Prelude to the Apocalypse

[Sima Tuna]

Sometimes I wonder if Orange speaks this way to everyone they see IRL as well as online. I'd like to imagine they do. Gives me a smile to think of the poor convenience store attendant who pulls down the wrong packet of chips at checkout and gets an earful.

Spoiler

Trans rights is a peripheral issue but it's one the Right is using as a stick to beat the Left with because they know the strategy works. Most people are not in favor of testosterone-and-muscle-loaded-individuals playing in women's sports, however one chooses to rationalize that. Going for the social issues is the low-hanging fruit and the right would be idiots to pass up a free win. I don't know how many votes they gained over trans rights issues but it was a nonzero amount. Social issues are always used in the old "divide and conquer" strategy of rich vs poors. The left could have ceded the point on women's sport and maybe bathrooms and moved on, but that would also be seen as a betrayal of their base and another example of the Democrats moving rightwards to court Republicans... A strategy that historically doesn't work as well as neolibs think it does.

But the sad fact is Dems have little choice at this point now that they've lost so overwhelmingly. They've already moved to the right on immigration and they'll probably move right on the trans issues as well.

I think the lesson Democrats should learn from the election is that appeasing your base is not some triviality.

[orange808]

I'm not stupid. I don't talk to people; not really.

There's no upside to serious conversations. A lot of people think I'm right wing--including coworkers and acquaintance friends outside my inner circle. Sometimes it makes me smile. People pouring out what they heard on Fox News while I silently nod and change the subject. They're oblivious.

It's the opposite. I've been on the end of a few rather nasty one-sided exchanges from like minded people that share my values and I didn't bother correct the other party. I didn't take the bait, so I must be a righty.

We call it online ranting for a reason, I suppose. I don't count on you people. You don't help me, repair my things, or handle my food. Face to face relationships require a degree of calculation. I have to live with those people.

Lefties hate me. I'm evasive, so I'm automatically assumed to be Republican. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ They're even more sure of it when I don't fight back.

No bumper stickers on my car. Nothing shocking printed on my clothes. No sign in my yard. Nothing.

[BulletMagnet]

A lot of people think I'm right wing--including coworkers and acquaintance friends outside my inner circle.

I don't count on you people. You don't help me, repair my things, or handle my food. Face to face relationships require a degree of calculation. I have to live with those people.

"I'll only bother to offer you a modicum of personal restraint and basic respect if you happen to benefit me right now, otherwise I'll treat you like shit without a moment's hesitation as much as I feel like" frankly sounds pretty far right to me...I'm sure your stock response of "all humanity is like that all the time and if you think otherwise you're a kumbaya-chanting moron, deal with it" is waiting in the wings, which is itself about as on-the-nose for the right-wing mindset as it gets.

[orange808]

A lot of people think I'm right wing--including coworkers and acquaintance friends outside my inner circle.

I don't count on you people. You don't help me, repair my things, or handle my food. Face to face relationships require a degree of calculation. I have to live with those people.

"I'll only bother to offer you a modicum of personal restraint and basic respect if you happen to benefit me right now, otherwise I'll treat you like shit without a moment's hesitation as much as I feel like" frankly sounds pretty far right to me...I'm sure your stock response of "all humanity is like that all the time and if you think otherwise you're a kumbaya-chanting moron, deal with it" is waiting in the wings, which is itself about as on-the-nose for the right-wing mindset as it gets.

Of course. Nobody should speak their minds anywhere--except for people that smear others with pictures of transexuals and teddy bears.

And, it's evil to be smart and make value decisions. Got it.

[cvaniafan]

A lot of people think I'm right wing--including coworkers and acquaintance friends outside my inner circle.

I don't count on you people. You don't help me, repair my things, or handle my food. Face to face relationships require a degree of calculation. I have to live with those people.

"I'll only bother to offer you a modicum of personal restraint and basic respect if you happen to benefit me right now, otherwise I'll treat you like shit without a moment's hesitation as much as I feel like" frankly sounds pretty far right to me...I'm sure your stock response of "all humanity is like that all the time and if you think otherwise you're a kumbaya-chanting moron, deal with it" is waiting in the wings, which is itself about as on-the-nose for the right-wing mindset as it gets.

Of course. Nobody should speak their minds anywhere--except for people that smear others with pictures of transexuals and teddy bears.

And, it's evil to be smart and make value decisions. Got it.

Didn't you notice these were pics of eccentrics ? You're taking this a little too seriously dude, you really need to calm down with your insults, seems so easy to make you lose your cool man you're not going to live long if you explode like that for next to nothing... Have you thought about yoga or chamomile infusions ?

[Sengoku Strider]

"I'll only bother to offer you a modicum of personal restraint and basic respect if you happen to benefit me right now, otherwise I'll treat you like shit without a moment's hesitation as much as I feel like"

There's people who watch American Psycho who think the protagonist is a cool guy that one should want to be like. The guy who tried to shove a cat into an ATM during a psychotic break.

Can we get a wellness check on Orange's cat?

[BulletMagnet]

Of course. Nobody should speak their minds anywhere--except for people that smear others with pictures of transexuals and teddy bears.

And, it's evil to be smart and make value decisions. Got it.

Defaulting to uninvoked and ridiculous absolutes and extremes with zero consideration of any and all inconvenient degrees and shades of gray in between also fits quite comfortably into the reactionary mindset.

[orange808]

Of course. Nobody should speak their minds anywhere--except for people that smear others with pictures of transexuals and teddy bears.

And, it's evil to be smart and make value decisions. Got it.

Defaulting to uninvoked and ridiculous absolutes and extremes with zero consideration of any and all inconvenient degrees and shades of gray in between also fits quite comfortably into the reactionary mindset.

Or just growing tired of the left being hit over the head with the same baseless smears over and over again.

Furthermore, Trump's success proves I'm onto something. These people crawled out of the sewer. Maybe the gutter's where we should be.

[BulletMagnet]

Furthermore, Trump's success proves I'm onto something. These people crawled out of the sewer. Maybe the gutter's where we should be.

...and you're 3-for-3.

[neorichieb1971]

I actually think Trump was the better choice of the 2 for the pocket of the people. Thats the only reason folk have voted for him.

When Trump came into politics there was this waning feeling that the Presidents were anything but puppets following a code of rules, distanced from the people themselves making policies that were protecting business over EVERYTHING else. All whilst loading debt onto future generations which to my eyes looks like the citizens pension money in the first place. All Trump did and does is talk to the people to what they relate to, whilst Biden and Kamala didn't.

The biggest problem is that to make the USA great again, it has to lead great. Forgive me for saying this, but the USA doesn't lead that great anymore. In a world where you have internet, satellites, social media the world see's the USA as a confused, idealist, insular culture that doesn't even get its own shit done right, let alone lead. Instead of bending a bit, it keeps the hard lines on gun culture, expensive healthcare, bullying smaller nations, starting wars that could have been prevented and gets ratty everytime a few nations want to remove themselves from the systems where the USA has a lot of privileges.

The politicians are too old and set in their ways. Trump is the same, he just talks differently.

If politicians had any power, home prices would never have gone up so high, healthcare would be affordable, food standards would be better and gun culture would look very different. But look at the world we live in, turning the human race into a rat race whilst only accepting and promoting those who came out of it on top. Its not just a USA problem, but the USA can lead in a way that others can take notice.

[BryanM]

I'm still baffled by which post, exactly, by our young resident witch set him off... My working assumption is the nazi gloating by that other guy caused a short circuit in his brain that destroyed higher functions like basic reading comprehension...

Which is of course a core strategy of nazis. To make everyone as stupid and miserable as they are.

If politicians had any power, home prices would never have gone up so high, healthcare would be affordable, food standards would be better and gun culture would look very different.

Eh, they have lots of power. They had the power to be proper goons to make all those things happen.

The thing I find depressing is how top-down everything is. Trucks weren't seen as a symbol of masculinity until certain trade agreements made them the most profitable type of vehicle for domestic car manufacturers. And thus, an advertising campaign.

(Orange juice being a breakfast staple is another example of this brain-washing. Before mixing from concentrate became a thing, it was a disgusting brown sludge that could never be sold in a super market.)

BYD being at the forefront of electric vehicles... it's a clownshow that they're doing so much better than us that we had to impose a 100% tariff on their cars.

China is really coming into its own these last few years. They have the largest budget video game ever made, they've started their own animation industry... The efforts toward clean energy make us look like absolute schmucks. I've spoken often about the development of the thorium breeder reactor as a miracle way to continue to generate electricity without killing ourselves, but they put in other efforts broadly with hydro and many others.

They also occasionally execute one of their own for corruption. Could you imagine anyone getting punished for corruption here? Only absolute goober dumbasses don't bother to go through the fake 'job' thing for themselves and their cohorts to get bribed.

As they say, in China you can't change the party but you can change the policy. Here, you can swap the party, but you can't change the policy.

South Korea, man. They may as well change their name to the Peninsula of Samsung. Peninsula nursery. Samsung bread factory. Samsung idols. Samsung graveyard...


Oh, and when you brought up the life-devouring social media stuff, that reminded me of this one youtube channel that has a massive hate-boner for China. One of his vids he shows all these women taking selfies and other bullshit, trying to make their lives look glamorous. All while they're sitting in folding chairs underneath a smog-covered bridge.

It really is a pitiful hustle.. but it's like the guy doesn't know what it's like in the rest of the world. Sometimes it feels like everyone has an OnlyFans (or their local equivalent) now.

[Specineff]

China is really coming into its own these last few years.

I remember reading some years ago, that they were holding/hoarding most of the gold available in the world. Food for thought.

[orange808]

Money and the value of gold are entirely human inventions. We made it up. Ultimately, we can decide we don't care that much. (With gold, we already stepped away.) China can't rule the globe with a pile of rocks. Despite what our limited right wing and libertarian mates might believe, monetary policy is essential to managing the economy. The gold standard was one the reasons economies were exposed to wild swings before the modern era--and there's a reason why it's no longer used.

[orange808]

Furthermore, Trump's success proves I'm onto something. These people crawled out of the sewer. Maybe the gutter's where we should be.

...and you're 3-for-3.

Well, here's four.

FDR's (spoken) knockout punch on Mencken at The Gridiron Club (right in front of his friends and colleagues) was a fantastic demonstration of how to handle cynical right wing influencer types. Could be even more effective with modern technology and video clips. Mencken swore revenge. Guess what, he went to his grave without any satisfaction. Yep, the original Rush Limbaugh went to his grave permanently owned by a lib.

I can't name a leader on the left capable of completely undressing and thoroughly embarrassing a political opponent. Even if Clinton, Obama, or Biden believed in changing things for the better (they never did), all of them would refuse because it's "not nice".

Funny how so many claim to ache for Roosevelt's leadership, but they flat refuse to mimic him. He wasn't really a teddy bear.

Standing around like a substitute teacher in the corner, refusing to raise your voice, and muttering "Sit down, please. You're all very naughty." while waving a finger doesn't work. That's what the left is doing.

[Specineff]

Money and the value of gold are entirely human inventions. We made it up.

The vacation I was able to go on when I sold my gold after it went up, didn't feel like a made-up thing.

China can't rule the globe with a pile of rocks.

[orange808]

Dollars have value because we agree they have value. Chinese currency doesn't carry the same weight or confidence, so they buy rocks. Funny thing, it doesn't make anyone trust China or their currency any more. Everyone is still trading in dollars--unless they're sanctioned and unwillingly forced to use something else.

[Sima Tuna]

Gold has value because it's pretty, easy to work and the stuff you make with it doesn't tarnish.

Those might be subjective measures but they're subjective across the whole human race. A lot more universally valuable than a dollar bill is.

[orange808]

Gold has value because it's pretty, easy to work and the stuff you make with it doesn't tarnish.

Those might be subjective measures but they're subjective across the whole human race. A lot more universally valuable than a dollar bill is.

Huh. What just changed hands on the oil market? Dollars or gold? What's more universally valuable? Petroleum or trinkets?

China isn't going to corner the market on allz the goldz and rulz the worldz. I'm not afraid and it's not something to think about. It's not food for thought.

I could have bought Bitcoin, sold it, and gone on vacation. I could have bought rubles when it bottomed out at the beginning of the war and sold it for a profit later. Could have bought gold during the pandemic and cashed in yesterday.

This wild graph here certainly shows a commodity that can hold value when purchased at a good price. It's still a speculative gamble with wild swings. Right now isn't a great time to buy.
https://www.macrotrends.net/1333/histor ... year-chart

Definitely not a dependable currency and if you're buying it today, you're a sucker.

[BryanM]

That six hour long dictatorship in South Korea sure was a thing. They're the canary in the coal mine for what's to come, I'm tellin' ya.

And I suppose that assassination of that health insurance CEO guy. Well, I guess they'll have their robot army and if that doesn't work out, they'll all retreat to their bunkers in New Zealand.

Not exactly sure why they need to be physically in New York, anyway. I know it's Camelot and all that, you need a symbol to show the poors who's king, but you don't actually need to be there.

... well, I guess a CEO is technically a sock puppet to begin with. UnitedHealth is owned by the Vanguard group.... and also that good 'ole name comes up again: BlackRock. They own fucking everything.

[Sengoku Strider]

Cyborg corporate bodyguards are a staple of cyberpunk for a reason. The bigger shock has been the conservative peanut gallery shutting down their own mouthpieces for trying to make this a "we must support John Galt against the terror hippies" thing.

I used to work in a Canadian insurance company, and that was already managed to Mr. Burns levels of parodic evil. Reading about conditions in the US...people have a right to be sharpening the guillotines. The meme calling that CEO a serial killer for having an AI denying claims that he knew had a catastrophic fail rate was on point.

[BulletMagnet]

That six hour long dictatorship in South Korea sure was a thing. They're the canary in the coal mine for what's to come, I'm tellin' ya.

Unfortunately they're not, because both our incoming legislature and half of the civilian population, unlike South Korea's, will be all for it.

[BryanM]

Mr.Burns is actually not portrayed all that evil compared to his analogue in real life; you never see his actions killing people. It's extremely rare you see a human being suffering effects radiation poisoning, it's usually some wildlife done for a laugh. It's an example of that 'santification' of world models that fiction tends to build up in our brains. I suppose it's necessary because it needs to be funny, and profiting off the very real death and suffering of others isn't funny.

It's self-evidently absolutely fucked that profiting off of throwing people into prison and prison slavery is a thing. They get mad at immigrants stealing their jobs, but never the robot or the slave.

... for god's sake, Mr.Burns even bought his employees tartar sauce in order to avoid raising their wages. I don't see our overlords giving us any tartar sauce....

Unfortunately they're not, because both our incoming legislature and half of the civilian population, unlike South Korea's, will be all for it.

It's kind of an uncomfortable topic; I know you don't like thinking we might already be there in all but name. I imagine our system would still want to protect our sham elections for the time being as long as there's no risk of poor people getting a raise and wealthy people taking a pay cut; they don't want things to escalate into violence. Once they themselves feel fear for a change, then they'd have to start making concessions and that's the last thing they want. Once giving everyone healthcare is actually on the table though, things could indeed go that way.

The ratfucking of Sanders in 2020 is one thing, but by 2028 or 2032 there's absolutely no way a person like him would lose the primary. Millennials will be 50 years old, and they went to the better option 2 to 1 even after the ratfuck. They just don't live inside the world of tv like the older generations do.

So even if the electorate says its time to reverse course, they still will try to overturn the will of the people. In that case it isn't 'half the country' that'll be all for it, it'll be a coalition of the fascists, the conservatives, and the liberals. ~66% of the country.

The rational person could see why I'm banking on technology for my hopium. A machine god manifesting is the only rational place a rational mind can rationally see a slim shard of hope.

Anyway, there's no reason to fluff up South Korea. They're an autocracy of Samsung, and the six hour dictator didn't get impeached. He'll be allowed to resign on his own terms, or even finish his term. I'm sure the opposition will get a little boost in the next election, but again, it'll be Samsung sitting the big boy chair still.


I'd like to think my favorite punching bag David Brooks and others writing shitposts titled with some variation of 'Maybe Bernie Was Right' meant anything, but I know they don't with a glance at the actual content inside.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Dollars have value because we agree they have value. Chinese currency doesn't carry the same weight or confidence, so they buy rocks.

I'm not very knowledgeable about economics, but I read that China needs to keep the value of their currency low because they're an export nation, so its low weight is intentional.

Anyway, there's no reason to fluff up South Korea. They're an autocracy of Samsung, and the six hour dictator didn't get impeached. He'll be allowed to resign on his own terms, or even finish his term. I'm sure the opposition will get a little boost in the next election, but again, it'll be Samsung sitting the big boy chair still.

I have no idea how influential Samsung is in South Korea, I just wanted to mention that the parliamentary opposition seems to be gearing up towards another impeachment trial next week, and they only need 5MPs of the reigning party to go over their side. If the protests persist, chances are that Yoon Suk Yeol will not only lose his job; apparently, a couple of hours ago he was banned from leaving the country. SK's ex-defense minister has been detained, and it's not unlikely that both he and the soon to be ex-president will do time for treason. Democracy defended itself.

[BryanM]

That FOX News clip of the news actor chastising people for being fine with what happened to the CEO, then five seconds later grinning ear to ear while she calls the man who choked a homeless guy to death 'a hero' sure is a thing.

They must know they're inciting violence with this kind of gloating, right? .... right?

Mr.Burns could never be this evil...

[emphatic]

That FOX News clip of the news actor chastising people for being fine with what happened to the CEO, then five seconds later grinning ear to ear while she calls the man who choked a homeless guy to death 'a hero' sure is a thing.

You know he was tried in court and found not guilty, right?

[orange808]

You know he was tried in court and found not guilty, right?

You mean OJ?

[BryanM]

Yeah, nazis sure do love murderin' the weak. I guess it's only natural we have a lady who murdered her dog and bragged about it in the new admin. About how much she 'hated' the animal.

Imagine being the kind of person who hates dogs so much you enjoy murderin' them. We're ruled by pathological serial killers, for real for real.

There will be justice or a scapegoat hung for Brian Thompson. But will there be ever any justice for poor 'ole Mr.Jeffrey Epstein? Why not? Does that seem fair to you?

Methinks perchance there is some kind of hypocritical double standards going on here.

Just think of all the millions of public dollars that went into sifting through tens of thousands of phone calls that amounted to 'I saw a white guy.' And yet the reward dangled in front of people was barely one piece of silver, in comparison. It's crazy fam.

You mean OJ?

The difference with OJ is we don't have 1000000% certainty he did the deed, perhaps it all just a wacky coincidence. That's what it would've been if real life was an anime (it isn't).

I facepalm every time someone who chokes someone to death gets off scott free because 'they didn't know' that humans have to breathe to live. Fuckkkkkkk off, even a baby knows you have to breathe. You never hear a 'oh I didn't know putting bullets into somebody would kill them' excuse when it comes to firearms. (Though I don't think Trump knows that's how it works, with the whole wanting to shoot protestors in the leg like in Terminator 2.)

At least Chauvin isn't having a good time of things.

... man, they really cartoonified the civil rights movement but that thing was like a second civil war. Hopefully the upcoming one will be slightly gentler. Possible, if it comes before they have their robot army worked out (which should be ~18 to 20 years away).