That thar link be broken. You put a little extra "ht" in your http :) http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/03/28/virg...

Haha, thanks. I'm a hardened, empirical science-lovin' atheist, but weird metaphors are the only way I can describe this drug. I've only done it twice but it kind of "loses its magic," after the first time. So now I'm trying to take those experiences and find some non-chemical way of reaching that hippie BS state again. It kinda sucks that the ravers give MDMA such a bad rep because I think it could completely alter the field of psychiatry and pyscho-therapy.

Psychedelics are not for everyone. I've avoided LSD and shrooms not for lack of availability but for fear that I might go insane. Weed is good fun, done in controlled amounts. MDMA (Ecstasy), however, is something that everyone over the age of 18 should try. It's simply unreal, and not at all the kind of dopey, party drug (although it can be used to enhance a party atmosphere).

MDMA is best done in the company of one or two really close friends (like, so close they won't freak if you stroke them) in a safe environment, preferably with something shiny to look at, and soft things to touch. Yeah, it makes everything feel really good but it can also be a highly therapeutic and intellectual drug.
*WARNING, HIPPIE BS AHEAD*
I believe that the mind is a temple. There are some places where one experiences pain, in hopes that they will grow stronger from it. There are other places that are full of happiness, love, and joy. In these places, there are locked doors that you cannot access except on rare occasions. MDMA is like the key to these doors, granting access to beautiful, sprawling vistas full of peace, with the world and with oneself. Every flaw, mistake, and hurt you've ever experienced, suddenly seems alright. For 6 hours, you are a perfect being, feeling nothing but the infinite joyousness and wonder you last experienced in childhood. You are a missionary of love, gliding across the surface of the universe, connecting with everyone you meet. And the best part is you remember it all!

...Or so I'm told.

Unfortunately, heavy usage has unknown effects, but it's probably bad for your brain. You might also start tearing up at the sight of your best friend and/or try to take off your pants in order to "feel the air."

Ohhh...this makes my stomach want to cry sweaty, acid tears. I'm with you on the octopus/squid but for everything else? Mein gott... ),:

What restaurants/cuisines do you enjoy, then?

Through the epic arcade game, Rampage, I learned that behind every giant, angry ape there is a beautiful naked woman. Which may explain my monkey fetish...er, I mean, cat fetish!

What a man and his dolls do in the privacy of his own home ain't nobody's business. Now y'all best be moving along *shotgun click*

But seriously though, leave me my cat-based humanoids and everything will be just fine.

Great article! You should read Evolution's Rainbow by Joan Roughgarden, if you haven't already. It completely problematizes heterosexual reproductive models and their role as the basis of all biological studies. Also, gay penguins.

"Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"

Lots of animals already have thumbs, like raccoons and hoomans. I lol'd though :)

Good point, neck-rubbing could be seen as homosocial activity, not homosexual. I think homosocial vs. homosexual actions depend on intent. Unfortunately we don't have a way of telling what animals are thinking...yet

That's an interesting reading. I actually never thought of it as a commentary of the politics of fame, but that's a very salient point.

I always thought of this quote as a reference to the ease with which white folk can access wealth and other goods and commodities, simply because of the privilege afforded to them by their race. Rock uses himself and the other black stars to show that black people have to literally be superstars in order to access this wealthy neighborhood. However, white people can hold jobs as (comparatively) menial as dentistry and own the same wealth and status symbols that blacks have to struggle for.

This sketch always reminds me of what my dad used to tell me back in the day, when I was one of 3 black children in an expensive, private elementary school (I got a scholarship :) ). He used to say, "little Gremlin, you can't slack off in school. You need to try harder than everyone else because you're black. It's harder for us to succeed in their world."

Unfortunately, my dad's depressing screed was true. Even though (or because...) some jealous nay-sayers like to pass of my accomplishments as the product of affirmative action, I feel like I have to work harder to prove myself, like the whole world is working against me. That's why I lol at these white alarmists who think that being white is some kind of struggle these days.

To summarize, I think what Chris Rock is trying to say is that it's really tough for minorities (sexual, racial, religious etc.) to succeed in a world where the normative model of success is based on the values of the white heteropatriarchy.

To quote another Chris Rock bit, "for white people, the sky's the limit. For black people, the limit's the sky."