In case you can’t tell, I’m passionate about rationality and critical thinking.

However, I still appreciate a freshly-baked π.

  • 7 Posts
  • 421 Comments
Joined 5 months ago
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Cake day: September 22nd, 2024

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  • I think OP mentioned “a generation of Americans” because that’s the example they thought of, not because they think being American made the people exceptional.

    You’re not wrong though - a lot of Americans definitely seem to think that just “being American” is some kind of accomplishment in and of itself. Meritless jingoism is intense here.

    But I don’t see it being related to the previous comment.


  • I can only ever somewhat begin to understand the amount of stress that my “not normal” existence has caused my normie mom.

    Yet it must be a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of stress I experienced being raised by someone who cares more about what others think when they look at her kid, than by anything her kid is actually experiencing.

    It sounds like this dad is at least trying. If my mom showed even this much ability to listen to my concerns, I’d consider it a win. Instead I just get shut down at Christmas when I respond to, “How are you?” with, “Not sleeping well, not eating well,” and when asked why, respond honestly with, “Concerned about my and my loved ones’ safety under the upcoming authoritarian regime.”

    Everyone else at the table: Knows exactly what I’m talking about. Offers understanding and support

    Mom, and only Mom: “Hey we shouldn’t talk about politics at a party, it makes people uncomfortable.”

    Everyone else at the table: Acquiesces


    I mean, we picked the discussion back up as soon as she left to go home, but it’s still disheartening to know that my mom would rather appeal to “not offending” imaginary people who aren’t even at the table, than to listen to the valid concerns that threaten her own child. Even my dad came up to me after this and offered tangible support. It’s just my mom, my “apolitical” mom who truly believes “bOtH siDeS sAmE” and refuses to entertain the slightest political thought - no matter how close to home it hits.

    It doesn’t surprise me that fascism is winning, when I consider that there are millions of people across the U.S. who view “politics” through the same lens she does: Can’t rock boat. Must blend in. Silence those that don’t comply, before they can threaten our own safety.



  • In dark times of desperation, seeking help on the internet, I sometimes find myself tempted by the Reddit thread in the top of my search results.

    But I know that if I click it, the only thing that will happen is the familiar cross-armed Snoo popping up and telling me, “You’ve been blocked by network security.”

    It’s like a reality check for me: I don’t want to use Reddit, and Reddit doesn’t want me using it. So I’m going to need to either get better at searching for solutions, or try to solve problems in my own way.

    In the end, introducing more barriers to entry has simply reinforced my decision not to go to Reddit. Their blocking of VPNs has conditioned me to ignore Reddit links in search results entirely, mentally filtering them out the same way I do with ads/sponsored content.

    Nice work, Spez.

    BONUS: I just came across a Google support page where someone asks, “How do I Block Reddit and Quora results from all searches permanently”. The top answer is hilarious and sad.





  • But confusion has caused delays. Ben McLane, a fire crew captain for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington state, said uncertainty over whether firefighters are exempt from the freeze stalled the hiring process for seasonal wildland firefighter positions.

    “We’re very confused, and we’re not being told anything,” he said. “I don’t know whose job it is to say that firefighters are an essential aspect for public safety and are exempt from the hiring freeze. But whoever’s job it is, they need to say it, because if they don’t, then there will be situations where people call 911 and there aren’t enough firefighters to go around.”

    This is what happens when reality is repeatedly contested, when so-called “leaders” lie and obfuscate what’s really going on. All the rapid-fire news sent out since this election was called, deliberately overdone to confuse us, has led to this consequence.

    Now, due to a lack of clarity about changes in government hiring, we’re got people with both the skill and the desire to be firefighters, who are not signing up to fight fires. Even with Trump leaving a loophole, its effectiveness is zero because everything Trump says appears to be liable to change. Cult-members may hold firm to his ever-changing whims, but people who live in reality have to make realistic calls. The most realistic call is to go by his history, and Trump’s history shows him lying, backpedaling, and flip-flopping more than a fish on a pier.

    I can’t blame anyone for being confused about what’s going on, nor can I blame anyone for seeing what is happening and choosing to get out of the way before the wrecking ball hits.

    The only reliable thing about this administration is its unreliability, and having fewer firefighters is only one consequence of that.




  • Portraiture, live photography of events, those are skills. It absolutely is not as simple as pushing a button.

    This can’t be overstated. Taking good portraits of people is not easy. The requisite skills go beyond the technical aspects of photography, extending into social skill territory. You have to know how to direct people, you have to understand body language and what emotions it may convey. Being able to create flattering images, while working with subjects of various personalities and standards, takes skill.

    I enjoy photography. But I don’t do portraits.


  • In my experience, the situation created significant tension as I was navigating policies and expectations that conflicted with my personal beliefs and professional judgment

    Exactly what kind of “professional judgment” does a teacher bring to this situation? Unless they’re being consulted about a puberty issue, a student being transgender shouldn’t make a difference in how a teacher teaches them, right? Or is she implying that being a teacher makes her more knowledgable about gender, somehow?

    If she were the school psychologist, I might buy that she has “professional judgment” worth valuing. But for a teacher (especially one who goes on to appeal to religion in the very next sentence), it sounds like weasel words that were tacked on. She probably knew that simply saying her “personal beliefs” caused her conflict would’ve sounded too weak as an argument. So, she put in the empty phrase “professional judgment,” knowing full well that she won’t get called out on it by anyone with power.







  • Sometimes, even active military members disagree with what they’re being made to do. If multiple units interact for the first time, would a new face still stand out? What if a person isn’t dressed the part long enough to even be spoken to? Or if someone in this scenario has military experience?

    These questions are rhetorical, of course. I left the details open-ended in the first comment for a reason - I don’t know what exactly is going to happen every minute in the coming future. But, I can imagine scenarios occurring where lacking immediate and accurate ID of an individual in uniform can be taken advantage of. That’s all.


  • I get the sinking feeling that a lot of Trump supporters are at a point where they simply won’t trust anything we tell them.

    They’ve skillfully avoided the truth up to this point. They’ve drank enough kool-aid that they’ll remain resolute in their “rightness” through shitstorm after self-imposed shitstorm. It’s not about facts with them; it’s about their feels. Their feels tell them that they are right and everyone in their cult “community” agrees, so they must be correct.

    The last thing that will convince them they were wrong, would be screamed realities from people they already don’t trust.