It seems the good people of the alt-right have again brought us some delicious controversy.
You may have heard about the outcry around the use of the term NPC.
NPC traditionally refers to a "Non-Playable-Character" in a video game.
They have spread the definition further to encompass people that we might have called sheeple, those without strong views or insight who are easily swayed.
Of course as is the case with most troll acts, jimmies were rustled...

They went even further to support their argument with what I found really interesting.
30% of people do not have an internal monologue... Frightening huh? 30% of the population never run though anything in their minds because they have no internal voice.
This explains to me so clearly a discussion I had a couple of years ago. This isn't sexist, just how it is...
My friend married a gorgeous South American girl who learnt English on her arrival.
I asked her what language she thought in after being here for a couple of years and she was absolutely baffled by the question and I couldn't understand why... Now I guess I know.

I also read recently about a term called Aphantasia which basically means you don't have a minds' eye, you don't ever picture things in your mind and cannot.

The mind and thought is such a fascinating concept for me.
I eventually am going to start writing a blog on practical problem solving when I get time as it is something I find fascinating and have a little bit of a knack for.

It got me thinking about thinking, both the method and speed.
I have a terrible memory and borderline face blindness.
I am not completely blind in minds eye but almost and I have an internal monologue but don't use it that often unless playing out a scenario in my mind.
My thought is mostly in abstract concepts.

So... How do you think?

I’m pretty surprised by how upset people are getting over this meme, but at the same time it’s probably hit a nerve with people that define themselves solely by their (not so) strongly held political beliefs.



I didn’t even realise that was possible not to have an inner monologue, I remember someone mentioning here they didn’t think that way but instead in equations of sorts and I didn’t think they were serious 😂.

I’ve moved that many times in my life I used to be amused as a teen by how many people just seem like a pre-set character and I’d met someone with a near identical personality. Similar to the NPC meme, i’d move schools and met people who had the same personality archetype as someone i’d met elsewhere. Almost like the limited amount of classes in a video game, because we obviously live in a simulation /XFilesMusic

That completely blows my mind, that a percentage of people don't have an internal monologue. However, the mind's eye or being able to visualize, really is a gift.

On a side note, and completely off topic from the political. I've got something called Spatial Sequence Synesthesia. It's basically how you see time in you head Many see a time and space rotating around them, with the present directly in front of them. I see the present directly in front, yet everything in a straight timeline. The past, is to the left. The future to the right. The beginning of each decade is a point on the timeline. I always thought this was the same for everyone.

Love the term NPC, yet surely it would indicative of a person's level of intelligence. People that live so ignorantly at no fault of their own, and of very little understanding of the world, nor the ability to want to know more.

I don't have an great internal monologue, but in a different way. My brain forgets it's supposed to be an internal monologue, and my lips start moving despite the fact I'm not speaking, so people are always catching me just kinda talking to myself, literally thinking out loud.

I'm with ya on terrible memory and face blindness, if I don't see you regularly, I have a hard time picking you out, I straight up tell people "Don't take offense, I can't place faces" when I run into someone who seems to know me. I can place names, I always know who they are unless it was a single time meeting (since I probably wasn't paying attention).

As for memory, the way I've explained it, it's not that I forget things, I just don't remember. What I mean by that, is I always remember the things themselves, but they might slip my mind. Back when there were land lines I'd tell everybody there was a good chance I didn't give a message, but if anybody mentions a phone or something I'd associate with the person or a call, I'd likely remember. The information is always there, sometimes it's just in the back of the cabinet.

System: That meme is dumb because it's calling out a specific group of people (young people) as opposed to general public. I've only seen it used by the right to attack the left as well, which is also dumb given right-wing politics are the pinnacle of tribalism in America (white, straight, Christian). Finally ... why is voting bad? For anyone?

iNCY: Any links you can share on the 30% have no internal monologue? I couldn't find anything on a cursory look, and I'm fascinated by this concept.

