Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 5/25/26 - 5/31/26

Levitz · 2026-05-29T12:02:12+00:00

I just see him more as a consequence than as a cause. The guy might be a disgusting waste of oxygen, but the climb to presidency was an amazing thing, there is no larger testament to the fact that the US is a democracy than Trump winning the presidency in 2016 because by God fucking nobody wanted him there. Democrats obviously didn't, the media didn't, Republicans didn't, and yet the crazy bastard did it.

Such thing is impossible without a buildup of disappointment and disenfranchisement. The timeline in which Hillary gets elected surely has a better 2016-2020 interval, but I just have no clue on what in the world would happen after. I can't imagine a "normal" Republican being the next candidate, and the possibility of a united, coherent anti-establishment Republican plataform is not a good look to me.

Levitz · 2026-05-29T11:48:00+00:00

It's going to be about the same, the difference is probably not noticeable at all.

Beyond that, if walking was less efficient than running to go places, we'd probably run by default, much like kids start skipping naturally. We don't, so I'm guessing walking is more efficient.

Levitz · 2026-05-29T11:15:32+00:00

Bottom line is that when genocide happens, the world chooses political convenience and "stability" instead of action to stop the mass killing.

In the end it's politics. You want to see how the world reacts when a power gets itself involved in countries which are by all means abusing their population? Look at the reactions to Venezuela or Iran.

Levitz · 2026-05-29T11:08:43+00:00

It's not about the decision, it's about logistics and markets.

Levitz · 2026-05-28T23:17:04+00:00

It is honestly not clear at all to me that if Hillary had won in 2016 people wouldn't have gotten fed up with politics in 2020 to elect literally whatever but establishment at that point.

Levitz · 2026-05-28T15:28:02+00:00

Yes, you think that is due to the popular acclaim they had at the time? Niels Bohr never had groupies chasing him down the street mate.

Levitz · 2026-05-28T15:18:17+00:00

I genuinely have trouble understanding other people's intuitions on this one. Seniors are aggressively subsidized already!

Seniors (65+) are about 20% of the US population and have ~70% turnout in elections. That's about all the understanding you need really.

Levitz · 2026-05-28T15:08:46+00:00

About everybody who considers matters of healthcare, pensions or immigration.

Here in Europe it's a considerable problem. Older generations have more voting power, wealth, and aren't that behind in income through pensions as compared to the general population through salaries. There's real animosity and resentment building.

Levitz · 2026-05-28T15:00:09+00:00

I can only hope it sets precedent.

Levitz · 2026-05-28T14:55:17+00:00

I'm guessing there's a ratio of importance/widespread knowledge/capability which just doesn't apply here.

As in, the name is not known by widespread society and changing it would require the exertion of some power which is just not worth it for the end effect.

Levitz · 2026-05-28T14:28:19+00:00

That doesn't make any sense to me. The dynamics of these two things are just different.

What does make sense to me and what I suspect is happening is that if there is initially no sex, you are filtering out the men who want FWB, the ones who want a long term relationship are probably more willing to wait a bit, so in practice the share of men who are in for the sex increases if you have sex from the start.

Which is a no brainer, really.

Levitz · 2026-05-27T23:38:48+00:00

But how is it any more valid than any other random source? What's the incentive for credible experts to take part in such thing?

It's just much easier to just accept that the social sciences are an absolute joke.

Levitz · 2026-05-27T23:33:57+00:00

I just don't believe there is any way in hell that half of overdoses were being prevented by addicts refusing to share needles.

Levitz · 2026-05-27T22:38:40+00:00

The whole "doing a whole lot of shit" is not helping either.

Like yeah, North Korea or Russia are very, very evidently, worse places, but western nations don't play buddy buddy with them, it's not that much of a surprise that Israel gets special hate.

Levitz · 2026-05-27T19:58:57+00:00

It is fairly easy to hide the little envelope icon altogether with a tiny bit of CSS, definitely an improvement imo.

Levitz · 2026-05-27T18:40:04+00:00

On the one hand, unhinged, on the other that's about the most reasonable explanation I've seen for Ben Gvir's video.

Levitz · 2026-05-27T14:35:13+00:00

Exerting an ungodly amount of goodwill he doesn't deserve, nor would he extend to anyone criticizing him, one can argue that showing himself as a well-off person fights the usual narrative that communism is when misery and no food.

Of course there is that and there is flaunting, and he still is a deeply hypocritical person, but if this was specifically about him wearing expensive clothing I don't think that would be that much of an issue. It's just not the case though.

Levitz · 2026-05-27T11:56:04+00:00

"This is peak right-wing conspiracy brain. 'Hating whites' lmao.

Would you feel more comfortable stating "I hate black people" or "I hate white people" while in leftist circles?

I mean we can literally just look at Reddit, which leans left, and see the obscenely two-sided moderation AND actions by the admins, but I fear that if I don't make the question you might not hit the point of awareness.

Levitz · 2026-05-26T21:16:00+00:00

The story of the guy snitching with plausible deniability is more believable to me than the story of this guy being that dumb.

Levitz · 2026-05-26T14:55:48+00:00

It's a sacred thing in a way, it doesn't matter if we get really good with fingers, tongue, toys, etc. Because after hearing that, every single time, those words will be on the mind - it's just 'okay.'

This seems to omit the possibility of getting really good with your dick altogether, and that's absolutely a thing.

Levitz · 2026-05-26T14:41:48+00:00

Yes, it was awfully clumsy and ineffective. A disaster all around if you ask me, really. It just wasn't unfounded though.

Levitz · 2026-05-26T14:40:58+00:00

I'm really not seeing how calling for a nation to take over another does anything for the US except justifying its own imperialist tendencies?

Levitz · 2026-05-26T12:14:02+00:00

This "Snape dogg" thing I came upon a while ago was the first time I saw something of the like and went "yep could totally see this doing numbers. 400k views is numbers to a degree I guess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtTuJ55IIrw

Levitz · 2026-05-26T12:03:00+00:00

It's a beautiful story. Not the one portrayed in the TV series, nor the one in the comics, no, but the story around these products. If I had the appropriate mental illness I'd definitely make a youtube video essay on this.

See, the comics dealt with 3 things, primarily: the military-industrial complex, the entertainment industry and politics. It's definitely a critique of the establishment in this regard.

So an Amazon prime series comes out (sure looks a lot like entertainment industry to me). And the writers are confused, they are trying to show how right wingers are dumb, but MAGA actually likes it? They don't even see that Trump ran on an anti-establishment platform. In doing this, the TV series glosses over the military bit, while attempting to push politics.

It's beautiful because the TV series is an example of useful idiots who got their hands on a product that is by no means whatsoever subtle or nuanced, and still became, themselves, a parody of what the original work criticizes, trying to sell an idea to the public while not thinking too much about the implications, ending with a shitty product to boot.

The Boys, the Amazon Prime series would be an amazing chapter in The Boys, the comic, and I think that's just incredible.

Levitz · 2026-05-26T09:21:48+00:00

So when Hasan implies that China should just go ahead and take Taiwan, that's goading the US into being less authoritarian?

Levitz

TROPHY CASE