CuriousCat Archive Page 88 of 202

  1. Genuinely curious: why do you think Collateral and Nightcrawler aren’t noirs?

    Well, noir is such an undefined genre that, while some stuff is very obviously noir, once you venture out from that clear center it's really just a question of vibe. Absent a hardboiled detective or a femme fatale or some other clear signifier, and it's a question of, "does it feel like a noir?" Is it playing with the same themes? Does it have that fatalistic undercurrent? Is it about the appeal of a seedy underworld that exists just below the surface that will inevitably lead us to ruin? Is it about the twisted conspiracies that govern our lives, which we can occasionally succeed in spite of but can never meaningfully change? Is it about an innocent person getting swallowed whole by a world of criminals despite all their good intentions? Is it about a person of strong will who lives on the line between the criminal and the mundane, who transits freely between both worlds but never truly belongs in either?

    To me, Collateral feels more like an action thriller and Nightcrawler feels more like an incredibly dark drama.

    Collateral sort of resembles the trope of an innocent person getting sucked into a criminal underworld, but, in noir, they're usually *seduced* into it, and the audience is treated to most alluring parts of that world before everything falls apart. It's often about a moral weakness that overtakes an otherwise well-meaning person. Jamie Foxx, by contrast, is hijacked into that world, and it's threatening and offputting from the outset.

    And Nightcrawler is about someone who's already pretty securely a part of the underworld, and already morally bankrupt, finding a new angle and making it work for him. It's almost like a noir from the femme fatale's perspective, if the femme fatale were very good at manipulating people but not the tiniest bit appealing? Jake Gyllenhaal is a sick twist from frame one, and all he does is succeed in this seedy world he's discovered.

    I want to stress that I'm not disqualifying either! I'm just puzzling through why they've never felt very noirish TO ME IN SPECIFIC. They're clearly playing in similar territory, and, for all the arguing I'm doing, there's probably a lot of stuff even more tangential to the genre that I'd call noir just because it FEELS noir to me. So don't put too much stock in this! It's just my guts talking.

  2. You think Britain not disestablishing the Church of England as the official religion is a good thing?

    in response to Are there any Good words ending in the -ism suffix?

    this is not a judgment of the signified, just the signifier

  3. Sam Harris is a clown anyway, and the argument you've described is truly weird to me; it falls outside any of the debates I've come across regarding free will; what is he even describing? Randomness? How does the "subconscious" he describes make decisions? Why wouldn't a subconscious, if it existed, be part of me, making its decisions my decisions?

    The usual conflict is free will vs determinism, whether the brain functions in a way that could, if properly described, be predicted with perfect accuracy or whether there's a spontaneous component that distinguishes human decision making from mechanistic decision making

    Of course, that's just the incompatibilist position, there's also the compatibilist position (otherwise known as soft determinism) where determinism is compatible with free will, and then hard compatibilism, where free will *requires* determinism

    so uhh
    compatibilist or incompatibilist, I guess? and if incompatibilist, free will or determinism?

    in response to Do people have free will or is free will an illusion? (Possible to discuss/elaborate further on your thoughts too?)

    Yeah, he argues at one point that you could 100% predict a human's future actions with a robust enough computer, but it's backed by VERY scant evidence, and that's not the argument he concludes with.

    I'm not sure I understand the definitions you've provided enough to pick one. :-/

  5. Are there any Good words ending in the -ism suffix?

    antidisestablishmentarianism

  6. Have any MMO opinions?

    none

  7. What's your horoscope

    in response to what's ur mbti type

    do you mean my sign?

  8. Do people have free will or is free will an illusion?
    (Possible to discuss/elaborate further on your thoughts too?)

    This is actually a bugbear of mine. The problem with debating the existence of free will is that no one ever presents a theory of free will that can be proven or disproven. Sam Harris' book basically argues that free will doesn't exist because we don't decide what comes out of our unconscious minds. We can make decisions about what we DO with the thoughts that come out of the subconscious, but we don't consciously generate those thoughts. But is that a valid definition of free will? I wasn't sure what my working definition of free will was, but "100% of the brain is conscious" was never it. I feel like being able to make conscious decisions about subconscious impulses would fall under the umbrella of free will - I've known about the subconscious since middle school - but Harris presents it as proof of the opposite.

    All I can say is, from everything I've learned, I feel my will is as free as I've ever assumed it was. Make of that what you will!

  9. have you ever considered using decentralized platforms like mastodon or peertube?

    It just seems like most of the decentralized platforms are a) too small to be worth the extra effort and b) the first place Nazis go when they get kicked off the bigger platforms. I am into decentralization as an idea but I haven't seen it executed sustainably very often.

  10. people really think "that's just a social construct" means "that's imaginary" when what it really means is "this is a collective choice that we could make differently, and not a natural necessity"

    how can you think money is a social construct when you also hate the rich? checkmate, atheist

    in response to Can you explain how some leftists believe that white privilege exists while also believing race is a social construct? How are those two not mutually exclusive?

  11. Why are you the only youtuber to still have a curiouscat

    others are better at self-care

  12. So how does one indicate "thing that changes form based on Lunar Cycle"?

    in response to What if it were wereman tho, like werewolf

    I don't speak Old English, I can't help you with that

  13. What if we just took out the space, cismen?

    in response to make up a new word to call Cis Men specifically

    trans people are fairly adamant that "trans" is an adjective and only transphobes say "transwomen" and "transmen," so I think we should follow the same standard for "cis" or my fellow cis will get ideas

  14. how many people tell you that you're Greg Proops adjacent

    you're the first

  15. Do you have any thoughts on V for Vendetta? I mean the comic, but the movie if you have opinions on that is fine as well.

    Haven't read the comic, movie was annoying.

  16. Can you explain how some leftists believe that white privilege exists while also believing race is a social construct? How are those two not mutually exclusive?

    How would they be? A social construct is something that society has placed value on. And, given that, you know... we live in a society... being what that society values privileges you.

  17. What do you think about the Arab/Middle eastern representation in games, and generally the race representation for POC in gaming industry as well

    the sense I get from the Middle Eastern and POC gamers I know is it's pretty shit.

  18. Would you be interested in joining the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)? They're both very good left-wing organizations and we'd be privileged to have you as a member. While it would be appreciated if you did activism with us, even just paying membership dues helps fund our operations.

    The DSA is a big tent left-wing activist group that encompasses a wide range of people, such as social democrats, democratic socialists, radical unionists, communists, ecosocialists, pacifists, revolutionary leftists, and anarchists. We also employ a variety of tactics, such as canvassing, calling elected officials, giving town/city hall presentations, organizing labor unions, protesting, and Antifa activism.

    The IWW is a labor organizing group that trains volunteers on how to unionize workplaces and then sends them to help workers who reach out to the IWW for unionization purposes. The IWW has been around for over a hundred years and was founded by titans of American socialism such as Lucy Parsons and Eugene Debs. As far as organizing unions goes, the IWW is the best in the business.

    I do sincerely hope that you'll consider joining these two excellent institutions, both of which form the backbone of the modern American Left. As Bernie Sanders' time in the spotlight winds down, it's likely that the DSA and the IWW will become the new focal points of ire from the GOP and Fox News. We consider being hated by such people a badge of honor.

    I've considered it many times. I know every chapter is different, but I know multiple women, POC, and trans people who ultimately left the DSA because they found its makeup fairly white, male, and cis, and felt that a certain hostility towards identity politics, while not encouraged, was at least tolerated. Would you say much work is being done to combat this "brocialist" vibe?

  19. what's ur mbti type

    Massachusetts Bay Transit Inquisition? I'm not sure. I have a Charlie card, does that help anything?

  20. Are humans hierarchical by nature?

    for most of human history we were nomadic, tribal people who divided resources based on need and labor based on ability, who raised children communally and couldn't exploit each other because assholes tended to get cast out and getting cast out tended to mean starving to death

    hierarchy is deeply unnatural to us

  21. Not op, but if it is a weird question as in "it is weird that you would come to me with this question" then ignore me, but if it's weird as in "that question sounds like nonsense to me; i don't know what's the question” i'm assuming the intended question was if you had any thoughts about the a/morality of making/consuming fictional/cartoon pornography or pornographic-adjacent material portraying children or no-officer-he's-actually-1000-years-olds.

    in response to Weird question but whats your opinion on sexual loli art?

    I currently have 3374 unanswered Qs on here, trust me, I have tons of weird questions that I simply ignore. But sometimes, when people see my videos and think "I bet this guy has an opinion on loli porn and I wanna know it," the strangeness of my life hits me and I feel the impulse to make a comment on it, even just a small joke, just so people out there have a taste of how weird being any sort of public figure is.

    I don't know anything about loli porn except that it exists.

  22. Please consider reading it then, i think that wouldn't be an accurate description of the premise; it's more nuanced

    in response to Do you have Opinions on exiting the Vampire Castle?

    Does it say that we should focus on class and move away from identity politics? Because the "more nuanced" version of that is still wrong.

    And, yeah, I'll probably still read it since it's a central text and Fisher is kind of a big deal. I just haven't yet. I'm just cynical about it.

  23. What's a discourse you're wishing games would just already move past

    I don't think there's any discourse I wish would *stop*, but there's discourse I feel never *progresses*. "Are games art," "should games tell stories," and "what's the deal with violence" are all, when approached with curiosity, springboards for interesting conversations, but it feels like we've been having the 101 versions of those conversations for the past 25 years. The definition of art is interesting! The way storytelling changes depending on medium is interesting! Our primal interest in violent media is interesting! But we're stuck having to convince people that the questions are even worth asking in the first place. Every article, video, and blog about the subject has to justify its own existence to people who refuse to engage. Nobody can BUILD on what others have already said because half the audience hasn't read anything on it. It's exhausting.

  24. Ian, the fact is that it takes too much effort and discipline to change. Y’all aren’t taking Harry Potter away from us.

    pretty sure this is ironic, but the fact that thinking about the book you're reading and no longer being able to enjoy it are the same thing in some minds seems a sad and fragile way of living

  25. Weird question but whats your opinion on sexual loli art?

    you're right, that is a weird question

  26. Are you ever going to update your Soundcloud account 'Peevish' with your recent video essays? ^-^

    I have maxed out my space on Soundcloud and I don't feel like paying to host audio hardly anyone listens to. :-/

  27. How do you feel about the Prodeus arsenal?

    Good question! I can't make a final judgment yet because the game's in Early Access and the arsenal isn't complete. It looks like it might be kinda big when it's full!

    But thoughts on what's there now:

    I've heard the criticism that "everything feels like a machine gun," which is valid! Most of the weapons are pretty rapid-firing, even the heavier ones. But I've noticed the game is deliberate enough with ammo availability that you're never SUPER stocked up on any single type of ammo, so you tend to be switching between weapons a lot. All the weapons having a mild saminess kind of works for me when coupled with the ammo distribution, since each weapon has a distinct flavor and you're cycling between them so much that each fight feels slightly different from the last. If everything's a machine gun, at least every machine gun feels different.

    And most weapons have creative twists on the form. The quad shotgun's four barrels can be fired individually or fired all at once for a stronger hit that forces an instant reload. The dual-wielded machine guns can be fired individually, so sometimes you're carefully switching from one to the other before either runs out to prolong the time til reloading. The arc rail fires fast and does chain damage to enemies near the one you hit, and secondary fire is a sniper mode. Rockets can be manually detonated. Grenades come in regular and sticky.

    But Prodeus' main selling point is FEEL. The game feel is SO GOOD. And, yeah, feel isn't everything, and we privilege feel too much sometimes, but feel is still a valuable aesthetic trait and Prodeus just KICKS ASS at it. Everything feels amazing. Punching feels meaty. Shotguns feel thumpy. In fact, each shotgun feels a DIFFERENT KIND of thumpy. Reloading the shotgun feels metal as fuck. The *poomp* and *splat* of a sticky grenade is satisfying on a Pavlovian level. Firing both machine guns at once feels extreme and just barely out of control. The brief wait while a sniper shot from the arc rail charges feels perfectly timed for creating tension without breaking flow.

    Really, there's nothing NEW in Prodeus. It's nowhere near as creative as, like, Ultrakill. It is entirely conventional. But it's tweaked every convention so it's just a little bit unique, and then executed each one with aplomb. It's a good game, Brent.

  29. Do you have Opinions on exiting the Vampire Castle?

    Haven't read it, but I'm pretty sure I reject the premise. There are a lot of problems with leftist moralizing, but rejection of identity politics in favor of a class-only Left is doomed to failure and would make a miserable world if it succeeded.

  31. I think you are reading way too much into the Harry Potter stuff, not everything is that deep.

    exactly how is "Cho is neither a first name nor Chinese" reading too much into things?

  33. What's your take on the whole "beef" between Caleb Maupin and "breadtube" (if you have one)?

    I am aware he has a book about how we're all imperialist dogs. That's the entirety of my knowledge on the subject.

    I do think it's hilarious that Petey and the Pallbearers are congratulating him on it as if they're not as much "Breadtube" as the rest of us.

  34. Her goblins are pretty blatant Jewish caricatures as well

    in response to Other valid criticisms such as? I've seen her wiki page but it seems to focus more on her transphobic stances but seemingly less concrete criticism on other stuff [don't know if its valid but wiki stated the likes of being anti-Scottish independence supporter & critical of Jeremy Corbyn (but likes Gordon Brown)]. Just these two but would need more concrete info on these (and other valid critical stuff against her)

    yup! oh, and there's the part where the wizarding world runs on elf slavery and Hermione's quest to free them is treated as a gag about how she's annoying.

  35. Ian most gun related deaths are from suicides by handguns.

    I am aware

  36. Umm.. what's the problem about that? Most Chinese names, especially those whose origins and parents descended from China are mostly just two words

    in response to Other valid criticisms such as? I've seen her wiki page but it seems to focus more on her transphobic stances but seemingly less concrete criticism on other stuff [don't know if its valid but wiki stated the likes of being anti-Scottish independence supporter & critical of Jeremy Corbyn (but likes Gordon Brown)]. Just these two but would need more concrete info on these (and other valid critical stuff against her)

    "Cho" and "Chang" are both Korean last names.

    [EDIT: Chang is apparently also a common Romanization of a Chinese last name, which only makes things weirder]

  37. "a lot of labor" there are 60x more people alive today than 1000 bce

    even without the "productivity" multipliers we have today, what the hell

    in response to No offense taken, sometimes I have hard time making a clear and concise argument. You said that labor is the main reason behind rapid technological advancements during the last couple of centuries. My argument is that there was a lot of labor long time before that, during ancient Egypt for example, buy only during capitalism the technology and science has advanced so fast. Why is that?

  38. make up a new word to call Cis Men specifically

    I feel like "cis men" is working fine, it really pisses them off.

  39. Other valid criticisms such as? I've seen her wiki page but it seems to focus more on her transphobic stances but seemingly less concrete criticism on other stuff [don't know if its valid but wiki stated the likes of being anti-Scottish independence supporter & critical of Jeremy Corbyn (but likes Gordon Brown)]. Just these two but would need more concrete info on these (and other valid critical stuff against her)

    in response to What's wrong with JK Rowling and what's with all the hate on her?

    she named the Chinese character Cho Chang

  40. Who's phil fish? Can you give us short-hand for it?

    nickelback

  41. Have you thought much about the "This is Phil Fish" essay in the last 7 years? (7? omg). I mostly ask cuse after rewatching it I was a bit surprised just how well it still stood up? Like... its strikes me as a dynamic that has only accelerated (more minor fame, bigger backlash).

    Anyways, hope you are doing well!

    Thanks, Matt! How've you and Racky been holding up?

    There are times I think about TIPF and wince. I find the aesthetics ugly, the audio quality abysmal, and my vocal performance inexpressive. I also feel VERY weird about discussing this topic using a real-life human being as my focal point. Being in a position where someone makes a 19-minute video essay about you, be it positive OR negative, is a bizarre experience, and one the person you would expect to understand that is the guy who made This Is Phil Fish. But there I am! Throwing more wood on the Phil Fish fire, making his life that much weirder. And I made it at a time when Anita Sarkeesian was being treated like absolute garbage, and putting the focus on this cis white man and how the internet treats him sits awkwardly with me. I don't think it was *wrong*, per se, but it's probably not how I would tackle it now. I honestly didn't expect more than a handful of people to see it. And I am extremely self-conscious about how many awful men held it up as an example of how the internet is too mean to them. Like... a big reason the video went viral is because Notch loved it. I kind of owe my career to him. That sits VERY uncomfortably.

    But also! So far as first videos go, it's actually pretty solid?! I would expect to wince a lot MORE at my work 7 years down the line. But, even if I feel weird about how I approached the subject, I still stand by most of what I said. How lucky is that?! And there I times I think about it and think, god, I wish I could still write like that. It's so CONCISE. It feels like everything I had to say I managed to say in the fewest possible words, and everything was punchy and to the point and made my point crystal clear. Peak efficiency without sacrificing aesthetics. My work has trended towards the verbose since then, and I don't think anything except maybe Protagony has reached that lean balance of thoughtful and direct. I'm sure that's partly because I've tackled more and more complex subjects that feel under-explored if discussed too briefly. But still.

    In summation: there are things I would do different, but I'm pretty proud of that vid.

  42. What's wrong with JK Rowling and what's with all the hate on her?

    there are plenty of valid criticisms of Rowling, but the big one is she's gone pretty all-in on transphobia

  43. Will it be beneficial, however, if more people opted for NFT art?

    in response to Is NFT art necessary?

    I have yet to hear a compelling argument for how

  44. You can't help it because your estrogen is high

    in response to Technological advancement happens because of labor- I want to argue this point. Yes, labor is some part of it, but not the most important one. But, before capitalism (let's be generous and say it capitalism started in 16th century), we had plenty of labor, even too much of it, so much that it was used stupidly, like building giant tombs with slave labor, but there was almost zero technological advancement from building pyramids in Egypt to discovering new ways to approach electricty(I don't want to use word discover, but you get the idea) and steam machines. So, if labor is the sole or the most important reason (I don't want to argue straw man, so correct me which one specifically) for RAPID technological advancements, why then there was so little of it, before capitalism, even with almost unlimited labor? And so much of it when capitalism was becoming huge (19th century)?

    are you my GP? did my blood work come in? you can just use my email, this is an ineffective way of reaching me.

  45. No offense taken, sometimes I have hard time making a clear and concise argument.

    You said that labor is the main reason behind rapid technological advancements during the last couple of centuries. My argument is that there was a lot of labor long time before that, during ancient Egypt for example, buy only during capitalism the technology and science has advanced so fast. Why is that?

    in response to Technological advancement happens because of labor- I want to argue this point. Yes, labor is some part of it, but not the most important one. But, before capitalism (let's be generous and say it capitalism started in 16th century), we had plenty of labor, even too much of it, so much that it was used stupidly, like building giant tombs with slave labor, but there was almost zero technological advancement from building pyramids in Egypt to discovering new ways to approach electricty(I don't want to use word discover, but you get the idea) and steam machines. So, if labor is the sole or the most important reason (I don't want to argue straw man, so correct me which one specifically) for RAPID technological advancements, why then there was so little of it, before capitalism, even with almost unlimited labor? And so much of it when capitalism was becoming huge (19th century)?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_ergo_propter_hoc

  46. Technological advancement happens because of labor- I want to argue this point. Yes, labor is some part of it, but not the most important one. But, before capitalism (let's be generous and say it capitalism started in 16th century), we had plenty of labor, even too much of it, so much that it was used stupidly, like building giant tombs with slave labor, but there was almost zero technological advancement from building pyramids in Egypt to discovering new ways to approach electricty(I don't want to use word discover, but you get the idea) and steam machines. So, if labor is the sole or the most important reason (I don't want to argue straw man, so correct me which one specifically) for RAPID technological advancements, why then there was so little of it, before capitalism, even with almost unlimited labor? And so much of it when capitalism was becoming huge (19th century)?

    in response to Do you think technological advancement possible without capitalism? We have seen the most rapid advancement in science in technology only during capitalism.

    I'm generally trying not to be hostile or snarky these days, but what the fuck are you talking about?

  47. That was sort of the m.o. of Italian fascism. Mussolini even called fascism a “Revolution of reaction.” Aside from violence and threats thereof, the fascisti used protests, boycotts, mocking, shaming, what amounted to striking, populism etc., but it was in service of the powerful and against the weak.

    More recently you see it in american right wingers admiration and use of the techniques of Saul Alinsky, and you see it with American right wingers like Grover Norquist, Newt Gingrich, and Steve Bannon’s admiration of Lenin and Mao for taking control of their countries.

    My point wasn’t that left wingers shouldn’t use any of these methods, but it’s just that I think it would behoove them to expect whatever strategies they used to soon be used against them.

    in response to I have noticed that most techniques that left wing activists use to advance their goals are later used by right wingers for their own purposes. Should left wingers take this into consideration when planning their activism?

    Ah yes! Yes, I've mentioned in my videos how the Right co-opts the rhetoric and tactics of the Left to make their unpopular beliefs palatable, and the same thing happens with our tactics. And, yes, it's worthy of concern. I think it's why we treat methods as inherently "right" or "wrong" at our peril. Most methods - not all, but most - are neutral in value, and their morality depends on what they're in service of. The fact is, anything we do that works will be used by the other side, so we can't build our efforts around not doing what they do.

  48. How is your body recovering

    At the moment I'm doing quite well. I'm anxious to brave sitting at a desk again because that relapse was miserable and I don't want to take risks. But I'll probably try soon? It'll still be a while before I'm pulling long hours at the Wacom tablet like a was, and I'm gonna have to make some life changes to keep my body in better shape. This is going to be an ongoing problem if I don't.

  49. Is NFT art necessary?

    given that art existed for millennia before NFTs, no. no it is not.

  50. Will you make a video about it?

    in response to don’t like community?

    not exactly, but kind of

  51. It's questionable how much Obama was a liberal and how much he was "whatever gets him power".

    in response to Is Nixon the last republican liberal president?

    yeah those aren't mutually exclusive

  52. Does this still apply at 200k-300k, or do I gotta haul my pops to the nearest guillotine?

    in response to So it turns out that my father, who happens to be the most important thing in my life, MIGHT make close to 100k-150k a year. Am I any less of a leftist for this, or for still remaining extremely close to him despite of that? What do I do with all this self-loathing I have?

    look we're gonna start with Bezos and work our way down until our demands are met. I think they'll cave before we get to your dad.

  53. I have noticed that most techniques that left wing activists use to advance their goals are later used by right wingers for their own purposes. Should left wingers take this into consideration when planning their activism?

    Examples?

  54. Update: he makes about 150k a year, and the company pays for my school/the apartment because cost of living in Dubai is about $937 in rent a month PER PERSON. Does this statement still stand?

    in response to So it turns out that my father, who happens to be the most important thing in my life, MIGHT make close to 100k-150k a year. Am I any less of a leftist for this, or for still remaining extremely close to him despite of that? What do I do with all this self-loathing I have?

    friend, I recommend against coming to me for absolution or condemnation. your dad is an infinitesimally small part of the system.

  55. Is Nixon the last republican liberal president?

    to my understanding, Nixon was a conservative who was compelled to govern like a liberal because liberals owned congress, much like Obama was a liberal who was compelled to govern like a conservative once conservatives took congress over

  56. How much of society's ills due to the fact that people just simply don't have the time to attend a town hall

    let's ballpark it at 20%

  57. Do you think technological advancement possible without capitalism? We have seen the most rapid advancement in science in technology only during capitalism.

    "during capitalism" does not mean "because of capitalism." our greatest feats of science, technology, and engineering have been accomplished through non-market means. private space efforts are trailing DECADES behind government-funded NASA. read up sometime on how many entire industries exist, how many advanced materials and how much economic growth, because NASA invented them on the way to getting into space. government funding created the internet. government bailouts are the only reason capitalism hasn't utterly collapsed at least three times in the last century.

    I'll say it again: technological advancement doesn't happen because of capitalism, it happens because of labor. capitalism just determines who gets paid.

  58. Why is so much of sexual fetishes based on humiliation and dominance?

    not sure they are, a lot of fetishes are about, like... feet

  59. Most of Bernie’s proposals were social democratic. Why did so many people so much further to the left than that support him so forcefully? And why were they so obnoxious to Democratic primary voters who weren’t immediately sold on him? (I think you got some of that on Twitter!)

    in response to If Bernie were Pres do you think we'd be in a better place or basically the same place but rather than being pissed just shrugging our shoulders more

    The cynical part of me says "because American politics is a fandom and you have to stan your chosen politician like they're a fucking soccer team in defiance of all rational thought."

    The more generous part of me says "because Sanders inspired real hope in people, and hope is very powerful, and, even if it did cloud one's ability to look clearly at the man himself, that hope wasn't unfounded, and even moderate social democracy is so far to the left of where we are that it does feel revolutionary."

    And a cold an analytical part says "because even leftists are so heavily propagandized by the electoral rat race that they get swept up in the pageant, to the point where getting their guy on the throne is the most important form of activism, just like the libs tell you it is, and feel like voting for Sanders was somehow bucking the system as opposed to, you know, participating in it."

    I think there's truth in all of these.

  60. If Bernie were Pres do you think we'd be in a better place or basically the same place but rather than being pissed just shrugging our shoulders more

    Uhhh... if Bernie were Prez I think more good stuff would be in the works. I don't know if he'd know how to get it passed, but I think he'd be trying. And I think, materially, we'd be in a better place.

    But I think we'd be seeing a split in his fanbase where a chunk of people think him getting elected is the victory and others getting steadily more pissed off that the "economic revolution" he pitched isn't happening, either because he can't get the things he promised off the ground, or he's not trying as hard as he said, or the things he promised were never going to be revolutionary in the first place. So some people would be Bernie 4 Life no matter what he does, some people would take to the streets like we did when Obama wasn't the goldenboy we were promised, and some would get even more jaded and disillusioned.

  61. I have bookmarked this answer for the longest time, because I know a friend that might like this book. But I'm not so sure, so - do you think this book might be appealing to someone who's more engaged in formal writing (like news articles and OP-eds)?

    in response to What appeals to you about Jeff Vandermeer's Wonderbook?

    no, it's pretty explicitly about writing fiction

  62. Does it ever feel weird to call a complete stranger "Dear" at the beginning of an email

    nah babe

  64. Must depressing sadness and leftism be correlated? I just want to try to make the world better and not have to cry every day.

    you can be on the left and depressed or on the right and angry

  66. So are people who do that and nothing else heroes?

    in response to What makes a good hero?

    those people are gods

  67. Religion is so stupid, maybe you should stop supporting it

    There are so many ways to respond to this I'm having trouble picking one. Do I start by disagreeing that religion is stupid? Or do I begin by pointing out I'm an atheist and can't see how anything I've done could be construed as "supporting religion"? Is not thinking it's stupid supporting? Do I dig into how nonsensical a position that is? Do I address the intricacies of how a non-believer can still respect religion, or will that merely be spun as "see, you support it"? Or do I duck all of that and address the combative tone of the question itself? Like, clearly you have a chip on your shoulder about religion, but why focus it on me? In what way would be no longer "supporting" religion change anything? What model of ethics are we even operating under here?

    I'm just so curious.

  68. Most & least favorite Robert Altman work(s)?

    I'm gonna be the guy who ranks The Player higher than McCabe & Mrs. Miller and ranks Popeye lower than Prairie Home Companion.

    In fairness, I haven't seen that many, but I know I'm a sinner.

  69. Question: Are zebras black with white stripes or white with black stripes? 🦓

    zebras aren't real

  70. If you could press a button to have all billionaires killed and spread their wealth among the rest of the population equally, would you press it?

    who built the machine that has such a button? a wizard? why didn't the wizard make a button that just distributes the wealth? I don't want to consort with a magical sadist.

  71. Opinions if any on Jim Stephanie Sterling?

    haven't watched much of their stuff, but they seem like a wicked cool cat.

  72. What makes a good hero?

    eatin poon

  75. As you would be the one to ask, does it seem like the death of Q as an organised cult has turned over a new generation of logicbro atheists somehow? It feels like the far-right is on a greatest hits tour right now, going after all the formerly popular spaces they radicalised and then denuded, but the the plural of anecdote isn't data and so on, i'm just wondering if this was a win of some kind ideologically
    I kind of have David Graeber in my head from when he was talking about "what do we do if we win?" and the long-term effects of the 1990s and 2000s activist community in retrospect (which i guess he would place BLM in context with if he was still with us given they get a lot of their tactics from that era)

    Q died?

Anon commented:
Ian replied: