This won't be a long post - our short attention span will see to that. ^^

Recently, a police incident involving a pool party down in Texas became big news; here we're not going to get into specifics of the incident - the video speaks for itself and all who see and study it arrive at their own conclusions. The Pool Party cares not how much melanin one critter has in their skin when compared to others. We do not care what species you are (unless we think you should be a giant inflatable for future pool parties!). We don't care about what bedroom activities you're into. But, we'd like to take this a little further than stating what might become the same ol' bland statement of equality. When we can afford to outsource more thinking - hopefully we'll be able to write something more fun.

Getting back to the reactions we've seen to the video, or to many other events that are centered around sexism, racism, fetishes and all that; we see too many working to frame the problem and to convince us of the consequences we should make the perpetrators feel (whomever they are). One phrase left unsaid by both sides is "You're either with me, or against me." If someone raises a logical point - they get demonized by the vocal minority of one (or more) of the sides fighting over a particular issue.

Our founder had a hard time imagining a worse world under George W. Bush, but sometimes reality is worse than fiction. It's like the conflicting voiceboxes of the internet chose to exemplify one of the worst behaviors of the former President and Anakin Skywalker with this "with me / against me" crap. Just because I'm an airhead who already asks others to think for him doesn't give you permission to think for me when I don't desire your thoughts.

Keeping a logical separation between what you witness and your judgement of who is doing the thing is huge. It allows those reading or hearing your words the rational ability to arrive at their own conclusions and take actions that are appropriate to them - including conducting further research or asking questions if they so choose. The distinction is educating (about an event or issue) by means of discovery, rather than by means of rote. Perhaps through this and less obvious means we can trade out the bonfires of drama with something better.

If this post maddens you, go find an inflatable and blow lots of air into it. ^^ #onetrackmind

• Baphnedia