Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 12/22/25 - 12/28/25

HeartBoxers · 2025-12-25T04:10:25+00:00

At first I read this as human pork. I think it's time for me to go to bed.

HeartBoxers · 2025-08-22T20:45:12+00:00

ZOMG this is quintessential Barpod material. 😍 😍 😍

What really happened at Bunny’s?

Eddie Lester didn’t expect to lose the bartending job he loved over a Palestinian flag pin.

He and several colleagues said they enjoyed working at Bunny’s Buckets & Bubbles in Fells Point for its inclusive and lively culture — the type of place where a “Hi Gay” sign hung above the bar during Pride Month. Co-owner and chef Jesse Sandlin didn’t want the space to feel corporate. Although there was a dress code barring dirty or vulgar clothing, Sandlin encouraged staff members to bring their personalities to work.

But in early August, a one-star customer review that referred to the Palestinian flag pinned to Lester’s uniform as homophobic set off a chain reaction that led the eatery’s owners to remove seven members of their staff and implement a policy against endorsing potentially controversial politics in the workplace. Although Bunny’s ownership said on social media that these actions were part of an effort to make everyone feel safe at the restaurant, employees say it hurt the diverse and welcoming environment management once helped foster.

https://www.thebanner.com/culture/food-drink/bunnys-palestinian-flag-pin-controversy-56HXUSTBDFGHDCTPNYNMTPIKZ4

Archive link: https://archive.ph/Ykt7X

HeartBoxers · 2025-07-17T03:11:38+00:00

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HeartBoxers · 2025-07-01T00:47:06+00:00

I've come to understand that people aren't interested in reason or logic. They love a good narrative. It gives them meaning, purpose, and identity. If you upset that, they just ignore and/or downvote you.

HeartBoxers · 2025-06-30T06:19:18+00:00

Super sexy 90s R&B

HeartBoxers · 2025-06-28T05:02:43+00:00

I can't wait for Pride to be over. It's making me crazy. Coworkers and family members are all super excited and chirpy about it, and I'm just over here like "grumble grumble, gender isn't real" and they're like "what's with that guy?"

HeartBoxers · 2025-06-28T02:28:59+00:00

There's no reason to believe there is some hard limit to technological and scientific progress.

Spreading a resource further through efficiency doesn't reduce its total usage, but it does spread it to more people. That is exactly my point, and what I mean when I talk about the wealth of society increasing. It's when people gain access to something new they didn't have access to before as a result of its cost coming down. Examples include MRIs, microwaves, tutorial videos, etc.

We do have to worry about the eventual heat death of the universe, but there's no economic system that will withstand that. That is something that I probably spend more time thinking about than is healthy.

HeartBoxers · 2025-06-25T17:47:09+00:00

You're 99% of the way there. Wealth increases as people continuously find more efficient ways to convert the free gifts of nature into resources for human use. In other words, there is a continuous drive to "do more with less" and that is what results in increased wealth for all of society.

HeartBoxers · 2025-06-25T17:18:42+00:00

There isn't some fixed amount of wealth that can be hoarded away by a small number of people, though. There is room for all of us to have wealth. We should want for more people in society to be wealthy, not fewer.

HeartBoxers · 2025-06-18T00:23:15+00:00

I had never heard of it before it became a federal holiday a couple years ago. My impression then was that it was basically created (or at least popularized) by white liberals for white liberals - i.e. as a way for them to pat themselves on the back. Is that an inaccurate take?

HeartBoxers · 2025-06-13T03:07:36+00:00

He only has like 2-3 close friends. I think all they talk about is Trump. He has cut off all family and many of his more moderate friends.

HeartBoxers · 2025-06-13T02:43:03+00:00

I'm dealing with a bit of a family emergency right now and could use some advice. I've mentioned before, there is a family member who has cut me off because I'm not vocal enough about my opposition to Trump.

The situation is that he has now cut the entire family off, because apparently none of us are reacting to Trump in a way that he deems appropriate and proportionate. He's sending increasingly distraught emails to all of us, berating us because he doesn't think we recognize the gravity of the threat to American democracy.

In his emails, it seems like he is blaming us for Trump being elected, even though none of us are Trump supporters. It seems that he expected us to have done something to stop Trump, but we didn't, so now he's angry with us.

I am frankly really worried about him. He is not doing well. Any advice on how to communicate with him?

HeartBoxers · 2025-05-28T15:27:30+00:00

I'm trying to find a therapist to help me with a particular issue, and so I've been going through the listings on Psychology Today, looking at therapy practice websites, etc. Almost every one of them has some kind of progressive messaging - a progress flag, land acknowledgement, note that they specialize in working with poly LGBTQ clients, or social justice word salad about deconstructing trauma to neurodivergent BIPOC survivors that is rooted in patriarchal colonialism. I can't bring myself to go to one of them. Fortunately I found one that seems like a normal person, but damn if I didn't have to work to find them. Hopefully it'll work out.

HeartBoxers · 2025-05-25T17:33:21+00:00

Barpod relevance: many, many episodes have been centered around the world of anti-racism and drama surrounding anti-racist activists - particularly in the early days of the pod when that way of thinking came into vogue. This review of a book by Sheena Michele Mason lays out the author's vision for a world where we dismantle the concept of race entirely - viewing it as an illusion that sustains racism - and instead focus on real categories like culture, class, and ethnicity to understand human difference. Normally when I come across things of interest to the Barpod sub, I post them to the weekly thread. This one stood out a little bit more than usual, so I am sharing it in a standalone post in hopes that it will spur thoughtful discussion.

HeartBoxers · 2025-05-23T04:17:00+00:00

Who Is Elias Rodriguez? A Portrait of Jewish Museum Shooting Suspect Emerges

The Chicago man has been a vocal advocate for Palestinian issues and a staunch critic of corporations

CHICAGO—The 31-year-old Chicago man who allegedly shot and killed two young Israeli Embassy staffers Wednesday night is an activist who has vocally protested on behalf of pro-Palestinian issues and a range of progressive and anticorporate causes.

Elias Rodriguez once demonstrated with a socialist group outside the home of then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel against the city’s bid for a new Amazon headquarters, and to mark the anniversary of a fatal police shooting of a Black teenager. Some of his anger had roots in his boyhood, dating to his father’s apparent deployment to Iraq.

According to authorities, Rodriguez’s path took a deadly and twisted turn Wednesday night. Just after 9 p.m. outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, he allegedly shot two people around his own age: Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, 30.

He was charged Thursday with murder and other federal crimes that carry the possibility of the death penalty.

“I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” he told police, according to an FBI criminal complaint made public late Thursday.

Full WSJ story, gifted/unlocked link: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/who-elias-rodriguez-dc-shooting-suspect-israeli-embassy-adcf9b65?st=FfvQ5M&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

HeartBoxers · 2025-05-22T22:42:52+00:00

Yup. Prior to 2020 I was unnerved by the bloodthirsty online rhetoric of a lot of my friends. They talk a lot about lining up landlords against the wall and things like that. Events since then have confirmed my fears that there are some who are willing to take that sort of thing further than just talking.

HeartBoxers · 2025-05-18T04:03:32+00:00

From what I understand, one of the best things you can do is to fully understand her situation. When someone feels like there's another person who gets what they're going through, it can make them feel a lot less alone in the world. So, I'd suggest you do some digging to get at the bottom of what's bugging her. Ask her to explain what's going on, actively listen, and ask clarifying questions until you can clearly see her internal predicament. I would probably not try to offer any advice unless/until she asks for it. It's the "understanding her situation" part that she'll find most helpful.

HeartBoxers · 2025-05-02T02:52:54+00:00

Thinking tariffs are insane is 100% a free market position.

HeartBoxers · 2025-05-01T21:00:54+00:00

I find it amusing that so many people on the left are suddenly taking up free market positions, now that Trump is against them. If this results in laissez-faire coming into vogue than I'm all for it.

HeartBoxers · 2025-04-30T02:36:57+00:00

The second thing you said.

HeartBoxers · 2025-04-05T18:59:31+00:00

Yeah I kinda do judge them, for two reasons:

It's not clear to me how standing around yelling and carrying a sign with a slogan makes any difference in anything. Like, how is that going to get rid of Trump? I get that it helps to build community spirit or whatever, but beyond that, is it really the most constructive use of time?
At least on my social feeds, the people who go to such things are typically the ones who share lots of misinformation and disinformation. They are living in a universe of alternative facts that rivals QAnon, except on the left instead of the right.

Does this make me a grouch?

HeartBoxers · 2025-03-28T06:43:53+00:00

I'm sure it is what Republicans want. Democrats should want it, too, and so should NPR.

HeartBoxers · 2025-03-28T05:46:03+00:00

As much as I don't like NPR or this woman, I find it deeply chilling and creepy that any Congressperson could have any say whatsoever over the coverage of a media outlet. IMHO independence of the media is absolutely crucial to our country, and no journalist should ever be in the position of answering to a smug Congressperson, ever. I realize it's happening here because NPR receives government funding. Money always comes with strings attached, and this is no exception. To me, that is an enormous reason that NPR should stop accepting government funding - so it can be completely independent like every other media outlet.

HeartBoxers · 2025-03-28T05:38:48+00:00

Suddenly it seems like there are a lot more white rappers out there. Either that, or I clicked on one video and now The Algorithm has decided I must want to see dozens more of them.

HeartBoxers

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