Reconciling Politics Differences

Do you have any advice about how friends can deal with different political positions? Since this is a Jesuit school, there’s definitely more pro-life people. Some people (myself included) find this nearly unreconcilable. With the nearing Supreme Court decision, this debate is going to be at the forefront of the nation. Thoughts?

How do you navigate deep philosophical differences with people you love? There are pretty much two approaches to maintaining these friendships: you can agree to avoid the subject entirely, or you can set ground rules for conversations (e.g. no ad hominem attacks, broaching the subject only with permission, etc.) If neither of those work, friendships can suffer a lot of damage. But in a sense, this is true of any relationship: everyone has at least a few sacred subjects, and if they don’t make it clear how & when their loved ones can broach those subjects without causing pain, or if they do & their loved ones repeatedly trample over those limits, respect & trust suffer.

I have an irrational fear of people with ginger hair

I don’t want to get too deep into this fear, but when I’m alone and I’m in “the mood” (if you know what I mean), I feel attracted to ginger people, it’s like the “forbidden fruit”, like a guilty pleasure, like a taboo to me. Phew, I feel good finally sharing it with someone. P.S. I was about to send this when I decided to make a Google search and there is apparently a paraphilia named ‘rutiluphilia’ that is all about ginger people. Jesus Christ, I like ginger people only because it’s taboo for me, not in such paraphilic manner.

If it’s not disabling, doesn’t interfere with living your life and doesn’t cause anyone else harm, don’t overthink it.

are mechanical pencils better for the enviermet

Unclear. It’s the age-old debate about wood products (renewable but still damaging) v. man-made products (not renewable but also not directly killing trees). Ultimately, the volume of material used in pencil manufacturing is low enough that many other environmental concerns, such as the carbon byproducts of electrical generation, transportation, and heating are much more urgent.

Anyone else like Dark Side of the Moon?

Anyone else like Dark Side of the Moon?
Anyone else like Dark Side of the Moon?

Forty-five million sales to date–you bet! My Lyons Hall Wall friend, who was an early 20-something in 1973, remembers being floored and amazed by the initial release. And I’ve heard listening to the album on vinyl is the way to go.

HELP! I think I’ve fallen in love… with a wall >lll<

HELP! I think I've fallen in love... with a wall >lll
HELP! I think I’ve fallen in love… with a wall >lll<

It happens; we are so darn cute and approachable so it isn’t surprising people fall for walls. People also frequently fall for floors. Wait, that is actually _on_ floors, not _for_ floors. Make sure you keep space in your heart for actual human people, there is a lot of good in them.

Yikes. my sister just got into CSOM

Yikes. my sister just got into CSOM
Yikes. my sister just got into CSOM

Congratulations! It will be interesting to have your sibling attending college with you. BC is big enough and has enough opportunities that you don’t necessarily have to be seeing each other all the time. Let her in on all the good stuff it takes most first years ages to find out about and please introduce her to me.

Are the chargers a superbowl contender??

Are the chargers a superbowl contender??
Are the chargers a superbowl contender??

It is still a possibility. This season has been a bit strange for a lot of teams. The Chargers have been pretty competitive in most games they’ve played this season with the game against Baltimore being a major exception. There doesn’t appear to be any juggernaut in the AFC at the moment, so if they can make the postseason, anything is possible.

What’s up my homies?

What's up my homies? I hate you! ☹
What’s up my homies? I hate you! ☹

Oh, my friend. Feeling hatred is such a heavy and profound thing. Please know that I do not hate you, at all, ever. Maybe it’s time for a bit of a stress reliever – can I interest you in some virtual pet therapy the BC Libraries put together this December? https://bit.ly/BCpets