That was my first thought - this looks like a reflection, poorly done, of what they thought was "cool" in the "ghetto." They are both "hip" and "poppin' fresh."

Wow. Your friends are assholes.

Yes. Clearly, saying that someone is reasonable merits further takedown. And having a preference for politeness over hostility obviously means something terrible.

Thanks! I am checking that out.

I have, and it's useful if you don't need food so much as garnishes and specialties. If you're growing tomatoes and string beans, those are space-savers. Broccoli...It turns out those plants are freaking huge. Easy 1.5 sq ft. Also, zucchini is gigantic. I'm gardening for supplements to our diet, otherwise we'd never…

Nope. It's a fish sandwich. That's it. No burger anywhere.

Well, I get questions about the tomato sometimes. Once someone asked whether our buns were gluten-free, and the manager walked around the rest of the night wondering why on earth anyone would think there was Jell-O in our buns.

Well, in my defense I have no way of knowing that. All I know is that you called me mentally ill without knowing me, in all caps. It seemed a bit overly aggressive, that's all. I am glad you're not this angry all the time. It would take a terrible toll on your heart, which I have seen happen and is not pretty.

Sweet not actually martinis are awesome in the afternoon. I got pissed off about it when everything in a martini glass was suddenly a martini, but I'm resigned to it now. Chocolate syrup and vodka with raspberry sauce, please!

Yeah, that's a thing too. There really isn't a "typical" experience, although there are commonalities. You're thinking of "stereotypical." Here, you're confusing class and race. Her experience is atypical because she's an intelligent child of jetsetting doctors, not because she's black.

Oh, for sure. The point I've maintained, and will continue to maintain, is that if you lack the time or inclination to answer the basic repetitive question, it's generally better to just not respond at all. That way, at least you're not causing the knee-jerk reaction a lot of people have to being attacked without…

I'd say you were bang-on topic, actually. And I do think widening poverty exacerbates it, because humans naturally get an us-v-them mentality when there isn't enough to go around. It's the whole Darwinism thing. We're never going to learn to get along if we're fighting over the last dollar in the world, if a program…

Sad but true, my friend, sad but true.

Oh, free protip! See, this is why I ask things. Thanks so much!

All of that is true. When I had cash to blow on my conscience I tried to at least go to local farmers. But thanks for realizing that it's mostly a matter of how much you have to spend. And thanks for not demanding that I place my family's well-being at risk because animals are somehow superior and must be treated…

No worries. My hair is purple some weeks too!

That is a fantastic analogy. I've been thinking the empty hook ratio was too high, but maybe I'm just not patient enough.

After reading your responses, I think that perhaps my general icky feeling was that nobody wanted to engage the conversation; one person tried and got piled on too. I do not troll, and I generally expect rational responses. When I see things that I think are awful, I either respond with a "how did you get there" or I…

For sure. I suppose maybe that the level of "controversial" is the problem for me? This is why I ask. And I do try to reread and qualify, because I'm aware that sometimes I think the Internet lives in my head and therefore gets it, and I'll happily admit to being unclear where applicable. Believe me, I overexamine if…

Well, being asked to explain things to people is demeaning. That is why. And it does not matter that you could only know that if you also already had the answer to your own admittedly dumb question.