What freaks you right the f*ck out?

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J

Jiarn

I'm not the least bit religious, or supersticious, but all the "world calamities" with the Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Civil Wars, etc? I'm slightly bothered by 2012 conspiricies now....
 
I get a real low level freak out at work from time to time. It's when I walk into the public restroom and the lights are off. Through several of my previous jobs lights off in the restroom normally meant some one is getting attacked, or worse...

So I see it dark in a place that should be light and I get a momentary wave of fear, until I can reassure myself that I am in a safe place.
 
I sometimes get freaked out at the idea of a real disaster happening around me. We don't really get flooding, earthquakes, even tornadoes around here and for that I'm thankful. But what if, for some reason, we did?


I also get freaked out at the idea of an actual, honest to goodness, uprising. What if the tea party turns into something more? Or what if it were people I agreed with? What if I didn't know if my neighbor was for or against whatever sparked all of this and if he's possibly out to get me?
 
An honest moment brought you by Ken: What freaks me out? Life outside of the safety net of the Military. I honestly have no idea how you people do it.
 
An honest moment brought you by Ken: What freaks me out? Life outside of the safety net of the Military. I honestly have no idea how you people do it.
Thats actually really normal for military folks, in fact it's pretty normal for anyone in any group that they spend a serious amount of time investing their lives in.

I guess I'm just saying don't feel bad for that or like theres anything wrong with you for feeling that way. :)
 
An honest moment brought you by Ken: What freaks me out? Life outside of the safety net of the Military. I honestly have no idea how you people do it.

Isn't that what Rambo had (along with post-tramatic stress disorder). I'm not saying you, specifically have any disorder, but doesn't what you're talking about run along the same line as when convicts get acclimated to life in prison, and they fear their parole date, ala Shawshank Redemption?
Added at: 17:13
Thats actually really normal for military folks, in fact it's pretty normal for anyone in any group that they spend a serious amount of time investing their lives in.

I guess I'm just saying don't feel bad for that or like theres anything wrong with you for feeling that way. :)

Ah I didn't read your post before I responded.

Yeah, I think everyone gets nervous about moving out of their comfort zone. I kinda miss my Big Fish in a Small Pond days...
 
W

Wasabi Poptart

Thats actually really normal for military folks, in fact it's pretty normal for anyone in any group that they spend a serious amount of time investing their lives in.
Yeah we're facing retirement in just a few more years. Even though I have lived outside of the military community it is scary to think that we will basically be starting from scratch. We don't even know for sure where we're going to go.
 

Cajungal

Staff member
I'm not the least bit religious, or supersticious, but all the "world calamities" with the Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Civil Wars, etc? I'm slightly bothered by 2012 conspiricies now....
And I'm not the slightest bit racist or prejudiced, but [insert slur here].

... :awesome: Just teasin'. I know what you mean. I usually roll my eyes at people who say that disasters are a wake-up call from some higher power, but sometimes in my quiet moments I feel a bit freaked about them too.
 
I usually roll my eyes at people who say that disasters are a wake-up call from some higher power, but sometimes in my quiet moments I feel a bit freaked about them too.
Tweets from the same person:
"maybe god was tired of the way they treated there own people"
and
"u just never knw! They did pearl harbor so u can't expect anything less"

It's deplorable, but also rather ironic as this person earned some national attention for being on the receiving end of similarly ignorant statements.
 

Cajungal

Staff member
Ew.

You know what else freaks me out? Plastic masks and any kind of weird, powdery-feeling plastic costume part you might get from a novelty shop. They feel and smell gross. I don't like plastic in general. It all feels weird to me.
 
Jesus, I thought this was a 'shop but it's real.



Despite its alien countenance it's quite harmless. Well, except for the whole spitting-acid-in-your-face thing.
 
W

Wasabi Poptart

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Added at: 13:56
Ew.

