ring on a stranger, would you assume he was married to a man or a woman?"

No, see, I didn't "volunteer" my sexual orientation. I discussed the fact that my wife and I are expecting a baby. With people at work who I am also somewhat friendly with. In fact, only the people on my team. So four people. Four people at work know my sexual orientation. Because I don't discuss it with anyone else.