This guy argues that, by pointing out to a woman that she may be overreacting to a certain situation, you are effectively making her question her sanity. Never mind that she goes batshit insane every time you so much as look at another woman. Extreme example? Hardly. I used to date someone like that.

The writer, who helpfully informs us that he is no mental health professional (you don’t say?!), insists on using an obscure term used by psychologists to describe this action. And that term is ‘gaslighting.’

Here is a quick definition stolen from Wikipedia:

Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his or her own memory and perception. It may simply be the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, or it could be the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.

The term “gaslighting” comes from the play Gas Light and its film adaptations. In those works a character uses a variety of tricks, including turning the gas lamps lower than normal, to convince his spouse that she is crazy. Since then it became a colloquial expression which has now also been used in clinical and research literature.

And here is our author waxing eloquent on how the term is used in, in his opinion, a more modern context:

Today, when the term is referenced, it’s usually because the perpetrator says things like, “You’re so stupid,” or “No one will ever want you,” to the victim. This is an intentional, pre-meditated form of gaslighting, much like the actions of Charles Boyer’s character in Gaslight, where he strategically plots to confuse Ingrid Bergman’s character into believing herself unhinged.

….

And this is the sort of emotional manipulation that feeds an epidemic in our country, an epidemic that defines women as crazy, irrational, overly sensitive, unhinged. This epidemic helps fuel the idea that women need only the slightest provocation to unleash their (crazy) emotions. It’s patently false and unfair.

Really, Freud?

Yeah, let’s just conveniently brush aside all documented evidence for women being generally more sensitive and emotional than men due to biological reasons, and just accuse men of being manipulative. Because hey, objectivity can be a bitch.

Image courtesy sodahead.com

But let’s just humour him and say, for argument’s sake, that women are, in fact, no more sensitive or emotionally driven than men, and we’re just being dicks. (Because these feminists are so big on equality). Does that mean that guys are any less sensitive? Are we all heartless douchebags who strangle babies and feed them to puppies, just for fun? Come on!

Some of us are pretty sensitive and sometimes we, too, can “overreact” to certain situations. And more often than not, women are quick to point this out. Seriously, if you’re a guy, and you’re reading this, can you honestly tell me that you’ve never heard a woman say “don’t be so sensitive,” or “God, stop overreacting” to you every time you tried to show them they were in the wrong?

My point is, we’re all sensitive creatures who react to being wronged, no matter what organ we choose to pee with. Some (both men and women) are capable of being more rational about it all. Others, unfortunately, aren’t. At the end of the day, both sides are guilty of this, and both sides are equally guilty of pointing their finger at the other, shouting, “crazy!”

So, why the bias?

It’s a Saturday. Usually, there is zero congestion here on Saturdays. And usually, there are zero traffic cops here on Saturdays.

Do the math.

This is just one example. I’m not even gonna mention just how bad the situation is on weekdays. It’s time Sri Lanka came up with a new traffic-control plan. Seriously.

Do I feel bad that I don’t give a shit?

Nope. Not one bit. Does this mean I’m a bad person, though?

Probably. I dunno.

But I have never stolen anything in my life. Not even a pencil. So, why am I here, doing what I’m doing, with a disgustingly clean conscience to boot, KNOWING that it’s (maybe) wrong?

Why don’t I care?

Does poverty necessity really justify a complete disregard for morality and basic decency, however trivial it may seem?

Where do you draw the line?

And on a not-completely-unrelated note, is internet piracy a one way ticket to digital hell?

Pecha what?

Simply put, it’s a kind of slideshow – with a twist. Pecha Kucha is a Japanese word that literally means ‘chit-chat.’ A speaker presents a total of 20 slides, at 20 seconds per slide. That’s seven minutes in total. This takes the suck out of it. Nobody wants to sit through a long and tedious PPT presentation.

The topic can be anything from books to movies to music to underwear. Basically, anything under the sun. Different people from different backgrounds talking about different things. It can’t not be interesting.

Take a look at their Facebook page. Lots of helpful info.

Shamelessly stole this from there:
“Pecha Kucha nights are an informal and fun gathering of creative people showcasing their work, in the Pecha Kucha format 20×20. It’s a format that makes presentations concise and keeps things simple.
PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide.”

So, yeah. Warehouse. 5-ish. Sunday. A ticket is just 100 rupees, the price of a regular buth packet. It’s for a good cause. You might even enjoy it. (You will).

Come.

ETA: There will be a live Twitter feed going up, at the event. That should be fun.

Remember that?

That was from the opening theme of Pissu Poosa, the Sinhala-dubbed popular animated series Top Cat that went on air in the late ’80s and early ’90s. I used to love that show. I couldn’t wait for the weekly antics of Pisso Poosa and his gang, the misadventures of Sargent Mahattaya, the kind but bumbling Gnaawwa… Man, it was all very funny to the little kid in me.

Of course, back then I didn’t know who the hell Top Cat was. Nor did I have a clue who or what Dr. Dolittle was. But I knew – and loved – Dosthara Honda Hitha. And Chau-chau! And the Thanakolapeththas! (Who, by the way, were the best band in the world at the time, in my very modest opinion).

