CuriousCat Archive Page 139 of 202

  1. Any book recommendations outside of the research masterpost?

    The Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemison is phenomenal.

  2. I'm a Bernie supporter but I'm getting tired of the "rigged" talk. It really feels like people just can't accept an outcome that isn't Their Guy Winning as non-rigged, especially when the same was true in 2016, where voters also overwhelmingly preferred another candidate. I feel like we're not going to win stuff until we learn, at least, not to talk down to supporters of other candidates by insisting, for example, that their support is fake. I was a Hillary supporter in 2016 (yeah I kinda regret this lol but bear with me) and that's how it felt when I'd hear Bernie people act like every primary she won was "rigged," like my vote mattered less than theirs. I just wish I could ask people who say this, is there an outcome that doesn't involve your person winning that you wouldn't consider "rigged"?

    It's amazing to me how many traits they dismiss in liberals they exhibit even more intensely. Like, you can dismiss "Russian interference" arguments as mindless conspiracism, or you can claim the DNC rigged the primaries, but not both. You can say Hillary lost not because of Comey or misogyny but because of serious flaws in her campaigning, or you can believe Bernie is only lagging because of media bias, but not both.

    "Russian interference" is way overblown by liberals, but there is far more evidence of it than of the DNC juking the numbers. Clinton failed to do outreach in key states, and Sanders has failed to do outreach to key demographics. Sanders has also faced serious media bias, and Clinton faced sexism and a breach of ethics from Comey.

    People need to be able to process complex issues in complex ways, not just bend reality to a preferred narrative.

    It's never enough to say "I wouldn't put it past them" because we're leftists. It's *always* plausible they're fucking us. We need more than mere plausibility to prove that something's actually happening.

  4. Would it be feasible to push for progressive reforms under a President Biden?

    it's always feasible to push

  9. What do you think of the oft-used argument that "we need to address Biden's alleged mental acuity failings now, or else Trump will weaponize those allegations against him if he wins the nomination"?

    mmm, yeah, and how well did that go for Elizabeth Warren and her DNA test?

  10. Are there any examples of non-authoritarian fascists?

    I'd have to dig out the books to remind myself, but not many.

  11. You have such a shallow and simple understanding of the world that I can only look at about 3 threads on this intellectual pigsty of a fucking account before I have to run to the nearest fucking garbage can to puke my goddamn guts out.

    thanks for dropping by, sweetie

  12. What do you think of John Oliver?

    he's fun and good at presenting material in a comprehensive and digestible way, which I prefer over the more glancing blows of The Daily Show

    I know of at least one video - the one on nuclear waste - where they got a lot wrong, but it seems they do a ton of research so I'm trusting that misrepresentations are accidental.

  13. Do you find it more baffling too if someone is a feminist/agreeable to most feminist ideals but is pro-capitalist (defend the rich/"the rich are okay, leave them alone" mentality)

    in response to I was watching your videos - I forget which one specifically - where you argue that capitalism's pyramid structure and democracy's dispersion of power are fundamentally incompatible. It made me realize something: as an American, I've noticed that the notion that a pyramid-style hierarchy is bad is way more controversial than the notion that the wrong people (read: Our People™) are at the top, even in Leftist circles.

    less so, because I came around to feminism way before I came around to anticapitalism

    being openly sexist is gauche in our society, so most people have a foundation for understanding feminism. whereas being a capitalist is celebrated; you have further to travel mentally to understand how capitalism is inherently oppressive.

  15. You are correct, in my haste I misspoke. I meant free consent can't be given in the framework of labor - due coercive capitalism.

    in response to Since can't be given under capitalism - sex work is rape? Working in a coal mine is bad, don't think it's equal to rape.

    this is the same argument as "all heterosexual sex is rape under patriarchy"

    again, the point you're making is valid, but it's just not useful for how people actually live their lives

  16. I'm still weirded out by Biden surge in popularity. Do you have any thoughts on how that happened?

    all the other centrists dropped out

  17. So, going off this, do you worry that some people are underestimating Trump's chances at re-election on the whole?

    in response to Can Biden beat Trump?

    always

  18. Since can't be given under capitalism - sex work is rape?

    Working in a coal mine is bad, don't think it's equal to rape.

    in response to (Different Anon) Isn’t there more emotional weight to having sex than flipping burgers or working in a coal mine? It seems like it’s worse for someone to be coerced into having sex than being coerced into other jobs.

