Things that left you baffled

[jhoroz]

A few weeks ago my step father finds out that his sister, who has been dead for three years, has just had a law suit filed against her for some debt she owed some bank 10 years ago, which they suddenly decide to act upon NOW, after she has long been dead. Since she was in a...how should I put this..."inconvenient disposition", the law suit was then directed towards my step dad, who had absolutely nothing to do with this and only found out about her illegal activities after it was brought to his attention three weeks ago.

Needless to say, he immediately contacted a lawyer, who, according to my step dad, was a fairly stoic and serious individual, and yet he himself was completely baffled and bewildered by the fucking stupidity of the situation and claimed that in his entire career he has never seen anything as outlandish and moronic as this. Fortunately, they managed to clear the situation up and have come to the conclusion that the judge simply glanced over the case without reading too much into it when approving the law suit.

Only in Bulgaria folks!

 

[EeveeElectro]

People who brag about taking drugs.
People can do what they want with their bodies but when they start to brag, they look like twats. It's nothing to be proud of and it doesn't make them look big or clever, no sane person is impressed with you getting high.
Same goes for those who go drinking. NOBODY. CARES.

 

[Roxor]

How teachers at my Catholic primary school would teach us about the likes of Norse mythology or the Greek pantheon like they're just kids stories but when I'd ask why they're god is real and the Norse weren't they couldn't give me a straight answer and would say something along the lines of "Because God is real and they aren't". I became an atheist around that point in my life, made Catholic school rather irritating I must say.

So to sum up, it baffles me how people who worship their god of choice can completely disregard all other deities.

This; if you change "Catholic" to "non-denominational Christian" and "atheist" to "agnostic", you have my childhood as well.

Agnostic atheist or agnostic theist? What you believe and what you know are independent quantities. You don't need to know anything about the god to believe or not believe it exists.

It baffles me why people don't seem to understand this when it's so simple.

Another thing which baffles me is how anyone can be as dishonest as creationists or climate change denialists and not be ashamed of themselves.

 

[Innegativeion]

Agnostic atheist or agnostic theist? What you believe and what you know are independent quantities. You don't need to know anything about the god to believe or not believe it exists.

It baffles me why people don't seem to understand this when it's so simple.

Well... you can be unsure of anything. Your shoesize, your favorite color, Link's voice actor, the chemical composition of rice crispies, the age of the universe, Gabe Newell's middle name, what you had for breakfast this morning...

I would think most agnostics would self identify as "unsure if there is a god".

Therefor neither of the monikers "athiest" nor "thiest" would make much sense.

 

[AuronFtw]

Agnostic atheist or agnostic theist? What you believe and what you know are independent quantities. You don't need to know anything about the god to believe or not believe it exists.

It baffles me why people don't seem to understand this when it's so simple.

Well... you can be unsure of anything. Your shoesize, your favorite color, Link's voice actor, the chemical composition of rice crispies, the age of the universe, Gabe Newell's middle name, what you had for breakfast this morning...

I would think most agnostics would self identify as "unsure if there is a god".

Therefor neither of the monikers "athiest" nor "thiest" would make much sense.

Not exactly accurate. Typically agnostics are "convinced" that it's impossible to prove the existence of god, and that engaging in debates of that nature are therefore pointless. However, with that belief, it is still possible to believe in god (due to personal experiences or faith) without believing it's possible to prove. Agnostic atheists are similar, just on the other spectrum; they don't think it can be proven either way, and their personal belief is that god doesn't exist. Neither one is the type to get involved in a huge debate on the existence of god, because they believe it can't be proven, but they can still have an opinion on the topic (and often do).

I typically find agnostic atheists to be far more common than straight up atheists. Pure atheism is a denial of any kind of god figure with the same level of blind faith of any religious zealot - usually a logical assessment of the situation precludes that kind of broad, sweeping "there is no god because I can't see him" argument, leaving someone who doesn't think they can prove it one way or another, but still feels that either god exists (...or many gods exist, or whatever) or it doesn't.

