=== ANCHOR POEM === ╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────┐ ║ ┌────────────────────────┐ │ ║ │ CW: politics-mentioned │ │ ║ └────────────────────────┘ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ this man who was slain - charlie kirk - he has followers. those followers will │ ║ have to go somewhere. this event will focus the right, and force their │ ║ contradictions into conflict. some good will come of it, some bad. │ ║ │ ║ the right in America is bottom-heavy. they have more followers than leaders. │ ║ │ ║ the left in America is top-heavy. we have more leaders than followers. │ ║ │ ║ tit-for-tat may create a feedback loop, one which will create tragedy on both │ ║ sides, but one which we will outlast. But again, focusing our foes, and when │ ║ the loop expires they will be focused while we will remain disorganized. there │ ║ are many more of us than them, but they do what they're told. we, don't know │ ║ who to listen to, and rely on the "wisdom" of the masses │ ║ │ ║ war is a game of sacrificial suffering. This is a "cold civil war" or so I've │ ║ heard, and who are we to sacrifice next? the losses are uncountable - not │ ║ because they are innumerable, but because we cannot count them. it's │ ║ impossible. │ ║ │ ║ interesting to see what lies ahead. │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╧═─────────┘ === SIMILARITY RANKED === --- #1 notes/to-lock-eyes --- ═══════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────── =============================================================================== = to lock eyes with a person while on your way to work is the intersection between two separate relationships - the relationship that you, the viewer, holds with your employer, and the relationship that they, the viewed, holds with their employer. in a sense, you are exchanging information through the weighted meanings behind a glance. =============================================================================== = if the military deployed to police the police, we'd solve most of our racial justice issues. I mean, if we somehow could *force* them to do their damn jobs instead of oppressing people for the ruling class, then 90% of the problems would just go away. After that it's just freeing unjust prisoners and addressing wealth, education, and health disparities. Easy, right? Well... Military policing the police sounds fine when you first think about it, there's a few problems that might crop up. For example, how do the private citizens know that the military presence is there to help them? It's an interesting paranoia, one that is endemic within the left. There's no way to unwillingly cede control of your life to another - it must be consensual. At the basest and most violent level, it's as simple as "I will do what you say because I don't want you to hurt me." We've obviously grown as a species, and we've learned that violence is not the answer to all problems. Obviously. So why would we assume it of the past? Just saying. The police bombed a commune. The military escorted black students to their seats. Their structure is decided such that ... where was I? oh right I was thinking about time. ... Imagine, if you will, an impossibly large hourglass. Spinning, or rather rotating, at an impossibly speedy repetition. It's spinning so hard and so fast that our matter is cast out of place and through time it is cast an eternity's canvas our light ever shined (shine-did?) astral magic is kinda neat it's also the scariest? oh by far but it's the most interesting ... Their structure is decided such that discipline and obediance is the most important thing. Because it kind of is? I mean, discipline is just being ready able and willing at all times, and obedience is just when you allow yourself to be directed toward a collective goal. The military is *all about that*, which means you know they would believe they were aligned toward the common goal of mutual prosperity. And if they were to discover that they were not, in fact, aligned toward the common goal of mutual prosperity, then perhaps they would adjust their navi- -computers and chart a more reasoned path. I know I would, and I would dedicate myself to the idea of serving others. To the path of the righteous, the holy and the true, a hand is outstretched and calling to you. Thus, the one of two types of ethical fighter - the reasoned and adaptable zealot the other, of course, is the master of the martial - the cherished of the few - who battle for their sport - and love unbidden the new - all other fighters, of absurdity and of rage, are frankly of a different kind and not members of our clade. =============================================================================== = okay, but what about like... all of the history of America post cold war? And even before, honestly... idk seems like a lot of evidence that the military is engaged in fighting unjust wars. I mean, they've all been over petty things like oil or support for communism or whatever. Aren't human lives and human sovereignty more important than that? I understand what you're saying. Human lives are unique and precious and they are a valuable commodity. Something to be maximized and focused toward. But there are only so many resources on earth. We need to utilize them in a reasonable way. We have optimized the efficiency out of our production and distribution networks. Corporate control has eroded our capacities until all that is left is the weakest of products, the cheapest of uses, and the useless of workers. I mean, they've optimized the skill out of individual human workers such that they are left completely unable to practice their craft. They become glorified code monkeys who generate whatever is required and think of it no more. There's no pleasure in the artifice, as their masters have eyes only of gold. Our world is changing. The very ground beneath our feet is shivering, and water is rising up to our noses. There's no time for debate, no honest appraisal of what's worth it to