Billionaires 'bowing down' to Trump? Like they are reluctant? Like they aren't helping orchestrate this direction? Like they give a fuck about anything but their bottom line in the short term? Like this isn't an administration designed in plain view for billionaire interests, more so than any previous administration?

I know it's a meme to knock on BMW drivers for this, but this just seems like your average driver of any car anymore.

All right, rant over.

Is this just an ad for Church's Chicken?!?

Reminds me of Bill Hicks.

"I know all the marketing people are going, “He’s doing a joke…” There’s no joke here whatsoever. Suck a tail-pipe, fucking hang yourself, borrow a gun from a Yank friend – I don’t care how you do it. Rid the world of your evil fucking machinations. Whatever, you know what I mean.

I know what all the marketing people are thinking right now too: “Oh, you know what Bill’s doing? He’s going for that anti-marketing dollar. That’s a good market. He’s very smart.”

Oh man, I am not doing that, you fucking, evil scumbags!

“Ooh, you know what Bill’s doing now? He’s going for the righteous indignation dollar. That’s a big dollar. A lot of people are feeling that indignation. We’ve done research – huge market. He’s doing a good thing.”

Godammit, I’m not doing that, you scum-bags! Quit putting a goddamn dollar sign on every fucking thing on this planet!"

RIP

I've always understood SoaD to be overtly political, with songs like Prison Song, Attack, BYOB, A.D.D., and on and on... I listened to them for a long time because I enjoyed the music, but when I gave more than two seconds to think about the lyrics, I immediately understood them to be political in nature (which I actually enjoyed and appreciated more).

When I want non-political music, I almost avoid lyrics entirely, or listen to old-timey songs about broken hearts and love. I particularly enjoy early jazz guitar like Billy Banks, or The Ink Spots. Or some good EDM like Jaded and Noizu.

There's a bit of politics in so much lyrical music, even if it is less transparent, seemingly nonsensical stuff. I do enjoy a good revelation about some bands, though. Like the amount of veterans my age that listen to Lamb of God but are very enthusiastic about military service and God and country types, or as has been mentioned in the thread already, that whole thing with Rage Against the Machine. I feel like SoaD falls into this category a lot too, with these particular people.

There are certainly moments of social commentary in RHCP songs, but I do enjoy Frusciante's and Flea's musical prowess to a degree that I don't care at all what they're saying at times, and just very much enjoy the tunes.

Edit: After reading replies in here, I oughta mention I'm wrong and political music doesn't actually exist.

Now you have to make a giant guitar for him too.

So those 'we're full' people will be upset about this too, right? Right?! Oh wait, we know full well their motivations for their anti-immigrant stance don't extend beyond their stupid fucking racist dipshit peanut-sized brains.

You're in luck! The Kennedy half dollar, minted since 1964.

I am not a biologist or really anyone with any authority on the matter. Just some guy who likes to read and think about all manner of subjects, so I cannot adequately explain anything here, but if you're interested in the why, it really boils down to the simplicity of morphological structures early in the development of life on earth, to more complex as evolution did its thing. That's not to say that evolution has a goal, just that added complexity often means greater advantages. Also, it isn't as though nothing similar to these creatures exist at all today. These basal forms were a prerequisite to the life we see in the oceans (and on land) today.

Definitely stay interested and read more about morphology and evolution in general! Fascinating stuff.

I work a blue collar job deep in a very red state. The guys at work have really enjoyed the last few weeks over the news they've been seeing across their Facebook feeds and other preferred outlets. The elation from them is immeasurable. But some of them have relatives or even a wife who work for the federal government. They were discussing how their loved ones are afraid of losing their jobs, and so I take any opportunity I can to have any conversation with them about class politics and shoehorn in any broad analysis of the political landscape of the US. Not specific to the current circumstances, we've been having these conversations for years now. They often walk away saying how I've provided a new perspective, and that they weren't aware of something I said and it gave them something to think about, only to turn around the next day as if they hadn't heard a single word from me.

In these conversations, I've found out that of their own admission, some of them have never read a single book in their lives. That they have a difficult time understanding basic principles of science.

I have always tried my best to see the positives in people. To believe that if someone didn't have knowledge in one area, they may be vastly ahead in another. Like the "hillbillies" who know nothing of the outside world, but understand mechanical systems well enough to keep an engine running with a paperclip and chewed gum.

But that's what they know. They are not adept at piecing together even the most modest of intertwining political occurrences. What they know in their holler is their neighbor and their cousin. Their adherence to supporting the termination of democracy for the sake of oligarchy is a cultural wave bolstered by the algorithms that feed their scrolling habits. They hang onto anything that carries their ignorances. Many have never left the area and met anyone unlike them.

You're right that it is maddening, to know that history is happening in front of our eyes. The analogous atrocities we show as examples burning holes in our conscious while we're diving in all over again, with some people choosing obliviousness and even celebrating for their biases and propagandizing.

I believe that even among the aware, there are those who choose not to believe the worst could happen. They see these events and choose to internalize the roundabout language in the corporate news headlines or from any more relevant politician. It is, after all, a tough pill to swallow. So they too allow themselves to fall victim to shirking the naked obviousness of the direction we're going.

That is to say, I don't think we are at the Rubicon yet - trying not to doom post. But I wanted to say it isn't difficult to understand why other people don't see it. The world built around them makes it easier to look the other way.

You say leftists stayed home because genocide, but look...

I am firmly on the left. Most of the people I choose to associate with are as well. All of us went to marches for Palestine when it was possible for us. We did what we could and...

All of us voted for Kamala Harris. We participated in electoral politics because we heard what people like you were saying about broad outcomes. I know it's not the same everywhere, but most leftist spaces that are very critical of the Democrats that I frequent shared this sentiment.

I know it's anecdotal, and other leftists can dunk on us for it, whatever, I don't care.

But I'm tired of seeing threads with comment after comment being specifically about blaming the left abstainers. It's fucking over! The election is over and pointing fingers blaming people isn't helping anyone. You want to feel good for being right? I know you're angry, I get it, but what is your point? You just want people to feel bad? Okay, they feel bad. The situation is shit and getting worse by the day. How is this building a unified resistance? How is this helping anyone but yourself?

I think the word 'conspiracy' here is being conflated to mean 'ridiculous, and false, conspiracy theory'. Conspiracies happen, but the word itself has the association with those who theorize and speculate on the absurd. I can say I don't know for sure what the original commenter meant, but I think it is implied they meant they 'know the Clinton's murdering people isn't true'.

I've made monthly contributions to WVPB for almost ten years now!

These are well established political definitions, not something we just up and decided a few days ago. Political position along a left and right axis, defined in the context of the economic present, with a pro- or anti-capitalist stance on either side. "The Left" has more or less been defined by an anti-capitalism - pro-socialism stance for a long time, despite whatever labels some news outlets choose to use to demonize liberals and Democrats. They restrict definitions to the Overton window, just a sliver of the full political spectrum, which is firmly planted rightward, and promote the idea that the left side of the window is "The Left". It isn't. Many iberals and the democratic party are firmly pro-capitalist. It isn't that they are good or bad leftists, they just aren't leftists at all. We aren't too busy figuring this out, we've been clear with these definitions for forever.

Not to mention corporate news. It's impossible to find anyone else discussing particular events or raw video or even live streams without wading through what seems like thousands of every damn news channel with their talking heads and editors about any topic. I certainly understand why it's important to have news easily accessible, but it kills me that I used to be able to find news media critique and videos of happenings from everyday people, and I just can't anymore, at least not without serious digging. Obviously the rise of other video platforms plays a role, as does the need to ensure accurate information for specific things, like a pandemic or climate change, but I can't help but see just how homogenized and corporatized it's all become.

This isn't to say there aren't great channels out there that meet my needs, I just miss being able to type a keyword in and finding regular people, not trying to game the algorithm, not trying to make youtube a career, just getting their voices out there.

Yeah, young folks are moving away because they've been indoctrinated in liberal college institutions and lured by a gay communist urban agenda to destroy rural America and bring about the decline of Christian conservative values! Nothing at all to do with capital consolidation and market monopolization resulting in reductions of diversified local markets and diminished job prospects! Increased cultural exposure due to accessing instantaneous global communications and social media? No way that has any influence in the decisions people make about what cultural environment they'd prefer to raise their children in. SmallTown USA is the best place to escape all the scary ideas that exist in the world, like equality among gender and race, and socializing the excesses of the private. Who would want to live in that kind of world?!

'Eyewitness' perhaps?

All is fair in love and war... Or something like that

Although it's been sporadic for him as he is no professional, my dad has always sculpted as his creative outlet. His best work being from the time period after we lost my mom. His chosen medium are various woods, but when I had an interest myself, he would show me carving techniques in soap bars and create initial sculpture(s) in clay before attempting to remove material on the final workpiece. I only made a couple things in wood, but I got more into charcoal drawing and music and didn't explore the third dimension much more (until I got into modeling on the computer for practical/machining purposes). I imagine CAD design and 3d modeling programs likely had an impact on the interest in physical sculpture in general.

Depends on where I am at. In traffic (or just watching people drive cars around)? More grumpy. Stressful situations at work? More calm and laid back.

For years, I worked in a large building that required all employees and visitors to back in for a few safety reasons, with approximately 600 spaces and an almost full lot most weekdays. It was stated in our safety training that it was easier to see other people and vehicles when exiting facing forward and faster evacuation in times of extreme emergency. It had the benefit that it did seem to quicken flow of traffic when everyone left around the same time at the end of the day.

If a parking spot is straight, I tend to back in for those reasons, but if it is an angled spot, it typically denotes a singular directional flow, and it makes more sense to pull in and back out.