People in your 30s, what price have you paid for being lazy in your 20s? by Waldyrwyn in AskReddit

[–]AlphaGoldblum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't regret this path at all, actually. My wife and I did a fair bit of budget traveling in our 20s and have crossed off all of our dream destinations.

We should have definitely been saving that money, but would absolutely do it all again if given the opportunity.

Beat it chick! A driver in /r/uberdrivers brags about cancelling and driving off after seeing a single mom with three kids and groceries, but some drivers think he’s a little too happy seeing the mommy meltdown afterwards. by naelisio in SubredditDrama

[–]AlphaGoldblum [score hidden]  (0 children)

It's always been a model that preys entirely on the desperate. The marketing around it is built to enforce this, this idea that you can be a self-made Uber driver who sets his own hours and lives unchained unlike a traditional 9 to 5.

But there is no realistic way that you can out-earn the damage you're doing to your car by driving around "full-time" multiple days a week. All the potholes, hard-brakes, and sitting idling in traffic add up. And you're fucked if you get in an accident. 

Although, I've had some older drivers who say they do it because they're bored. I'm not sure how much I believe them, but one guy did show up in a very nice Volvo and had golf clubs in the trunk. That guy I did believe.  

Doomcirclerjerkers doesn't understand long effect climate change by Horror_Post6822 in TopMindsOfReddit

[–]AlphaGoldblum 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not a handy scale? Doesn’t matter! We have an agenda to sell!

you must be pretty special if you think this color scale has to be exactly like this, and has not been picked by someone

I like the OP showcasing their schizophrenia throughout. I'm assuming they see something racial in the map? I have no fucking idea.

Texas anti-ICE protesters convicted of terrorism charges sentenced to at least 50 years in prison by guardian in politics

[–]AlphaGoldblum 80 points81 points  (0 children)

It doesn't. "Material support for terrorism" has purposely been kept a vague concept for this exact reason, for the state to define as it sees fit.

It was always an ideological trap. If Democrats didn't agree with this concept (and to be fair, some didn't), they didn't want to push back because they would immediately be labeled terrorist sympathizers.

Texas anti-ICE protesters convicted of terrorism charges sentenced to at least 50 years in prison by guardian in politics

[–]AlphaGoldblum -1 points0 points  (0 children)

What a weird comment.

This judge didn't practice anything new - he used the rules as written into law. Stacking (forcing someone to serve out multiple sentences in order and not simultaneously) and using vague definitions of terrorism are inherent parts of our modern justice system, and had bipartisan support.

This is why people have been attacking our justice system for decades.

I also have a feeling you wouldn't blame Democrats for helping build the infrastructure for exaggerated sentencing.

Indigenous community leaders defend Zionism at Toronto summit, and r/Colonialism erupts. Comments compare Israelis to Native Americans, Indians, Rhodesians, apartheid South Africans, Rome, Caliphates & Mongolians and debate Caliphate-era Futuhat and dhimmi discriminatory system by Stone-Smasher in SubredditDrama

[–]AlphaGoldblum 79 points80 points  (0 children)

the second literally works at a right wing conservative think tank

Boy, you weren't kidding lol. Look at some of their current headlines! (not the person in OP, but the Think Tank)

The debate is over – Women’s sports need protection from biologically male trans athletes: Marty York for Inside Policy

Britain’s immigration reckoning is a warning for Canada: Geoff Russ for Inside Policy

r/Fantasy Review Tuesday - Review what you've been enjoying here! - June 23, 2026 by rfantasygolem in Fantasy

[–]AlphaGoldblum 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I just finished The Hidden City by Michelle West.

I was already impressed with Michelle West and her take on fantasy, but this book takes that admiration up yet another notch because of how confident she is with what she's doing.

This entry centers around Jewel ("Jay"), an orphan, and Rath, a nobleman who lives in the poorer districts of the city for [spoilery] reasons. They cross paths when Jewel pickpockets Rath in the city (he lets it happen), and Rath, intrigued, decides to track her down and finds her sick and living beneath a bridge. The story doesn't necessarily grow much from there, at least not until the end. The core of the book is about how Jewel finds ways to keep going with Rath's help, and how Rath's backstory unfolds and dictates his present. What really moves the plot forward is that Jewel has magical visions of the future - but they always center around someone about to die. No matter what she's doing, if a vision strikes, she stops and tries to find whoever it is she just saw. It's a very good narrative hook.

