What a weird article. As I understand it, the writer wanted to combine satire with some creativity with an emphasis on how the hip youth perceive themselves.
But I can also see how this was meant as a serious piece.
The best that this article can offer as a HN submission is a discussion on “so is weed good or bad” …
My answer to this is "yes". Like most things, it's both.
Also: "A drug is not bad. A drug is a chemical compound. The problem comes in when people who take drugs treat them like a license to behave like an asshole." -- Frank Zappa
I'm not sure what you're saying here. I assume you're talking about the Zappa quote? I suspect that Zappa would have said he wasn't attributing bad behavior to a lack of willpower.
> Attributing bad behavior to a lack of will power is not being honest about it.
No, it's not being honest about it. Having read the article, it's apparent to me that the author has a lot of problems, and weed isn't the cause of them. The person is an addict, period. And, basically, the entire article reads as a celebration of their addiction and their "I don't care" attitude. The author ought to consider attending AA or NA meetings.
I say this as an alcoholic (nearly 4 years sober) and a daily marijuana (edibles) user. Driving while high, like drunk driving, is very selfish behavior. It's not about your own safety (I couldn't care less if this person killed themselves while driving high), but rather the safety of innocent bystanders you're more likely to harm. Especially given the admission that they drove into a parked car while sober!
I, like the author, often use marijuana daily. However, I'm not stoned all day, and it doesn't make me unmotivated. I use weed as one of many tools for dealing with chronic pain (I have arthritis in every joint in my spine and every disk is degenerative), but I'm also working with my doctors on treatments, including physical therapy (which is painful, but also very effective) and, pain blocks, injections, braces and other treatments. Because weed is effective for me dealing with pain, it's actually a motivator and productivity booster for me. But, one needs to be responsible about it. I often work from home, so I don't have to worry about driving. On days I do have to go into the office (I take the train for most of it, but do have to drive several miles to get to the station), I refrain from using until I am home for the day.
He's not talking about willpower. I once heard it said that there are no "bad people" only people behaving badly. I would beg to differ, some people use their willpower to mask the fact that they want to behave badly until they think they can get away with it. These people use anything they can as an excuse for taking off their mask and abusing those around them. I've had past partners who blamed their abuse on some substance or circumstance or other. Drugs don't make you bad, drugs don't remove empathy or insert sadism. But people like to blame them for when they let those behaviors out. That's what Zappa was talking about.
>Normies will always be normies, and they don’t necessarily like it when you’re smoking weed all the time
I am constantly impressed by the ability of 4chan insults to find their way into the common lexicon. The ironic part is that smoking weed every day would be "normie" behavior on 4chan.
Its very interesting which ones make the cut as well. I doubt sincerely that foid or moid will make it to common use, but based and normie seem to have slotted right into young people's speech patterns perfectly.
Based comes from the BasedGod himself, Lil B. It wouldn't surprise me if he were also on 4chan but afaik that's also where 4chan found the term. Before Lil B flipped the term it was derogatory and referred to users of crack cocaine.
Surely you understand that slang (and words in general) evolve in meaning and change over time - this is definitely the case with this word, and the more modern usage correlating very heavily with the start of the 4chan era (approximately early 2000's).
Were you also the kid that called people "gay" as an insult and said "no I meant 'happy'?"
Did you read it? Or anything I wrote? A word appearing in print with a vastly different meaning for the first time in the 50's does not imply "common usage since the 50's". It then briefly reappears in the 80's in a film (with a different meaning), and then surging with the modern meaning in the 00's is what the article said, if you were having trouble comprehending it or what I said.
Here I'll help:
> Around the time Urban Dictionary logged the term in 2004, it began circulating through different social groups on the internet. In the late 2000s, it was adopted by cosplayers and anime enthusiasts and used to describe people who liked what they considered basic anime or weren’t as passionate about anime. In 2012 normie gained popularity on the 4chan forums. Through the mid 2010s it was a staple on meme subreddits such as r/memeeconomy, usually accompanied by a Pepe meme. As normie proliferated 4chan, the online subculture of men called incels (involuntary celibate) began using it in conjunction with the term blue-pilled normalfag, which derides a man who spends time on male message boards but still gets dates or has a girlfriend or wife. Blue-pilled normalfag is closely associated with normie, though the latter slang has broader and less offensive uses.
Somehow I doubt it was used this way "commonly" since the 50's, but maybe I'm just crazy.
None of that is referring to the usage in the article though, which is weed smokers referring to non-smokers which has been in use since well before 4chan existed - and funnily enough is a "vastly different meaning" from what you're claiming. Can't quite work out why you're so upset.
Not upset - just kind of tired of this ridiculous semantic nitpicking that goes on this site sometimes. I was replying to the reply of the original comment that stated "normies gonna normie" was a 4chan relic (it is) and the reply I was replying to said "normie has been in common use since the 50's." While that may be literally true (it isn't), the phrase "normies gonna normie" is definitely used in the more modern context of the slang word "normie" (again, keep in mind slang changes meaning over time) - so the original reply to this thread is just nitpicking in a way that doesn't really invalidate the grand-grand-parent comment here. Maybe I'm not communicating clearly, maybe you're doing the semantics trolling thing - but I don't think anything I've said here is wrong and people's inability to understand the english language isn't really my issue, although is probably the source of some frustration here. Hope that helps.
I agree with Dr Congo, none of what you have posted from that article relates to 4chan in any way. YUou seem to be very sure about yourself that the term was popularised on 4chan, but everything you use as an example just shows it has been in constant increased use over the last 70 years.
Sometimes like in Cheers, but plenty of references are using the modern version. Family guy season 2 used it in 1999 4 years before 4chan launched let alone became popular.
Now not everyone is going to use something just because it was on TV, but it definitely played a role.
I looked over use of Normies in books before 2000:
- Earliest use: shortening of "Norman".
- Lots of use by the disabled to refer to people who aren't disabled.
- A little use that happens to be like the article, from substance abuse communities referring to people with normal relationship with substances.
- Some use in monster/vampire fiction.
Then it started to be used a little bit in the present prevailing sense on the internet in the late 90's. Usage exploded from 2000-2015, rising >10x, and almost all of the current use is in the current form of referring to people derisively for having normal tastes, hobbies, and viewpoints.
Yeah, the usage in the article has been common for decades - certainly in the UK. I remember it being used in the 1980s by weed smokers to refer to non-smokers, essentially replacing the word "straights".
> I consider wanting to be more productive very lame, like you’ve been cucked by the patriarchy and capitalism
This is a common sentiment in Los Angeles and abroad, but I can relate to everything this person is saying as a resident of Los Angeles. There is not a peer group here to make you ambitious, and it’s slowed down my productivity in comparison to when I was in NYC or SF.
But you can fix this, it’s all about speaking in LA lingo.
For example, I tell people “I’m motivated by abundance”, which is spiritual speak for “making money via unbridled capitalism”. And “the universe sent me an idea” instead of my own late stage capitalist actions, as this crowd doesn’t hold themselves accountable for their actions, but you can mold that to your own ends
You’d think it was insufferable, until you saw the women that this engagement farms
Your comment seems more anecdotal than anything. I can assure you as someone that lives in Los Angeles and consumes cannabis regularly, that your findings are yours alone. Maybe you intended this to be humorous instead of factual, but you should be expected to be called out for nonsense nonetheless.
common sentiment was the specific word I used for a reason. you’re extrapolating that to be a different frequency than the one I chose, and invalidating whatever frequency you read to be solely individual because of your own personal segregation from it. whats amusing is how ironic that is.
Hear hear. Disclaimer, I did not rtfa before commenting.
I feel the same about cannabis, and in my state of Texas, delta 8 THC. A low to moderate dose allows me to stop overthinking and just chill. It helps me enjoy movies instead of getting anxious or bored or distracted as I often now do.
It's a great alternative to alcohol for those who want to use a chemical to "take the edge off".
And of course, the dominant party in Texas has pledged to bring up a bill to heavily restrict or ban delta 8 in the state "for the children".
There's a line between taking the edge off and avoiding things that you really need to deal with. And not singling out weed here, alcohol has the same issue. It can be used to relax and enjoy a moment, but it can become a way to hide from reality (for a while; reality has a way of imposing itself eventually).
As a daily cannabis user for the past ~30 years, it’s nice to see this (semi-satirical) support piece. Cannabis has helped me overcome OCD and other mental/emotional issues, enjoy life, and accomplish my goals. Wonderful plant.
A small amount of cannabis in the morning turns me into an absolute machine. The right sativa strain with certain terpenes (ocimene <3, plus good balance of CBD and CBG) is just as powerful as adderall for me. Moderation is key. I still get zooted to the moon on certain nights and weekends but for productivity a very small amount is truly transformative for me.
> and I finish the joint I was smoking last night before bed, which is sitting on my bedside table.
How should such a person set up their smoke detectors?
I'm thinking: False alarms triggered by the marijuana smoke might disrupt their calm, and removing batteries and being in a perpetual cloudy-headed state could lead to batteries not getting back in. And if they're smoking from bed, they'll probably need more protection than most people, for detecting smoldering bed sheets.
It really depends on the kind of smoke alarm. I'm sure most home style smoke alarms aren't set off by that, since they're usually an ionization style detector. Photoelectric detectors can be far more sensitive though. Moreso, I imagine the detection has less to do with the type of smoke, and the density of it. Directly exhaling into a smoke alarm can set off the detector, when the smoke is at its most dense.
What a condescending comment. There is always such snarky comments on HN whenever smoking Cannabis is mentioned. I was under the impression that the average HN reader had above average intelligence and open mindedness, but posts like this remind me often that isnt true.
EDIT: I have apologised for the tone of this post below, and come to a very amicable conclusion with OP.
> False alarms triggered by the marijuana smoke might disrupt their calm
>removing batteries and being in a perpetual cloudy-headed state could lead to batteries not getting back in.
> if they're smoking from bed, they'll probably need more protection than most people, for detecting smoldering bed sheets
These are all very condescending points. They assume that a Cannabis smoker requires a certain level of calm and cant handle anything more, that they are unable to do something as simple as changing batteries, and that they are likely to burn themselves alive in bed. I am assuming you are insinuating that cannabis makes people 'stupid', and if I am wrong this is what your point comes across as.
Perhaps next time you might not immediately make such negative statements against a large group of people, even in a sarcastic or jokey way. This is also assuming your last post was serious and you are genuinely interested in how you are putting people down unnecessarily.
Sorry for the offense. I can see how it might be interpreted that way. It wasn't my intent to joke, but actually to care.
The article talked about willingly being calm, and caring less, and I honestly don't know whether that would extend to being more prone to the (not-uncommon) practice of removing batteries from an alarm, and then neglecting to put them back in. I've also frequently heard of falling asleep while smoking as being a cause of house fires.
FWIW, some of my work has involved safety. And some of my other work has involved human factors engineering, and more generally looking at how people behave in reality, and designing from there. No disrespect intended to people. If you read my comment in that light, does it seem less offensive than before?
I'll be more sensitive. Including being aware that I'm not familiar with marijuana, and bound to make incorrect guesses/assumptions, which I now realize could be frustrating to people. And also now being aware that some people might be accustomed to snarky comments around the topic of marijuana, and be on guard against that.
Wow, what a careful and considered response. Thankyou so much!
I retract any snark or sarcasm from myself, apologise for my bluntness, and bow down to your very humble self.
If only all interactions online could end this way. Thanks for making my day.
All he said was that the smoke alarm going off while you’re high might be disturbing to that person; so, they take out the battery and forget to put it back in because weed messes with your short term memory. What’s condescending about that? All he did is speculate and he’s not that far off from reality!
For the record many people have died because they fell asleep with a lit cigarette (probably because they’re likely drunk or just very tired) in their hand which then causes a fire. Stupid ass comment!
> All he said was that the smoke alarm going off while you’re high might be disturbing to that person
No he didnt, he made fun of people who smoke cannabis for being stupid and more likely to kill themselves in an idiotic way. I would have happily engaged in an intelligent comment talking about the dangers of smoking in bed, or even statistics about how smokers are moere likely to die aslepp in fires, but his comment was definitely not these things.
>All he did is speculate and he’s not that far off from reality!
This comment just shows you have the same condesceding viewpoint, which explains why you are agreeing with him. He is in fact very very far from reality, and if you had an open mind and explored this with other people with different viewpoints from yourself you would realise that pretty quickly.
If you’re so inclined to engage in intelligent conversation then your first reaction should’ve been to look up those stats yourself and counter with that. The burden of proof is not on him because he clearly prefaced the comment by saying “I’m thinking” which means he’s expressing his own opinion which may or may not be different from facts you can get by analyzing data.
That is fair enough, I agree with you. However I felt that in this instance the OP was poking fun at stereotypes, and that countering it with statistics was the wrong thing to do. However OP has now apologised and I have done the same. Next time I will consider your words, and respond a bit more intelligently.
Smoke alarms don’t react with marijuana/cigarette smoke unless you deliberately blow the smoke into it. I don’t know why but I’ve smoked in my room countless times and it never went off. It’s not a faulty detector either because it has went off before!
My mom told me she quit smoking in her 20's because of the health risk.
Oh, I said, like cancer, heart disease or hypertension?
No, she was in her 20's. None of that mattered. However a friend of her's set fire to the bed she was sleeping in. That made a very big impression on my Mom. She apparently liked a cigarette before bed and had no faith in her ability to just stop smoking then - so she quite entirely.
This was unironically me in my early 20s. It wasn't so bad. Obviously eventually you get bored of this lifestyle and it's not really compatible with more "serious" responsibilities like having a family or more demanding jobs. But at the time I made good career progress, never got in any legal trouble, didn't pick up any worse habits, no adverse health outcomes, etc. And I think smoking weed for a few years made me permanently more mindful and less anxious (YMMV, apparently for some people the opposite happens).
For me, I eventually "grew up" and just found myself organically phasing it out of my life. Part of that was it was annoying to constantly be "picking up" in a state where it was illegal. And I didn't have access to giga-potent strains and non-flower administration routes. I don't think we should encourage people to be frying themselves 24/7 on dabs, extracts, 95% pure THC vape pens, etc. I'm not sure I would fully endorse 100% legality/open access like many states have. I still occasionally have a puff of a 10:1 CBD:THC vape pen and it hits the spot. But that is like 2% of what my local dispensary offers. Most of it is specifically sold as frying your brain.
> it's not really compatible with more "serious" responsibilities like having a family or more demanding jobs.
Can you explain why? I feel like weed makes me kinder to people (as well as letting go of small petty things, as the article suggested), which unironically seems like a major relationship booster, which is helpful in both family/career building.
A simple reason I don't smoke more often is because I might be asked to drive someone somewhere. Its a pretty common responsibility in a family, I would think.
I don't smoke and truthfully never really drank that much or that often but having a kid made my drinking go from not much to practically never for just the reason you're talking about.
Drinking went from something super casual to - think about it, check in with the wife to confirm that she can/doesn't mind doing any potential driving, then have a drink or two.
It's like scheduling a good time. Totally kill the vibe.
If you have kids you are not at liberty to be randomly inebriated throughout the day. That's what I mean by "responsibility". Even outside of hypothetical emergency situations where I might need to drive on a moment's notice, being high (or drunk, or anything) while looking after a small child just isn't right IMO.
Not in my experience. Drugs of any kind usually cause your partner to feel too distant from the "real you". Drug use may also indicate a lack of confidence and inability to handle mundane situations.
Being an unreliable partner has to be one of the top relationship killers regardless of drug use.
> kinder to people as well as letting go of small petty things
I may be misunderstanding what you're saying here, but relationships should be way deeper than just being kind to each other. Disagreements are only as bad as the way they're handled. They need to be worked out early or the disappointment and irritation will only get worse. Burying your head in the sand doesn't sound like a good strategy.
I was really hoping for some kind of sources/statistics, rather than some subjective moralizing of what makes a good partner.
> I may be misunderstanding what you're saying here, but relationships should be way deeper than just being kind to each other.
Yes, but being kind is the cornerstone of a good relationship. In my observed experience, most relationships don't even have that, so it's a good ideal to strive towards (as a first step)
> Disagreements are only as bad as the way they're handled.
No. If there are fundamental disagreements on relationship goals, then your relationship is a ticking time bomb. You can't "handle" your way out of that.
> But that is like 2% of what my local dispensary offers. Most of it is specifically sold as frying your brain
This is actually a problem for a friend of mine who wants to try small amounts to help with her appetite and other things. Her doctors are all on board.
Thankfully I knew of a decent place to take her, but her local shops were all about melting into a couch.
Just like you don’t need to drink the whole bottle of whiskey in one evening- why not take just one or two puffs off the pen or a small piece of an edible?
This is a really nihilistic article, coming from someone who seems to have pretty much given up on doing anything but existing as effortlessly as possible. I hope that's a decision they came to rationally, and not just a symptom of profound depression. Assuming the former, it's a fine way to live for them, I guess. But imagine all the complex systems of the world—physical, economic, philosophical, technological—that are required for to support that life; it's much easier to check out when there's a functioning society around you. For all its many failures and shortcomings, the world is worth maintaining a relationship with.
I mean, they say they have a shitty job that doesn't pay well, and that they smoke in the parking lot, but that's about it. It sounded to me like they're only motivated to work because it allows them to survive, but that there wasn't much in their life beyond that. They say they have goals, but no motivation to achieve them, and no desire to be motivated. I did not get any sense that they were engaging with the world in a healthy way.
I think you misunderstood. The author explicitly says they are motivated. They just don’t want to be more motivated than that.
> Maybe it makes me less motivated, but I don’t really want to be more motivated. I consider wanting to be more productive very lame, like you’ve been cucked by the patriarchy and capitalism. I have goals like everyone else, but I feel like achieving them quicker or more efficiently is less important than my overall enjoyment of life.
I started habitually smoking weed when my spouse abandoned me and my daughter to be with someone else. At first, it managed the pain. Later it was for the anger and the loneliness. And when I finally healed enough and moved on, the pandemic hit, and it was for the boredom. And when it lifted, it was because I just plain liked it.
Eventually though I took a break. And when I did I noticed how many moments of my own life I was oblivious to, I decided to extend my break. Suddenly things I’d given up on seemed much more possible. Things that seemed impossible seemed much more worth the effort anyway. Then I tried another joint because I missed smoking with my partner — I didn’t especially enjoy it, but I found a reason for another, and another, and soon enough I was high again all day and it took months for me to notice what had happened: I was no longer doing all these things that I was proud of, and was not even feeling more satisfied with my life. I was just highly motivated to seek out that specific kind of satisfaction, which came to the exclusion of so many others.
I’m glad weed was an option, but it is addictive, and that addiction leads to rationalization designed to dismiss the steep opportunity cost of being lethargic through an induced contentment.
> the steep opportunity cost of being lethargic through an induced contentment.
Weirdly, I think this is also a risk of actual contentment. I'm not a weed user, and I no longer consume alcohol (more or less). Nevertheless, through a number of strokes of good luck, I lead a very contented life, and I think this also causes a similar kind of lethargy-induced opportunity cost. Discontentment is a powerful motivator.
"Well, Stan, the truth is marijuana probably isn't gonna make you kill people, and it most likely isn't gonna fund terrorism, but, well son, pot makes you feel fine with being bored, and it's when you're bored that you should be learning some new skill or discovering some new science or being creative."
Randy Marsh, South Park
if you can channel this okay-with-boredom attitude into something productive you can be super productive. I don't think everyone can do it but I feel like it's definitely true of some people.
I'm not much of a user myself, but my two brothers were heavy users and the difference between how it affected them was profound.
One brother seemed to need weed to function daily. He struggled at school, never got a real job, and smoked weed every waking hour. He was hitting the bong first thing in the morning. I think he eventually got bored with weed and started using other drugs including prescription pain killers. He became paranoid and psychotic and eventually started pointing guns at police officers. He is now dead sadly, and I wonder every day if I could have intervened in a meaningful way to prevent this.
The other brother is smart. Engineer smart. He designs his own motorcycle racing mods, built an e-commerce site for a Harley Davidson dealership which eventually took over as the principal money earner for the business (until Harley cracked down on 3rd party sellers). When he smoked weed it seemed to quiet his mind and even inspire him - he could work for an inhuman number hours once properly loaded with THC. His boss new he was a regular user and tipped him whenever a random drug test was in the works. Then one day, my brother deliberately failed the test. At that point he seemed to have a mental breakdown and his life has been in a downward spiral ever since. He lives in a school bus with all the seats removed (no other mods). He struggles with poverty.
My general attitude is that THC should be legal, but it is not as harmless as advertised. Occasional recreational use seems fine, but some people who use it to self-medicate may eventually have a reckoning. I still say THC is less harmful than alcohol.
Personally, I don't smoke....but my freshman year roommates did. One of them smoked it rolled up but I think he moved onto vapes I think....I can't remember as I didn't really care what they did with it and I personally just didn't want any. They both were active students, were not letting their grades slip up, and seemed to be able to balance any negatives of smoking, but I also know that that's not the same for everyone.
I smoke a cigar, probably a few (<10 a year on average) and I mainly have those when I'm celebrating a major event like passing finals or finishing personal projects. Cigars help me a bit but I can't stand the after smell, so I personally wash everything immediately and shower and brush my teeth.
I might try weed if it ever became unregulated to the level that tobacco or liquor is, when its not a felony or even mistonomener(can't figure out how to spell this word) even if I did find pleasure in it, I wouldn't use it more than 2 times. I know some people swear it helps them function better, but iv also seen some people who lose motivation and become less of themselves....they seem to lose focus of goals in life, they seem to have memory issues etc.
I'm doubtful weed is as bad as it is classified....but I also don't think its some cure all without these negative side effects. The modern movement seems to talk about how harmless it is, but I feel like they don't recognise that it can be harmful just like drinking.
Comments here are useful and on point for 20-30-year-olds. Pot makes boredom less boring, and that's probably not an ideal outcome for a young person.
With any luck, y'all are going to be 60 someday, or 80, and pot making boredom less boring is going to become your every waking thought, and staying awake all night is going to become a curse and no longer a superpower.
And cannabis is going to be there for you as an alternative to benzos and opiates, and it will be a good thing. Count on it.
Compared to how overmedicated an average American is with a lot of drugs they probably don't even need (thanks to complacent doctors in bed with Pharma), weed is absolutely the lesser evil when used in moderation (e.g. appetite enhancer, muscle relaxant, light painkiller).
I’d be curious to read a complimentary article from the perspective of other people in this author’s life.
In my experience, habitual users can seem perfectly fine but maintaining meaningful relationships has been difficult. Forgetfulness, unfocused thinking, constant talking about the drug or using the drug, etc. all dominate the relationship in those friendships of mine. We all have our baggage and difficulties in a relationship, but with habitual cannabis users it seems to be a prevailing pattern.
Had a friend who was a heavy devilish lettucian. He said when he quit he had very vivid dreams for months. Interesting to think of the long term suppression of the minds possibilities.
Wonder if the species survives capitalism long enough to get custom drugs to target positive brain impact
I benefit from "state changes"—shifting from sober periods to high periods and vice versa. These transitions seem to spur the most creativity for me. Each state causes me to think differently and notice things I didn't in the previous state. This applies to other substances as well. Its when I overstay my wecome in either state that things start to fall apart and stagnate.
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[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 38.1 ms ] threadBut I can also see how this was meant as a serious piece.
