People take it for granted but it's actually such a cool bit of engineering, we had a world-changing technology, but it would take decades to get lines set up and wouldn't really be too useful until then. But engineers realized by literally playing and listening to beeps over an existing widespread utility in phone lines, you've just given almost everyone access to the internet overnight, with almost 0 infrastructure cost.

The sad part is this is literally incentivized to cut every corner you can, because if you don't the other seller is. The free market will solve it guys we just made the FDA for fun, not after 50 years of this problem not being solved - maga, somehow.

True, I put cadmium in my hot dogs to save money and outcompeted everyone, and the effects won't be felt for 20 years so the consumer is none the wiser! Yet another win for unregulated capitalism!

Yeah we've gotten such a force multiplier from technology, people were always like this. Capitalism just adds on to it because people and businesses feel like they can't stop sprinting towards catastrophe or they're the ones losing out.

Some disks don't even contain the game, they're basically big circular CD key, it's really stupid.

Inflation rising rapidly is starting to affect them but for most their racism is still winning out

The difference for the cold war was it was an imminent, visible threat, that short term decisions could change, where it is beneficial to all parties to prevent it. Climate change is just about the opposite in every possible way.

There was uncertainty of what might happen in the cold war, but this time we have near certainty that there will be extreme consequences due to climate change, the uncertainty is what other negatives might come with it.

It's a little annoying that staying the reality is "doomerism" when I'm still actively fighting against it, and I think it's a bit harmful to compare it to other situations where we weren't so absolutely certain of the extreme consequences we will face. If the building is on fire you don't say it's not to prevent panic, you want people to know how serious it is.

They watch unironically 10+ hours a day for 20+ years propaganda telling them these people are evil and deserve no sympathy, so I guess it's not that surprising.

You say this is hyperbole but my parents have said quote "well if it is true we'll be gone by then but..."

correction: they will abstain 1 cycle, then because the democrat didn't fix the destroyed mess Trump left America in immediately, they'll say "well Republicans are better for the economy so..."

The average American has the memory of a goldfish evidently.

They will hurt for it and keep voting for it so long as their "enemies" (provided by Russian propaganda) are hurt as well. It's like the scorpion and the frog fable, maga voters would rather go broke than let illegal (otherwise non lawbreaking) Mexicans exist in America, I've heard them say as much.

It's pretty sad it's essentially a cult now with all the same tactics. Leaving the cult means leaving behind fox news and conservative media which tells you no, you are smarter than them, you get it. Trump is saving you and America. I can't even blame most of them because it's emotionally stunted immature lonely people, it's just sad.

It's the standard "my enemies are so unbelievably stupid that they can't do anything correctly and are utterly incompetent, but also they are smart enough that they are sabotaging us at every corner in ways so sophisticated no one can prevent it." Somehow this actually works long term...

How were they supposed to know there were turds in it?? There were NO indications!

I was talking to someone and they said "oh man this person Trump worked with turned out to be an evil scammer. So did this person. And these 20 other people. And also Jeffery Epstein." I'm like huh wow he must just be really unlucky then! No other explanation!

and especially when someone gives you a "simple solution" that would solve everything, that no one else sees.

It's actually so insane how much of a cult it is, I have long covid and live with maga people who DAILY see me be in bed for 16 hours and barely able to do things while not in bed, and STILL say "covid was just the flu and overblown." I have no explanation besides they're just too bought in at this point.

You have to live in reality idk what to say, if black people commit more crime in an area I want to have that information so I can figure out why so I can prevent it (outreach programs specifically targeted at black kids for instance), if you say it as a dogwhistle to other racists that's a different story.

I think genZ is absolutely cooked for different reasons (AI, social media, tiktok, covid lockdowns during a critical part of development) and I wouldn't be surprised if they're also an at-risk group to scams.

If your goal is to dogwhisle or denigrate based on identity then yes that's wrong, but old people are the majority of the voting block and they majority voted for Trump. Saying "old people are racist and closed-minded" is false. Saying "old people are NOT racist and closed-minded" is even more false.

Same with being disabled, growing up I thought disabled people just got helped by everyone in society with everything. Turns out most of the time it's "do what you were doing before except harder."