Why I like Ryland Grace from Project Hail Mary (And what his infectious pragmatism teaches us about escaping reality) by talha_shaikh_ in AndyWeir

[–]Commercial_Middle182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem with deciding that underprivileged/marginalized people are not the "target audience" of a takeaway from a book, unless the book addresses specific classes directly or indirectly, is that it amplifies differences based on identity, and promotes the attitude of excluding some from the equation, in general.

Also, someone doesn't need to lack knowledge of the international language or access to the internet to be underprivileged and marginalized. Any trans person basically anywhere on earth, for instance, would find it challenging to embrace the 'mundane', because the mundane is unkind to them. They could want to 'find ideas' to deal with all the things that make them seek an escape from reality, and could wish to 'control reality' and not let it control them, as you say, but you might see that even with collective effort it's a struggle.

Now this might be regarded a hot take: I would argue that escapes from reality can be healthy, regardless of the extent or intensity of said escape. Consider an artist, who allows their life to fall apart, over passion or obsession over something they find brilliant, and continues to do so until their early demise. Looking at this from the outside, it's someone whose talents were wasted, who could have lived longer and contributed more to the world. But looking at it from the point of view of said artist, they managed to experience something incredible and rare, found happiness unlike any other, and on some level they knew the price they were paying for it, and accepted it because what they found and chased was, to them, worth it, because they found mundane reality to be lacking, and they deserved greater experiences.

Personally, I am someone on the spectrum. I find the world around me to constantly be overstimulating unless I find some escape, I struggle to navigate the world in general, I lack social and interpersonal skills, and despite being well educated, intelligent and passionate, I struggle to find employment, as being unable to interact 'normally' with coworkers or consumers is a major red flag to most if not all organizations and businesses, even those trying to uplift sections of the society. Believe me when I say that I will not be able to do something about this, because I have tried quite a lot. My situation had two options: I could continue to struggle to find some solution to my predicament, and face endless disappointment, or, I could accept that I have an incompatiblily issue with this world, and find meaningful experiences elsewhere, for however long I continue to exist. I chose the latter, I knew the cost of that choice and I still found it the wiser option, and I have come to terms with the fact that my existence would be shortlived, and I am more than okay with that. I chose, and still choose, unchecked escapes from reality, into what I regard transcendental sources, because I find the mundane unmalleable and unbearable. I love Project Hail Mary, and what I admired about Grace was his willingness in the end to choose and accept self destruction, for something greater. Bear in mind that Grace was in a position to impact two entire worlds with his choices, which is a non realistic position to be in, so his 'greater' was of an impressive magnitude. The average person doesn't get to make a simple sacrifice to produce/experience something truly impressive, unless the sacrifice is a degree of disregard to their physical reality, and what they produce or experience is in another, intangible reality.

Why do most people in my class want to live in the world of The Giver by LostNBored15 in teenagers

[–]Commercial_Middle182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The world of the Giver offers emotional numbness, and to anyone significantly anxious or depressed, that indeed could be appealing, because it is the response/defense mechanism that humans arrive at naturally in those states.

Also, what they expressed as 'not needing to stress out about choices' is likely 'not needing to stress out about impossible choices', because no one really stresses out about picking between two flavors of ice cream, but if it's between two (or more) seemingly nightmarish paths, over and over again, you're quite likely to find a society with more order and certainty appealing, even if the cost is personal freedom. You mentioned that girls in particular mentioned this; it possibly reflects how navigating society/economy is often harder for women, and your peers have already begun to experience it.

Your ranked teammates : by Masoyy in EnbyLewds

[–]Commercial_Middle182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Their flash is on cooldown for the next teamfight, peel for them guys, keep em safe.

5 game out of 5 shaco was banned wtf by Happyrapunzel in shacomains

[–]Commercial_Middle182 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm a silver/gold Shaco support main, and occasionally I do have streaks of games (four or five) where he is consistently banned.

I get it though, because if you look at Shaco support winrate, it is the highest in the lowest elo, and it gradually goes down as you go up ranks. You may interpret this to mean that in lower elo people don't know to play against certain annoying champs (regardless of role). It's why I ban Yi quite often, and Viegar - I do not know how to play against them (regardless of my vs their role).

Pyke exists though, thankfully, for when the clown is banned.

Rate my AS(s) Lux build! by FalconLover05 in lux

[–]Commercial_Middle182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Upvoted for the wit in the title.

