It's always Fantasy-Book Friday.
Today's match is ...
(NWA, 1985)
-vs-
Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff
(WWF, 1985)
This week's psych terminology is:
Learned Helplessness - When I worked in the prison system, I found myself in sessions for conflict resolution 90+% of the time. I would introduce alternative problem solving methods for inmates to use to resolve problems between each other or with staff; inevitably an inmate would say something to the effect of, "When you back a dog into a corner, there's only one thing he'll do and that's attack."
"Except," I would respond, "when he just hunkers down in the corner and takes it."
A study by Seligman proves this. In a study that was onstensibly about extinction and spontaneous recovery in behavioral learning, Seligman put a dog in a cage with a metal floor and taught it to escape through a gate. Then, Seligman administered a mild, uncomfortable shock to the floor, and the dog escaped immediately. After enough trials, Seligman no long opened the gate, which in turn forced the dog to absorb this uncomfortable shock. After enough trials, the dog took to cowering in the corner. Finally, Seligman reopened the gate following the shock; however, the dog would not jump out of the cage. Instead, the dog would return to cowering in response.
It's not that the dog forgot how to escape. On the contrary, upon removal of the negative stimulus, the dog exited the cage just fine. It had just learned that when an uncomfortable stimulus was presented, there was no escape, so the next best thing was to just sit and take it. Think about that, next time you're presented with some obnoxious situation or person, and you have no other recourse but to take it on the chin for the home team, just for one small moment of sanity. Sometimes it's better, the devil you know; at least you learn how to deal with it.
This never really sat well with the inmates. I can probably figure out why.
Incidentally, my other favorite response from the inmates was, "Pressure bust pipes." "Except," I would respond, "pressure also makes diamonds." But that's a whole other issue. (Info from Forty Studies That Changed Psychology, 2nd ed.; Hock, R.)
Today is Appreciation Day!
Today, I appreciate the sound of birds in winter. Growing up in Tennessee, I would watch the birds migrate for climates further south. When I relocated my base of operations to South Carolina, it was odd to hear birds singing in the cold. This week, I was greeted everyday by the singing of birds, despite the cold and despite the gloomy weather. It was a reminder that spring will come, man, spring will come.
Today, to hope that springs eternal, I salute you!
Your hip-hop MP3 of the week is:
MOP: Cold As Ice
Album: "Warriorz"
By downloading this track, you are agreeing to the following: that you are downloading this for personal use only, and are in agreement that use of this file constitutes no agreement made between representatives of Science Gone Mad and the user; that you are in no way affiliated nor plan to be affiliated with any form of law enforcement which may, through any means, be responsible for the prosecution of illegal file sharing; and, that if you find this track compelling, that you will seek out further means by which to support the artist who recorded it. If you represent or are in fact this artist, you may contact me by the email above, and, provided you can supply approriate documentation supporting your claims, I will remove this file immediately.
This file will remain active for download and perusal for seven days, whereupon the the file will be removed and the link replaced with a redirection to a commercial site where this artist's album may be purchased.
The Forgotten Hero/Villain of the Day is:
Crimson Plague (hero)
First appearance: Crimson Plague #1
Image Comics: Gorilla imprint
Real Name: DiNA Simmons
Superpower: DiNA Simmons is a genetically altered young woman whose blood is toxic and corrosive to the touch; it acts as a form of acid when exposed to the flesh of others. Extremely lethal, even a small amount can kill someone in seconds. To make matters worse, when she reaches her menstrual cycle, that toxicity becomes an airborne virus capable of destroying an entire planet in the course of a day.
Okay ... a character whose whole major storyline resides in her chooch. Okay, so the build-up to her menstrual cycle starting would comprise exactly what, one month of a storyline? What are you going to do for the rest of the series, if her menstrual blood kills the whole planet? Me, I'd write in a side story where her used tampon can be used as a hand grenade. This bad boy lasted maybe 2 issues, which is further proof that you can't fool some discerning comic fans.
Until next Friday, I remain ...
1 comment:
I believe Jake played that MOP track for me once. He said "check this fuckin' sample out. You won't believe this shit." I was truly shocked and amazed.
The only thing is, I can't remember if it was this song or not. The song that he played did involve a ridiculous Classic Rock sample, though, so if wasn't this one that means there's another hip-hop track out there with a sample straight off of 101.5 WQUT, or given where Nate and I grew up, 103.5 WIMZ.
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