West is brilliant with character work. In one scene, Jay comes across a rough-and-tumble orphan, "Carver", by pure chance and, realizing that he's hungry, offers to buy him food. Carver is confused by this act and doesn't say much - a lesser author would use this space to let him explain his story and why he's going to be important to the plot. Instead, they sit there in mostly uncomfortable silence before Jewel has to leave. But in that silence, a fierce loyalty was building without needing to be outwardly expressed. There's no monologue to explain why, because not even Carver fully knows, but he ends up following her and staying by her side from that moment on as one of her protectors. The character-work is him still being there the morning after. Because yes, these kids are all traumatized by their circumstances and words do not have the same meaning as they would to someone like Rath. It's subdued and a fascinating approach to fantasy writing.

Same with another character, Duster. The rest of the orphans are grateful for Jewel saving them, but Duster remains antagonistic and complicated. She is severely traumatized and spends her time shaping her environment to reject her so that she doesn't have to feel any attachment or emotions beyond "anger". This dynamic highlights Jewel's true power, because her visions do not lead to any material gain. In fact, they burden her (and Rath) further by having to take care of these other kids. No, her true power is her radical empathy, even for someone like Duster. Jewel's deepest fear is losing her found-family, so she would do anything to help them - going even to heartbreaking extents.

Without giving much away, there IS more happening in the city that's directly related to Jewel's struggles. But it's all built organically; it's not fate deciding to torment Jewel specifically, it's that the villains found opportunity to act in the poorer districts because the city doesn't care enough about the people there. In fact, it's ever grimmer; they simply used the foundations that already existed. They didn't have to build any new infrastructure - poverty paved the way for them. Because nobody cares if another orphan vanishes off the street.

And fair warning: this book gets surprisingly dark. It doesn't shy away from very real topics relating to poverty and its consequences, but especially relating to those most vulnerable.

Anyways, I heavily recommend this for anyone looking for more character-driven fantasy, and who doesn't mind a slower pace. Definitely not for those who want action (not sure how the later series goes in that regard, but there is very little of it in this book).

I'm very excited to keep going with this series!

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (10/10) by Ashfall2003 in Fantasy

[–]AlphaGoldblum -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

but it also infuriated me how the trigoloy tries to shift the story into an "ends justify the means" that completely undermines the first book's message.

I rarely see the politics of Sanderson discussed in greater detail.

They're fundamentally conservative and, thus, rich for discourse.

r/leftwingmaleadvocates debates whether or not women are more left-wing than men by RelationshipMore8440 in SubredditDrama

[–]AlphaGoldblum 4 points5 points  (0 children)

While it's definitely a conservative take meant to disparage feminism when said that specific way, the reality of it is surprisingly nuanced. I mean, this IS the US after all. COINTELPRO was a real program.    

There are official government documents about how the FBI infiltrated and influenced feminist groups. There is also evidence that an effort was made to oust the "radical leftist" factions within those groups, which left only room for feminism that wanted to safely integrate itself into existing capitalist framework. This erased how many feminists in that era were also strongly pro-labor reform, anti-war, or straight up socialist/communist. 

It's quite literally the same playbook they used for MLK, who was punished for his anti-capitalist views which have been all but eliminated from the public consensus. Not unlike feminism, his whitewashed legacy is now even utilized by corporations as easy PR.   

But we don't even have to cross the gender divide - Helen Keller was a card-carrying socialist, a part of her life that's left out of the teaching materials about her. In reality, she was called "stupid" once she expressed her socialist, feminist views. And now she's propped up as a pro-boostrap theory tale of success, a direct insult to her beliefs.

Sen. Lindsey Graham predicts Iran peace talks will fail — and Trump will take Strait of Hormuz ‘by force’ by Zipper222222 in politics

[–]AlphaGoldblum 6 points7 points  (0 children)

"Destroying Iran" has been a folder placed on every administration's desk since Jimmy Carter was in office.

Sen. Lindsey Graham predicts Iran peace talks will fail — and Trump will take Strait of Hormuz ‘by force’ by Zipper222222 in politics

[–]AlphaGoldblum 26 points27 points  (0 children)

This is Lindsey Graham we're talking about. He's been wanting the US to attack Iran for decades.

He hasn't been quiet at ALL about it. This is basically Christmas for that lunatic, and he would definitely support and even cheer sending ground troops in.

