• 27 Posts
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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: July 8th, 2023

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  • The optimal strategy remains to vote for neoliberals when the alternative is fascists because that is how to create time for socialists and progressives to primary neoliberals in the Democratic Party and win general elections.

    With all due respect, that strategy got us fascism. The terminology has changed, but I could tell close to 30 years ago that this would be the result. Is three decades not enough time for socialists and progressives to “primary” neoliberals? Apparently not, because socialsts/progressives/leftists are lazy, good-for-nothings who are simultaneously powerful enough to swing elections, but too inconsequential to talk about their issues or court their votes.

    In other words, maybe these vaunted “centrists”/liberals should’ve stepped up to stop fascism. (And, it’s not leftists who say that Harris “went too woke” and now want to throw trans people under the bus.)


  • I’ll go further: It wouldn’t be enough to simply reform one political party, anyway. The U.S. Constitution is a dead document, and its system of government is obsolete. The black hats have discovered the exploits, and everybody now knows how to game the system. We can’t repair the system from inside the system, since it at the bottom line it runs on trust, and that trust in the system is gone. Just like in any relationship, it takes some material change to get people to trust again.




  • Indeed. Simplified, skin is kind of like a building: collagen fibers (rebar), bricks (cells), and mortar (sebum). All of them are necessary.

    Hot showers strip away the sebum, letting the skin’s moisture escape, but also leaving it vulnerable to bacteria and fungus. The latter is why the armpits and feet pump out substances which feed smelly bacteria— to ward off infections. Post-shower oils, as recommended in the article, are good, but even better is not stripping the natural oils in the first place. If moisture escapes, then you have to exfoliate to remove the skin cells which died, and follow up with “moisturizing” lotion with urea to break down the collagen strands.

    The whole skincare regimen is a scam to get you to buy more, expensive products. All you need is lukewarm water, and a spritz of mild soap for pits and crotch. Amazingly, once you establish a healthy skin microbiome, your feet and pits don’t stink, and you no longer reek after 3 days of camping without a shower.











  • I feel like this objection makes the most sense in a particular context, like a culture that views beef as some sort of prize, or a marker of being ahead in the competition for social status with one’s neighbors. (U.S. culture very much views it that way.)

    If Person A eats only 1 unit of beef per month, what would make dropping to zero “unfair” is if we assume that they are too poor to afford more (“losing”), or engaging in asceticism, but holding on to that one unit as a vital connection to the status game, or a special treat that they covet.

    But what if it’s just food? Person A may just not be that into beef, and probably not even miss it, just like Person B probably also wouldn’t notice a difference between 100 units and 99 units. In the sense that neither A or B really would notice a small change all that much, it’s fair

    Anyway, random thoughts from somebody who thinks steak is just kind of meh.




  • Getting trapped in a building with a mass shooter is something very, very unlikely. On the other hand, I face the danger of death by automobile at least twice a day, on my ride to work, and my ride home. More, if I go other places. It may seem not that bad because it’s so normalized. Dying in or under the wheels of a car is something that happens to people every single day, and it barely rates a mention in the local news. Sometimes the victim doesn’t get even get a name. By contrast, the stochastic nature of mass shootings makes them scary, like plane crashes or terrorist attacks, the natural order of things is upended. Death is death, though, and I wouldn’t be less dead if it were a texting driver rather than a gunman.

    And the texting driver is a whole hell a of a lot more likely. So, yes, it’s entirely logical that I’m afraid of that. Not being able to understand and denying that fear is exactly the kind of car-induced sociopathy that I’m talking about.

    Throwing insults is not a discussion, by the way.