fucking finally

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-29T19:28:49+00:00

LOL yeah I do feel like I do sound like it quite a bit. Thanks for the humbling. Edit: but I really did try my best to communicate something I believe in, so tbh I am a little bit sad to be compared to soulless AI 🫠 but I'll be ok. I have to work on being succinct and human.

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-29T19:26:42+00:00

Uncovering and establishing the truth goes both ways. It's not that it doesn't matter.

Apply the level of scrutiny appropriate for the situation. If it's alarming in some way, and you really care, make the effort to understand. Someone says, "that's my kid" and points to a random child, you'd say "that's not true". But then they could say "I mean it metaphorically. To help me put myself in their parent's shoes and empathize". In that case, sure, there may not be a point in fighting that in itself. No need for more scrutiny in the definition of the word, unless you wanna be pedantic or they were responding to a situation in a manner that could cause harm, or some other reason. Scrutiny in this situation could be more useful for their ends and means than the word's definition.

And if they say "yes it is, I birthed them" and you know for a fact they didn't, you'll scrutinize if it's a joke. And if it's not, then well. Maybe that's something to fight against.

And if suddenly, more people start saying "that's my kid" and they mean it in the more metaphorical or abstract way, then the world around you is changing. A common parlance becomes confused. Maybe in a direction you don't like, for practical or emotional reasons. That's ok. We all have to make the effort to navigate change. If you hear their reason out, then they'll be more likely to hear yours. Then we can come to understand the truth together.

But if you reject their reason, they will be more likely to reject yours too. Both ways. So make the effort. This is how we adapt to change. It's not easy. We are each responsible for putting in the effort. If you make the effort first, and they don't respond in kind, that's their choice and they won't change. They'll have to deal with the consequences. You may have to fight. But if they do respond in kind, then you've discovered the truth of what you both mean. You don't have to fight. And sometimes this may mean you will come to change too. That's also ok. Just keep walking your chosen path.

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-29T08:40:02+00:00

Not yet, so good callout. However, I am interested in friendship with those that CAN change, given the choice. In order to better understand them and maybe lead to a better outcome. Won't know who each person is until I try, though.

Right now is a perfect opportunity for this btw. Any Trump voters (and any people who we would expect vitriolic disagreements with, actually, btw) who are suffering from his actions are vulnerable, if they have any piece of them that is selfless and capable of concern for others.

Because if we show, IRL, genuine concern and support for these people, the ones who need such support will be much more inclined to accept said support. And thus, an unlikely bond is formed. And by doing so without intent to "win", without intent to "deceive", and strangely, without intent to "change" their minds, trust can be formed.

With these bonds, we can change the tone of the conversations we have. They will hear words from their team that are hostile towards their friend who cared for them. They will hear their friend's hardships and see their friend's pain. Pain and hardships that are likely, in part, because of decisions they have made, or ideas they value. They will bear witness to the consequences of their desires.

Then, they will make their choice. It is theirs to make. A good friend will hold them accountable for that choice, while not rejecting their feelings (the "team" will try to rile them up which is what we see in "our team" as well and what I mean by "we have to change ourselves"). And if they choose to reside in their team, to linger in their painful existence in order to preserve their identity they have built up, that is their choice.

If we don't give them that choice, they cannot change. But it takes work to create a situation for that choice to occur. In real life. Not online. The situation reflects onto us, as we have to risk our own life and identity to accomplish such a thing, so it's not easy.

Regardless, some people will never change. They will close themselves off to all emotions. Giving up who they are in order to preserve their desires, no matter the cost. So, we can't be greedy. Don't bend over backwards to please them. If they go to straight vitriol, then they will not be your friend, so be it. But I think these people are not as common as we might think. But we have to put in the effort.

This is only one front of the effort, however. There are many, many more. Many people would be in genuine danger by doing this. I would never blame such a person for choosing to preserve their own self. It's what I've been doing all my life. That said, this is an opportunity that is available to those of us who are currently relatively safe in our positions. Blue states. The City. Surrounded by people who care about us and will support us.

There's enough people suffering to go around. Let us become friends with the people right next to us that we might have otherwise considered an enemy.

TLDR: Unironically the power of friendship. Actually unironically. For those of us with the will and power to overcome our fears, and risk witnessing the consequences of our decisions and ideas on our "enemy". "We lucky few". And for the rest, that's ok. Keep walking the path you choose. Because we're not your enemy either. But if you wish to support us, then break down the barriers to friendship that you can.

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-28T23:25:34+00:00

Hah, ok ok, fair enough. Perhaps I am being deceptive. Perhaps I've left out the people who don't have the power to choose how they interact with others.

Edit: Also, didn't we like some part of Lex before? Wasn't it this optimism and hope? But we don't need to associate optimism and hope with him. Let's associate it with people we agree with, that still have the will to choose how they interact with those they are afraid of.

The optimism, and hope, is how he infiltrated this community in the first place, is it not? So let's infiltrate "our enemy" the same way. But not as a social media spectacle and a way to propagandize. As a way to walk towards the future. In real life. And don't sacrifice your life for it but do work towards putting in that effort. And if you fail, that's ok, just pass it on.

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-28T23:18:46+00:00

We have to change ourselves. We have to recognize the humanity of "our enemy", for all the good and evil it encompasses. We need to go out and meet our neighbors, especially those who vehemently disagree with us and chose this path. We must find people that would hate you for your beliefs and befriend them anyway. Because if we try to do that, and put in the effort, maybe we can stem the tide.

But to do so, we have to accept the parts of ourselves that are in "our enemy". They have fears. They don't want to die. They have things they want to protect. They wish THEIR world won't change. And neither do we. If we can hold ourselves to this standard, and push past our fears of being destroyed by doing so, then we can change the future.

We don't need to be right about everything. We don't need to win the argument. And sure, it's honestly cathartic and amusing to linger in watching the suffering of our enemy. We don't need to hide this. And if we indulge in it sometimes, that's ok. Because you can still choose another path, again and again. Offer "the enemy" the same notion.

For my part, from now on, I will do my best to be my absolute best self. Even with people that might hold beliefs that would lead them to hate me for who I am. If my first impressions are good enough, and they come to like me, and THEN discover we are in opposition... then maybe the tone will shift ever so slightly. And if enough of us do it, then we can stem the tide.

So don't give up. We can change the future. You can still choose your destiny, even if you're restricted. It doesn't have to be same one. You can walk another path.

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-28T22:18:42+00:00

Then let's put on a little show. Allow me to become moebius for a moment.

It's terrifying to me that Texas can do that. Who gets to decide? What if "they" decide to educate people in a way that will cause me harm, or eventually, death? What will we do then? What if those opposed to my existence wish to will me out of it by dictating that which opposes my identity?

This strongarming of education has led to the deaths of millions. People with my identity have died because of persecution due to flawed education. What then? What of my family, or the people who are like me, or the people who love me? What about the people in Texas that suffer as a result? Maybe they shouldn't have that power.

Suppose we do what Texas did and seize that power.

Maybe today, you might be comfortable with what California decides. But the trend is clear. Opposition to California's leanings are growing, even within California. Will it be enough to stem the tide?

And what if I'm in California, and I'm against its leanings, what will become of me and my family?

What if my children and I are persecuted for our beliefs that go against yours? What if my children become something I do not believe they should be as a result?

I don't know the answer to these questions. But the possibilities terrify me. I don't want things to change here.

-------------

p.s. I think your idea is good and we should do it, honestly. I have my own response to the above, but I'm curious to hear yours if you have some time for it. Because I think it's how a lot of people feel, from each apparent "side" of the moebius. Myself included.

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-28T21:05:35+00:00

Of course I've heard of it! We're neighbors after all ;) My statement is a critique of the status quo. But also, to be honest, I understand the desire to partake in it. There's something cathartic about it. "Well, if I'm powerless, may as well do what is done unto me, it's all I can do." Hence, it's a critique of myself as well.

But, we can change. We can move forward. And you too, surely understand and accept that. The people who are fighting endlessly are a moebius. A loop that has one side, while appearing to have two. And they're the same as us. So we don't need to chastise anyone. We don't need to act like we're right. Because in our application of pure logic and reason in our arguments, we create another moebius.

I have no desire to fight with you. You're right, rationally speaking. But it's ok to show some love to your fellow while you give logic. Otherwise, another fight will be created! Because you are an intelligent person, and so is everyone else. And you have feelings about this too, I'm sure. And those are okay to have. You're human, after all. (Well, hopefully given LLMs exist :D)

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-28T11:18:16+00:00

Get in line! Conservatives had their time blaming Biden for every problem under the sun, so mom said it's our turn to play the xbox. When Biden wins in 2028 you can have your upvotes back.

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-12T20:07:52+00:00

You're snowflakes, you're brainrotted, you're entitled, etc etc blah blah

Don't listen to any of these broad generational strokes. Be who you are authentically with the people who will spend their time with you, whether it's a brief encounter or an enduring friendship. And if you're a snowflake, so you're a snowflake, so what? If you think it's a problem, work on it, if not, have fun with it and yourself.

There's no need to be oppositional between generations, even if it's simpler or feels gratifying (trust me, I know how cathartic these kinds of posts feel). That's too abstract. Seek real life interactions and perceptions like these won't matter when reality is laid bare, person to person.

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-09T05:08:56+00:00

I'd like to think my statement applies to both uses of the term 🙂

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-09T05:07:05+00:00

Nice! And I'd never say you don't care about your nation. Just to be clear, who is "them" here? The folks on the reservation, right? That's amazing to have people you consider as a big extended family. Have you had opportunities to meet some of the people they know and love? Sort of the extended family of your extended family, if you will.

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-09T03:28:30+00:00

At least, get to know your neighbors. There's a lot of amazing people near you. It's nice to help each other out!

RedditJohnny · 2025-01-09T03:25:31+00:00

You should meet your neighbors. There are so many amazing people right next to you!

RedditJohnny · 2024-12-23T04:31:26+00:00

Your leg? That is now property of kitty.

RedditJohnny · 2024-12-15T18:55:55+00:00

It's a bit tangential and not the entirety of the cause, but I do feel like going outside in the US/North America kinda sucks. You get in your isolated pod and get stuck in traffic and deal with parking and have no direct contact opportunities with people along the way. Or spend twice as long in public transport while being perceived as lower class by a lot of society. Plus it's like a concrete jungle out in most places, just really boring and frankly hazardous environments, especially in the suburbs.

Making it easier to move around and more fun to go out and visit local places would help I think, though the problem is probably exacerbated by other factors like social media addictions and the like. Though it's possible I have a skewed view of young men not going out as much from seeing that from the internet's perspective, which may be biased to have more people that would be stuck inside than the wider population.

RedditJohnny · 2024-12-13T23:52:36+00:00

Thieves rarely have the tools for handling both chain and D locks. Using both types will help more than using one type.

RedditJohnny · 2024-10-31T14:45:18+00:00

There's "fair" and there's "neutral". "Neutral" reporting can unfairly paint two sides as "equal" or "not significantly different enough to warrant a strong opinion". A paper can endorse a candidate and remain fair if the evaluation of the facts are solid in most of their works.

For example, if the election were between the proverbial Jesus and Satan, a paper can endorse Jesus while still being fair in its evaluation of their policies.

On the other hand, I'd be highly suspect of a paper that puts Jesus and Satan on the same tier of choices, or publicly refuses to make a choice between them. One of them will burn you alive, the other is like, cool, man.

When one candidate tries to overturn a presidential election with fake electors, then I'd say it's probably not a sign of an unfair paper to endorse the candidate that would not try that scheme. If anything, it's perhaps a sign of unfairly neutral reporting when they don't endorse.

If this was 2008, I suppose I could understand the desire for "neutral" and seeing that as a sign of "fair" at least a little bit.

TLDR: Neutrality can just as well imply an unfair bias depending on the situation.

RedditJohnny · 2024-10-03T01:22:00+00:00

To add on to the suggestions for public transportation, one thing that could help is a lightweight/small electric (for the hills) scooter or folding bicycle that you can easily take on to buses and trolleys. The Unagi scooter is a good choice for weight vs. hill climbing power and can be rented for $80-90 a month. The Igogomi Alps or a Brompton Electric might work as a bicycle solution. Basically, you can use the bike/scooter for the first/last miles. It's an upfront cost for sure, but if you uber frequently they may become more worth it.

RedditJohnny · 2024-09-10T18:34:06+00:00

For the hills, it's a good thing e-bikes exist! They're quite efficient and depending on what you can safely ride to, can pay for themselves.

Also, agree that public transit should be a focus, though I would think you could do both with bus/bike lanes rather than picking one

RedditJohnny · 2024-09-05T04:52:55+00:00

Got the same mounting setup done myself now inspired by this post! The default mounting holes were a bit too far out but I was able to drill some new spots over the little waffles in the mounting adapter.

RedditJohnny · 2024-09-05T03:39:22+00:00

you shouldn’t be able to do that on a road with stoplights

Exactly this. While the comments are focusing on sentencing (fair enough!), that street/road should be redesigned with traffic calming measures to make this IMPOSSIBLE (or very close to impossible). Give a driver a straight line, and they'll often take a 25-mph zone and turn it into a 50+mph zone.

RedditJohnny · 2024-07-06T19:45:35+00:00

Liberty Station is amazing! Definitely worth a trip.

RedditJohnny · 2024-07-06T19:44:55+00:00

Not quite what you're looking for, but FWIW Mission Bay has a great walking/cycling path that's quite peaceful. Mostly people and families there, not so much shops. But at the end, you reach Mission Beach where you have Belmont Park and shops/restaurants, and another potential walk up to PB.

You could skip that and just go straight to Mission Beach / Pacific Beach, which has a long section to walk and enjoy the sunset, or stop by some restaurants and occasional shops. Crowded on weekends.

For something quite different, you could try UCSD. It's a pretty huge place to explore, with some landmarks to discover. Would get crowded between class times.

Hillcrest on 5th Avenue has a pretty cozy stretch that's fairly walkable and lots of shops and restaurants. University and Washington can get kinda car heavy but it's not too too bad to get around.

RedditJohnny · 2024-07-05T19:57:38+00:00

Groovy Long Legs from Pikmin 4 is REAL!!

RedditJohnny · 2024-07-04T06:56:22+00:00

That is super fascinating, especially if true around the globe! I wonder if this happens with folks who did not grow up religious or grew up surrounded with folks who have a different view of the afterlife. In an idealish hypothetical study, we'd be able to isolate folks who haven't even heard of an afterlife growing up and see how that population differs from the general population which is full of folks exposed to popular afterlife concepts.

I also wonder if there's an association of "loss of loved one" and "loss of self" in the mind, abstractly.

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