AMA Laki (quarantine edition)

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Let's go!

[PSOL]

How have you been feeling recently?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

How have you been feeling recently?

Not that well. I suffer from psychiatric issues, and the COVID-19 quarantine measures don't help at all, because i feel very isolated and lonely. Although this is the case for many people now. I have been in hospital throughout most of 2019 for heavy automutilation, suicidal feelings and depression and a slight form of an eating disorder. Before the COVID-19 crisis, i was taken in hospital again for a week, after that i was released again, but than the COVID-19 crisis started so i feel still "locked up". I have not been outside for a month now, so it's not healthy. I should go more outside but I have no reason to be outside basically and everything happens online (my studies and political activities). I haven't done anything for my studies since the COVID-19 crisis started and since i was admitted in hospital for one week. I have put my political activities aside for a while, except for yesterday when i attended an online meeting (and probably tomorrow as well). That really helps though making me feel better.

I also haven't automutilated for one month and a half now, but the problem is that i basically didn't because hospitals have "other work" to do now and are overloaded, not because the problem itself stopped, so i basically stopped for respect for our medical facilities. And if i automutilate, it's always severe enough that it needs stitches. I have often ignored going to ER because i don't want to bother nurses and doctors with what you've done to yourself and could've easily not done it.

I still feel quite depressive. It's rough, and it's probably staying that way until at least the new academy year starts, because this i've no hope on this academy year, and we have to do our exams online (not sure how that's going to happen), but it basically means i won't have a lot of social contact aside of my mom, there is no "social control" or incentive to go to the lessons and keep up with everything. I need to go to the lessons so that i still feel a student and than i would keep track of everything, but this sadly doesn't work for me. I have exams for four subjects. I hope to succeed for at least 2 of them nevertheless, but I had imagined a better start for my new academy year. I had hoped my psychiatric issues would lessen or go away with starting to study, but COVID-19 basically decided to place me in social isolation again and i'm disappointed in "what we learn" as well. I'm hoping that i decided to do the right studies, because i'm really doubting myself now.

I'm not feeling well, and I feel like i'm waiting until after the COVID crisis to let the bomb explode, because right now i'm bottling up all my negative and depressive feelings, and i also relapsed in disordered eating. I have a history of disordered eating and borderline anorexic and bulimic behavior. My lowest BMI was just below 16 a year ago which is not severe i know, but i was on the brink of getting to an ED clinic. I have eaten relatively normally for like six months but since i'm not able to harm myself, i feel like i'm projecting everything on my eating behavior, massively undereating and again rapidly losing weight, basically because i feel not well and feel like i'm not worthful enough to "eat".

It's a bit messed up, but it always has been like this for a lot of my life. I'm still processing things out of the past: bullying, child abuse, social isolation, my "autism", fears .... I hope there is a better future ahead of me. I think a nice girlfriend who is very understanding would sort things out and keep me on a better track, but i've been unlucky with girls so far (if they were even interested in me, they always had already someone). I've thought about giving up a lot, and killing myself and have done multiple attempts in the past, because i'm afraid i won't be able to fix things and i see basically no life goal in front of me, and i really can't stand the loneliness anymore. I hoped to change that with studying, but it's not really been a success so far. Being politically active and engaging in groups was also not really the solution. Many people are older than me, i'm in a student marxist group, but i have only participated one time in a meeting, because COVID-19 broke out afterwards. I should basically not complain because i'm not sick, and others i know aren't sick as well. I don't know anyone who has COVID-19 but the quarantine is awful for my mental health basically. I don't know how it would have been without COVID-19. Maybe not good as well, but at least better than this i think so.

[PSOL]

Lakigigar, please, I and many others here care about you. If you can get any and all the help that is available then do so. We don’t want you to explode, either now or later. These are the only words I have for this comment, anything else is sunk in my collapsing heart.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Lakigigar, please, I and many others here care about you. If you can get any and all the help that is available then do so. We don’t want you to explode, either now or later. These are the only words I have for this comment, anything else is sunk in my collapsing heart.

I can get help, the problem is that i really don't want to go to hospital again in these times, because it's terrible. Because of COVID-19 there is no visit allowed, you're locked up in your room out of isolation right now and i've heard that from other people i've learnt to know in psychiatric hospital in the past year, and from one former friend who was admitted three weeks ago and has it hard as well. When everything is back normal, i'll seek help again, because when everything is normal i have a relatively good time and have more social contact than when i'm home and in 2019 they've helped me with finishing my secondary education by allowing me to do exams outside, and i've succeeded in that. Unfortunately now is not the right time because of COVID-19. I would feel depressed even more in such a "closed" environment.

But i can quickly get admitted in hospital because i'm technically still in forced admission until august this year, which can cause them to intervene when things aren't right, but i haven't seen a doctor in a while. I haven't seen a psychologist in a while, all because non essential things are postponed until after the COVID crisis.

Thank you for caring for me, you and many others here are good persons!

[PSOL]

Can’t you access them through a video chat? I am not a psychiatrist nor psychologist, but I think it may be best to slowly deflate the bubble that is clearly making you suffer. Again, you are such a good person to me and others in your life no matter what degree of contact it is, I and them all want you to prosper with us as best as it can be.

[Lechasseur]

If you need to talk, you can always contact me by PM or Discord

[PSOL]

If you need to talk, you can always contact me by PM or Discord

I’m also sorry if I’m making you feel all exposed by this. But don’t be discouraged or disheartened to speak your mind how you wish to tell it.

[538Electoral]

How would you react if Joe Biden picked Bernie Sanders as his running mate?

[President Johnson]

First off, hope you starting to feel better. I've grown to respect you as good poster despite some disagreements.

- What's your opinion of the European Union and how would you change/reform it if you could?

- What's your favorite place in Germany?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

How would you react if Joe Biden picked Bernie Sanders as his running mate?

I would be happy. I would see it as a good compromise, but it's not something where Sanders would outshine Biden in, or i'm not sure this is the best place for Sanders. I also don't think it's strategically a good idea, as Biden needs someone more younger. It would be better if Joe's platform would be more in line with that of Sanders instead of offering Bernie a VP spot. I also don't think Bernie in particular wants the vp spot, but rather someone who can put some of his ideas in practise.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

First off, hope you starting to feel better. I've grown to respect you as good poster despite some disagreements.

- What's your opinion of the European Union and how would you change/reform it if you could?

- What's your favorite place in Germany?

Thank you. I respect you a lot as a good poster as well.

- I became more positive of the EU but believes it is better if people are directly elected instead of representatives electing someone. I feel like we should be able to elect the European president ourselves directly. I also think it would be good if we could form groups inside the EU itself on level of commitment to the EU with countries with similar values & ideas. I'm not an expert on it, but what annoys me most is that rejected politicians in Belgiums often step over to the EU level, sometimes without getting elected. I also don't feel like the EU in particular cares about me or citizens, or is very social. It definitely needs reform, but i'm not the right person to say where

- I think Laacher See is my favourite place, though i haven't been there. It's a German volcano that erupted 10 to 12.000 years ago, and the entire Eifel region is beautiful. I also think I would like the Black Forest (? is it called like that?), and the northern cities like Hamburg and Berlin, but I haven't been often to Germany. I think Phantasialand once and Weiskirchen once and sometimes stops on the way to Austria. But Laacher See near Koblenz is something i certainly want to visit in my life!

[Nightcore Nationalist]

Nothing useful to ask but I appreciate your presence and unique views on the atlas.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Nothing useful to ask but I appreciate your presence and unique views on the atlas.

Thank you, i greatly appreciate that.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Laki, just want to say that as daunting as health issues can get sometimes, managing them is far from possible. I would know, I've lived with type 1 diabetes for around six years. If I could manage, so can you.

[President Johnson]

First off, hope you starting to feel better. I've grown to respect you as good poster despite some disagreements.

- What's your opinion of the European Union and how would you change/reform it if you could?

- What's your favorite place in Germany?

Thank you. I respect you a lot as a good poster as well.

