I think some people are bad at reading through no real fault of their own. Then they feel, consciously or subconsciously, embarrassed and angry when they try.

I also think a lot about a woman I knew that was like “analysis is stupid. Sometimes a story is just a story!”, and that was very strange to me. I asked some more questions, and she said she hated how in school they were always reading and being told to find the secret meaning. I was like, your education failed you. The game isn’t find the meaning. The game is finding a meaning you can support in the text.

Like, Dracula can just be a book about a dude that bites people. But you can also look at it and be like “hmm so these women abandon their ‘motherly’ duties of raising children and staying in the home, and the only way to ‘fix’ them is for some men to hold her down and penetrate her with a big piece of wood? Hmmm”

But, also, you don’t have to think hard about everything you read. You don’t analyze every TV show, even though you could.

That’s a terrible way to get news.

It’s nice not having to ever worry about car stuff. I just have to worry about this high horse instead.

Other people already gave most of the answers, but

Parks. Go for a walk. Play a game with folks (Frisbee, soccer, whatever). Ride a bike. Read.

Meetups. I go to a tabletop RPG one. That’s not unique to cities, but I can walk to this one and there are probably more people attending than you’d find in a less populous area. I also used to go to a basic neighborhood hangout one. There are many others.

The library is free. Many books and other media to enjoy.

This city has beaches. It’s $3 for the subway ride there , or if I was really broke I could ride a bike.

There are free museums. I don’t go that often but they’re interesting.

But also

And to make it worse many of them probably have a 1 bedroom apartment so its not like you can sit in there all day long (at least i cant).

I realize im still spending money by being in my house out of town, but still, at least things I buy are owned by me, and im not paying someone else every time I want to do anything. If I want to stay at home all day I have tons of stuff to occupy my mind without going nuts.

I don’t think I accept this premise. I stay home in my one bedroom without any more trouble than when I lived in the suburbs. A computer full of games doesn’t need a lot of rooms. I have plenty of entertainment here. I don’t see what’s stifling about a one bedroom. Maybe a tiny studio I could see. But even so, when I lived in a whole house it’s not like I went skipping from room to room.

I memorized my friend’s phone number. It’s because she’s a lawyer, and that seems like a good number to have memorized.

A lot of people struggle to read, and it’s kind of sad. https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/ was an interesting post about it (available as a podcast and transcripts).

That said, some people really just do wallow and the slop and that’s an embarrassment.

See, you can’t fix our society’s problems by just killing one guy.

The answer to all the kirks out there is to sharpen your arguments and learn how to deny him control of the narrative.

I don’t think this is the complete solution, because of the consolidation of power in the hands of the wealthy. You could have the best arguments in the world, but if YouTube promotes your opponent instead of you, that’s an uphill battle. If they get millions in funding for advertising, staff, and research, and you don’t, that’s not a fight won merely by sharpness of wit.

People talk about the marketplace of ideas as if solely the better idea will win. Stuff wins in marketplaces for dubious reasons like funding and familiarity rather than merit all the time.

That’s not to say we should just shoot all the republicans. Rather, this is a conflict on many fronts, and “they have almost all the money and thus control” is a big tactical concern. I don’t know how to fix that.

“I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to, even though we don’t agree on politics at all. I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t, ever.”

I don’t know how you could stay close with maga people now. That sounds extremely difficult.

Not a fan of “sick” used in this context. I don’t think there was any evidence that the alleged shooter suffered mental illness. Writing off disagreeable actions as sickness maligns people with actual illness.

Also, “ever” is a pretty broad claim. I don’t think violence is typically the best solution, and arguably there were more tools left in the box to stop Kirk, but ultimately every right has to be backed by “or I’ll stop you” or it’s at risk. If masked men come to abduct you, violence is likely an appropriate response. Shooting a giant talking head, arguably not justified even if he’s fanning the flames of hate and stochastic terrorism.

But overall it wasn’t a boot licking capitulation, so that’s nice. I didn’t watch it live since I rarely watch TV.

Interesting. Haven’t heard of this one but from their FAQ and writing it sounds interesting.

Not sure if a subscription fee for artists will work. Bigger ones can certainly afford it.

The main problem as I see it now is what any new platform has: getting people to use it.

I’ve been using bandcamp for years, and I feel pretty good about it. I’d spend about $10/month and get 1-2 albums, and now I have a pretty big collection. I’ve been unemployed so I haven’t bought new music, but my library is still here and ad-free.

Bandcamp might enshittify, since it’s privately owned, so make sure you download the drm-free copy of anything you buy.

I believe in racism AND systemic racism.

I don’t believe you. I don’t think this conversation is worth continuing further.

Do you think the old lady complained more or less because the guy was black? Do you think the MTA guy has any discretion? How many other people got the police called on them for sitting “improperly”?

I feel like you don’t accept the concepts of privilege and systemic problems, and are really zoomed in on individual actions to the point of not being able to see the whole picture.

The old lady probably complained because the guy was black. The MTA conductor probably escalated for similar reasons. The victim may have reacted negatively because of decades of racially driven abuse.

I’m not really sure if you’re arguing in good faith, or have some emotional investment in disbelieving racism can be pervasive and covered by other plausible excuses.

You’re missing or refusing to see the point that the conductor is likely policing certain people’s behavior more

So yes, if the conductor or the police tell you to do something and you refuse you’re probably going to have a bad time. But more importantly, that situation is far more likely to occur in the first place if you’re a minority. It’s likely there was a white guy on that train sitting “badly” and no one policed him.

Zoom out more.

Go try it, ANYONE would get kicked off when doing that.

This is laughably false. People put their feet on the seats on MTA transit all the time. Do you even ride these trains?

(Personally, I have a very negative opinion of people who take up excessive space on the trains, but I would never call the police over it, nor rat them out to the authorities.)

It’s not a racial thing he was refusing to obey the rules when the conductor asked him.

You gotta zoom out a little to see the racism. The racism isn’t in the rules about sitting. The racism is in how the rules are unevenly applied.

I will admit when doing something like buying from an evil corporation that I’m making a trade off. I won’t pretend it’s fine. I try to acknowledge it.

It’s impossible to live in the modern world without participating in exploitation. This phone was probably made in ways that hurt the environment and labor. But I need a phone to participate in modern life. So I got one, and try to hold onto it as long as possible.

I think there’s a big difference between trying, and acknowledging tradeoffs and shortcomings, and just refusing to engage. “But I like it” is refusing to engage. I would respect “I know this milk comes from cruelty to cows, but I don’t care about cows” more. At least it’s honest.

Poor emotional regulation. Poor long term planning. Disregarding facts for emotions.

I imagine most people who are rewilding their lawn are doing so for environmental reasons, which I consider more valid than mere personal preference. If someone was doing so for mere aesthetics, maybe.

With respect to murdering, there is a social contract or a legal “contract” that says you absolutely can’t, so this argument obviously doesn’t work.

That’s kind of the point. The reason why you don’t murder isn’t merely because you like it. There are actual reasons. Personal preference alone is not sufficient to override reasons like social contracts and laws and stuff. So if one side of the argument is “this is good for the environment”, the other side saying “but I like it” should not be compelling.

It is compelling to some people when they consider stuff like the environment non-issues on the same level as personal preferences. Those people are assholes.

Conservatives would hate it so it’s probably a good idea

“Oh my god having a lawn isn’t murder you’re being dramatic!” - some small-minded buffoon who doesn’t understand analogies.

So many people seem to really struggle with analogies. Sometimes I think they’re just responding to the emotional content, and not following the reasoning at all