Erik Haugen @ech@qoto.org

@quercus24 driving licenses I'm guessing cost a lot more than that if you also count the classes & training? 😂

Is there a free easy-to-get alternative? I know in some times & places it hasn't been, so that's a poll tax.

@freemo yeah the identity-lefty movement that's kind of picking up steam in the last decade or so does not tolerate dissent.

The thinking is roughly: everything anyone does is about identity oppression, so if you disagree with me about anything, you must therefore be an oppressor, i.e. a Nazi. Punch Nazis.

There is no room for nuance.

They have a huge presence on the main Mastodon instances.

I appreciate the enthusiasm, but it really makes it weird when you're debating something banal like minimum wage.

@ZhiZhu This strip sort of glosses over some important free speech issues. The idea of losing your job for something you say, for example, is a big deal; establishing norms around what justifies that kind of response, whether those responses do more harm than good, etc are important conversations.

@quercus24 Do any places in the UK or US that require IDs to vote make it particularly difficult, or not free, to get an ID?

@billstewart415 yes. It's changed, now, though, to be slightly less ridiculous.

@Pat the 24 ft guy – but how do we know he didn't get it from someone else, say, in the bathroom? Was it one of those silly pseudo "outdoor" tent things restaurants had, as if it was sheetrock that caused covid?

Anyway: sure, it's possible, I'm sure like a couple people got sick that way.

@Pat Yeah I think there isn't much doubt about that; you wear it right you're hugely protected. (Haven't healthcare workers been using these for years when doing flu swabs so when they get sneezed on by sick people they don't get sick?)

My question about your photo is, do you really need masks outside? I hear you can't really catch covid outdoors in normal situations.

I could see putting one on before I go inside a public space. But, for me, I feel like the risk is down to "background levels", time to move on. I'm not going to wear a mask for the rest of my life.

@grey qoto.org is both sides of the fediverse, I guess?

@Myrha I think we should keep #3 just in case.

@royal yeah, rifles vs. pistols is a meaningful distinction: rifle rounds can have a lot more energy. And like I said caliber. But I don't think AR-15s are any more deadly if they have barrel shrouds, pistol grips, and flash suppressors on them.

@SocialistStan@kolektiva.social Not surprising – they're expensive!

@Jonathanglick I don't know, I feel like there isn't going to be a lot of interoperating going on given the content moderation policies of some of the big instances. The identarian-lefties really like their echo chamber. It will be interesting to see how it plays out, or if it drives itself to the 1.5 walled-garden world Willow is talking about.

@juddlegum I appreciate you posting the complaint, that is illuminating and usually in these stories I can't find the stated reasons for objecting.

An interesting point in this case is that the parent doesn't object to children being shown the film in class. Instead, the complaint is only about what age it is appropriate for. I haven't seen the film, but maybe Conklin isn't a total nutjob for thinking 7 is too young: MPAA gave it a PG rating, meaning "Some material may not be suitable for children", commonsensemedia says 10+.

Anyway hopefully if the committee agrees with Conklin it will be shown at least to older kids, it looks like a good movie and it's important to teach this history in schools.

@Yetimon This is a testable hypothesis, I think, and trivially fails. Look at the Scientific Revolution, for example, to see it falsified.

Hitchens was a gifted speaker, but didn't always make much sense, I guess.