The best that this article can offer as a HN submission is a discussion on “so is weed good or bad” …
My answer to this is "yes". Like most things, it's both.
Also: "A drug is not bad. A drug is a chemical compound. The problem comes in when people who take drugs treat them like a license to behave like an asshole." -- Frank Zappa
If I know that when I drink brandy I start fights, and I nonetheless decide to drink brandy - that's on me, not the brandy.
No, it's not being honest about it. Having read the article, it's apparent to me that the author has a lot of problems, and weed isn't the cause of them. The person is an addict, period. And, basically, the entire article reads as a celebration of their addiction and their "I don't care" attitude. The author ought to consider attending AA or NA meetings.
I say this as an alcoholic (nearly 4 years sober) and a daily marijuana (edibles) user. Driving while high, like drunk driving, is very selfish behavior. It's not about your own safety (I couldn't care less if this person killed themselves while driving high), but rather the safety of innocent bystanders you're more likely to harm. Especially given the admission that they drove into a parked car while sober!
I, like the author, often use marijuana daily. However, I'm not stoned all day, and it doesn't make me unmotivated. I use weed as one of many tools for dealing with chronic pain (I have arthritis in every joint in my spine and every disk is degenerative), but I'm also working with my doctors on treatments, including physical therapy (which is painful, but also very effective) and, pain blocks, injections, braces and other treatments. Because weed is effective for me dealing with pain, it's actually a motivator and productivity booster for me. But, one needs to be responsible about it. I often work from home, so I don't have to worry about driving. On days I do have to go into the office (I take the train for most of it, but do have to drive several miles to get to the station), I refrain from using until I am home for the day.
I am constantly impressed by the ability of 4chan insults to find their way into the common lexicon. The ironic part is that smoking weed every day would be "normie" behavior on 4chan.
It’s slowly become more popular over time, but you can find much older references.
Were you also the kid that called people "gay" as an insult and said "no I meant 'happy'?"
Here you go: https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/normie/
Here I'll help:
> Around the time Urban Dictionary logged the term in 2004, it began circulating through different social groups on the internet. In the late 2000s, it was adopted by cosplayers and anime enthusiasts and used to describe people who liked what they considered basic anime or weren’t as passionate about anime. In 2012 normie gained popularity on the 4chan forums. Through the mid 2010s it was a staple on meme subreddits such as r/memeeconomy, usually accompanied by a Pepe meme. As normie proliferated 4chan, the online subculture of men called incels (involuntary celibate) began using it in conjunction with the term blue-pilled normalfag, which derides a man who spends time on male message boards but still gets dates or has a girlfriend or wife. Blue-pilled normalfag is closely associated with normie, though the latter slang has broader and less offensive uses.
Somehow I doubt it was used this way "commonly" since the 50's, but maybe I'm just crazy.
Based off of Ngram usage, it'd probably be fair to say that they popularized it at the very least. Nothing new under the sun and all that.
Now not everyone is going to use something just because it was on TV, but it definitely played a role.
- Earliest use: shortening of "Norman".
- Lots of use by the disabled to refer to people who aren't disabled.
- A little use that happens to be like the article, from substance abuse communities referring to people with normal relationship with substances.
- Some use in monster/vampire fiction.
Then it started to be used a little bit in the present prevailing sense on the internet in the late 90's. Usage exploded from 2000-2015, rising >10x, and almost all of the current use is in the current form of referring to people derisively for having normal tastes, hobbies, and viewpoints.
This is a common sentiment in Los Angeles and abroad, but I can relate to everything this person is saying as a resident of Los Angeles. There is not a peer group here to make you ambitious, and it’s slowed down my productivity in comparison to when I was in NYC or SF.
But you can fix this, it’s all about speaking in LA lingo.
For example, I tell people “I’m motivated by abundance”, which is spiritual speak for “making money via unbridled capitalism”. And “the universe sent me an idea” instead of my own late stage capitalist actions, as this crowd doesn’t hold themselves accountable for their actions, but you can mold that to your own ends
You’d think it was insufferable, until you saw the women that this engagement farms
Can you explain what you’re trying to say with this? I didn’t quite get it haha!
When I find myself being too disconnected from the "now" and stressing out over what is ultimately petty nonsense, I'll have a bit.
Having it available, consequence free, in a legal state, has drastically improved my quality of life; even if I only use it once every month or so.
I feel the same about cannabis, and in my state of Texas, delta 8 THC. A low to moderate dose allows me to stop overthinking and just chill. It helps me enjoy movies instead of getting anxious or bored or distracted as I often now do.
It's a great alternative to alcohol for those who want to use a chemical to "take the edge off".
And of course, the dominant party in Texas has pledged to bring up a bill to heavily restrict or ban delta 8 in the state "for the children".
How should such a person set up their smoke detectors?
I'm thinking: False alarms triggered by the marijuana smoke might disrupt their calm, and removing batteries and being in a perpetual cloudy-headed state could lead to batteries not getting back in. And if they're smoking from bed, they'll probably need more protection than most people, for detecting smoldering bed sheets.
EDIT: I have apologised for the tone of this post below, and come to a very amicable conclusion with OP.
> False alarms triggered by the marijuana smoke might disrupt their calm
>removing batteries and being in a perpetual cloudy-headed state could lead to batteries not getting back in.
> if they're smoking from bed, they'll probably need more protection than most people, for detecting smoldering bed sheets
These are all very condescending points. They assume that a Cannabis smoker requires a certain level of calm and cant handle anything more, that they are unable to do something as simple as changing batteries, and that they are likely to burn themselves alive in bed. I am assuming you are insinuating that cannabis makes people 'stupid', and if I am wrong this is what your point comes across as.
Perhaps next time you might not immediately make such negative statements against a large group of people, even in a sarcastic or jokey way. This is also assuming your last post was serious and you are genuinely interested in how you are putting people down unnecessarily.
The article talked about willingly being calm, and caring less, and I honestly don't know whether that would extend to being more prone to the (not-uncommon) practice of removing batteries from an alarm, and then neglecting to put them back in. I've also frequently heard of falling asleep while smoking as being a cause of house fires.
FWIW, some of my work has involved safety. And some of my other work has involved human factors engineering, and more generally looking at how people behave in reality, and designing from there. No disrespect intended to people. If you read my comment in that light, does it seem less offensive than before?
I'll be more sensitive. Including being aware that I'm not familiar with marijuana, and bound to make incorrect guesses/assumptions, which I now realize could be frustrating to people. And also now being aware that some people might be accustomed to snarky comments around the topic of marijuana, and be on guard against that.
Wow, what a careful and considered response. Thankyou so much! I retract any snark or sarcasm from myself, apologise for my bluntness, and bow down to your very humble self. If only all interactions online could end this way. Thanks for making my day.
For the record many people have died because they fell asleep with a lit cigarette (probably because they’re likely drunk or just very tired) in their hand which then causes a fire. Stupid ass comment!
No he didnt, he made fun of people who smoke cannabis for being stupid and more likely to kill themselves in an idiotic way. I would have happily engaged in an intelligent comment talking about the dangers of smoking in bed, or even statistics about how smokers are moere likely to die aslepp in fires, but his comment was definitely not these things.
>All he did is speculate and he’s not that far off from reality!
This comment just shows you have the same condesceding viewpoint, which explains why you are agreeing with him. He is in fact very very far from reality, and if you had an open mind and explored this with other people with different viewpoints from yourself you would realise that pretty quickly.
Have a great day!
It takes a lot, and I assume that's intentional. Smoldering sheets and drywall are going to produce a lot more smoke than a joint.
Oh, I said, like cancer, heart disease or hypertension?
No, she was in her 20's. None of that mattered. However a friend of her's set fire to the bed she was sleeping in. That made a very big impression on my Mom. She apparently liked a cigarette before bed and had no faith in her ability to just stop smoking then - so she quite entirely.
For some reason it makes me laugh.
I want to believe this article was meant for the Babylon Bee, but got emailed to the wrong editor. Sadly, we live in clown world.
For me, I eventually "grew up" and just found myself organically phasing it out of my life. Part of that was it was annoying to constantly be "picking up" in a state where it was illegal. And I didn't have access to giga-potent strains and non-flower administration routes. I don't think we should encourage people to be frying themselves 24/7 on dabs, extracts, 95% pure THC vape pens, etc. I'm not sure I would fully endorse 100% legality/open access like many states have. I still occasionally have a puff of a 10:1 CBD:THC vape pen and it hits the spot. But that is like 2% of what my local dispensary offers. Most of it is specifically sold as frying your brain.
Can you explain why? I feel like weed makes me kinder to people (as well as letting go of small petty things, as the article suggested), which unironically seems like a major relationship booster, which is helpful in both family/career building.
Drinking went from something super casual to - think about it, check in with the wife to confirm that she can/doesn't mind doing any potential driving, then have a drink or two.
It's like scheduling a good time. Totally kill the vibe.
Not in my experience. Drugs of any kind usually cause your partner to feel too distant from the "real you". Drug use may also indicate a lack of confidence and inability to handle mundane situations.
Being an unreliable partner has to be one of the top relationship killers regardless of drug use.
> kinder to people as well as letting go of small petty things
I may be misunderstanding what you're saying here, but relationships should be way deeper than just being kind to each other. Disagreements are only as bad as the way they're handled. They need to be worked out early or the disappointment and irritation will only get worse. Burying your head in the sand doesn't sound like a good strategy.
> I may be misunderstanding what you're saying here, but relationships should be way deeper than just being kind to each other.
Yes, but being kind is the cornerstone of a good relationship. In my observed experience, most relationships don't even have that, so it's a good ideal to strive towards (as a first step)
> Disagreements are only as bad as the way they're handled.
No. If there are fundamental disagreements on relationship goals, then your relationship is a ticking time bomb. You can't "handle" your way out of that.
It is possible to be this way without weed too. It takes practice but is very doable.
This is actually a problem for a friend of mine who wants to try small amounts to help with her appetite and other things. Her doctors are all on board.
Thankfully I knew of a decent place to take her, but her local shops were all about melting into a couch.
> imagine all the complex systems of the world—physical, economic, philosophical, technological—that are required for to support that life
As opposed to what?
The author mentions functioning well and having a job; this to me sounds like having a relationship with the world.
> Maybe it makes me less motivated, but I don’t really want to be more motivated. I consider wanting to be more productive very lame, like you’ve been cucked by the patriarchy and capitalism. I have goals like everyone else, but I feel like achieving them quicker or more efficiently is less important than my overall enjoyment of life.
Eventually though I took a break. And when I did I noticed how many moments of my own life I was oblivious to, I decided to extend my break. Suddenly things I’d given up on seemed much more possible. Things that seemed impossible seemed much more worth the effort anyway. Then I tried another joint because I missed smoking with my partner — I didn’t especially enjoy it, but I found a reason for another, and another, and soon enough I was high again all day and it took months for me to notice what had happened: I was no longer doing all these things that I was proud of, and was not even feeling more satisfied with my life. I was just highly motivated to seek out that specific kind of satisfaction, which came to the exclusion of so many others.
I’m glad weed was an option, but it is addictive, and that addiction leads to rationalization designed to dismiss the steep opportunity cost of being lethargic through an induced contentment.
> the steep opportunity cost of being lethargic through an induced contentment.
Weirdly, I think this is also a risk of actual contentment. I'm not a weed user, and I no longer consume alcohol (more or less). Nevertheless, through a number of strokes of good luck, I lead a very contented life, and I think this also causes a similar kind of lethargy-induced opportunity cost. Discontentment is a powerful motivator.
Thanks for writing this.
One brother seemed to need weed to function daily. He struggled at school, never got a real job, and smoked weed every waking hour. He was hitting the bong first thing in the morning. I think he eventually got bored with weed and started using other drugs including prescription pain killers. He became paranoid and psychotic and eventually started pointing guns at police officers. He is now dead sadly, and I wonder every day if I could have intervened in a meaningful way to prevent this.
The other brother is smart. Engineer smart. He designs his own motorcycle racing mods, built an e-commerce site for a Harley Davidson dealership which eventually took over as the principal money earner for the business (until Harley cracked down on 3rd party sellers). When he smoked weed it seemed to quiet his mind and even inspire him - he could work for an inhuman number hours once properly loaded with THC. His boss new he was a regular user and tipped him whenever a random drug test was in the works. Then one day, my brother deliberately failed the test. At that point he seemed to have a mental breakdown and his life has been in a downward spiral ever since. He lives in a school bus with all the seats removed (no other mods). He struggles with poverty.
My general attitude is that THC should be legal, but it is not as harmless as advertised. Occasional recreational use seems fine, but some people who use it to self-medicate may eventually have a reckoning. I still say THC is less harmful than alcohol.
I smoke a cigar, probably a few (<10 a year on average) and I mainly have those when I'm celebrating a major event like passing finals or finishing personal projects. Cigars help me a bit but I can't stand the after smell, so I personally wash everything immediately and shower and brush my teeth.
I might try weed if it ever became unregulated to the level that tobacco or liquor is, when its not a felony or even mistonomener(can't figure out how to spell this word) even if I did find pleasure in it, I wouldn't use it more than 2 times. I know some people swear it helps them function better, but iv also seen some people who lose motivation and become less of themselves....they seem to lose focus of goals in life, they seem to have memory issues etc.
I'm doubtful weed is as bad as it is classified....but I also don't think its some cure all without these negative side effects. The modern movement seems to talk about how harmless it is, but I feel like they don't recognise that it can be harmful just like drinking.
With any luck, y'all are going to be 60 someday, or 80, and pot making boredom less boring is going to become your every waking thought, and staying awake all night is going to become a curse and no longer a superpower.
And cannabis is going to be there for you as an alternative to benzos and opiates, and it will be a good thing. Count on it.
In my experience, habitual users can seem perfectly fine but maintaining meaningful relationships has been difficult. Forgetfulness, unfocused thinking, constant talking about the drug or using the drug, etc. all dominate the relationship in those friendships of mine. We all have our baggage and difficulties in a relationship, but with habitual cannabis users it seems to be a prevailing pattern.
Wonder if the species survives capitalism long enough to get custom drugs to target positive brain impact