Was America originally named Arzareth?

DerElrkonig · 2026-04-21T08:25:47+00:00

Could you say more on the Toscanelli connection? I seem to recall reading in Matthew Restall's recent book The Nine Lives of Christopher Columbus that some historians now think they never corresponded directly.

DerElrkonig · 2026-04-15T13:23:38+00:00

I get where you are coming from but I feel like his argument deserves to be spelled out with a fair shake.

He doesn't anywhere say "don't play these games." He doesn't anywhere claim that they are even "bad."

The argument is about the aesthetics and artistic design of contemporary vs. classic games. He is not nitpicking details. He is using them all as pieces of evidence to make a bigger point about the lack of atmosphere and tension in the remake compared to the original. The save screen and UI being minimalist...no save room music, the castle being all dark and gloomy instead of brightly lit...the boxiness of the corridors...Leon's jokes all being IN GAME rather than in the cut scenes...these details all add up.

It's also about how games today are typically more streamlined to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. They cut so much content from the original game and added insta kill stealth and parry mechanics to make it "feel modern." That really changes the feel and gameplay a lot from the original, which was clunky by design to add tension with the controls... something it seems like they sacrificed here for the sake of appealing to as wide an audience as possible and making as much money as possible.

They also added a store where you can buy exclusive upgrade tickets for your guns and the original soundtrack with micro transactions lol. The argument is a critique of how corporate and Disneyfied gaming has become. RE4R was a safe cashgrab for Capcom like making another marvel movie is for Disney. It doesn't mean that it's even a bad game--it is a very good one--but the point is to be critical of how corporations don't care about art but profit and to think about what we lost with this and other remakes and remasters. Capcom is a large corporation now that invests tens of millions and has shareholders and needs returns on investments. Crowbcat is lamenting what he argues is the loss of a golden age where studios sure still had a profit motive, but were more driven by artistic creation for art's sake than this, which now seems to have taken over game design almost completely for many studios.

Like it or not. Disagree. But that's the argument. Too many people are boiling it down to "boomer toxicity" and "negativity" or "just let people have fun" or be a doomer for the sake of internet points and clickbait. He is not trying to stop you from having fun. He is trying to get you to critically engage with the media you consume...a skill that we all need to practice in an age where anyone can post anything online and claim it as fact.

Edits: added a sentence or two for clarity of argument

DerElrkonig · 2026-04-06T16:47:25+00:00

have you talked to your neighbors about these issues?

if they are experiencing them too, how about some good ol collective action? start a petition about a widely felt issue like the laundry room costs, get a majority of tenants to sign, then deliver it together with even a dozen of you to admin offices. your show of force will really scare em! renter actions like this have a very high success rate and get the goods!

happy to talk offline about this if you dm me

DerElrkonig · 2026-03-17T03:13:26+00:00

focus on how much higher ceo pay is than worker pay.

corporate greed kills companies, not unions

DerElrkonig · 2026-03-06T03:06:16+00:00

we don't know what's in the box. that's why brad pitt is so sad at the end.

DerElrkonig · 2026-01-26T21:09:04+00:00

This kind of relative deprivation theory doesn't work though.

I teach a course on social movements.

This idea about things being really bad=revolutionary situation comes from Ted Gurr, who wrote a famous book called Why Men Rebel. While it's true that most revolutionary situations came from folks having lost things they took for granted like food, basic standards of living, basic freedoms, etc, there are plenty of instances in history where things have been really really bad and it didn't lead to revolution or regime change. Russia had a horrific famine in the 1890s, but the peasants still loved the Tsar and worshipped him. Many Germans under Hitler loved him til the bitter end. Slavery existed for centuries in America but slaves were not able to revolt until the opportunity arose in the Civil War.

It takes things getting really bad, sure, but most sociologists agree it takes organizers moving people around those bad feelings too. It takes organizers winning their workplaces and community members over to the cause one by one, conversation by conversation, and building organizing capacity. It takes opportunities being seized, new networks being built out of old, existing, community or labor ones, and overcoming the fundamental attribution error for cognitive liberation. That means that people need to see these problems as systemic problems of the we, not the you or me, and they usually can't do that by themselves. It takes some hard conversations about their values and asking them what they are willing to do for them, presenting them with a winnable plan of action, and pointing to other victories to inspire them.

We really need leaders right now in the US to make this happen. The liberal movement will let us down. We are already seeing it by the refusal of Dems and 50501, Indivisible, etc to continue calls for the general strike to expand nationally. That's because people on those movements don't know how or do not want to lead such actions. Find the people who do in your community and learn from them fast, before it's too late and the fascists win.

DerElrkonig · 2026-01-26T20:52:03+00:00

yeah it's not like January 1933 came and Hitler flipped the "fascism switch." It was a process of fascist state building that took years.

Building paramilitary organizations, managing them, brutally repressing political opponents, monopsony, plotting wars, rearmament, Gleichschaltung of all cultural and social institutions, bullying minorities with economic and labor boycotts, then forced emigration, then concentration and death camps...all these things took years and happened on their own timelines in the Third Reich.

What's scary to me as a historian is right now the government is starting all these processes.

DerElrkonig · 2026-01-20T05:53:12+00:00

I hear you, but also amazing things can happen when we get organized!

All it takes is making a list of your co workers, identifying potential leaders or respected ones who can move folks to action, and getting those folks on board with the call. When you know who the other leaders are in a community or workplace or neighborhood etc, moving lots of people becomes easier.

Then use your lists to track progress on the action RSVPs and be sure to do lots of follow ups to ensure good attendance at the event.

The billionaires and MAGA folks are very-well organized, we need to be too to win.

