HaHa! Oh, what have I done. I cringe at the thought of being woken up by a tiger staring at me.

But then he turns out to be a playful kitty. So, it's not bad at all.

I know that my comments are not always a source of happiness and are sometimes feared, LOL

I think that you enjoy challenging our assumptions and expectations. Like a particle collider, you want to put ideas that are in opposition to our own ideas and then see what comes out of the neural collision. We certainly need more critical thinking in the world, and I very much appreciate your challenges.

I am not so good at scattering compliments, but whoever receives one from me receives it wholeheartedly and with conviction. :D

There might also be cultural differences in our modes of expression. In the US and Canada, we have developed a culture in which overt expressions of joy are desired in social situations, even if they are not geniune. We particularly like our waiters, bartenders, and service people to show how very happy they are to see us.

But it's true: I don't make myself very popular with my critical mind.

On a layover flight to Frankfurt, I once met a Canadian girl who had been living in Germany for a long time. She told me that after living in Germany, she found it odd how informal people were in Canada and not very direct. Everyone seemed overly friendly, as if they had known her all her life. They were not direct when asked questions, so she found it frustrating. This was not the case in Germany, where most people just concentrated on doing the job and had a more direct attitude when interacting with each other. In the west coast, we have an over-the-top cheerfulness where everything is 'awesome' or 'perfect!' We avoid confrontation, and when challenged we become passive aggressive rather than direct. Everyone is different, of course, but those are some general observations that may explain why some people react differently when their ideas are challenged. This also likely expalins why I don't accept any challenges to my ideas on space, higher consciousness, and longevity. 😛

I suppose from your point of view, banning or removing art that makes you uncomfortable doesn't serve well as a justification, because that's what art is supposed to do in the eyes of many - I would not ban it either but use other ways to creatively counteract it (like you said above).

I think that we have to preserve freedom of expression within reason. As you saw, the Satan statue is funny and artistic, but in very poor taste. I think we have to use common sense because it's a fine line between being an innovative artiste and just plain obnoxious.

Here is the quote from C. G. Chesterton

Interesting. Language is important and perhaps the most sure way to conquer a group of people. Socialists have been trying to dominate culture by dominating language. This is the reason why the 'woke' crowd is trying to change how we speak, At least this is the case in North America. But to be honest, I find the whole socialism vs capitalism game a distraction. I gave up on that game a long time ago. Many people are still stuck playing it because they cannot see that the means of production and capital are not the source of wealth. The source of wealth is intelligent use of information and cybernetic feedback. Our fast neuro-electro-biochemical networked signals independent of space and time. Intelligence is the new romancer 😎