Oct 16, 2018 11:19:00 GMT KJ said:

System: That meme is dumb because it's calling out a specific group of people (young people) as opposed to general public. I've only seen it used by the right to attack the left as well, which is also dumb given right-wing politics are the pinnacle of tribalism in America (white, straight, Christian). Finally ... why is voting bad? For anyone?

iNCY: Any links you can share on the 30% have no internal monologue? I couldn't find anything on a cursory look, and I'm fascinated by this concept.

I just googled NPC meme to post an example, if others weren’t aware of it.

There is a good chance I might be one of the 30% that has no filter.

My friends, mom and even my daughter often tell me that so there must be something to it. Recently, I've been thinking about a work change, but other than being completely overworked and heading into burnout, my office setting is hard to leave. Honestly, other women in a large corporate settings scare the hell out of me. The women I work with currently are awesome, but I do much better in a mostly male dominated setting/shop/field setting as I have a horrendous potty mouth and pretty much say things without thinking or just don't care. Males or women like me seem to be much more accepting of my lack of filter and frankness.

Memory wise I seem to have a good memory for things that happened awhile ago but ask me whatI ate yesterday and I couldn't tell you.

Oct 16, 2018 13:41:52 GMT System said:

Oct 16, 2018 11:19:00 GMT KJ said:

System : That meme is dumb because it's calling out a specific group of people (young people) as opposed to general public. I've only seen it used by the right to attack the left as well, which is also dumb given right-wing politics are the pinnacle of tribalism in America (white, straight, Christian). Finally ... why is voting bad? For anyone?

iNCY : Any links you can share on the 30% have no internal monologue? I couldn't find anything on a cursory look, and I'm fascinated by this concept.

I just googled NPC meme to post an example, if others weren’t aware of it.

You did a quick google to find an example and simultaneously gathered how upset people were? 

Oct 17, 2018 1:04:06 GMT KJ said:

Oct 16, 2018 13:41:52 GMT System said:

I just googled NPC meme to post an example, if others weren’t aware of it.

You did a quick google to find an example and simultaneously gathered how upset people were? 

The backlash to the meme is featured on the GET page, so I already knew about the meme.

GET?

Oct 17, 2018 4:18:32 GMT KJ said:

GET?

God Emperor Trump, the meme page.

iron maiden

So you don’t have an inner monologue when you think about things?

You are right. I must have SOME filter because I wouldn't blurt something out intentionally that would hurt someone (though I have unitentionally done so many times). That being said, if you are a friend of mine, I'll usually say it. For instance, my friend got some fillers (injections of collagen in her face) and of course it was a bit swollen and her smile was weird. I didn't know she had gotten it done so as we were talking I looked at her and said 'I don't mean to be rude, but WTF is up with your face?'. My mouth has gotten me in trouble more than I care to admit because if I see something going down that's wrong, I'll say it consequences be damned. I told my boss last week I was pissed because he didn't 'sack up and instead sent other people to do what he should have'. Probably not a great way to secure future employment in the midst of a company sale but I wasn't wrong.

One of the guys at work even said I needed to adopt a 24/7 rule. Basically, instead of blurting out something right away like 'I think that's a fucking stupid idea', I instead need to repsond with something like 'That's an interesting concept/idea let me think about it and I'll get back to you.' I haven't been all that successful with it.

Have you heard of the book Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, iron maiden? I think you'd love it.

Oct 16, 2018 11:19:00 GMT KJ said:

System : That meme is dumb because it's calling out a specific group of people (young people) as opposed to general public. I've only seen it used by the right to attack the left as well, which is also dumb given right-wing politics are the pinnacle of tribalism in America (white, straight, Christian). Finally ... why is voting bad? For anyone?

iNCY : Any links you can share on the 30% have no internal monologue? I couldn't find anything on a cursory look, and I'm fascinated by this concept.

Well KJ , There's not a lot of studies where it is categorically states what percentage of people have no inner speech, but it does suggest that there are large numbers of people who do not employ internal speech in their decision making. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810018301090

Oct 17, 2018 0:11:53 GMT iron maiden said:

There is a good chance I might be one of the 30% that has no filter.

