CuriousCat Archive Page 138 of 202

  1. He did not. Feudalism and that kind of exploitation made servants poor for centuries.
    Not unlike socialist paradises like Corea, or China, in the times of Mao
    Really how capitalism is the worst option?

    in response to How can you be anti-feudalist when the king have lifted so many out of a smelly filth pile over the last 1000 years

    I rarely see anyone defend capitalism on its own terms, only in terms of "what alternative is there? the system I presume you are proposing would be worse."

    even if you believe capitalism is the best we've ever had, that doesn't mean it's as good as it gets. if you think socialism is awful, fine, let's think up something better.

  2. Inspired by rewatching Highlander last night for the first time in many years, and cringing HARD at a "joke" about a Vietnamese man eating his neighbors dog: what's a movie or show you revisited and went "eeesh, I forgot THAT was there"?

    I wouldn't say I ever *forgot* the yikes jokes on Community, but rewatching some episodes for the next Protagony, I definitely forgot *how yikes*.

  3. The counter to this is to say "they're going to get killed anyway, if we accelerate things it will get better faster AND your slow method might get more killed in the long run."

    Not an accelerationist, just heard this argument before.

    in response to What do you think of the argument that a Biden presidency would set back progress, while a continued Trump presidency continuing to exacerbate all our problems would force drastic action which would supposedly accelerate progress? (lest you think this is a bait question: I don't have a good position on this. I'm not sure it makes sense to me, but I want to get a good idea of how to respond to people who say this.)

    that is, again, a decision being made by the people aren't dying

    like, what the fuck kind of argument is it that you're going to fight capitalism to defend the working class if you're making the working class your sacrificial lambs?

  4. How do you avoid jealousy in polyamorous relationships?

    Yeah, no, I'm not a romantic advice column, sorry.

  6. But capitalism lifted "everyone out of poverty
    In the USA, today there are people who are still poor, but they are unbelievably better off,than even middle class citzens 100 years ago. Really a free market has been the most efficient method to move people out of poverty, just look how the alternatives in Africa or China, barely removed anyone out of poverty

    in response to How can you be an anti-capitalist when capitalism has lifted so many people out of poverty over the last 200 years?

    pssst... the poor are also better off in China and Africa than they were a hundred years ago, because technological and medical progress happens with or without capitalism

    also Africa is primarily capitalist

    also Africa is not a country

  7. I'm trying to do more professional stuff online and don't want all my personal info just hanging around, any recommendations on what to do and where to start in getting my info off whitepages or sites like it

    Crash Override has a good guide for requesting sites take down your personal info: http://www.crashoverridenetwork.com/preventingdoxing.html

    And there are services that can do it for you if you shell out the money: https://onerep.com/blog/top-5-privacy-services-to-remove-information-from-the-internet

  8. Accelerationists really be like: “Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice...I am willing to make.”

    in response to What do you think of the argument that a Biden presidency would set back progress, while a continued Trump presidency continuing to exacerbate all our problems would force drastic action which would supposedly accelerate progress? (lest you think this is a bait question: I don't have a good position on this. I'm not sure it makes sense to me, but I want to get a good idea of how to respond to people who say this.)

  9. making art might not seem like the most politically active thing to do right now, but it is essential to people's wellbeing. Both in terms of your own as an artist and for the audience who's stuck at home getting stressed reading twitter

    There's nothing to feel guilty about

    in response to I like the idea of making YouTube videos and Art but right now it feels like the world doesn't need more voices saying "Something Should Happen" so I feel like I should do something to make something happen but I am not especially skilled at things outside of Artsy Stuff, help

  10. How can you be an anti-capitalist when capitalism has lifted so many people out of poverty over the last 200 years?

    because I want EVERYONE lifted out of poverty

  11. What do you think of the argument that a Biden presidency would set back progress, while a continued Trump presidency continuing to exacerbate all our problems would force drastic action which would supposedly accelerate progress?

