Andy Lowry @AndyLowry@qoto.org

@ElenoreNeverMore @DeanObeidallah
You probably saw it too-- there was a photo floating around from the Former Person rallies where a participant wore a teeshirt stating "I'd rather be Russian than Democrat" on it. Well okay then. What the hell, why not just take the next step and sign up with ISIS-- I hear the food is good.. 😉

@dradeguardia
Gotta take those compliments where we can!😀

@darth
Sure! I understand that and was iffy myself until I saw the lists and reasons for them-- nothing secret going on there, the list curators make sure you know precisely what the blocks are and why. And one can pick and choose amongst the list if needed, or for that matter just add the federation back if desired. It's mostly just a convenience matter, where someone has already done the research for us and reported on it.

@darth
The good news is that importing block lists is easy. I've made use of a couple to whack the occasional Nazi (actual Nazi, like with swastikas) group popping up. I hope it takes a while for them to figure out that hanging around only with each other makes life easier for me. 😉

@freemo @darth
Oooh, that's really great, will keep an eye out for UFoI news. Thanks for mentioning it.

@freemo
Whoops, sorry, my mistake. No, not a reply. Got too excited there I guess. 😉

@freemo Thinking you'd find this interesting; covers a lot of aspects (including legal) of doing what you're already doing. 😉

Great Mastodon article on Ars Technica this morning! No paywall.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/12/mastodon-is-hurtling-toward-a-tipping-point/

@sethcotlar
Thanks for the insights. I saw a lot of what you describe growing up in Ohio; it used to be that there were a great number of self-educated readers, even of serious poetry. A former father-in-law had an extensive library of sociology, political theory, general literature, and so on, and he was a high school graduate who worked for the C&O railroad. My late more recent father-in-law, the same-- Marine vet, worked as a butcher, and built his own houses by teaching himself how to do it. Took up computers after retirement and became an advisor at a local college.

I think they used to just make 'em different once upon a time.

@mlohbihler @MeidasTouch
Not enough evidence for you yet? Actual plotting to overthrow an elected government isn't enough? I'm curious as to what it would take (though I agree that "traitor" may be a little too loose a term).

@Alisnarkbar @MeidasTouch
'Tis, isn't it? Seems like there may be some interesting things there should anything ever be released.

@Kitchi
Indeed. I'm frequently frustrated by the realization that there's not a damn thing I can actually do to help, despite wanting to. A flag sticker hardly seems all that useful. 😉 And I don't know if an actual flag in the yard as a visual reminder to passersby would do much either, though I've thought about it-- ultimately rather empty gestures, I guess. As I've said to myself many times over my lifetime, "Ah, if I only had the funding..."

@shrinkthinks
I look forward to seeing what you have to say, and thanks for letting me know it's coming!

@jayarava @drsueoosthuizen
From general readings in Indian history, Iranian tribes seem like a given. Keay's "History" spends a decent amount of time on the period. Have been thinking of picking up Singh's "Ancient and Medieval" as a next read, might broaden my understanding. If you have any recommendations on the topic, I'd be pleased to know!

@DeanObeidallah
My 89-year-old Dad and I were talking about this recently and we concluded that it's all because nobody remembers what fascism looks like anymore. People see it constantly and don't recognize that it's the same thing as in the twenties and thirties simply because it was all too long ago. Not that the info is hard to find; just been completely normalized amongst some populations.