- I became more positive of the EU but believes it is better if people are directly elected instead of representatives electing someone. I feel like we should be able to elect the European president ourselves directly. I also think it would be good if we could form groups inside the EU itself on level of commitment to the EU with countries with similar values & ideas. I'm not an expert on it, but what annoys me most is that rejected politicians in Belgiums often step over to the EU level, sometimes without getting elected. I also don't feel like the EU in particular cares about me or citizens, or is very social. It definitely needs reform, but i'm not the right person to say where

- I think Laacher See is my favourite place, though i haven't been there. It's a German volcano that erupted 10 to 12.000 years ago, and the entire Eifel region is beautiful. I also think I would like the Black Forest (? is it called like that?), and the northern cities like Hamburg and Berlin, but I haven't been often to Germany. I think Phantasialand once and Weiskirchen once and sometimes stops on the way to Austria. But Laacher See near Koblenz is something i certainly want to visit in my life!

I didn't know Laacher See, but yes, it's called Black Forest in English and Schwarzwald in German. Latter is actually just a few miles from where I live, at least the northern part. 

[Mr. Illini]

Just want to say that I really value your contributions here on the forum. You are very passionate about politics and I respect your willingness to evolve on the issues as well. You are valued and I hope you feel better and are able to get what help you are needing.

My question: what young American pols are you hoping to see run for President one day?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Just want to say that I really value your contributions here on the forum. You are very passionate about politics and I respect your willingness to evolve on the issues as well. You are valued and I hope you feel better and are able to get what help you are needing.

My question: what young American pols are you hoping to see run for President one day?

Thank you.

Someone who could continue the legacy of Bernie: Cisneros, Julia Salazar, obv. AOC, Ro Khanna
. Or Andrew Yang. Maybe Elon Musk. From GOP Josh Hawley. But I would only support him against neoliberal / moderate dems.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

What is your favorite Belgian party leader currently?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

What is your favorite Belgian party leader currently?

Peter Mertens (PVDA-PTB). He has after the death of Ludo Martens (stalinist, pro-North Korea and racist) reformed the party from an irrelevant maoist party with 0,2% of the vote to a party that is marxist, left-wing populist, modern and more focused on the actual needs of people with +-15% of the vote nationally in only 10 years.

Ludo Martens is among the worst party leaders Belgium ever had, together with the VNV and Rex leaders (pro-nazi), although in the defence for Flemish nazi parties, they were working together with the Germans in the hope they could form an independent Flanders in the Germanosphere or a greater Netherlands. Not that it minimizes something. Mertens is among the best leaders Belgium ever had, except for some post WW2 social democrat, christian democrat and reformist communist leaders, and King Albert I. Not judging about pre-WW2 Belgium. I only wished social democrats and christian democrats would return to their roots: supporting the welfare state, return to normalcy, defending worker's rights, and representing the working class and the middle class.

If it wasn't for Mertens, we would have no valuable left-wing alternative. The PVDA changed internally because all members are relatively new. These people would often vote s.pa, Groen or right-wing or far-right in many cases. I would also be almost certainly not be a marxist, but a Green supporter. I'm very grateful for him.

Ranking them:
1) Peter Mertens (PVDA-PTB)
2) Paul Magnette (PS)
3) Georges Louis-Bouchez (MR)
4) Maxime Prévot (cDH)
5) Meyrem Almaci (Green)
6) Gwendolyn Rutten (Open VLD)
7) Tom Van Grieken (VB)
8 ) Conner Rousseau (s.pa)
9) Joachim Coens (CD&V)
10) Bart De Wever (N-VA)

Don't know because I never hear about them
Jean-Marc Nollet (Ecolo - coleader)
Rajae Maouane (Ecolo -coleader)
Olivier Maingain (Defi)

In terms of parties:
1) PVDA - PTB
2) Ecolo
3) Groen
4) PS
5) MR
6) s.pa
7) CD&V
8 ) cdH
9) Défi
10) Open VLD
11) N-VA
12) VB

[thumb21]

Thoughts on UBI?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Thoughts on UBI?

Undecided, i'm in favour of experimentation with it, and also including taxation on it. But i'm afraid UBI will increase income inequality. Additional social security for the disabled and sick will be necessary, but UBI might be fairer, and finally give people the option to work, instead of being forced or they'll not be able to pay the bills and food and be forced to become homeless. Nevertheless, if you can work, work. But we shouldn't invent jobs just to invent jobs as we have to be careful for overproduction and overconsumption.