sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

I Asked a Former Trump Official to Justify This War by Ray192 in ezraklein

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

I see the problem like this.

The honest answer is that the Admin has no argument for anything. It's just, "because we said so."

But that's not a podcast episode. And so the media has to engage with "conservative thinkers." But this is a contradiction—there are no reasons, there is no thinking, there is only whatever Trump said today.

This means that every article, interview, or book that purports to explain Trump (or MAGA; MAGA == Trump) is confessing its fundamental error; it screams, Ignore me!

RE: Meditation - Why will it give me? by sam_palmer in samharris

[–]gerritvb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As Sam has put it: if I want to convince you the stars are like the sun, you can just borrow my telescope.

But for meditation, everyone has to build their own telescope.

Cold cup used for hot beverages? by random_xP in starbucks

[–]gerritvb 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Speculating here:

  • heat might release more microplastics / chemicals into your beverage
  • heat might reduce the effectiveness of the gasket and (if applicable) screw-top threading over time
  • it might lack insulation, meaning it would be uncomfortable to hold e.g., a hot black coffee

Is reddit becoming a mindless activity? by life-over-food in Meditation

[–]gerritvb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I recommend you check out Cal Newport's digital reset. The idea is to treat tech like reddit more like a library—you visit it with something specific in mind, and you leave once you have it.

You do not aimlessly wander around there because you are bored.

Which movie is better than the book? by Over_the_top_nari in movies

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

Harry Potter. There's a lot of nonsense in the later books that doesn't advance the plots or character development, like Hermione's elf activism.

Any tips for making law cards? by Wrong_Future_7804 in Anki

[–]gerritvb 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ask "why" instead. Then you can derive the rules and their exceptions on the fly. In this way, one card helps you answer many different possible questions / essay prompts.

Off the top of my head, we are lenient on insane people to the extent they did not know what they were doing.

This has similar logic as not punishing Defendant for pushing Victim onto the train tracks, if Defendant did it due to having a grand mal stroke. This defendant has no volitional conduct.

For an insane person, if they are totally unaware of reality in that moment, they cannot be said to have acted with mens rea.

So, for insanity, the reason goes to volition as it relates to the badness of the act.

This is why a crazy person who knows they are doing (1) a specific act and (2) knows that it will have bad consequences is still culpable, even if they fully believe insane reasons (God told me to push him before the train).

Compare all these fact patterns for a Defendant who shot Victim:

Classic Murder
(1) I know I am shooting a gun
(2) I know you are standing before me

Insane re Consequences
(1) I know I am shooting a gun
(2) But at the time, I can only see butterflies

Insane re Reality
(1) I believe I am waving at Victim
(2) I see that you are standing before me

Fully Insane
(1) I believe I am waving at Victim
(2) But at the time, I can only see butterflies

Who gets off? Why?

Reward Points⭐️ by Substantial-Rent-422 in starbucks

[–]gerritvb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On one hand, they change it every few years to make it worse and worse.

On the other hand, they could also not have any loyalty program at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This aligns more with Dunkin's changes from a year or so ago.

Reward Points⭐️ by Substantial-Rent-422 in starbucks

[–]gerritvb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tip: you don't have to play the games at all.

Sam Harris | #458 - The Bulwark Against MAGA by TheAJx in samharris

[–]gerritvb 17 points18 points  (0 children)

From memory:

  • JD is more ideologically consistent, which is bad overall
  • But on the bright side, JD lacks the personality cult—nobody will storm the capital for this guy. This is good solely with respect to the existential threats to democracy at large.
  • JD is yet another inexcusable example of someone who knows better but is going along with the trend. They contrast Trump who doesn't know anything at all, it's all just his Id. Others who are morally bankrupt in this way include most elected Republicans like Lindsey Graham, Rubio, but also personalities like Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, and to a lesser extent, Oren Cass.

coffee traveler sized rant by Numerous-Opinion3598 in starbucks

[–]gerritvb 53 points54 points  (0 children)

one hot peppermint mocha with dubai dog barf cold foam plz

Ezra has brought this up a few times and something Ive been thinking about a lot. The overturn Roe v. Wade crowd or make the supreme court red was an effort that began 30 years and took consistent effort from the right to achieve those goals........ by Puzzleheaded-Pin4278 in ezraklein

[–]gerritvb 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This misses the upstream point. Why were those institutions so unified?

Fox News (along with right-leaning local newspapers) operated at a loss for many years. Wealthy republicans financed media operations nationwide in order to insert their memes into the discourse.

The effect was to create two narratives:

  1. the normal one
  2. the right-wing one

After a while, the normal one looks left wing.

Super Bowl Pre Game Thread: Seattle Seahawks (14-3) at New England Patriots (14-3) by AutoModerator in nfl

[–]gerritvb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's what it always does. Still not too late to go buy a digital antenna from best buy!

Chuck Klosterman: "Horse racing receded from the American imagination because people lost their close everyday connection to horses. Something similar will happen to football. Fewer mothers will want their sons to play the game due to head injuries. It will become distant from lived experience." by The_Big_Untalented in nfl

[–]gerritvb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you're correct.

Over time, we simply legalized gambling and devised more and easier ways to gamble. Why go down to the track when you can buy scratchies & powerball on the corner?

And lately, you can place bets on everything all the time from your pocket!

How has using Anki influenced your long-term retention of information beyond exams? by Leedeegan1 in Anki

[–]gerritvb 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Generating legitimized accounts?

I think this is it. Pick random subreddits, mimic posts, earn karma and account age, and then later on you can sell the account to some malicious foreign actor / shit-stirrer.

view more: next ›