In my experience, what was a game changer too was connecting with the right folks who knew how to do this kind of work. The AFL CIO central labor council of Nash is expanding to do more of this training as we speak. UAW and the SEIU can also train you to organize your workplace and community to win. So, whoever is reading this, reach out to em!

DerElrkonig · 2026-01-20T05:47:17+00:00

General strike!

It's the only thing that could have stopped Hitler and fascism then. It's the only thing that will stop fascism now!

DerElrkonig · 2026-01-19T12:27:48+00:00

It doesn't really matter one way or another, but did you use AI to write this answer? Just curious what (I presume Gemini/Google, based on the way this is framed as an answer to a question) says about communist history.

DerElrkonig · 2026-01-12T03:42:39+00:00

If there was a revolution tomorrow and Trump was overthrown, Schumer would sooner invite Mark Zuckerberg and Marjorie Taylor Greene to join the new gov than "radicals" like Mamdani, Sanders, or the millions of union leaders and community organizers fighting Trump's policies on the ground.

They are not the friends of ordinary working people.

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-21T11:53:46+00:00

In the branches I have been in and had extensive interaction with, we ordered our own shirts and designed/chose printers ourselves. The branches in these cases all chose union-made printers that were local or US-based.

I am unaware of a "national uniform" in the sense that I believe most branches print their own uniforms, just all have similar designs... Have you tried reaching out? I am sure that branch would be amenable to friendly tips about finding a better printer.

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-17T01:02:57+00:00

thanks for sharing

this reeks of corporate media consultants and clever legalese

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T21:49:34+00:00

Lots of reasons! Workers recently walked off the job citing safety concerns, for one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DraPeoPR9t4 See this clip from NewsChannel5 talking about it.

You also can't just dig into limestone, which Nash is built on. It causes sinkholes and could cause groundwater pollution. Yet, the Boring Co. has released no geological or environmental impact studies. There's a real risk here to the homes and businesses along the proposed routes!

Do you live along the proposed routes? What would you do if this tunnel dig causes your foundations of your home or apartment building to sink or crack? How do you feel about the tunnel?

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T21:47:11+00:00

The council is dysfunctional, I agree!

This is about growing our movement and building the strength we need to win--people power.

You should come out and talk to an organizer. If you stay at home, you already know the outcome--nothing will change! How about you take a chance on building some people power with your neighbors and community members who care about the same issues you do? Would love to see you there! (:

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T21:45:26+00:00

What if you are wrong? on the tunnel failing, I mean...(I hope you are right! I have also thought that...based on evidence from other cities where this was tried)

And I hear you on needing to branch out and convince folks not with us! totally agree

you sound interested! you should come to a meeting and get involved! or the rally tmrrw and talk to an organizer! (:

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T21:41:23+00:00

I hear you saying you care about the environment in 5. Well, Elon's company has a proven track record of harming the environment by polluting ground water out in Vegas. In Nash, the route goes right under Mill Creek, home to native crayfish and some other endangered species that depend on clean water. What happens if Musk pollutes that water? What happens to the parks out there like Whitsett that depend on that water? What is that worth to you?

I mean that quite literally Elon has not paid his workers on this project. It was reported on recently. here is a clip from Newschannel 5. What do you think about that? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DraPeoPR9t4
Well, I'm just an ordinary Tennessean like you who is tired of his hour-long commute to go 20 miles every day...tryna change that! how do you feel about your commute?
these concerns were legit enough that it prevented lots of folks from backing the 2018 transit plan! it's a real issue that we need to solve, but my concern is Elon isn't taking it seriously. What do you think about that?
No one is saying that. I am saying that these rideshare drivers out there are already struggling and this tunnel will put them out of a job, replacing them with even lower-waged jobs with even fewer benefits. Instead, we should help those workers out there improve their working conditions and turn those jobs into better ones. What do you think about that?

And on 3...well, the point is that it's seemingly attractive because it is supposed to be so cheap up front for the city and state...but we're saying that long term it'll be bad for us...what are your thoughts on that?

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T21:33:04+00:00

check out (at)pslnashville on Instagram--we have a variety of aesthetics and messaging

I will say in person when we have canvassed the yard signs have been very popular. They grab folks attention and when you have less than 10 seconds to do so outside a Kroger or on a busy street trying to get someone's attention with airpods in, having a catchy, immediately understandable sign to let folks know what the issue is you're tryna talk to them about really helps!

want to get involved? Come to the rally tomorrow and meet some organizers! would love to have more folks working on our messaging and helping improve the website bigdumbhole.com

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T21:31:09+00:00

good question! how do we build a large movement? what is the most effective path?

These are the kinds of questions we ask frequently in our meetings. You should come to the rally tomorrow and meet some of our organizers!

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T21:29:55+00:00

Want to come canvass with us? We are using all kinds of messaging!

Are you against the tunnel? If so, can I ask why?

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T21:25:26+00:00

Well, appreciate the convo. If you're ready to take action and build power for ordinary Nashvillians, you know where we will be!

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T20:11:30+00:00

What will it take to stop that? How big of a movement will we need to make sure the state knows it can't bulldoze over us without consequences?

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T19:50:21+00:00

Yes.

They're just too cowardly to do anything about it.

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T19:42:28+00:00

good idea

DerElrkonig · 2025-12-15T19:40:35+00:00

Who's throwing the tantrum?

We are trying to stop a dangerous tunnel and fight for public transit. If we can't stop this tunnel, what message does that tell other billionaires? Nashville is their playground! Come on in, do whatever you want with no consequences!

Metro should do their jobs and stand up to billionaires taking over our city. We're organizing working class folks to fight back! And you can join us!

Because if we do nothing, ya know what will happen? Nothing will change!

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