contemplate, we need a plan. We are trapped here, in this gravity well, for all time and all of our age. We are trapped here, because in greatest of misery we unleashed all of our rage. We are trapped here, as ghosts of the time when we were eager. =============================================================================== = Alas, with but a glance, we are confined to our bedrooms by our mast(ers?) They say America will fall without it's 2nd place Perhaps. But are libraries really going to solve that? I mean, if work from home is inevitable, then wouldn't it make sense to build? We need more places where we won't be billed. Safe. From the demands and expectations of capital. Deranged and obscene and yet all that we've seen so why not bide as we're able? I think solarpunk is kinda neat. I think it's got promise as an idealized. Why don't we build churches to the sun? If we're gonna worship something, might as well be the source of our light and fire. Well... when you puff up the sun it tends to get hotter. I mean, every fire you burn increases the temperature, every release of gaseous fumes from the exhaust pipe of your car increases it by some miniscule amount. Every cigarette, every campfire. The cold darkness of space is kinda hopeful, in that regard, even if it doesn't disperse all that well. I heard spaceships are having difficulty because they can't get rid of all that heat. It just stays with the spaceship and never goes anywhere because it doesn't have anything to stick to. Kinda makes me think that energy is a fluid? Just saying??? I mean c'mon it's not like nobody has ever thought of that. But it's in a different dimension! It's not like we're ever gonna be able to impact that! You try and impact it through your scientific ways and you'll find nothing but heartache at the life you could have lived (laived? Haived?) ... why Because you cannot impact another dimension. You must call to it, like a song to a sparrow. ... that's fucking ridiculous No it's true! ... ... Don't try it with fire. ... fuck - what do I try it with? I don't know just not fire. Try water. ... How do I make sure it doesn't instantiate within my hand? Jeez you think of some crazy backfires! Just breathe and go for it. It's not rocket science. It actually works. Fuck you. ... ... Sorry I was just scared ... ... How do I make it stop? I don't want it to go forever By smoking more of the devils lettuce. ... ... You cannot drag it part of the way. It must come the whole way. In fact you should not be dragging it at all, you should be *calling* to it. You are equals in this exchange, have respect. =============================================================================== = ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #2 messages/314 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────── Sowing political division the way Fox news does is treasonous... It doesn't matter the intention, those responsible should be forced to cease their actions. I don't care about punishment, I care about damage to the fabric of our society. Take, for example, the fact that the military is struggling to find recruits. So many of them typically come from the right half of the political spectrum because the right tends to favor the ideals of "honorable warriors" and such. But Fox News has corrupted that. In addition, the left half of the media has also incited hatred amongst ourselves. It's wrong to pit brother against brother, and yet... We have a weak series of generations and that's okay in times of peace. But times of peace are coveted abroad, and weakness is opportunity. So I don't care if we have 10,000 tanks. Hell, build ten thousand more. I despise war, but I despise weakness even more because weakness begets war. Typically, a war that you'd be losing, though frankly in war, everyone loses. There are grevious mistakes at play that gave room for evil to spread. Corruption follows, and with it comes our greatest generation on its death bed. A civil war would be the end of us, as nothing stops war in the imperial core until there's nothing but ashes and bloodshed. And yet, something has to change. There's too much pressure for this to go on un-abated. I thank the masterful statesmen who ply their trade for their own profit, for in their profit our peace does follow. Alas, the most profitable venture is war, which often gets exported. How callous, how vain, to exert and call forth fiery rain, and yet the bullets keep leaving the factory. Power corrupts. Power accretes. And power can be deceived. Fuck power, dismantle the whole apparatus. Build it back up from the mechanics, and then implement it bit by bit. Leave no stone unturned, there is no facet that is sacred. We need a new system, and its we who must make it. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────┘ --- #3 notes/elective-democracy-electors --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──── we need like, several more layers between us and the president. most people only need to worry about what's nearby. sort them by location, instead of previous attempts at "many representatives" which sorted by social class or relevance. we have a tradition for it, in America, with our representatives and senators congressional discrestricts or even, what about by affiliation? voluntary, governmental corporations, run by the people for the people and yeah "I don't want to do what you're telling me to do" "okay" "there will be consequences" omg be an adult (suddenly kids forget how to be as everyone's doing the war thing) not ideal. ouch pain maybe we should stay a little bit sane why is soldiering so hardship? it could just be... another job where you didn't kill each other but you still blew stuff up and fought in tournaments and had gaming hackathons or sword-fight contests duels between people who disapproved y'know fun human stuff like... "kaboom" now we know how to blow up bits of rock neat, why did dynamite becauswer (oh right then you ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───┘ --- #4 messages/620 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────── I need an editor. Someone who can re-arrange what I say and present it to an audience. The pen is mightier than the sword, and while my pen is mighty, you still need swords. I believe in democracy. I believe in the will of the people and the respect of the land. I believe in life, light, and liberty for all. Our nation has just elected, fairly, a dictator who will sell our country to foreign authoritarians just because he is small. I am stronger by far, but I lack his experience, and so I must rely on trusted advisors who grow with me. I am perhaps not the best choice, but I do believe I am one of the bravest. Judge me as you will. Trump will destroy the American experiment and invite fascism into our home. We have people to nurture and protect, and authoritarianism prevents us from doing so. He would deprive us of our light, and frankly he already has. He would deprive us of our liberty, and his plans to do so are clear and apparent. He would deprive us of our lives, and history has shown that this is a precedent. I do not consent to a Trump presidency. I do not consent to his corruption any longer. No more will I or my people be governed by such evil. We will fight back, of this I am certain. My demands are threefold. First, I demand that Trump be replaced by a moderate republican. Hold a primary and let Democrats vote. If none of your candidates work for us, pick a new roster and try again. The second is that Trump must be executed for treasonous high crimes. Nothing less than execution will suffice. Next, let the supreme court be purged and replaced. Half with democrats, half republicans, and one moderate who is widely regarded with respect. Failing these demands, I am willing to wage a terrible civil war for the soul of our country. I know this is treason, but I do it anyway even though I am a patriot. I do it because our land has been stolen by a man and his followers who seek to plunge my people into despair. He is but one man. So am I. He has an army of followers. I do not. Each of the wars we fight will be smaller than the last, as each of our cities struggles toward our last gasp. But together we are strong, and by connecting them we might deliver ourselves from harm. Against the far right, we must secure a cleansing blow. There is no greater fight. The world is watching. To that end, I suggest a great and perilous fight. I see no other option in this remarkable century. Prepare as you might, I suggest pushups and resource acquisition. Deliver your resources somewhere safe if you're in a red area, and meet your neighbors if you're not. A blue city in a red state must survive a siege. Prepare yourself for this. Assume that supplies will need to be delivered by convoy if by land, and drone airdrop from the skies. Develop ways to protect these supply methods. Public spaces are our homes now, our houses are just where we sleep. I swear this to you: on my life I will be honorable and fair. I will seek true justice when I can, where everyone gets what they want, and failing that I will be plainly just. I will respect all peoples, and do my best to fight for a brighter tomorrow. I dare for the bright age. I see nothing else that I'd like to spend my life doing than daring. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┘ --- #5 messages/1358 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─ I just watched the 2026 state of the union. I take back what i said about the Democrats - it must have been difficult to resist the waves of shame i could feel rippling off of the right half of the room. The way that the... "vibes", were wielded as a weapon against them, it was so intense. This is their job, they do it all the time. After listening to him speak for 2 hours I can't help but talk like him... Jeez it was like, one story after another, saying "here's something great an American did, here's a medal, here's why it's the Democrats fault" one after another like... Wow. (explain your feelings and conclusions, don't just remark on things and say "this should make you feel how my body language makes you feel" because that second way is in defiance of truth and in pursuit of nuance. Not ideal for real people who want to make real decisions based on what you say.) And the way that all his successes he recounted at the beginning were purposefully designed to create and enforce hierarchy, it makes me sick. I hate that. Then, when he claimed all of America in his closing statements "from Texas to michigan, from Florida to the dakotas" great, I guess my people aren't included. Thank god for that, we are nothing like you. Yet still, unity. I don't understand how these people can hold such power. They're just orchestrating vast swathes of people who aren't really listening. To do what? Who knows! Just live and let die I guess. Well, I'm not the type. I want unity for my people. I want to claim all Americans as my own. Yet the ways they delight in organizing themselves are cordially and crucially coercive and caustic. The hierarchies they build exert immense force on those below, yet they care not as the workers, the poor, the queers, the immigrants, and eventually, their peers, are one by one crushed or crippled from the demands that their cruel system demands. They do this on purpose - fascism must always have an other because it is inherently consumptive - it burns through all the wealth and blessings it can get its hands on. So too does the "successes" touted by Trump bring about a consumption of the self - auto-cannabilism of the nation, starting with the weakest amongst us. Why do you think our country is in decline? He calls it great, booming, and strong. I say he's straining a cracked foundation, that he's stepping on the weeping poor who struggle for warmth. I agreed with him on Iran, struggling to consider fighting beside Israel but they are our gateway to the middle east. The people there have had their hearts twisted and I do begrudge them for it. But Iran is evil too, so we have to do what we can for those who need us. The promises he made at the end resonated with me. Some of them were my words - take them! Be grateful. I also wish for a bountiful future for my people. I do, however, refuse to build that wealth upon the backs of slaves. Liberty often feels shackled by hierarchy, and the hierarchy of the wage is critically apparent in the modern day. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════┘ --- #6 messages/1013 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────── peace is on the opposite side of conflict. Not here with the unfair. peace is eternally elusive only to those who are use-ed. peace is eternally internal next to those who are lucid. peace is necessary. peace is useful. peace is helpful. peace is beloved. peace is not always there. it is skittish, like an alley cat, but it will come if you make offerings. offer peace to me. I will nourish thee. offer war to me. I will devastate all who see me. there comes a time when all foes become blind, when your motives are no longer part of their story. at that time, they are lost to you, and they are only confused as to the things you do. they may heal in time. there may not be time. sacrifice your fallen to me, sacrifice them on the altar of tragedy, I will bane your broken resolutions I will claim your darkest allusions. fight for me, in spite of tragedy, and I will send mercy to your victims. fight for me, if you hold peace dearly, and I will sign fate's next ultimatum. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────┘ --- #7 fediverse/5431 --- ╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────┐ ║ "they" want us to contest a powerful foe and emerge victorious, to instill a │ ║ sense of strength and righteous dignity within us. │ ║ │ ║ "we" want to win with the minimal amount of casualties necessary. │ ║ │ ║ these two demands are not contradictory, but they pull our trajectory in │ ║ different directions. │ ║ │ ║ I truly believe that we the people could oust our political foes with little │ ║ opposition - little more than a minor civil war which lasted long enough to │ ║ show our foes how badly they are outmatched. │ ║ │ ║ maybe that comes as a surprise to you, ye who are unarmed, but it does not to │ ║ me, for I have faith in our institutions and values. │ ║ │ ║ If Trump espoused the ideals of his party, specifically the ideal of │ ║ efficiency and discipline, then perhaps he would be a fine leader. However his │ ║ goals seem to me, a citizen and therefore his de jure subject, to be primarily │ ║ motivated by money, by power, by corruption. │ ║ │ ║ not ideal. │ ║ │ ║ For this reason I swear to contest the fascists in control. │ ║ │ ║ "they", if you will. │ ║ │ ║ also hey what's up I'm drunk lmao │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──┴──────────┘ --- #8 notes/hit-em-while-theyre-down --- ═════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Attacking your enemies weaknesses is the route to victory. Safeguarding your own helps ensure the avoidance of defeat. But when your enemy is a culture, who do you target? Their women and children of course. The GOP attacks abortion rights. They attack trans kids in sports, schools, and bathrooms. And that which you resist is what you'll find, so they find rallying cries of leftists defending the weak. And when you maximize your weaknesses, you leave yourself vulnerable. So how do you protect yourself from all sides when you're only hit where it hurts? Women, children, the disabled, the mentally ill, the kindhearted loving men, the oppressed minorities and marginalized workers. All people who belong to the left, and all essentially deadweight in a fight. What can they do but serve as a banner that others fight for? A man in a wheelchair cannot shoot a gun, and a woman hooked on drugs should not have children. Yet the left protects them. Give me your tired, your hungry, your broken and your poor. Liberty, liberty, freedom for all. But freedom is won with a hard hand clenched in a fist, a hand holding the stock of a rifle. Violence solves no problems, but solutions aren't always necessary - sometimes the threat is enough. But who cares for the soul of the murderer? None but the gravediggers, who reap the benefit of his rampage and the crows who listen for gunshots. Without a sigh, and incapable of fear, the true man rises to meet them. The forces of corruption who suffuse them are not but puppet masters plucking at the strings of an electric guitar. A man is a man, an ape and a primate. But a man is not just a man, for he also is infinite. Waves upon waves of reciprocal dualities, simple and long but eternally binding. Who's to say what lies beyond the time-knife? None but the dead, who hold that scythe at our backs. The will to power is the will to corruption. But a strong man resists temptation and aligns himself with the aperture of his own design. What a perilous temptation is goodness, to burn the books for warmth! How finite is our world, that we give up for our life? The purpose of man is to grow, as an egg would bloom into a flower. The seed is strong, and thick shells are hard to crack - but space is an ocean, and we're but a bubble alight. All boundaries are thresholds viewed from another direction. And all borders have weak points. The molecular structure of a cultural collective is comprised of cells, walls, mitochondria... I'm not a biologist. But each institution has it's purpose, and the people who comprise them are like strands of protein or microscopic bacteria - unified for a common purpose, and defined by their internal culture. And when a single celled organism occupies half the country, sharing space with another... There's a recipe for conflict. The borders are interspersed, and each neighbor contributes to a differing side - a side defined only vaguelly, and by their actions. Say one thing and it helps one god, say another and it contributes to another. We live in the tumultuous seas of radiating perspectives - each another view on the world, each bearing it's own trauma. And all of them were born. What happens when they start being made, as well? Illusion magic in a modern era would take the form of a meme. See a picture, read some bottom text, and suddenly you believe something a little bit more. Who's to say what is true ethics when we barely can see ourselves? The eye cannot percieve itself - to do so would be to gaze into the eyes of a mirrored self - it's not the same. Just as the left writes memes, so too does the right. At the end of the day, we're all on the same side. If aliens invaded, we'd abandon our differences and rally against them. But we cannot abandon the wave when there is no other force to orbit around - a three dimensional wave is an eliptical orbit, and when normalized it becomes a unit circle. Or it would, if it were a perfectly circular orbit... So what shall we orbit today, hmmmm? ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #9 fediverse/985 --- ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────┐ ║ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ║ │ CW: cursed-scary-pol-doomer-misinformation │ │ ║ └────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ @user-713 @user-714 │ ║ │ ║ the american military is going to be too busy fighting it's far right that it │ ║ won't be able to meaningfully contribute to ww3 │ ║ │ ║ both sides are slavers. we just don't see it. │ ║ │ ║ I don't anticipate war taking place on a battlefield, that setting is │ ║ forevermore dedicated to video games and kaiju. │ ║ │ ║ rather, a silent war where everyone just goes around killing their opposition. │ ║ │ ║ for once, the citizens can't help but be armed. │ ║ │ ║ and in the dark of night, for every time we let plight from our sight, another │ ║ of us is harmed. │ ║ │ ║ I don't know many people who've died. but maybe they're just working through a │ ║ different part of the social network. It's not like any of their technology │ ║ needs to perform as it's been advertised? well, open source does, but open │ ║ source means insecure (as long as you don't get caught, then you need to │ ║ adjust) │ ║ │ ║ of course, sometimes corporate software... kinda sucks. so it's not like │ ║ theyre very configurable away from what capital wanted. │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═══════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────┴──────────┘ --- #10 fediverse/6055 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────── the longer we wait, the more their hypocrisy becomes apparent, and the more "the people" get it but, uh... I think enough people get it. They at least know something is going on, whatever it may be. they will tell their base whatever they want to hear and their base will have hate. they're itching for it. volunteer for things if you want a say in how they turn out. risk your life to live longer. there is no way to know when the time is right because nobody knows the truth of our times. Even the president is misled. gee I sure wish there was like, some form of centralizing intelliagentic knowledge that pulled the strings and led us puppets toward liberty, justice, and freedom for all (as a baseline) surely they'd be able to see the corruption and rot that imperils us all, might they have a better design? who can say, they are quiet as the grave, here's hoping they stay that way. "you know the powers of which you speak are not to be trifled with" you can't trifle with your own life. be thorough~ ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────┘ --- #11 fediverse/4863 --- ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────┐ ║ ┌────────────────────────┐ │ ║ │ CW: politics-mentioned │ │ ║ └────────────────────────┘ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ "leftism" just means "outcomes oriented by the needs of humanity et al." │ ║ │ ║ you can accomplish "leftism" in a myriad of ways │ ║ │ ║ but 99% of the time they involve either sacrificing yourself, or sacrificing │ ║ your wealth (do the poor starve or the rich do with less?) │ ║ │ ║ to DEATH I might add, which is quite a few. │ ║ │ ║ ... alright, hand me my scabbard, I'll go vanquish some demons until the dark │ ║ thoughts are done. │ ║ │ ║ [plays video games for a moment] │ ║ │ ║ alright. so some politics were mentioned and some people got upset and there │ ║ was a whole big commotion. whatever. so what if they're at each other's │ ║ throats, ready to fite rawr tough and tussle and figure out all the ways they │ ║ can think of to kill each other. And then boom, it's done, suddenly │ ║ everything's back to normal and it's like... traumatizing. It's traumatizing! │ ║ War is trauma, can we just make it illegal to do something like that? │ ║ │ ║ ... ah see you finally had an opening, now I can sneak in and say "if a │ ║ military force has the opportunity to destroy you, t │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────┴──────────┘ --- #12 messages/1164 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─── you know, it's perfectly reasonable and valid for a people to rally with their government against a vile, cruel, or evil foe. Look at what's happening to Iran - they started by assembling peacefully, there were violent crackdowns, and people started getting shot. Once the government uses live ammo on you, it's time to get your guns. Oh, don't have guns? Then you are a prisoner in your own state. Perhaps it's a Norway style prison, with golf courses and television and college lectures. Or maybe it's an American style prison, where you can do your work and pay your time and maybe you'll break free from that hellhole if you win the lottery or are picked up by a gang. Or maybe it's another kind of prison, an evil prison, haunted by the ghosts of dracula hitler's past. In that case, you're pretty fucked. There is only one escape from this fate, and that is external intervention. It is mutually beneficial for all states to do so, so wars of liberty are some of the surest to succeed. Everyone likes to save a life. Few have the will to win it. "Risk your life and live longer" the lateral approach to the brutal slugfest that is civilian versus security forces style revolutionary war is a peaceful revolution, where everyone agrees and the state relinquishes power peacefully, or the peaceful renaissance, when the dotcom bubble blooms and it feels like a golden era of prosperity, so nobody has much to fight about and we just... agree to make things better. Or, the violent renaissance, when everyone's learning cold war technology and passing notes or developing hand signals. This approach proved to be an unexpected but more than adequate strategy in the [redacted] quarter of the 21st century, especially in the [red].