Tag / Defector

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Tired Discourse – Irish Goodbyes

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will continue today with the next question on their list:

Irish Goodbyes

First, let’s define what this is.  Google’s AI bullshit says an Irish goodbye (also known as an Irish exit) “is the act of leaving a social gathering or party quietly and unannounced without telling the host or other guests.”  The term originated in America in the 19th century as a derogatory idiom despite bearing no relation to the behavior of actual Irish folks.  So, is it acceptable?  I guess it depends on the size of the gathering.  If there’s, say, 20 or more people at said gathering, feel free.  Nobody should particularly notice.  If it is a smaller gathering, then you should probably just face the music and say a proper goodbye, even if it is to the group as a whole.

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Tired Discourse – Polyamory

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will continue today with the next question on their list:

Polyamory

First, let’s define what this is.  Google’s AI bullshit says it is “the practice of having more than one romantic or sexual relationship at the same time. It requires the full knowledge, agreement, and consent of all people involved. It is a form of ethical non-monogamy that focuses on open communication and honesty.”  As long as everyone involved is aware and consenting, you do you, player.

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Tired Discourse – Followback Culture

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will continue today with the next question on their list:

Followback Culture

First, let’s define what this is.  Google’s AI bullshit says “Follow back culture is the social media practice of returning a follow when someone follows your account, often driven by community expectations, reciprocal growth, and perceived politeness.”  At one point in time, I think this was an appropriate expectation, back when social media was populated by actual people.  If somebody gave you a follow and there was no overt reason not to follow back, it was certainly the polite thing to do.  That said, in today’s world, where 99 out of every 100 posts you see is coming from a Russian bot designed to destabilize the foundations of America’s democracy or trying to push their AI-generated OnlyFans page, that expectation is out the window.  Follow me if you like, but I’m not following you back.

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Tired Discourse – Booing

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will continue today with the next question on their list:

Booing

I am going to assume this is related to sporting events and not, say, live theater or something along those lines.  Further still, let’s assume also that we are talking about professionals.  If you feel the need to boo at little league or high school games, then I suggest seeking professional help.

Booing is, of course, inherent in the contract between sporting teams and their fans, with the price of the ticket giving the right to express displeasure (or pleasure) with the product on the field.  Having attended my fair share of sporting events over the years, I can say that the majority of fans utilize that right judiciously.  And, as I get older, my need to seriously boo anything that happens on the field has diminished.

 

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Tired Discourse – Body Counts

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will continue today with the third question on their list:

Body Counts

Do. Not. Matter.

Once you are out of high school, the number of people your partner, or soon-to-be partner, has slept with doesn’t matter.  At all.  Were they safe?  Have they been tested and are disease free or disease managed?  Yes, those are important questions.  But the raw number, and judging someone based on that?  Ridiculous puritanical bullshit.

Every experience you and your partner have had has brought the two of you to the same place.  Passing judgement on someone because their path curves more or less than yours accomplishes what exactly?  Grow up.  Mature.  Focus on the things that matter.  And, if at the end of the day, the number really is important to you and you can’t stop yourself from judging?  At least admit that you are the one with the problem.

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Tired Discourse – Do Bisexuals Exist?

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will continue today with the third question on their list:

Do Bisexuals Exist?

Yes.

Oh, you want more? I think one of the biggest fallacies of human existence is that sexuality is a binary.  There is so much evidence, both in human behavior and in animal behavior in nature, that proves otherwise, that sexuality is a spectrum.  Some people (probably less than you think) do tilt the extreme ends of each side of the spectrum, while the vast majority fall somewhere along the line.

There’s an old saying that “all women are inherently bisexual” and I think the truth to that is that it is more socially acceptable for women to show any form of bisexuality than it is for men.  Two drunk “straight” women kissing at a party is met with raucous cheers.  Imagine the reaction if two men did the same.

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Tired Discourse – Tipping

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will continue today with the third question on their list:

Tipping

To start, here are two things that are absolutely true:

  1. If you can’t afford to tip, then you can’t afford to go out
  2. Tipping culture has gotten way out of control post-lockdown

Look, in a perfect world, servers would be paid a proper wage by their employers and tipping could then truly be reserved as a reward for excellent service.  We, however, do not live in a perfect world.  If you don’t want to tip, or can’t afford to tip, then the harsh reality is that you need to refrain from frequenting those establishments where tipping is legitimately required.  It isn’t fair to make some worker essentially pay to take care of you because you don’t think the social contract applies to you.

You’ll notice I said legitimately required, though.  Post-COVID, the number of POS systems explicitly asking for, if not totally expecting, a tip has exploded tenfold.  I am not the bad guy if I don’t add a tip my total at the local gyros shop.  If I go to a pizza place to pick up my own pie, you do not get a tip.  Handing me a pre-wrapped hot dog at a concession stand at the ballpark is also not a scenario where a tip is required.

What about tip percentages?  This is obviously going to vary by location.  The old standard of 15% doesn’t seem to cut it anymore, but 20% seems more than fair.  There are plenty of AI generated memes on the social media channels that will claim you should be giving upwards of 30% and some of the pre-programmed choices on these new POS systems do tend towards a higher payout, but that doesn’t mean you need to do it.

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Tired Discourse – How Early You Should Get To The Airport

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will continue today with the second question on their list:

How Early You Should Get to the Airport

I have experienced the two complete opposite sides of this spectrum, so I think I can provide some good insight.  Once, in order to save some money on a night at the hotel in Las Vegas, I arrived at the airport the night before my early morning flight.  (Side note: I do not recommend this.)  Another time, due to an accident and unplanned for traffic, I was still on my way to the airport as my flight began boarding.  Neither situation is optimal.

The hard part is that there is no clear cut, across the board answer and, even if there were, variables like distance you are travelling to the airport and traffic conditions along the way will make hitting that target time extremely difficult.  Plus, each individual person is going to have different stressors, so even finding an ideal answer among a single travelling party may not be possible.

Anyway, this is boring.  Find what makes you comfortable and try to show up then.

 

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Tired Discourse – Is Die Hard A Christmas Movie

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will start today with the first question on their list:

Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

Die Hard, the now-classic action movie released in July of 1988, stars Bruce Willis as a New York city police officer who travels to Los Angeles to see his estranged wife and kids and ends up interrupting a terrorist attack, saving his wife and (most of) her co-workers from a certain death.  At first glance, nothing about this screams Christmas movie.  But, the movie’s setup only works because the action takes place on Christmas Eve.

Why is Willis’s Det. John McClane in Los Angeles?  To see his family for Christmas.  Why is he meeting his wife at her office?  It’s their Christmas party.  Why are the terrorists attacking now?  It is Christmas Eve and, aside from the people at the party, who are needed to give the terrorists the access they need, the building is deserted.

Now, detractors will say that you can strip out the Christmas trappings and have basically the same movie.  Which, for the most part, is probably true.  That said, those trappings are not stripped out and very much exist in the film, tying it directly to the holiday season.

So, bottom line, is Die Hard a Christmas movie?  Of course it is.  Is it a traditional Christmas movie.  No, I will concede that point.  But Christmas drives the plot, in the movie as it actually exists versus some make-believe alternate version.  And what embodies the spirit of Christmas more than overcoming obstacles of circumstance to reunite with your loved ones for the holiday?

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Book 58 (of 52) – The Postmortal

The Postmortal – Drew Magary

When a cure for aging is discovered, humanity has to deal with the repercussions of elongated life spans and the strain that causes on natural resources.  One man finds that, despite near-immortality, he still suffers incalculable loss after loss.  When the end finally comes, is he finally ready to say goodbye?

The Postmortal, the debut novel from Defector blogger Drew Magary, tackles the question of what purpose does life serve if it never ends.  What does marriage look like when “til death do us part” is a much longer commitment?  Where does God fit in if man is able to control his own lifespan?  These are intriguing questions and, while the execution isn’t 100% spot on, it is good enough to convey an interesting tale.