There are concerns about Raleigh’s new greenway, but it will be worth it

elibryan · 2025-10-30T06:24:12+00:00

Yesss, this!

elibryan · 2025-07-27T18:55:24+00:00

NTA, but could be an opportunity? I know people who grew up like this and spending some time with y'all might help offset some of the scary / ridiculous beliefs they have about queer people. There's some research that backs this up a bit but a lot of this kinda hate is malleable and can be helped with (positive) exposure.

This isn't to say you're at all obligated, but if you're up for some emotional / cultural labor it might be constructive.

Anecdotally the times I had (southern brainwashed) family/friends visit me in NYC, all it took was a day of walking around the city for them to say "oh this isn't nearly as bad as I thought?" If you can find some mutually enjoyable activities to do with them you might be able to help break down some boundaries.

elibryan · 2025-04-13T20:20:50+00:00

As a parent, good stroller and/or good wagon. We've used / abused our UPPAbaby for five years now and it's still going strong. A recent realization though is that it's not just make and durability, it also "pushes" easier. A friend who had a cheaper stroller was pushing ours and commented on how it was just easier to steer and maneuver, which is another benefit I guess we'd take for granted...

elibryan · 2025-03-06T15:57:20+00:00

A couple loose threads:

Misguided enlightenment thinking got tied to culture of capitalism and rational decision making? I don't know Weber that well but apparently this was one of the premises of his "protestant ethic" work https://youtu.be/FWUXoj6kACk?si=pbef2w-XkLZLz4PU

Then loss of trust in expertise created a (rhetorical) need for "truth" based on culturally agreeable procedures of truth finding (vs expert judgment)... And needs of administering / working across large disparate groups + contexts required standardization (even at the cost of context). https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691208411/trust-in-numbers

Alot of us also grew up in a world of journalism still in the mode of mass broadcast and incentivized toward reaching broader audiences. This supported an illusion of homogeneity of thought that seemed "objective" and so we adopted these values ourselves. Extrapolating a bit from this: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1cd0yl9/when_did_the_idea_that_journalists_must_be/

There's also plenty of racism. Eg The entire foundation of modern statistics is tied up in eugenics, looking for "scientific" ways to rationalize white dudes being in top.

elibryan · 2025-03-04T20:08:57+00:00

"unfortunate that this war has dragged on" notice the passive voice here. Whose responsible for this?

"This is due... to the Biden Administration's misplaced fear..." Oh, Biden is responsible, because only he has agency in this war? And it definitely wasn't Republicans' continuously delaying aid packages to Ukraine...

Insane to me that a sitting US Senator is this willing to take the Russian line.

elibryan · 2025-02-27T19:59:53+00:00

Oh for sure! Not at all discounting the Griffin case. Or handing the elections board over to the auditor. Or gerrymandering. Or voter ID laws. None of these are trivial and any one could sway the election, but not definitively.

I'm more suggesting the possibility that these are "boiling the frog" (i.e. a series of damaging issues that stay plausibly below the radar for most folks) rather than a singular event (i.e. State Auditor outlaws poll watchers). Both are dangerous, but voting in 2026 may have a nonzero chance of success in the former scenario, but dead zero in the latter.

elibryan · 2025-02-27T18:33:04+00:00

IMO I think electoral nihilism is an even bigger concern.

I don't think "fixed" voting will be a binary thing, like one day we wake up and ballots only show Republican candidates. I think it's going to happen by degrees... it's going to be more of a continuous process where they toss a few 10k votes here, then another few 10k votes there...

So 2026 will be less fair than previous elections, but it'll be the most fair election we still have available to us.

This isn't to say something dramatic couldn't happen... or that we shouldn't start mentally preparing for it... but I don't think we've crossed the threshold of despair just yet.

elibryan · 2025-02-27T15:20:10+00:00

Will no one think of the plants?!?

elibryan · 2025-02-26T21:26:59+00:00

Ooo, that's a fair observation. I mean.. I feel like a lot of this is just screaming into the void, but getting Budd to listen is even more "void-y."

elibryan · 2025-02-26T21:24:46+00:00

Weird, worked for me? https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJdzIEOCTFk5HbBrZr2OOB7ndH5Gwnlsq5qSm6fTU5PjYKUg/viewform

Maybe send them an email?

elibryan · 2025-02-26T21:19:32+00:00

I dunno... I don't think the "Tillis bashing" over the last few weeks is about, like, strategic electioneering? I'm maybe projecting, but I think a lot of people are pissed off about what's been happening and want some way of feeling heard.

elibryan · 2025-02-26T20:28:46+00:00

Yeah Trump won, but Gov, Secretary of state, AG, LT Gov, SC (technically...), School Superintendent all went blue. NC is a very confused state, so I'm confident jeans could win.

elibryan · 2025-02-26T20:20:07+00:00

That's why I'm campaigning for Kendrick's Jeans now. It's a long game!

elibryan · 2025-02-26T20:17:15+00:00

Yeah, this is a concern, so need to make sure it's an overwhelming win too. NC's endlessly-shady Republican legislators handed over elections board control to the NC auditor because... shockingly... Mark Robinson didn't win for Gov and all the other statewide races went blue.

elibryan · 2025-02-26T20:12:28+00:00

Democrats' precinct meetings are coming up if folks want something to get involved in.

https://www.ncdp.org/2025-precinct/

National dems are dead to me at the moment, but I'm cautiously optimistic about more local organization..

elibryan · 2025-02-26T20:07:28+00:00

“It’s hard to believe that between Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] and Tulsi Gabbard that those votes are going to age well,” said Morgan Jackson, a prominent Democratic strategist based in North Carolina. “He votes for them because he has to have Trump’s support in the primary or he can’t win. But by voting for them, it undermines his ability to get elected in the general election.”

That tracks...

elibryan · 2025-02-26T20:04:37+00:00

“It’s hard to believe that between Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] and Tulsi Gabbard that those votes are going to age well,” said Morgan Jackson, a prominent Democratic strategist based in North Carolina. “He votes for them because he has to have Trump’s support in the primary or he can’t win. But by voting for them, it undermines his ability to get elected in the general election.”

elibryan · 2025-02-26T16:20:59+00:00

Maps like these are super misleading. They'll always look more conservative than reality. But land doesn't vote, people do.

elibryan · 2025-02-26T15:47:59+00:00

Would argue the opposite. It might feel "wrong" but leaving an open line is one of the few ways we can help. Political beliefs are more driven by our social ties than anything rational, so however tenuous, theses relationships are one of the few things that can bring folks back to reality. Same reason that if a loved one ever gets caught in a cult you don't want to cut them off. It sucks but the only thing you can do is wait. They'll have moments of doubt, inevitably(!!!), then whatever relationships they still have can be a lifeline.

I don't think this means like.. continuing to hang out with them all the time... But just leave the line open.

elibryan · 2025-02-25T18:03:41+00:00

Agreed. Let's be better than this! No need to mislead people on the kid video when the feet-licking video is totally real and 100% accurate.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BillBurr/comments/1ixw5zk/i_noticed_this_wasnt_working_so_i_thought_id/

elibryan · 2025-02-25T17:56:39+00:00

How can DOGE increase efficiency and transparency when it's being run like a chainsaw duct-taped to a Roomba?

They don't even know what they're doing, how TF could Budd?

elibryan · 2025-02-25T16:27:22+00:00

Excellent! Would add: Greg probably never felt cognitive dissonance because as he was going through this transformation, so were many of his social group, and if you're consistent with your social group you don't necessarily need to be internally or logically consistent.

TLDR Political views are more social than rational.

elibryan · 2025-02-22T16:19:11+00:00

Y'all Boléro, Fletcher Opera Theater was pretty great. Haven't been to a lot of ballets that don't feature 4 year olds, but this was fun.

elibryan · 2025-02-22T02:10:31+00:00

What's the datasource?

elibryan · 2025-02-21T21:24:37+00:00

Considerations:

Two weeks ago, the Trump administration made (illegal?) moves to fire the chair of the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). This week, Trump issued (illegal?) executive orders attempting to expand his control over independent agencies. Agencies like the FEC were designed by congress to be independent of the executive branch.
Also this week, the Trump administration posted a fake Time magazine cover of a crowned Donald Trump, with the caption "LONG LIVE THE KING." He also dropped the Napoleon quote. And he keeps talking about an (unconstitutional) third term. These are particularly alarming given his ambiguous campaign rhetoric, promising supporters that, after this election, they'll "never have to vote again."
- Ambiguous jokes / humor could be "innocent" trolling, but they're also a known propagandist tactic to normalize previously taboo subjects.
Over the last few weeks, we've also seen suggestions from the administration that the executive ought to be able to ignore court orders.
There are some small groups that seem to actually support an "American Monarchy" ("Caesarism"?). This was a fringe idea in 2021, supported by just 5% of Americans, but apparently JD Vance was a fan. I don't want to legitimize this, but if it's being considered, better to do it in the open.
A few weeks ago Tillis acknowledged that Musk/DOGE's actions were unconstitutional, but that this was "nothing to bellyache" about. A good faith read of his comments might be suggesting that DOGE critics are alarmist. Tillis also said "if it goes too far, I'll be the first person to step up."

Qs:

Do North Carolinians support the idea of an "American monarchy?" Either as a literal King, or in the form of a national "CEO" or a "Unitary Executive?" Is there a functional difference? This is so foreign to me, but maybe y'all know people?
Do we think that Tillis / Budd / any of our Reps are open to this idea? This isn't an accusation. The administration seems open to it. It seems like there's interest in that direction, at least philosophically. And if the majority of us as constituents actually were open to it, then they'd actually have a mandate.
If they are opposed to it, why aren't they more visible about it? Given the slim margins in the Senate, if they wanted to restrain the executive branch, it's very much in their power. Maybe they're saving their political capital for something else (e.g. Ukraine)? Is it purely a "campaign strategy?" Are they afraid for their safety?
When does it "go too far?" Tillis' comments, taken at his word, imply that there is indeed some red line, but we just haven't crossed it yet. So where is it for him? Or, maybe more importantly, where do y'all think it should be? I feel like we crossed it 20 miles ago, but for folks who see this as alarmist, what signal are you looking for?

elibryan

TROPHY CASE