Europeans don't exist either. I came into existence once I got my US Citizenship. #truestory
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What’s on your mind?
- Thread starter Gutwrench
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Europeans don't exist either. I came into existence once I got my US Citizenship. #truestory
Agreed.
Actually, at times, during the endless deterioration of my mother's condition, such conduct infuriated me.
Again, agreed.
But extending courtesy, respect and professionalism - to the patient - do make a considerable difference in such a context.
yeah...
I think that at times individuals and institutions alike use their creativity to make lives miserable and burden everyone with useless bureaucracy that doesn't make any sense. Kafka had a point.
No, the bureaucracy is merely the symptom of the way the system is run (and - especially in medicine, I am the first to argue for a paper trail).
The bureaucracy is not the issue, rather, the arrogance and entitlement of some of the top consultants is.
During my mother's endless illness (and we had private insurance on top of being able to avail of the state system), I rarely recall a meeting - or, rather, consultation - (that we had paid for) taking place on time, and that is a matter of basic, common, courtesy.
I think that there is a power imbalance that goes beyond that of the usual gap in knowledge between an expert in a field and a non-expert; this is because one rarely meets a medical professional unless one is feeling under the weather - unless one had some medical problem that one would like to have addressed.
Therefore, the normal power imbalance of knowledge/lack of knowledge is further amplified or compounded, in this instance, by the fact that your lack of knowledge (about condition, treatment, effects) leaves you feeling especially vulnerable because the subject matter pertains to your health.
Throw in social class to that discussion, or equation, (very few medical consultants or specialists come from anywhere other than the upper middle class) and such imbalances of power can become powerfully expressed.
Needless to say, that, in no way, excuses such conduct.
Lately, long lately actually, I haven’t any inspiration to cook or grill. Looks like I need to force myself out of this funky streak.
And you choose November in the north country to realize this.
Follow the geese, man. Get on a southbound plane!
Next door neighbors who have been noisy and rude since 2005*, starting with their noisy selves, dogs and now pot smoke 🤢 coming into my window.😤😡😤They are largely to blame for my sleep issues and it takes me screaming and cursing for months about their malarky for them to stop.
Talking or asking nicely doesn’t work.
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Their few moments of kindness toward us have been obliterated by their near constant bs.
Of course, trying to right my thoughts by thinking of family, and if I should go to Best Buy to laptop shop.
EDIT: Off to Best Buy...
Last edited:
Lol! If laptop buying doesn't completely do it, I could put more SONOS speakers to good use. 🤔
My white noise machine is cranking right now. Gave them the message as it’s become mysteriously quiet.
My white noise machine is cranking right now. Gave them the message as it’s become mysteriously quiet.
I imagine your place sounds like Cape Canaveral on launch day right now?
Believe it or not, your post inspired me to order a gas grill. Been thinking about it for several years. Finally pulled the trigger.
Thinking tuna steaks and vegetables.
Maybe even bananas!
Yes! Forgot about sausages! Those too!
One cannot conceive (well, I certainly cannot) of a grill without sausages.....
And, yes, steaks, and tuna steaks, but also, fine, fat shrimps or prawns.
Faced with grilled sausages, (or lamb chops), and/or fat, luscious, grilled shrimps (or fat prawns), I can get very gluttonously greedy.
We've had similar issues as a family but a small anecdote that's perhaps indicative of the attitude... A few years ago - I had a test done and had to go back to 'discuss the results', having sat down the test results were called up on screen right in front of me so I naturally lent in to take a look at them. The consultant pointedly turned the monitor away from me. I never did find out the actual result and only left with the generalities he deemed appropriate to impart.
I laughed about this a while ago to someone I know who was used to dealing with senior consultants, who said that when dealing with such 'esteemed proffesionals' (his sarcasm) one should always remember that as far as they were concerned your body was not yours, it was theirs ... Was it Bernard Shaw - "All professions are a conspiracy against the laity."
So I meant to respond to this inquiry earlier this week; however, I've been dealing with a nasty sinus infection, strong antibiotics, and all the fun side effects of it all. So my mind hasn't been so clear this week.
I've not viewed this thread since this quoted post, and I don't know what answers others have given yet. I'll go back and read them after I post my thoughts.
The first thing that I thought about when I saw this was the Star Trek (TOS) episode "Return to Tomorrow" S2:E20.
The five senses
- Smell
- Touch
- Taste
- Vision
- Hearing
- No hunger
- No pain
- No feeling of heat or cold (though "cold" actually doesn't exist - it's merely an abstract concept in our minds or more accurately described as the absence of relative heat. Heat is measurable, while "cold" is not. We could invoke the laws of thermodynamics here and say that "cold" is what we feel when heat (or more accurately, energy) is transferred between objects of unequal temperature. So really we're feeling a transference.)
- I'll classify these constraints as to fall under the five senses, specifically Touch.
I think we should also add to this thought experiment an additional qualifier. That qualifier would be that the body and, more importantly, the brain of this person is fully developed, minus the constraints mentioned above.
