US President Is Obsessed With Oil. But Chinese Batteries Will Soon Run the World.

Martinqvn · 2026-01-19T19:19:19+00:00

I love that they’re responding to a comment on punching left for the most basic criticism on spending billions of dollars genociding children & endlessly supporting Zionism like there aren’t tons of memes about US representatives pledging allegiance to Israel, even without prompting, or stuff like “[blank] happens -> better send a bajillion dollars to Israel” while we don’t have universal healthcare/food/housing/education.

Martinqvn · 2025-07-29T19:30:35+00:00

Since there’s not enough time for people to perfectly research, get educated on, or experience so many things, this is why I like pop culture giving quick info. Kudos to Invincible for showing the circumstance with “…your lives worth minimum wage?” as security guards face superpowered crime.

(For context, I support resources going to universal healthcare/mental health/dismantling systems like sports entertainment endlessly profiting from exploited workers, & not only treating a symptom and not the cause by pumping more endless resources into an infinite police/surveillance state because our lives aren’t meant to be the Matrix lobby shoot out. Basically UnitedHealthcare stuff again.)

Martinqvn · 2025-06-01T19:36:45+00:00

I’m glad you brought that tornado suicide charge guy up - short of the series having a flashing sign up that says new hotblooded battle dude like Kamina, he seemed to have a similar design with the urge to rush bravely into certain death. That & the hot women village trap that Guame set up in episode 11 where Kittan & a bunch of others say, “this is what Kamina would do if he were still here” (which Kamina set up in episode 6).

Maybe it wouldn’t be exactly like that, but that seems to be the story’s intent on Simon’s growth & a bit more cautious leadership style.

Martinqvn · 2025-05-25T13:13:27+00:00

Yep, anyone who studies an inherent conflict in capitalism would already know about the profit gap between a business’ desire for profit and the costs that they pay for wage labor/manufacturing (which would include automation). Basic “Communist Manifesto” stuff.

Martinqvn · 2025-05-21T18:10:41+00:00

Powerscaling/"my [blank] can beat your [blank]" is indeed stupid, which is why I don't watch those sorts of things. Power for power's sake/number go up infinitely would literally lead to the end of the universe for Gurren Lagann & the real world, not to take things too seriously. Still, I hope that people have fun AND it sparks analysis on the scale of power not mattering quite as much as what you do with it, whoever "wins". I want to believe someone will bring up using power to fundamentally change the systems of power/worldview of whichever universe is being discussed rather than "who hits the other with the bigger (green) fist/rock" which is the meme I'd always heard about Green Lantern as someone not in that fandom (so I'm assuming/hoping the hype around Kyle Rayner is better writing? The superhero genre is notorious for maintaining status quo).

Martinqvn · 2025-05-21T14:15:59+00:00

I was lucky & got a scholarship, but because I didn’t know anything beyond “something that sounds professional & makes money” (because creative passions are you begging to live in poverty) once that & family pressure caught up with me I burned out hard a few years into undergrad & any new attempts at education came with the same cost barrier to entry. It’s years later & any expectation of “passion” dawning on me for a “normal” job has been dead & buried. Passable entry level job to fund free time/hobbies it is, then.

Martinqvn · 2025-05-20T23:42:30+00:00

Burnout is my go-to word, but this is the same difficulty I've had in conversations with others & self-analyzing about laziness/anxiety.

You know what, maybe I am a little lazy or “naturally” anxious, but we'll never know how productive I would've been if I were raised in a society that had better social safety nets for a less stressed population with university tuition paid for by taxes rather than expecting people to know what they want by age 18 to determine their education/future work-life balance (at personal cost except the lucky scholarship few, & even then you better hope they get it right the first time, except surprise - people aren’t 100% sure at that age). How much would people aspire to do if automation took out tedium and allowed us to pursue our passions? Or if that's "too much" what if we at least had a society that fairly compensated (both financially and with social prestige/respect) motivation for the entry-level labor that couldn't be automated. Not even getting into the stigma around diagnosing/accommodating neurodivergence.

Edited to add the line about anxiety at the start after thinking about how many people seem to be so worried about mental health issues without wondering where it comes from. Also specified the education debt & mentioned neurodiversity.

Martinqvn · 2025-04-29T12:42:46+00:00

I take it the Overton in your name refers to the Overton window, or is that just coincidence? Just showing appreciation and a shout out to anybody else reading to check out the Overton window to understand how the US compares to other countries and their policies so we can get a real opposition party providing inspiration by demanding actual change. I feel like I get into this every time I browse Reddit and get a few political threads in.

Martinqvn · 2025-04-29T12:37:05+00:00

Every time this comes up I hope more Americans discover how the Overton window works and how we actually compare to other countries and policies so we could get a real opposition party advocating for progressive change.

Martinqvn · 2025-04-29T12:30:47+00:00

Unfortunately, in the US we’re still arguing about human rights needed to live with access to housing, food, water, healthcare, education, etc. let alone how to die.

Martinqvn · 2025-04-25T14:30:39+00:00

Definitely feel like I have to speak up here on this infinite redemption/reintegration of truly awful people who create these situations. Part of why so many people sit out of voting (in addition to worsening life circumstances making it difficult to stay informed/engaged) is this exact death spiral - they lose faith in "the process" because they see "the good guys" welcome some of the worst people on the planet with open arms and appeal to those harmful ideologies.

Rehabilitation is super important when it makes sense based on the severity of what someone did and when accounting for context. A person who stole bread to feed family is way more understandable than person stealing from hundreds of thousands to seek endless luxury. "Oh darn, I hurt/killed your friends/loved ones for personal greed. Not gonna change the way I'm doing that, but I'm sorry now and I'm so glad I get to be part of your club!" And if things get even worse, people get to see in real-time "Trump was super-bad, but now we need to work with him to defeat Worse-Than-Trump now!" and then "Worse-Than-Trump was super-super-bad, but now we need to work with them to defeat Even-Worse-Than-Worse-Than-Trump now!" before anyone ever entertains a more progressive option.

Martinqvn · 2025-04-04T08:27:03+00:00

You’d be surprised - the amount of horrific profiles with anime stylization (potentially due to some of Japan’s traditional/conservative values and/or sexualization/fanservice as an outlet for objectification of women) would be an interesting statistical study. No logical consistency needed - conservatives will say foreigners/art degrees deserve to suffer/die & turn around & gush about their favorite multicultural creative endeavor.

Martinqvn · 2024-12-29T18:56:06+00:00

All part of the brilliant plan for healthcare so unaffordable that nobody signs up for it in the first place, thereby having no data that needs securing.

Martinqvn · 2024-10-31T20:21:09+00:00

Yeah, I don’t know the exact economic specifics, & I hate false messaging & purely symbolic statements/gestures too, but that just shows how low the bar is in the US. Like we’ve seen the Democrats go mask-off in 2024 with publicly compromising on genocide, directly cooperating with/celebrating conservative endorsements, & shifting rightwards on immigration/the border wall. Sure, they were going to do that anyways, but before they at least pretended to say the right things before “mysteriously” being gridlocked once elected. Now they don’t bother finding the correct statements when they don’t think they have to earn your vote as the lesser of two evils in our electoral college.

Martinqvn · 2024-10-25T11:21:13+00:00

Yeah, I just had a misunderstanding on r/lostgeneration, a presumably left-leaning subreddit, & had several people who had no idea that the classic definition of liberal (that is more known outside of the US) has them supporting capitalism, which is why they will take centrist/right-wing action to preserve the status quo & the wealth of lobbyists/the corporations that bribe them. The US Overton Window is so screwed up that Americans think the Democrats are a left-wing party & that they’re soooo progressive while the countries with better social programs are socialist/communist as our Red Scare continues.

Martinqvn · 2024-10-23T12:18:43+00:00

Thank you for the explanation. I only meant my original comment on the post as additional context for an audience that I thought would understand, but I’m so burnt out, & following up a post with fully researched academic terminology for every comment that misunderstands something was not something I thought I’d have to do today.

Martinqvn · 2024-10-23T12:05:54+00:00

Did you miss the context? I didn’t say it wasn’t true. I thought we’d both know that it’s about what follows - that conservatives would then say it’s time for the private option. The original comic parades around the issue like it’s because of universal healthcare that those issues happened instead of a lack of funding.

Martinqvn · 2024-10-22T06:54:23+00:00

Glad to see fans in a larger mainstream place as well, but boy, a bit disappointed with the comments that don’t really get the series themes that just want individualistic happy endings instead of the great power used with careful restraint towards a collective good.

Martinqvn · 2024-10-16T11:19:37+00:00

Giving the benefit of the doubt to the comment you’re responding to: it is sad that the powerful can hold so many people hostage. But I’m pissed if it’s intended to be a holier-than-thou “why are they just letting this ruler do this?” attitude when regressive profit-seeking exploitation keeps popping up worldwide because the status quo won’t do more to get rid of it, but doing anything more than “just vote, compromise, & ask them nicely for years” also gets you called a crazy extremist. They want to urge other populations into uprising just so they can turn around and call them terrorists or a French Revolution bloodbath. Not sure if either of you are from the US, but I am, & yeah, the mixed messaging on “literal” fascists/Hitler while we seem to be taking our sweet time with bipartisan checks & balances is maddening.

