Hotter, Badder, and Unpopularer Takes

[Del Tachi]

The idea that anti-Zionism is inherently antisemitic because it means that Jews should be the only people in the world without a state is incredibly dumb because actually, most ethnic groups are stateless, and they're not entitled to one either.

Ideally, all minority ethnic groups would have states. If you think it doesn't matter whether or not an ethnicity is stateless, look at the fate of the Kurds and ask yourself if the same thing would've happened if they'd had a Kurdish state and Kurdish institutions on their side. Maybe things would be going similarly but it at least would've been a fairer fight.

Full Kurdish independence sounds nice, but I think that it would end badly. I'm against Balkanization in general.

A better comparison would be the Roma, who are in a similar situation as Jews were (dispersed, not a majority in any place, and a long history of persecution). I wouldn't support them setting up a colony somewhere and oppressing the indigenous people.

Of course, we should do away with nation-states entirely.

Do away with them? The nation-state is the best guarantor of liberty in the modern world. I know you probably live in a fantasy land of international cooperation among workers or whatever, but the truth is that humans are not good at empathizing with one another across cultures, ethnic groups, and especially language barriers. So long as these differences exist, we're better off atomized. If the alternative is some sort of worker's collective or unified world government, then Balkanization is dank.

Nation-statehood is an fundamentally Industrial idea that won't survive a global post-industrial realignment.  In a neoliberal economy where global capitalists have the ability relocate investment across oceans with a simple click of the mouse, nation-states are losing relevancy faster than VCRs.   

Elites from different cultures have always sold their people out to enrich themselves. That's nothing new. And the flow of global capital is not going to make the average Arab Muslim feel any differently about the average Israeli Jew. The neoliberal notion that trade is going to somehow knit the world together is a Fukuyamaist fiction that has no basis in reality. Yes, someday nation-states will start to disintegrate, but we are not living through that time and it will not happen in our lives or even the lives of our grandchildren.

Yes, elites have always had the resources to shop their capital around for the highest ROI.  However, 200 years ago that involved putting gold bullion on a wooden sailing ship and hoping it could cross the ocean in 3-6 weeks.  Transaction costs are much lower now.

I don't think nation-states with "disintegrate" anytime soon, but with the growth of global IT firms, the power they hold over big data, and traditional institutions' inability/unwillingness to adequately regulate them means that nation-states are ceding their relevancy as data firms continue to grow richer and deeper.  Knowledge is power.   

[KaiserDave]

Noooo

Power is Power

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

New age atheism like Dawkins, Harris, the late Hitchens, Bill Maher, etc.. seem to becoming an increasingly right wing reactionary group in this day and age as opposed to the liberals they were branded as in the 2000s

https://mobile.twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1228943686953664512
Sheesh I called that one

Dawkins has some weird and bad ideas but there's nothing really wrong with this tweet. Artificial selection HAS been been implemented for thousands of years to produce crops and genetic strains which are important for human agriculture since the agricultural evolution. Anyone who knows anything about genetics either recognizes that this is true or is too blinded by woke ideology to admit it.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Cheesecake is disgusting and it makes me gag. 

I hope Lillard hits another Buzzer Beaters against the Rockets just for that

[BP🌹]

I also don't see the comparison of Zionism to Kurdish nationalism above as valid because to me, Zionism isn't a form of nationalism, but rather an extension of Western imperialism that masquerades as nationalism.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I also don't see the comparison of Zionism to Kurdish nationalism above as valid because to me, Zionism isn't a form of nationalism, but rather an extension of Western imperialism that masquerades as nationalism.

I sincerely hope you wouldn't claim that that's what Zionism originated as, even if you think that's what it is now.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

New age atheism like Dawkins, Harris, the late Hitchens, Bill Maher, etc.. seem to becoming an increasingly right wing reactionary group in this day and age as opposed to the liberals they were branded as in the 2000s

https://mobile.twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1228943686953664512
Sheesh I called that one

Dawkins has some weird and bad ideas but there's nothing really wrong with this tweet. Artificial selection HAS been been implemented for thousands of years to produce crops and genetic strains which are important for human agriculture since the agricultural evolution. Anyone who knows anything about genetics either recognizes that this is true or is too blinded by woke ideology to admit it.

It annoyed me how many people got offended by this tweet, claiming he was supporting eugenics, when he explicitly wasn't.

However it's not at all clear to me that the statement is true, or in what sense or under what conditions it could be true.  We aren't domesticated animals, and so the question arises how one might set up the sort of controlled reproduction and environment for humans that domesticated selection has relied upon.  It would seem to require a totalitarian system that actually succeeded in its aims beyond what any society has demonstrated.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

New age atheism like Dawkins, Harris, the late Hitchens, Bill Maher, etc.. seem to becoming an increasingly right wing reactionary group in this day and age as opposed to the liberals they were branded as in the 2000s

https://mobile.twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1228943686953664512
Sheesh I called that one

Dawkins has some weird and bad ideas but there's nothing really wrong with this tweet. Artificial selection HAS been been implemented for thousands of years to produce crops and genetic strains which are important for human agriculture since the agricultural evolution. Anyone who knows anything about genetics either recognizes that this is true or is too blinded by woke ideology to admit it.