Remember Gulliver and the Lilliputs? The world this Gulliver lived in couldn’t have been more different to the one Jonathan Swift invented. There was so much swashbuckling adventure and comedy in this show that, in my eyes, it was a crime to miss a single episode; and the overarching plot of Gulliver’s missing father was also quite intriguing. But that was not why it was such a lovable show. It was the brilliant Sinhala dubbing. Gulliver (voiced by Saman Athaudahetti, the former television personality who later became an adviser to and close confidante of Ranil Wickremesinghe) did an amazing job in bringing this character closer to Sinhala-speaking audiences. The rest of the crew, too, (whose names I unfortunately don’t recall), were such great finds who, over the years, proved invaluable assets to the local dubbing industry.

And then there were the other gems. Haa Haa Hari Haawa (Bugs Bunny), voiced by the very versatile Gemunu Wijesuriya who also voiced the goat character in the hugely popular puppet show made by the same team; the Sinhala-subtitled Robin of Sherwood (which also happens to be the single greatest movie or television adaptation of the prince of thieves to date); and, of course, Oshin, the Japanese drama whose timeline spanned several decades, in the POV of a Japanese girl growing up with the second world war as a backdrop. If I remember correctly, the younger Oshin was voiced by Pabodha Sandeepani who is now a popular TV star. The character’s husband, Takashi (I think), was again voiced by the talented Saman Athaudahetti. The intro in the title-sequence, I remember, was narrated by the illustrious Tissa Abeysekara who is sadly no longer with us.

The creative talent behind all these amazing shows and characters worked hard to bring these otherwise alien scenarios so close to our hearts and minds that it seemed impossible that they were not our own. Such was the genius and influence of these people that they were able to shape a generation with the power of their creativity. People like Athula Ransirilal brought so much to the table and really took television to another level.

But none of this would’ve been possible if it were not for the direction and sheer ingenuity of one man. A towering personality in the local tele-scene. A pioneer and a true visionary that helped change a culture forever. Titus Thotawatte, or Ti Maama, as he was fondly known. And that man is no more.

It was Titus that was the driving force behind all that creativity. It was he who took television to the kids, both in the city and in the village. It was he who defined the art of dubbing. He was our Walt Disney. And the fruits of his labour are there for all to see today.

But most importantly of all, it was Ti Maama who taught us this very valuable life lesson:

බෑයි කියල බෑයි කියල බෑ

බෑයි කියල බෑයි කියල බෑ

බෑ කියලා බැරිය මලේ, බෑ කියල බැරිය නගේ

බෑයි කියල බෑයි කියල බෑ!

Rest in peace, Ti. Keep being awesome!

A clip from Dosthara Honda Hitha, posted on YouTube by some kind soul. Ah, the wonders of the interwebs.

Nothing wrong with that, of course. Like the rest of us, they, too, should have the right to pretend they’re cultured citizens. And we mustn’t begrudge them the semblance of a social life they have outside of school. That goes without saying. It’s their obnoxious and in-your-face douchebaggery that I can’t stand.

A modern teenager

Teenagers, today, are like an invading Medieval army when they go out. They come in hordes, occupy every inch of space available, eat all your food, and rape all your women. Okay, maybe not that last one; but you catch my drift.

When I was a teen – which was barely 10 years ago, mind you – this was not the case. Far from it. We weren’t complete assholes; we didn’t live to piss everyone off; and we definitely didn’t hit on everything that couldn’t pee standing. At least, not when everyone was looking.

In short, in the company of adults, we were anything but ourselves. We knew that a little bit of pretence goody-two-shoesness went a long way. It kept everyone happy; and, more importantly, it kept us out of many a pile of shit. Why can’t today’s kids be like that and save us their rebelious bullcrap? I mean, seriously.

Or am I just a bitter old-timer who just can’t keep up?

Meh.

Pretty self-explanatory. Been a while since my last post here. Months, in fact. Thought I’d start blogging again. Not really sure why, or whether I really want to continue. But hey, this is a great excuse to put my new WordPress app to the test and show off my new phone in the process. So, yeah.

Edited to add a pic of my phone. Just because.

Understanding that it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.

Coming to terms with the fact that people are full of shit.

Realisng that nobody, I mean nobody, will take a bullet for you.

And that, for all their claims of undying love and caring, when it really comes down to it, people will have no trouble turning their back on you.

But no; that’s not really it. You haven’t really grown up till you’ve reached that point where you can just smile through it all and pretend you don’t give a shit. Until you’ve realised you’re no better yourself, despite whatever BS you’ve been feeding yourself to the contrary, and that you are just as selfish and just as weak. That, I believe, is when you can truly call yourself a grownup.

Or have I got it all wrong? I dunno. Maybe I have. I think I’ve still got a lot of growing-up to do. And I just turned 27…

Woe is me.

I can think of only one word to describe these people: motherfuckers!

It was just a natural disaster, you morons. Nothing more; nothing less. It wasn’t ‘payback’ for some shit that happened 70 years ago. Maybe if these Americans get their heads out of their asses for a bit and see that, contrary to popular belief, the world does NOT revolve around them, they just might realise that.

I have nothing against the US, and I’m not one of those retarded ‘anti-American’ activists who scream “down with Uncle Sam” on their way back home from McDonald’s. But this is just despicable. Sure, Pearl Harbour sucked balls (both the movie and the incident). It should never have happened. But come on; it was a different time and place. The whole world was at war for crying out loud. You’d think 70 years would be long enough for any nation to forgive and forget; but not so for right-wing America. Oh, no. They just have to come up with some bullshit every now and then in order to feel good about themselves. I guess the constant mutual masturbation they have going on with the likes of Sarah Palin and the Tea Party doesn’t quite cut it. (God, I love to hate that woman).

But seriously, no post-war hangover should last this long. It’s just wrong.