John Dule 5,332nd Post AMA Extravaganza!
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  John Dule 5,332nd Post AMA Extravaganza!
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JacksonHitchcock
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« Reply #25 on: September 08, 2020, 07:24:51 PM »

No question Dule, I'd just like to say I respect you as a highly valued member of the forum. I'd also like to see you finish your top 100 movies.
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« Reply #26 on: September 08, 2020, 10:49:41 PM »

Do you know any evangelical Christians?  Did you grow up attending church at all?
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John Dule
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« Reply #27 on: September 08, 2020, 11:00:34 PM »

is the Volcker Rule ass?

should SOX be repealed?

I don't know enough about SOX to comment. In general I'd be for lessening restrictions on the financial sector if and only if there was a guarantee of severe repercussions in the event of wrongdoing, as well as some sort of fund that could be used to make investors whole. All too often, financial regulations only serve to increase the costs that banks and other institutions have to incur in order to comply with the law, which does nothing but help the largest banks with the most resources stamp out the competition.

What's your stance on Israel/Palestine?

Not a fan of either. Israel is basically a MAGA endpoint nation that exerts way too much pull in US foreign policy. Palestine would've had my sympathy, but much like the other mobs mentioned in my signature, they commit unspeakable atrocities and feel totally justified in doing so. In any conflict between two religions (which is what this is), I will be on neither side.
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John Dule
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« Reply #28 on: September 08, 2020, 11:40:11 PM »

Is there any religion you appreciate more / dislike less than the others? Why?

I tend to consider the personality cult religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism to an extent) to be more awful than the ones that focus on abstract concepts (Taoism). I also have a soft spot for polytheism. I've always been impressed by how Greek mythology incorporates the wide range of human behavior into its deities, rather than trying to conceive of a "perfect" being. I don't know enough about Hinduism to say if I feel the same way about it, but they have kinky sex so that's cool I guess.

What are your thoughts on where the Republican and Democratic parties are headed in a post-Trump world?

A lot of this will depend on this election. If Biden can pull this off, I have hopes that Trumpism will deflate to some extent, as his followers will be demoralized and view him as a loser. At the same time, a Biden victory would subdue the far-left wings of the Democratic Party who argued that "Bernie would've won" back in 2016. If Trump wins, however, he will go down in history as undefeated, and the center-left will completely implode, paving the way for an AOC/GND-type brat to win the nomination in 2024. For this reason alone, I'm rooting for a Biden victory. I think the stability of the republic depends on it.

Do you know any evangelical Christians?  Did you grow up attending church at all?

I don't know any practicing Christians, evangelical or otherwise. As for church, I believe I've attended an actual service only four times in my life. The first was my baptism. The second was a service in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris that I attended on vacation in 2011. The third was a Catholic funeral for my great-uncle. The fourth was a Mexican wedding which I accidentally crashed by walking into the church in the middle of the ceremony with two of my friends (I sat there for about 45 minutes waiting for the service to end; it was very uncomfortable).

Both of my granddads had military funerals, both of my grandmothers died before I was born, and I've actually never attended a wedding for a friend or a family member. As for my parents, they (and most of the people in their families) are atheists, so I never attended an "average" everyday service for any reason.
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Battista Minola 1616
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« Reply #29 on: September 09, 2020, 02:15:42 AM »


I don't know any practicing Christians, evangelical or otherwise. As for church, I believe I've attended an actual service only four times in my life. The first was my baptism. The second was a service in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris that I attended on vacation in 2011. The third was a Catholic funeral for my great-uncle. The fourth was a Mexican wedding which I accidentally crashed by walking into the church in the middle of the ceremony with two of my friends (I sat there for about 45 minutes waiting for the service to end; it was very uncomfortable).

Both of my granddads had military funerals, both of my grandmothers died before I was born, and I've actually never attended a wedding for a friend or a family member. As for my parents, they (and most of the people in their families) are atheists, so I never attended an "average" everyday service for any reason.

Do you find it funny that you "know" so many on this forum instead?

Also, are you in a romantic relationship? If so, how long have you been?
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John Dule
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« Reply #30 on: September 09, 2020, 04:40:16 AM »

Do you find it funny that you "know" so many on this forum instead?

