http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/06/fire_emblem_fates_will_allow_same-sex_marriages

Didn't see a topic on this, but it seems right up our alley.
Oops there's already a thread.

"We believe that our gameplay experiences should reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate and, at the same time, we will always design the game specifications of each title by considering a variety of factors, such as the game's scenario and the nature of the game play. In the end of course, the game should be fun to play. We feel that Fire Emblem Fates is indeed enjoyable to play and we hope fans like the game."

This is fine.

When it comes to having stupid opinions, when it comes to having false ideas, and when it comes to having incorrect viewpoints, I'm hard-pressed during my weary travels across the Internet to find anything that could feasibly match the pure evil, sheer insanity, and sky-rending idiocy of the "philosophy" known as moral nihilism. I have to use "philosophy" in quotation marks, too, because the word itself (derived, of course, from the Greek philosophia) is supposed to mean "love of wisdom", but any individuals who describe themselves as nihilists could never love wisdom. If they loved wisdom, they would have to concede that life isn't meaningless, and that there are logical imperatives to be fulfilled in the universe--but that would be inconvenient, so they hate wisdom. If they could, they would take wisdom and smash it, because to have wisdom would be to acknowledge that there is indeed value in the universe.

A nihilist is someone who doesn't believe there is any value in the universe. Common mantras include, but are not limited to, "life is meaningless," or "life has no meaning." Of course, life having no meaning entails the lack of concepts such as consequence, or the necessary result or effect of a negative action or cause. There is no such thing as a "crime" or "moral transgression" to a nihilist. You could torture five or ten or a hundred people, however many you want, for no good reason, and there would be no "moral" repercussions involved. You'll get imprisoned, sure, but to a nihilist, we're dealing with notions of intrinsic negative value. That is to say, to a nihilist, even though you'll get punished undoubtedly for your actions as a murderer, that doesn't mean there's anything intrinsically wrong with torturing someone. It doesn't matter if you don't have a good cause.

Most people who claim to be nihilists that I've spoken to are no older than twenty, so, more than likely, not a single one of them has underwent any real suffering in their lives. None of them have had cancer, none of them have had their limbs crushed, and none of them have died. They have no concept of how bad life can really get, and they're going to make the oh-so-dubious claim that none of it matters.

Next time you meet a nihilist, ask him if he'd appreciate it if you shoved a nail directly into his eyeball. They're going to say no. If you ask them why, they'll probably respond with a statement that establishes the existence, involvement, and the pertinence of the intensely negative sensation of pain. It would hurt a lot if you stabbed their eye with a nail, so they'd rather not be stabbed in the eye with a nail. It all seems very agreeable, until you ask them about other people.

You see, nihilism is often closely knit with a wide variety of other garbage philosophies, such as hedonism, rational egoism, and even solipsism. If one makes the argument that nothing in the universe matters, it's much easier, then, to act as though the self is of utmost importance, because your self is the only thing you know to exist. Your existence, your sensations, are all you are capable of experiencing, so the logical statement being made is that there is nothing else in the universe worth caring about. I call this "drain empathy", or the absence of all acknowledgement towards the feelings of other sentient beings, and this is, irreconcilably, the most evil philosophy that I can think of, bereft of all decency.

You ask that same nihilist, after establishing that he doesn't want to have nails in his eye (because it's painful), if he would go out of his way to prevent his eyes from ever being stabbed, and he says yes. Here's where it gets fun. Ask him how he would feel if someone else--be it a friend, a family member, or some random person--gets stabbed in the eye.

You might get responses like:

- Indifference. The person getting stabbed in the eye has nothing to do with me; therefore, I have no reason to care. It's his problem, not mine. Why should I let someone else's pain and suffering affect me in any way?

Fortunately, this is the more exceedingly rare of the two. Clearly, this person is insane--as is anyone who is unable to realize that one's own comfort has no bearing on the comfort of others, and that just because you may be comfortable does not mean that the idea of other's discomfort shouldn't give you pause.

The other, more common, response (which is really not much better):

- Indifference. Sure, it would be horrible--I know this, because I wouldn't want it to happen to me--and if given the opportunity to prevent it, I would most certainly take it. I wouldn't take it because getting stabbed in the eye is an intrinsic bad, though. I would only take it because I would personally feel bad if I didn't.

This is stupid and evil, for different, yet more complex, reasons. While this is obviously an exaggerated paraphrase, most garden-variety nihilists will take this route instead. While claiming that there is no intrinsic value, they'll also claim at the same time that, just because nothing has any meaning, doesn't mean that they still don't have emotions, and they'll function based on those emotions. This is certifiably retarded, for reasons that are obvious to me, but perhaps aren't for other people.

This version of nihilism is just textbook selfishness--doing good deeds for selfish reasons, in my opinion, almost negates the good deed itself. In a life-threatening situation, would you rather be spared by a kind individual who genuinely cares about your well-being, or by someone who's only in it for the fame and fortune? Or by someone who only did it because they'd feel bad if they didn't--and couldn't actually give a damn about you?

But operating on one's emotions alone isn't just inconsiderate--it's also inefficient and dangerous. An emotionally-driven individual is more likely to help a close relative or friend than they are an entire group of people. It's this type of mindset that feeds into our addictive personalities even further. You start doing good deeds not because they're the right thing to do, but because they make you feel good--and you'll start coming up with strategies to maximize your own happiness with the lowest possible effort--that's called inefficiency. The danger comes from the strain it'll inevitably place on our relationships with fellow human beings.

Most people don't like being "accused" of being selfish--but indeed, some nihilists embrace selfishness. A number of them ask insipid questions like "What's so bad about being selfish, anyway?"

The obvious answer, of course, is that there are a lot more people out there than you. Anyone who honestly believes that the self is the most important thing in one's own "personal universe" should be schlepped off of the goddamn planet, because that is just too stupid for words. If you wouldn't want something to happen to you, because it would incur huge amounts of pain and suffering for you, then you shouldn't want anyone to experience pain and suffering. Not because "it'll make you feel good," either, but because it's the logical standpoint to make.

The reason nihilists are the most intellectually bankrupt people there are is because they answer incorrectly one of the biggest and most important questions in the universe. If you can't figure out that the existence of suffering creates huge ethical responsibilities for us on this planet, then I can only wish the worst for you. I hope a pack of tigers maul you to death--or your family--and then I want to hear you say that suffering doesn't matter.

I want every nihilist--every person who claims that life doesn't matter, suffering has no meaning--every person who looks at events like the Holocaust, the Crusades, the Dark Ages, the plagues, the floods, the earthquakes, the anguish, the depression, the horror, every significant other who's ever died of cancer, every pet that's ever been run over, every disease that's ever been endured, takes a look at all of that horror and says, "None of it matters," I want every single nihilist who says that to be rounded up and shot. There's no excuse for this type of person to be a part of a nation that considers itself civilized, and they don't think anything matters anyway.

I mean, they've basically given the universe consent to torture them if they say nothing matters, in my opinion.
So they should get the absolute worst that life has to offer. It only makes sense.

i'm rather partial to ex-, contra-, counter-, ante-, hetero-, infra-, octo-, tera-, yotta-, and juxta-

perhaps a few others, too, but my least favorite is a-

just do prefixes, though
fuck suffixes--suffixes suck

So, Pendulate actually had an interesting idea last time around: Word submissions. If you think you have a good word that you'd like to be featured in one of these threads, you could send it my way in a PM, and I'll make it happen (if the word is good enough). I'll mention your username in the definition somewhere, and have a "thank you" tab where all the names'll be kept. I think it's a pretty good idea.

The basic criteria for word submissions are:
- It has to be relatively uncommon
- It should be at least somewhat practical or useful in casual conversation
- While not completely necessary, you're more likely to get featured if it happens to be a word I don't already know.

You can submit as many words as indiscriminately as you like.

Pendulate actually managed to find a pretty elusive one for me the other day, so today's WotD was partially brought to you by him.

---

The following word was submitted by Pendulate:
Anhedonia - /an - heh - DOE - nee- uh/
the Greek an-, meaning "without", and hedone, meaning "pleasure".

Many of you might be able to guess the meaning of this word by picking apart its roots. "Hedonia" in particular is very telling, as most of us are familiar with the philosophy of hedonism--or the belief that pleasure and happiness are the most important things in life. There's also the so-called "hedonic treadmill" concept, or the belief that, no matter how far our technological pursuits may go, we will never be truly satisfied; we will always find something to be unhappy about.

Anhedonia is a term used in psychiatry to describe a state of mind where it is impossible, or exceedingly difficult, to experience pleasure: After five years of crippling depression, he no longer derives any pleasure from his once most beloved activities, as a result of anhedonia. This state of mind is tightly linked to depressive disorders, and as such, should probably only be used in such contexts where one's anhedonia would be symptomatic of some type of depression.

---

Penury - /PEN - yuhr - ee/
[penurious]
From the Latin penuria, meaning "need"

To live in penury is to live in extreme poverty. You might have heard of words like "destitute"; or, "he was living in utter destitution". They're the poorest of the poor. People living in a state of penury, however, are even poorer than that--they're the poorest of the poorest of the poor. Whereas someone in destitution may have at least showered within the last year, people living in penury may have never bathed in their lives. It's absolute poverty.

Yeah, I'll see if I can work in a more positive word to end today's list off.

---

Copacetic - /KOH - puh - SEH - tik/
Etymology unknown.

"How are you feeling today?"
"Oh, I'm just copacetic, thanks."
"...Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."
"What?"

That was an actual exchange I had with a friend the other day. I used the word copacetic to describe how I felt that day--that is to say, just fine. Perfect. Everything was going smooth.

It's actually a pretty common expression, but perhaps more people ought to know about it, because it apparently sounds like some kind of crippling medical condition when used in the right tone of voice. But nope, all it means is that everything is peachy. I'd like to think most people know what it means, though--especially in America.

---

I hope you're all having a copacetic day, in spite of your penurious, anhedonic lives.

Back from E3 edition. I knew I wasn't gonna be able to do these every day, but I think this works better anyway. No gimmicks this time--the general plan was to have at least one or two words that one would be able to use in a regular conversation without looking like a weirdo, and those are always rather tricky to think of. I got a fine slew of them this time around.

---

Videlicet - /vih - DEL - eh - seht/
[viz] [viz.]
From the Latin videre licet, meaning "it is permitted to see".

Perhaps you've seen the abbreviated form of this word used before--"viz". "Videlicet" is its full orthography. It's simply a fancier Latin way of saying "namely" or "particularly": My wallet contains two kinds of currency, viz. coins and bills. Nowadays, it's totally superfluous, given that the term's purpose can be replicated easily with a special punctuation mark, videlicet the colon (:), but it remains one of my favorite words to this day simply because of the way it looks and sounds.

---

Effervescent - /EFF - er - VES - ent/
[effervesce] [effervescing] [effervesced] [effervesces] [effervescence]
From the Latin ferverscere, meaning to "begin to boil".

For those of you who still drink soda or other carbonated beverages, you know effervescence very well. The fizz that emits from the can once opened is effervescent--or, in other words, "bubbly". And just as the word "bubbly" can also be used to describe a very happy, energetic, or chipper individual, effervescent can be used to describe that person, too. I also like to use it as a verb, as in: She entered the room with vivacious gusto, effervescing the premises until almost everyone was smiling. Only use it to describe people who are sickeningly excitable.

---

Cuckold - /CUCK - uhld/
[cuckolds] [cuckolded] [cuckolding] [cuckolded] [cuckoldry]
From the Old French cucu, meaning "cuckoo" (bird).

...I'm not sure if the Internet knows what this word means, or not. The shortening "cuck" seems to be a word to describe either of two things on the Internet: 1.) Anything the Internet does not like, or 2.) A traitor, or metaphorical adulterer.

In actuality, a cuckold is the victim of adultery, not the adulterer. My hapless friend was cuckolded two years ago after his ex-girlfriend cheated on him. He is now a cuckold. However, the term itself is often associated in modern times with a sexual fetish wherein a submissive male enjoys the thought of being cheated on.

I don't know why this word is being used in such a strange way lately, but it makes me wonder about people sometimes.

---

If you're wondering about what the real term is for someone who commits adultery, look here:

i thought infamous was gonna blow, but it ended up being one of my favorite newer gen games

but generally speaking, i have very good... prejudgment

as per meta's humble request

taken care of

this is not me
(my real alt has a period at the end)

i don't actually dislike 90% of the posts he disliked anyway

so if you had your hurt feelings after i disliked your post, don't worry, because it wasn't me
lol

title

I just had a fun idea: Why don't I start making word-of-the-day threads? I love the English language (as stupid as it is), because there seems to be a word for just about everything. Learning new words is fun, and so is eventually getting to use one in a sentence. I think so, anyway. I try to learn new words every day, and as a result, I have a pretty decent vocabulary, and a couple of people here have taken note of that. So I figured, why don't I pass down some of my knowledge?

Here are the words I've chosen:

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Salubrious - /suh - LOO - bree - uhs/
[salubriously] [salubriousness] [salubrity]
Derived from the Latin salus, meaning "health".

This one's one of my favorites. Salubrious--it's when something is healthy, or conducive to good health: A salubrious diet is one that will involve fruits and vegetables. It can also be used to describe a generally positive or fortuitous outcome, but this is more uncommon: hours of studying language has proven to be a salubrious endeavor.

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Defenestrate - /dee - FEH - neh - strayt/
[defenestration] [defenestrating] [defenestrates] [defenestrated] [defenestrater]
Derived from the Latin de, meaning "down from", and fenestra, "window"

A couple of you may have seen me use this one before. Defenestration is the act of forcibly throwing something (or someone) out of a window: After a drunken squabble at the local bar, the ruffian was promptly defenestrated by his adversary. Definitely not a word to be used in any formal context, but can create a humorous atmosphere when need be: Suffering his sixteenth "game over" in a row, the child was primed to defenestrate his brother's Xbox One.

---

Fremdschämen - /FREM(d) - shay - min/
Derived from the German fremd, meaning "strange" or "external", and schamen, meaning "to be ashamed"

Here's a beautiful German word I thought I'd steal for the moment. We've all heard of schadenfreude, which translates roughly to the pleasure you derive from the misfortune of others (laughing at someone when they trip and fall is schadenfreude). Here is a word that basically means the opposite sensation. Fremdschämen is essentially secondhand embarrassment, or the empathetic sensation you feel when you see someone embarrass themselves or do something awkward in public--something that's cringeworthy. Since it's indeed a German word, I don't exactly know how to use it in an English sentence properly, but I could take a guess, and anyone who knows German could help me out: The class internally erupted out of total fremdschämen for the weird kid who gave a PowerPoint presentation on his favorite anime.

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All right, that's all for today. I hope you learned something.

I probably won't do these every single day (but who knows--I don't have much of a life at the moment), but we'll see. I hope this wasn't too weird--I'm just trying something new, and hopefully it works out.

What do you think, though? Is this lame and stupid? Is this awesome? Should I never do it again?
I probably will anyway. This was a lot of fun to make, and I got vocabulary words for days.

Uh, so let me know.

aren't you proud, mom

what the fuck does "pretty" mean

when we say, "that was pretty funny"
what does "pretty" mean in that context

is "pretty funny" more or less funny than just "funny"

or is it just auxiliary

It's a thing now.

Inductees thus far:

• DOOM
• Grand Theft Auto III
• The Legend of Zelda
• The Oregon Trail
• Pac-Man
• Pong
• The Sims
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Space Invaders
• Super Mario Bros.
• Tetris
• World of Warcraft

The only one that makes me raise an eyebrow is WoW, but you know, whatever.
I think a hall of fame for games has been quite overdue, so I'm happy it exists now.

Here is their stated criteria on their nomination page:

The World Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes individual electronic games of all types—arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile—that meet the following criteria:

• Icon-status: the game is widely recognized and remembered.
• Longevity: the game is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time.
• Geographical reach: the game meets the above criteria across international boundaries.
• Influence: The game has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games, on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general. A game may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.

Thoughts?