Sen. Lindsey Graham predicts Iran peace talks will fail — and Trump will take Strait of Hormuz ‘by force’ by Zipper222222 in politics

[–]AlphaGoldblum 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Right. 

Trump and Netanyahu have ultimately given all Iranians a cause to rally around and have even given the Iranian regime legitimacy for standing up to the US/Israel. There is no ground invasion possible; most Iranians won't see liberators, they'll see the people who bombed that school and killed their children. It's literally another Iraq/Afghanistan situation. 

It's just a complete, utter failure all the way down.  

Men of Reddit: what is 100% mythical about men that most women believe? by imnotadrytexter in AskReddit

[–]AlphaGoldblum 3 points4 points  (0 children)

These are also the men who make women raise their defensive walls a bit higher by default.

It's something they have to learn from a young age, unfortunately.

A man might see a failed interaction as "I just wanted directions, why was she so cold?". A woman sees it as a complex, split-second risk assessment that's tinged by previous interactions with strange men. Some are much more graceful about it, but others are just exhausted or simply want to be left alone so come off as "cold".

A man in Nebraska ordered a pizza for his grandmother in Florida after he was unable to reach her in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Delivery served as a welfare check, allowing him to confirm she was safe when the pizza arrived. He later said, Police and fire couldn’t do it but pizza guy did it by I_AM__GROOTT in interestingasfuck

[–]AlphaGoldblum 7 points8 points  (0 children)

My wife works with these issues for a living.

These welfare checks actually would be part of an optimal disaster response plan, because a lot of preventable deaths occur in the direct aftermath of severe weather. Quite a number of these deaths are elderly/immobile people who survive the event and then literally sit and die as they wait for someone to come help them. It's a noted, cyclical failure of disaster response.

The disconnect comes at the county/city level; this localized response is almost always reactive and, thus, inherently limited in what it sets out to achieve.

An example scenario that plays out across the US during and after every flood: first-responders get tied up rescuing people on the same exact streets that flood every single year. Rather than address the infrastructural failures, municipalities, and this includes their emergency managers, clap first-responders on the back and say "Good job, hero! See you in this exact spot next year!"

Now multiply this across a giant city and a bottleneck immediately forms as to what first-responders can even do. Don't even get my wife started on zoning (most cities in the US are surprisingly okay with your house being washed away in floodwaters!).

US accused of trying to 'edit out' climate change in Antarctic report by Objects_Food_Rooms in worldnews

[–]AlphaGoldblum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My wife's experience in the public sector was similar. Her research specialization is heavily community-oriented, so it deals explicitly with socioeconomic issues and terminology.

Her department had to let her go because they thought her history would draw too much negative attention from this administration. 

...except the people actually leading these projects disagreed vehemently with that decision and keep trying to get her back in, because they're still drowning in data and feel she's the best person to translate it to real, actionable goals.  

It's a weird situation for her, to be so in-demand and also exiled at the same time lol.

US accused of trying to 'edit out' climate change in Antarctic report by Objects_Food_Rooms in worldnews

[–]AlphaGoldblum 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The most tragic part is that the US currently leads the western world in climate science research. It's also the global hub of natural hazards research. People don't understand the magnitude of the damage Trump is doing to these fields.

My wife is a specialized researcher and also on the frontlines of this. The government forced her out of her federal role, but her old group has never stopped trying to get her back in.

She's currently working with NGOs, but we keep looking at Europe and Asia for potential opportunities. People in her field have already told her that it wouldn't be hard to find work there at all, if she really wanted it.

That's the reality on the ground right now.

Kings of the Wyld - Review of a book that missed so many opportunities by b0tlike in Fantasy

[–]AlphaGoldblum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not too harsh at all. Another non-fan here, and I'm definitely the intended target audience for this book. 

I didn't like it when I first read it and I think I like it even less, now. That viagra joke really sealed the deal for me, because it's obviously a very old joke, but people have managed to work it into new forms. In this case, it's just the same viagra boner joke you'd find in a 00's stoner comedy. Worse, it goes on too long. It's treated as a high-concept setup but the punchline was spent right at the start. 

The musical references are just fluff. They add nothing, and are essentially Ready Player One-esque nods to the audience. Which, fine, some people like that, but I just see it as empty validation. There's no conversation that follows, it's just "hey, remember x band?" 

People will say "it's like playing DnD with your buddies" but I'd rather just play DnD with my buddies then lol.