    (lest you think this is a bait question: I don't have a good position on this. I'm not sure it makes sense to me, but I want to get a good idea of how to respond to people who say this.)

    it may be true that things need to get worse before they get better and a Biden presidency will slow that process down, but please keep in mind that "exacerbate all our problems" means people dying, mostly people in vulnerable communities, mostly people who didn't get a say in whether we should accelerate our problems or slow them down

    it is imperative that, in the fight for justice, we not treat the people suffering the most under imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy as disposable

    there's no guarantee that accelerationism works at all, and, even if it does, it's a shortcut; it's a way of skipping ahead to when the work is easier, and all it takes is sacrificing the rights and lives of a lot of marginalized people

    we gotta do it the hard way

  12. What are your favorite YouTube channels that no longer upload videos?

    Every Frame a Painting and Idea Channel

  13. Why?

    I thought he's not as bad and less of a joke than Elon Musk?

    in response to Steve Jobs?

    that's a low bar

  14. (Different anon) Not to put too fine a point on this, but the most significant message to moderate Democrats in recent years was when a bunch of people voted for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

    in response to How do you balance that with the idea that collectively not voting for him may send a message to the moderate wing that they have to respect the progressive side of the party or face certain loss. My guess is moderates don't really care if they ever win control of the government again.

    ding ding ding

  15. Steve Jobs?

    no

  17. Does this stimulus bill and the leadership of the Dem party seggust that a platform switch is possible?

    That switch being Democrats become a socially liberal and fiscally conservative party, while Republicans become socially conservative and fiscally left?

    That'd... be really bad right if it were the case right?

    I see it exemplified most in that plan Harris had to you know forgive debt to high achieving college grads, who open a business, which employs 3 or more people, in a bad neighborhood.

    This struck me as 'reward model minorities only' and that some miniorities deserve more than others because they are better than the others.

    Do you think such a switch may happen?

    that's not going to happen

    the only people who voted no on the stimulus bill were Republicans

    some lifelong conservatives spout a few sentences about social welfare and people act like they're moving left

  18. How effective is non-violent direct action such as unionizing in apartment complexes/the workplace?

    I haven't done the research enough to tell you *how* effective it is, but I know it works at least some of the time.

  19. If your audience grew too big, would you stop making videos?

    in response to What is it like having only a fraction of the audience that Steven Crowder has?

    I'll stop making videos when I feel like I'm done. It is possible having too many eyes on me will make that happen faster, but there'll be a lot of factors. The biggest will probably be wanting to work on something else.

  20. How do you balance that with the idea that collectively not voting for him may send a message to the moderate wing that they have to respect the progressive side of the party or face certain loss. My guess is moderates don't really care if they ever win control of the government again.

    in response to I've struggled with the idea of voting for Biden in the general. The most common argument I hear from friends to vote for him only because of the Supreme Court. The retort to this I've heard is 'Biden fought as hard as any Republican to appoint Clearance Thomas, objectively a much worse judge than anyone Trump appointed. What indication is there he'd actually appoint someone who'd respect Trans rights or abortion rights for example?' What do you think of this?

    "collective not voting" has never struck me as effective praxis. it's a really inefficient way of communicating a desire, because the only information the politicians receive is "people didn't vote." it doesn't communicate WHY they didn't vote, which issues they were protesting, or even that the vote was deliberate withheld rather than people just being too apathetic to go to the polls.

    power concedes nothing without demand, and simply not voting doesn't read to anyone as a demand.

    EDIT: also, those "consequences," in this case, will be the continuation of things like putting kids in cages, giving billionaires tax breaks, stripping trans people of their rights, banning Muslims from entry to the country, and failing to manage a pandemic. don't use vulnerable communities as expendable poker chips in a vague attempt to "send a message" moderates.

  21. Have you read Das Kapital?

    not yet

  22. What is it like having only a fraction of the audience that Steven Crowder has?

    what's it like not to be watched by a massive number of douchebags? pretty great, actually.

    if you've been following my work from the beginning, you know I am deeply, deeply cynical about internet fame and sometimes I don't even like being as big as I am now. I'm in no hurry to get Crowder numbers.

  23. Not sure how best to phrase it but is it hypocrisy or a betrayal of principles?

    in response to Can leftists to join the military?

    existing under capitalism is a betrayal of leftist principles, but we gotta do it

    look I hate the military industrial complex more than most fixtures of our capitalist hellscape but I also don't like the idea of shaming working class lefties who take the gig due to lack of options

  24. Do you give your blessing?

    in response to Can leftists to join the military?

