The Fundamental Attribution Error (and possible diagnosis for the bird)

I was pulling out of a restaurant parking lot today when a person drove up who was trying to enter the parking lot. Yeah, I was there first, but I was also leaving out the "entry only" way (unwittingly). Apparently she wasn't too happy because I got the authoritative flip-off.

This is like a regular flip off, except at least three of the following criteria must be met:

1. One's body must turn sharply prior to performing the flip-off.
   
2. Must be done with visible aggression towards the receiving person(s).
   
3. Must be accompanied by unusual or angst-ridden facial expressions.
   
4. Performance of the flip-off must cause clinically significant distress in either the doer or the receiver.
5. Must not be due to a general medical condition, such as a migraine headache, acute prostatitis, or obesity.
6. Must not be better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as Schizophrenia, disorganized type.
7. If done from a vehicle, must not be due to marked clinical distress caused by driving a partially wrecked car, such as one with the driver's side rear-view mirror nearly falling off.

After the incident the driver sped by, attempted a donut, and was finally able to enter the parking lot and eat her carne in peace, hopefully.

Now for the attribution error.

The Fundamental Attribution Error is a psychological principle that says when we do something good, we attribute it to our person.  When we do something bad, we attribute it to chance, bad luck, or environmental factors.  When an other does something good, we attribute it do chance or environment, and when they do something bad we attribute it to their person.

So, I am happy to report that after receiving said obscene gesture, I thought to myself, "maybe she's upset about her car being dented, or maybe she's really hungry, or perhaps she suffers from an uncontrollable tic" - rather than thinking, "What a jerk," which I would have thought if I had not of had the lesson on the attribution error three days ago.

Mormon safe

During the lunch break of a faculty meeting I attended today I poured a cup of what I thought was apple juice. I sat down and started eating my sandwich, and took a swig of said beverage. It was not an apple-based drink. I went back to the table where the food was and asked a professor, "Is this drink Mormon safe?" He said, "no, it's iced tea." Another professor added, "Adam, you are not Mormon safe."

Bishop, if you're reading this, that is the third time I have broken the Word of Wisdom, lol. Fourth if you count the Monster I drank a few weeks ago. 57th if you count the Dr. Pepper in high school. 9,723rd if you count all the delicious buffalo steaks and Wendy's #4s consumed outside of a famine.

eschato(lolz)gy

FLDS kids out of the frying pan...

I am disturbed by polygamy. As a practicing Mormon, it is by far the most troubling historical issue to me (and I've heard them all, *I think*). Even more disturbing: Is it still doctrine? We don't have an answer.

REGARDLESS, the recent incidents in Texas with CPS and the FLDS church are messed up. To be clear, rape is wrong. I even think that patriarchy intentionally creating a bunch of single mothers (one of the effects of polygamy) is unethical at best. But who can seriously say that these 416 kids are better off in foster care? Well, CPS can, apparently. Foster care is NOT a good answer. Some kids come out of it okay, for sure--there are some good homes. But taking them from their mothers and creating a future of revolving foster homes, group homes, attachment problems, weekly therapy, and alternative schools for the next 20 years is amoral. Foster care is the LAST resort for kids. We can't take away kids from mothers just because we don't like polygamy. If the FLDS men are raping girls, they should be taken out of the homes. Leave the women and children alone.

LOST Tour

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