1. Can the person think?
I believe that the answer is yes. However, it wouldn't think as we know it as a fully developed human. The person would likely have only primitive "thoughts" that are more instinctual. Survival being the chief one and reproduction being another. All of what we know in our advanced brains and "think" is mostly a learned behavior. Our parents, siblings, peers, and others in society contribute to what and how we "know" things.
If this person lacks all of the senses, there is no way to get information into the mind of the person. There is no way for the person to observe (through the five senses) and learn through its own experiences.
I believe the person would "think" more like an animal on the lower end of the intelligence scale. Just base and primal "thoughts" if you will.
2. Can this person have feelings? (emotional)
I'm going to say maybe. Some, if not all, emotions are also very base and primal at some levels. We can see animals experience a variety of emotions, anger when being abused, sorrow when one of their family members dies (elephants), love (dogs cats, primates), and so on.
Though this person would have a tough time feeling these things as we perceive them without being able to attach senses to them. Things like a photo of a loved one passed on. The feeling of touching their face, smelling their hair, or hearing their voice. I think it would be a stretch to say the person could experience love.
If anything, I'd venture a guess that the person might experience frustration and anxiety but not know what they are or why they have them.
I'm sure someone probably mentioned Helen Keller already, and she is perhaps one of the only known (or widely known) humans to be born without two of the most significant senses.
The other thought I had was those people who suffer from pseudocoma or locked-in syndrome. Although, they can think like anyone else, but are unable to communicate except by blinking in some cases.
This is an interesting topic of discussion.
44F outside this morning (Houston), High in the 60s, the perfect time of year, will probably go for a drive with the top down, take the back roads over to College Station.
Easy, yes to both although it would be an existence much different than what we experience, total introspection based on what exactly, I could not tell you.
Actually, Helen Keller was born completely normal and healthy, with all her senses. When she was 19 months old she developed an illness, a serious one never properly identified, which left her both blind and deaf. Actually because of being post-lingually deafened, she had an advantage in having once been able to hear, which helped her, with the persistence and caring of Annie Sullivan, to later develop speech and language.
Helen once wrote: "The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important, than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus — the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir and keeps us in the intellectual company of man."
Helen once wrote: "The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important, than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus — the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir and keeps us in the intellectual company of man."
😂Almost...
No laptops, but at least I guided a very nice customer toward the right Mac laptop for his wife. I walked over to the Mac table when the Best Buy rep was helping this man who was looking at the Macbook Air because the Air was cheaper. BB guy was mentioning the Air would be slower. While fiddling with the iMacs, I said, “Pardon the intrusion, but for what your wife does, I’d get another Macbook Pro.”
The customer looks at me and then the BB rep, and asks me why buy the Pro over the Air. “Faster, more responsive, and most importantly, she can juggle several tasks at once. You’ll be wasting your money buying the Air.”
Then this man tells the BB guy “to go help someone else, I’ll talk to her. I want an honest opinion.” 😂
So I went into more details in layperson speak, and pointed out the specs, and the need for a hub dongle. I also showed him how the Touchbar works. While we were talking he mentioned he was a vet (So I thanked him for his service).
He bought the MBP and I decided I’ll stick with
despite my beefs. I think hearing myself talk about using a Mac solidified my staying put, plus seeing how responsive the base high end 27” iMac is too. I think Apple had the low end base model 27” on display when I went there last week.Besides, BB did not have any of their Black Friday PC/Surface deals on display, or any in stock there (Despite their website saying otherwise). So another good thing.
Other good news, eldest sis came through surgery fine. 🥳 She was already working with physical therapy this morning.
😂Almost...
No laptops, but at least I guided a very nice customer toward the right Mac laptop for his wife. I walked over to the Mac table when the Best Buy rep was helping this man who was looking at the Macbook Air because the Air was cheaper. BB guy was mentioning the Air would be slower. While fiddling with the iMacs, I said, “Pardon the intrusion, but for what your wife does, I’d get another Macbook Pro.”
The customer looks at me and then the BB rep, and asks me why buy the Pro over the Air. “Faster, more responsive, and most importantly, she can juggle several tasks at once. You’ll be wasting your money buying the Air.”
Then this man tells the BB guy “to go help someone else, I’ll talk to her. I want an honest opinion.” 😂
So I went into more details in layperson speak, and pointed out the specs, and the need for a hub dongle. I also showed him how the Touchbar works. While we were talking he mentioned he was a vet (So I thanked him for his service).
He bought the MBP and I decided I’ll stick with
Besides, BB did not have any of their Black Friday PC/Surface deals on display, or any in stock there (Despite their website saying otherwise). So another good thing.
Other good news, eldest sis came through surgery fine. 🥳 She was already working with physical therapy this morning.
That must be a massive relief for both you and your mother that your sister came through surgery fine.
And the experience in the store must have been fun.
Yes, re: sis.
In store was pretty funny. My former supervisor is right, I should sell Macs.
Yes, re: sis.
In store was pretty funny. My former supervisor is right, I should sell Macs.
You clearly have some sort of serious talent for it.
Last edited:
Thank you.
I was trying to recall her story from memory when I heard it as a child and without looking it up today.
I should like to read a book about her life.