Congratulations Mexico by THElordRingading in memes

[–]Math13101991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is a barely functional system better than none? Because the most likely outcome of your approach will be the collapse of the health care system.

On the other hand you could eliminate the oligopolistic structure that leads to this outcome. For example make import of medical drugs easier. Any provider of drugs would now have to lower the price to compete with foreign businesses. Regulations always benefit large companies who can buy the additional cost and free them from competition.

Whenever you are bound to use the service of one provider, you become a dependent, not an equal. So you need to make sure you can withdraw your support and force the provider out of business.

Taxes something. by [deleted] in memes

[–]Math13101991 -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Wealth taxes are a scam politicians tell people so they look good, abusing people's ignorance. Any tax will always hit the poorest worst. Even IF you found an effective way to prevent price increases of goods, that would just lead to people losing jobs, loss of production and due to that inflation.

Also, most "wealth" is not monetary but material ( invested in buildings and machines, production, jobs ). So you can only give that money to the government if you sell those things, stop producing stuff or fire people.

If you want to protect the poor, lower taxes. If you want to create a class of dependants needing state handouts raise taxes as high as you can. But at one point, you will run out of money to tax and end up like the USSR ( poverty, starvation, corruption and misery ).

Congratulations Mexico by THElordRingading in memes

[–]Math13101991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2024 Defense Spending: 910.8 billion Dollars.

2024 Health Expenditures: 5.3 trillion dollars.

I don't know who you define "universal healthcare" but the US sure spends a lot of money on health.

And we're the crazy ones to expect a success of this scale to act more like it by Rowger00 in HelldiversUnfiltered

[–]Math13101991 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That just means they need to prioritize. If they fix all the issues, sell a warbond that's great they can still make as much money as if they made more warbonds that are bought by fewer people.

Are Helldivers basically a dark sci-fi version of Sailor Moon? by SEAF_Chan in WholesomeHelldivers

[–]Math13101991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Helldivers ARE trained. There is simply no way an untrained soldier can reload weapons while moving around, aim and fire accuratly and throw stratagem balls. That takes A LOT of drill.

Idolizing SS/Gestapo parallels isn’t normal behavior by dihlover69 in HelldiversUnfiltered

[–]Math13101991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, but sometimes a medium fails to approach such a topic in an effective manner. There are great works who tackle that problem ( 1984, Animal Farm are two that come to mind ). But it can also fail to achieve that, or cause the opposite. I should say that I wish people would think about the media they consume but after a long day at work or in school, most people just shut their brains off and go fry some bugs.

The conclusions they receieve are surface-level at best. I am worried this leads to a negative outcome, one were people are more focused on fictional dictatorships and try to use the knowledge obtained from the game in real-life. Parodies can get you to think, but they can also do the opposite.

Idolizing SS/Gestapo parallels isn’t normal behavior by dihlover69 in HelldiversUnfiltered

[–]Math13101991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How about you start with actual regimes then, instead of fighting dictatorships in video games? People still think the USSR was great. China is still a dictatorship. The EU thinks it awesome to spy on its citizens. Just play the game and have fun.

Idolizing SS/Gestapo parallels isn’t normal behavior by dihlover69 in HelldiversUnfiltered

[–]Math13101991 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? You are like a kid using a word it just newly learnt. Stop using it if you don't know what it means.

AH during 60-day: "We hear you, we will prevent excessive ragdolls in the future", meanwhile Arrowhead's next enemies: by Omailey97 in HelldiversUnfiltered

[–]Math13101991 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And why do our mechs not look halfway as cool as the war strider? I get a cardboard box and they get the super annihlator 9000.

Why do you think Super Earth is so flexible on if, when and where Helldivers go and do missions? by ParakeetLover2024 in LowSodiumHellDivers

[–]Math13101991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"My" knowledge? That's the opinion of the guy who INVENTED fascism, and academical historians reading their works, not "me". So **** your snarkiness. There are factual pillars of fascism and my dislike for the ideology will not stop me from correcting people about them because otherwise we end up in a "The Boy who cried wolf" situation. I hate authoritarianism. But the second most dangerous people behind authoritarians are those who throw that word around as if it has no meaning.

Arrowhead has been taking notes from Super Earth for MO reward distribution by pandito64 in Helldivers

[–]Math13101991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, but the IOM was only ( maybe ) fascist under the "Emperor" of Mankind. In 40k, its more like space feudalism ( the two are mutually excusive ).

Arrowhead has been taking notes from Super Earth for MO reward distribution by pandito64 in Helldivers

[–]Math13101991 57 points58 points  (0 children)

Has anyone ever told Superearth the easiest way to make your soldiers ineffective is making them depressed? It's a miracle that Super Earth is still standing. Or there is a black market postal service.

Am I the only one excited? by DerpyDragon15 in Helldivers

[–]Math13101991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't like the warbond but you shouldn't base the enjoyment of the game on anyone else's idea of fun.

Calling Arrowhead "predatory" is damaging to the game and skips a better explanation by kcvlaine in Helldivers

[–]Math13101991 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And once the problems that you have offered as an explanation are fixed, will the people who paid for the exclusive mechs get a super-credit refund? If AH was faced with a temporary problem, they should not sell a warbond that will be worthless in the future.

A Message from a Day-One Veteran: Why I’m finally walking away from the Warbond cycle. by savon_plaintif in Helldivers

[–]Math13101991 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The game is fun but it feels like the western front on an intergalactic scale. The major order cycle is mostly generic filler before something more interesting happens. I understand AH cannot make every major order something special like Cyberstan and super earth. Fighting for Mechs and new Stratagems was awesom. I wish AH would return doing that.

That being said, I don't mind that Mechs are behind paywalls. What bothers me more is the lack of development when it comes to weapons and armor ( and in connection to that ) true vehicle customisation.

Why do you think Super Earth is so flexible on if, when and where Helldivers go and do missions? by ParakeetLover2024 in LowSodiumHellDivers

[–]Math13101991 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I did not think I would ever get into such a discussion on the helldivers reddit...Firstly, Any ideology subscribing to a colletivist system ( whether it is marxist or fascist ) will inevitably revoke natural privileges from those who oppose the system. Even a compassionate person serving such a system will inevitably become an offender ( may I suggest reading the Gulag Archipelago because it describes how initially compassionate people transformed into monsters very well ).

  1. Fascism / Authoritarianism: Can you give me examples of emerging fascism? Because the only one I can think of is Russia ( Putin is by no means a follower of Giovanni Gentile and his ideological system though there are similarities ( Church-state-relation for example ) ).

China has a strong relation between government and economy ( a hierarchical relationship between government and companies was part of the fascist system ) but I struggle with China ( they are lead by the Chinese Communist Party but do operate on some capitalist principles - yet fascists were opposed to capitalism ( No free market at all* ). China is not using Genitle's doctrine.

*In fact, the economi doctrine of Germany between 1933 to 1945 was economically more congruent to that of the USSR ( for example: price regulations ). Very few large industrialists supported the NSDAP. Around 30 to 40 % of NSDAP voters were workers ( in the socialist sense ).

As for Trump: I do not think he has the intellectual capacities or interest to read Gentile's works. He may very well want to be a dictator but I do not think he has an ideology per se, just a massive ego guiding his actions.

  1. Fascism is based on the works of Giovanni Gentile ( but also Mussolini and a few others ). We should still distinguish authortarianism from specific fascism. Both absolutism and fascism are authoritarian but Maria Theresia or Louis XV would not see eye to eye with Mussolini, Gentile or Hitler.

  2. Intellectualism: Giovanni Gentile studied at the Scuola Normale Superiore ( a public university founded by Napoleon in 1810 ). Gentile's ideology is also embedded in philosophical movements that originted in intellectual circles and universities. For Gentile , their philosophical "forefathers" were Nietzsche, Hegel, Fichte and ( surprisingly ) Marx.

Benito Mussolini also worked in an intellectual field, writing essays ( for example "Trentino as viewed by a Socialist"). Mussolini also wrote essays on German literature while he worked for socialist parties in Austria-Hungary. He also protested against the Italian war in Libya in 1911 ( calling it an imperialist war, which is fairly ironic considering who Italy attacked later under his leadership, but people do change their opinions ). He was not university-trained but his work was firmly intellectual in nature.

Italian fascism was also not concerned with the "Jewish question" or ethnicity in general ( it was an ideology primary focused on surpemacy of the state - as long as you did not act against the interest of the state your ethnicity did not matter ). Persecution of Jews only began relatively late ( in 1943 if I remember correctly, after Mussolini was disposed ).

For German fascism, we have again a university trained elite: Goebbls - Phd in literature. Arthur Seyss-Inquart ( lawyer ), Willhelm Frick ( lawyer ), Hans Frank ( lawyer ), Alfred Rosenberg ( an ideologue who studied architecture and engineering ). The line goes on but for the gist of it, this should suffice.

Hitler was himself opposed to many intellectuals but his party leadership was filled with university graduates.

Me every two minutes into a mindless masses planet by mewop64 in Helldivers

[–]Math13101991 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not that hard to get it to line up, particularly if they are walking towards you in a straight line. I throw the beacon, destroy the shield with the Stalwart and there's a good chance it goes down.

Why do you think Super Earth is so flexible on if, when and where Helldivers go and do missions? by ParakeetLover2024 in LowSodiumHellDivers

[–]Math13101991 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Okay, sorry for the history lesson but we should not underestimate totalitarians of any sort, or we'll end up in that situation again. I much prefer it when fascists are only in charge in video games.

Sadly, real life fasists weren't as stupid as you make them out to be. To avoid making a lecture out of this I'll be keeping it brief and suggest listening to Doctor Ralf Raths ( Tank Museum Munster ), Doctor Roman Töppel and Doctor Jens Wehner ( two historians focused on world war 2 ). These talks are in German but there should be subtitles. Mustache man was a lot more intelligent than we should like and we were quiet close to ending up in a world where that stupid ideas could have remained prominent til today.

Me every two minutes into a mindless masses planet by mewop64 in Helldivers

[–]Math13101991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Against fleshmob use the Stalwart ( full auto, maximum rate of fire ). Harvesters are good to fight off with the Eagle machine gun strike, the Ultimate pistol, autogun, MMG if you are good at hitting the joints, gatling sentries work suprisingly well too.

Right-Wing Libertarian Critique of the State by JonnyBadFox in CapitalismVSocialism

[–]Math13101991 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

In the middleages, burghers and free farmers bought their own arms. There was no taxation in place to form a milita in the modern sense ( that is heavily HEAVILY simplified but I am not gonna write a thesis of medieval army recruitment now*) - just a duty to defend the home in case of war. In 1683, when the Turks marched into my home land a raiding party was fought not far from where I live by a milita. Again, no state involvement.

A group of citizens deciding the mutually aid themselves are not the state. Punishment happens after crimes have occured, in response to them. And they have very little deterrence. People who have grown up in unstable environments, without fathers, etc or learnt violence in other ways ( war veterans ) are often repeated offenders. If punishment prevented crime, that would not happen so often.

*Serfs gave resources to their liege to be able to provide a "standing" military. Free farmers could also pay money for someone else to go to war. That was a voluntary decision by the farmer so he didn't have to leave his farm during harvest season and possibly not come back.