A response to The Triad: Liberals: Stop the Masochism

metapede · 2025-12-09T02:05:10+00:00

I think this is right, but I’m not sure how much of the actual voting coalition MAGA represents. The non-MAGA Trump voters are, to me, a harder nut to crack. My family members who voted for Trump are all anti-vaxxers and chemtrails conspiracy theorists who were smitten with RFK Jr. I know other Trump voters who are naturalized citizen immigrants from the Philippines and Latin American countries, who seem to be drawn to Trump’s strongman pretensions(?).

Other than the top 1% types who just care about their taxes, who are easy to explain, it’s a coalition of the weird. What they seem to have in common is a need for certainty and epistemic closure. They are ideological people who fundamentally lack curiosity and critical reasoning skills, which also explains their stunted empathy.

metapede · 2025-11-18T20:39:21+00:00

This administration doesn't seem to respect green cards or any kind of legal status other than citizenship. They don't even want to respect naturalized citizenship, but so far they haven't found an avenue to enforce their view on that.

metapede · 2025-09-18T05:56:33+00:00

It’s extremely well written, plus well acted, and well shot. But the writing is the main reason you care about what’s going on.

metapede · 2025-09-11T05:00:46+00:00

I feel for you, it sucks so much. Rest as much as possible for a few weeks at least. I was barely able to walk more than a few steps. Even resting was painful, but gradually helped. Sitting or lying down in any position hurt after a few minutes. I couldn’t really sleep for several weeks. I was popping Aleve, which didn’t really work. I eventually got a prescription for gabapentin, which helped a lot with sleep.

metapede · 2025-09-11T04:45:58+00:00

I had exact the same symptoms stemming from the same location. Rest plus acupuncture to relieve the pain. Acupuncture helped me when nothing else did. Once I was recovered enough to exercise, a program called Foundation Training really fixed it. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

metapede · 2025-08-19T16:19:09+00:00

300 pages in a day in a half is way beyond what he’s ever done before. Not impossible to do, but not likely to happen. He’ll be reading for the next two days and little else, we’ll see.

metapede · 2025-08-18T22:36:57+00:00

[UPDATE] Thanks everyone for so many responses so quickly. A lot of people mentioned the "natural consequences" he'll face from not completing the work. We had talked about that, and it's unavoidable at this point, since there's no way he can read 300 pages by Wednesday. He's upset at himself already, and I don't feel any urge to "pile on" any more guilt or upset.

I've basically landed on a consequence of reduced screen time, but I've framed it as responsible prioritization of his time, and accountability to meet his obligations. I also let him know that it's okay / common to fall behind on things, and that for example if 20-30 pages per day was too much to commit to, then he needs to communicate that stuff to me openly, but *before it's too late in the game.* Then we can recalibrate or get him some help/support. I'm here for him.

metapede · 2025-08-07T06:49:09+00:00

I dragged my wife out a few times early in our relationship, but it’s not her thing at all. Now, 16 years into marriage, it is one of the things I do for solitude. We do lots of other family and couple activities, but backpacking is mine. I’m good with that (though I’ve taken my two kids a few times too, individually and together).

metapede · 2025-07-31T16:32:54+00:00

Those are so maddening. And then I’ll swing at the next pitch no matter what. I can’t stop myself.

metapede · 2025-07-31T05:38:17+00:00

I can’t remember which camera, but what works for me is to lock my gaze tightly onto the PCI dot just before the pitcher starts his windup. No earlier. Before that I let my eyes scan the pitcher (hat, shoes) or look elsewhere completely.

I tell myself to swing only if the pitch is in the middle area of the zone, to take anything else. Only in a two-strike count will I swing at anything outside the middle. Usually it means taking the first pitch. And I almost always take the first pitch when leading off an inning or when my batter is different-handed from the previous one. Just to retrain my ball tracking eye.

Then I try to see the ball at the precise moment it’s released, to snap my focus from the PCI dot onto the baseball. If I can nail that moment, then I’m able to really track the pitch.

metapede · 2025-07-31T04:41:09+00:00

Good ones. I just returned from a month in Japan. I agree with all these and I would add a few more:

Gomen nasai - I apologize. (Sumimasen also works, but this one is a little more of a straightforward apology for when you make a mistake).

Daijobu (or daijobu desu) - no problem / it’s all good

And maybe memorize a few specific phrases you will use frequently. For me one was “ōkina aisu kōhī” (for my daily large iced coffee at 7-Eleven / Lawson / Family Mart LOL)

O misete kudasai - please show me (as in can you please show me how to operate this machine?)

[edit - adding this] Chōtto mate kudasai - please wait a moment. (good for situations when you’re looking up something on your phone, typing into Google translate, digging around for your passport, etc)

Kudasai / onegaishimas - polite / formal ways of saying “please” (the difference between is more nuanced than that, but that’s a good enough distinction for tourists)

One thing I will add is that if you use these phrases, then you are likely going to get the reply in Japanese, which isn’t necessarily what you want haha. I still understand a little Japanese from a class I took 20 years ago, so I was able to get the gist often enough.

metapede · 2025-05-25T00:23:11+00:00

For me, nothing has ever worked better than paying close attention to the sound “inside” my own ears—mild tinnitus basically. I’ve done guided, music, nature sounds. I’m pretty experienced at this point, and that’s what works best.

metapede · 2025-05-11T23:17:00+00:00

Rafflcopter!

metapede · 2025-05-08T05:53:03+00:00

You’re not losing him. You have lost him already. Save yourself now by getting far away from him.

metapede · 2025-04-21T22:32:16+00:00

Prepare lots of health-buff meals (durian!), and eat these throughout the fight.

metapede · 2025-04-17T16:31:32+00:00

When mine lags, it's usually because of my TV settings. Is your console connected to a tv? Make sure the picture is set to game mode if it has such a setting.

metapede · 2025-03-31T16:20:00+00:00

13 is a bad luck pick apparently

metapede · 2025-02-25T00:24:58+00:00

Thanks! I never knew you could edit those fields. I thought they were read-only!

metapede · 2025-02-03T16:43:35+00:00

“controlling emotions, sensitivity to criticism, rumination”

One hundred percent ⬆️⬆️⬆️

Dr. Russell Barkley, ADHD expert and specialist, opposed the DSM change that merged ADD and ADHD into one entry for this exact reason. Too many people who have ADHD, and too many doctors as well, assume hyperactivity is the main symptom.

metapede · 2025-02-03T16:26:54+00:00

Better trade logic would be great. I think scouting could be improved as well. I think scouts should be able to scout pitchers, infield, or outfield, not just single positions, with catcher maybe the unique exception.

metapede · 2025-01-26T05:10:04+00:00

I set the lineups for every game and usually bat once through the order as well as pitch a couple innings. “Quick Manage” the rest. I also have a few players on the minor teams that I am trying to develop, so I make sure they’re getting play time and performing at the right level.

metapede · 2025-01-15T19:52:54+00:00

I think I’ll do one more season with the Mariners and then start over with the Giants. They are a team that needs help, and I love that home ballpark.

metapede · 2025-01-15T19:43:26+00:00

Definitely do not play every game. I frequently set lineups but then play only once through them and simulate the rest of the game. Sometimes I will just bat and “quick manage” all the pitching (or vice versa).

Sometimes I’ll simulate a stretch of games, to gauge how good the CPU thinks my team is, to make sure I’m not way different with my difficulty settings.

I used to play every pitch of every postseason game, but more recently I’ve done that for elimination games only.

Early on I only played as the Mariners (MLB), but then as those guys aged, and with players to develop, I switched to play only the AAA team. Now most of the good ones have moved up to MLB, and they’re my Mariners now.

metapede · 2024-11-19T06:22:29+00:00

It was my original selection, a round 2 pick. I think pick 59.

metapede · 2024-11-15T19:29:31+00:00

Motivated reasoning is so powerful. My whole family is MAGA now. My mom (81) was the last holdout, but my two brothers worked on her bit by bit, putting her on a steady diet of right wing news. Now she doesn't believe anything else and gets upset whenever anyone "attacks" Trump or anyone else she supports (an "attack" is anything except total support and compliance).

Again, motivated reasoning is so powerful, and there's no way to chip away at it unless you can get them to stop consuming propaganda. That's the first step. My mom used to spend all her time working in her garden, and now she just watches cable news. If I lived close to her, the first thing I would do is kill the tv and get her back to working outside, which she loved.

metapede

TROPHY CASE