My friends, mom and even my daughter often tell me that so there must be something to it. Recently, I've been thinking about a work change, but other than being completely overworked and heading into burnout, my office setting is hard to leave. Honestly, other women in a large corporate settings scare the hell out of me. The women I work with currently are awesome, but I do much better in a mostly male dominated setting/shop/field setting as I have a horrendous potty mouth and pretty much say things without thinking or just don't care. Males or women like me seem to be much more accepting of my lack of filter and frankness.

Memory wise I seem to have a good memory for things that happened awhile ago but ask me whatI ate yesterday and I couldn't tell you.

Very interesting iron maiden,, you may not have an internal monologue, or just not employ it often by the way you responded to the concept.
An internal monologue is not a filter, it is the ability to consider and reason a topic in your mind.
I don't do this often, but if you were looking to speak to your boss you might consider in your mind what he would say, then how you would respond and tease out different versions of the conversation.
This is not always easy, but is helpful in preparing for any confrontation.


I actually really enjoy thinking, I have a bit of a knack for lateral thinking in a world filled with vertical thinking.
People tend to make assumption upon assumption like kids building a block tower, one faulty assumption in there and down they all come.
By thinking laterally, you constantly build ideas, knock them over and build more at the same time to see which is the strongest.

Oct 17, 2018 23:27:58 GMT iNCY said:

Oct 16, 2018 11:19:00 GMT KJ said:

System : That meme is dumb because it's calling out a specific group of people (young people) as opposed to general public. I've only seen it used by the right to attack the left as well, which is also dumb given right-wing politics are the pinnacle of tribalism in America (white, straight, Christian). Finally ... why is voting bad? For anyone?

iNCY : Any links you can share on the 30% have no internal monologue? I couldn't find anything on a cursory look, and I'm fascinated by this concept.

Well KJ , There's not a lot of studies where it is categorically states what percentage of people have no inner speech, but it does suggest that there are large numbers of people who do not employ internal speech in their decision making. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810018301090

I've only had time to skim the first couple of paragraphs but not much there really surprises me.

They seem to be evaluating day to day tasks (what are you getting for dinner) where there shouldn't be much need for self-reflection or deep internal discussion.

As far as the NPC theme, I find it offensive in the way that I find most conspiracy theorists offensive -- there's a strong element of smug superiority and this weird idea that intelligent people can't disagree with you; the only reason someone would have differing opinions is that they're brainwashed and too stupid to realize it.

The more I see this "NPC" thing exploding, the more I'm convinced we're weeks away from the premiere of "Ow, My Balls!"

They evidently don't get the irony in them all basically just following a different sort of figurative programming.

Am I an asshole for finding it comical that people are offended by this? Oh my god someone insulted me. Calm down.

Yeah, people on all sides get offended way too easily these days. NPC is just a really stupid trend in a long line of fucking idiotic buzzwords these nutters keep clinging on to, along with: snowflake, libtard, soyboy, and the complete misuse of the word cuck. All trigger words for me, the second anyone utters a single one (unless in relation to a literal snowflake), I instantly don't give a fuck about anything else they have to say, as it's doubtful to have any real value. No reason to take anything these assbackwards fuckwads have to say seriously at all, let alone seriously enough to take offense.

I didn’t realise Chuck Palahniuk started the “snowflake” thing until he mentioned it on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

People getting upset over the meme just prove its point though, not like it hasn’t been used on both sides, eg:

Oct 21, 2018 1:47:27 GMT RagnarokMike said:

The more I see this "NPC" thing exploding, the more I'm convinced we're weeks away from the premiere of "Ow, My Balls!"

They evidently don't get the irony in them all basically just following a different sort of figurative programming.

This guy has over 2m followers on Instagram and has a thing called Sack Sunday where he gets hit in the balls in various manners.

The world is so stupid now.

Oct 23, 2018 14:35:47 GMT System said:

Oct 21, 2018 1:47:27 GMT RagnarokMike said:

The more I see this "NPC" thing exploding, the more I'm convinced we're weeks away from the premiere of "Ow, My Balls!"

They evidently don't get the irony in them all basically just following a different sort of figurative programming.

This guy has over 2m followers on Instagram and has a thing called Sack Sunday where he gets hit in the balls in various manners.

It's the network deal that I'm eagerly anticipating. 6 SEASONS AND A MOVIE!