Zompist Bboard Again

malloc wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 10:00 pm Just feeling incredibly hopeless with everything political happening recently plus the midterm elections this fall which will give the worst people a clear shot to take untrammeled power outright. This year seems on track to match 2016 and 2019 (when my mom passed away) in terms of catastrophe. I hate what the world has become, overrun by reactionaries, threatened with ecological collapse by global warming. I have never felt more pessimistic about the future.

Self hatred often sublimates into hate for others.

malloc wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 10:00 pm Just feeling incredibly hopeless with everything political happening recently plus the midterm elections this fall which will give the worst people a clear shot to take untrammeled power outright. This year seems on track to match 2016 and 2019 (when my mom passed away) in terms of catastrophe. I hate what the world has become, overrun by reactionaries, threatened with ecological collapse by global warming. I have never felt more pessimistic about the future.

I was reading on Roe vs. Wade, Oklahoma. Plus, you know, all of that being really like the cherry on the cake.
I honestly don't know what to say except that I agree with you.

The religious right settling on abortion as the singlest biggest evil that must be fought at all cost never ceases to dismay me. Why can't these people ever set their sights on stuff that's actually in the bible, like feeding the strangers or helping the poor?

(Oh, you know, I'm personally squeamish about abortion. This is something I manage using concepts right-wingers like to go on about, like personal responsability, and leaving people alone, and respecting individual freedom. )

I guess the appropriate phrase is 'whitened sepulchre.'

Raholeun wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 4:27 am

malloc wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 10:00 pm Just feeling incredibly hopeless with everything political happening recently plus the midterm elections this fall which will give the worst people a clear shot to take untrammeled power outright. This year seems on track to match 2016 and 2019 (when my mom passed away) in terms of catastrophe. I hate what the world has become, overrun by reactionaries, threatened with ecological collapse by global warming. I have never felt more pessimistic about the future.

Self hatred often sublimates into hate for others.

The hell, dude? It is a genuinely shitty time in the USA right now. We're essentially in the midst of a slow-motion coup orchestrated by a pack of Christian Dominionists terrified of a progressive future where they are irrelevant and aided by a depressingly large bloc of willing dupes who don't care how much they hurt themselves as long as it makes the liberal elites they loathe squawk. (Because make no mistake: Overturning Roe v Wade is an inconvenience at most for wealthy liberals, regardless where they live, but it is an unmitigated disaster for red states, already saddled with appalling rates of maternal mortality and child poverty.) Wishing the worst on these bastards is a completely understandable reaction to the current state of affairs.

Linguoboy wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 11:01 am

Raholeun wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 4:27 am

malloc wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 10:00 pm Just feeling incredibly hopeless with everything political happening recently plus the midterm elections this fall which will give the worst people a clear shot to take untrammeled power outright. This year seems on track to match 2016 and 2019 (when my mom passed away) in terms of catastrophe. I hate what the world has become, overrun by reactionaries, threatened with ecological collapse by global warming. I have never felt more pessimistic about the future.

Self hatred often sublimates into hate for others.

The hell, dude? It is a genuinely shitty time in the USA right now. We're essentially in the midst of a slow-motion coup orchestrated by a pack of Christian Dominionists terrified of a progressive future where they are irrelevant and aided by a depressingly large bloc of willing dupes who don't care how much they hurt themselves as long as it makes the liberal elites they loathe squawk. (Because make no mistake: Overturning Roe v Wade is an inconvenience at most for wealthy liberals, regardless where they live, but it is an unmitigated disaster for red states, already saddled with appalling rates of maternal mortality and child poverty.) Wishing the worst on these bastards is a completely understandable reaction to the current state of affairs.

Agreed completely.

Linguoboy wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 11:01 am

Raholeun wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 4:27 am

malloc wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 10:00 pm Just feeling incredibly hopeless with everything political happening recently plus the midterm elections this fall which will give the worst people a clear shot to take untrammeled power outright. This year seems on track to match 2016 and 2019 (when my mom passed away) in terms of catastrophe. I hate what the world has become, overrun by reactionaries, threatened with ecological collapse by global warming. I have never felt more pessimistic about the future.

Self hatred often sublimates into hate for others.

Wishing the worst on these bastards is a completely understandable reaction to the current state of affairs.

Understandable? Perhaps. Wise? Not so much. Will it change anything for good? For real effect, better be generous with your time and energy and prioritize kindness I'd say.

Ares Land wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 8:22 amThe religious right settling on abortion as the singlest biggest evil that must be fought at all cost never ceases to dismay me. Why can't these people ever set their sights on stuff that's actually in the bible, like feeding the strangers or helping the poor?

Quite. And let's not forget that these same people have spent the past two years opposing measures to deal with covid, against their claims that the right to life supersedes bodily autonomy.

Raholeun wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 11:50 amUnderstandable? Perhaps. Wise? Not so much. Will it change anything for good? For real effect, better be generous with your time and energy and prioritize kindness I'd say.

I have genuinely tried to give these people the benefit of the doubt and understand their point of view. But it seems impossible to deny at this point that their motives are fundamentally malign. Living among hardcore conservatives, I routinely see incredible levels of spite and gleeful bloodlust. People wear shirts that say things like "violence works, support police brutality" and "those who don't stand behind our troops should stand in front of them". Everyday on my way to work, I drive past a gun store with signage that makes it clear that it's not catering to hunters or target shooters but to radical right wingers.

Agreed with malloc. I similarly try and keep my mind open; but when you come across people advocating that human sacrifice and abortion are the exact same thing, it gets kind of hard to understand the other viewpoint.

Besides, I mean, I'm generally all in favor of kindness and benevolence. But as I quoted above, even Jesus got mad at people at times.

Wishing the worst on entire demographics is a prime example of "spite and gleeful bloodlust". It is also quite hateful and thus in violation of the forum rules, imo.

Raholeun wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:12 pm Wishing the worst on entire demographics is a prime example of "spite and gleeful bloodlust". It is also quite hateful and thus in violation of the forum rules, imo.

Disliking conservatives and fascists for everything they do and stand for is "in violation of the forum rules"? I wonder what Linguoboy or zompist would have to say about that...

Ares Land wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:09 pm Besides, I mean, I'm generally all in favor of kindness and benevolence. But as I quoted above, even Jesus got mad at people at times.

I'm in favor of kindness and benevolence towards people who are themselves kind and benevolent. I'm also in favor of kindness and benevolence towards people whom you don't know well enough yet to be able to judge how kind and benevolent they themselves are. I can even understand trying some kindness and benevolence towards people who seem to be assholes for a while. But constantly being kind and benevolent towards people who are clearly assholes is a suckers' game, IMO.

Raphael wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:17 pm

Ares Land wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:09 pm Besides, I mean, I'm generally all in favor of kindness and benevolence. But as I quoted above, even Jesus got mad at people at times.

I'm in favor of kindness and benevolence towards people who are themselves kind and benevolent. I'm also in favor of kindness and benevolence towards people whom you don't know well enough yet to be able to judge how kind and benevolent they themselves are. I can even understand trying some kindness and benevolence towards people who seem to be assholes for a while. But constantly being kind and benevolent towards people who are clearly assholes is a suckers' game, IMO.

This. Some of these people are really into unhealthy power dynamics; kindness would just make you look weak.

Raphael wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:17 pm

Ares Land wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:09 pm Besides, I mean, I'm generally all in favor of kindness and benevolence. But as I quoted above, even Jesus got mad at people at times.

I'm in favor of kindness and benevolence towards people who are themselves kind and benevolent. I'm also in favor of kindness and benevolence towards people whom you don't know well enough yet to be able to judge how kind and benevolent they themselves are. I can even understand trying some kindness and benevolence towards people who seem to be assholes for a while. But constantly being kind and benevolent towards people who are clearly assholes is a suckers' game, IMO.

Agreed completely.

Raholeun wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:12 pm Wishing the worst on entire demographics is a prime example of "spite and gleeful bloodlust". It is also quite hateful and thus in violation of the forum rules, imo.

If you believe there is a rules violation in this thread, then report it as such for Zompist to act on. (In general, we try to avoid moderating threads we're actively participating in so I'll defer to him in this instance.)

A more trivial vent: my FB feed today is all ads and May the Fourth memes.

I kind of hate the way social media in general and FB in specific runs jokes absolutely into the ground this way. There's a throwaway line in the 2000 romcom Miss Congeniality about April 25th being "the perfect date", so now every April 25th there's an avalanche of tiresome memes referencing it on social media. "May the Fourth be with you!" was a cute joke when my uncle used to text it to me on my phone but seeing it repeated ad infinitum every year is just bloody tedious.

Don't kill me, but here is something my main e-book bookstore posted exactly a year ago:
Yeah, I already thought back then that it was a bit over the top.

Linguoboy wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 2:39 pm A more trivial vent: my FB feed today is all ads and May the Fourth memes.

I kind of hate the way social media in general and FB in specific runs jokes absolutely into the ground this way. There's a throwaway line in the 2000 romcom Miss Congeniality about April 25th being "the perfect date", so now every April 25th there's an avalanche of tiresome memes referencing it on social media. "May the Fourth be with you!" was a cute joke when my uncle used to text it to me on my phone but seeing it repeated ad infinitum every year is just bloody tedious.

The Forth-related Facebook groups I frequent have plenty of May the Forth memes on it today as well. For some reason, though, I prefer them over the Star Wars-related ones.

Earlier on a different thread I mentioned this:

bradrn wrote: ↑Mon Apr 25, 2022 12:32 am Unrelatedly: a family friend was throwing out some old computer stuff, and I’ve managed to install Arch Linux on their desktop computer. Hopefully I’ll be able to self-host my own website soon!

Well, I did indeed manage to get the self-hosting working… right up until I accidentally deleted /var a couple of hours ago. Apparently the only solution is to reinstall Arch, which I duly did, which seemed to be going just fine up until it started to refuse to connect to the Internet. And worst of all, I don’t have enough time to fix it right now, or in all probability to fix it any time at all before the weekend, which means I’ll now have a broken computer sitting under my desk to remind me of my idiocy every single day. (It feels like it’s taunting me: ‘Go on, break me again… you know you want to…’) Ah well, it’s better than breaking it after I started to put important stuff on it, I suppose. And I’ll check twice before doing silly things with important directories again!

Hey guys. I'm new here, but I just have to say, we just elected the son of our dictator as president over here in the Philippines. And it fucking sucks. Six years of blatant corruption and rewriting history ahead. So yeah. I'm angry and scared, not for myself because me and mine, being comfortably middle-class, will be able to survive the storm in all likelihood, but for the ones who actually voted for him as president. They're the disposessed who will suffer most from the economic downturns and blatant kleptocracy of a Marcos presidency. That said, I do worry about the censorship these clowns will try to enforce upon us. Anyway, wish us luck for the next six years, we'll need it.

Metempsychosis wrote: ↑Mon May 09, 2022 8:43 pm Hey guys. I'm new here, but I just have to say, we just elected the son of our dictator as president over here in the Philippines. And it fucking sucks. Six years of blatant corruption and rewriting history ahead. So yeah. I'm angry and scared, not for myself because me and mine, being comfortably middle-class, will be able to survive the storm in all likelihood, but for the ones who actually voted for him as president. They're the disposessed who will suffer most from the economic downturns and blatant kleptocracy of a Marcos presidency. That said, I do worry about the censorship these clowns will try to enforce upon us. Anyway, wish us luck for the next six years, we'll need it.

Ugh. That's pretty horrible. Good luck! And welcome to the board!

Metempsychosis wrote: ↑Mon May 09, 2022 8:43 pm Hey guys. I'm new here, but I just have to say, we just elected the son of our dictator as president over here in the Philippines. And it fucking sucks. Six years of blatant corruption and rewriting history ahead. So yeah. I'm angry and scared, not for myself because me and mine, being comfortably middle-class, will be able to survive the storm in all likelihood, but for the ones who actually voted for him as president. They're the disposessed who will suffer most from the economic downturns and blatant kleptocracy of a Marcos presidency. That said, I do worry about the censorship these clowns will try to enforce upon us. Anyway, wish us luck for the next six years, we'll need it.

Hi and welcome to the board!

Yeah, that is pretty horrible... From what I read Marcos Jr seems even worse than Duterte.