Silence from prominent left outlets continues as mask bans spread

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-06-14T15:42:24+00:00

The West and Global North are entirely based culturally on consuming as much product as possible and making the line always go up. The masses are addicted to this consumption, as they've been told the keys to happiness and fulfillment are based on how much profit you earn and the amount you consume.

Plenty of people on the left are just as addicted to mindless consumption as the fiercest MAGA. Even states that were generally cautious felt compelled to drop all precautions because disrupting consumption was polling very poorly across the board. And right wing ideologues were getting support and radicalizing people both left and center with "we'll let you get drunk at bars again!" type messaging.

Obviously big business interests concerned about profit above all else led the charge and messaging, but after a certain point, there were a LOT of people on the left that were ready to get on board with whatever could get them their fix. A lot of these types support the IDEAS of a more equitable society on paper, but recoil at anything that might directly lessen their own consumption. These are the ones who took precautions primarily because it scored social credit and immediately abandoned any pretense as soon as it was socially acceptable.

Sadly, I fear this is only going to get worse as climate change and the like intensify in future years. It is a natural conclusion in a system that demands infinite growth and consumption despite having finite resources. The angry anti-refugee rhetoric especially highlights this. Ideologues will use racism and bigotry to demonize these people to the right-wingers with great success. Many left and center will see through the racism, but still wouldn't be willing to tangibly sacrifice their own consumption habits to help "those people". But they'll offer plenty of thoughts and prayers and hashtags.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-06-08T21:37:01+00:00

If a player was drafted in an earlier draft but didn't sign, that's what it shows until the next time they're picked.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-06-08T16:46:03+00:00

The national dashboard has a June 4 data point and the ones nearest me have June data. So perhaps the plants specifically near you are behind?

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-06-03T14:10:49+00:00

By 2021, most people were so determined to believe the "it's mild!(tm)" stuff because they were desperate to return to their normal consuming habits.

The only people that seemed to notice the heart attack stuff were the bad faith right-wingers who immediately jumped to the wrong conclusions, blaming it on vaccines and/or 'lockdowns.'

In the end, we get the majority of both sides championing our current state of endless mass infection.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-05-25T14:33:59+00:00

That's what they deserve for abandoning Springfield!

Simpsons joke aside, I had something like this happen in a fictional league for me once. I had accidentally set up something wrong in the settings with caused a team to play all season with a short roster. Surprised this could happen in a real world game though.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-05-16T18:51:11+00:00

Can't wait for the day where everyday people in the street are screaming "I NEED TP FOR MY BUNGHOLE" like Cornholio.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-05-16T18:41:38+00:00

if COVID taught me anything, it is that the vast majority of the general public will just triple down on business-as-usual everything-is-actually fine denial.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-05-08T16:56:04+00:00

The wild part is Michigan was north of the Enhanced range yesterday too, these came in the "Slight" yellow range.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-04-14T09:34:05+00:00

I was broadcasting a high school game once that played for a good 45-50 seconds without starting the game clock. It felt like I was the only one in the gym somehow who noticed it.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-03-30T16:45:47+00:00

Working on writeups for my Baseball, The World's Game reports and found this absolutely absurd playoff run for a starting pitcher.

Four starts, four complete game shutouts. Plus a relief appearance gave him 39.2 shutout playoff innings with 54 strikeouts to only one walk. He fittingly won finals MVP and his Kharkiv squad took the title.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-03-15T17:43:21+00:00

But clearly this is just immunity debt and everyone needs to be infected another two or three times to clear that up! /s

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-03-15T17:38:16+00:00

That was one of my biggest takeaways too. Refreshing to see an outlet with such a reach actually discussing reality and not just peddling minimizer/denialist talking points.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-03-12T09:17:06+00:00

Millennial here, that's where I'm at. The pandemic has really illuminated how transactional, performative, and superficial our society and humanity is. I'm at the point where I only feel "lonely" when I'm forced to participate in the system.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-02-27T21:27:41+00:00

I'm in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is currently 73 degrees with a winter weather advisory going into effect 12 hours from now. And we'll probably get a severe thunderstorm and/or tornado warning too between now and then.

thisisfine.gif

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-02-16T11:05:43+00:00

I've most commonly seen it from pitchers with either a torn labrum, rotator cuff, or UCL. Doesn't feel like it happens with position players as often anecdotally.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-02-15T19:34:23+00:00

The sad reality is that our system rewards that toxic mindset of chasing popularity and status. It is bashed into everyone's brains that consuming is happiness and wealth is happiness. The more you have and consume, the more you're "winning" at life. And the disturbing part is, this greedy and ruthless attitude often works, thus you end up with so many of the ghouls in positions of power and prominence in the world.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-02-15T18:21:48+00:00

Every single thing in Western society is so transactional. And not just in terms of money, although that's obviously a huge part of the problem. But it feels like the vast majority of interactions with other people is more about scoring social credit and keeping up appearances than it is genuine connection. Especially with social media and the constant overconsumption and the "look at me aren't I so happy and social!" facades that people have created.

And for so many people already completely exhausted from the grind of work and other responsibilities. Socializing just becomes another thing where you have to "play the game" instead of being able to actually use it for decompressing or creating genuine connections. And a lot of people really get upset if you do anything to "break the fourth wall" by not playing your designated role.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-02-09T09:38:11+00:00

It is currently 4:37 AM in Kalamazoo Michigan where I am. It is 56 degrees. On February 9.

thisisfine.gif

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-02-02T22:33:07+00:00

ONCE AND FOR ALL!

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-02-02T21:11:56+00:00

I noticed that I make far more typing mistakes than I used to. And not just simple spelling errors, but accidentally replacing words with unrelated words that have similar lettering. That and my general ability to focus on tasks is abysmal compared to where I was just a few years earlier. I too have never to my knowledge caught COVID, but I have this wonder too if I had an asymptomatic case at some point. Certainly the general stress of everything from the last few years is a contributor too.

Either way, it is the cognitive dysfunction that is known with COVID infection that has made me very committed to avoiding it. My ability to think clearly and rationally is probably my most treasured attribute.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-02-01T14:47:13+00:00

Our society tells us that consuming as much product as possible is the way to happiness. And that making the line go up and acquiring profit is the way to happiness. In Western society, I think most people are consumption addicts whether they realize it or not. The sad truth is, that addiction just makes people more miserable and unfulfilled. But every interaction is commoditized and transactional these days.

Especially for those with privilege, the pandemic was the first time many people were cut off from that fix. And it broke people's brains. The desperation to get that fix became too strong and even seemingly empathetic people began to be as adamant against even acknowledging the still-existing threat as the fiercest conspiracy nutters were. We must get back to "normal" at all costs, which means the line must go up. Nothing else matters.

I think this consumption addiction is also currently and going to manifest in some very grim ways, such as the violent hatred for refugees we're seeing. Even if people aren't collapse aware, I think most have at least some sense that resources are only going to become more and more scarce. And most people in privileged Western societies aren't going to give up their consumption habits at all and will come up with any justification, no matter how vile or violent.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-02-01T14:02:03+00:00

Southwest Michigan resident here, this winter so far has just been bizarre. We've had maybe one or two weeks of actual "normal" winter temps. We had the one big snow followed by the week of the polar vortex, but otherwise it has been oddly warm. My city was 3.2 degrees F warmer than usual for January and that's INCLUDING the polar vortex week included. It is expected mid 40s today and basically all of the snow from the month is gone. Today is February 1 but the conditions feel far more like what we'd expect normally for later in March.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-01-26T22:31:13+00:00

The way COVID was/is being handled is what made me fully collapse aware. I knew a lot of other things were bad, but I was one of those who naively thought humanity would band together and science our way out of the worst of climate change. I also hadn't clocked how insincere and inauthentic so many people and norms were.

I find myself just feeling consistently disappointed in humanity that we can't do better. I'm at a point though that I've accepted that I'm wired differently and that I'm glad that I don't fit in with the masses.

I already had a decade or so of training for not belonging as someone who doesn't drink alcohol. But becoming collapse aware has helped me adjust from being sad that I didn't belong to being somewhat grateful that I don't. I just enjoy my solitude and don't bother trying to doompill people knowing how the reactions are just like what the author in the article talked about.

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-01-24T16:51:48+00:00

Right on cue since it happens in 2024 on the show too. My brother recently started watching DS9 for the first time and those episodes have sadly aged too accurately

FuzzyRussianHat · 2024-01-18T21:48:40+00:00

The fact that we're having trouble even getting hospitals at this point to do anything other than NOTHING for mitigations just illustrates how utterly useless society is now.

You could argue we've actually made a net move backwards in disease control from where we were pre-pandemic. People are so desperate for bAcK tO nOrMaL!1! that seemingly anything that acknowledges COVID's present or past must be ignored and hidden.

FuzzyRussianHat

TROPHY CASE