[Fedoras of Salvation] - White Knights ITT

[TubeHunter]

I dunno, I don't mind my small town, or my church, I don't think either are mindless machines of hate and closedmindedness. Yeah, there are a few bad eggs, but I feel that that is not the majority.

[LP, of the Fires]

I grew up in a small town. 40k pop. California, so my definition of small town may differ from others. Anyways, it didn't seem radically different from big city life as far as prejudices and things of that are concerned. In general, everyone's cool accept for the small subset and fringe church groups that aren't(I'm Christian myself and indifferent to basically everything).

[Jack]

I have a question for everyone:

If your store gives credit for singles, what % do they give? My store gives 50% credit for singles and I was wondering if this was normal.

About normal, yeah. My store uses some other, bigger retailer's buylist prices as a guideline for its own, and those tend to be about 50% of what they sell the card for, but obviously more for in-demand cards or cards they think are about to experience a jump in price. I don't usually keep many money cards sitting around in my trade binder (I don't open many packs as my store offers store credit, so when I win, I spend it on cards that are either speculations or will find a home in a current or future deck), and those that I do I'm usually able to trade away at 100%.
nReasons I'll trade singles for credit:
1) The card has a bit of a price tag to it, but I'm unable to find someone that wants to trade for the card.
2) They have a card that I really want, but can't afford with what I have in my wallet (or just don't want to pay cash for).
3) They have a card that's already lower in price that it normally is, making the loss in potential value not feel so bad.

[TubeHunter]

Heh try a town with 1 k population aNd then you'll know small town

[DocLawless]

First 17 years of my life were spent in one with a population of 220. Nearest "big town" was 30 minutes away, and was population 5000.

[Wraith223]

Heh try a town with 1 k population aNd then you'll know small town

2,000 is fairly small as well. I had to stop going to a favored doughnut shop cause x person worked there (fear of spitting on my food). We had a public dissagreement on how "real christians attend church and not work sundays" rational, and thats BS. Sundays are a big work day for me and many my age/work area. I don't go to church there anymore, but small towns can be vindictive.

So many people keep moving in and out my areas towns now, thus you could say it's getting better. Problem is that many are from california.

[Nuwen]

oh sry

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COCKS COCKS COCKS COCKS (Redthirst <------------------------------------------->)COCKS COCKS
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You can't pull support networks out from under people. Outlawing religious education would be absurd, because then a lot of people would simply not be educated. That's no good. You have to provide viable alternatives, and they need to solve problems (efficiency & accessibility, most importantly) with the current system.

[Nuwen]

I dunno, I don't mind my small town, or my church, I don't think either are mindless machines of hate and closedmindedness. Yeah, there are a few bad eggs, but I feel that that is not the majority.

This is exactly correct. Most of these places are giving communities something they can't find anywhere else: spiritual support, financial support, child-care services, education programs, job placement, clothing/food/$commodity distribution - this is all hella important stuff. There is a REASON churches are the center of communities.

I hope I don't sound like I think there is a man behind the curtain, silently oppressing us all by forcing us to get essential things from an establishment that hurts us. The issue is magnitudes more complex.

[Helios]

Ok Nuwen, so I'd like to hear your thoughts: given that urban living is "bad", why is it that urban centers are centers of culture? See I view the open-mindedness more often found in big cities as a good thing, not a bad one; that's a major factor in my choice of locale. Cities are also more environmentally-friendly than a suburban lifestyle, which is a huge plus.

[Alex]

Nuwen, if I ever meet you in person, please be less smart.

She's less intimidating in person.

[Nuwen]

Urban centers are wealthy - there's a greater concentration of rich individuals in cities, and cost of living in cities is high; it follows that most people who enjoy a middle class lifestyle in a city will be well-educated, financially stable, and open-minded to new experiences because their past experiences have rewarded them.

All of the qualities you're describing aren't necessarily specific to urbanites. They describe affluent people, who are more likely to have the resources to live well in a city.

But there's a big difference between this....



(MOMA tower)

and this:



(University Heights)

I'm from the Bronx, where racism is rampant (just like any low income / low education place). Neighborhoods & communities are
mostly divided along racial lines, which doesn't fit with the image you have of multi-cultural tolerance in cities. I grew up in a Black/Borican/Dominican neighborhood, but my skin is very white (especially in the winter) because my father is Scandinavian. It didn't matter that my single Puerto Rican mother faced the same problems as a lot of other single moms did, and I had no father - because I looked blanca there was all sorts of hate.

See, cultural values are largely determined by community environment and education, which is stuff divided along income lines. We lived among first/second gen immigrants who were under-educated, under-employed, and very likely to discriminate because they themselves were discriminated against daily. The same income lines exist in small towns, and small towns are even more likely to see extreme recession and insufficient social welfare.

Neighborhood gangs usually form along racial lines, and they often supplement the same kind of opportunities that churches offer: &
quot;job" training, safety net for family and friends, community protection. Gangs aren't just dumb kids who kill each other for fun, they're organized networks of entrepreneurs and soldiers who see a way to create "jobs" between the margins and keep their own safe. But because these communities are so racially exclusive, you end up with situations where Some Black Kid feels unsafe around a two Dominicans because they're jabbering in Spanish and the only way either group knows how to respond to fear is with violence. This is why anti-gang outreach programs ALWAYS prioritize education above all else, because people who can get jobs more lucrative than high-risk gang running take the safer option for themselves and their families.

I remember one particularly gross incident at my elementary school, when I brought a dinky handmade slingshot to class. My mom screamed down the black principal, who wanted to suspend me citing anti-violence policies - she thought I was a serious threat, because
I brought in a weapon that evaded the metal detectors. In her mind, I was definitely dangerous and she was unsympathetic. Mom was upset because other (black) students who brought REAL weapons, like knives, to the school were allowed to attend in ISS, in-school suspension that's basically all-day supervised detention. Students went to ISS instead of true suspension because their homes couldn't afford child care, and my mom couldn't either - she felt like the black principal wasn't giving her the same leeway that other struggling parents were allowed.

I'm not saying urban living is bad, I'm saying that forcing everyone to live in an urban center because it's a "beneficial multicultural experience" betrays a poor understanding of how cities function. I've met tons of intolerant, xenophobic people surrounded by diversity - I think racism, prejudice, homophobia, all the bad stuff is more symptomatic of poor education (or just plain 'ol poor), no matter where the
location is.

[photodyer]

Random thought: How many people open packs they win at FNMs? I keep seeing people do this in event reports, and that seems like the worst idea ever. An unopened pack is worth a guaranteed $3.50 or more. You can trade them, sell them, pack-in on a draft, or get store credit instead. Would any pack openers care to explain?

Box-mapping kinda kills this anymore...anyone with any sense doesn't trust stray packs (unless you're trading them onsite after people see you get the wins) unless they can absolutely verify the source. A regrettable truth, and one of the reasons (beyond shrink, which is their primary concern) that big box stores started pushing for carded single packs years ago (one of a stack of reasons revolving around people trying to cherry-
pick a box). Unlike MODO, random ain't necessarily "random".

[photodyer]

Okay...this one is just damn creepy:

[Helios]

I agree with all of those things, but will still be leaving my small town to live in a city. Because I've never been to a small town in a small state where someone said "Hey, you're a gender/sexual minority? No big deal, we love everyone and there's a community here for you."

[Jack]

Looks like the DTR mafia game just started. Could anyone quickly teach me how to play? I kinda just skimmed that wiki page to learn what it was.

[TubeHunter]

Suga should put up some base rules, and if you have any specific clarification questions, ask him. Be smart , don't lose your head. That's about it. The game is stupid complex wrapped Ina package of simplicity, so you'll get it quickly, it the nuances that'll get ya. (Advice from a terrible mafia player)

[TubeHunter]

The people that play will also be happy to explain the terms if needed. (At least I hope so) also read the wiki, It obv has some beginners guides that aRe helpful.

[Kazekirimaru]

Looks like the DTR mafia game just started. Could anyone quickly teach me how to play? I kinda just skimmed that wiki page to learn what it was.

You'll learn by doing. Feel free to PM me any theory questions.

[rcwraspy]

just be careful what kind of questions you ask once the game starts - especially any not PMed to the mod or in the game thread itself.

[Kazekirimaru]

Yep. Don't talk about ongoing games outside the game thread unless your role PM specifically specifies you can do so.

[Kazekirimaru]

specifically specifies

[rcwraspy]

And don't trust anybody.

Except me

[Wraith223]

I don't see the DTR mafia (signup) game anymore. Did the game move somewhere from the main page?

[TubeHunter]

And don't trust anybody.

Except me

Clearly trustworthy

[Kazekirimaru]

I don't see the DTR mafia (signup) game anymore. Did the game move somewhere from the main page?

Yep. I did. It's closed, so it's in Old Signups.

The game will be in a new thread - not the signup thread.

[DarthStabber]

Its been my esperience that while poverty and education are factors, the closeminededness trickles up into higher income brackets ahd education levels in smaller communties. And all of the hatred and vitriol that our corporate owners can sew between us, the harder it is for us to see it's them that's really fucking us, and not in a good way.

[DarthStabber]

It seems my sweeping anti-corporate remarks may have killed the thread. Let awkwardness rule the night!

Back to products from our favorite corporate overlord, hasbro.

[photodyer]

For those of you who've put up with Dan and I long enough to care, I just posted pics from the holiday party in the lockdown Personal S**t thread.

[photodyer]

It seems my sweeping anti-corporate remarks may have killed the thread. Let awkwardness rule the night!

Back to products from our favorite corporate overlord, hasbro.

I don't think so, DS...it's just that time of night. As one of the resident night owls, things generally get quiet around now in terms of meaningful discussion except for the occasional comment here or there. That is, unless zeman is bored at work and feeling chatty (just pokin' James ).

[DocLawless]

This is my quiet time, for lurking.

[DarthStabber]

It's later than I thought it was. Finally found out about bob's burgers and I have almost finished binging the first season.

[TubeHunter]

Z's article has dropped. Excellent job as always.
Not particularly new information to us Fos folk, but I really did enjoy reading it.

Though I do have one critique z. Try and have a bit more conclusion. The article just is like " yeah I got some peak eruptions and I might add more cya later" Adding something as simple as a "until next time" will give readers a better sense of finality at the end of your articles.

[zemanjaski]

Must avoid temptation to "see you space cowboy"

[Helios]

I will make a facebook for no other reason than to comment on your article if the next one ends with "see ya, space cowboy".

EDIT: Excellent work, as usual.

[zemanjaski]

"Destruction is best left to professionals"

[windstrider]

"Destruction is best left to professionals"

Or anyone with a functioning brain. Explosives are painful.

[zemanjaski]

"Sometimes you die a heroic death in battle, other times you're target practice"

[Lightning_Dolt]

"Spontaneous combustion is a myth. If you burst into flame, someone wanted you to." —Chandra Nalaar

[DarthStabber]

"Just the thing for those pesky water mages"

[zemanjaski]

"Feels like I'm in a bad dream I can't wake up from"

....wait.