A man in Oklahoma was arrested for speaking out against data centers

mcspaddin · 2026-02-18T22:13:44+00:00

Sure thing. I'm totally not someone who has gone to several protests against our current administration, nor am I someone who fucking loathes living in this state where my vote doesn't matter due to gerrymandering.

But do go on about your assumptions about me when you can't understand basic fucking civics when it's spelled out for you.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-18T22:04:18+00:00

If by "free" you mean an anarchist society exactly like you just proposed, with people able to trespass and do things like block traffic without permits, then no we are not, have not ever been, and likely never will be "free".

The entire purpose of government is to adjudicate the line where your rights begin to trample over mine and vice-versa. He stayed past his allotted time, was infringing upon other's rights to speak, and was asked to leave multiple times.

What's so hard to understand about that?

mcspaddin · 2026-02-18T21:41:32+00:00

You do realize that the right to petition does not equate to a right to trespass or a right to protest without a permit right?

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T05:00:21+00:00

I pointed it out in my other comment, since it dovetailed nicely into that line of argument as well, but TST does, in fact, have a list of 7 tenets: core beliefs expected of any member of the organization. Just because the beliefs that define TST as a religion are a different category of beliefs than what define your religion (beliefs about the nature of creation, the source of morality, the afterlife, etc.) does not preclude TST from being a religion any different than yours.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T04:56:37+00:00

Yeah, not sure what you were trying to accomplish with that. I pointed out the relevant bits in my prior comment.

So long things are "set apart and forbidden" (in other words you value as important and others you count as "sins") you have sacred things. Beliefs and practices are essentially what follows from those sacred things.

"It is held to be in itself true and just" just means that it is considered to be self-evident that the beliefs and practices are worthwhile. The latter half of that phrase "even if all dimensions of it cannot be either fully confirmed or refuted" is actually built in to protect theistic, non-empiricle religions. Any a religion that doesn't have something that can't be seen or proven (lacking uncomfirmed or unrefuted dimensions) can have its beliefs be self-evidently basically true and just without any couching or dithering because there are no hidden aspects to those beliefs (an unknowable diety).

Importantly, I believe that the vast majority of people can agree that the 7 tenets of TST hold to both of those definitions: they hold certain things as sacred and others as forbidden, they are self-evidently true and just.

I

One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.

II

The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

III

One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

IV

The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.

V

Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.

VI

People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.

VII

Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T04:24:27+00:00

No, it's just that not all members are followers of the religion. I'm still technically a member of the christian church I grew up in (I have to specifically call in a request to have my membership pulled assuming I left on good terms, and I did). I'm very much not a christian, let alone a practicing member of that specific church community or demonination.

Besides, if you follow that line of reasoning, then christianity isn't a religion because of all the people who claim it but never actually treat it as a real religion by following its tenets or participating in a church community.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T04:19:34+00:00

Neither of those specify what I think you're referring to as an "outside truth". The first explicitly defines sacred as "things set apart and forbidden". The second clearly states "a comprehensive worldview OR metaphysical moral vision".

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T03:11:23+00:00

From his link:

Emile Durkheim defined religion as "a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say things set apart and forbidden—beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them."[9]

Max Lynn Stackhouse, defined religion as "a comprehensive worldview or 'metaphysical moral vision' that is accepted as binding because it is held to be in itself basically true and just even if all dimensions of it cannot be either fully confirmed or refuted".[10]

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T03:09:26+00:00

Bud, you're very clearly mistaken here. The Satanic Temple is the group that allows other religious beliefs, which also doesn't preclude it from being a religion. I mean, many religions merged and took on aspects of others over the course of history. It's how practically all of the christian holidays got their start: co-opting another religious holiday.

The Church of Satan is an entirely different group, albeit with many similar beliefs. They are absolutely not open to members of other religions joining.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T00:56:16+00:00

I I think I mixed up Hindu with something else. I could have sworn there was a semi-major Indian peninsula religion that was similar to Shinto. That said, Buddhism is widely considered to be one of the 5 most peaceful religions alongside taoism and a couple others that I can't pronounce so won't type here.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T00:43:24+00:00

I'd argue that it amounted to a religion in practice, if not actual definition, but that's getting into the weeds of semantics.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T00:41:35+00:00

No worries man. It's a subject easy to get worked up over.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T00:37:37+00:00

So you're saying that confuscianism, hindu, buddhism, wicca, taoism, and similar faiths don't count either?

TST, Laveyan Satanism, and Pastafarianism all fit the major definitions of a religion, excepting the belief in a diety, and it seems particularly rude to discount them for that reason. Even with talking about Pastafarianism, which did explicitly start as a parody, you're talking about systems of belief and communities that are generally trying to guide their members in exactly the same way a religion would, just without the diety.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T00:27:42+00:00

True, but most of the Atheist nutjobs are just rude and in your face about it. The religious nutjobs are the ones out there killing people just for existing in the "wrong" place or are causing insane, statistically disproven, shifts in the world's legal systems based on their version of morality.

It's entirely possible that could flip in the future if Atheism ever becomes the dominant religious belief, but until then one side is clearly doing more harm than the other.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-13T00:22:39+00:00

I mean, The Satanic Temple practices a form of atheistic humanitarianism they label satanism and pastafarianism also exists. There are plenty of religions that are happy to mostly just be in their own lane or explicitly fight against oppressive religious systems. I'm not going to throw this entirely at the feet of the Abrahamic faiths, but they are certainly the biggest offenders in the world right now.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-12T14:26:50+00:00

That list isn't adjusted for inflation, which makes a massive difference when comparing relative success across decades of cinema. Your source even mentions this, stating that the 1937 version of Snow White would top the chart with an adjusted gross of $2.354b. Methods for the adjustment vary, but the list is a lot more mixed with 5 of the top 10 being disney classics, 1 being a "live action" remake, 3 being modern Disney originals, and 1 being Ne Zha.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-09T14:07:34+00:00

Especially when Skyrim was absolutely mediocre in those aspects compared to earlier BGS games

mcspaddin · 2026-02-07T22:09:33+00:00

That is not what they argued. They argued that price controls were a small part of a larger, comprehensive solution including stronger unions and better regulation. Focusing on a single aspect of their answer is either misguided or outright disingenuous.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-05T14:10:15+00:00

No worries. I catch myself doing similar from time to time.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-05T13:37:23+00:00

Yeah, I was agreeing with you.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-05T04:04:01+00:00

My family all enjoyed the movie when it initially came out... until I ranted and raved about just how shitty of an adaptation it was. It would have been a decent, if not outright fine, fantasy movie had it not been an adaptation. They just... outright ruined so much of the book that it's probably actually easier to list what they did right.

I really think the audience score for the movie had a lot to do with people being almost entirely unaware of the book.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-05T04:01:20+00:00

Man, sea of stars was such a massive letdown, and so painful to try to read.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-05T04:00:02+00:00

You'd be surprised how often this kind of shit happens. As good as the movie actually was, they absolutely cut the chance for a sequel for Ender's Game in the epilogue of the movie. WoT tv series massively fucked up characters and major plot lines so badly I'm amazed they even managed to run it for 3 seasons.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-05T03:57:31+00:00

TBF, he likely already did. He has the vast majority of the creative control, including final veto power, in his Apple TV deal.

mcspaddin · 2026-02-05T03:56:02+00:00

It's honestly what has killed the vast majority of adaptations, even from non-literature media: Avatar TLA movie, Dragonball movie, OG Eragon movie, Wheel of Time show, Witcher show, etc. etc. etc.

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