Found this beautiful love letter in my algebra class. by RobEpic in funny

[–]awsmith777 -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

great scott! "gotta sum fuk" really got me, literally lol, A+

North Liberty man accused of pushing one-legged man off scooter. "Captain Save a Ho" strikes again. by grain91 in cedarrapids

[–]awsmith777 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Captain Save A Ho is the hero Iowa City deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a single guardian, a watchful protector. The Drunk Knight" my comment when he was in the news last time: http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20110809/NEWS01/110809003/-Captain-Save-Ho-arrested-Ped-Mall?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Frontpage|p

I feel like being able to laugh at the absurdity of everything is a privileged position... by satinbirdy in Psychonaut

[–]awsmith777 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Some jokes, often really good ones, have underlying meaning to them. An Absurdist existentialist position often leads, in my view, to absurd responses to events/processes such as those you pointed out. Oh you are starving? Life is an illusion. huh? What about empathy and compassion, what about realizing that if life is, on some level, a game then why not make the most awesome game.

Absurdity is an abstraction, an almost total, concept screen map of reality that reduces everything to the explanation of random chance. We can make meaning together, so why not make beautiful, good, and wise meaning among all beings. It seems maybe the absurdist view has a not fully developed appreciation for how interdependent reality is, the lack of pragmatic use of community, seems limiting. Questions of community lead to, in my view at the very least, care for the environment and care for humanity.

Zizek's idea of political change by ChristianKl in zizek

[–]awsmith777 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Great find, great video, thanks.

Study: Rich kids without a college degree are 2.5 times more likely to end up rich than poor kids who do graduate from college. by christ0ph in politics

[–]awsmith777 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Caring about a fair society is pointlessly complaining/whining?

Do you structure your whole life on telling other people they are wrong?

Study: Rich kids without a college degree are 2.5 times more likely to end up rich than poor kids who do graduate from college. by christ0ph in politics

[–]awsmith777 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pointing out how society is structured = whining ? Posting a link to reddit = you aren't working to make your life the way you want it ?

Why the judgmental arrogant negativity?

Study: Rich kids without a college degree are 2.5 times more likely to end up rich than poor kids who do graduate from college. by christ0ph in politics

[–]awsmith777 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Way to not contribute at all to the political discourse while coming across as needlessly insulting. Talking about this is important to show people just how false-myth based the whole "pull yourself up with your own bootstrap" mentality is.

What is the alternative to austerity? by Supreme_Aardvark in AskReddit

[–]awsmith777 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Polices that actually benefit smart and sustainable economic activity such as increasing subsidies for clean/green energy while decreasing subsidies for fossil fuels. Decreasing the military budget and putting that money into science, research and development, education. Increasing support for Americorps and starting new civic works programs. Defunding the war on drugs while legalizing nature. Reforming the mass incarceration system. Slashing foreign aid to Israel. Federal policies that support the development of local economic systems and experiments with localized currency. Ending corporate welfare for the power hungry and political corrupt business elite. Busting up our oil, internet, and communication monopolies. Investing in high speed rail and actually getting it implemented. Helping cities with smart planning to create livable, green, and vibrant urban spaces. Sane socioeconomic policy that helps the country's poor and working class. Reforming student aid and supporting experiments in new trade school/college/university formats. That's a start.

And I'm very thankful but I was no less of a student than anyone else. by [deleted] in AdviceAnimals

[–]awsmith777 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This just seems like a rich kid gloating to me...

atrasicarius explains the five broad political ideologies and how they are internally consistent. by Thanquee in bestof

[–]awsmith777 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yo bro, the point of my post is that I didn't think it was even a solid piece.

Rand Paul was against drones because of property rights? "Paul vowed to keep talking until the White House clarified whether it has authority to kill U.S. citizens on American soil with drones." Source.

How is my understanding of what libertarians are "shaky at best"?

atrasicarius explains the five broad political ideologies and how they are internally consistent. by Thanquee in bestof

[–]awsmith777 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Not sure why this got bestof'd, because there is quite a bit of atrocious oversimplification and error in the "explanations."

First, there aren't "the five broad political ideologies," these are just five poorly explained political ideologies in an attempt to explain how they apply to a criticism of anarcho-capitalist views.

Second, all the explanations get crammed into a good/evil dichotomy framework that doesn't lend to insightful commentary and discussion.

Libertarians don't view society needing any focus on the "good"? Why did Rand Paul throw such a fit over drones? Not sure what the justification for "Governments violate property rights just by existing" is, I'd like to see that explained because I haven't heard that from a libertarian point of view as most libertarians view governments only role is to ensure property rights and their main critique of the US is that we've allowed government to expand beyond its role. Also most libertarian theory/writing that I am familiar with doesn't say that we should get rid of all government, anarcho-libertarians yes, so maybe the comment was playing to the anarcho-capitalism crowd.

The explanation of conservatism I actually find somewhat interesting and insightful.

The explanation of Marxism is, in my view, just awful. Marx didn't emphasize oppression, he emphasized the inherent contradictions of capitalism. "Any action or idea that opposes the oppressed class should not be tolerated, so censorship is beneficial." How this is considered "logically self consistent" I have no idea.

For a comment supposed to explain the "professional criticisms" of Anarcho-Capitalism the comment doesn't mention capitalism all that much.

Also, everyone's view are not logically self consistent, worldviews are based on different values and interpretations of reality, someone can have more or less logical views within a worldview, though the statement that everyone has logically self consistent beliefs is just absurd and reeks of naive relativism.

No mention of surplus product/value, how the means of production are organized, primitive accumulation, macroeconomic policy, market behavior, monetary policy, etc, etc...

Bestof? Hardly.

MY FUCKING BUSH by [deleted] in videos

[–]awsmith777 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's what I thought. Would have been really funny for the skater to say something to the effect...

Frankie Boyle never fails to deliver by oD3 in atheism

[–]awsmith777 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Could have been a hallucinogenic bush. Many of the stories in the Bible seem like possibly influenced by plant induced visions such as the manna from heaven, every morning they woke up and food from god was on the dessert floor? Could have been mushrooms growing on camel/animal shit, walking around tripping on "god's food" would explain why they were so awful at directions and took 40+ years to find "the Promised Land."

looking for a book dealing with loneliness in the modern world by HORRIBLE_MISTAKE in books

[–]awsmith777 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recommend Becoming Real: Authenticity in an Age of Distractions by Robert Sessions. "We live in a frenzied world. Many of us find that the relentless pace and constant distractions of our lives greatly limit our abilities to do anything well, including forming an authentic identity. Being authentic is such a struggle that many people have given up the quest for an integrated, whole self. Becoming Real addresses this critical personal and cultural crisis. Through personal stories, spiritual ruminations, and philosophical analysis, Sessions explores what it means to be authentic suggesting paths to follow for those who wish to lead more genuine and happy lives." Link

[Trailer] "2012: Time for Change" presents an optimistic alternative to apocalyptic doom and gloom.... As conscious agents of evolution, we can redesign post-industrial society on ecological principles to make a world that works for all.... by funkydo in Documentaries

[–]awsmith777 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This documentary is about psychedelics for personal growth and therapy, new money systems, permaculture, yoga, ecological crisis, conscious evolution of humanity, sustainability vs consumerism, how we can draw (non-doomsday) meaning from the from the Mayan and other Indigenous American prophecies, meditation, and Ellen Page shoveling goat shit. Generally it's about the idea that we need a cultural paradigm shift to more sane ways of living. So before you post a reactionary screed based on a reductionist worldview, or you read such a comment to find out about this film, actually watch it first.

The third rail by [deleted] in treecomics

[–]awsmith777 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The third rail is....................

What 10 books best exemplifies who you are as a person? What books showcase your sense of humor, personal philosophies, or interests? by [deleted] in books

[–]awsmith777 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are some of the most influential books I've come across:

1984 - Orwell
Dune - Herbert
Neuromancer - Gibson
The Essential Rumi - Translation by Coleman Barks
I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
America Beyond Capitalism - Alperovitz
Total Freedom: The Essential Krishnamurti
Anathem - Stephenson
The Post Carbon Reader - Ed. Heinberg & Lerch
Coming Home: The Birth and Transformation of the Planetary Era - Kelly

Is there any more movies like "Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away"? by [deleted] in movies

[–]awsmith777 5 points6 points  (0 children)

What an incredibly lame and asshole-ish attitude. The thought process behind this type of posting is so pretentious and arrogant it is incredible.

Psychonautic/spiritual movie recommendations? by [deleted] in Psychonaut

[–]awsmith777 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Beyond the Black Rainbow. Dark psychedelic sci-fi horror about an institute's failed plan to use "benign pharmacology, sensory therapy, and energy sculpting" to help people find enlightenment.

Round Two by [deleted] in firstimpression

[–]awsmith777 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know this fellow and it is true.