    If consent can't be given under capitalism, *all* sex is rape. I can see the point you're making but that framing isn't useful.

  19. Have you seen 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' (and if so, thoughts)?

    It's really goddang good.

  20. Lol. I'm such a godawful leftist. Can't believe I didn't question "why" when I have messed that step up so many times in the past.

    Thanks.

    in response to (Different Anon) Isn’t there more emotional weight to having sex than flipping burgers or working in a coal mine? It seems like it’s worse for someone to be coerced into having sex than being coerced into other jobs.

    Hey, none of us ever run out of assumptions to check. It's a lifelong process. No worries. :)

  21. Can Biden beat Trump?

    Last I saw, Biden, Sanders, Buttigieg, and Warren were all polling better than Trump, so, as of now, I think he *can*. But I don't trust it.

  22. (Different Anon) Isn’t there more emotional weight to having sex than flipping burgers or working in a coal mine?

    It seems like it’s worse for someone to be coerced into having sex than being coerced into other jobs.

    in response to I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. What I wanted to highlight is that many (most?) people find themselves in sex work through no wish of their own and it is my opinion that, as with drugs, it should regulated so as to not trap people in a lifestyle they don't desire.

    OK, but follow through: Why? Why is using your body to have sex inherently more emotional than using your body to break boulders? Why are the risks of being sexually exploited more upsetting than the risks of dying of black lung? How is the emotional aspect of sex fundamentally different from the emotional aspects of being a doctor, waiting tables, or doing tech support? IS there a fundamental difference, or is it a question of degrees? And does this have more to do with YOUR relationship to sex than it does the sex worker's?

  24. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. What I wanted to highlight is that many (most?) people find themselves in sex work through no wish of their own and it is my opinion that, as with drugs, it should regulated so as to not trap people in a lifestyle they don't desire.

    in response to "No, you can't be pro-sex worker and anti-sex work." So you're saying you can't be pro helping drug addicts and anti drugs?

    a) if the implication here is that most sex workers are trafficked, that is extremely wrong
    b) if the implication here is that most sex workers don't have much agency in their jobs, that is true of literally everyone under capitalism, and you should think on why it that seems important to you when it's sex work but not when it's working in a coal mine
    c) I agree that any industry where people are mistreated should be regulated, but, again, that is in no way unique to sex work

  25. As a trans person I agree with this and I think it is important to make distinguishes between different forms of bigotry because not all are the same and need different approaches.
    I also think the word FARTs is a better word for these kinds of transphobes.

    in response to Is TERF a really a useful term versus just "transphobe"? Like, is it meaningful to distinguish transphobes clothing their bigotry in feminism from the ones using religion, or whatever other bullshit?

  28. do you have any criticisms of the vegan (movement, community, online circles, etc) from a vegan perspective? not regarding optics in a "you're making the rest of us look bad!" sense, but general discourse or pervading ideas/attitudes you take issue with? coming from a long time vegetarian who's largely disconnected from the community

    I have no connection to the community or the movement, I'm afraid. I find people who build their identities around their veganism tiresome; that's about the only complaint I can muster without more experience.

  29. I find all talks of agency kind of weird.

    Do we really have any more agency than an android? Really, our brains are just blobs of meat with chemical signals. Is that really any more free than an android who has been programmed?

    I dunno. I get so muddled when thinking about this stuff.

    So, this line of thought always raises an interesting question: if your brain being a blob of meat with chemical signals means you have no agency, what would your brain have to be for you to *have* agency?

  30. Are terms like stupid, dumb, idiot, and moron ableist?

    yes

  31. Is TERF a really a useful term versus just "transphobe"? Like, is it meaningful to distinguish transphobes clothing their bigotry in feminism from the ones using religion, or whatever other bullshit?

    As a cis man I'm not an authority on this subject. I find the term useful because most religious transphobes are coming from a conservative background, where TERFs present as being "radical feminists," i.e. further left than the average liberal. Having a term that draws attention to the fact that these supposed progressives have reactionary conservative believes is useful.

  32. What if Joe Biden's dementia catches up with him in the middle of the primaries and we're left with Tulsi Gabbard vs Bernie Sanders?

    armchair diagnosing people as having cognitive issues is bigotry even when they're liberals, fam

  33. Thoughts on the super Tuesday results on the whole?

    supes bummed, lotta work to do

  34. What's your opinion on pornography? Related: Can someone be pro-sex worker and anti-sex work/pornography?

    There are a lot of problems with the porn industry, but they are problems of capitalism, not porn. Because porn is something society doesn't want to discuss publicly, a lot more abuse of workers goes unremarked upon there. But ethical porn exists and is slowly growing more common.

    No, you can't be pro-sex worker and anti-sex work.

  35. i feel like it’s also worth nothing that Biden’s lead over Sanders isn’t insurmountable! People are getting really dejected kinda early imo, it’s far from over

    in response to I hope you're right.

    Agreed, just saying the "Warren drops out and endorses Sanders" plan is no longer sufficient.

  36. I'm not as far left as you, but I am in favor of progressive policies. However, I have found it difficult to connect with the left because, as opposed to what I guess you folks might call establishment stuff like Warren, the left seems to me very much reusing the same old tools of white masculinity (domination, cruelty, loudness, "alpha"-ness) that are already popular. The Gawker/Vice/Chapo parts of the left seem to be into being mean, being the smartest person in the room, and never apologizing or admitting you could be wrong. Even much of Lefttube seems to be about being a clever boy or venting anger rather than listening and empathizing (even within the community, setting aside outgroups). I'm a white boy, but I've long been tired of white masculinity, and I don't want a new world built around it. Are there left spaces that are focused on humanity and empathy and self-doubt rather than anger and intelligence and confidence? Or is what I'm asking for incompatible with the left movement -- am I really a conservative who's not being honest with myself?

    I mean, really what you're acknowledging is that the problems of toxic masculinity and patriarchy don't disappear in leftist spaces anymore than they do elsewhere. The atheist community is overrun with misogyny and Islamophobia. Video game YouTube's king keeps flirting with the Nazis in his audience. The streaming community slut-shames women. I am extremely bothered that we've managed to let toxic people get footholds in leftist spaces same as with all the other spaces, and I'm consciously working to clean it up. But let's not blame leftism for toxic masculinity any more than we blame atheism for misogyny; these problems are much older that the spaces they end up in and they take root anywhere they are not actively fought.

  37. There's been a lot of talk (mostly on twitter) about bernie bias in the democratic party and in the media. I want to engage with this topic responsibly without delving into conspiracies. Is there a bernie bias or not, and if there is, to what extent does it exist?

    I, too, would like to know the answer to this question. Near as I can tell, the answers as "some" and "I don't know."

  40. What do you think of the "Drop Out Warren and Endorse Bernie" crowd, particularly in light of her poor showings in the early states and projected losses today?

    Enh. If she drops out now, some people who would vote for her might go to Biden. If she collects more delegates, drops out later, and pledges them all to Sanders, she might guarantee him a win. I think the Drop Out Warren crowd doesn't trust that she'll do that.

  41. i've been recently getting into pro-level smash ultimate, and am thinking about maining kirby. i know you have some experience with melee, and was wondering if you've got into ultimate at all/have tips for some good instructional videos

    I've only played Ultimate recreationally, I don't follow the pro scene.

  42. Is it worth it to read Marxist theory?

    yeah

  43. Percent likelihood Warren drops out to endorse Bernie vs taking this thing all the way to the end to give it to Biden

    Do you have any idea what the history between Warren and Biden is? Do you know how much bad blood they have? Do you know how long Warren and Sanders have considered each other allies in the Senate? I think there's about 0% chance she helps Biden in any way.

  44. https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/2/29/21157246/oregon-republicans-walk-out-climate-change-cap-trade-democracy

    Oh god. We're fucked.

    in response to Why does sanders gets a pass for his populistic rethoric? Like do anyone really believe on any way shape or form, of any present or future congress can a medicare for all bill be passed? Nevermind the republicans, most elected democrats would never go along with such proposal So really how can people accept a president, where the entire plataform and promises, have veryl little in terms of the actual possibilities?

    this is the shit I'm talking about

  45. Why does sanders gets a pass for his populistic rethoric?
    Like do anyone really believe on any way shape or form, of any present or future congress can a medicare for all bill be passed? Nevermind the republicans, most elected democrats would never go along with such proposal
    So really how can people accept a president, where the entire plataform and promises, have veryl little in terms of the actual possibilities?

