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[Rolan7]

Independence, self-reliance can be vitally important to building self esteem.  Say ones parents visit, and before they leave they buy a bunch of dishes as a gift.  It's generous of them, yeah, but there are implications.  Maybe the person is happy with their dishware situation, or doesn't like the style, but what can they do?  Accept the gift, and be reminded of the shame every time they open the cupboard, or refuse and come off as an oversensitive, ungrateful asshole.
Sorta-kinda based on real events except it was just a bunch of cleaning supplies.  Consumable gifts are superior in that way, because everyone runs out of consumables.

I love holding doors open for people because it makes me feel good.  But I've noticed it's sometimes a bit awkward, particularly when I was a young kid holding it for some healthy adult.  I did it to feel generous, but in retrospect I'm pretty sure a lot of those people would have much rather I didn't.  Mostly strong guys who probably felt a little emasculated by this little kid, but also women trying to cultivate the same self-reliance.  At least I held the doors for everybody regardless of gender (I never really thought to discriminate, every closing door was a chance to feel benevolent).

I play support classes in online games to feel superior to others.  Same thing.  Though now it's more of a habitual playstyle heh, and I really doubt people mind much...  But I'm not actually being generous, just taking the comfortable position of apparent moral superiority.

I guess in short, even if someone gives a gift with no expectations in return, that can be legitimately uncomfortable for the receiver.  Particularly if they're trying to build self-esteem through independence.  It's not wrong to want to feel benevolent, but it can be unintentionally... patronizing, maybe?  Disrespectful, technically.

[Frumple]

Yeah, I think you're coming down too hard on neo, here, FD.

And personally, I wouldn't call helping people against their will being a "good person". I've seen that sort of behavior cause of a hell of a lot of trouble in my lifetime. You ask someone if they want help, make the offer, and if they say no you back the blazes away. You keep going anyway and what you're doing isn't being a good person -- it's being something, but not that.

Though as to what it costs you, it costs you the nice walk you were enjoying and riding in a hurtling deathtrap you might have preferred not to. Depends on the person in question, but don't assume something that's costless for you is costless for someone else, y'know?

And beyond all that, the answer isn't to burn bridges. Sometimes you just want to build them somewhere else on the river. Talk to people, let them know what's up, help build mutual behavior in directions both parties are comfortable with. Deciding to steamroll or lay supine isn't healthy.

[wierd]

If somebody wants to work to get something, (and thus feel accomplishment along with ownership), they need only tell me such, instead of flat refusal. I will graciously accept such an honest answer. I will just find somebody else to give the gift to, and may even ask the originally intended recipient if they know anyone who would like such a thing.

Again, I dont go out on limbs to get things for people unless there is some kind of glaringly horrid need (Like starving and bleeding in the streets kind of glaringly horrid)-- and only get big gifts when it is not going to hurt me to get the item in question. So, to me, it's on par with opening a door, just the situation is more opening the door for the quadriplegic. They need the door opened; they have no functioning limbs with which to open it, and they are trying to get in.  You don't mean to be condescending or rude by opening the door for them, and it is as easy as reaching out an arm.  The thing is, you have the arm that works, and they don't. It can feel just as horrible on the self-esteem level for the quadriplegic getting doors opened for them (Having to rely on others to open doors), as it does somebody wanting something and not being able to get it except through the charity of another.

Again, the very idea of purposefully causing such emotional distress to somebody is abhorrent to me, and definately NOT intentional. Just... unavoidable, since you can never be certain how somebody will react to having something done for them, or given to them.

[FearfulJesuit]

Saw a mostly-upvoted thread in /r/conspiracy asking what the "bright yellow powder" that was coating everything in Ontario was, and whether the news reports saying it was pollen were a cover-up. Commenter proposes that it might be yellowcake uranium, also upvoted.

[XXXXYYYY]

Saw a mostly-upvoted thread in /r/conspiracy asking what the "bright yellow powder" that was coating everything in Ontario was, and whether the news reports saying it was pollen were a cover-up. Commenter proposes that it might be yellowcake uranium, also upvoted.

No. No. I refuse to believe that is real. It must be Poe's law. It has to be. No-one could... no.

[Aqizzar]

Saw a mostly-upvoted thread in /r/conspiracy asking what the "bright yellow powder" that was coating everything in Ontario was, and whether the news reports saying it was pollen were a cover-up. Commenter proposes that it might be yellowcake uranium, also upvoted.

Now somebody just needs to scatter aluminum tubes all over the place and we got us a warzone.  I hear that stuff's pretty valuable, maybe you can rig up a collection net.

[wierd]

Saw a mostly-upvoted thread in /r/conspiracy asking what the "bright yellow powder" that was coating everything in Ontario was, and whether the news reports saying it was pollen were a cover-up. Commenter proposes that it might be yellowcake uranium, also upvoted.

No. No. I refuse to believe that is real. It must be Poe's law. It has to be. No-one could... no.

Let's be rational here.  Yellow cake uranium is far too valuable to just dump all over the place like an industrial waste product. Just a few pounds of the stuff is worth millions of dollars to terrorist groups, TO MAKE ACTUAL BOMBS.

No, I am guessing that pollen is the occam's razor contaminant of choice, and if you want conspiracy, go for something more believable, like Yellow Lead Chromate, and claim a local chemical factory is dumping the stuff illegally.

[Aqizzar]

Does anyone know if yellow-cake uranium looks like... yellow cake mix?  I was going to call people stupid for thinking that, but I don't actually have any idea myself.

[Graknorke]

Does anyone know if yellow-cake uranium looks like... yellow cake mix?  I was going to call people stupid for thinking that, but I don't actually have any idea myself.

The yellowcake produced by most modern mills is actually brown or black, not yellow; the name comes from the color and texture of the concentrates produced by early mining operations.

It's a powder so doesn't look like cake batter, and also isn't yellow after it's processed.

[Parsely]

Does anyone know if yellow-cake uranium looks like... yellow cake mix?  I was going to call people stupid for thinking that, but I don't actually have any idea myself.

It actually does.

[hops]

Wait, Aqizzar's back? Did you drink away your lifetime supply of beer already?

[wierd]

it looks like this, according to google.



Amusingly, it DOES look very similar to lead II chromate, which looks like this:



For reference, yellow cake mix looks like this:



So, yellow cake uranium is MUCH brighter yellow than actual cake mix.

[Aqizzar]

Wait, Aqizzar's back? Did you drink away your lifetime supply of beer already?

It was actually liquor, not beer, and not exactly.  I remember that was one of the last things I posted before I disappeared so I imagine a couple people probably assumed I'd met an alcohol related end.  Turns out, it's a lot harder to get rid of a pile of liquor than you might expect.

[Bauglir]

What I expected was Aqizzar's Pad to become the most bitchin' party joint in town for about a week before its untimely demise at the hands of that old foe, drunken arson.

[wierd]

Protip:  You can get rid of alcohol, including hard liquor, faster by cooking with it than you can from drinking it, even by inviting guests. 

Seriously, look how much rum goes into a savarin, or brandy into an authentic english pudding.

(1/2cup or more, and ONE WHOLE BOTTLE, respectively-- though the latter is more in jest. Probably similar in use, about a cup to a half cup.)