moakley

It's true though. It's about cognitive dissonance. Like actual cognitive dissonance, not the internet buzzword version.

When our actions and beliefs don't match up, it makes us uncomfortable. And as much as we'd all love to think we'd change our actions to match our beliefs, the truth about humanity is that we're just as likely to change our beliefs to match our actions.

Look at the Ben Franklin effect. Ben Franklin asks for a favor from his enemy, something small like borrowing a book. His enemy lends him the book because it would be impolite not to. Then he experiences dissonance. It makes him uncomfortable that he's being nice to someone he hates. Instead of not being nice, he lets go of his hate.

Any outward action you take that aligns with a certain belief moves your internal compass towards that belief.

I'm convinced this is the worst effect that social media has had on society.

People become emotionally invested because they argue. Arguing fortifies their emotional stance.

It's been over a year and I still think about him pleading with himself, trying to decide what to do.

I don't have enough skin.

The cops beat down the door . . .

I really thought it was going another direction, where they'd just, you know, get more skin.

Counterpoint: "Batman voice"

Christian Bale is a great actor, but I think he was the worst Batman.

My parents would love you.

I don't even want to go to their house in the summer. I can't even think at that temperature.

It's actually because small trucks were regulated out of the US market. Smaller vehicles have more stringent mileage standards that trucks aren't able to meet. That forces companies to make all their trucks bigger, because bigger vehicles are held to a different standard.

So the people who want or need a truck are pushed to buy a larger one.

As a resident of Floxus, I propose we make the creeping phlox our state flower.

(It smells like rotting skunk.)

Given how much cuter a goldfish is than a silverfish, whatever a bronzefish is must be a absolutely disgusting.

Wrap the can in a wet paper towel. It'll get cold much faster that way, possibly before you forget it's in there.

Do you have experience with ticks? You can't stomp them. They're too small and flat with hard shells and don't squish. They have to be cut in half, burned, or drowned. Some people can kill them with their fingernails, but mine are too short.

I found two of them on my body later that night and killed them with tweezers. Or fire, I don't remember which.

Also, deer ticks carry Lyme disease, not lone star ticks.

One time I saw a lone star tick crawl into the headphone jack of my phone.

I tried everything I could think of to get it out, to no avail. Then I googled two things:

• What eats ticks?

• Guinea hen mating sounds

After fifteen seconds of guinea hen sounds, I watched the tick crawl out of my phone... and immediately disappear.