That sounds nuts but having been there I wouldn’t be terribly surprised. I think the crazy part is (living in a bible belt rural city surrounded by pro-car everything and the various internet fearmongers) how mundane it all feels even at it’s peaks. Just a bunch of fucking people getting where they’re going. I’ve never understood the allure of sitting in gridlock for over an hour over just sharing space with a bunch of other boring normal assholes for 30 minutes (or whatever.)

My best friends are very pro car and liberal in that “sure better public transit is needed but ‘I’d’ never use it it doesn’t work for me cause XYZ” sorta way. I dragged them on an amtrak to DC, and took em on the subway up to our hotel and they’re just like “…oh that was chill.” Yeah, just fuckin people getting where they’re going it’s not a bath salt zombie apocalypse down here.

Of course, sounds like nobody ACTUALLY faced consequences and got to keep on keeping on. Just another lesson in “theft and fraud are legal as long as its from people below you”

People love to point at crime numbers on the subway but ignore the percentages, like yeah there’s (making shit up , not actual numbers) 15 crimes a day but its NEW YORK CITY thats out of 50,000 rides or some shit. I did the actual math once and it was like 0.005% chance of a crime on the NYC subway, beats the hell out of auto numbers.

This is America. Its never been and will never be shocking. America is built by violence, for violence.

Handsome boy ❤️

Pretty much nail on the head here. Its basically “something something bootstraps: the novelization”

This is the way I’ve come to look at it: non-violence is ideal, but non-violence is one of many “languages.” (Obviously here we’re just talking about violence, but yknow some is political, some is social, etc.) Some people can speak many of these, some people only speak one or refuse to use others (like how you say you will only use nonviolence.)

The issue is that some people only speak one language, and aren’t going to “understand” (be persuaded or moved by) others no matter what. A bigot only understands hate and emotion so they aren’t going to be swayed from that position by logic or facts because they don’t “speak” that language.

What I’m getting at, is that for people who only speak violence - non-violence doesn’t mean anything to them except an easy target. They aren’t going to consider your viewpoint because you won’t fight back, they won’t back down because “clearly you aren’t a threat.” They’re going to violence until they reach their ends. With somebody like that, you have to “speak their language.”

Of course on an individual level you (maybe) can get the police to handle it, but on a social level like dealing with nazis you have to keep them scared of return violence. They are violent by nature (the entire ideology is elimination of undesirables) and should be treated as such. Let them know that we punch nazis. Let them know they aren’t the only ones with guns and unlike most of them we go to the range. Let them know if they wear iron crosses and shit they’re getting kicked the fuck out. Fuck them, and let them know we’d be happy to fuck em up if they want to give us the opportunity.

I’m generally anti-violence myself, but I’m also a large guy so I’m lucky enough to be able to avoid it. I can’t bring myself to be a pacifist though. Knocking some kid around is easy come take a swing at me and see how it goes. Shrug

Maybe I missed it being mentioned elsewhere, but I think the writeup I’m familiar fits well with this angle of the discussion. Basically, it says tolerance is a social contract that we’re all born into and protected by so long as we uphold our part of the contract (by being tolerant.) If you are intolerant then you break that contract and are no longer protected by it, therefore making intolerance toward you acceptable and not a breach of the contract for others.

(Also, I agree that religions/race/etc are invalid for judging somebody’s tolerance)

Hell I was never around guns as a kid and I was still taught this at a similar age.

Last year 1080p displays were still 65% or so of steam users, so there’s a bunch of people would be served perfectly well with older GPUs you can get for a couple hunski instead of buying a 4080 to cram a 12 inch rod through a 4 inch hole.

Hardware isn’t a big profit driver for basically anyone usually so you dont have to feel bad if you pick up a ps5 or Xbox controller for PC.

No hate for third party but just so people know. 🤷‍♂️

That you obtained for the cost of like 3 full priced ps5 games 🤣

In the US, it isn’t about identification or fraud, its about hoops. The more hoops you have to jump through, the less likely “undesirables” (POC, poors, etc) are yo get it done. Like most things here, its a relic of Jim Crow and related policies. It flies so well even today because it all seems menial to somebody well off (you see it in these comments “Its only $10 what’s the problem”)

Here, the Department of Motor Vehicles tends to be your central point of anything ID related driver or not. My city’s used to be on the bus line, but they moved it to the county far from any public transit. So if you don’t drive, that $10 is now $10 + $20 taxi/uber there + $20 ride home and depending on what you’re doing/getting you may need to go back which is another $40. So really you’re looking at $50-100 to get whatever it is.

In my state at one time (I do think its changed here but assume its probably the same in other states) to get a birth certificate you had to go to the state capital (4 hour drive for me one way.) If you dont drive, sucks to suck. Pay someone to take you or hope you have greyhound where you live.

I could go on, but you get the point.

100%. Also fine them for one months salary every time they play this “I just won’t do my job 🤷‍♂️” game. Dont wanna work, dont get paid.

Unfortunately they all live off corporate kickbacks more than salary but at least some of that can be returned to the coffers.

I’m just happy to find other people who read them. ❤️

Other people, and their Insistence that I’m a commie bastard for the most mediocre opinions like “a 40 hour work week should be enough to provide basic housing.”

Ive always been vaguely left of center and while I’ve admittedly not done the reading my general take is “fine if I’m a commie then let’s seize the means of production comrade 🤷‍♂️”

Its jot newgrounds if it doesn’t end in violence ❤️

“BuT eVeRyOnE iS tHeRe!”

And will continue to be UNTIL YOU STOP USING IT

Maybe I was unclear, when I relate potential generated material to controlled substances, I mean in relation to how you obtain it.

You go see a psych, probably go through some therapy or something, and if they feel it would be beneficial you would be able to get material via strictly controlled avenues like how you need a prescription for xanax and its a crime to sell or share it.

(and I imagine… Some sort of stamping whether in the imagery or in the files to trace any leaked material back to the person who shared it, but thats a different conversation)

Actual pedophiles (a lot of CSA is abuse of power, not pedophilia - though to be clear fuck abusers either way) have a high rate of suicidal ideation because they think its as fucked up as everyone else. Of course we can’t just say “sure AI material is legal now” but I could imagine a regulated system accessed via doctors akin to how controlled substances work.

People take this firm “kill em all” stance but these people just feel the way they do same as I do towards women or a gay man feels toward men. It just is what it is - we all generally agree gay isnt a choice and this is no different. As long as they dont act on it, I think we should be sympathetic and be open to helping them live a less tortured life.

I’m not 100% saying this is how we do it, but we should be open to exploring the issue instead of full stop demonization.