CuriousCat Archive Page 70 of 202

  1. Love your ARPB on The Ship of Theseus, but I am really confused, what's the actual solution to age old thought experiment of the ship of Theseus?

    it's a thought experiment, like "if a tree falls in the forest and there's no one around to hear does it make a sound?" you're supposed to ponder it, not find an answer.

  2. Is complaining it makes vegetarians look like preachy assholes a form of respectability politics?

    in response to What's bad about PeTA?

    your face is a form of respectability politics

  3. Who is your favorite philosopher?

    Winnie the Pooh

  4. "you've gotta be crazy to be a nazi" is just a way of telling yourself "*I* could never be a nazi" while you help shovel all the people the nazis decided were crazy into the incinerator

    in response to Sorry, but no. Rational people would not sincerely follow a nakedly irrational ideology. I don't care what statistics you pull out, that's a logical contradiction. Saying that the Nazis were rational people IS the same as saying that fascism is a rational ideology, and is abhorrent.

    just came across this passage:

    "To conclude that Nazism or other forms of fascism are forms of mental disturbance is doubly dangerous: it offers an alibi for the multitude of 'normal' fascists, and it ill prepares us to recognize the utter normality of authentic fascism. Most fascist leaders and militants were quite ordinary people thrust into positions of extraordinary power and responsibility by processes that are perfectly comprehensible in rational terms. Putting fascism on the couch can lead us astray."

    - Robert O. Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism

  5. Sorry if this is too personal but at what age do you wish to die?

    7000

  6. Franco launched a coup in 1936, but he didn’t get control of all of Spain until 1939. The civil war was Franco trying to get control of all of Spain and the republicans trying to recapture the parts of Spain Franco held.

    in response to (diff anon) Franco didn't come into power until 1939 after winning the civil war. Before that, the country existed as the Second Spanish Republic and wasn't under any kind of dictatorship (I actually only know this because the colors of that government's flag are being used in the logos of the upcoming Pokémon games, which are set in a region based on Spain :P)

    ahhhh I see

  8. (diff anon) Franco didn't come into power until 1939 after winning the civil war. Before that, the country existed as the Second Spanish Republic and wasn't under any kind of dictatorship (I actually only know this because the colors of that government's flag are being used in the logos of the upcoming Pokémon games, which are set in a region based on Spain :P)

    in response to The English and Spanish Civil Wars would seem to contradict that definition.

    but wasn't the purpose of the civil war to depose Franco? I thought it was a reaction to his coup...

    forgive me if I've got this wrong, it's a long time since I read Homage to Catalonia

  9. what was your plan when you were considering going on steve harvey? do you think you'd have come out of it looking reasonable or that between editing and other television shenanigans he'd make you look crazy?

    we didn't get as far as considering it, they stopped responding to emails when we asked too many questions

  10. In your "Death of a Euphemism" video at 7:26, you said "Some will argue that Silvermilk did sincerely believe in states’ rights and that rebuilding the Republican Party by appealing to white racists was not his intent. (And if you believe that, perhaps I can interest you in a very promising real estate venture in Florida.)" I know you're referring to the Everglades in that second sentence, but I don't understand the context. Can you please elaborate?

    it's a wordier version of "if you believe that, I've got some swampland in Florida to sell you," which is akin to "I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you"/"I've got some sand in the Sahara to sell you," i.e. "if you believe that, you must be a sucker, here's a scam you'd fall for."

  12. That's interesting, thanks for answering! From the tasks you listed, how much do you enjoy doing them?
    I heard, for example, some video essayists say that they love editing and some that they hate it.

    in response to I know this fluctuates, but on an average video of yours, how much of the production time do you spend on writing, and how much on recoding, animating, editing etc.?

    it really varies. I would say writing is generally enjoyable. editing is busywork but it can feel nice when I'm making progress/coming up with creative solutions. illustration has the highest highs and the lowest lows - it's always a massive pain in the ass to get started but, once I'm in a groove with it, I have a lot of room to have fun. one of the reasons production has slowed down on The Alt-Right Playbook, and why the number of illustrations has ballooned, is because doing illustrations quickly would mean not doing the weird, intricate drawings that are fun for me. spending HOURS drawing fascists is exhausting, and making your own fun takes time.

  13. Do gaslighters know that they’re lying and being manipulative or are they so narcissistic that they cannot conceive of themselves doing anything wrong?

    oh, there's all kinds of gaslighters. some do it intentionally. some do it reflexively. some are kind of half-aware of what they're doing and just try not to think about it. just a rainbow of scumbaggery.

  14. Would it be more appropriate to call the American Revolution the first American Civil War? I'm not an expert in distinctions between the two, but from what I've seen revolutions tend not to last for several years.

    generally the difference is a civil war is an attempted revolution and a revolutionary war is a successful revolution

  15. Do you think that most people are at least slightly bisexual? Like, maybe some supposedly straight men would be fine with dating only a small percentage of men - such as femboys, and some nonbinary people - but are attracted to most women. And vice versa for women dating other women.

    Though, maybe it would be more accurate to speculate that most people are "biromantic" to a degree, in that they would enjoy non-sexual dating activities and some physical intimacy with members of the same gender, but are more particular about who they get it on with.

    I think most self-identified straight people are probably a little more bi than they think. maybe not much, but a little. I don't feel qualified to say whether gay/lesbian folks are a a li'l bi.

  16. What was your major in college?

    I have a BFA in Interrelated Media

  17. What’s your opinion on adults who play with Lego or dress up in furry costumes? Should it be tolerated?

    oh my god, does it affect you? no? then let people be different.

  18. Really, Britain is just playing the long game. If chopping off monarch heads is what gets you more democracy, they've done something brilliant by keeping a decapitate-in-case-of-emergency monarch around if they ever need an infusion of additional democracy. And looking at how things are going over there, they might want to consider that eventuality

    in response to (different anon) One of the conditions of the British Monarchy's restoration after they chopped off Charles I's head was that the new king accept restricted powers. This strength of this state of affairs was highlighted by the fact that British nobles staged what was essentially a coup d'etat about three decades after the restoration, and everyone just went along with it. So while the royal family does continue to exist and technically has some governmental power, the notion that chopping off the heads of monarchs *doesn't* lead to a more democratic society is one that I'm inclined to view with skepticism.

    feels like they're overdue for a democracy injection, and their monarch is gonna die of natural causes if they don't act soon

  19. Conversely, do you think the Soviet Union and/or China were on the right side of history, regardless of communism's eventual collapse in both countries (I don't think China is still communist, but I could be wrong)? Or was everyone a bad guy?

    in response to Different anon. Do you think that the USA has been one of the bad guys on the world stage, especially since the 20th century? At the very least, I see them as the bully that gets into other countries' affairs and asserts their values and culture on everyone.

    I don't know enough about either to say.

  20. Have you ever gotten into a fist fight?

    uh... fist fights have happened to me. I wouldn't say I participated.

  21. Is it transphobic if a cis lesbian/gay man does not want to date a trans women and trans man respectively?

    look, I don't define the boundaries of transphobia, but I gather the rule of thumb is, if you don't wanna date someone, don't date them; if you don't wanna sleep with someone, don't sleep with them. no one is telling you you have to.

    if you find that simply following your interest means you never date/sleep with trans people, even when multiple opportunities have presented themselves, you might wanna reflect on why that is, see if you've internalized some transphobia.

    if you make it a *policy* that you don't date/sleep with trans people, yes, you are transphobic.

  22. What was the first video game you ever played?

    probably, like, Math Blaster or Pac-Man or something else really basic and kid-friendly

  23. So it was a tad inconsistent 76 years ago?

    in response to Different anon. Do you think that the USA has been one of the bad guys on the world stage, especially since the 20th century? At the very least, I see them as the bully that gets into other countries' affairs and asserts their values and culture on everyone.

    we did some good guy things in World War 2. we also committed one of the greatest war crimes in human history, so, yeah... inconsistent.

  24. I know this fluctuates, but on an average video of yours, how much of the production time do you spend on writing, and how much on recoding, animating, editing etc.?

    for Alt-Right Playbook, it's absolutely animation. every episode is hundreds and hundreds of slides. stuff on movies and games can be more 50/50 since I have preexisting footage to work with. but, as you said, it is variable. sometimes a script comes out in an afternoon, sometimes it takes months of writing and revising and starting over. and some edits go really quickly, while some take aaaaaaages. Bringing Back What's Stolen was a beast to edit because it had footage from 40+ movies in it, which my software did NOT like juggling.

    at this point, the variability is so high that I couldn't point to a "normal," but, back when I was maintaining a monthly(ish) schedule, it was probably 60/40 editing vs. writing.

  25. Did you read The City We Became? What did you think if so?

    in response to After watching your last Co-Vid I finally read Embassytown, which was incredible, and made me realise I do actually like sci-fi after being burned by a few bad experiences. Any suggestions on where to go next? (The City & The City is already on the list!)

    I have a copy but I haven't read it yet. I read the short story it was expanded from in How Long Til Black Future Month?

  26. what video game(s) did you enjoy writing about the most?

    the Smash video was probably the most unbridled joy but I've had fun writing about all of them. I loved making the Life is Strange video and The Artist is Absent. the Monkey Island video was a bit of a slog because it was my first video in Premiere, and getting used to new software is always a little annoying. oh, but all of Story Beats was delightful as well.

    there's a reason I always come back to games when I need to recharge.

  27. how would youtubers going on strike work? y'all not being employees is a fair point; i'm not really sure what power creators exactly have when the platform is so large that they can be replaced unless their presence is like, Ludwig huge

    in response to Considering that every Youtuber seems to agree that Youtube is exploitative as hell, how come there's never been any attempt among them to unionize? Or has that happened and I missed it?

    I'm not sure. one way would be to have people keep producing videos but demonetize everything. or to migrate all their videos to a different platform. or to make all their videos private until demands are met. YouTube will never be at a loss for content, but they can't exactly hire scabs, you know? they can only hope someone comes along to fill whatever niche the strike has left them with, which is hard to count on. and, yeah, getting big YouTubers to go on strike would have a lot of impact, but having several mid-sized channels go on strike could cost them a similar amount of money.

  28. other anon, i'd like to add: one thing i've noticed you do very well is control your tone of voice throughout a script. it's part of what makes your videos so engaging and well-paced.

    in response to You speak very clearly.

    I am occasionally annoyed by my tone because it's a little restrictive. I've written goofy jokes that have to get rewritten to drier humor because silliness doesn't fit the vibe. but, overall, I'm quite happy with the presentation I've settled into. I put a lot of work into not defaulting to "YouTube voice."

  30. When was the last time you stayed up all night?

    I get random sleep disruptions pretty regularly, but I usually get at least a couple hours of sleep. maybe a few months ago?

  31. what sport would be most improved by putting the players on horses? bowling? boxing? snowboard? cheerleading?

    in response to why tho

    all sports

  32. After watching your last Co-Vid I finally read Embassytown, which was incredible, and made me realise I do actually like sci-fi after being burned by a few bad experiences. Any suggestions on where to go next? (The City & The City is already on the list!)

    definitely read NK Jemison's Broken Earth trilogy, and maybe Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora

  33. In the same way that conservatives pivoted to attacking trans people when gay people became broadly accepted, who do you think conservatives will attack now that trans people are currently becoming broadly accepted (with a broad majority of support that is steadily climbing)?

    my country is currently passing law after law banning trans people from public life, sports, and access to their meds, and transphobes are starting to get reallllllly comfortable using eliminationist language. the anti-trans effort is proving so successful that they're moving on to attacking queer people again, with the recent attacks on Pride and using "groomer" and "pedophile" to smear all of queer culture.

    where do you live where trans people are seeing broad acceptance? because I would like to move there.

  34. Different anon. Do you think that the USA has been one of the bad guys on the world stage, especially since the 20th century? At the very least, I see them as the bully that gets into other countries' affairs and asserts their values and culture on everyone.

    in response to are you a history buff?

    oh yes, the US have been the bad guys pretty consistently for 75 years

  35. what's your favorite obscure historical trivia?

    in response to are you a history buff?

    the attempted assassination of Andrew Jackson, wherein Richard Lawrence stepped out from behind a pillar at the Capitol Building and fired a flintlock pistol at Jackson's back. it misfired. so he stepped close and fired a second flintlock pistol at point blank range. it ALSO misfired, and then Jackson beat him to the ground with his cane.

    it was the first assassination attempt on a sitting President in history.

  36. What's a hobby you've tried many times to get into but haven't had much luck sticking to?

    being outside

  37. How about a history nerf?

    in response to are you a history buff?

    good idea, the gilded age was OP

  38. Didn't they compare factory farming to the Holocaust?

    in response to What's bad about PeTA?

    the list of bullshit from PeTA is neverending, I hate them so much

  39. favorite socialist pick-up lines?

    "you're so sweet you could put hershey's out of business. you're so sweet you could break up all the damn businesses."

  40. Do you like Dungeons & Dragons?

    conceptually, but I haven't gotten into TTRPGs

  41. What's bad about PeTA?

    in response to What do you think about PETA? (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)

    they're all about stunts like making a tofu-based copy of Super Meat Boy or renting a hotel room for a chicken in attempts to shame people into going vegetarian, which, to the best of my knowledge, does not actually convince people to go vegetarian, and just makes vegetarians look like preachy assholes

  43. Is monogamy "natural" to humans?

    I don't concern myself much with what is and isn't "natural." from genetic records we know that paleolithic humans were not particularly monogamous. that doesn't mean monogamy is any less "right" than nonmonogamy. humans are a phenomenally adaptable species, and can function a wide variety of ways. in the society we have built for ourselves, the nuclear family makes more sense than it did when we were small tribes raising children communally. but the society we've built was not inevitable, and we could build it differently, and different relationship models might be more common in that hypothetical world.

    I don't need to rank relationship models where everyone involved is a happy, consenting adult.

  44. Do you like to walk to wherever you're going in your city, instead of driving or taking public transportation?

    my city's a bit too spread out for walking everywhere, but I like a long walk when I have the time for it

  45. How come the left always likes to bring up sensationalist takes given by the right whenever a rightwinger commits an act of violence but never hold themselves accountable for the hysterical takes leading to violence like riots?

    look up how much violence is done by leftists in the US versus conservatives and you'll see your answer

  47. What sport would you do if you competed in the Olympics?

    equestrian pommel horse

  49. Have you ever played in band/choir/orchestra?

    no, when I was trying to be a musician I was going for "emotionally available solo artist"

  50. What do you think about PETA? (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)

    like any good vegan, I hate PeTA with a smoldering ember of indignity

  51. Have you ever elaborated on this

    in response to What's a game that everyone whose opinions you respect praises but you just don't like?

    I played the demo and didn't enjoy the core loop. the puzzles were kinda fiddly and the combat was conceptually interesting but didn't click for me. I know enough about the themes and writing to believe they're good, probably great, but the minute-to-minute playing just didn't click.

    I wouldn't say I DISLIKE it, it's just not for me, and that's heresy in many circles.

  52. You speak very clearly.

    make explaining things your full-time job for 7 years and you'll probably speak pretty clearly too.

    but thanks. :)

  53. What's a film you wish you saw without knowing a single thing about it?

    maybe In Bruges? I got really hyped for that movie and I think I would've liked it more if I hadn't had expectations.

  54. Considering that every Youtuber seems to agree that Youtube is exploitative as hell, how come there's never been any attempt among them to unionize? Or has that happened and I missed it?

    we're not employees of YouTube. not that creating a union of contract workers is impossible, but there isn't an obvious pathway to it at YouTube's scale.

    I did have an idea a while back for how to create a YouTuber strike fund, though. I should revisit that...

  55. does the definition of states as "the group with a monopoly on legitimate violence" imply that all nation-states are inherently abusive/exploitative on some level? is it possible to have a "good" state, or is the goal to get rid of them entirely?

    I am several levels of anarchist theory short of being able to answer that

  56. are you a history buff?

    trying to be

  57. Are there any conspiracy theories that you actually believe are true?

    I mean, there are conspiracies that proved to be true, like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. there are a handful of unverified conspiracy theories that I would consider plausible, but I wouldn't say I *believe* them without greater evidence. like, I wouldn't say I believe Jeffrey Epstein was murdered, but I don't think it's an outlandish idea.

  58. What's a game that everyone whose opinions you respect praises but you just don't like?

    undertale

  59. Do you like Day of the Tentacle?

    confession: not really

    I don't find it that funny, like half the puzzles are annoying, and even with the three time periods the whole thing taking place in one location starts to feel really stagnant. it's still beautifully animated and has some good bits: Purple Tentacle is still a hilarious villain, and Laverne's voice acting is fabulously bizarre. and there are good puzzles in the mix. but, overall, it doesn't come together for me.

  60. Do you have an idea for what will be your last video?

    I wanted to make a LOOM video since before I started the channel, and I've always said I won't end the channel til I've done it, and it's kind of become my "this is how I will finish my YouTube career." I don't know if I'll actually do it that way, but I've sort of stumbled into the idea.

  61. Favorite game you know sucks

    Hyrule Warriors

  62. What outdated slang do you use on a regular basis?

    all my slang is outdated

  63. Small or big tiddie? or any tiddie good? Are all tiddies created equally? be honest

    not every tiddy is a good tiddy, but there is no bad CATEGORY of tiddy

  64. What's a movie you've never gotten around to seeing since many years

    Vertigo

  65. Can you explain why people say politicians in general aren't to be trusted? I might sound like an elementary student here, but aren't politicians supposed to be civil workers serving the needs of their country and their community? I'm not talking about presidents or dictators, but congressmen, governors, etc.

    I could give you the cynical answer, but let's think about it this way instead:

    one premise of democracy is that power is dangerous. you don't want a king because that's too much power housed in a single person. you could hope and pray for a "good" king, but, even when a king is better than most, you just can't trust that that much power won't be misused.

    so American democracy is designed to keep power in check. our democracy was built such that, first, you can't gain institutional power without public support. people have to INVEST you with power, and they have to do so willingly. hence elections. then, that power is limited: elected officials have term limits, so every few years they have to prove they still have public support, or the job goes to someone else. then, the power is shared: each person who is granted power only has power over certain things. some things fall to the House or the Senate, some things to the President, some things to the courts, some to the state governments, etc. and most of these positions have multiple elected officials who have to come to some kind of consensus to act; few individuals can act unilaterally. then, the power is checked: not only is the power shared, but these different parts of government are often at odds with each other. the President can pass an executive order that the courts can strike down; Congress can pass a resolution that the President can veto. finally, most of this power can be revoked: the public has recourse to remove people from power through impeachment before the end of their term if necessary.

    now, we can get into the multitudinous ways these systems have been gamed and broken throughout American history, or the ways American government is a self-contradictory mess that will challenge power structures in one article and promote it in others. some of the Founders were idealists and some were self-interested, slave-owning businessmen out to enrich themselves, and many were both. but, irrespective of all that, this is what they built, this is the story we have all lived with, this is the dream democracy is built on.

    at every step, an individual with power must be treated with suspicion. they must constantly justify their use of power or have it taken from them. if we accept the premise of democracy, that power is dangerous and should be handed out VERY CAREFULLY, then you should only ever have an antagonistic relationship with our elected officials. they may be trustworthy, but it is also in their best interest to APPEAR trustworthy. we built democracy because power corrupts. anyone seeking it should be viewed with skepticism. if they're good people, make them prove it, again and again, every day. that's the only way to avoid tyranny.

  66. Is that vegan?

    in response to You eat any red foods?

    yeah

  69. Historically commies will always side with fascists.

    27 million Soviets died fighting fascism

  71. You eat any red foods?

    in response to Got a lotta things that are red?

    pussy is pink, does that count?

  73. If immigrants were way more likely to vote republican than democrat would you still support immigration?

    yes because I'm not an asshole

  74. What I love about Breadtube in general and your videos in particular is that out-of-left-field immaturity in the midst of a thought-provoking essay.

    in response to maybe i should rephrase, which ARPB has ur fav joke and what is it?

    love that mix of high- and low-brow

  75. Do you get a notification when someone gives a heart to one of your answers?

    yuh

Anon commented:
Ian replied: