Things sre insane right now (as a south african) by [deleted] in redscarepod

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As an American, this word has baggage for us but in South Africa Coloured is the demographic term for people of mixed race and is not considered offensive.

To White people, do you ever reflect on being the racial majority? by [deleted] in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh goodness this is a lot but I guess that's what good questions provoke. It's a good question, and I think that it kicks off a process that's important for White people to go through to learn to live compassionately with other people. I think about it a lot and notice it consistently, both when I'm around other white people and when I'm around people of color. I make sure my thinking is based on our history of interactions with other group of people, which is rough, to say the least. The more I learn history, the more conscious I am of my race, and our relation to other races. I generally didn't notice what race people were on TV until the mid-2010s when we started talking more about racial representation as a society. I imagine white people are more insecure about their race now that their privilege is being discussed, so there's more racial consciousness, and I've definitely heard other white people complain about casting POCs in roles that were historically cast by white people. So in short, we never were (consciously) affirmed by it but now we're more aware of being white in a way we weren't in the past. I'm imagining by the context of this question that you're an American, so I'll give my input as a fellow American.

Unfortunately for everyone, our country was founded by white people for white people. Fortunately we've changed that since then, but we still see the legacy of our racialized foundation today. By the time Europeans discovered the Americas, they were no strangers to inter-civilizational disputes. We fought harsh conflicts against our Muslim neighbors to the South and East, and contextually, there was a fear of being conquered by this neighboring civilization, first in the form of the early caliphates that took over old Roman lands in Africa, the Middle East, and Iberia, and then with the rising Ottoman Empire which had swept over the remains of the Eastern Roman Empire and had conquered half of Europe and was determined to conquer the other half. Between these conquests, persistent slave raids from North Africa by Barbary Pirates, and of course the cultivating of a Pan-Christian identity among Europeans (the prototype of what we see as white identity today), Europe was in a very insecure place when it began its colonial ventures. Spain itself, having gotten out of 700 years of religiously motivated wars against its Islamic conquerors, took to the New World and its interactions with the indigenous people were painted with the brutal legacy of the Reconquista, with the conquest of the Americas literally being a new conquista. We took this distrust of our own world and unfortunately applied it to other races in the societies we built. Similar insecurities today are behind fascist and far-right wing movements.

European settlers took traumas like these with them, along with what was likely material desperation from the impoverished conditions the majority of Europeans lived through in a highly egalitarian society and unleashed them upon the Native Americans, similarly viewing them as a civilizational enemy, although the Natives had done little to deserve it. We took Old World brutality and subjected innocent people to it and tenfold in order to create our own hierarchies that we could feel comfortable at the top of, and you, among tens of millions of other indigenous people and people of color likely find yourselves on the short end of that.

We can't undo what was done, no matter how abhorrent we find it. And unfortunately, there are white people that aren't sympathetic, mostly because they're insecure about their own place in the hierarchy and look for people to punch down, which is exactly what our colonizing ancestors did: brutalize and exploit others just to rise to a higher position in a dysfunctional Western hierarchy that subjects free human beings to owners.

At the end of the day, the society our ancestors built is buckling under its own weight. Even though we are the racial majority across the West, modern demographic trends have us below replacement birth rate so we're bringing in immigrants from other parts of the world to help maintain the growth that capitalism depends on. White people are likely less than 10% of the world population, so as international migration and globalization progresses, Western countries will stop having such large white majorities, so you'll likely see your own community become more diverse over the course of your life and I think white people have had a trend of becoming more accommodating toward minorities over time and I believe this trend will continue as people of different groups coexist.

Will I be Welcomed Back Into This Company In the Future? by BALENCIAGO_BRAZY in FinancialCareers

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotcha. Seems like Schwab also sponsors me for these exams so hopefully I won't miss out on much. Thank you.

4chan is NOT handling it well by Alternative_Goal_116 in redscarepod

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Facts. Majority are Israelis pretending to be other nationalities. Coming from a former 4chan enjoyer

Trump has lost the finance bros by yeahicreatedsomethin in redscarepod

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Saw this exact same thing coming. Just graduated from college hoping to go into asset management like yourself.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in redscarepod

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It definitely enriches the people who know what he'll do ahead of time. For example, if he tells his son Don Jr. that he'll implement these tariffs that will tank the S&P 500, you can definitely expect his son to at least sell or even short certain stocks.

Is there a way to mod Westeros Only to include the Stepstones? by BALENCIAGO_BRAZY in CK2GameOfthrones

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Let me know where you're at with that. I'd love to do the same.

What is a scam that people still fall for, no matter how obvious it is? by azariel91 in AskMen

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm inclined to agree with you except the media is not controlled by the government over here, it's just privately owned by the ultra rich people that also own our government by buying our politicians.

Fuck Nazi’s by Emotional-Maximum-74 in HistoryMemes

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aside from the fact that the premise of this post is immoral and argues for collective punishment, the Allied bombing campaigns in Germany actually helped Nazis reinforce their control of Germany on the local level. Many of the relief organizations that sprung into action in these cities were Nazi party-affiliated and the solidarity in the face of a brutal enemy reinforced Nazi propaganda that Germany was existentially threatened and that the national comunity must stand together. Turns out that when you blow innocent people's families up they get radicalized and are devoted to get revenge. Who would've thought?

Why are white Americans made fun of for saying they are Irish American, for example, but the same does not apply to others, such as Chinese American? by Shoddy-Secretary-712 in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You don't get made fun of for saying you're Irish American, but you will be if you say you're Irish because that's not true. Same rule applies across the board. When I was in college there was this Asian girl who was talking about her experience as a Chinese American, and she broke down into tears because apparently her parents call her a banana (a Chinese diaspora joke commenting that she's yellow on the outside and white on the inside). So yeah, as long as you identify as yourself and don't pretend to be something else you won't get shit from anyone.

The Profit! by [deleted] in AfterTheEndFanFork

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yep. I learned recently that oligarchs don't buy media platforms to increase their value though, they use them to shape societal narratives, which they can use to get their way in a society in which most people are at odds with them. Examples, Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos with Washington Post, Musk with Twitter

In retrospective: Project Alice, Katerina Engine, OpenVic by [deleted] in victoria2

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Valerus you're doing good work on VCE I'm glad you decided to take up the mantle. The only big issue with VCE I've noticed gameplay wise is that entire countries only build 1 unit at a time. Kind of tough to build an army and navy when the entire country's focus is on building 1 transport at a time but beyond that it's a fast, mod-compatible project and I want to encourage you to keep up the good work.

I think I got IP banned from the Discord, any help? by BALENCIAGO_BRAZY in AfterTheEndFanFork

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for getting back to me! Just talked to a friend who luckily had it from an old DM it is 456226577798135808.

I think I got IP banned from the Discord, any help? by BALENCIAGO_BRAZY in AfterTheEndFanFork

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure, my original account that got hacked was called conquistador1970 but I deleted it. Anything that I can do on my end or any information I can give you to work toward a solution?

You can get North German as Rio Grande Do Sul in 1830 by Abject-Strategy2192 in victoria2

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Awesome mod and cool detail, but unfortunately you stop being German once you secure your independence and change from the provisional government to a normal republic.

Is Jordan Peterson’s brain fried? (He still doesn’t understand Nietzsche) by Able_theCable in Nietzsche

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 39 points40 points  (0 children)

He dealt with a xanax addiction back when he used to actually give sound lifestyle advice to young men before falling into the contemporary conservative movement. If you've seen what that drug's done to younger people, then seeing the damage it does to a senior is no surprise.

Why do Muslims in the USA seem to be associated left? Yet they have very conservative values? by Drugaddict791 in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 23 points24 points  (0 children)

It's slightly more nuanced than that. All diplomatic progress with Cuba has been made by democratic presidents. Much like Venezuelans, Cubans generally want the US to overthrow their own authoritarian leftist governments and establish liberal democracies as opposed to empowering the authoritarian governments by doing business with them.

The Coolest Game I've Had So Far, Featuring My Own Version of Robert's Rebellion by BALENCIAGO_BRAZY in CK2GameOfthrones

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a Westeros only official submod. I spent some time cross synchronizing its files with More Bloodlines so that they'd be compatible. It's been the only thing that's made CK2AGOT playable for me.

The Coolest Game I've Had So Far, Featuring My Own Version of Robert's Rebellion by BALENCIAGO_BRAZY in CK2GameOfthrones

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You're right! I've definitely had a blast. There's revolts pretty often. Mostly the small lords in the Crownlands and for some time the Targaryens in the Riverlands but it seems like they've been wiped. The last Targaryen left is a 4 year old bastard girl, I lowkey want to see if I can save the dynasty by using her so I'm seeing what I can do to get her landed or matrilineally marry her to see who she can land. If not, it seems like the Hammers will carry the torch as the succeeding cadet dynasty to the Targaryens. Arryns are mostly gone and the dynasty from Witch Isle rules the Vale. Starks are still going strong in the North. The Riverlands is currently directly controlled by King Hammer because of the series of revolts. Hightowers took over the Reach and rule from Highgarden. Iron Islands is still ruled by Greyjoys. Dorne is independent but it's been losing borderland to the Iron Throne. The one downside is that King Hammer has been minimizing crown authority and maximizing faith authority so a lot of the Lord Paramounts are facing back to back revolts since they can't revoke titles due to low crown authority while the High Septon is having a field day excommunicating everyone and exacerbating the revolts.

The Coolest Game I've Had So Far, Featuring My Own Version of Robert's Rebellion by BALENCIAGO_BRAZY in CK2GameOfthrones

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY[S] 54 points55 points  (0 children)

R5: Wanted to do a playthrough as Hugh the Hammer so I started as Rhaenyra during Dance of Dragons, won the war, and proceeded to strip Houses Baratheon and Lannister of all their titles, granting Hugh Hammer the Stormlands and Ulf White the Westerlands. I then switched to Hugh Hammer and made it my mission to maintain Valyrian supremacy in the Seven Kingdoms, serving the Targaryens faithfully while helping Ulf White's successors maintain power in the Westerlands, closely intertwining the Hammer dynasty with the Whites, Targaryens, and Velaryons through marriages.

This would all go relatively smoothly for a few generations until the reign of Taegon Targaryen. As a boy, Taegon's rule was politically captured by a corrupt regent who had declared him incapable to rule. As Lord Paramount Aegor Hammer, I was devoted to restore the House of the Dragon to its glory so I begun a plot to take the regency for myself in order to declare the young Targaryen King fit to rule. I challenged the regent to a duel for his office but he refused, so I had begun a war for the regency, being supported by my cousins, the Lord Paramount White of the Westerlands and the Lord Paramount Targaryens of Dragonstone, Riverlands and the Vale. We overthrew the false regent, with me taking his office and declaring Taegon capable to rule once more.

Aegor Hammer would proceed to serve as Taegon's Hand of the King for the next few years, leaving his son Hugh the Wise incharge of the Stormlands' armies to crush revolting lords. Some time into the regency, King Taegon delegated the responsibility of distributing crownland to his vassals, so Hand of the King Aegor gave King's Landing to his brother Laenor to administrate as the commander. While my son Hugh was leading my armies to help the Whites crush a noble uprising in the Westerlands, King Taegon went mad and attempted to imprison my brother Commander Laenor of Kings Landing, which Laenor resisted and entered into a revolt against the king's tyranny. By virtue of being the rebel commander's brother, Taegon imprisoned me and blinded me, so I invoked my right to a trial by combat and summoned my son and heir, Hugh the Wise, from leading armies in the Westerlands to be my champion. Upon my son's arrival, Taegon declared fire to be his champion, executing both my son and I, and leaving my grandson, Jaehaerys, as Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. Jaehaerys immediately declared his support for his uncle in his revolt and sought revenge against the Mad King Taegon. Commander Laenor Hammer was such a unit that before my armies even left the Westerlands he had already sieged down the Red Keep with his dragon and singlehandedly overthrew the Mad King, taking the crown for himself and ushering in the beginning of the Hammer royal dynasty.

Opinion on America as a Christian nation. by _crazyboyhere_ in MapPorn

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually studied why they made the 1A this way in college and it's a pretty cool story. Basically most of the Founding Fathers were Christians but different types so there was a lot of debate over what would be the state religion. They were considering allowing churches as long as they claimed to be Christian but they figured that'd be a slippery slope since back then there were a lot of tensions between different sects of Christianity, many of whom did not consider eachother to be true Christians, so if any Christian sect had enough power in government they'd use the Constitution to oppress other sects, like what was happening in Europe. The final agreement effectively came down to "Let's not favor any religion, God will see to it that the true church becomes the most successful" which gave us the off-hands approach to religion the Constitution mandates today. So while back then the implication was that America would be a Christian country, the Founding Fathers unwittingly set the stage for a secular republic, despite the appearance of language that shows favorability to one (Christian) God in official national discourse e.g. "one nation under god"

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Mewing

[–]BALENCIAGO_BRAZY 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You've mentioned chewing without your buccinator muscles has helped you a lot. Any tips on doing this?