    In theory, we can pass M4A the same way we passed Obamacare.

    There are a few ways I imagine it going down:

    1. Sanders proposes his M4A bill, has to make some compromises to get it through Congress. Might look more like Warren's bill before it passes, or, if it's still single-payer, some of the LGBT+ and abortion access provisions might get cut out, which is a worry of mine. Medicare for All is broadly popular and there are a few Republicans who might be in danger of getting primaried if they vote against it, so they could conceivably flip with some compromise. Same goes for moderate Democrats. Starting with a bold option before compromise gives us our best shot of ending up with something still pretty good.

    2. Sanders refuses to compromise the bill, can't get it passed. I feel like there's a (possibly not as big as it seems) contingent of his fandom who would secretly prefer it this way: M4A remains a perfect bill that never passes because no one will budge on it. I'd always prefer a decent bill that passes to a great one that doesn't, but there's a streak of ideological purism going around, and they can always blame liberals for not passing it rather than Sanders for not compromising.

    3. We get control of both Houses of Congress, pass M4A with no concession because we don't need Republican approval. This is actually how Obamacare got passed. I haven't been paying attention to Congressional polls, so I don't know how likely this is; I get the sense that we might gain some ground but are probably not going to control both houses, but who knows how things will shake out? Not sure how much of a problem moderate Dems will be at that point; if we've got the numbers to pass a healthcare bill that most liberals want and if fails because DEMOCRATS didn't vote for it? I feel like that might be career suicide.

    4. Republicans do what Republicans do and refuse to convene a vote at all. This is the one that worries me the most. I don't really know what Sanders' - or anyone's - plans are in this event. Republicans have gotten bolder and bolder with simply shutting down the government, stealing judicial seats, and not bringing bills to the floor, and I suspect they'll resort to this even more if they don't have the votes to block things legitimately. Sanders is a hard-charger who doesn't seem like he'll take bullshit sitting down, but I don't know that he's much of a strategist. Warren's a good strategist but I don't know that she registers just how bad-faith the Republicans are. I really haven't gotten the sense that anyone has a plan for getting past the Republicans' flagrant disregard for democracy.

    #4 is the reason I get really stressed out when people talk about what bills are good, what bills are passable, etc. etc. I have no idea what gets bills passed and neither does anyone else.

  46. Do you think Warren is splitting the progressive vote?

    I don't think it's coming from a good place, but Twitter might have a point on this one. Especially in light of Buttigieg and Kobuchar dropping out and Biden all the sudden being viable again.

    I don't understand things well enough to say. She's bringing in so few delegates that I don't think she's costing Sanders much, and if a candidate publicly endorses another candidate after dropping out, their delegates traditionally go to them. So possibly Warren staying in the race will take a few delegates that might otherwise go to Biden or Buttigieg that will eventually get pledged to Sanders, whom I think Warren is most likely to endorse if she drops out.

    That's trying to think a few moves ahead and I'm not much of a political strategist, but I've talked to at least one person knows this stuff better than me who is banking on that.

  48. Hey, I noticed that the transcript for Dear Esther story beats video is missing. Just want to let you know in case you want to relink it.

    Thanks! Fix'd.

  49. I though for a second it's a real school of philosophy before googling it.

    in response to What are the cool philosophies

    it's real to me

  50. The deep, fundamental difference between Sanders and everyone else running is he is a leftist who is winning states.

    in practice, he's not a leftist, he's a social democrat with some leftist rhetoric

  51. What do you expect Buttigieg will do now that he's dropped out?

    who gives a fuck

  53. A good chuck of anti-warren people who are tickled at you for the social Experiment actually view Sanders as an only a compromise and a liberal capitalist and agree that Sanders needs to do better on race

    I know a lot of people who will say that when asked, but the way they refer to Sanders in other arguments act as though he's a socialist who is deeply, fundamentally different from everyone else running. So, yes, people know that, but on some level a lot are buying his hype.

  54. Why'd you remove your curiouscat from your twitter n stuff if you still respond to it?

    I only ever forwarded certain posts, if I felt I said something chewy enough to be worth putting on Twitter. Most of my substantive convos here have been about Sanders and Warren lately, and I don't want to get yelled at more than is necessary.

  56. Hollywood nihilism: Nothing in life matters. :c
    Real nihilism: Nothing in life matters! :D

    in response to Nihilism seems like the only philosophy that makes sense.

    See, to me it's always been like

    Nihilism: Nothing in life matters!!!!!
    Any other philosophy worth a damn: Duh.

  57. two questions,

    a) Do you think Obama was the best choice to win the 2008 election?
    b) if Obama had never been elected President, and was running now in 2020 against everyone else currently running for the nomination, would you consider him a potentially good second choice candidate?

    in response to That’s not how I meant the question. I agree with all of that, I just don’t understand why anyone thought he was progressive in the first place.

    a) in 2008 the only real choices were between Obama and Clinton, and Obama's *campaign* was certainly more progressive than Clinton's, even if the Presidency we got was probably not that different from what we would've gotten with her. given that he went on to win the election and Clinton went on to lose in 2016, I think Obama was the best option both morally and strategically.

    b) Obama would look fairly centrist compared to many of the people running today.

  58. Does consuming and (most importantly) enjoying problematic media make you a problematic person? For example, I am a huge fan of realistic spy fiction, and one of my favorite mobile games is Rebel Inc, a Plague Inc like that has you attempting to use foreign intervention to “stabilize” an unnamed middle eastern country, and plays it all completely straight. To the game’s credit, it is well-researched and realistic enough to avoid a few of the more problematic aspects of its premise.

    Long story short: how do I enjoy a game like Rebel Inc, SWAT 4, or Insurgency Sandstorm, or enjoy the new Jack Ryan show, while maintaining my anti-imperialist positions and keeping myself somewhat guilt-free?

    Under imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, all media is problematic. Some moreso than others, but consuming perfectly woke media is impossible. What matters is that you critically engage with all the media you consume.

    If you are aware of the problems with the games and shows you like, and are able to interrogate and dissect them, then like what you like.

  59. What should the next big trend in gaming be

    moar adventure gams

  60. Hi Ian! So, I have a YouTube channel, self-titled, where I make lefty video essays about anime and movies and such things, with one of the gimmicks being that I combine my essays with short AMVs bookending the essay and/or in the middle as part of whatever argument I'm making. At least, that's the gimmick I've developed as of yet, still early days, could change *shrug*

    Anyway, more to the point, I've been struggling financially because of course I've been, who isn't, and now I'm in a position where I'm kinda thinking, oh geez is this even a good idea to keep doing, I'd like to keep doing this, is there a way I can keep doing this? And I thought, well, hey, if a Kickstarter worked for Ian Danskin of Innuendo Studios, maybe it could work for me too? Maybe.

    So, my channel's currently <1k subs, I have <500 twitter followers and am not that great at Twitter, I've already got a Patreon open and a few people signed onto that, and I did run a mildly successful gofundme in the past (though it was not framed as being for me to make my videos), and those two last things are my only bits of experience with crowdfunding. I don't know if I really have the notoriety or pedigree or skill to make a Kickstarter campaign viable, which is where my question comes in:

    Do you think I could make it work? Based on your experience with funding your work through Kickstarter, would you recommend it? And would you have any tips for doing so? Like, would it be better to build up a bigger fanbase, or try to plan it out in a specific way, or something. I dunno, I have no idea.

    Any pointers would be super helpful! I love your videos, and I'm sorry if any of my stupid curiouscat questions have annoyed you in the past. Hope you have a great day!

    It would depend on how much money you need, I suppose. I was lucky enough that my first video essay went viral, so, while I didn't have a huge audience yet, I had some cred, and some fans with big audiences. At an audience of your size, plus friends and family, you could probably pull in $1-2k, maybe more if your GoFundMe went well. But, if it were me, I would try to keep growing my audience organically and run a Kickstarter when it's gotten a bit bigger. You'll get more money.

