CuriousCat Archive Page 18 of 202

  1. which community of people who have mental health conditions should get access to the R word

    do you think that's a thing I get to decide?

  2. Is this because neoliberalism has basically meant capitulating to conservatives on basically every issue?

    in response to Are you opposed to neoliberalism?

    technically conservatives are also neoliberals, the entire mode of government right now is neoliberal. it is deeply annoying to me that "neoliberal" and "neoconservative" mean fundamentally different things.

  3. Are you opposed to neoliberalism?

    yes

  4. Is the red pill right about dating and attractiveness?

    no

  5. What's your serious opinion on effective altruism?

    lol. lmao.

  6. What is your opinion on this Drake vs Kendrick beef?

    I just don't know how Drake expected this to go for him

  7. Wait did the Idris Elba Bond Movie come out while I wasn't paying attention?!?

    in response to best bond actor

    only every night in my dreams

  9. What are women mainly attracted to?

    Keytar Bear

  10. What do you think about this discourse over women feeling more safe with a bear than a man?

    I, too, find Keytar Bear attractive

  11. best bond actor

    Idris Elba

  12. Any piece of music that you want to make a video about?

    I have a VERY silly idea for a video about trip-hop

  13. Do you wish you were young again?

    I don't want to be the person I was when I was younger. I would like to have the lower back of the person I was when I was younger.

  14. How else are we supposed to answer these security questions about your metamour'a doctor's mother's maiden name

    in response to Does your wife have a boyfriend?

    Merriweather

  15. This site is called Curious Cat

    in response to Is that legal in your state?

    I have two cats and they don't ask me shit

  16. Just wanna reiterate support for Ukraine.
    Worry that they might feel forgotten.

    thank you for your service

  17. Is he least in the ground prolly?

    in response to Is Henry Kissinger in hell right now?

    I don't know if he was cremated or shot into space or what. they would have to keep the gravesite a secret, right? if it were public people would just take turns pissing on it. there'd be a line down the block every day. we'd make sign-up sheets.

  18. (diff anon) The previous anon also leaves out that the not starving countries are only not starving because they take food from global south capitalist countries who then starve in turn. Also the blockade on Cuba and North Korea that causes starvation there is enforced by capitalists.

    in response to Why do lefties say poverty and famine is really a byproduct of capitalism? There are plenty of capitalist countries like Canada, Paraguay, Singapore, New Zealand, and Germany that have never suffered famines, meanwhile almost every socialist country like China, Cuba, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Ethiopia, and to an extent Venezuela have suffered food shortages or famines that killed millions. Only exceptions being Vietnam and Laos but those have small populations and never radically pursued socialism anyway. But supposedly capitalism is the real source of poverty because we hypothetically could feed and house everyone (something that’s never been done before) if it wasn’t for the profit motive.

  19. Is that legal in your state?

    in response to Thought you were polyamorous

    y'all ask a lot of questions

  20. Henry Kissinger delayed the Khmer Rouge from taking over Cambodia for 5 years, shortening the Cambodian genocide by half. Sucks that North Vietnam invaded Cambodia to install the Khmer Rouge, and then had to remove them from power a few years later. Just like how the Soviets were pro Nazi, but then ended up playing a small role defeating the Nazis.

    in response to Is Henry Kissinger in hell right now?

    sorry, amid your Kissinger apologia, did you say the Soviets played "a small role" in defeating Hitler???

  21. How often do you watch new movies?

    these days I see a movie in the theater probably once a month? it really depends on what's playing.

  22. Does your wife have a boyfriend?

    in response to Thought you were polyamorous

    I'm pretty sure that's none of your business

  23. Is Henry Kissinger in hell right now?

    he's why I wish I believed in Hell

  24. Do you think most liberals support Israel in their war against Hamas?

    something like 80% of liberals oppose the war, I think to mean "why most Democratic politicians ignore their own constituents and support a deeply unpopular military action that might cost them the Presidency?" which is a more interesting question.

    I'm assuming the Israel lobby, Zionist campaign donors, and the fact that politicians spend a lot more time talking to Israeli politicians than their own voters are factors. I also know there's a ton of history I don't know, and would have a more thorough answer if I did.

  26. Why do lefties say poverty and famine is really a byproduct of capitalism? There are plenty of capitalist countries like Canada, Paraguay, Singapore, New Zealand, and Germany that have never suffered famines, meanwhile almost every socialist country like China, Cuba, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Ethiopia, and to an extent Venezuela have suffered food shortages or famines that killed millions. Only exceptions being Vietnam and Laos but those have small populations and never radically pursued socialism anyway. But supposedly capitalism is the real source of poverty because we hypothetically could feed and house everyone (something that’s never been done before) if it wasn’t for the profit motive.

    literally just googled each of those countries and "famine"

    Canada: the Newfoundland Potato Famine

    Paraguay: 10% of the country currently experiences food scarcity despite economic growth

    Singapore: just recently suffered food insecurity during the pandemic, as 90% of its food is imported

    Germany: this was fucking hilarious, as Germany experienced MAJOR famines after World War I, which is part of what the Nazis blamed the Jews for

    but you've got me on New Zealand, well done. you can think of a single nation that, at least with a cursory googling, does not have a history of famine or major food insecurity. but, even then, poverty and food scarcity exist, even if in lower numbers.

    [I included links for all of these but CC said "Invalid API Response" until I cut them, so I guess google it]

    the deal is that poverty is not a failing under capitalism. it is just part of the gig. in 250 years of capitalism being practiced in hundreds of nations, none has ever eliminated poverty, and any economist will tell you that eliminating poverty would crash the economy.

    and capitalism functions on constant growth while limiting supply, under which conditions famines will be inevitable. some nations have mitigated this with aggressive regulation, which is to say: the more the government keeps capitalism from doing what it would definitely do without regulation, the lower the likelihood of widespread famine. but, even though most have enough food to feed everyone in the nation, none have eliminated food insecurity, and the reason is always that you can't just GIVE PEOPLE FOOD, that would hurt the restaurant industry.

    I'm not here to defend any of the communist nations you've named - I am deeply critical of all of them. if anything, I hate them more than you do, because I am actually invested in socialism working. but I can tell you, when a communist nation does not feed and house and clothe its population, it is a failing. because the whole POINT of communism is to guarantee a standard of living to the public. it's the justification for revolution in the first place. and maybe I will someday face the possibility that poverty cannot be fully eliminated, that no government can guarantee a standard of living for everyone, that power will always pool and corrupt and seek to justify itself. maybe every idealistic movement will pervert itself into Stalinism.

    all I know is capitalism won't even try. capitalism will make the argument you made, "if only 5% of the population dies of starvation, that's pretty good!"

  27. Do you think the Soviets committed a genocide before the Nazis ever did?

    the Holodomor precedes the Holocaust, yes. I would not attribute it to "the Soviets," as Ukraine was considered part of the USSR - the victims were also, ostensibly, Soviets. but Stalin's government committed genocide against its own people.

  28. What do you think when someone says "bring the troops home!" In respect to the current conflict in Gaza?

    ...the IDF troops?

  29. Do you feel like an equitable society still describes people as White or is the term taken away for something new?

    why did you capitalize white

  30. Favourite MMA fighter?

    Captain Falcon

  31. What do you think people are actually feeling when they say they feel God's presence?

    me

  33. Capital D there

    in response to What do you think of Destiny?

    ohhhh, gotcha.

    I don't really jive with console shooters!

  35. Who died too soon: Aaliyah or Selena?

    yes

  36. Not a David Koepp fan are ya?

    newp

  37. What do you think of Destiny?

    I believe in free will

  39. “you mean we have a colony ship with the entirety of humanity perpetually housed and cared for AND at least something is being done to improve the planet?”

    in response to How likely is WALL-E going to be our future?

    yuppp

  40. "China's government is incredibly repressive." "Yet your government is also very repressive. Curious! I am very intelligent."

    in response to Considering the fact that China is a fascist state and critical failings like their treatment of the Uyghurs, praising China for its COVID response seems a bit like praising Jeffrey Dahmer for his table manners.

    *sigh*

    the context of this conversation

    is a comparison of the governments and economic systems

    of the US and China

    and so any criticism of China that is meant to condemn its government

    implicitly elevates the US government by comparison

    because the opening questions were about the superiority of capitalism

    and it is therefore relevant

    if the condemnation of China

    applies equally to capitalism

  43. Whatever happened to the Gravel Institute?

    ikr

  46. why does the meme "ssshh let people Not Enjoy Things" drive me crazy when I also agree with the premise

    because it's employed in places it doesn't belong

  47. are there any famous people in the world you would be scared to meet because they too greatly informed your personality or interests on some level

    I've already met Samuel R. Delany, and I only KIND OF embarrassed myself. if I can get through that, I can meet anyone.

  48. How likely is WALL-E going to be our future?

    oh, WALL-E is WAY too optimistic

  49. If leftists made a point of showing up at the ballot box, but ONLY to vote for downballot pro-Palestine or pro-Ceasefire candidates, do you think the Democrats would learn anything at all?

    I think if Leftists got organized and announced, in advance of the election, that they would all vote, as a block, against any candidate who doesn't support an immediate ceasefire, but also PROMISED to vote FOR those candidates if they changed their position, we could get somewhere. if leftists looked at all the close races, all the battleground states, and deliberately organized in those areas to get voters to sign on in advance, until multiple candidates could see, oh shit, I'm polling to win by 2% and the leftists have managed to get 3% of voters to withhold their vote until I reverse my stance on Palestine... yeah, that could put the fear of god into some people.

    this ad hoc "just vote against them" does not, in my experience, teach them anything. Democrats are VERY SKILLED at learning nothing. I mean just talk to liberal about whether Hillary would've won if she'd endorsed Medicare For All - they cannot even follow the argument, "didn't adopt incredibly popular policy... lost by extremely narrow margin... could've made a difference!" it just does not compute for them. and no Dems followed up by saying, "shit, maybe we should adopt that incredibly popular policy if we're gonna keep losing my tiny margins..."

    you gotta tell them, in advance, "if you do A, B will happen," and you gotta tell them over and over, and maybe even prove it once or twice, before they get it. leftists gotta act like leftists and actually organize, not act like liberals and hope voting translates into radical change.

  50. where to get gf with back problems

    get normal gf and blow her back out

  51. (different anon)
    I don't know that we NEED to convince them, but there is some tactical value, no? It seems to me (and maybe I'm wrong) abortion as a hot-button issue is moving the needle on elections, because abortion bans are deeply unpopular in all but the reddest of states. Public opinion does seem to matter if you can get enough of it.

    Or is that energy/money just better spent elsewhere?

    in response to Do you think normal people who are mostly apolitical will ever get behind police and prison abolition? I mean, you could show them all the data you want about how those systems do more harm than good but at the end of the day, most (White) people feel comfortable knowing they have a number they can call when they’re in trouble and a place where we keep "the bad guys". I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I think the Overton window would have to shift veryyyyyy far before we could even think about making those radical changes.

    I mean... not to sound like a doomer, but if public opinion matters so much, how did the abortion bans get passed in the first place? last I checked I think bans of the sort red states are trying to pass have an 8% approval rate. Republicans have engaged in a DECADES-long project to overturn Roe v Wade, that went as far as stealing Supreme Court seats as well literally DOZENS of lower court seats. and, all that time, abortion was getting more and more mainstream. we spent ALL THAT TIME shifting opinions, until 92% of the country was at least on our side, at least about the most draconian policies. and what did that do for us?

    I'm not saying there's no benefit, I'm just saying even wild success does marginal good, and I'm not convinced that's the best use of our energy. when laws get passed with 8% approval, what even is the point of getting it down to 6%?

  52. If you had to spend a million dollars, what is the first thing you would buy?

    debt. I would buy my wife's debt, my close friends' debt, and my own debt. then I would pay all my rent for a year, and a year's rent for all my friends who rent. I would pay for any medical procedures that my people have been holding off on. of my people who hate their jobs but haven't had the time to look for a better one, I would give them buffer money so they could quit and pursue something more fulfilling. and whatever's left I'd put in a mutual aid fund and announce that people in need can reach out for access to it, so it's not just my friends and family benefitting from my random million.

  53. In one of your videos I can't find: if you have to have a bumper sticker that says "if I'd have known about this I would have picked my own cotton" (next to the Confederate flag), you don't have your house in order. Can you ELI5 what that means?

    that's from Death of a Euphemism

    certain Southerners feel that Black people having rights in the US is so catastrophic that they wish Africans had never been brought to the US in the first place. i.e. "picked my own cotton" instead of having slaves do it. they're saying they regret that Black people being emancipated, and that Black culture is even worse than chattel slavery.

    in the context of the video, I was talking about how the kind of white Southerners who would drive around with this bumper sticker are people Republicans used to treat with disdain, but still actively cater to. the Republican Party could never move too far away from racism because they need the Extremely Racist White Southerner demographic. and the shift in a post-Trump world is that these people are no longer a fringe element Republicans have to cater to; they are the base now, and moderates are the hangers-on.

  54. Do you ever wish you were more normie?

    on the spectrum of cishet white dudes with YouTube channels, I know I'm a little weirder than most, but cishet white dudes with YouTube channels are quite basic

    like for a friend's birthday a few weeks ago I went to a goth show in New York with a bunch of queer anarcho-punks and was reminded, oh, right, I'M the normie here!

  56. do you condemn OJ?

    in response to why haven’t you commented or OJ’s death

    inasmuch as I condemn anyone who murders their wife. I do not have any unique animosity for OJ in specific.

  57. In your opinion why did Lost World not land or work as well as the first? Was it just impossible to re-capture the magic a second time around?

    it's a weird book written more as a sequel to the movie than the first book (Malcolm is protagonist because he lived in the movie, even though he DEFINITELY DIED in the book), and it gets way deeper into chaos theory and the idea of a dinosaur habitat. it's way nerdier, and much less of an adventure yarn (even though the action scenes are pretty tense), and also just a lot LONGER than the first book. streamlining it into a pulpy action movie meant fully reshaping parts, and it plays more like an original movie based on a few of the same ideas as the book, where the first movie was much more a streamlined version of the novel it was based on. it seems like a lot of people had their fingers in the pie this time, with Spielberg wanting to do a Godzilla homage at the end and the studio wanting more dinosaur action and more plot having to be made up by David fucking Koepp (STOP LETTING HIM WRITE MOVIES!!!).

    just a lot more mess involved.

  58. You also haven't commented on the death of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, how dare.

    in response to why haven’t you commented or OJ’s death

    thoughts and prayers

  59. Any advice on how to fill out a birthday/christmas wishlist?

    I dunno, I'm bad at wanting things. I mostly just keep a list of books and video games I want.

  60. Do you think normal people who are mostly apolitical will ever get behind police and prison abolition? I mean, you could show them all the data you want about how those systems do more harm than good but at the end of the day, most (White) people feel comfortable knowing they have a number they can call when they’re in trouble and a place where we keep "the bad guys". I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I think the Overton window would have to shift veryyyyyy far before we could even think about making those radical changes.

    why do we need to convince them? they're not participating in politics, so they pose no real opposition, probably vote down-ticket if they vote at all, and are the fastest to adapt to changes.

  61. why haven’t you commented or OJ’s death

    was I supposed to?

  62. Do you prefer Lost World or Jurassic Park III? And why lol

    Lost World, no question. Spielberg is just a better craftsman than... whoever directed III. the scene on the breaking glass? the run through the tall grass? ugh, just GENUINE TENSION.

    plot is a goofy mess, but fails interestingly.

  63. (diff diff anon) Netanyahu's actions are not those of a rational actor and it's absolutely not a given that he'll back down immediately if his demagogery costs Israel the patronage of the US. It's just as likely he'll fly into a rage and launch everything they have at Gaza until it's a smoking crater.

    in response to (diff anon) I agree Biden's support for Israel's genocide is disgraceful, & he's not using the leverage he does have. Could he really end the entire conflict with a phone call? If the US stopped all weapons shipments to Israel overnight it wouldn't change the fact that Netanyahu is an unpopular fascist desperately using the idea of "war" to maintain his political power, unless I'm mistaken. The US should still do that, and Biden shouldn't bypass congress to send Israel more aid, or veto UN ceasefire resolutions. But is the "phone call" line an overestimation of how much leverage he has?

    is that opinion based on anything? like have you read any political theorist who has studied the region opining that the only thing STOPPING Netanyahu from leveling Gaza entirely is the US's patronage? or is that just your gut talking?

  64. What's interesting to me is that China calling itself communist and being poised to overtake the US as the world's economic powerhouse would seem to pose a challenge to the conservative idea that communism always fails. Not to say that life is paradise in China by any means, but I'm surprised this isn't brought up maybe as much as it should be.

    in response to Why is it when westerners criticise communism they almost never talk about Vietnam, Laos or East Germany? Like its always China, North Korea, the Soviet Union and Cuba.

    I bring it up all the time, but capitalists suddenly get VERY NUANCED OPINIONS on what Marx's intentions were when it comes to China

  65. Yeah, cool, what I'm opposed to is calling China or the soviet union communist. I feel like it muddies the water and does a disservice to any attepts at building actually leftist society. And also I don't think either of those states are/were meaningfully communist.
    As for why China does anything to comab climate change, it seems to be a case of "enlightened monarch" that understands that this is a problem that needs addressing. What happens if his place is taken by someone like putin, who explicitly thinks climate change should continue, cause he sees it as beneficial?

    in response to 1. I'm super comfortable to throw out Cuba and the soviet union. I'm personally offended that so many westerners seem to think that a genocidal empire might be called communist. 2. China's ability to tackle certain things more effectively, imo, is due to it being ruled by a very small number of people, who can't be meaningfully defied. When those people think that climate is something that needs tackling - everyone will be forced to do it. But I don't feel like "communism should be a dictatorship, because those are more efficient at solving certain tasks" is a great direction to take.

    I'm not sure how that rebuts anything I said? I don't think it's fruitful to argue Marxist-Leninism "isn't communism," but we agree that Marxist-Leninism fucking SUCKS and is a horrible direction for any leftist movement to take, so no sense getting mired in an argument about labels. but, again - in the US, wealthy people prevent climate action. in China, wealthy people are not able to prevent climate action. I feel that is an important thing to acknowledge.

    (this is a very weird argument, seeing as it started with someone arguing "capitalism is good enough to handle climate change" and now seems to have shifted to "capitalism is shit and China isn't communist enough." not opposed to this shift, but it's curious!)

  66. Why is it when westerners criticise communism they almost never talk about Vietnam, Laos or East Germany? Like its always China, North Korea, the Soviet Union and Cuba.

    in response to 1. I'm super comfortable to throw out Cuba and the soviet union. I'm personally offended that so many westerners seem to think that a genocidal empire might be called communist. 2. China's ability to tackle certain things more effectively, imo, is due to it being ruled by a very small number of people, who can't be meaningfully defied. When those people think that climate is something that needs tackling - everyone will be forced to do it. But I don't feel like "communism should be a dictatorship, because those are more efficient at solving certain tasks" is a great direction to take.

    because they don't know anything about Vietnam or Laos

  67. (diff anon) I agree Biden's support for Israel's genocide is disgraceful, & he's not using the leverage he does have. Could he really end the entire conflict with a phone call? If the US stopped all weapons shipments to Israel overnight it wouldn't change the fact that Netanyahu is an unpopular fascist desperately using the idea of "war" to maintain his political power, unless I'm mistaken. The US should still do that, and Biden shouldn't bypass congress to send Israel more aid, or veto UN ceasefire resolutions. But is the "phone call" line an overestimation of how much leverage he has?

    in response to (diff anon) If you admit that the measures being employed in Darfur and Xinjiang are ineffective, then what good would it do to employ those measures in Palestine? Or are you saying the international community should just go through the motions of intervention because it's the "right thing to do", even if it accomplishes nothing? Or God forbid, makes the situation *worse*?

    all of Netanyahu's power comes from the backing of the US, it's the only reason he can get away with attacks on Iran and the occupation of Gaza. there is no "war" without the US's support. he knows full well his political career is over the moment he costs Israel the patronage of the US. I don't think anyone believes he wouldn't back down immediately.

  68. did you ever get into undertale? feels like it'd really click with your fourth wall discussions you opened in protagony two: abed

    I didn't click with the gameplay. I respect all the love for Undertale and maybe I would enjoy it if I got further in, but I'm content with "this seems like a good game that might not be on my wavelength."

  69. I kind of feel like the 'China/ x Marxist-Lennist country is not communist so this is a win for capitalism actually' is kind of no different from the 'China/ x country handled this badly so ALL attempts of communism fails' or 'if Israel stops genociding/ stops being and aparthied it will no longer be Israel'. Like 'communism can only be bad no exceptions' or 'Israel can only exist as a Jewish ethnostate no exceptions'.

    in response to (Diff anon) but China isn't communist tho. Arguably, never was. Maybe that's not as bad an argument, as you think?

  70. (diff anon) If you admit that the measures being employed in Darfur and Xinjiang are ineffective, then what good would it do to employ those measures in Palestine? Or are you saying the international community should just go through the motions of intervention because it's the "right thing to do", even if it accomplishes nothing? Or God forbid, makes the situation *worse*?

    in response to There haven’t been mass protests around the world about Darfur and Xinjiang as there are for Palestine.

    you've made a rhetorical shift between sentences in which first you call the interventions insufficient and then say they do nothing. $16 billion for peacekeeping in Darfur hasn't done NOTHING, and there are people alive now who wouldn't be without that intervention. and it's a weird comparison to make to the US, which, again, could end the entire conflict with a phone call, which is what protesters are demanding.

    this mentality where anything less than a solution is the same as doing nothing is weird.

  71. Diff Anon:
    I get the impression that a lot of people kind of recognize the US functionally lives with post-scarcity supply, but either
    A) distribution to achieve a post-scarcity society would require unacceptable decreases in my own quality of life.
    B) post-scarcity supply is caused by labor in excess of what society would produce without coercion.
    Maybe I'm telling on myself a little too much here.

    in response to OK, but at what cost? How many innocent people will have to die to replace capitalism? Capitalism can't be THAT bad to risk the lives of millions. And before you bring up the climate crisis and how many people die each year from hunger, #1: poverty has been going down at a steady rate for decades. The country with the most reduction is China, but that only started AFTER Deng's market reforms basically made China state capitalist, and #2: the state can take care of mitigating climate and the planet's resources if it needs to, but only if market solutions don't work.

    no, I've definitely gotten both arguments (sometimes from the same people) on this very website

  72. Cats=Dogs?

    my god you've cracked it

  73. Considering the fact that China is a fascist state and critical failings like their treatment of the Uyghurs, praising China for its COVID response seems a bit like praising Jeffrey Dahmer for his table manners.

    in response to (Diff anon) but China isn't communist tho. Arguably, never was. Maybe that's not as bad an argument, as you think?

    Americans criticizing China for its authoritarian policies and participation in genocide is kind of like Jeffrey Dahmer getting called out by Ted Bundy

  74. Expressionism or Impressionism

    in response to Dada or Cubism?

    fauvism

  75. 1. I'm super comfortable to throw out Cuba and the soviet union. I'm personally offended that so many westerners seem to think that a genocidal empire might be called communist.
    2. China's ability to tackle certain things more effectively, imo, is due to it being ruled by a very small number of people, who can't be meaningfully defied. When those people think that climate is something that needs tackling - everyone will be forced to do it. But I don't feel like "communism should be a dictatorship, because those are more efficient at solving certain tasks" is a great direction to take.

    in response to (Diff anon) but China isn't communist tho. Arguably, never was. Maybe that's not as bad an argument, as you think?

    every capitalist nation is heavily shaped by a small number of people, they're called billionaires, and they're the primary reason we're not tackling climate change in the West. all I'm saying is, despite the existence of wealthy people in China, they do not have the political ability to block progress on climate change the way they do here.

    I'm generally in favor of not being ruled by a small number of people, and climate change would've been tackled decades ago in a direct democracy because more than 2/3 of the public believes it's real and almost all the misinformation around it has been driven by profit-minded lobbyists.

Anon commented:
Ian replied: