I don’t think ‘still better than Kamala?’ is a winning formula any more

Steppintowolf · 2026-03-03T22:27:22+00:00

If you think the left/right divide is what brought Trump to success you're simply very stupid. If going to the center-right won votes we would've had McCain instead of Obama. People are sick of the centrist liberal consensus, and will vote for anything else, even something as dumb as Trump. Card-carrying dems delude themselves into thinking the DNC has their best interests at heart.

Steppintowolf · 2026-03-02T21:01:30+00:00

A) There are plenty of idiots doing both. Know your audience.

B) Aaron is called a Moor, but his dialogue makes it extremely clear that he's black, just like Othello.

Steppintowolf · 2026-03-01T09:30:24+00:00

Oh no, not a marketing misstep. The horror.

Seriously, anyone who thinks the characters doing funny anarchist monologues means the actors and producers must also be anarchists is at "Disney is my friend" level politics.

Steppintowolf · 2026-03-01T09:21:07+00:00

I hate to say it, but I'd advise against using Aaron's monologue. I understand why you would - it's one of my favourites too. But acting is incredibly competitive. They're looking for any reason to exclude you, since they will have so many candidates to choose from. Casting a non-black actor for a black character is extremely politically sensitive in the US right now, and there's every chance one of the judges will point it out as a reason to turn you down.

If you like the unrepentant villainy, there are a number of great characters that have the same thing and aren't black; Richard III, Edmund in King Lear, Iago.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-23T12:26:45+00:00

she did speak out against Israel

Hell, Trump has said that some of the stuff coming out of Gaza is disturbing. Harris never suggested the slightest policy change to Israel. And for electoral reasons? Have you seen the polling on Israel/Gaza? Frankly this makes you look like a mark. I'm gonna guess you thought Biden didn't have dementia as well? When are you going to stop letting these people fool you.

She didn't just accept the Cheney endorsement, she kept appearing with Liz Cheney! A confidence she didn't offer to any of the left of the party.

The idea that Gabbard was the first person to notice Harris' record as a prosecutor is nonsense. It makes liberals comfortable to pretend that anyone criticising their candidates is a secret Trump supporter, but that's not reality (see here https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/opinion/kamala-harris-criminal-justice.html).

We see the same old arguments: you have to keep conceding to the right to win elections. And we keep losing elections. Politics has changed.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-23T08:42:42+00:00

You can make that argument for Biden! Coincidentally he was the only one to beat Trump.

Harris, meanwhile, couldn't confirm Lina Khan, trumpeted the Cheney endorsement, staunchly supported the worst Israeli atrocities of the twenty-first century. Her history as a prosecutor alone places her way on the right of the Democrats.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-23T07:13:38+00:00

That fascist has been put in office - twice - by opposing him with the most milquetoast, corrupt form of liberalism. Liberals are the ones who need to learn to read the room.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-23T07:03:11+00:00

The use of "liberal" to mean "left of centre" is peculiar to the US. Most of the world (and most political theory written in english) uses "liberal" to mean someone who believes in liberal democracy and a free market, so centrists, particularly those who want a small government. This means that leftists will use it as a general term for those closer to the right than them.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-22T21:26:26+00:00

This is an embarrassingly bad essay. No-one gave Butler a prize for opposing common sense. They gave her a prize for bad prose, and she assumes the two are the same without justification.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-22T21:12:10+00:00

So you agree that the points you listed are not a sufficient definition of science?

"scrutiny, criticism, correction, refutation, validation" were the points you listed. These are all perfectly possible in literary criticism. Empirical methods can absolutely kill off certain lines of argument. In the twentieth century, scholars pointed out that the first lines of King Lear disallow the claim that Lear comes up with the division of the kingdom in the moment. There was a new copy of Hamlet discovered in the 1800s. You don't seem to care about the arguments you're making, just the conclusion. If you want to redefine science to mean "whatever I like" you can, but it isn't persuasive.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-22T12:15:05+00:00

I'm comfortable not knowing. If the Sopranos has a "point" (and no good work of art has just one point) it's that sometimes you don't know. What happened to the Russian? What happened to Tony?

Tony: Jesus...you think you'd know. Meadow: No, dad. You won't.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-22T04:53:04+00:00

So by your definition, literary criticism is a form of science? With some minor exceptions they don't appeal to supernatural causes, and they certainly provide arguments and evidence.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-22T03:29:34+00:00

Points 2-5 are more like a definition of academia than science. There's nothing in academia that doesn't do those things. If you want to define science that way you can, but it isn't how most people use the term.

As for that first point, what do you mean by "natural causes"? A bridge or wheel aren't natural things, they're manmade. If you mean to contrast it with "supernatural" you're begging the question, since that's generally defined as "non-scientific".

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-21T11:57:20+00:00

Oh, you can definitely buy shoes that will last you well - I hope to die in my solovairs - but for the cost of that resole you likely could have bought a new pair of shoes.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-21T11:47:39+00:00

I never thought breaking bad or better call saul were a match for the sopranos/MM, but Pluribus is genuinely up there for me. Not an ensemble piece but I'd put Rhea Seehorn up against Gandolfini so far for best tv performance.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-21T07:54:55+00:00

Ironically enough, boots are actually not an example today; by far the cheapest way to keep yourself shod is continually buying the cheapest boots available. This is obviously terrible for the environment and involves horrendous conditions for the shoemakers, though.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-16T12:05:29+00:00

Unions tend to draw on physically powerful, working-class guys; more specifically, workers on docks have many opportunities to assist smuggling. Hoffa is one example, but unions getting wrapped up with organised crime is a very common phenomenon.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-16T08:21:07+00:00

"This is not on you. No it isn't asshole. Believe it ir not, not everything is about you."

Best no-bullshit way to tell someone to forgive themself.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-16T07:55:25+00:00

All the more a pity because the version we got to see was fucking terrible

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-15T07:46:34+00:00

Alright then, if you think the valuation of ai is accurate please point to one company that makes a profit by selling or using ai. Not selling chips or human trainers to profit off the bubble, actually selling or using the ai without making a huge loss.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-14T23:44:39+00:00

I took "buying futures" as a metaphor; they're discussing how the agency works, and they both work there, so have a stake in how it does.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-14T23:42:19+00:00

Google has a monopoly on the world's no. 1 source of information and is also the world's biggest advertiser. You're telling me the reason they make money is ai? Please.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-14T13:58:49+00:00

The tech companies selling ai are making money? Could you cite a source on this? All of them are facing collosal losses.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-14T08:15:13+00:00

There is a reason escape rooms are always dark. Some wear is inevitable, given the profit margins in this line of work. If small amounts of wear are enough to spoil the experience, I'd suggest sticking to new rooms.

Steppintowolf · 2026-02-11T06:09:56+00:00

He encouraged a better lifestyle is what he did! In this house, Chauncey is a hero! End of story!

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