    In the meantime, my primary advice is the thing I always say: keep making the work *you* want to make, the kind of stuff where, if hardly anyone sees it, you'll still be glad you made it. Aside from the fact that it makes toiling in obscurity more enjoyable, if you want to crowdfund someday it's more important that your audience be *invested* than that it be *large*. And the only way to make stuff that matters to others is to make stuff that matters to *you*.

    Anyway, I did a couple videos on crowdfunding back in the day, and there are links to a bunch of resources in the show notes if you wanna do some preliminary budgeting and whatnot. Good luck!

  61. What are anti-Idol leftism, I keep seeing that term thrown around in regards to Sanders supporters but I can't tell what is real and what is rhetoric anymore

    anti-idpol, as in "anti identity politics." people who oppose capitalism but think ableist slurs and jokes about trans people are ok, and who tend to think racism and sexism can be fought with economic policy alone, if they need to be fought at all.

    they are absolutely a real thing, and they absolutely flock to Sanders, but it's REALLY hard to tell how many they are, how much influence they have, and if they're worth worrying about. they might just be a loud contingent on Twitter who hold very little power and are latched onto by the media as an excuse to ignore Sanders' policies. or they might be a legit problem that is being ignored by leftists who insist they're just a media fabrication. it's hard to tell.

  62. Is there a particular password manager you would recommend?

    LastPass, KeyPass, and 1Password are all good

  63. I was watching your videos - I forget which one specifically - where you argue that capitalism's pyramid structure and democracy's dispersion of power are fundamentally incompatible. It made me realize something: as an American, I've noticed that the notion that a pyramid-style hierarchy is bad is way more controversial than the notion that the wrong people (read: Our People™) are at the top, even in Leftist circles.

    Hierarchical thinking is much larger than capitalism, and people who oppose oppression in one sphere often see it as natural in another. Personally, I find it baffling that someone could be an anticapitalist but not a feminist, but it's clearly pretty common.

  64. Why do you like the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya?

    I dunno, I just do. Got to the end of the movie and got super bummed that there was no more Haruhi to watch. Realized, hey, I must've really liked this show.

  67. Can you wavedash in Melee and Real Life

    the answer to both questions is "a little"

  68. Do you agree with the statement "the only thing bigger than racism in America is misogyny"?

    I don't think we need to rank oppressions.

    Samuel R. Delany has made the observation that, of all the bigotries, sexism is the oldest, and argues it is the model for all other forms of oppression. He thinks it is the most tangled thread, and loosening it would go pretty far towards loosening the whole knot.

  69. When's your next video coming?

    Just sent the rough cut to patrons today, should have a final version in a few days.

  70. Is that generally what people mean when they talk about the "dirtbag left"?

    in response to What's up with this weird uptick in reactionary takes made in leftist language in some spaces lately? Or am I just seeing a pattern where there isn't one?

    depends on who's talking

    they're usually referring to the Chapo Trap House/Angela Nagle/Fine Young Turks wing of the Left, who may or may not be anti-idpol but whose irreverence towards identity politics certainly attracts an anti-idpol audience

  72. ever had two wolves fighting inside you

    in response to ever held two snakes

    I've got at least six

  73. How often you answering these on the toilét

    never, I answer these from my laptop

  74. I don’t know how to talk about this without playing into Right wing narratives.

    in response to Do you think the online left is too fragile?

    I'm finding a lot of conversations this primary season are becoming functionally impossible. Things are complicated but campaign rhetoric demands oversimplicity. If you talk about toxicity on the Left, you're buying into the media's Bernie Bro narrative. If you criticize Sanders in any way, you're a liberal, even if all your criticisms are the ways he's not left enough. If you question the efficacy of any of the bills other lefties are supporting, you must need the basics of socialism explained to you in the most condescending way possible, because there's no room to imagine someone who fights for leftist goals could possibly disagree on how to achieve them.

    It's exhausting, and the only way I know how to deal with it is to refuse to oversimplify things, demand people engage with complexity. I'm fortunate enough to have a platform when I can talk about things long-form. Not sure what to tell other folks.

  75. Do you think the online left is too fragile?

    Parts of it.

Anon commented:
Ian replied: