NoTagBacks

joined 2 years ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Okay, so when it comes to reviewing how popular growing civil unrest historically tends to react to those in power just cracking down harder, do decisions like these make sense if the goal was de-escalation, social stability, and/or generally maintaining the position of those in power? When the masses were beginning to increasingly resort to violence in reaction to state actors inaction, malice ,and/or incompetence was the best answer ever to escalate state power/violence? I'm looking back through history and uhhh... well, this story right here is a pretty good anecdote of us having been in "oh shit" territory for a bit now. Yeah, it's about time to really brace for impact and really get to know your local community.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Coloradon't I feel that one is obvious, but, to be fair, what I find obvious and what the average person finds obvious is a Venn diagram with an ironically non-obvious tiny overlap.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Aw, why the downvotes? I thought it was funny.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago

Oh yeah, I guess those can also do that.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Well, something does trickle down, it's just not money/wealth...

[–] [email protected] 31 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

Lemmygrad: claims to be anti-imperialist Also Lemmygrad: supports Russian invasion of Ukraine

Hmmmmm...

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Eh, I dunno that I'd actually characterize him as a liberal so much as him being an authoritarian that just pushed whatever happened to serve him at any point. Kinda in the same vein of fascists not having any economic ideology, just whatever serves their ideal of the state at any given moment. So yeah, I certainly agree with your sentiment that Stalin certainly was not a communist, but more because he only cared about gaining/maintaining power rather than actually subscribing to any economic theory.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

No, it's really not the same thing. You can legislate better schools with a variety of methods, the main point being that you're regulating government jobs(to oversimplify). You're more limited to negative legislation for parents, such as punishing child abuse. I guess you could technically legislate certain mandates for parents to be better parents, but like, good luck passing said legislation. And even if you do(and this is the big boi), how the fuck do you enforce that??? And on top of even that, how can you be sure parents will be qualified/able to teach their kids such a wide variety of skills? You can fire teachers for incompetence and publicly investigate school districts for failing to faithfully implement good practice. And it should also be mentioned that shifting these expectations (especially via legislation) onto parents will disproportionately burden the poor who will be less likely to have the time, skills, or knowledge to teach said things.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

As a man who loves Roman history a bit too much who is also very much so a leftist, it's aggravating trying to get into discussions or communities about Rome without things taking a fashy turn at some point. It's almost like being a Star Wars fan... sigh.

But yeah, great to see this take affirmed here.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago

... that restaurant?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago

I'm struggling with answering this question. I mean, obviously, I don't know. I could give an opinion on what I think is most likely to happen, but what does it matter? Like, legitimately, what does it matter? And I do mean it earnestly, what would it matter even if I just so happened to be right about my speculation?

We all certainly hope that 2025 will be better. But I think the important thing to remember is that 2025 being better is possible. In fact, I used to be a homophobic ultra-conservative fundamentalist Christian bigot. In my remorse over the person I used to be, I noticed I felt shame rather than self-righteousness over my condemnation of people just being who they are. In my longing to undo the evil I committed in the past, I realized I have the opportunity to fight for good, even if it means fighting what feels like my own reflection. I got better. I still have a ways to go and even more internalized prejudice I need to demolish, but at least I know getting better is possible, because I did it before goddammit. And if a dickhead like me can be better, can't we all?

And even if things just turn to absolute shit, I know I can at least make my tiny corner of the world a little bit brighter if I can make myself better. And you know what? I think it's good enough for me to know that I can start doing something about that right now. Afterall, as Marcus Aurelius would say to himself; It is up to you!

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