Stuffed Animals

[Caracasus]

My dad burned my only stuffed toy when I was about four. He thought it would make me gay. He was an asshole in many, many ways.

Ahh the old 'inflicting psychological trauma instead of actually parenting' thing. Sorry to hear that.

To answer IM's question, you do you basically. Have no soft toys, have a roomfull. We're all a bit weird in our own ways and collecting soft toys is pretty harmless.

I must have had some soft toys when I was little but only one stands out that I remember. A tiger that my dad got from a promotion thing for filling up at a particular petrol station. I don't know where it is, it's quite likely that it got lost as we moved around a bit when I was a kid, so I think on the rare occasions I remember that I won't actually look for it. I'd rather think it was in a box somewhere at my parents than learn for sure it's just been lost.

[Alvecia]

Again, time spent enjoyed isn’t time wasted.

Only if you enjoy improvement. Otherwise wasted time is wasted time no matter how enjoyable the activity or lack there of.

The two aren't mutually exclusive

[Big Jim P]

It literally doesn’t matter
Do whatever makes you happy

Exactly. As long as you are not harming anyone else, go for it.

[Woodfiredpizzas]

Only if you enjoy improvement. Otherwise wasted time is wasted time no matter how enjoyable the activity or lack there of.

The two aren't mutually exclusive

I can’t see how you think that. Or how you don’t lose self respect if you truly believe it.

We are living in a world cursed with near endless unproductive and ineffective people. Who vote and have no ethical objection against violence.

[Alvecia]

The two aren't mutually exclusive

I can’t see how you think that. Or how you don’t lose self respect if you truly believe it.

We are living in a world cursed with near endless unproductive and ineffective people. Who vote and have no ethical objection against violence.

You make it sound like doing nothing once in a while is the same thing as being entirely apathetic and unproductive, which is a bit of a conflation.

[Woodfiredpizzas]

I can’t see how you think that. Or how you don’t lose self respect if you truly believe it.

We are living in a world cursed with near endless unproductive and ineffective people. Who vote and have no ethical objection against violence.

You make it sound like doing nothing once in a while is the same thing as being entirely apathetic and unproductive, which is a bit of a conflation.

Well I’ll concede that there’s a scale. But of all the forces for good and ethical living productivity IS king.

[Valentine Z]

The two aren't mutually exclusive

I can’t see how you think that. Or how you don’t lose self respect if you truly believe it.

We are living in a world cursed with near endless unproductive and ineffective people. Who vote and have no ethical objection against violence.

To be honest, you really sound like YOU need a break. There's no need to slam other people for doing what they love. Yes, I admit, there are some people that does not do much, or unemployed, or whatever, but that is none of our business. Who knows what kind of hardship they have went through (unemployed doesn't always mean ineffective, but that's another story), or what kind of things they're doing at the moment to relieve themselves from the stress of life.

That's why people have vacations - to unwind and to do absolutely nothing so that your mind is at rest. You seriously make it sound like humans don't deserve the finer things in life, or to relax, like at all, and that's worrying. That's the concept of a dystopian future where you're working 24/7 until you die, with "breaks" just to eat or to relax your muscles. What, I don't have self-respect because I love doing some things (in moderation) that aren't, in your eyes, productive?

Example of someone who needed a break, but got "pranked" into doing more work.

---

But this is not the topic of the thread, so I digress, and we should go back to talking about stuffed animals. We should have this discussion some other time, but not here.

[Alvecia]

You make it sound like doing nothing once in a while is the same thing as being entirely apathetic and unproductive, which is a bit of a conflation.

Well I’ll concede that there’s a scale. But of all the forces for good and ethical living productivity IS king.

Arguably not, depending on where that productivity is aimed. Ceaseless productivity led to the exponential, and unsustainable growth that we see today. A growth that only in recent times have we come to see has irreparably damaged the world in which we live.
Not to mention the need for endless productivity that has led to poor worker conditions, damaging mental health, and ironically, a general sense of apathy.

The world would be a better place if everyone just spent some time to cuddle a teddy bear every now and then.

[Dumb Ideologies]

The two aren't mutually exclusive

I can’t see how you think that. Or how you don’t lose self respect if you truly believe it.

We are living in a world cursed with near endless unproductive and ineffective people. Who vote and have no ethical objection against violence.

The prevailing standards for productivity and effectiveness are, in mainstream society, very materialist and focused on collecting sufficient currency to buy more useless stuff that doesn't make people happier. In most of the academic realm, they're as much about learning how to game tests and submit work that appeals to the worldview and the agenda of peer reviewers as they are about intellectual honesty and expanding knowledge.

These are some interesting indices that shape a lot of the discourse around what "self-improvement" actually means. The human condition is a harsh one, and perhaps the "care not" slackers and the stoically mediocre, both of whom have rejected the advancement narrative and find a degree of peace in their stagnation have something to teach us, at least in staunch rejection though perhaps not in the lack of a replacement.

Advancing your family, community and nation, with your own interests forming a part of these, but not overwhelming either, seems like a much less narcissistic path than money-chasing or ivory-towerism. A lot of our social problems come from people excessively trying to "self-improve" at the price of others.

[Page]

How is it alarming?

Because needing security blankets, toys, etc. to function is an infantile trait that should not be present in an healthy adult. I would've thought that'd been fairly obvious.

Everyone has a security blanket of one kind or another. For billions of people, it's religion.

[Jetan]

Because needing security blankets, toys, etc. to function is an infantile trait that should not be present in an healthy adult. I would've thought that'd been fairly obvious.

It might be interesting to see if a fondness of stuffed animals inversely correlates with religiosity. That after all can also provide a feeling of safety.

A mere fondness doesn't really reach the level discussed though. But yeah, data and correlations between things are always interesting.

Because needing security blankets, toys, etc. to function is an infantile trait that should not be present in an healthy adult. I would've thought that'd been fairly obvious.

I use the warm, soothing posts of NSG to rock me to sleep

You must have some pretty interesting dreams then.

Because needing security blankets, toys, etc. to function is an infantile trait that should not be present in an healthy adult. I would've thought that'd been fairly obvious.

Everyone has a security blanket of one kind or another. For billions of people, it's religion.

You know, that only refutes my point if you consider religiosity to be a positive thing. If you don't, it reinforces it instead.

[The Blaatschapen]

Because needing security blankets, toys, etc. to function is an infantile trait that should not be present in an healthy adult. I would've thought that'd been fairly obvious.

Everyone has a security blanket of one kind or another. For billions of people, it's religion.

Brb, creating a Jesus plushie.

[Infected Mushroom]

its high quality made enough to survive a power wash? I hope so =)

It's from the days of 1990s, so I'm sure it can take a lot of abuse from the washing machine... provided I can find the darn thing, of course.

I see...

I hope you find him

[The Grims]

Everyone has a security blanket of one kind or another. For billions of people, it's religion.

Brb, creating a Jesus plushie.

IIRC calling a teddybear "Mohammed" is a bad idea though.

[The Blaatschapen]

Brb, creating a Jesus plushie.

IIRC calling a teddybear "Mohammed" is a bad idea though.

I prefer to sell to a fully commercialized religion

[Western Vale Confederacy]

Brb, creating a Jesus plushie.

IIRC calling a teddybear "Mohammed" is a bad idea though.

Well, at least it ain't naming a Smurf plushie "Vishnu".

[Geneviev]

I have a stuffed bear that is wearing the German football uniform. There's nothing wrong with that since it's sports. Other than that, it still doesn't matter if someone has stuffed animals.

Is it adorable?

It's very adorable. It even has a tiny football.

[The New California Republic]

My dad burned my only stuffed toy when I was about four. He thought it would make me gay. He was an asshole in many, many ways.

I had a gigantic burly bear toy when I was younger. It probably explains a great many things.

[Pax Nerdvana]

I still have some lying about, in addition to the fact that I collect action figures, so it doesn't bother me.

[The Blaatschapen]

I still have some lying about, in addition to the fact that I collect action figures, so it doesn't bother me.

If those action figures are also just lying about, then they are more like inaction figures.

[Valrifell]

Stuffed animals are fine but don't overdo it.

[Pax Nerdvana]

I still have some lying about, in addition to the fact that I collect action figures, so it doesn't bother me.

If those action figures are also just lying about, then they are more like inaction figures.

They're sitting on my desk, actually. I fiddle with them quite often.

[The Blaatschapen]

If those action figures are also just lying about, then they are more like inaction figures.

They're sitting on my desk, actually. I fiddle with them quite often.

So they are seeing some action. Good

Also, are they Transformers?

[Abarri]

Never a problem! Who says only kids get to play or to sleep with plushies? They're adorable, plus they don't easily break apart.
Personally I'm not fond of large stuffed toys though. I often like ones that are about one foot high or less. I also admit that I don't sleep with stuffed toys; pillows are enough. I just let some occupy my bed during daytime.

[Pax Nerdvana]

They're sitting on my desk, actually. I fiddle with them quite often.

So they are seeing some action. Good

Also, are they Transformers?

Yeah, that should have been an easy guess.