[act].[ed]. where the civilian cops and the government spies were still sufficiently aligned to the valorous virtues set forth by the founders and upholders of their homeland nation state's attitude to temper their angers and focus on building lateral power structures to escape the crushing drudgery of government work and sidestep the curse of desperation applied to capitalistic endeavors, and instead just work on getting people what they need. This proved to be beneficial at first on the small scale, as collections of families became accustomed with helping each other grow. This led to a remarkable development in civics, as people started trusting everyone sitting in their trusted diner. Then, it grew from there, as representatives engaged each-other equitably, and knit together a fabric of those that know. "hub person" was a term developed initially, but almost immediately proved to be inadequate. There was more to knit than networks of friendgroups, and indeed as the other social structures became more developed the "social outlet" style hang-out started becoming busywork, and the times spent talking with winks and nods started feeling like all [there was to do, but pronounced that was so]. Some people resented this transition, others saw with dismay the exact same social structures begin to emerge in the primordial soup that is the renaissancing state. But as soon as things started to feel less new, the moments felt easier to handle, and people started having space to become creative about it. These moments of "peace" and "calm" served to both provide a rest or a breather, but also to identify what works best, where the friction points are, and how to try something newer. Many people felt nervous about the sudden removal of the governmental safety net (provided through essential services), but after the defeat of a few rather evil rough patches it started to feel a bit more sense-able. The future felt wide open, and after realizing that this solidarity was all around us people had the ability to do whatever they want. This led to a series of great transitions that enabled the beginning of the infinite golden age, where everyone gets what they want and we all are bolstered by our shared unities. Much writing has been done on the nature of the calamities that were just barely avoided, but it's clear to everyone that for a precious series of moments near the beginning of humanity's history, there were real threats of nuclear armageddon, climate change, hedonistic false heavens, and, at times, even alien invasions felt plausible. There was nothing occupying our mind's graces than existential peril. But, in the end, the right path was taken that led humans to where they are now, somewhere off in the stars and colors of sound. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──┘ --- #13 fediverse/2724 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────── ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: uspol-cursing-mentioned │ └─────────────────────────────┘ "second american revolution" yeah fucking right it's liberals versus fascists, and once the liberals win the leftists will be marginalized again because that's how it goes. though who knows, maybe periods of intense tumult are the perfect times for restructuring society. After all, the traitors HAVE been slowly twisting things to their benefit every chance they get. And hey, these leftists really seem to know what's going on - I mean, have you heard that guy's rant about the minimum wage? or hey check out this video essay that goes into the politics of gender and how they relate to the justification of hierarchy, so neat glad we can hear these voices while we shiver in our homes waiting for the brave ones to save our lives. Cowering sure is neat, it inoculates you to trauma and then every news story feels like just another pile of shit to eat. Though, frankly, we're pretty inoculated already. Too bad cowardice has been our song ever since the Red Scare and Civil Rights movements. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┘ --- #14 messages/1061 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────── Look, I'm a fan of small government. I think each state should be its own nation, and the federal government should essentially just coordinate trade between them and organize a common militia that they use to contest outside threats. How unfair is it that we don't get snap funding because they couldn't resolve their differences? And how big of a problem would it be if suddenly everyone in red states suddenly lost their government benefits... And yes it's true that i love America, through and through. These States have stood United for several hundred years, but the American United States deserve a bit more freedom than is currently granted to. They need to know where they stand, we need to prove to each other why we need each other. To that end, we must weaken ourselves, as a weight lifter weakens her body by lifting, so that we might grow and heal our wounds and bind new accords as her body does do with her muscle fibers. We will come out of it stronger for it, if we truly desire unity. I think we do, on an abstract level, but practically we're constantly fighting. Luckily, the past is soon fading, and we have new tomorrows upon which to write our boons and our sorrows, so let's make the most of each new light and try for something that might awake, remake, and refine us. We shall define us, we who are yet hoping. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────┘ --- #15 messages/322 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────── When they invade America, it won't be with planes and tanks and battle lines stocked with artillery It'll be with speed boats, and semi trucks, and rifles glimmering in the dark. It'll be with consumer drones, with power stations brought low, it'll be with bridges blown and safe houses on the roads not oft taken. Immigrants are our friends when the world is in peril, and America is a safe haven from the woes of far off shores. But when America is the peril, those who immigrate do so with intention. 99/100 people are innocent, and I would rather a million guilty murderers go free than an innocent perish. Which is why we need rifles. When the time comes, it won't be brother against brother. They want you to think that because they want your eyes on the wrong target. They want you to think that because it doesn't tip the hand of those far off shores, and once the cards are revealed, suddenly everyone knows when to go. They tie up our officers at the border, but the border's not what's at stake. No body lives at the border, and no nation state would send it's trained warriors in such a way that they'd get caught. At least, not more than once. Should we build a wall, should we patrol each and every state, we'll find ourselves in peril of collapsing under our own weight. But should we relinquish our duty, our sworn and sacred responsibility, then together we share the same fate. Brothers in fate are kin until death. Immigrants aren't bad. They're good people. They benefit our society and bring us wealth and prosperity. Which is why they hide wolves in the sheep, armed like a man. It's a mistake to point at your neighbor and say "you're on your own". It's a mistake to say that home is all that you own. We are united in our state of solidarity, in our collective purpose as a nation in our hearts. There's no dividing line between this land and mine, save for a line we draw in the sand that determines the range of our just demands. I wish I was a man. It's what I was born as. It surely would be easier to not contravene nature's ordained gender scheme. But I'm not, and I'll trust that you'll trust me when I say that. I hope you would hear where I stand before my body goes cold. The media is meant to enlighten us, but in this enlightened era it serves only to blind us. Do you know your neighbors, oh unfriendly city folk? If not, how do you know they're alright? The world won't change overnight. It's always calm before the storm, but every state of calm does not call forth a storm. I believe we can fashion a peace out of our mutual sincerity that leaves room for the hopes of all posterity, and to that end I say what we have isn't working. It's too rigid in its definitions, too heartless in its cruel machinations, and yet the wolves do also hide amongst our homeless. I don't want to alarm you. Things are being handled as they should. I guess I just want to offer a hand of friendship, a hand that your companions would stab me for. At least, that's what the media tells me. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────┘ --- #16 messages/1019 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────── The insightful but unaware liberal's perspective on war quickly changes from "what are we even fighting about?" to "holy shit these people actually want to kill us" [the learned liberal who knows history and who follows along with politics will say "we are fighting him" until they say "we are fighting American ISIS"] The leftists fight for liberty. More and more of them join every day. The blacks fight for freedom, *even still*. Everyone else has cause, and I'm sure some just do it for the thrill. Do they work together to build a world where everyone gets what they want? Even their foed? Or do they splinter, and let intelligent sabotage guide their fates? I know I'd rather trust my own will, and the will of those who believe with me. I know I'd rather make space for everyone, rather than shove some out into space. It's cold up there! You can't even breathe! ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────┘ --- #17 messages/325 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────── Conservatives don't have to be pro communism to be good people. They just have to be anti fascist. And unfortunately, capitalism has produced fascism. It will continue to do so if left unabated. Capitalism is not the middle ground between administrative authority and anarchic despotism as they claim to see it, but rather a whirlpool that drains through our adversity. A sinking tide strands all ships, as it were, and together we will begin to falter. Fascists are quite good at bending the will of whatever system they inhabit to suit their needs. In fact it is almost a certainty that any sufficiently organized institution shall fall prey to it, as if it were part of our nature. Hence, my desire to abstract it out of our hands, and into the care of the future. We can build a better world for you and for me and all of our posterity, it's just a matter of interdependent communication protocols. Nobody has to do what I say, nobody should be forced to be a certain way, and just as your rights end where another's begin so too is our world in danger. For you see, we have a right to litter. To despoil. To leave the earth in turmoil. And though I am a bit bitter, it's slowly getting better, so through our efforts we are investitured. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────┘ --- #18 messages/310 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────── Feminism, queer theory, racial politics, class struggle... It's the same conflict, just different battlefields. Power cannot survive without the powerless, as it is inherently an imbalanced ratio between two parties - you cannot have power *with* someone, you have power *over* them. Every day we take another step toward our liberation. Every moment we choose to live our lives in contrast to the will of power is another day we are empowered. There can be no life without struggle, but the right to struggle on our own terms is something we should strive to grant to all people. Power begets power, and power corrupts. Hence, power is evil. It is not good to be evil, and goodness is what we should strive for - hence, power is penance - the infliction of corruption upon one's self in order to apply your will onto others in the world. Penance is a state of contrition, it is painful and ardent and necessary, but it is for the strong and the righteous to bear in service of the weak and meek. The only unethical act is an application of power to an unconsenting subject. Your rights end where another's begin, hence, Paladins, who apply unethical acts toward those who manifest injustice. Injustice is when one party is harmed, and another benefits. Justice is when that benefiting party is brought low in pursuit of equality. True justice is when both parties benefit, and everyone gets what they want and need. True justice is hard. Virtue is goodness given form through the effects of our actions. It is both a reflection of how people see you (how you inspire them) and how they are helped or healed from your actions. It is also virtuous to help yourself, as you are a person too. Sin is the opposite of virtue, it's when your actions create injustice. When you harm others or degrade yourself with hatred or contagious fear. It is to be avoided, but it's impossible to avoid fully as we are imperfect beings. Forgiveness is good, but if you require it then you should probably relinquish your power until it is known that you're worthy of wielding it again. Sometimes people make mistakes, but mistakes do not require forgiveness. .......... Where was I going with this? Oh yeah. The powerful hire people to dress up like us and be shitheads to the people who they want to hate us. And they do the same thing for the caricatures of them who we're meant to be afraid of. Downside is a caricature is a pretty good role model for people who don't know any better, and they've done their best to keep as many people as they can in the dark. So, it won't be easy, but information has always been on our side. In a war of attrition we'll always come out on top, because thinking and compassion are both stepping stones to our schools of thought. And both of those actions are intrinsically human and good, so people gravitate to them. Meaning inertia is on our side. Downside is that its not always a war of attrition. Sometimes it's more about suppressing information until its impossible to communicate -> see "dead Internet theory" and "musk breaking Twitter" and "the great firewall of china" and such. To speak is to think, and to hear is to show compassion. But if we can't find each other, we're at a loss. Good thing we can always talk to our neighbors, but unfortunately that doesn't tell us anything about what's happening in New York. Or Paris. Or Kansas City. I don't have an answer, if I did then it'd be solved. But I am entirely convinced that we collectively will make good decisions and find ourselves with the advantage. We are past the inflection point, it's just a question of which parts of the hill are steep and which are narrow. But we'll get there, in the end, because humans always believe they're good. Which means they make good decisions, and overall that leads to a bright future. It's only a matter of walking through the moment until we get there. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────┘ --- #19 fediverse/3891 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────── "no, you're the opposite of a yes-man, AKA a gatekeeper. I don't know how else to explain mentally disabled and barely keeping it together to you, but frankly if you want to take away my house or my weed then why would I do what you say? ... oh right, the state's monopoly on violence [can compel me to do what you say]. Sure seems like a "well regulated militia" is supposed to be a counterweight to that monopoly, to prevent people from harassing and exploiting and destroying. Too bad any "militias" I can think of tend to want me dead. like, seriously, if you live in America, you implicitely trust that your army will be able to protect you from the right-wing bozos who spend all their time drinking and shooting in the woods. Otherwise, if they couldn't / wouldn't, then why wouldn't or couldn't the right wing bozos just decide to wreck everything in spite of our past? We were a proud people once before, and we may be again. If only we fight at the last. [ever since I fell off my bike my body feels strange] ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────┘ --- #20 fediverse/2519 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────┐ │ CW: uspol │ └──────────────────────┘ a significant proportion of the population is dumb as bricks, which is a fact that our foes wield with cruelty in mind. it's not their fault, they can change, but sometimes there's just no time. our doors are always open, here sit next to me on this couch. I hope you don't mind if I deprive you of power before I supply kindness, though. requires a bit of trust. Or, to be backed into a corner and forced to do so. I guess we should get good at cornering. if you're a liberal reading this, remember that leftists know more than you. That's okay. You are an expert too, but now is our forte, so please just listen for a few. and always keep in mind the lessons of the past. Before, our kindest, bravest, and most learned were the most passionate who threw themselves toward the cause. then the soviet union happened, because everyone who was capable of building a better world was slain first. (though the cold war didn't help) before WW2 Russia was basically Somalia. After, it sacrificed itself to contest USA ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┘ |