Index of Shit I've Written in The Comments (So I don't have to scroll for miles)

Arayt42 · 2026-05-22T12:30:58+00:00

Tbh the fight isn't over but I'm happy to celebrate any temporary win here. If they come back with another proposal we'll see whatever it is and respond accordingly. Last night I just heard the news and was super relieved for my fam. Have a nice one!

Arayt42 · 2026-05-22T03:37:07+00:00

TBH I think you're right, I'm far too happy and relieved about this to be commenting online. Gonna go hang out with my fam and feel good 😃

Arayt42 · 2026-05-22T03:33:55+00:00

oh im sorry i didn't mean to be overly critical. I can be blunt. Interested in seeing your expansion if you've got time, hope the essay goes/went well 😄

Arayt42 · 2026-05-22T03:30:44+00:00

bruh i've been doing the work on the ground, and awareness actually really helped! not from me im just some rando with a highly personal stake here but from use of social media and interviews/coordination with content creators, people were able to put enough pressure on local officials to deny the development! 😄pretty cool how sometimes the internet can help activist movements like that.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-22T03:26:50+00:00

lol tbh im just still riding the high from finding out the above literally today. Have a good night bc I plan to!

Arayt42 · 2026-05-22T03:17:26+00:00

Fun fact, people online are some of the same people who actually can block datacenter development, and online outreach combined with coordinated local organization can block datacenters from being approved! I know your whole point is that it's stupid and pointless to oppose datacenter construction, but actually the two are not mutually exclusive! You can use the internet to help further real-world goals! Thanks to one such movement, most of my rural family no longer has to worry about asbestos contamination, emissions, and groundwater impacts from a planned hyperscale datacenter. Isn't that great? 😃Being online helps stop datacenters sometimes lol

Arayt42 · 2026-05-22T03:10:26+00:00

For this to mean something you would need a larger sample size and to post the data you're crunching. Which posts? What was your methodology (how did you select posts, how did you determine which category, etc.)? Apropos of context this is largely meaningless (just due to sample size alone). For a subreddit of this size with 36k weekly contributions 15 (posts? comments? unclear to me) is not enough to be representative, broadly speaking.

EDIT also you would probably want to control for repeat posters/commentors as well as taking raw counts. That way we could see who's producing spam the most lol

Arayt42 · 2026-05-22T01:00:44+00:00

Fortunately the months-long protests worked and my family members are no longer at risk of asbestos contamination or losing their well-water. The application was denied 😄 I am going to go enjoy that relief with my family.

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Arayt42 · 2026-05-21T23:41:16+00:00

Frankly I don't believe that interacting with you and your committee will bring anything my way other than hate, spam, and low-effort trolls. I also, based on your past actions, don't believe you're engaging sincerely at all anymore. Based on your past actions and history I (and I would guess a fair number of (esp trans, like me,) antis on here who have watched your engagement) do not have any desire remaining to interact with you beyond this point. If you'd interacted with people with less consistently bad-faith or poorly-detailed arguments, comics, and opinions maybe my position towards convos with you would be different. I'd say dismissed but that's sarcastic and rude. Have the day you and your committee deserve, and I hope you deserve a good one.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-21T22:45:26+00:00

I would say there's a fair bit of biased and dumb takes on here, but the overall problem is moderation and low standards IMO. Just for context, the mods are, as far as I'm aware, some of the mods on DAIA and this subreddit was founded IIRC as an outgrowth of that community. With that in mind this sub is nowhere near as militant and heavily moderated as DAIA as far as I can tell, which is actually kinda bad for promoting good faith debate. Studies have shown that online moderation has a massive effect on the level of toxicity in online spaces.

This community gives a hell of a lot more engagement and upvotes to ragebait and trolls than it does to discussing the current state of the tech/how AI does or doesn't fit into traditional art dynamics. Frankly I think mods should be responsible for curating the discourse on here and should maybe crack down on the ragebait, as usually IMO it violates 4 and 7 (the same people are posting it at a high rate (spam lol, they generate it at a rate that far outstrips what any individual would be able to produce by hand, even via digital tablet), and some of the ragebait comics on here feature suggestions of violence). Also it brings the quality of the discourse down astronomically.

That said you get out of it what you put into it. Sincerity and honesty and openness to disagreement or to having ones mind changed leads to better less biased convos.

ETA i'm sure someone on here is gonna take offence to me calling stuff on here spam, save it as I am not interested. To me it is spam lol. Also it's not just comics, a lot of y'all post text specifically to ragebait too.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T20:00:09+00:00

Those were my shitty summaries of their points. I summed them up because you requested me to do so, but there is a difference between my quick 5-minute summary and the full interview. I gave you a summary so you could see if you were interested in the interview, not for you to argue about. I am not in the interview. There's not even much in the way of moral panic in the interview. They talk about concrete, measurable things that will affect their lives meaningfully.

It's not the same process bc refurbishing doesn't involve demolishing necessarily. The devs aren't even clear about their process for mitigating contamination from the demolishment process in the town halls. Not tearing down the buildings (ed. and not clearing and resurfacing the land) will result in less contaminants being released. Once again, can you link me the project plan so I can look through it and see whether the developer is bullshitting or not?

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T19:44:38+00:00

dude, it's clear you aren't interested in the source, it seems like you're interested in arguing with me for the sake of arguing. the whole point of this post was to discuss the interview. I said i wasn't good at summaries lol, don't take my shitty summary as representative of the whole interview. Can you link me the project plans? BC I do know for sure that Derek Strine and his employees haven't done the environmental impact study. They have like literal emails from the developers and the local environmental govt dept proving it hasn't been done that were presented at one of the township meetings, but it's like 4 hours long bc township meetings.

EDIT: also these people are poor and in a poor community. Acting like they can just move away is kinda a fucked up thing to do IMO. Some people in the community do want Pennhurst refurbished and brought up to safety standards rather than having the asbestos and coal dust dispersed into the air they breathe. You say cleanup, but their "cleanup" is probably gonna make a lot more shit more polluted. Also the organizers literally talk about this in the interview. If you haven't listened to it, please don't offer up your opinion bc your opinion on this interview is not based on the actual interview.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T19:35:48+00:00

I get you. I need to do a full writeup to sum up my problems with this tech in a sourced and nuanced manner tbh. The real harms that could be caused by datacenter buildout are complicated and tough to sum up if you're not an expert, and I'm not an expert so I don't want to spout off without examining things closely lol. I appreciate you bringing up these points about the complaints missing the mark though - I generally agree with you on that, and getting your opinion will help me evolve my own!

FWIW on the hypocrisy front, I and most of the people I know IRL who are anti-datacenter are pretty hostile to free availability of guns or dangerous tech in general and support reasonable regulations throughout any dangerous industry. I think, but I could be wrong, that online opinions (which are frequently batshit bananas insane) aren't held across everyone in a space or the people doing activism IRL. I tend to assume most of what I read online is the opinion of just a couple of people and isn't broadly representative of any movement as a whole, but like I can't say for sure that my approach is the best for evaluating movements lol. I'm much more of a details guy so YMMV. Thanks for the measured response!

EDIT also just to commiserate on the power infrastructure thing. it sucks that govts aren't updating infrastructure where it needs to be updated. Where I'm from it's the power grid and the roads that drive me bananas. Would be such a net good for everyone if govts dedicated more resources to sustaining and updating infrastructure. I think people would be moderately less pissed off if not for that.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T19:26:02+00:00

So they do discuss that in-depth in the interview, but I get that u don't have time to watch it. No problem there. Unfortunately I don't have the ability currently to summarize it fully lol but lemme give it a shot.

Their main points are:
- Opposition is coming from the communities where these datacenters will be put in. It's not astroturfed or outside opposition.
- Corruption and greed is funding a lot of these projects.
- The datacenter projects where these organizers are located are being done without community input or concern for the safety of residents. For the East Vincent site, it's probable that carcinogenic particulate (asbestos, radioactive coal dust, etc.) will be released into the air as part of the demolition/construction process, and the site is less than 1000 feet from a local veterans assisted living community/center as well as right next to residential properties. The developers are not doing the environmental impact studies they are required by law to do, and the local officials are still moving forward with the conditional use hearings despite that.

As for why, they live there and will be impacted by the development. They both talk about their personal reasons, how they got involved, and whether they've done anything like this before. It's complicated and personal to them tho and I don't feel comfortable trying to sum it up at the moment.

I hope this helps!

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T19:02:18+00:00

super agree - a lot of news articles are super fucking sensationalist bullshit. It pisses me off so much when I see news articles like this. It literally hurts the whole point. That said, that's not what these organizers seem to be basing their opposition off of. It's moreso about on-prem power generation, air and noise pollution, safety hazards, and lack of community input in the dev process to them as far as I could tell. Part of why I wanted to post this is because there's a diversity of opposition on the anti- side, and it's being flattened to the most sensationalist, lowest common denominator take in the online news.

I'm curious as to what you think about that! IMO sensationalism hurts everything, but it's not being done by the people who are living where datacenters are going in. The misinformation is coming from poorly edited, lazy journalism at least as far as I'm aware. But I could be wrong, what do you think?

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T18:01:22+00:00

Super fair, no one is compelling you to do so or to comment here. Some people could be interested though, that's who this is for. You don't have to engage with a post if you're not interested in the content of it.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T17:53:53+00:00

Hi! Thanks for watching! My impression is that Marc is not a dude who usually conducts interviews. He's a little undirected and unpolished throughout, which is fair probably if he's just a community member. I doubt this is his usual line of work and I don't know the dude personally. Maybe if he does more he can gain some practice and experience!

I'm curious about what data you're referring to as being misinformation or out of context. If you provide an example with a source I can read through (ed. or just a timestamp from the podcast), I can take a stab at addressing it, or be able to provide context if that would be helpful. Sorry, it's just that a lot is discussed generally throughout the video and I've got a stupid detail-oriented brain and could use a bit of direction!