You know what else freaks me out? Plastic masks and any kind of weird, powdery-feeling plastic costume part you might get from a novelty shop. They feel and smell gross. I don't like plastic in general. It all feels weird to me.
I used to be terrified of people wearing masks. Not cartoon characters or scary masks either. It was always the transparent ones or masks with minimal features that made me so scared - like The Carver from the Nip/Tuck series.
 
M

makare

I get freaked out by my future I guess. The fact that someday I will be responsible for someone's property, livelihood or even his life. It is a lot of responsibility and I don't take it lightly. I'm freaked out that that moment will come for me the, as they say in ethics class, "you are a person first" moment where I might have to choose between a career I have worked so hard for and doing the "right thing". What if I completely failed myself and didn't do it?

I worry about those things.
 
My new roommate is a chick. I was laying on the couch today in my pajama pants and I looked down and realized I could see the goods pretty clearly. I went to go make adjustments to my prime time lineup ifyouknowwhatimean and realized that this would be just the worst time for her to come home from work.


This is now what I will worry about every time I'm in the living room.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Pretty clearly wasn't good enough, and you had to readjust reception to get the message across perfectly clear? I see, or rather, I don't want to see, but I think I get your point... I mean, I don't get your point but I know what your game is.
 

fade

Staff member
Japan's troubles have me freaked out, because we can and will get earthquakes that are just as large. And according to some geologists, we're due for one any year now. I remember what it was like in '89, and I'm worried we'll get something even worse within the next decade or so.
The odds of an 8.9 in southern California are actually much lower than they are in Japan. The entire plate boundary is mechanically completely different. Even if it does happen, Cali also has the advantage of being part of a solid plate structure, and the plate boundary itself (part of which is the San Andreas Fault System) is in consolidated rock. The shallower quakes will dissipate faster and cause much less surface shaking (ironically) than a deep subduction zone quake like the one in Japan. The fact that your part of the world is largely solid rock means less shaking damage than Japan experiences. Think of hitting Jello vs. solid rock with a hammer. In the event of a tsunami, California's coast is much steeper than Japan's, meaning less inward transgression of water.

It would still be a terrible thing, mind you, but in my professional opinion, not nearly as bad as Japan.
Added at: 15:48
In fact, while I'm on the topic, I had a serious "calm down" day with 200 geology students here the other day, who were surprisingly freaking out a little about Japan and Haiti and NZ. 8.9 is large. There is no arguing that. I showed a graph of volcano fatalities vs. year, dating back to the 1500s. On first inspection, it's tempting to say that the world will end in lava rich fire, because the graph rises exponentially. But the truth is that population is also rising exponentially. People live in places they did not before. More people die in a cataclysm. Combine that with the free flow of information in 2010-2011, and it looks like Hell is coming to Earth. A mere 15 years ago, a disaster of this magnitude might not be so well known. Fear certainly wouldn't virally spread through social media the way it has.

If you step back and look at the observational data, quake activity (I'm not counting tsunamis because as tragic as this one is, it's a side effect of an earthquake) is normal right now. The dice roll just came up on "big", and "near inhabited areas".
 
The odds of an 8.9 in southern California are actually much lower than they are in Japan. The entire plate boundary is mechanically completely different. Even if it does happen, Cali also has the advantage of being part of a solid plate structure, and the plate boundary itself (part of which is the San Andreas Fault System) is in consolidated rock. The shallower quakes will dissipate faster and cause much less surface shaking (ironically) than a deep subduction zone quake like the one in Japan. The fact that your part of the world is largely solid rock means less shaking damage than Japan experiences. Think of hitting Jello vs. solid rock with a hammer. In the event of a tsunami, California's coast is much steeper than Japan's, meaning less inward transgression of water.

It would still be a terrible thing, mind you, but in my professional opinion, not nearly as bad as Japan.
Added at: 15:48
In fact, while I'm on the topic, I had a serious "calm down" day with 200 geology students here the other day, who were surprisingly freaking out a little about Japan and Haiti and NZ. 8.9 is large. There is no arguing that. I showed a graph of volcano fatalities vs. year, dating back to the 1500s. On first inspection, it's tempting to say that the world will end in lava rich fire, because the graph rises exponentially. But the truth is that population is also rising exponentially. People live in places they did not before. More people die in a cataclysm. Combine that with the free flow of information in 2010-2011, and it looks like Hell is coming to Earth. A mere 15 years ago, a disaster of this magnitude might not be so well known. Fear certainly wouldn't virally spread through social media the way it has.

If you step back and look at the observational data, quake activity (I'm not counting tsunamis because as tragic as this one is, it's a side effect of an earthquake) is normal right now. The dice roll just came up on "big", and "near inhabited areas".
I'm sorry to tell you this fade, but you don't know anything. A random guy on the news said it was totally going to happen here, and that trumps your knowledge and education.

On a semi-serious note, I'm amazed at how people are freaking out about stupid things around here. A town 50 miles inland issued a tsunami warning the other day when the wave was heading across the Pacific. Now we've got people worried about the radiation in Japan because our scare-mongering local news brought some whackjob on to talk about how the radiation from the damaged power plants will get carried by the winds into San Francisco.
 

fade

Staff member
I'll tell you what has me a little on edge...the school shooting stuff. Combine that with anecdotal observations, and it's scary. Just 17 years ago when I went to college, the professor was the BOSS. He or she was scary and godlike. They were the wild-haired dispensers of knowledge, and you approached them with awe and reverence. Now, when I finally get to sit on the other side of the desk, the students have changed. Profs have gone from lofty guru to "I pay your salary, you're essentially my servant--lick my bootheels". The lack of respect has gone to the point where vicious verbal backlashes from students in my class are not unheard of. People talk and text as if they're in a coffee shop. I do fear saying something, because there are a couple I believe would walk in with a gun and a deadman bomb.
 
I'll tell you what has me a little on edge...the school shooting stuff. Combine that with anecdotal observations, and it's scary. Just 17 years ago when I went to college, the professor was the BOSS. He or she was scary and godlike. They were the wild-haired dispensers of knowledge, and you approached them with awe and reverence. Now, when I finally get to sit on the other side of the desk, the students have changed. Profs have gone from lofty guru to "I pay your salary, you're essentially my servant--lick my bootheels". The lack of respect has gone to the point where vicious verbal backlashes from students in my class are not unheard of. People talk and text as if they're in a coffee shop. I do fear saying something, because there are a couple I believe would walk in with a gun and a deadman bomb.
I don't have any students in mind that would do that kind of thing but it has certainly crossed my mind that it could happen. While the disrespectful attitude isn't freak-worthy, it is disheartening. I've noticed it as well and I think it requires a different approach. Be demanding but don't expect independence either. It is a difficult balance to strike. :-\
 
Man, I have so much respect for my professors. It amazes me when I meet students who behave like they're entitled. Yes, I pay to be there, and yes I have certain expectations of my professors (there is one who does fall a bit short through some of his actions), but I respect the work they've done to be where they are, and the authority they have on the material. Plus I just respect the basic student-teacher dynamic on principle.

The way I see it, yes I pay, but I pay to be privy to information from my intellectual betters. And I think, in exchange, my professors respect the work I do. I hope so, at least.
 
I'll tell you what has me a little on edge...the school shooting stuff. Combine that with anecdotal observations, and it's scary. Just 17 years ago when I went to college, the professor was the BOSS. He or she was scary and godlike. They were the wild-haired dispensers of knowledge, and you approached them with awe and reverence. Now, when I finally get to sit on the other side of the desk, the students have changed. Profs have gone from lofty guru to "I pay your salary, you're essentially my servant--lick my bootheels". The lack of respect has gone to the point where vicious verbal backlashes from students in my class are not unheard of. People talk and text as if they're in a coffee shop. I do fear saying something, because there are a couple I believe would walk in with a gun and a deadman bomb.
I get one or two like that in my class, but for the most part, the ones that piss me off are the 0.5 point grade-grubbers. I have a strict class policy that if you want me to re-check my grade for a question, I go back and scan the entire thing - THOROUGHLY! You might get a 0.5 point back, but it might mean it's at the cost of 1 point somewhere else. I do this to curb the grubbers, not to be a dick. Well, maybe a bit to be a dick.
 
W

Wasabi Poptart

I'm sorry to tell you this fade, but you don't know anything. A random guy on the news said it was totally going to happen here, and that trumps your knowledge and education.

On a semi-serious note, I'm amazed at how people are freaking out about stupid things around here. A town 50 miles inland issued a tsunami warning the other day when the wave was heading across the Pacific. Now we've got people worried about the radiation in Japan because our scare-mongering local news brought some whackjob on to talk about how the radiation from the damaged power plants will get carried by the winds into San Francisco.
I find that hilarious considering they are telling those of us in Hawaii that we have nothing to worry about.
 

fade

Staff member
I get one or two like that in my class, but for the most part, the ones that piss me off are the 0.5 point grade-grubbers. I have a strict class policy that if you want me to re-check my grade for a question, I go back and scan the entire thing - THOROUGHLY! You might get a 0.5 point back, but it might mean it's at the cost of 1 point somewhere else. I do this to curb the grubbers, not to be a dick. Well, maybe a bit to be a dick.
Yeah, I didn't mean it to sound like my class is a war zone. It's one or two. They do distract the people who actually want to be there, though.
 
Inform them that your class is a right-to-learn course, and you reserve the right to refuse service to anyone upon demonstration of a lack of willingness to learn. That'll shut 'em up. Or, y'know... not.
 
I can't imagine anyone in my classes acting like that to the professor. I was always respectful of the professor, even the drama class ones who couldn't get a schedule straight to save their lives (I prefer strict professors, they tend to be more organized). A couple of professors even maintained that whole "scary dispenser of knowledge" thing and got outright pissed at some of the minor shit that went on, like someone coming in late. And they were right--don't waste the professor's time or ours. My first year, we had some required class about western culture, and around mid-terms, the professor outright said "If you don't want to be here, don't come here."
 

fade

Staff member
I always thought of any emotional outburst as weakening the position of power that a professor (or any group leader has). When he or she gets angry, it usually looks silly. At least in retrospect.

Those students are almost like a cancer you have to live with. I enforce an attendance policy, which makes them come. I always hated profs with attendance policies when I was in school, but now I understand the purpose. It brings in that middle group made up of fair to middling students who would skip given the chance, but when forced to come actually pay attention and learn something.

I've tried calling them out, kicking them out, embarrassing them, docking grades... it doesn't matter. They're terrible students who probably won't complete their degree, and a lot of them know it. This is a core science class that attracts first semester freshmen who want the easy science. Geology 101 is easier than Physics 101, Chemistry, or Biology because its such a huge science. We can't possibly go into any level of detail.
 
I always thought of any emotional outburst as weakening the position of power that a professor (or any group leader has). When he or she gets angry, it usually looks silly. At least in retrospect.

Those students are almost like a cancer you have to live with. I enforce an attendance policy, which makes them come. I always hated profs with attendance policies when I was in school, but now I understand the purpose. It brings in that middle group made up of fair to middling students who would skip given the chance, but when forced to come actually pay attention and learn something.

I've tried calling them out, kicking them out, embarrassing them, docking grades... it doesn't matter. They're terrible students who probably won't complete their degree, and a lot of them know it. This is a core science class that attracts first semester freshmen who want the easy science. Geology 101 is easier than Physics 101, Chemistry, or Biology because its such a huge science. We can't possibly go into any level of detail.
Psych 101 is the same way. :-\

Oh, and I never see more perfect, natural normal distributions than in a large survey course like Psych 101
 
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