    I'm not in charge of that

  25. I've struggled with the idea of voting for Biden in the general. The most common argument I hear from friends to vote for him only because of the Supreme Court.

    The retort to this I've heard is 'Biden fought as hard as any Republican to appoint Clearance Thomas, objectively a much worse judge than anyone Trump appointed. What indication is there he'd actually appoint someone who'd respect Trans rights or abortion rights for example?'

    What do you think of this?

    Biden is shit, don't expect anything good from him. But: we are his constituency more than we are Trump's. I generally think Biden would probably roll back some of Trump's worst policies - repeal the Muslim ban, let the kids at the border out of cages - but, even if he didn't, we are in a better position to pressure him than we are to pressure Trump.

    He is, however marginally, the lesser of two evils. And, in my book, that means we have a moral obligation to vote for him if there's no better viable option.

    (Also Biden is a garbage politician but he's not an authoritarian.)

  26. Do you think Sanders should stay in the race for the time being to attempt to push Biden further left, if nothing else?

    as far as I'm concerned it ain't over til it's over, though if a goddamn PANDEMIC doesn't make people vote for single-payer healthcare I'm not sure we're ever going to get it through electoral politics

  27. Can leftists to join the military?

    are you asking if it's physically possible or if I give them permission?

  28. what are our next steps if Trump is reelected

    if we nominate Biden, it's not a question of if but when

    much as I'd like to say "take to the streets," even Obama had the cops break that up. Trump's libel to tell them to open fire.

    sure would like a general strike, still dunno if enough of the country is onboard.

    overall, our path forward isn't up to me. whatever we do, it's gotta be planned by all of us.

  30. How's your life at home going during this isolation period? Or you sneak out?

    I've gone for walks where I maintain a 6 foot distance from strangers as much as possible. I already work from home a lot so this is less of a change for me than most.

  31. Would you watch a reverse cooking show, where the chefs are given a completed dish and then tasked with trying to figure out what its ingredients are to the best of their abilities?

    do you have any idea how much energy it takes to watch a show? maybe I'd let someone put it on in the background, but these video games aren't gonna play themselves.

  32. Well, in the last few days he decided to adopt a neutered student debt cancellation policy and there's some talk about him bending to appease Sanders supporters, so

    in response to If Biden wins the nomination, do you think he might adopt some of Sanders's policies (or watered down versions of them) in order to capture some of his voters?

    I guess I didn't take into account the possibility of adopting a mediocre debt forgiveness policy and just claiming it's the same as Sanders'. My b.

  33. I like the idea of making YouTube videos and Art but right now it feels like the world doesn't need more voices saying "Something Should Happen" so I feel like I should do something to make something happen but I am not especially skilled at things outside of Artsy Stuff, help

    the world doesn't need activists ignoring a skillset they have to work with a skillset they don't. find a way to be useful with what you're good at.

  35. I can't stop reading gendercritical, neoliberal, and stupidpol. Help.

    in response to I understand that reading things online (especially online) can be a kind of self-harm, and as you say in your twitter bio: "The block button is self-care". However, I've seen it been used to perpetuate the cycle of cancelling, specifically with Contrapoints. People, myself included, try to explain why the vilification was wrong and get blocked without reason. How can we change this attitude in people? Because without it, there'd probably be a reasonable explanation as to why the drama was overblown and we'd come out being able to reasonably discuss issues, ignore nonissues and stop infighting. Or is this a nonimportant issue?

    you might be beyond help

  36. I double dog dare you to use the term "Hoggadoody" (a term which has zero search results on google) in your next video and to act as though it has an actual meaning

    I'm way ahead of you, my last video was called Protagony.

  37. Is Mitt Romney supporting emergency UBI a good sign?

    I have no freaking idea. Common sense would say a Republican signing on would mean there can be a bipartisan push but nothing works the way it should these days.

  38. If you see the same cat pic next to the Anon does that mean they're the same person asking multiple qs or is it just a random coincidence that sometimes you get two or more in a row

    there's only like 4 cat pics so I think it's random

  39. Also, what is your view on the theory proposed by Kropotkin that artificial scarcity due to hoarders of land/food/other resources is the main problem with capitalism?

