Everyone knows cats are cruel, right? When they catch a bird or small animal, they tease it. They try to make it run. If it does, they pounce again. Cats might say they’re giving their prey a sporting chance to escape, but we know the odds are long in the cat’s favor. What evil creatures! They’re not like us at all. When we kill for fun, it’s on a video screen. We can blow other persons and creatures away by the hundreds, and nothing gets hurt. Indeed, the more popular genres of video games are the more violent; while real killing is abhorrent, pixelated killing is great fun! Now, if we could only teach cats to play video games and replace real killing with play killing. Play killing is harmless! Isn’t it? OK, I’ve officially gone over to the old-man side.
86 responses to “Kill and Be Killed”
Old Bear, thanks for the musical morning! The marbles were especially fascinating…I have always liked music boxes.
Debbe, when my 88-year-old father-in-law had sleep problems, his doctor prescribed Xanax. It did help, but was not a perfect solution. My doctor also uses it the same way. It might be worth asking your Dad’s doctor about it.
Jimmy, I’m on your side. The video games, because they allow us to do the killing, disturb me more than books and movies about the same material.
I should clarify: in books and movies, we may be watching the killer or in the killer’s mind. In games, we are the killer.
I agree on Xanax. It is used in sleep apnea too, low dose.
Very overcast and gray, slept in. Sort of.
Video games are abhorrent to me. I not only have never played them, I feel they have definitely contributed to the malaise and obesity of America by locking people to screens, keeping them chained to addictive games. I also think the culture of violence they foster makes killing a game and unreal.
This is not opposition to guns, I own guns, but opposition to what I consider unhealthy and distorted views of killing and death fostered by violent “entertainment.”
I’m not a video games fan (not a hater of them, just not a player). But Japan has the most violent games and often the most violent films and entertainment in the world, and yet they have one of the most peaceful societies functioning in the world today. If anything, it seems the games and films are very cathartic. They get rid of virtually all their stress without it involving real people.
Actually, cats don’t play with what they catch because they’re cruel. Mostly they do it when they’re not really hungry, and letting the mouse go and catching it again is fun, even if not as much fun as the first time. That’s why they don’t eat their toys when they’re finally dead; if the cat wanted to eat it, they’d have killed it right away.
Not a video game player nor a fan.
For me, I’d probably enjoy a “shooting” game using plain targets, with nothing living shown or implied. The skill in being able to aim correctly and then see how well one did is what would attract me.
Cilla certainly seems disappointed when her prey is no longer attempting to escape (dead). Catch and release seems to be the point of the game.
Nooo, the only reason I have 2 cats is to get rid of the overabundance of chipmunks! No natural predator leads to overabundance anywhere of anything. It’s all about balance.
Dickens is happily sleeping in my lap, we found a great family owned restaurant with grilled catfish, grills Vegs, good salads, fresh made soup and owner chef from Louisiana. Life and lunch was good.
Having good time. Going to see my grandson.
There was one set of first-person shooters that I used to love: the Redneck Rampage series. One reason I liked it was that the graphics were somewhat cartoonish, rather than overly-realistic, and another was that some of the results of damage were so over the top that it was funny. As an example, one of the more common opponents was a clone of a big, fat hillbilly. If you could get the drop on him and nail him with a stick of dynamite, all that was left was his lower legs, looking like a pair of hams. No blood, no guts, no other body parts, just the legs. Also, the clipping wasn’t that good and you could sometimes see an enemy sticking out through a wall although you couldn’t actually shoot it, and sometimes when somebody died partly behind something, their arm would stick right through the barrier. It gave the whole experience an appropriately surrealistic quality.
Call strike 3. That’s one out.