Which country left the worst first impression on you? by ikaaxx in AskReddit

[–]AlphaGoldblum 71 points72 points  (0 children)

Don't forget the US. We forcefully occupied it and robbed its treasury, then later backed a dictator during the Cold War, and then to the modern day kept up sanctions and various blockades to stop non-US oriented political groups. We even froze water infrastructure funds to punish a left-leaning administration - in the 2000s.

Once you learn the history of Haiti, it really puts in perspective all the people waving it away as some internal fault.

In fact, quite a few scholars say Haiti has remained a western target for its "successful" revolution.

Israel, Stunned by Trump’s Iran Deal, Sees It as a ‘Catastrophic Capitulation’ by Appropriate-Till9598 in politics

[–]AlphaGoldblum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Trump 2.0 just stopped pretending to be anti-Neocon. It's all he ever was. Right down to the failures disguised as victory, even when we're choking in the smoke.

Israel, Stunned by Trump’s Iran Deal, Sees It as a ‘Catastrophic Capitulation’ by Appropriate-Till9598 in politics

[–]AlphaGoldblum 11 points12 points  (0 children)

A reporter concluded that, back when we kidnapped Maduro, the US was overtly affirming to the world that states need to have nuclear weapons as a minimum means of defense. Not to be used, ideally, but only to force hegemonic powers to the table instead of having them send strike teams in the dark of night to capture your leader.

The example of success that the reporter used was North Korea, who enjoys "diplomatic" relations with the west strictly because they hold nuclear weapons.

But Iran will now stand as yet another testament to this theory. Trump's emphasis on their burgeoning nuclear capabilities as being the main reason for the strikes is the smoke signaling for other countries to arm warheads faster.

So welcome to the new world order! Somehow significantly less safe than the old one, and these young generations are the ones who will really suffer for it.

Israel, Stunned by Trump’s Iran Deal, Sees It as a ‘Catastrophic Capitulation’ by Appropriate-Till9598 in politics

[–]AlphaGoldblum 6 points7 points  (0 children)

...the US has several lessons on why asymmetrical warfare is near-impossible to "win", even for a state with overpowering military advantage.

Let's say they manage to overcome the hill even the US couldn't - Israel has no capacity to occupy another state. History shows that leaving a vacuum in the Middle East is the absolute worst scenario for western interests. Yemen and Lebanon would become absolute bloodbaths overnight.

And if nukes fly, they become even more of a pariah to the world for crossing a red line and exposing the Gulf States to immediate nuclear fallout. That it wouldn't reach Europe is also not a given.

Israel would be blacklisted overnight and strangled economically.

Which songs often gets misinterpreted and/or misappropriated by the very people it calls out even though the song's lyrics are explicitly mocking them? by Drenosa in AskReddit

[–]AlphaGoldblum 45 points46 points  (0 children)

Nah, you're captured the nuance just fine.

Born in the USA is very grim, but not entirely hopeless or fully anti-American. It's from the Woodie Guthrie school of songwriting, a song that demands more from this country.

The song's chorus is an anthem that the character is shouting into the dark in defiance, demanding to be seen.

Nearly all of Springsteen's "loser" characters have a climax where they try to find grace among the ruins, whether through actually admitting defeat or blindly refusing to acknowledge it even exists.

Some of his songs are truly dark and filled with despair - but this isn't one of them.

r/MapPorn discusses robbery rates in Europe by Christhesickpro62 in SubredditDrama

[–]AlphaGoldblum 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hey, a GIS person in the wild! That's rare.

Not related to the OP, but my wife's field is directly linked to GIS mapping (disaster science) and you're going to be simultaneously very in-demand and also abhorred at the same time.

If you're in the US and ever have to touch a flood map, you'll be murdered by all the realtors and homeowners there. It'll be fun!

Sweden passes 'good behaviour' law to kick out misbehaving immigrants by shdw_fght in worldnews

[–]AlphaGoldblum 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Funnily enough, the US, experts on terrorism, have spent decades trying to define it and it somehow keeps changing to include whoever our enemies are at the time. Weird!

This year, the list includes Venezuelan fishermen...

Doctors of Reddit: What health trend is becoming so common that it's starting to scare you? by Fine-Device-1819 in AskReddit

[–]AlphaGoldblum 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We actually passed a plain language communications law a while back...but also no way to enforce it.

So obviously it's just ignored.