 

[Innegativeion]

I typically find agnostic atheists to be far more common than straight up atheists. Pure atheism is a denial of any kind of god figure with the same level of blind faith of any religious zealot - usually a logical assessment of the situation precludes that kind of broad, sweeping "there is no god because I can't see him" argument, leaving someone who doesn't think they can prove it one way or another, but still feels that either god exists (...or many gods exist, or whatever) or it doesn't.

Okay no, no, no, no-no-nonononono.

A person who doesn't believe in a higher divine power is an atheist. Straight up.

Many scientists are atheists.

As any scientist will tell you, the very fact that something cannot be proven throws its existence into doubt. At least, that is the typical line of thinking. In traditional logic, negatives needn't be proven, positives need to be proven. The very idea that god's existence cannot be proven is the basis of atheism.

I mean... some atheists may think they can prove god doesn't exist, but most atheists aren't that stupid; they realize a negative statement justifies itself in the absence of positive evidence. Thus they disbelieve simply BECAUSE it cannot be proven, and thus are atheistic.

 

[Nadia Castle]

The concept of family, mostly because I'm past the age where you love them as some unconditional thing, and the age where you hate them for no reason. Now I've hit that age where you just see them as other human beings, and mine are a depressingly shallow bunch obsessed with what other people will think and snobbishly sneering at anyone who isn't to their exact standards. Basically I've reached my mid 20's and realized I'm related to the Durseleys.

Also people who believe in Anarchy. As an ideal I suppose its lovely, but when your convinced that a system based on people NOT being complete d**ks to each other is feasible, I have to wonder if any of them have ever had a five minuet conversation with 90% of humanity.....

 

[Johann610]

Dubstep. How did it get to be so popular? It's House music with bass instead of treble--as if you shut off your alarm clock just in time to do your laundry! And yeah, it has a place, but why?

 

[Trivea]

snip

Agnostic atheist or agnostic theist? What you believe and what you know are independent quantities. You don't need to know anything about the god to believe or not believe it exists.

It baffles me why people don't seem to understand this when it's so simple.

Another thing which baffles me is how anyone can be as dishonest as creationists or climate change denialists and not be ashamed of themselves.

Agnostic polytheist from no single pantheon, if you want to be technical. I don't rule anything out, mostly because I find the argument "it has never been scientifically proven and therefore must be untrue" arrogant at best. To be honest, I don't give religion much thought because I have more important things to worry about than what happens to me when I die, namely, what happens to me while I'm still alive.

 

[Fox12]

So I just watched some recent stuff over at TGWTG. Namely, Nostalgia Critic's review of Sailor Moon and Sage's Top 20 Worst Number One Songs. Now, something caught my attention in Sage's video. He mentioned something in passing. Something with a caption assuring me it was real. So, I looked it up.


Okay, I couldn't care less about Miley Cyrus. But... Why? Just why? Smells Like Teen Spirit is one of Nirvana's most famous songs. I love the song. It leaves me baffled. I seriously don't know what to say to this. I couldn't believe it before, and now, I don't even know what to think. I think this overshadowed the rest of Sage's video for me.

And in that video, literally no one even seemed to know the song. Which I'm pretty sure is a crime in some countries.

So, that left me completely baffled today. What about you? Got anything that left you in shock? Or maybe that video I just posted left you in shock.

I think I'm gonna go listen to the real song, now.

Oh... oh God. I'm bleeding out of every orifice. I-I don't think I can stop it.

I did stumble across this little gem once.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxPsXPCR5MU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR9d4ESlpHY

 

[EvilRoy]

Had a conversation with a dude not long ago where he expressed a dead certainty that you could not possibly be in a science or related field such as engineering and be religious. When speaking to a fellow, I think he was a chrisitan, considering going into the sciences he explained that no one else would ever be able to respect him so long as he retained his beliefs.

And I was just.. I mean... Well number one I know the guy doing the talking had never even been near a university or a research corporation. During my time in grad studies I shared offices with people who were, in order of descending occurrence, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, a couple "I don't cares" and one lonely Catholic. And then there was the fact that this dude was like 25 or so, and apparently lacking the emotional maturity necessary to work with people who believe differently than he does.

While in the same city a Musilm, a Buddhist and a Christian walk into a bar and order orange juice, tea, and a half pint of draught. And don't murder eachother.

 

[Catfood220]

My cat, he is very vocal being part Siamese, but I just watch him droop in, meowing and howling, sitting in his corner, still making noise as he sits down, then after a couple of seconds closes his eyes and rests.....WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU MAKE NOISE FOR?! ARE YOU TRYING TO ALERT ME THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SLEEP?! IS MY CAT OBNOXIOUS AND THINKS THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND HIM?!.....it bugs the hell outta me, not just because it's confusing, but it's always loud and always in the morning when I don't have to get up.

You clearly haven't owned a cat for long. You are his slave, the world does revolve around him and you should feel honoured to deal with his every whim.

On a serious note, as an owner of 2 "chatty" cats (and one fairly quiet one), I know how annoying it can be when they wander around meowing for no reason, its like "do you want food?" Nope. Do you want a cuddle? Nope. Do you want to play? Nope. Are you making noise for the sake of it? Oh ok.

I still love them though.

 

[SpAc3man]

I'm baffled as to why you would be baffled by the Smells Like Teen Spirit cover.

Such an influential song in musical history is bound to be covered by a wide range of artists. Including pop acts like Miley Cyrus.

Covers by artists from different genres can be very good.

 

[Not Lord Atkin]

Apparently, I've had a housemate for at least two days. I do not know who they are and haven't seen or heard them. Far as I know, my floor of the dorm is completely empty. Yet apparently, according to a trusted source, there is someone in one of the rooms next door, they know who I am and can see me every day.

Does that qualify as baffling enough?

 

[Nadia Castle]

"Another thing which baffles me is how anyone can be as dishonest as creationists or climate change denialists and not be ashamed of themselves."

Climate change Denial is too much of a broad term, I don't doubt climate change is a thing, I just think we're better off preparing to deal with the consequences than hoping we can stop it. Yet by any fanatical climate change advocate(yes they do exist) I'd be labeled a 'denier'.

Same with creationism, yes there are stupid people who seem to think that evolution somehow involves jumping off buildings enough times to grow wings, but there are broader ones who accept both evolution and creationism. Personally I don't and creationism doesn't belong in science at all, but it's not as if their all Kirk Camerons....

 

[SanguiniusMagnificum]

I'm baffled at how people enjoy going to night clubs. The play some of the worst music I've ever heard, so loud that it's barely possible to hear yourself think, let alone hold any kind of a conversation.And they're so crowded that you can't move about without anyone bumping into you. How could anyone find this fun? I'll take a relaxed get together with a few close friends any day.

That one's easy. People have different taste in music, and some people like the music in night clubs. They don't go to night clubs to hold conversations, and being crowded is half the fun. It's a way of going out and being around people without having to socialize.

***

I'm baffled by people claiming that Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" is the song of the summer. I mean, sure, these decisions aren't exactly scientific and are probably more inspired by record company executives than fan opinion, but what's the appeal? I've been listening to it in bars and honestly until I saw Thicke perform live on Colbert Report last night I had never even heard the lyrics as words. They were just an incomprehensible mush because the mixing is so bad. I always figured that no one actually likes the song, just that that kid who leeched off of his father being on Growing Pains paid some models to not wear much around him in a video and that got him views on YouTube. People still sing along with fun.'s "We Are Young" when it comes on in my bar, even though it was the song of the summer two years ago. When "Blurred Lines" comes on, well, a few guys who apparently have a thing for waifish girls in vinyl stare at the TVs, and everyone else just ignores it and goes back to drinking and talking.

Yes, yes and another YES!!! I'm not some pop music affectionado, but I watch enough "Todd In The Shadows" to stay up-to-date about the currents of that clogged sewer that people call pop music. I just can't understand how people can enjoy "Blurred Lines" while "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk is on the radio. Both are 70-ish and funky, but "Blurred Lines" is just so damn lazy! That stupid music video, the lyrics, the not so subtle date rape message.... Ok, I think that I'll stop ranting about now...

 

[Total LOLige]

Which I'm pretty sure is a crime in some countries.

No civilised country.

Miley doing that song is kind of weird, though. Watching her run her hands all over herself and remembering the original singer was a douchebag in hand-me-down Indigo Girls attire....

Yes, I dislike Nirvana. COME AT ME, BROS!

(no, really, don't)

What actually baffles me here the most isn't Miley herself, but that fact that this is the third or fourth teen pop sensation I've seen cover SLTS. I think freaking Avril Lavine covered it too (and I'm not confusing it with Fuel, and it baffles me that people make THAT leap, too). There's a trend for teen (or formerly teen) female pop stars to cover this song, and I don't get the connection. Is there a secret girl power meaning to which I'm not privy?

I think its because SLTS is the ultimate pop song, everyone knows that shit. That wasn't even a bad cover, OP is just complaining because it was ol' Miley C. I don't really get all the fuss over Nirvana, just a shit Smashing Pumpkins *shield against Kurt Cobain cultists activate*

OT: When fans cry that a band change their style is pretty baffaling, words like "sell outs" get thrown around.

 

[rasputin0009]

My 12th Grade Chemistry teacher didn't know which was bigger; the earth or the moon. She was also an avid user of Wikipedia whenever a student had a discrepancy with her logic. We didn't have much respect for her. Didn't help that she slept with 3 students in one year (It's okay, my friends were all 18). She was a very baffling woman.

 

[Something Amyss]

I said "according to QI", and I only mentioned it because I found the episode funny. I do not have a background in marine biology so in no way could I make a statement of fact, just an observation I found on a fun TV show.

One of the great things about the internet is that you don't need to be an expert. These days, you don't even need to buy expensive textbooks or journals. People frequently pull the "you think you're so smart" thing because of one of my superpowers. Research.

This is a piece of misinformation that's spread far and wide on the internet, and QI may actually be the source. I'm not sure. however, it is misinformation. There is a biological definition of a fish and it operates the same as any other polyphyletic groups.

Fair play if you're only interested because of QI or whatever, but it's not that hard to research something like that. I don't 100% understand all the terminology myself. I also did find it interesting that I couldn't find a primary source for the Gould statement, but I found one I think people screwed up. Considering what I've watched of QI, I was kind of surprised to see this one.

 

[Glongpre]

So I just watched some recent stuff over at TGWTG. Namely, Nostalgia Critic's review of Sailor Moon and Sage's Top 20 Worst Number One Songs. Now, something caught my attention in Sage's video. He mentioned something in passing. Something with a caption assuring me it was real. So, I looked it up.


Okay, I couldn't care less about Miley Cyrus. But... Why? Just why? Smells Like Teen Spirit is one of Nirvana's most famous songs. I love the song. It leaves me baffled. I seriously don't know what to say to this. I couldn't believe it before, and now, I don't even know what to think. I think this overshadowed the rest of Sage's video for me.

And in that video, literally no one even seemed to know the song. Which I'm pretty sure is a crime in some countries.

So, that left me completely baffled today. What about you? Got anything that left you in shock? Or maybe that video I just posted left you in shock.

I think I'm gonna go listen to the real song, now.

Hmmmm, surprisingly it wasn't that bad. Just because it is Miley doesn't mean it is instabad. Atleast she didn't remix it or something, although I only listened to the first min or so.