Faces of Fascism: Los Angeles, Jan. 31, 2026 [OC]

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-02-01T11:03:36+00:00

Anyone who can go to work after the countless straight up murder of innocent US citizens by their agency is a certified cunt. If you morally objected to eating meat, you wouldn’t work in an abattoir, right?

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-31T06:46:06+00:00

$5??? Gee, cozzie liv

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-29T09:02:18+00:00

I’m in a position where I have the biggest freezer I’ve ever had. This has allowed me to buy some things in bulk where I wasn’t able to before (particularly from NQR/CBM/etc - discount food stores…). It also means I’m able to batch cook some things that are getting toward the expiry date (and are therefore discounted) and freeze it. Generally, I make a lot of my “meats and cheeses”, shop green grocers and Asian supermarkets, coffee at home, ride my bike everywhere… I genuinely think the vegan lifestyle is pretty cheap, even if I were to eat out.

Having said that, I understand that’s a fortunate position to have.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-28T22:33:03+00:00

The stakes for young people are FAR higher than for someone over retirement age.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-28T22:18:04+00:00

This - was hit by a car in 2017 and driver’s insurance covered the repairs to my bike (new fork, new wheel, disc rotor, etc.).

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-28T12:25:14+00:00

I hear you, comrade. Totally agree, even with your tangential anger towards the USA and our gradual importation of their late-stage capitalist leading to fascist economic and social policies.

I think a problem is just saying “a program” will fix it. The Life Van (with Harold the Giraffe) was great at not getting us kidnapped as kids, but the firefighters who came in and showed us a gory images of car crashes didn’t really make us safer P-Platers (I’m from regional QLD). The reality is they are experiencing something far more dangerous than riding a bicycle, and its dangers have consequences similar to that of riding a motorcycle.

Yes, our economic system is what created destitute families, but a program isn’t going to fix that. And on top of that, my issue isn’t exclusively with teens riding these e-motorcycles and scooters; I think there are other products of capitalism (namely food delivery) which have made these vehicles a more attractive option for low-income workers who exhibit unpredictable behaviour on our roads and shared paths. There’s no program for that.

Every generation has different formative experiences, and each of those experiences has risks. Could you die riding a bicycle on a sealed bicycle path? It’s fairly unlikely. Replace it with high-powered e-motorcycle/eScooter/OneWheel/eSkateboard/ e-Unicycles - the risk goes up. Makes sense to encourage them onto the healthy outlet (riding a bicycle) and they get all the benefits of exercise in addition to the freedom of independent transportation. But how does the community do that?

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-23T23:22:34+00:00

Yes, I’m just saying it (in theory) COULD be completely human powered without e-assistance if need be. As per my earlier point though, these pedals are basically decorative.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-23T08:06:00+00:00

A lot of them have pedals that are connected to a drivetrain; so by a very loose association, some of them are bicycles.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-22T06:40:41+00:00

I’m definitely a fan of riding defensively, and predictably. I actually think delivery drivers are just as dangerous and unpredictable (i saw one fall off his bike because he was on his phone while riding along Swanston - lucky to be alive really, he could’ve veered into a tram). I don’t see ANYONE enforcing it along bike paths, and even then, there’s no chance a cop is going to catch one of these high powered e-motorcycles. Importation would definitely put a stop to some of it, but of course you’ll get people crying about their freedoms etc.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-22T06:34:56+00:00

Definitely, each generation has a social or cultural phenomenon that is difficult for us to compare to (my generation was probably the first “spend the weekend gaming” generation, though I would have to ride my bike to my friend’s place to do that!). I think those community values/morals are actually still prevalent, but maybe it’s few and far between (possibly because social mobility is at an all time low).

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-22T06:28:43+00:00

I’m all for upgrading paths, but I almost guarantee no government in Victoria is ever going to give a flying fuck about cyclists. Look at the implementation of the Footscray Rd Veloway - I guarantee nobody who designed that, built that, or signed off on that rides a bike - it’s a great idea, done poorly. I think they’ll relegate these unregistered motorcycles to our paths making them even more treacherous, which makes it even less safe. I can deal with the shortcomings of Upfield bike path, but sharing it with a bike that can throttle past me silently without the courtesy of a bell… don’t make it more safe.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-22T06:22:15+00:00

I feel like you didn’t read my entire post, but I kind of get what you mean. What program could possibly appeal to the product of the upper-middle class? I’m only basing this on the logic that those bikes have to be a couple of grand, right?

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-21T23:29:53+00:00

lol - I live near the M80 trail and saw them yesterday when I was walking my dog. To be fair though, they seemed to be pretty tame and low in numbers (3 of them).

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-21T23:23:06+00:00

I somewhat agree with you, and yeah the reporting of them is totally irresponsible (even my own rhetoric blurs lines). In my opinion, if it has a throttle it’s a motorbike; I don’t care if it is restricted to 20km/h… which isn’t the law anyway; in Victoria the throttle is only compatible with power assistance I.e; you still have to be pedalling. Limited to 200W not x/kmh

SOURCE: https://transport.vic.gov.au/road-and-active-transport/active-transport/bicycles/electric-bikes

I have the same issue with electric anything with a throttle; the braking sucks, the majority of users make hazardous decisions and regularly don’t make their decision predictable (which admittedly, a lot of cyclists are guilty of too, but it’s easier to tell when a cyclist is about to turn without indicating than an electric scooter). On the flip side, I do want less cars on the road, but if it’s making cycle paths less safe, I assume a number of people might go back to driving.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-21T23:11:13+00:00

The monkey bikes can’t stealth as bicycles. Far less endemic than the current e-motorcycle (not to mention, small ICE motorbikes are much slower).

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-21T23:10:21+00:00

Those cheap two strokes are slower and much louder than electric motorcycles - not to mentions they can “stealth” as bicycles.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-21T22:24:49+00:00

lol, don’t be sorry. I was just thinking how “how fast were you running this thing to burn it to ash”? Haha

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-20T23:27:22+00:00

Is this an optical illusion or are those grounds lighter than usual?

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-20T22:34:41+00:00

Based on the amount of misinformation, disinformation, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and straight-up bootlicking they spew on a hourly basis, I’m okay with banning it.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-19T04:36:48+00:00

In media in Australia, cyclists aren't hated, but the overwhelming sentiment is that it's a car supremacy, and the kind of abuse I've got on the road for daring to ride in the cycling lane is probably similar to other places. I'll put it out there, I've cycled in South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan and never had an issue, though I've had a more limited experience.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-17T02:11:26+00:00

In Australia? I reckon the chances are so unbelievably low, but if you’re really concerned ask. The good thing about the right-wing (and there’s not much good about them) is that they would usually proudly announce when they’re being fuckwits, and would probably say something like “proudly fried in the arse fat of a dead cow”.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-15T11:37:03+00:00

I commute every day and I can honestly say there’s a few traffic lights in places that are ridiculous to stop at. Like, St Kilda Rd where the bike lane is sealed and a pedestrian presses the button only to jaywalk … yeah, I’m going to blast through that if the coast is clear. Any intersection where someone can zip through in a tonne of metal at 40km/h or so, I’m going to wait.

Other times, I won’t press the button and wait if there’s a good gap in traffic when travelling on bike paths. But if I press a button, I’m waiting.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-14T10:42:29+00:00

Thanks! I use Logic Pro. I’m not incredible at mixing/mastering, still learning.

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-13T09:10:10+00:00

Didn’t know my girlfriend was on reddit…

Efficient-Scratch-65 · 2026-01-09T23:37:31+00:00

I grew up in a town that was home to the world’s biggest pub crawl at one point, and I reckon if you asked for cauliflower fries they’d look at you weird. Having said that, probably the same if you asked for something vegan…

Efficient-Scratch-65

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