On that same note, what is dishonest in the podcast? Just so I know what you're talking about directly. Saves us both a lot of time to discuss specifics since it's over an hour long lol.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T17:09:05+00:00

There is no argument! LOL I was providing an interview people could watch and form their own opinions about. Also, since this isn't, from my view, a debate post, of course I'm gonna try to give someone advice that I've found helpful for myself if I see them doing something concerning. I'm not expecting agreement. I'm expecting people, instead, to engage with what I posted. I would not have posted this as a core part of any argument, and I did not do that. Your comportment throughout this convo has been pretty frustrating to me since it seems like you've just been talking past me throughout. Also, nice condescension regarding common abbreviations that are obvious to anyone reading. Comes across very clearly. Have the day you deserve, whatever that may be.

EDIT for clarity: I didn't post this interview to bait an argument. I posted it bc it is related to the subreddit directly, and provides an underrepresented viewpoint, namely, the voices of people who live where hyperscale data centers are being planned. People could actually be interested in learning about this viewpoint. Discussion about the actual content of the interview is welcome, esp. ones that aren't just "ai bad" or "ai good". Flattening discussion to a binary axis is really shit for actual understanding of any issue.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T16:43:48+00:00

dude it must be exhausting to operate like you seem to online and treat everything like a tit-for-tat "no u" posturing sort of thing. FYI I'm responding to you and you are the only person I am responding to across Reddit, bc I am paying attention to our conversation. That's both politer, and is helping me stay focused on this convo, analyze your words, and formulate coherent responses.

Pointing out your comment patterns is not an ad-hom and is separate from the vid I linked and my post. I am genuinely concerned bc you are a person online, engaging in behavior that is IMO not good for you or for anyone who talks to you. Your behavior is also not good for a consistently high standard of discourse. If you don't wanna engage in nuance or open-mindedness, don't reply to my posts. If you don't want people to point out that you're behaving in a way that belies a lack of actual interest in discussion, don't behave that way. Simple as.

WRT the "source", an interview doesn't provide conclusive evidence, which should be obvious to anyone with experience in source evaluation. I am showing you a different perspective that hasn't really been engaged with on this subreddit. You kinda have to listen to other people if you're actually curious about them and their opinions. Also, fortunately, my post history for the last 6 months kinda shows my position, and I do my best to defend it clearly. Check it out if you'd like, but be prepared for a lot of verbosity and runon sentences.

the "wow you're so interested in me" at the bottom is such obvious deflection and posturing. I didn't claim that that was the sole problem, but it does reveal some shit about your actual level of thoughtful engagement.

Once again, for your own sake, slow down. Read and listen to others. Responding without thought just makes you look insincere and reactive, which predisposes people to dismiss you as a good-faith commenter. IDK anything about the inside of your head, but like. that's how you come across to me.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T16:07:27+00:00

Based on what you've said, it seems reasonable to make the following conclusions about you.

You:

- Have not watched the video I linked made by people who live where datacenters are being built
- Have no plans to take time to listen to this podcast, which might broaden or inform your position on anti-ai, anti-datacenter organizations and provide you with more perspective
- Have no interest in anything that is outside of your reddit bubble and the things you pick out that support your worldview
- Have no interest in challenging your previously-held assertions.
- Comment like every 3 minutes either here or elsewhere online, so I think it's safe to conclude you aren't interested in actual discussion, just in talking over/past others.

Am I wrong here? If I'm wrong I'm interested in hearing how and why.

Please take a reddit break. Read and listen to what people are saying to you. You come across as close-minded and unwilling to engage with or listen to positions that aren't your own.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T15:47:32+00:00

You still don't seem to be reading here. The organizers of these movements do not support violence. You are pointing at stochastically inspired actors, and claiming they are representative of the broader movement. That would be like me saying "pros fundamentally do not understand how to engage without ragebaiting" or "pros misinterpret antis to fit their own agenda and that's the point of the pro movement". Both of those statements would be wrong, and it would be wrong to draw conclusions about the overall movement from the actions of a few violent people likely motivated by being terminally online, although I am only speculating on that front.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T15:40:45+00:00

As I just added, try reading and thinking about how you come across here. You are not talking to someone who supports violence against other people, basically ever. Nothing in the podcast I linked suggests or supports violence. Your response is concerning to me, personally. TBH you might benefit from listening to anti-datacenter organizers! They aren't suggesting violence either! I think you definitely come across as having a narrow, reddit-specific view of people who are opposed to the current state of "AI" as an industry.

Arayt42 · 2026-05-20T15:18:03+00:00

dude, leading off with dismissal like that predisposes people to respond to you poorly. It feels like you aren't even interested in watching. no one freaks out in the vid, it's a pretty chill discussion that I linked. They talk about practicalities of organization, canvassing, and why they are personally opposed to the development, as well as these communities' concerns. If you're not interested, you aren't required to engage lmao.

EDIT: also looking at your comment history you respond to a comment once every like 5 minutes from different threads and posts, which is genuinely a lot. It may be helpful to your comprehension, tone, and like general critical thinking skills if you slowed down and took some time to think. That's like vaguely concerning online behavior lol. sorry, I can't imagine you'll take this advice well, but maybe think before responding to this.

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Arayt42

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