GM All – well it is start up time on the computer
On scary tunnel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCrYUl8-WTg
It is supposed to be — One scary tunnel
Drive safe Jackie
I am in a minority here. Yes I am a geezer, but I love the MMORPG Guild Wars 2. Yes I will play the Player vs Environment, but no playing Player vs Player in any form. If I am in the World Vs World part if I get attacked I will stand and die or poof out rather than hit another players character. I get most of my daily interaction with people by talking to my fellow Guild mates on team speak, following their prayer requests, and general chat. I will help them and they help me in PvE, but all violence is usually against critters and bad guy AIs. I learned MMOs on Guild Wars the original, and besides GW2 I play Klondike and only dabble in a few other games, like Kerbal Space program (build and fly rockets for the Kerbals). Violence is only a problem when you have trouble separating reality from pretend.
Popping in for a moment. So far behind I doubt if I go all the way back to catch up, but thank you to everyone for the good wishes with the new job. (And I will skim the last few days for the latest.)
Two weeks in, and last night was the first time I actually handled hot bacon. Frustrating, as my line was very short, so I did not get the complete training I should, and my line is almost exclusively Spanish-speaking, so asking for help was a bit of an issue, but my co-workers did their best to help when they could. I will be digging out my Spanish notes and working on my accent. 🙂 They try English and I try Spanish and we somehow make it work.
In other news, after leaving my store, I finally agreed to seeing a now former employee. He had been a fan for a while, but also knew nothing would ever come of it while I was his boss. (I did take some convincing.) Really glad I did. Totally caught me off guard, but he is an amazing guy who makes me school-girl happy. Had not realized just how emotionally devoid I had been until he stepped in. His weird gets my weird. 😀
Grandma and Marie are still ornery as ever. That said, both of them are slowing down dramatically, but thankfully, they are relatively pain-free and in good spirits. My aunt is not holding up quite so well, so I will be seeing her this weekend to see what I can do for her. Whike I have been busy with the job transition, my cousin has stepped in and been a huge help, for which I am eternally grateful.
Okay, now to go back and see how the rest of the Village has been doing!
Mindy, so happy to hear from you and to hear how you are doing. The love interest is so fantastic! You are a sweet and loving person who deserves to have someone return that caring.
Isn’t being a laughing teenager again a great feeling, no matter how old we really are? It’s never too late to be young again.
Thanks for the update Mindy, glad to hear things are going better. Spanish is not a really hard language, it just takes a little more practice to get really better, you can do it I’m sure.
Before we escaped the kids on Wednesday my wife and I stopped in at the Red Cross Blood Center. She was scheduled to donate; I was there for moral support and transportation — I haven’t been allowed to donate since my SCA.
While she was being drained I had a golden moment… I looked across the room and saw her talking to a phlebotomist and smiling… in that moment I fell in love with her yet again. It’s made this getaway even more special.
Okay, I am now on a criminal case jury. Next week is shot, not to mention the cross county rush hour commutes.
Mindy, good for you! On a very different note my brother lost his little dog today. She had been very sick for the last few months. When I was young it seemed that a dog was a dog, but it seems as we get older our pets become our children. Today’s strip is another “looking in our window” moment. If someone comes to our home and says “here kitty kitty” I inform them that he or she has a name and is not a “kitty”.
These cows are even happier about spring than I am:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kTwnO-cOeg
Mindy: My MIL lost her husband of 56 yrs in 2011. She has lived alone and my wife ends up calling her 5 days a week. She was so terribly lonely even after moving to a condo and being around other senior citizens.
This summer I came home and my wife was on the phone with her and when she hung up, she said “You’ll never guess what Mom’s doing” When she said a gentleman had called on her, I said “Zippidy-doo-da” We had met him and his wife a few years before and she had very recently passed away. He treats her well and loves to drive her around places around their small Northern Michigan town.
What a difference in her outlook! She still worries about things and sounds like a school girl at times, but it is almost like a cloud has been lifted. She will be 88 in May, but love has found a way.
I am very happy for you. Changing jobs and finding love. I’m sure that your spirits are lifted.
I just realized I put this on the old day’s postings, so I’m repeating.
Thanks for the pipes, Old Bear!!! That was great.
Hi, Mindy. Great news!
It is never too late to find love
And never too late for a first time.
My days are filled with first times now.
Good for you Mindy
If your new friend takes most of your time please stop in and just say Hi from time to time.