Well, I don't find it too surprising. Marin County is, after all, over 50% non-believer/agnostic/atheist, and I'd bet money that at least 75% of the county doesn't attend religious services on a regular basis. The religious groups in this county skew older, and are probably disproportionately Mexicans (who are clustered in a few geographically distinct areas of the county). Now, I've known a few Mexicans who had deeply religious parents when I was growing up, but they didn't take their parents' beliefs seriously/were gay/were Satanists... so I still wouldn't say I "know" anyone who is a devout Christian.

Also, are you in a romantic relationship? If so, how long have you been?

I've been with my girlfriend for two years as of a couple weeks ago. We met during orientation at Berkeley and bonded over our hatred of communism and shared interest in philosophy/politics. I spent most of my time at college goofing around with her and my idiot roommate (the wedding incident above is just one example).
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« Reply #31 on: September 09, 2020, 10:39:52 AM »

Why can't the Left meme?

Why doesn't the Right have any good late night hosts?

Which candidate has the Libertarian Party of California put forward for any office that makes you most proud to rock that sexy avatar?
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John Dule
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« Reply #32 on: September 09, 2020, 03:50:45 PM »


Humor requires some degree of irreverence, which the left doesn't possess anymore. The only group of people they feel comfortable making fun of is able-bodied white heterosexual men, and when leftists try to mock them, they are so transparently motivated by bitterness that their "jokes" come across as more sad than funny.

Why doesn't the Right have any good late night hosts?

Unlike leftists, right-wingers need to go to bed early so they can get up and go to work in the morning.

Which candidate has the Libertarian Party of California put forward for any office that makes you most proud to rock that sexy avatar?

I will never forget my vote for lieutenant governor in 2018. I don't know if you remember this, but Tim Ferreira (I think that was his name) ran on a platform that basically said "The position of lieutenant governor is stupid and if I'm elected I will abolish it." On his campaign page, he had a quote from Gavin Newsom saying "I only really come into work three days out of the week. LG is a pointless job" or words to that effect. I was extremely proud to cast that vote.

Also, Zoltan is pretty funny (Mill Valley represent!).
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« Reply #33 on: September 09, 2020, 04:15:26 PM »

Whom exactly do you perceive Judaism to be a personality cult for, Moses? Or are you of the opinion that any religion with a creator God as the sole focus of worship is ipso facto too personality-oriented/too authoritarian/etc.?
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« Reply #34 on: September 09, 2020, 04:27:24 PM »

Speaking of Zoltan, would you choose to live forever if technology were advanced enough to allow for it?

What are your thoughts on transhumanism in general?
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John Dule
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« Reply #35 on: September 09, 2020, 05:43:52 PM »

Whom exactly do you perceive Judaism to be a personality cult for, Moses? Or are you of the opinion that any religion with a creator God as the sole focus of worship is ipso facto too personality-oriented/too authoritarian/etc.?

Yeah, I generally see monotheism as inherently authoritarian.

Speaking of Zoltan, would you choose to live forever if technology were advanced enough to allow for it? What are your thoughts on transhumanism in general?

I was actually just reading something interesting from Freeman Dyson on this subject. Basically, his idea for how we could live forever is by expanding our subjective perception of time to infinity, which would allow us to escape the heat death of the universe. I'm really not sure if I would want to do that, though. There's a part of me (and I think this goes for all of us) that is extremely curious about what happens after death. The worst possibility is that it's pure nonbeing, which does scare me, but as I've alluded to in the past I do think it's possible that our consciousness could somehow be re-created through a time loop/a certain arrangement of molecules. That said though, I fully support transhumanism, genetic modification, designer babies, and selective abortion to determine certain traits in fetuses. I have high hopes that this sort of research will result in yet another triumph of man over nature (though I do fear what would happen if such technology was monopolized by an authoritarian regime).
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« Reply #36 on: September 09, 2020, 06:24:32 PM »


Humor requires some degree of irreverence, which the left doesn't possess anymore. The only group of people they feel comfortable making fun of is able-bodied white heterosexual men, and when leftists try to mock them, they are so transparently motivated by bitterness that their "jokes" come across as more sad than funny.

Why doesn't the Right have any good late night hosts?

