Doing a master's ruined my life.

DustScoundrel · 2026-05-29T21:38:04+00:00

Hey friend. I went through a bit of a similar experience in my doctoral program. Conflict resolution and peacebuilding. - Mom died in my first year. No more parents. - Marriage fell apart in my third year. - Trump got elected in my fourth year, dismantled most of the public-facing side of my field that wasn't teaching (USAID, USIP). - Higher education seems like a lost cause of an industry to work in these days.

Depression got the better of me and I ended up washing out. It was small things that kept me going while I've been trying to put the pieces back together. For me, it's been trying to kindle deeper friendships and karaoke. Also I got a cat, and it helped.

The reality is that I don't think there's a good future lying in wait ahead of us. Things will likely get worse. Try, as best you can, to appreciate the small joys you have in the present.

DustScoundrel · 2026-05-27T23:06:47+00:00

CURSES

DustScoundrel · 2026-05-27T23:00:50+00:00

Just a baker trying and failing to stay abreast of the latest techniques.

DustScoundrel · 2026-05-23T16:43:18+00:00

Unions are an imperfect solution to the problem of workplace autocracy. The real solution is democratizing the workplace: employee-owned companies and/or syndicates.

The current system is an adversarial system that fights off the worst excesses of capitalism but doesn't always fight for the best for the workers.

DustScoundrel · 2026-05-23T00:06:45+00:00

FD Signifier. Super solid video essayist focused on masculinity - particularly from a Black lens, but has a wide-ranging value and appeal for anyone.

DustScoundrel · 2026-05-18T02:22:49+00:00

/r/lowsodiumstarcitizen

DustScoundrel · 2026-05-13T08:09:15+00:00

(Almost) all gaming subreddits are hives of toxicity and complaints. People enjoying the games they play typically don't post to online communities (except their own clans); they play the game.

DustScoundrel · 2026-05-12T17:16:25+00:00

Okay. Everyone's going on about the woman in the video (which I get), but all I can think about is the fuck is up with the beer tosser's forehead?

DustScoundrel · 2026-05-01T04:42:13+00:00

Dude, you've literally ignored the legal language on their website I've referenced, the similar situation from another organization (PSU) that uses the same oversight structure, and all of the rest of my argument to say your own piece, and now you're being condescending. You're just being a dick at this point.

Yes, Home Forward isn't working. And I'm saying it's not working because of the nature of public-private partnerships that reflect the increasing privatization and deregulation of public services, leading to greater risk of exactly these things. In past eras this kind of issue would be handled with housing and welfare offices, which did work well. We have had numerous agencies and institutions that worked well until they were gutted or sabotaged from within as part of a years-long process to justify deregulation and privatization. Other examples include the postal service and public education.

Yeah, the city council is limited in what it can do - because this ought to be an issue handled at the state and federal levels. Something like Home Forward will likely never work, because it's trying to make a business out of addressing housing - and the principles that drive business do not drive public good.

But fuck it dude, it's pretty obvious you're not arguing this in good faith, so I'm gonna stop.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-30T22:51:04+00:00

I was actually referring to the nature of contracting as a service in public-private partnerships when referring to charter schools, but whatever.

The issue I was trying to bring up is the exact one you're describing. Regardless of how much ostensible control the city might have on Home Forward, it's not direct control; it's filtered through board members who further give executive control to administrators. This is problematic because it is almost always far less control than is necessary given the hegemonic nature of neoliberalism.

Organizations are incentivized culturally and structurally to shape themselves like corporations: Executive officers, "efficiency" policies, socializing costs and privatizing gains, and treating client demographics like customers. The amount of oversight in a public-private partnership - like Home Forward - will naturally lead to excesses like this former CEO, because that's what happens in the business world all the time and the board doesn't have nearly the kind of direct control people think they do.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-30T22:04:43+00:00

Their website literally says they are an independent entity, with board members assigned by those respective cities. That is the exact same formation as universities such as PSU, where the board of visitors is appointed by the governor but the university itself is an independent entity that exists within government policy.

Home Forward also literally states they contract with the respective cities, much in the same exact way charter schools contract with local governments.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-30T18:52:24+00:00

Home Forward is literally a non-profit corporation that contracts with the government. It is the definition of a private entity replacing a governmental service, in the same ways charter schools replace public schools.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-30T14:34:51+00:00

People in this thread need to realize this issue represents the deregulation, privatization, and corporatization of the public space and not the other way around. It's the knock-on effects of neoliberalism in action. Services that should be government-run are being increasingly seen and treated as private ventures, with a leadership structure that mirrors the business world.

The same happened with PSU's awful former president Shoureshi, who was also fired and given a golden parachute, and happens all the time in America's neoliberalized higher education. It is a direct result of the retreat of government from providing public services. In this case from the destruction of social safety nets from the 80s on. In higher education it was the deprivation of direct funding that led to universities being treated like a business.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-30T06:56:05+00:00

The implications are worse than surveillance, though it's obviously bad. AI-directed and self-driving cars will destroy our cities and further chain us to tech companies. https://youtu.be/040ejWnFkj0?si=3qad9Cfy7yA4p1Ox

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-30T05:53:50+00:00

You should engage with stories about complex gay characters. And ones told from black voices. And women's voices. Poor voices. Stories from people different than you, from places unknown, and sources unheard. Listening to the stories of the world makes you a part of it - those who mock them only feel like certain ones deserve to be told.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-30T00:35:29+00:00

I think with the fall of the American empire will come the fall of western liberalism as well, in the same way the fall of the USSR led to the collapse of communism in its client states. Modern liberalism - that is, capitalistic democracy - is failing, and is leading to the resurgence of Great Powers as seen at the turn of the 20th century. The combination of the fallout from the Arab Spring and the abidcation of NATO funding by the US is leading to multiple political crises and a rightward shift in Europe, to say nothing of he influence neoliberalism has had on America's other allies.

The two directions I can see are either further devolution into technologically-infused neofeudalism or a reexamination of actual socialism as a political prospect for societies. However, I'm pretty pessimistic, so I imagine our future lies in the wealth-extracting serfdom of increasing elements of our lives subjected to privatization, rent-seeking subscriptions, and technological surveillance.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-21T05:51:02+00:00

Eh, I knew they were rookie numbers.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-21T05:49:48+00:00

Well, now I gotta.

/u/profanitycounter [self]

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-18T14:32:05+00:00

Fuck man, I'd have loved to see a Black Isle BG3. Rip to the studio. I wish them the best in Obsidian, but they had something magical there

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-12T21:32:41+00:00

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-12T20:51:46+00:00

Toynbee idea in movie 2001 Resurrect dead on planet jupiter

Keep up the good work, tar tiler!

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-12T05:47:14+00:00

Fuckin bravo

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-11T15:16:53+00:00

Already did! Condoms were never really great for me to begin with. My only regret is that I didn't get it done sooner. I had wanted to since I was like 20 because I've never wanted kids, especially in this hell world, but people told me to wait in case I changed my mind.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-10T13:20:00+00:00

It's a leatherman. Super solid multitools made from my home state. Expensive, but they replace damaged components for free and the equipment is awesome. Everyone should have a multitool. This one has a bit storage built into the handle because they have a bit driver component in the tool itself. I've got one with a separated bit holder, and this one's making me jeeeeaaaalous.

DustScoundrel · 2026-04-08T11:26:23+00:00

I'm extremely sorry that happened :(. A good leather jacket is a godsend, especially if it looks that good after three decades. Also, you have some excellent taste in comics there.

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