themeatbridge @ themeatbridge @lemmy.world

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2 yr. ago

“What I think we’re looking at here is an absolute distillation of the ideology of this administration, which is a thoroughgoing hostility to anything that the government does that helps people,” Goffman said. “If you want to destroy the relationship between the public and government, you’re going to target the Energy Star program.”

...because the refugees might have pending criminal charges. I feel like that's a really important part missing from the headline. Nobody cares if a bunch of white farmers move from South Africa to the USA. They aren't actually being persecuted, but whatever. America should be open to immigrantion. South Africa merely wants assurances that accepted "refugees" aren't fleeing legitimate prosecution for crimes they have been charged with.

The larger issue is that we're refusing legitimate refugees from other countries, and the Trump/Musk administration has made demonizing immigrants into their primary cause celebre.

To summarize, we're sending innocent people to death camps because they're brown, and we're protecting criminals because they're white.

Not to mention, there are all the opportunistic price gouges across all industries. Prices go up and then stay up because profits gotta grow.

There is some of that via India and other intermediaries, but mostly China is willing to wait it out.

Weird how every town used to have a small bookstore, and they all went out of business because Borders and Barnes and Noble and Fox Books put all the little guys out of business, and then they all disappeared because Amazon put them out of business, and now people are clamoring for more small shops in their local towns.

But they get to deal with the customers all day, who are I'm sure the loveliest people having their best day ever.

Magic Kingdom is the main attraction, but Epcot has better food while Hollywood Studios has the best rides and shows. Animal Kingdom is the only one I would ever recommend anyone skip if you're short on time. Each park has more than enough to keep you busy for more than a day, though. Unless you live nearby, you're going to leave disappointed if you only visit Magic Kingdom for a day.

I've never been to Disneyland, but I am very familiar with Disney World in Orlando. Disney World is a city. It has four theme parks, and each park has enough to do to occupy a family for 2-3 days. Tickets for each park are at least $100 per day per person, and that just gets you in the door. You also need to stay somewhere, and hotels in the area are not cheap. Expect to spend about $75 per person per night for lodging. Food inside the parks is not cheap, either, but plates are usually big enough to share. Estimate $100 per person per day for food and beverages. Lastly, most visitors don't live within driving distance, so you probably take a flight. Round trip to Orlando is going to be $150-300 per person. Add it up for four days and four people, and you're already at $5,000, and that is the least expensive version of the trip. It's going to suck.

If you have a few hours to kill and want a deep dive into why Disney lines suck so much, check out this documentary about the FastPass system from Defunctland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yjZpBq1XBE

The FastPass system has been replaced with the Genie/Lightning Lane system, but it has most of the same problems (and a bunch of new ones). While it was originally free and available to all, it is now a paid premium feature, with additional costs for specific rides AND preference given to people who stay on property. On-property hotel rooms are at least twice as expensive as the previously mentioned budget. Premium hotel rooms on-site also provide perks like better transportation and extra "Magic" hours before or after the park is normally open for the plebeians.

There are additional upgrades to the ticket, like park hopper that lets you go to a different park in the same day. Photopass allows you to access all the ride and cast photos you take throughout the day.

So the $100 tickets per person per day can easily jump to $250 per person per day. If you want to eat at the restaurants like Cinderella's Castle, Beauty and the Beast, Pooh's Corner, The Brown Derby, or any of the hotel restaurants (did I mention the previous budget didn't include sit-down restaurants or any booze?) then your price per plate can easily triple. Some of these dining experiences are the only way to get to meet specific characters, which may or may not be a concern if you have kids.

So yeah, you could buy a good used car or a year of tuition at a state college for the price of a family Disney trip.

The discounts aren't what they used to be.

You can't see the gates from the parking lot. You're saying you paid for parking, took the monorail to the entrance, and then decided not to go in because the front line was long?

If we want to break it down, a trip to Disney costs between $2,000 for a short solo trip up to $15,000 for a family vacation.

For most Americans, that's out of reach financially. It would be irresponsible to spend that much on a vacation, and they will never have the means to do it. They will watch people on TV and social media take trips to Disney, and resent that such things are possible while they struggle to pay rent and medical expenses. In a room of 100 people, this category is like 60 of them.

Then you have the next group up, the rapidly vanishing upper middle class for whom a Disney vacation has always been a dream. They also cannot afford the trip, but they are willing to sacrifice and go into debt to make a magical memory. It is still irresponsible to spend so much on a vacation, but for those four happy days of childhood bliss and nostalgia, they will make it happen. These people are most likely to hate the experience because they don't have the cash to pay for all the extra bullshit like fastpasses and magic bands, the on-property hotel rooms, or the overpriced souvenirs. They will push the limits of their credit cards, only to fall short and go home tired and spiteful. The top half of this group might enjoy the trip, but they will be looking for more cost-effective vacations next year.

And on top you have the elites for whom spending $5,000 - $20,000* is no big deal. Visiting Disney is a status symbol, and making the annual schlep is about checking out the latest rides and obtaining the newest swag. These people will experience the best the parks have to offer, and will appreciate it the least. In that room with 100 people, this is one person.

It doesn't have to be Disney, that's just an easy example that most Americans can relate to. It could be any vacation destination, or buying a boat, or skiing, or practically any luxury activity or hobby you can name. Tickets to a sporting event or concert, taking a cruise, going to college, saving for retirement, orthodontia, treatment for chronic diseases, these are all modern luxuries that Americans have learned go part and parcel with the circumstances of your birth, fortunate or otherwise.

Most people cannot afford it, some people can indulge at great cost, and a very select few revel in the experience in a way that makes it seem desirable to all.

• prices went up while writing this comment.

Can confirm, I remember when Madden introduced online multiplayer, and there was a small kerfuffle because there was no way to bypass their servers. I remember having the conversation with my buddies that it didn't matter, because we would all prefer to play together on the couch in the same room, and playing strangers on the internet didn't sound appealing.

Cruelty is the point

Duh, and I cannot stress this enough, doy.

If your cuticles do this on their own, or you notice pitting on or under your nails, it might be an early sign of psoriasis.

It is like a home movie in that it is an attempt to humanize the victim. There is no evidence in a home movie, no relevant facts, just an idea of the person that's gone. You're right that one is a memory of something that happened while the other is a fabrication of something that might have happened, but they are both equally (ir)relevant and emotionally manipulative. Many jurisdictions do prohibit victim statements beyond a written or verbal testimony. Some countries and states require you to use a form and won't admit statements that do not adhere to the form.

Also remember that this is for the judge, not a jury.

If someone drops into St. Peter's Square with a parachute, I win $3,000.

Victim statements to the court are always emotionally manipulative. It's akin to playing a video of home movies of the deceased, and obviously the judge understands that it is a fictitious creation.

Right, Gates is no saint. He became a billionaire the same way they all do, and he has caused a lot of unnecessary suffering in the world.

But that doesn't invalidate his criticism of Musk. If anything, he's speaking from experience, with his unique perspective from atop the same mountain. Doing charitable work doesn't change the past, but it can change the future.

Gates probably disagrees with me, but at least he acknowledges the problem.

It should be obvious to everyone at this point that this is what the Republican party has always been.