Unlike leftists, right-wingers need to go to bed early so they can get up and go to work in the morning.


cringe
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John Dule
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« Reply #37 on: September 09, 2020, 06:34:40 PM »

I'm going to have to start being more obvious about when I'm being tongue-in-cheek on here.
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« Reply #38 on: September 09, 2020, 09:43:34 PM »

How’s lsat prep going
What type of law do you wanna practice
Does oski da bear look creepy to you
How do you broadly envision American foreign policy
Assuming Biden wins, when will the gop next win the prez election
Do you think polarization will decrease this decade
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« Reply #39 on: September 09, 2020, 09:52:49 PM »

I'm going to have to start being more obvious about when I'm being tongue-in-cheek on here.
Sure you were mate Smiley
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John Dule
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« Reply #40 on: September 09, 2020, 11:34:24 PM »


Pretty good. I've taken around 30 preptests and I have a very high average score. I'm just hoping I don't choke when it actually comes to taking the real thing.

What type of law do you wanna practice

Constitutional > International > Everything else > Corporate crap

Does oski da bear look creepy to you

I'm not a fan of mascots in general, but Oski is especially weird-looking. If I'm being honest, I didn't attend a single sporting event the entire time I was at Cal. School spirit makes my stomach feel funny.

How do you broadly envision American foreign policy

With regards to the military, I think we should start shutting down certain bases that have proved controversial among the local population (I have a big beef with the one in Okinawa), and it's time to allow countries like Germany and Japan to build up their militaries again. When it comes to trade, we should be engaging in Listian Industrial Policy and avoiding as many imports from China as we can. The CCP is a genocidal authoritarian regime and it should be suffocated through a well-organized trade war that includes both tariffs and trade deals like the TPP. We should be scaling back our involvement in NATO and withdrawing bases and personnel from near Russia's borders, as those resources are needlessly antagonistic today. I think our number one national security goal in the next ten years is going to have to be obtaining overwhelming technological superiority to China-- otherwise we will be unable to credibly protect Taiwan. We should also pursue energy independence by building nuclear plants and investing in other renewables; once that's done, I want us to sever all ties with Saudi Arabia and stop selling those morons weapons.

Assuming Biden wins, when will the gop next win the prez election

I think this largely depends on how Trump supporters interpret their messiah's defeat. To be honest, I don't see them sustaining their rabid conspiracy mentality for four more years unless Trump is in power to fan the flames. Biden's leadership will probably be so mellow that these people will wear themselves out and gradually recede from prominence as a political force (demographic change will play a big part in this too). Of course, I could be wrong-- but I think that would require another Trump-esque figure rising to the challenge and starting a similar movement. If that were to happen, I'd say the Republicans would have a solid chance of winning in 2024 regardless of whether Biden chooses to run again.

Do you think polarization will decrease this decade

Right now the best hope for this is a Biden victory. If Trump wins, the fabric of American democracy will be irreparably damaged.
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« Reply #41 on: September 10, 2020, 10:24:51 AM »

That said though, I fully support transhumanism, genetic modification, designer babies, and selective abortion to determine certain traits in fetuses. I have high hopes that this sort of research will result in yet another triumph of man over nature (though I do fear what would happen if such technology was monopolized by an authoritarian regime).

feels bad, man

I have a pretty good sense of your taste in movies, but what are some of your favorite books? Do you prefer fiction, nonfiction, poetry?
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John Dule
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« Reply #42 on: September 10, 2020, 03:42:51 PM »

That said though, I fully support transhumanism, genetic modification, designer babies, and selective abortion to determine certain traits in fetuses. I have high hopes that this sort of research will result in yet another triumph of man over nature (though I do fear what would happen if such technology was monopolized by an authoritarian regime).

feels bad, man

I have a pretty good sense of your taste in movies, but what are some of your favorite books? Do you prefer fiction, nonfiction, poetry?

If I'm being honest, I have a really hard time reading fiction writing. I wish I could like it more, but I cannot stand "slice-of-life" novels that focus on everyday events and people. The only genres of fiction I really enjoy are sci-fi and fantasy-- if I'm going to read fiction, I want to read about totally fictitious places and events, which is when I think authors really shine. However... you really have to wade through some crap in order to find good stuff in those genres sometimes. Honestly, one the things I'm most critical of myself for is my inability to just sit down with a fiction novel and read it. I can't even get through Hemingway. So if you have any recommendations, I'll be willing to give it a shot.