    I haven't read that, and I don't know how to rank which of capitalism's many problems is the *main* one, but, yeah, artificial scarcity is a major feature of capitalism, and one of its chief moral failings.

  40. I understand that reading things online (especially online) can be a kind of self-harm, and as you say in your twitter bio: "The block button is self-care". However, I've seen it been used to perpetuate the cycle of cancelling, specifically with Contrapoints. People, myself included, try to explain why the vilification was wrong and get blocked without reason.

    How can we change this attitude in people? Because without it, there'd probably be a reasonable explanation as to why the drama was overblown and we'd come out being able to reasonably discuss issues, ignore nonissues and stop infighting. Or is this a nonimportant issue?

    it's an important issue, but if the person you're talking to blocks you for bringing it up, they were never going to listen to you. they need to hear it from someone else. just because something is worth doing doesn't mean you, personally, are in a position to do it.

  41. Thoughts on Rise of the Skywalker?

    didn't see it, don't know when or if I will

    not looking for a feature-length retcon of one of my favorite movies

  42. Greta Gerwig? Noah Baumbach?

    in response to Shane Carruth?

    when they work together, yeah

  43. Noam Chomsky?

    sometimes

  44. Why do you think its evil to provide people with a service they need in exchange for money? Are farmers evil? They ask for money in exchange for food we need. Are electric companies evil? And you didnt really answer the question of why you would prevent people who want private insurance from having it?

    in response to Can you explain to me why people have such a huge preference for M4A instead of a public option. Seems to me that with a public option you would cover all the people that need it without going through all the trouble of banning private insurance and covering all the people that already have perfectly fine coverage?

    if you're asking me if I think capitalism in general is evil I'm not sure where you missed my position on that

  45. Do you think the democrats will split and that there will a be third party when biden wins ?

    what? no.

  46. If Biden wins the nomination, do you think he might adopt some of Sanders's policies (or watered down versions of them) in order to capture some of his voters?

    I don't predict the future. But, with most liberals, I would say "maybe," but it seems especially unlikely with Biden.

  47. Can you explain to me why people have such a huge preference for M4A instead of a public option. Seems to me that with a public option you would cover all the people that need it without going through all the trouble of banning private insurance and covering all the people that already have perfectly fine coverage?

    Well, terminology clarification: Medicare for All does not, as a rule, mean single-payer. Since the idea was first proposed in the late 70's I think *most* M4A bills have not been single-payer, and I suspect the reason so many Democrats latched onto the term was because they could propose public option bills under the label, getting the cred of supporting public healthcare while stopping short of single-payer.

    But anyway: single-payer healthcare is generally a much, much more effective way to guarantee universal coverage. Also private insurance is, if I'm being honest, basically evil, and shouldn't exist any more than private fire departments.

  49. What if it were Bernie

    in response to Who do you think will be Biden's VP?

    that's about as likely as it being a leprechaun

  50. Shane Carruth?

    in response to Upstream Color?

    Shane Carruth

  51. Do you think that it is true that Sanders fans lost him the election or is that just the Bernie Bros narrative again?

    he hasn't lost it yet

  52. Where would you draw the line between patriotism and nationalism ?

    not sure, I don't practice either

  53. Should we have open borders?

    worth talking about

  54. Who do you think will be Biden's VP?

    I dunno, Jeb Bush?

  55. Upstream Color?

    in response to Favourite colour?

    Primer

  56. Who did you first vote for president in your life?

    Weird as it is to admit, it was probably Ralph Nader.

  57. How's the new computer going, and what, if anything, are you currently catching up on?

    I'm definitely not asking this to see if you might be playing the one I'm really curious about your take on.

    I burned through Obduction, Heaven's Vault, The Witness, Life is Strange 2, and Later Alligator in short order. Technically I'm in the early stages of Outer Wilds but I think I oversaturated myself and need a short break from adventure games. I'm looking forward to tackling it properly soon!

  58. Thoughts on Conan O’Brien, if any?

    tall

  59. Favourite colour?

    in response to Favorite Color

    Ourange

  60. Why is the sequel to Myst named Riven: The sequel to Myst instead of Myst 2?

    because Riven is a really, really good name

  61. The most curious cat you've seen

    according to the saying, the most curious cat ever would be extremely dead

  62. Favorite Color

    why we gotta rank colors?

  63. You should set up a donation drive for Bernie in these last legs just to see if it sways anything

    lack of money is not his roadblock right now

  64. Every fictional character is queer unless the text explicitly states otherwise.

    in response to Is Doomguy trans?

    well yeah

  65. Do you have “How Fascism Works” by Jason Stanley.

    I was considering reading it but I don’t know if I can make it through another one if his books.

    in response to What did you end of thinking about "The Anatomy of Fascism?"

    haven't read it. I've heard it's a lot more accessible than How Propaganda Works, which was apparently written for academics and he didn't expect it to be published for a general audience.

    but I've got enough books explaining fascism that I don't need to add another.

  66. "Keep fighting the fight" Yeah right. Most """Progressives""" will eventually give up, dig a nice comfortable niche for themselves in capitalism, and wait to die just like the Boomers did.

    in response to If Bernie loses, how do you think we can keep morale up among our movement such that the energy we have right now doesn't deflate or dissipate? And specifically, what strategy should we employ to get so-called "doomer leftists" to do something more productive than endlessly tweet about how we're all going to die?

    have you looked at the way things are going? my generation isn't ever going to have a comfortable niche and we know it.

  67. What sort of order do you work in when you make video essays? Obviously, writing is first, but after that, do you record narration and THEN do visuals, or do you get a rough cut of the visuals first, try to match the narration to them, and tweak the visuals as necessary?

    (I'm hoping to make one for a uni assignment, and thought it'd be good to ask the people who actually know what they're doing before I jump in)

    It can vary, but generally it goes like this:

    1. write script
    2. record temp narration
    3. draw slides
    4. video edit
    5. revise script based on how it plays with the visuals
    6. record final narration
    7. resync video to new narration/draw additional slides as necessary
    8. export

    For Alt-Right Playbook episodes, 3 is enormous and 4 is relatively quick. For other videos, where I'm doing illustrations but also working with film or game footage, they're more of a mix. I sometimes break that edit into three passes: a video pass, a drawings pass, and a titles pass.

    I always save final narration for last because I'm always thinking of ways to tweak the script while I'm editing. I pick a visual that doesn't match the wording, or the imagery conveys what the script would have so I can just cut a line and have to write over the gap. Stuff like that.

    Hope that helps!

  68. What did you think of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?

    didn't see it

  69. Don't you feel Jordan Peterson's earlier lectures before the BBC incident was actually less conservative and more against neoliberal/pseudo-liberal left ideas?

    I ain't watched that shit

  70. It's super impressive that "The Reactionary Mind" was written before Trump was elected.

    The second edition is, by all accounts, much better, and it includes Trump's election.

  71. What did you end of thinking about "The Anatomy of Fascism?"

    I own it but haven't read it yet. Got a pretty tall research pile.

  72. what’re your thoughts on Community?

    mixed

  73. If Bernie loses, how do you think we can keep morale up among our movement such that the energy we have right now doesn't deflate or dissipate? And specifically, what strategy should we employ to get so-called "doomer leftists" to do something more productive than endlessly tweet about how we're all going to die?

    Frankly I was irritated that so much of the leftist groundswell was focused on a single person in the first place. You can't really create a decentralized, egalitarian system that demands authority justify itself by hero-worshiping a single leader. That's only gonna get you fairweather lefties.

    When people feel inspired by a progressive who either doesn't win, or wins and goes on to disappoint, I don't see that they all go home. I see that, even if there's a drop in enthusiasm, overall they are more engaged than they were before. Obama's failings as a President got us Occupy, Occupy paved the way for Sanders' 2016 campaign, Sanders in 2016 is why we had so many more candidates to the left of Obama (even if still to the right of Sanders) in 2020.

    It's gonna suck to lose again. But that's leftism. We'll keep fighting the fight.

  74. Is Doomguy trans?

    I've seen no evidence he's cis, so it's safe to assume

  75. Strongest Positive Opinion About The Brown Recluse

    their bites can cause necrotizing fasciitis which is the most baller name for a disease ever

Anon commented:
Ian replied: