uberreiniger | The medieval exocists would use a twenty gallon brass syringe filled with holy water...

Amanda (

stitchedsutures), whom it seems I mention a lot lately, was speaking the other day on the issue of tolerance vs. approval in our culture. This is an issue which is very near and dear to my heart, mostly my views on it are in the minority anymore. I can't really say I've run into it lately, it's just something I sit and grumble over. But since it's MLK day I guess it's timely. In a nutshell, here's the problem: when people say you should be tolerant of others, they don't really mean tolerant, they mean they want you to approve of everything they do and think, even if it's clearly a bad idea. If people would just say this is what they want, that would be fine but they don't. They put the word "tolerance" over it because they are too politically correct to even admit their own goals. Now, if by tolerance you mean that you should not be subject to hate crimes because you worship the King of the Potato people, in spite of the existence of certain potato-worshipping theocratic states in the world who espouse terrorism and who force women to wear potato sacks over their heads in public because the King of the Potato People finds women offensive in the sight of his many eyes, then yes, I do believe in that 100%. That is tolerance. However, if by tolerance you mean that I should allow you to lecture to my 5th grader about how you like to masturbate with a radish up your ass while watching Japanese girls in school girl outfits defecate on elderly men with clothespins on their balls and that I should support your wish to have a parade down main street in honor of this behaviour, then no. That is not tolerance. That is endorsement and approval. It's really simple, folks. Here, let's surmise:

Tolerance = Potato King
Approval = Radish in the ass

Keep saying it over and over again until you have it memorized. Potato King is tolerance, Radish in the ass is acceptance. Potato King is tolerance, radish in the ass is acceptance.

SEVEN DEADLY SINS:
ANGER:
1. Who did you last get angry with? Myself
2. What is your weapon of choice? Tetsubo
3. Would you hit a member of the opposite sex? If they hit me first.
4. How about of the same sex? Sure.
5. Who was the last person who got really angry at you? Probably Adolph, my supervisor.
6. What is your pet peeve? The shortness of human life.
7. Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily? I keep large grudges. Grudges so dense light cannot escape them.

SLOTH:
1. What is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't done in a long time? Exercise
2. What is the latest you've ever woken up? This question is irrelevant since my sleep schedule is atypical. Probaly the longest I've ever slept is thirteen hours.
3. Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven't: childhood buddy Nate.
4. What is the last lame excuse you made? "I've got bills."
5. Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through? yeah, a couple
6. When was the last time you got a good workout in? last Thursday
7. How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock today? I never use the snooze button.

GLUTTONY
1. What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice? V8 Splash
2. Meat eaters: white meat or dark meat?: Dark
3. What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting/outing/event? I do a whole bottle of wine by myself from time to time.
4. Have you ever used a professional diet company? nope
5. Do you have an issue with your weight? yep
6. Do you prefer sweets, salty foods, or spicy foods? salty and spicy.
7. Have you ever looked at a small housepet or child and thought, "LUNCH"? no. wtf?

LUST
1. How many people have you seen naked (not counting movies/family)? Counting school P.E., dozens. Counting sexual intimacy, three.
2. How many people have seen YOU naked (not counting physicians/family)? Same answer as 1.
3. Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a member of your gender of choice during a normal conversation? Indeed I have.
4. Have you "done it"? You mean slept? With a lady? Yes.
5. What is your favorite body part on a person of your gender of choice? Legs/feet
6. Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute? I've never even met a real prostitute.
7. Have you ever had to get tested for an STD or pregnancy? Nope. I'm clean as a whistle and just as easy to blow :)

GREED
1. How many credit cards do you own? Four
2. What's your guilty pleasure store? Best Buy
3. If you had one million dollars, what would you do with it? Pay off my and my family's bills, buy a laptop, a music studio, start a stock portfolio, and travel Europe for a month or two.
4. Would you rather be rich, or famous? Rich, because then I don't have to work and can devote all my time to what I REALLY want: becoming famous.
5. Would you accept a boring job if it meant you would make megabucks? I already have, Luke. I already... have....
6. Have you ever stolen anything? I've borrowed a few things from people that eventually became mine.
7. How many MP3s are on your hard drive? Maybe ten or so.

PRIDE
1. What one thing have you done that you're most proud of? Finished my first novel.
2. What one thing have you done that your parents are most proud of? They're fond of my acting.
3. What thing would you like to accomplish in your life? See my entire novel series published. (And since I keep getting asked this, come up with a different answer for this questions after I do get it published.)
4. Do you get annoyed by coming in second place? Only when the affection of a female is what's at stake. Sadly, it usually is.
5. Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors? Frequently.
6. Have you ever cheated on something to get a higher score? Nothing that wasn't purely recreational.
7. What did you do today that you're proud of? Finished writing a song I've tinkered with off and on for a few years.

ENVY
1. What item (or person) of your friends' would you most want to have for your own? I'd still love to be with Lesley, but have accepted that isn't going to happen.
2. Who would you want to go on "Trading Spaces" with? Nobody. I'll settle for my ancestral castle in Britain.
3. If you could be anyone else in the world, who would you be? I'd be me with more super powers.
4. Have you ever been cheated on? not technically.
5. Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own? of course
6. What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself? Drive.
7. Do you wish you'd come up with this survey? Yeah, it's pretty neat.

What is your favorite deadly sin? Since I write erotica sometimes, I guess it's lust.

SEVEN HEAVENLY VIRTUES
FAITH
1. What religion do you follow? i'm christian. i like catholicism, but don't agree with all its beliefs.
2. What religion were you raised as? Free Methodist Christian.
3. Do you believe that forgiveness is a religious property, or a human property? Religious. The fact that God has to tell us to do it indicates that it does not come naturally to humans.
4. Do you believe in magic? Sure do. Big time.
5. What was the last promise you broke? Probably saying "I'll have something finished by XX date."
6. Have you ever said the words to a prayer and not meant it? Yes
7. Do you believe that anyone could be perfect? Nobody is perfect until you love them.

HOPE
1. Did you get everything you wanted over the last holiday season? more
2. Regarding your future, what is the best thing you could hope for? Right now, I want love more than anything.
3. Do you let yourself get your hopes up for something even if you know that here is a large chance of failure? often :\
4. Do you believe in fate? I do, but I believe destiny can change.
5. Have you ever bought a lottery ticket? yep
6. Do you gamble? No.
7. Have you ever had something called off on account of bad weather, but then went ahead and did it anyway? Not on account of weather. I have backed out of things then backed back in.

CHARITY
1. What causes do you support? Salvation Army, Veterans of Foreign Wars
2. What causes have you given money or time to? see above
3. Have you ever worked in a soup kitchen or done another kind of outreach for the homeless? No.
4. Would you ever consider joining the Peace Corps, Amnesty International, or another travel-inherent worldwide charity group? probably not
5. Do you give money to the homeless on the street? No. I am the coward who walks faster and pretends he doesn't hear them.
6. Have you ever helped out a friend with basic needs, like rent or food? yep
7. What's the greatest extent you've gone to help a friend in need? I'm well-known for driving out to help people when they're stranded, in trouble, etc.

FORTITUDE
1. What are you most afraid of? Being alone for the rest of my life.
2. What did you do today that was really brave? Finished that song.
3. Who is your favorite superhero, and why? Jean Gray. She's a sexy redhead with boundless psychic power. Who wouldn't want that?
4. Would you put your life in danger to rescue someone? I think so, yes.
5. If you were to face the Wizard, would you want more courage, more brains, or more heart? I know how that Wizard works. He doesn't give you jack! Just babbles a lot of sentimental goo about how you've already got whatever it is you came to him to get. Forget that. I'd punch him out, steal his balloon and get my ass back to Kansas.
6. Have you ever gotten stage fright? If so, when? I don't get stage fright, although my adrenalin is at maximum level right before a performance.
7. Do you consider yourself to be a leader or a follower? I am independant. I wish to work alone without having to lead or follow.

JUSTICE
1. Have you ever been summoned for jury duty? nope. though i think it'd be interesting
2. If they reinstituted the draft(for both genders)? I'd probably go, but I wouldn't like it.
3. Do you support capital punishment (the death penalty)? Yes, but it needs to be more painful.
4. Do you believe that Dubya is rightfully President of the USA? Yes. Get over it.
5. What was your favorite media circus trial? Mary Kay Laterno was an amusing one.
6. Have you ever written a letter to a politician? My HS Government teacher forced us to write our Congressman every week. Hated it.

TEMPERANCE
1. What do you have the hardest time moderating yourself on? Eating unhealthy foods.
2. Do you collect anything? L5R cards, B.C. Rich guitars.
3. Are you addicted to anything? metal, porn, L5R, french fries, beef.
4. Have you ever put anything on layaway or used an installment plan? Yes.
5. What's your preferred method of paying for things? These days, debit card.
6. Tell us one thing you wish you hadn't let yourself do. wait as long as I did to lose my virginity.
7. Do you feel that you obsess over things? You could say that.

PRUDENCE
1. Who is the wisest person you know? My HS youth pastor, although I've not seen him in many, many years.
2. Have you ever participated in a vigil? Not per se.
3. Do you take advice when it's given? Mostly.
4. What area are you wisest in? I'm a jack of all trades, master of none where wisdom is concerned.
5. Do you drive defensively? I'm pretty guarded behind the wheel.
6. Have you ever had unprotected sex outside of marriage? nope
7. What did you learn today? That I needed more sleep than I thought.

What is your favorite heavenly virtue? Love. For the greatest of these is love.