VubDapple @ VubDapple @lemmy.world

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2 yr. ago

But it's a cou(sin) to do so

"Enshitification"

Now Sauron's lust and pride increased, until he knew no bounds, and he determined to make himself master of all things in Middle-earth, and to destroy the Elves, and to compass if he might, the downfall of Númenor. He brooked no freedom nor any rivalry, and he named himself Lord of the Earth. A mask he still could wear so that if he wished he might deceive the eyes of Men, seeming to them wise and fair. But he ruled rather by force and fear, if they might avail; and those who perceived his shadow spreading over the world called him the Dark Lord and named him the Enemy; and he gathered under his government all the evil things of the days of Morgoth that remained on earth or beneath it, and the Orcs were at his command and multiplied like flies.

"And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Well, perhaps Marcus Aurelius? Kind of the original philosopher-king.

Totally brillig!

Check out secure scuttlebutt. I think there is even a phone app for it now. It was designed by a guy living on a boat with intermittent network access which is similar to the use case you describe.

Stevens is more like Bach than like Mozart. Lots of repetition in his themes but layered and created in counterpoint like no other contemporary artist. Love that guy.

He's not everyone's cup of tea but he was one for the ages. I think it a quite reasonable comparison to speak of Zapps in the same breath as Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, etc.

I think he does fit. Consider the genre spanning records he did in the 80s like Joe's Garage with every song from a different style. Consider how he found talent in unusual places and incorporated it, for instance Ruth playing the marimba in Inca Roads. But point also taken. No one mocks like All mocks

Inquiring minds want to know

Reminds me of a quote from Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow:

"Don’t forget the real business of the War is buying and selling. The murdering and the violence are self-policing, and can be entrusted to non-professionals. The mass nature of wartime death is useful in many ways. It serves as spectacle, as diversion from the real movements of the War. It provides raw material to be recorded into History, so that children may be taught History as sequences of violence, battle after battle, and be more prepared for the adult world. Best of all, mass death’s a stimulus to just ordinary folks, little fellows, to try ‘n’ grab a piece of that Pie while they’re still here to gobble it up. The true war is a celebration of markets. Organic markets, carefully styled “black” by the professionals, spring up everywhere. Scrip, Sterling, Reichsmarks continue to move, severe as classical ballet, inside their antiseptic marble chambers. But out here, down here among the people, the truer currencies come into being. So, Jews are negotiable. Every bit as negotiable as cigarettes, cunt, or Hershey bars."

I'm not concerned with toppling the bipartisan system right now. I'm simply hoping to grow old in a semblance of a democracy. I appreciate your idealism but it is misplaced. The foe (the Fascists) uses your idealism against you, gaining your cooperation along the way. You think you're opting out because 'they're all so equally evil' but in reality you end up supporting them through your failure to oppose them; the worst of them.

Regarding Milei, isn't he right-wing and fascist more or less? I'm hoping to have less of that in the world, not more. God help you if you think someone like that is an improvement.

From this article;

“The vote represents a desperate attempt at something new, come what may,” said Benjamin Gedan, an Argentina specialist from the Wilson Centre. “The option [voters had] was more of the same in catastrophic economic conditions or a radical gamble on a potentially bright future with a lot of downside risk.”

Gedan believed there would be “a lot of buyer’s remorse in Argentina” if Milei pursued even a small fraction of his ideas. Those ideas include legalising the sale of human organs, dramatically slashing social spending, downplaying the crimes of Argentina’s 1976-83 dictatorship, and cutting ties with Argentina’s two most important trade partners, Brazil and China. On the campaign trail, Milei vowed to abolish Argentina’s central bank and dollarise the economy, and brandished a chainsaw intended to symbolise ferocious cuts he believes will help stabilise the economy and “exterminate” rampant inflation.

Uh, Abolishment of Roe v. Wade?! This happened as a result of Trump and the Republicans! The two parties both worship Mamon, that much is true, but there are important differences that should not be glossed over that will have an impact on the lives of everyday American citizens and all the people around the globe that are impacted by our politics which is a huge number of people. You're painting with too broad a brush and I respectfully ask that you take a deep breath to clear some emotion and think about what I'm saying.

Do what you need to do of course, but know it will backfire. If enough idealistic people like you refuse to vote for the Democrat then we are at risk of losing what democracy we have had for a much worse system. Remember, Trump was happy to put kids in cages.

See SwampYankee's post above for an explanation of why voting your conscience is (in bulk) the same as voting for the opposition you didn't want.

Dont know why you're being down voted. Just saying it as it is. People dont want to hear it but it doesn't make it any less true.

In the two party American system its a choice between two devils. Right no thats looking like Biden vs Trump. Not choosing one of these devils is a vote for the devil you preferred even less. Its a shitty system sure but for now its what we have. Are these two devils really equally bad from your perspective?

The republicans who own the supreme court, chosen by the Federalist Society, are not maga republicans. They might just throw trump under a bus if they thought there was still a way for Republicans to hold onto power without him

Evangelicals seem to hold that belief and my understanding is that they cannot be alienated or the fortunes of the Republican party will weaken, so apparently it gets incorporated into how they all need to behave.