It annoyed me how many people got offended by this tweet, claiming he was supporting eugenics, when he explicitly wasn't.

However it's not at all clear to me that the statement is true, or in what sense or under what conditions it could be true.  We aren't domesticated animals, and so the question arises how one might set up the sort of controlled reproduction and environment for humans that domesticated selection has relied upon.  It would seem to require a totalitarian system that actually succeeded in its aims beyond what any society has demonstrated.

Worst case scenario if eugenics were feasible is that we would set entirely unrealistic goals for what we are selecting for, what the goals should be, and ultimately be creating people who are physically or intellectually 'weaker' than we are now.  The side effects of selective breeding on dogs haven't been good.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Bernie is not an honorable person

[Hindsight was 2020]

A rarely talked about aspect of America history is how all pretty much all the racist ideologies in this country have built this idea that they are the oppressed ones into their mythology. Like slavery and Jim Crow both loved to frame this idea that these awful institutions were actually part of this humble way of life that the opprosive federal government is trying to take away. So by mistreating blacks they were fighting back against the damn Yankees. It’s become way more noticeable now with all these reactionary posters on social media justifying their horrible ideas and statements as fighting against the pc police. I kinda picked up on it during gamergate and you essentially got this argument that these people bought into for some reason that by posting the n word in all caps on /pol/ or sending Anita Sarkeesian rape threats you were raging against the machine. It’s like this bizarre defense mechanism to avoid owning up to the authoritarian nature of their ideals

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

Skin color is only one factor in determining similarity. I saw a few punjabis today at costco and also a few arabs, and even though im white, I clearly had more features besides skin color in common with my punjabi bros, especially face and facial bone structure. My dad was there too and definitely agreed and patted my head and said my proud young punjabi, in punjabi lol.

[Virginiá]

Forced friendliness in retail sucks. The gas station down the street from me must have a strict greeting requirement for employees because they say "hi" loudly to basically everyone who comes in, sometimes you have like 3 employees shouting "hi" at you. One of them, who has been there as long as I've lived here, says it so much that it's just become the most monotone / robotic "hi" I've ever heard. It's completely meaningless. Greeting someone makes sense when you're actually being genuine about it, but still, in a busy store, why? I'd much rather just come and go without being acknowledged, because it always feels fake anyway. I didn't go in to exchange meaningless platitudes. I just wanted candy, or gas, or whatever. It's not even just fake greetings, it's just the general forced niceness of employees in general. Like at Publix, the grocery store chain here, god forbid you ask anyone a question less you have a swarm of employees descend upon you. The last time I did that, I just asked someone at the front desk to check the computer to see if they still carried something, and while he was doing that, two other employees must have overheard and came over and asked if I needed help, and I said no the other guy is helping, and they ask him, and he tells them, and they are like, "Oh well let's take a look!" despite me just coming from where they were going, and completely ignored me saying I checked it up and down already.

It feels funny to complain about people trying to be helpful but sometimes I really just wish store employees would ignore you unless you actually asked for something, and then maybe not be so overwhelming.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Forced friendliness in retail sucks. The gas station down the street from me must have a strict greeting requirement for employees because they say "hi" loudly to basically everyone who comes in, sometimes you have like 3 employees shouting "hi" at you. One of them, who has been there as long as I've lived here, says it so much that it's just become the most monotone / robotic "hi" I've ever heard. It's completely meaningless. Greeting someone makes sense when you're actually being genuine about it, but still, in a busy store, why? I'd much rather just come and go without being acknowledged, because it always feels fake anyway. I didn't go in to exchange meaningless platitudes. I just wanted candy, or gas, or whatever. It's not even just fake greetings, it's just the general forced niceness of employees in general. Like at Publix, the grocery store chain here, god forbid you ask anyone a question less you have a swarm of employees descend upon you. The last time I did that, I just asked someone at the front desk to check the computer to see if they still carried something, and while he was doing that, two other employees must have overheard and came over and asked if I needed help, and I said no the other guy is helping, and they ask him, and he tells them, and they are like, "Oh well let's take a look!" despite me just coming from where they were going, and completely ignored me saying I checked it up and down already.

It feels funny to complain about people trying to be helpful but sometimes I really just wish store employees would ignore you unless you actually asked for something, and then maybe not be so overwhelming.

I spent a week in France visiting Antonio (who's a close off-forum friend at this point) a couple months ago* and he mentioned to me at one point that the reason French service workers have a reputation for rudeness is that they actually have some semblance of job security and, unlike in the vast majority of other countries, aren't at risk of being fired on the spot for being short with a customer when they're having a bad day.

*which is why I went radio silent from the forum; I didn't have my laptop with me and I don't like using the forum on my phone

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Cannabis and psychedelic substances are divine in nature and using them is not wrong or immoral, but are in fact channels for us to communicate with the Lord.

