There's A Fine Line Between Simply Stating Your Opinion And Outright Complaining: It's The Repetition.

There's a fine line between simply stating your opinion and outright complaining: it's the repetition.

I'm okay with people stating their opinions around me, even if those opinions don't line up with mine. In fact, I encourage it; it brings to my mind arguments that I've never heard before, so I can defend or refute them and strengthen my position. I don't usually argue my point with them directly (in fact, I usually think of my arguments at two o'clock that night), but in the future I can defend my own standpoint.

The trouble comes when someone has an opinion that they're not afraid to let everyone know of... every time the topic comes up. It doesn't matter if it's a topic of conversation, a person that walks by, or a commercial on TV, they'll bring it up again. EVERY. TIME. I hear the same points argued so often that I begin to wonder if this person actually WANTS someone to prove them wrong. My mind starts to drift when this occurs (since I've heard it all already), so when this happened just recently I found an interesting parallel to this situation.

Remember when we were kids (if you're not still) and we complained a lot? We would keep saying the same thing over and over, and our parents would get sick and tired of hearing us and either spank us or cave in and buy the toy. However it ended up, we were expecting some sort of action as a response. It wasn't always what we wanted it to be, but we wanted something to come of our work.

It's very easy to argue that we were just stating our opinion, but it was the repetition that made it complaining.

Of course, nothing's actually changed. People just complain about different things in a more "socially acceptable" way. Even the expected response is still there. What I don't understand is what response people are expecting. I mean, what do you expect me to do? Agree with you? Argue with you? Because I can't change it for you. Either way, though, I'll get tired of you defending your position for the umpteenth time. I actually like talking about different things than we did yesterday. But that's just my opinion.

Point is (and this is a lesson for me too), if that commercial comes up again, resist the urge to state your opinion, because everyone in the room already knows.

And now for a classic wintry, video-game-y song as we get ready for Christmas. Hope the season is going well for you.

Since it's getting cold (or it should be) here in the Northern Hemisphere, I thought I'd post some wintry songs as we approach Christmas.

This one is an electronic take on the winter style. It doesn't seem to me like it would work that well, but the result is actually one of my favorite chilly songs.

From the Shatter Official Videogame Soundtrack.

Sonic has been confirmed for the new Smash Bros.

Today is a good day.

A lot of people are surprised when I tell them that I mostly listen to video game music. "Oh, you mean that 16-bit stuff? Don't you listen to anything else?"

Yeah, not even close.

Protip when going down a stairway:

If the handrail is wet, you can jump and slide down it on one hand.

This technique is worth 30 style points, useful for the lifetime achievement award or the daily combo award. If it's raining at your college campus or place of business, impress your friends!