Stupid questions

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Re: Stupid questions

Postby sunglasses » Sat Oct 19, 2013 3:34 am

Aquila89 wrote:
I have a question: why do people close their eyes during kissing?


Because it's weird to keep your eyes open. Seriously, I've kissed with eyes open a couple times and couldn't stop giggling.
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby Matthew Notch » Sat Oct 19, 2013 3:49 am

You know Aquila, I'm pretty sure you are gonna break this thread with questions like that. I think that's a great question, myself.

I did a little research and came up with this site: http://www.nowforthesciencebit.com/your ... en-kissing. Of note, ten percent of humanity actually doesn't even kiss at all, which would seem to indicate that it's not something we're born with an instinct for. I like the idea that kissing at all came from the exchange of pheromones. I know I was super into this woman one time, and we kept on dancing around a relationship until one day it kind of all burst forth. I'll never forget what kissing her was like: she tasted a bit like pickles. Goes to show that there is something to be said for chemistry on a level other than intellectual curiosity; the relationship didn't work out.

As far as closing your eyes, though, I'll be honest: some of my best memories of kisses involved my eyes WIDE open. Case in point: the first true blue girlfriend I had, Cate (who looked a little like Orange looks now), was also the first girl I properly kissed. She had wonderfully soft lips, plus she is a genius and a brilliant artist, so there were all kinds of good things happening there. We met at the nature center for lunch a couple times, and I remember kissing her goodbye outside her car before she headed back to work, and intentionally opening my eyes just because kissing was all new to me, and I kind of wanted to experience it on all levels. I thought her face, with her eyes closed, engaged in a ritual as old as history, was one of the deepest things that could ever happen to me. It didn't end up working out; she was about six years older than me. Oh well.

I can understand, to a degree, that feeling of uneasiness, but I have never personally felt weird about opening my eyes during a kiss. As the linked article says, for many, their reasons for closing their eyes (or keeping them open) are likely to be as personal as their reasons for kissing in the first place.
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby JamesT » Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:40 pm

Aquila89 wrote:I have a question: why do people close their eyes during kissing?


I have a better question: how come people close their eyes whenever they look at you, and make retching noises?

Th... that doesn't just happen to me, right? Guys?
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby BobTheZombie » Sat Oct 19, 2013 6:51 pm

I already wrote a reply but for some reason I keep getting logged out if I have any extended period of in-activity, so if I read a page worth of comments, then spend about 5 minutes writing a reply, my reply is lost since I have to log back in. Why is that???

The closing your eyes kissing thing is simple. Imagine the awkwardness of maintaining eye-contact in conversation, then amplify it over a period of a few minutes. Also, if your eyes are open, you might spend more time focussing on the face of the one you're kissing and not their...mouth contents...*ahem*.

So, stupid questions? How do I post a reply on this site?

EDIT: I worked through it.

How come the 50 states of the USA were never classified as countries (since most of them are bigger than a lot of countries)? I don't think it's possible to pass a significant law nation-wide (like gun control) since all the states are so different.
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby Sheepman » Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:27 pm

That is something I have pondered as well; I somewhat doubt the effectiveness of trying to govern all 50 states with a single federal government. That is why there is State government as well, however. I believe that the whole reason we are a bunch of rather large states under one federal government was specifically to allow the states to do most of the governing themselves.

I think we have gotten away from that, unfortunately. Lots of people try to legislate what they want through the Federal government, and force it on all of the states. But it is what it is.

As for why they have never been classified as individual countries, they have always been governed by a single federal government, barring the Civil War. And, as indicated by the Civil War, when they try to leave the Union, the Union fights to keep them.

And a bit back there: I believe that people close their eyes while kissing partially as a sensory deprivation thing; You close your eyes, and it makes your sense of touch more sensitive. It's like how I close my eyes when I'm tasting something delicious for the first time. In addition, it's really uncomfortable to have your eyes so close to something that you cannot easily focus on, like right up against someone's face.
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby Overlord Moo » Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:47 pm

electricflamingo wrote:I cannot ask this question. My father-in-law would probably throw me in a river but he is a very staunch vegetarian....but he wears leather. Lot's of leather. Leather generally made from cows.

electricflamingo wrote:Leather generally made from cows.

electricflamingo wrote:Leather generally made from COWS.

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Re: Stupid questions

Postby Aquila89 » Sat Oct 19, 2013 8:06 pm

If we're at the US political system:

Why is that California, population 38 million, sends just as many people to the Senate as Wyoming, population 576 thousand?

What's the point of the Electoral College, and why does it make it possible that someone who didn't win the majority of the votes wins the election? Why can't just the guy who got the most votes be President?
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby jbobsully11 » Sun Oct 20, 2013 6:17 am

Aquila89 wrote:If we're at the US political system:

Why is that California, population 38 million, sends just as many people to the Senate as Wyoming, population 576 thousand?

That's kind of the point of the Senate, to give the smaller states something of a fighting chance to influence things. If the people in the less-populated states were ignored all the time, they'd probably try to break away and we'd have some kind of civil war or someth- oh... right.
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby Australia » Sun Oct 20, 2013 7:04 am

Okay, so I don't care about politics so I'm not interested in political excuses, but what is this 21st century obsession with identity? Specifically in terms of the term "immigrants". A century ago, even if we were more racist back then, if some people came fleeing in from overseas, they weren't our problem. They could do whatever they want, it's their lives. But now, we actively punish people for not having certificates or documentation because they mustn't exist. Now, I'm no "you can't own property, man" hippie but these imaginary barriers where "you stick to your country, we'll stick to ours" are ridiculous. Globalisation, my ass.

And a certainly stupid question, because the whole concept of racism is built without reason, but if rednecks hate all Muslims because of 9/11, shouldn't they hate all Americans as well, given that some of them kill each other every day?

And most important of all, it's 2013, how have they not made airline food edible yet? It's ludicrous.
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby LaoWai » Sun Oct 20, 2013 8:20 am

Australia wrote:And most important of all, it's 2013, how have they not made airline food edible yet? It's ludicrous.
My last flight was with Japan Air, and shockingly, the food was really good.There was a red-wine and tomato beef stew sort of thing served over egg noodles, with steamed vegetables, bread and butter, with a carrot cake dessert, for the first meal. The mid-flight snacks were a passable ham sandwich and a fruit bowl, then a cheese and veggie plate with mustard and wasabi dips. The 2nd meal was scrambled eggs, bacon and fried potatoes, along with a cup of apple sauce. Everything that should be hot was hot; everything that should be cold was cold; and everything tasted the way you'd expect it to, instead of like plastic. I wouldn't say it was exactly gourmet-level cooking, but it was pretty good.
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby CleverDick » Sun Oct 20, 2013 10:16 am

Aqulia wrote:What's the point of the Electoral College, and why does it make it possible that someone who didn't win the majority of the votes wins the election? Why can't just the guy who got the most votes be President?

I believe it is to avoid the vote always swinging in the direction of the most populous states, giving smaller states a voice.
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby electricflamingo » Sun Oct 20, 2013 12:27 pm

Overlord Moo wrote:
electricflamingo wrote:I cannot ask this question. My father-in-law would probably throw me in a river but he is a very staunch vegetarian....but he wears leather. Lot's of leather. Leather generally made from cows.

electricflamingo wrote:Leather generally made from cows.

electricflamingo wrote:Leather generally made from COWS.

Jaw drop.gif


He's a devout Hindu.

It wouldn't bother me if it were anyone else, but I'm still mad about the time I was sick and in front of everyone he said:
"Flamingo, you look terrible!"
"I know I'm sick"
"I mean your skin and your hair. You just do not look good at all...."
(in my head "Yes we've established the fact I look like a reanimated corpse, can we move on now?")
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby Edgar Cabrera » Sun Oct 20, 2013 5:19 pm

Australia wrote:And most important of all, it's 2013, how have they not made airline food edible yet? It's ludicrous.

I know, right? I mean, what's the deal with airline food?
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby JamesT » Sun Oct 20, 2013 6:38 pm

I have a question: how come they don't make airplanes out of airline food? I mean, those biscuits they gave me last time must have been harder than diamond. There's no way they'd break in a crash.
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Re: Stupid questions

Postby NisiOptimum » Sun Oct 20, 2013 7:59 pm

Why do people drive on a parkway and park ON MY DREAMS ORANGE!!!!!!

Also: Why won't anyone make eye contact with me on the bus? Am I just not squinting hard enough?
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