I much prefer reading nonfiction, or just philosophy books. Some of my favorite books I read recently were Bad Blood, the story of the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos scandal, Shattered, the story of the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016, and Why Nations Fail-- though I was interrupted by LSAT prep before I could finish the latter. Some other books I've loved include Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals, Gustave le Bon's The Crowd, Freud's Group Psychology, Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics, John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, and of course Leviathan, which I have shilled for before on this site.

Also, I would be lying if I said I didn't love The Fountainhead. I think if you can read that book without any preconceptions about Rand's (admittedly awful) personality and her many questionable beliefs, anyone can get a lot out of it. I like to think of it more as an extended literary metaphor for the creative process than as a literal political manifesto. Though I'm probably biased here, not only due to my political beliefs, but because I enjoy the blending of philosophy with fictional storytelling.

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brucejoel99
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« Reply #43 on: September 10, 2020, 06:16:49 PM »

Why can't the Right meme?
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John Dule
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« Reply #44 on: September 10, 2020, 09:11:44 PM »


Lack of proper training. Three years at the John Dule Academy of Memeonomics, however, and I guarantee you that you'll have the necessary skills to survive in today's highly competitive memeconomy.
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« Reply #45 on: September 10, 2020, 09:13:06 PM »


Lack of proper training. Three years at the John Dule Academy of Memeonomics, however, and I guarantee you that you'll have the necessary skills to survive in today's highly competitive memeconomy.

I heard it’s a good school, what are the classes like?
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« Reply #46 on: September 10, 2020, 11:05:01 PM »

You eff with Dune?
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Battista Minola 1616
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« Reply #47 on: September 11, 2020, 02:20:29 AM »

Are you actually Hobbesian?
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John Dule
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« Reply #48 on: September 11, 2020, 04:36:02 AM »

I heard it’s a good school, what are the classes like?

We offer a wide range of classes, from History of Memes (beginning with Kilroy Was Here) to advanced courses on Virgin/Chad dichotomies. However, I should note that we've recently had a number of professors forced into early retirement by activist students who took offense at their comments. Bunch of brats. What did they expect from a class called "Intro to Pepe" anyway?


Oh boy. If I recall correctly, you are a fan, so it gives me no pleasure to say this... but I had my problems with Dune. The sheer onslaught of technical terms and proper nouns in the beginning made my head spin, and prevented me from becoming as immersed in the story as I'd have liked. Like Lord of the Rings, it's a book that I respect and understand why people like it, and I periodically revisit it to give it another shot, but I've never been able to overcome my reflexively negative reaction to its writing.

That said though, I love a lot of the concepts in that book. I think its blending of medieval institutions with a sci-fi setting is very clever, and the spice (and the reason why it's used) is a lightning-in-a-bottle sci-fi idea that impressed me to no end. I have no complaints with Herbert's conceptual creativity; the writing, however, just comes across as clunky to me sometimes. I will say that the David Lynch movie probably played a part in poisoning me against it. I normally like Lynch, but I honestly had to turn that film off halfway through. However, I think the new Villeneuve adaptation has serious potential, so I'm looking forward to that as a possible way to rekindle my fascination with that world. Like I said, the ideas at work in that book are among the best I've ever encountered in sci-fi; it's just the prose that I find lacking.


Yes, I'm a huge fan of Hobbes and his entire methodology in approaching political theory. Unlike most libertarians, I see the state as the only possible way to guarantee that individual liberties are protected. The state also creates the sphere in which the free market can operate; Hobbes was fully correct in his assessment that without the state, we are in a perpetual chaos in which practically nothing of value can be accomplished. In other words, government is necessary to protect property. As soon as you accept that (which despite the ramblings of anarcho-capitalists, is common sense), there are a whole host of other statist conclusions you must logically arrive at. Hobbes lays all of these out in Leviathan with absolutely mathematical precision. I think his arguments for state power are easily the most convincing ones I've ever read.

On a personal level, that book is one of the few works I've read in which I feel a real connection to a person who lived centuries before me. I really admire the way Hobbes' mind worked, and how honestly he would follow a chain of reasoning to its conclusion without shying away from uncomfortable truths. I try to emulate that thought process in my own analysis of political issues, even though (like Hobbes) I'm sure I fall short on occasion.
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« Reply #49 on: September 14, 2020, 06:10:13 PM »

You eff with either Bladerunner?
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