"Blech! Euwwww... Mountain Dew?! I'll take a crab juice."*

So we watched the season finale of Survivor the other night and as per ushe they revealed at the end of the reunion show where the next season will be located.

***Spoiler Alert****





Samoa.

Oh my gosh how exciting, a South Pacific island loca... no, wait, they've done that about seven hundred times already. Not to say I won't be watching it anyway, but still.

Husband said he wished they'd totally switch it up and go somewhere completely different, which is when we came up with:

Survivor: Manhattan
The survivors have to spend 39 days in the dank, fetid subway tunnels of Manhattan Island.
They must build their own shelters out of indigenous materials like cardboard boxes and discarded Wall St. Journals, and avoid native hazards such as sewer alligators and that really smelly steam that comes out of manhole covers.

Challenges include:
Asking a New Yorker for Directions
Interpreting a New Yorker Cartoon
Building a Trashcan Fire
Eating a Sewer Rat Before It Eats You
Not Being Stabbed By a Hobo





*A million points to whoever can correctly identify this Simpsons quote, and a bonus million if you can figure out how the heck it relates to this post.

"I've been called a greasy thug, too. It never stops hurting. So here's what we're gonna do: We're gonna grease ourselves up real good..."

Warning #1: Heavily opinionated blog post ahead. This is my blog and I am allowed to express my opinion here. I am in no way forcing you to read it or agree with it.

Warning #2: Unlike my last two posts, this one has nothing to do with sweet treats! Sorry about that!

The other day I mentioned people who whine about political correctness.

I mean those people who bitch & moan like "Oh, now I have to watch what I say or the PC police will be after me."

In my opinion, the whole point of "political correctness" is to prevent people's feelings being hurt - inadvertently or otherwise. For example, perhaps you didn't know that a certain word or phrase was upsetting to someone from another culture. Political correctness seeks to provide people with terms they can use that are not upsetting.

I say "seeks to" because we all know there was a point where some of it became a bit crazy, like calling a short person "vertically challenged" (I'm short, and I have absolutely no problem with anyone calling me short. I don't find it offensive or belittling, and I'd be surprised to find anyone did). However, most of the really outlandish stuff was just people playing with the concept and poking a bit of fun at it.

But the reality is that there are a lot of words for a lot of things, and many words and phrases have history and layers of meaning that give them the power to hurt people even when spoken without the intent to hurt.

So to someone who complains about having to watch what they say because of political correctness, I would say - So you would rather hurt and upset people? Really? You hold your ability to tell your dumb bigoted jokes or whatever above the feelings of other people? Honestly, is what is being taken away from you so much more valuable than what it gives to others?

I mean I just don't get it. If I had been using some word or phrase that was upsetting to a whole bunch of people, I would rather know and have an alternative given me so I could stop upsetting them. Like saying "Native American" rather than "American Indian" because duh, they have nothing to do with India and that name comes from the fact that Columbus was a dumbass.

Everyone knows what it's like to be offended and upset and have their feelings hurt. So why are there people that are so desperate to hold onto their ability to blithely do it to others?

"May that ill-gotten doughnut be forever on your head!"

According to this article on The Scavenger, Psycho Donuts, a “mental-illness themed” doughnut shop in California, has upset various mental health activists & professionals with such apparently offensive treats as The Bipolar (topped with half nuts, half coconut shavings) and Massive Head Trauma (red jelly filling oozes from the side). The Scavenger says “The store itself comes with nurses, a padded cell and "group therapy" area.”

I’m not one of those people who are all like “Pshaw, Political Correctness police just want to take the fun out of life.*” In fact I’m more than likely to be offended on behalf of other people.

But I’m with the doughnut shop on this one. Okay, maybe it’s kind of tacky, but c’mon. It’s obviously tongue-in-cheek. I’ve been close to people with mental illnesses. I know it can be devastating and is often misunderstood. These doughnuts still make me laugh. Plus, I think having a sense of humor is a huge coping mechanism, and there are some things in life that you have to laugh at or you’ll never stop crying**.

One of the protesters argues "Imagine a shop that made fun of cancer; it wouldn't be funny."

Well, no, I guess it wouldn’t. But that’s why nobody has tried to start a cancer doughnut shop. People find some things funny and others not so much. There are lines that can be crossed or bent and some that can’t. I think figuring out the difference is all part of being a person and being part of society.

What do you guys think?



*Those people may be the subject of a future post though, because grrr.

**Also, they look delicious (did you see those photos?).

What’s your flavor?

If there was an ice cream flavor based on my personality*, it would be Soda & Candy Sundae: strawberry ice cream with a ribbon of strawberry flavored pop rocks.

And maybe some glitter.

It still wouldn’t be my favorite flavor though, because that is Caramel Caribou – creamy vanilla ice cream with a caramel ribbon and tiny little caramel filled chocolate cups. It makes me wiggle my toes in happiness when I eat it.

What would your personality ice cream flavor be?

What about your favorite flavor?

*Inspired by this post about Ben & Jerry's flavors over at Candy’s Daily Dandy.

The Blogisferia Chronicles: Chapter the Third

Previous Chapters:
Chapter the First
Chapter the Second
*************************************

*Thud... thud...thud*

The walls of Candysoda Castle trembled, and Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper sloshed around in Princess Soda's crystal goblet.

"Strewth! What in Blog's name?!" muttered the Princess. She went to the balcony to see if she could find out what was causing the earthquakes, but the view from her second floor window was filled by two denim-clad knees.

"Scope!" she exclaimed. "Of course... only a giant could make that sort of a racket! G'day mate!"

"Princess Soda, how are you?!" Scope bent down to speak with the Princess face-to face. "I have some news... I am in love! Would you like to meet Cora?"

"Scope! That is tremendous! Of course I must meet her!" squealed Princess Soda, looking around curiously, for surely she wouldn't have missed a giantess, even with Scope blocking the view.

Scope brought his hand round from behind his back and opened it. There, in his palm, stood a tiny, flame-haired pixie (even shorter than Princess Soda, who was rather on the small side), and she was beaming from ear to ear.

"Hello, so happy to meet you!" giggled the pixie, and her enthusiasm was so infectious that the Princess could not help but return her smile.

Cora told Princess Soda the story of how she and Scope had met, with much nudging and winking. Scope chimed in with some unsettling talk about their love having been approved by a deity's robotic messenger, but Princess Soda let it pass.

She was puzzled by one thing, however.

"You two are just adorable! But Scope's so tall, and you're... I mean, how do you... You know what, never mind." said the Princess hastily. "I'm just so happy for the two of you!"

*************************************


Enjoy, lovebirds!

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Chatting Up

Most of my Aussie vocabulary blog posts are for amusement purposes only, but this one is practically a PSA. I was confused and a little shocked when a friend recently told me that a friend of the girl he's seeing chatted him up, until we established that we were at cultural cross-purposes...


To chat someone up:

N. Amer. verb
To make conversation with someone. Basically the same as chatting to someone, or making small talk.

Aust. verb
To make conversation with someone with the end goal of making a romantic or sexual connection. Synonymous with the N. American to hit on someone.

Mmmm, shoes.

I wrote and deleted was going to write a long, whiny, self-indulgent post, sulking & pouting because hardly anyone is commenting on any of my posts these days...

...but then I got some new shoes and I thought y'all might enjoy that more, so here is a photo!
Awesome, right? I feel about seven feet tall in them.