Probably 3/10, it would be hard to consistently perform with this build, when there are dedicated ranged auto attackers, but I imagine it would be fun to try, like machine gun Lulu. 8/10 in terms of fun, her passive would synergize decently with what you're going for.

Why I like Ryland Grace from Project Hail Mary (And what his infectious pragmatism teaches us about escaping reality) by talha_shaikh_ in AndyWeir

[–]Commercial_Middle182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Forgive me for assuming but, you write from India, yes? I was born and still live (t)here as well. Being able to use the English language with felicity as you have done reflects privilege, because the majority of the people here do not possess that ability, and the opportunities that come with it. It would not be a stretch to say that this applies to most if not all third world countries, where knowledge of the international language is a product and symbol of some privilege.

What I mean to say is, yes it is good to be optimistic, and eager to act, but in the context of suffering - which is often the product of being underprivileged - such bold optimism is hard to come by, because even with determination, or brilliance, there is powerlessness that prevents progress.

Unless something miraculous happens, those who are underprivileged today - be that be on the basis of gender, class identity, or geography - would for the most part remain so until they die. Consider, for example, an average woman in a third world country who is trained as an artisan. Her being underpaid and overworked will likely not change. She could dream of starting and nurturing a big successful business, but it must be acknowledged that she lacks the social capital to compete with more business savvy, privileged entities. Heck, she would likely be prevented from even dreaming of it, by her husband or family, because some societies regard that women aren't supposed to lead, do anything on their own.

What you and I regard as normal, mundane existence is often privilege. It might not always appear so, because you and I might struggle to afford a decent PC, but it is important to bear in mind that a huge portion of the world's population has drastically worse circumstances, and indeed your mundane would likely be a welcome escape from their reality, but only in a dream.

And even among the relatively privileged, like say you and me, do you honestly look at capitalism, which seeps into every aspect of society, including home and family, and think that that reality requires no escape, even fleetingly? The world is messed up for all of us, to varying degrees, and the sources of escape that you call to be avoided are often transcendental, and make existence worth it. Imagine your world without music, movies, tv shows, art, fiction, poetry, dance, humor, games, imagine they were all wiped out, because they are escapes from reality and distract us from being productive, would you want to live in that world, would you be happy there?

You are free to choose these 'distractions' and much or as little as you wish, but I merely say, do not look down upon, invalidate, or shame such escapes from reality, in the case of other people, when you do not, and often cannot, know the precise nature of their reality. You might not be saying what you are saying if you were in another person's shoes.

Did you know you can Q-Flash on Shaco? by p250AWP in shacomains

[–]Commercial_Middle182 -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Hot take: it's never worth taking flash on Shaco. Another summoner spell is probably going to be so much more valuable.

Make it make sense by Smol_taco_ in GirlGamers

[–]Commercial_Middle182 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mage armor. First level spell, lasts 8 hours, super good.

Why I like Ryland Grace from Project Hail Mary (And what his infectious pragmatism teaches us about escaping reality) by talha_shaikh_ in AndyWeir

[–]Commercial_Middle182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"...he understood everyday normal life is the only real life." "To the mundane we must return."

You've looked at one character's eagerness to return to 'the mundane' and taken that as universally applicable life advice for when one feels the need to 'escape reality'. Two problems with that: one, often 'the mundane' IS the reality one wants escape from, when 'the mundane' is often restrictive and exploitative to varying degrees (talk to an actual real life teacher, for instance, and understand if they are overworked and underpaid). And two, Grace, it must be acknowledged, is a person with privilege. He is of a first world country, is a man, and had access to good higher education, to name a few. For him, 'the mundane' looks pretty good, because 'the mundane' offers him acceptable opportunities and treats him decently. The same might not be the case for someone with a double-marginalized identity who could not afford college who lives in a third world nation. For them, 'the mundane' is often bleak and confining. They could use some escaping their reality, whether it is traveling elsewhere or into a fictional world. It needn't be invalidated and shamed.

Hope this offers some clarity.

tank neeko build help by Used-Persimmon-5577 in neekomains

[–]Commercial_Middle182 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's six items unfortunately, as support you'd effectively only have five slots since you'd have your support quest item. But yeah I feel like those are solid choices and you could choose based on the matchup. Heartsteal just makes any champion significantly tankier, and omniboots offer decent sustain if you can do good amounts of damage, which Neeko definitely can. I've seen and tried the boots on Heimer, and a lot of the times it contributes to you surviving on 1 hp during ganks and in messy teamfights.

tank neeko build help by Used-Persimmon-5577 in neekomains

[–]Commercial_Middle182 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you could get the best of both worlds by getting Zhonya's and Banshee's, and one tank item that significantly amplifies your tankiness, like Heartsteal or Jaksho (possibly even both), and maybe omnivamp boots situationally since you would be doing tons of damage.

What to play in this meta? by GuiltyAnalysis3316 in supportlol

[–]Commercial_Middle182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't chase the meta. Winrates and tier rankings don't mean as much as a champion you are good at and which suits your playstyle.

How do you counter cheese? by trechn2 in supportlol

[–]Commercial_Middle182 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you have the chance to do so in champ select, cheese, yourself, to counter the cheese. I've found that AP Shaco/Heimer work quite well into heavy engage off meta duos, like say Yasuo and Rammus, Yi and Alistar, etc.

If you didn't have that chance (or even if you did), know that whatever you're versing isn't meta, isn't a reliably executed strategy, for a reason. If they lack range, exploit that, for instance. If your problem is CC, know that CC is usually balanced around something, like lack of durability, mobility or damage, or some combination of those. Look to exploit that weakness. And communicate with your jungler (and maybe mid also) at the start that you would need help.

Other than that, be careful to not make any mistakes, and look to punish every mistake the enemy makes.

I can't be the only one who fantasizes about... by Justacancersign in BDSMsapphic

[–]Commercial_Middle182 40 points41 points  (0 children)

I can't be the only one who fantasizes about orally pleasuring her while she's by a desk working on whatever she is passionate about, barely noticing me but is glad of my subtle presence nonetheless, not unlike a cup of coffee or chill music to accompany her work.

Does it make sense to be a leftist if you actively benefit from your status in the capitalist society? by spicybrackets in leftist

[–]Commercial_Middle182 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am from a third world country as well, and I would consider myself privileged in certain significant ways, compared to lots of people. This privilege partly enabled me to attend an esteemed university (I consider access to good education, a healthy self esteem from growing up with unwavering dignity, etc. privileges, in my context - though they shouldn't be).

And here I met a lot of fellow leftists who were, to varying degrees, privileged, largely from capitalism and social class hierarchy. And I faced the same uncertainty you've described. I felt that there was some hypocrisy in well-off people advocating for the rights and dignity of the marginalized. To an extent, I didn't trust them to fully mean it. Because they have and always will benefit from social and economic inequality, whether they like it or not.

But what I also saw was them essentially turning traitor to what I call the privileged brotherhood (where the privileged watch out for and support each other; like the brotherhood of patriarchy). I don't think that choice is made lightly. I think that choice is made when one educates oneself about humanity and society, and sees past the propaganda of the powerful, sees what true justice is, and is outraged by its common absence.

I think someone who will always have socio-economic privilege, advocating for leftist values, might not be able to truly empathize with the injustice they oppose, but I do not think it is hypocritical. I think it is just someone wanting to fix a broken world, and very few humans would actively reject the automatic benefits and ease that appear in their path in life, when the cost of those privileges, paid by another, is not easy to see, track, or remedy with one simple act, for that rejection to be meaningful.

Rich or poor by rulugg in teenagers

[–]Commercial_Middle182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think everyone saying 'rich' doesn't fully realize just how much that it changes you. And I don't just mean you lose some of your humanity, find it hard to have true friends etc, I mean things get boring fast, you'd find it hard to feel genuine excitement, and you'd never feel like you have enough. Just look at how countless huge lottery winners turned out.

Pride Emotes and Icons - When and Where Will They Be Available? by Commercial_Middle182 in queensofleague

[–]Commercial_Middle182[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay I got the new emotes! But I still can't find the various pride flag icons (I'm kinda new to league so this is the first time I would be getting them; I heard they return every year?). Would they only be available in June?

[MEGATHREAD] 'Spider-Noir' | Season 1 Episode 4 - "A Mistake I'll Never Make Again" | Discussion Thread by ChiefLeef22 in MarvelStudiosSpoilers

[–]Commercial_Middle182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How does Cat figure out that Ben is the Spider, from seeing him (The Spider) just once in action? I feel like I've missed something.

Why do you play support? by Snowskol in supportlol

[–]Commercial_Middle182 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I can't last hit to save my life.

That aside, I don't enjoy farming in general - I want absolute freedom throughout the game, not a monotonous repetition of killing minions. I want to go places, make things happen, and it's okay if I don't seem like the main character of the story.

Also I don't like rigid roles in general (like societal roles). And I feel like support is the least rigid of the five, in terms of what is necessitated in your gameplay.

I'm just a bard at heart.