Any religious person who supports their continued prohibition is engaging in blasphemy.

[John Dule]

Cannabis and psychedelic substances are divine in nature and using them is not wrong or immoral, but are in fact channels for us to communicate with the Lord.

Please don't tell me you actually believe this.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Cannabis and psychedelic substances are divine in nature and using them is not wrong or immoral, but are in fact channels for us to communicate with the Lord.

Please don't tell me you actually believe this.

I only say this because I'm speaking from experience.  I don't care if you don't agree or if you think I'm insane for believing it.  I wouldn't expect an atheist to feel any differently.

I have had intimate experiences with the divine and with spirits without the use of drugs as well.

[John Dule]

Cannabis and psychedelic substances are divine in nature and using them is not wrong or immoral, but are in fact channels for us to communicate with the Lord.

Please don't tell me you actually believe this.

I only say this because I'm speaking from experience.  I don't care if you don't agree or if you think I'm insane for believing it.  I wouldn't expect an atheist to feel any differently.

I have had intimate experiences with the divine and with spirits without the use of drugs as well.

I'm not going to make any judgments on experiences you may have had while sober, but drugs and alcohol literally alter your mental processes. Why would you put any stock in experiences you had while under the influence of a substance that renders your perception of reality untrustworthy?

[Boobs]

Cannabis and psychedelic substances are divine in nature and using them is not wrong or immoral, but are in fact channels for us to communicate with the Lord.

Please don't tell me you actually believe this.

I only say this because I'm speaking from experience.  I don't care if you don't agree or if you think I'm insane for believing it.  I wouldn't expect an atheist to feel any differently.

I have had intimate experiences with the divine and with spirits without the use of drugs as well.

I'm not going to make any judgments on experiences you may have had while sober, but drugs and alcohol literally alter your mental processes. Why would you put any stock in experiences you had while under the influence of a substance that renders your perception of reality untrustworthy?

I mean, it's not like sober experiences are any more true to empirical truth, if that exists at all...

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Cannabis and psychedelic substances are divine in nature and using them is not wrong or immoral, but are in fact channels for us to communicate with the Lord.

Please don't tell me you actually believe this.

I only say this because I'm speaking from experience.  I don't care if you don't agree or if you think I'm insane for believing it.  I wouldn't expect an atheist to feel any differently.

I have had intimate experiences with the divine and with spirits without the use of drugs as well.

I'm not going to make any judgments on experiences you may have had while sober, but drugs and alcohol literally alter your mental processes. Why would you put any stock in experiences you had while under the influence of a substance that renders your perception of reality untrustworthy?

Just because one's state of consciousness has been expanded does not necessarily make what they experience untrustworthy.  You need to know how to listen and keep your eyes open for certain things.  Not everybody has that gift, intoxicated or not intoxicated.

It's kind of like what Hagrid said to Harry Potter: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

[John Dule]

Just because one's state of consciousness has been expanded does not necessarily make what they experience untrustworthy.  You need to know how to listen and keep your eyes open for certain things.  Not everybody has that gift, intoxicated or not intoxicated.

It's kind of like what Hagrid said to Harry Potter: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

There is no such thing as an "expanded" state of consciousness; that's a figurative statement. Intoxication is a dulled state of consciousness. You might as well talk about how you were attacked by a swarm of bats after you took LSD. Am I expected to believe that too? Jesus effing Christ.

Also, that was a Dumbledore quote. But I guess all facts are subjective when you're at an "elevated state of consciousness."

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Just because one's state of consciousness has been expanded does not necessarily make what they experience untrustworthy.  You need to know how to listen and keep your eyes open for certain things.  Not everybody has that gift, intoxicated or not intoxicated.

It's kind of like what Hagrid said to Harry Potter: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

There is no such thing as an "expanded" state of consciousness; that's a figurative statement. Intoxication is a dulled state of consciousness. You might as well talk about how you were attacked by a swarm of bats after you took LSD. Am I expected to believe that too? Jesus effing Christ.

I would argue that, in this example, the one who took LSD was attacked by a swarm of bats.  Just not the kind of bats that exist in nature.

My whole point here is that there is a whole other universe out there we're just not seeing when we take what's directly in front of us at face value.  Our perceptions are as biased when we are sober as when we are not.

Also, that was a Dumbledore quote. But I guess all facts are subjective when you're at an "elevated state of consciousness."

Meh.  I was never really a Harry Potter guy in the first place.  That was just a quote that came to mind.

[John Dule]

Our perceptions are as biased when we are sober as when we are not.

[Hindsight was 2020]

20 years since they first clashed the Mets and Yankees will once again face each other in the World Series. Book it

[OSR stands with Israel]

Tim Duncan at his peak was better than LeBron at his peak as well as Kobe

[Grassroots]

We should nationalize the boy scouts and make it boys only once again. Not to mention getting it up from 2 million to the 6 million members it once had.