New converts to any group or religion tend to be the most overzealous. Sometimes it’s cause they’re so caught up in this new thing, other times it’s cause they want to show how SUPER DUPER DEDICATED they are.

Same here. I buy most of my books at Half Price Books, not just because of the price (though that is part of it) but also largely because of the variety they offer.

Correct.

They cut it out because they thought the depiction of human cloning would’ve been too controversial. But yeah, I cried like a bitch when I saw it.

There’s also the whole martyr complex thing. Christianity, especially evangelical, loooooves martyrdom. The whole idea of suffering for your faith, but never caving in to your opponent. Hence why they pretend to be persecuted.

The only reason they’re able to put DS on a pedestal is because most people’s experiences with DS folks are with the higher-functioning ones. DS is sort of on a spectrum, some of them can live pretty much normally, while others need a lot of lifelong care and supervision. The average person has only met DS people who…

My parents didn’t get cable because they didn’t want us vegging out in front of the TV. But since they didn’t take me out to get books very often, I just ended up watching Maury and other shit TV. So. Much. Maury. They wanted me to go outside and hang out with friends and stuff, but I was in a suburb with no public…

Ha ha, for real. In school, I always hated when the teacher decided the class should take turns reading a story out loud. I mean, at least with a book on tape, the narrator has good reading skills. But it’s so frustrating to have to listen to it by people who struggle to read even words that are spelled phonetically.…

Very well-said.

I’ve always been able to read very fast. I’ve been wondering lately if that’s because I read a lot as a hobby, or if I was just like, naturally like that. I mean, there are plenty of people who read a lot too, but still took much longer to finish classtime reading than I did.

Ha ha, I always hated reading-aloud time in school. At least with quiet reading, I could finish my shit quickly and then sit and draw, or read the book I brought with me. But if the teacher was making everyone take turns to read aloud? I had to read along to ensure I was staying in place. And you’d be surprised how…

This was such a problem when I was a kid. Any book I got from the bookstore or library was finished right away. I didn’t get to go to the library very often and we didn’t have cable TV, so I was often left with nothing to do. I don’t mind finishing books fast, but it is a pain when you don’t have quick and easy access…

For real. I’ve always been a fast reader and that can probably be attributed to constantly reading my whole life. There’s no big secret as to how I finished my required reading in two class periods when at least a month was dedicated to the book.

Eh, I don’t think dolls should have to be 100% realistic. Dolls and cartoon characters tend to be stylized to make them look more interesting. Even characters that don’t have idealized faces and bodies will still have exaggerated features. Something that’s very realistic would look boring.

Getting rid of the original would be a dumb financial move, the whole point of the new dolls is to MAKE money. Besides, what’s wrong with diversity? Most toylines, even the ones that all have the same body type, try for a diverse set. It sells better. Especially these days, consider, Barbie no longer dominates the…

I hope so. They’re doing this as a financial move, I think it could be successful if they market it right and offer enough options. It’s true that the other body types will start out limited in options, but if they can offer enough early on it’s not gonna be a big deal.

Well, it would be a stupid decision to discontinue the stuff they’ve been selling all along. Besides, the new theme is diversity. Selling a short Barbie and a curvy Barbie doesn’t mean they gotta get rid of the original Barbie.

Ah, yeah, I remember hearing the criticism about how the first black Barbies were just recolors of the original white Barbie mold. Yeah, they’ve had different face molds for a little while.

That’s probably a big reason Mattel is doing this. Barbie’s appeal has always been that she’s a blank slate character, and I think there’s value in having a doll like that... But nowadays she has some serious competition from character-based dolls. Mattel doesn’t want to give Barbie an established character, but what…

The interview with the Mattel person or whatever makes it clear that this is a money move for them. It might or might not work.