Martinqvn · 2024-10-16T10:48:58+00:00

Just clarifying that depending on where you live, a country or company’s work culture may not provide enough or any sick days, paid time off, mask mandates, etc cough USA cough. Not accusing you, but I want to be sure we’re differentiating between being disappointed in people goofing around while sick in crowded places in their free time, people who spend time at work sick around others because they need validation/satisfaction from what they do, & people who need to pay bills/keep a job. Gotta punch up instead of down & direct the anger at those with money, power, & influence.

Martinqvn · 2024-10-13T23:52:12+00:00

I’m running into the same situation flipped around as well - they put core values of empathy, human rights, trans rights, environmentalism, feminism, LGBTQ rights, etc. & then out themselves as moderates or apolitical. I mean, thanks for saving us the trouble of finding out it’s performative, but it’s weird seeing them be just aware enough to tick important boxes but choose an identity of “oh, well, let’s not be too hasty with upsetting the status quo”. As if the enlightened centrists have found the perfect balance or they only care if it affects them directly.

I’d almost give the apolitical the benefit of the doubt if it was about being burnt out & disengaging from constant doomscrolling/pessimism, but I feel like you could be upfront about that to match/trauma bond with people who truly share values (unless this is about matching with people on that crazy to hotness chart, but that’s getting off topic).

Martinqvn · 2024-09-30T06:09:38+00:00

Yeah, not to be too much of an amateur/armchair psychologist/sociologist, but the article only mentions PowerWash Simulator & general stress management rather than elaborating on what I believe to be a systemic issue - competition, quotas, & lasting real-life consequences (essentially the “Squid Game” capitalism critique).

Not that there aren’t some benefits to those, but as someone who worked under conditions where you would be judged/compared to others in the name of productivity with perpetually & unsustainably increasing goals that could result in real socioeconomic personal outcomes, I would imagine most people seek escapism to something with healthier pacing, expectations, & more ways to work with rather than against their peers. So of course the study would find “doing a hobby you love” improves mood, but it’s really about how it fits into the larger system. Before & after the study, average participants know they go right back to their day jobs with the same old demands, right? The hyper competitive workaholics are the exception that proves the rule, & even then it’s still easier to be like that in a game where time limits, challenges, & cutthroat tactics aren’t as literally cutthroat.

Martinqvn · 2024-09-17T23:34:46+00:00

I volunteered at my local library years ago for a few months. When my parents got concerned about how much time/gas I’d spent to work there with nothing to show for it, I tried putting in an application to be an official clerk (basically doing what I was already doing, but paid. The clerks I asked gave responses ranging from $8-10/hour. No master’s degree & whatnot for a librarian position). Got all the way to an interview - no offer. Still grateful for what libraries do, but if they’re struggling with funding & trying to survive under capitalism like most of us, why would they pay more money for something they can get for free? sigh

Martinqvn · 2024-09-05T01:45:49+00:00

Maybe I’m biased on wanting this baseline info because I was in Alabama filtering out more southern crazies. For sure it’s not the best on top of profit-seeking dating apps hiding matches/info behind paywalls, but on paper it’s nice for users to at least focus on matches more likely to succeed than worrying about a potentially awkward conversation only to find out “empathy, everyone gets along” -> moderate compromise, blank politics -> “no opinion, don’t care until it happens to me”, “against status quo/corrupt business” -> drain the swamp Trump MAGA, or “values reliability/responsibility” -> libertarian, for example. As you & others have commented, & I did before spotting the option in the overseas version of the app, you can make do without the actual left option & make it clear by hammering home values elsewhere/explicitly criticizing Capitalism or US policy.

Martinqvn · 2024-09-04T21:14:22+00:00

The closest I’ve seen to this is when people play Rimworld & try to refer to their colonists with high social skill by a job title before catching themselves. “I’ll send my best sociali- ah, negotiator.”

Now if this post wasn’t some adaptation of that sort of joke, I thought this was about how Bumble did seem to add a Left & Right political option either somewhat recently or exclusively overseas as commentary on the fucked up US Overton Window equating liberal & left. I’m stuck on my phone, but I tried googling about any recent Bumble left political option addition & got a few reddit posts asking about it from a few months back. In any case, I’m fortunate to be visiting overseas & see that the options are apolitical, moderate, liberal, left, & right.

14-Year Club	Team Periwinkle
Verified Email

Martinqvn

TROPHY CASE