volkris @volkris@qoto.org
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
@light exactly.
We all make trade-offs every day of our lives, so this is just one of those choices we make in valuation, whether we prefer privacy or speed for any particular task.
Not to mention just utterly inane, childish patriotism.
It's really sad. It's really pathetic. Let's all highlight how pathetic these people are, because I think that's the main thing they would dislike hearing.
Call them racist and they will own the label. Call them pathetic? Well, there's no way they can own that.
volkris
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A huge Australian study of tweens and teens finds best mental health among moderate social media users — not total abstainers reason.com/2026/02/09/a...
A 'Goldilocks' effect for onli...
We know other countries aren't just going along with it because we know they are trading separately from what the US wants them to do.
In fact, the US is begging them to stop, and it wouldn't be begging them if they weren't doing it!
Siiiiiigh
Mainstream conservatives are so out of touch that they don't even see themselves pulling the "I have a black friend!" stereotype
#ClayAndBuck: Hey we already had Latin American performances at the Super Bowl. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. They performed in English. So we're no...
No, That's not how that works. Countries are free to trade with each other regardless of what the US wants.
Promoting this kind of conspiracy theory doesn't help anybody.
That's not quite what the report said though...
@annecavicchi The problem is, those are the exact reporters that lost the public trust through their antics, leaving the information vacuum that Trump's people were able to fill.
Honestly, I know they had the best of intentions, but it's largely the fault of people like those that we're in this mess now.
They got fired because they were bad at their jobs. And we are all suffering for it.
We don't, though. Congressional Democrats could fix this pretty quickly, but they just aren't interested in standing up to the administration.
They just want to spend their time on Facebook trying to score political points by fighting instead of actually winning.
Let's call out Congressional Democrats for being so ineffective, and let's, for goodness sake, stop re-electing these same people that don't serve us.
@timrichards Well, when the museum reaches capacity is everyone else just out of luck? They don't get to go to the museum?
But again that doesn't really change the question.
Yeah, you can draw the line eight different ways that still have the same number of people per district, but the question is, which of those eight ways do you draw the line?
And the choice of where to draw the line is necessarily political.
Again my example, do you just draw a straight geographical line with the same number of people on each side, or do you draw a curved line to preserve community interests, again with the same number of people on each side?
The choice between those two lines is political. The choice itself is a political one.
@FunkETown I mean, sounds like he is giving the president a whole lot more authority than he actually has.
In the end, it doesn't really matter what the president thinks, we don't trust them to decide for themselves to leave office. We don't leave that choice up to them.
They are out, whether they accept it or not. It's not their choice.
The problem is, the other side is tolerating them.
Seriously, we keep reelecting the same Democrats that are completely ineffective, completely disinterested in using the power that they have to counter Republicans.
They're complicit.
Let's stop boating for Democrats until they stand up to Republicans.
Yes, both sides are bad. Let's be very clear about that. One side has Nazis? Okay, well the other side is tolerating and even promoting them. Not sure which is worse, to be honest.
The reason it makes a difference is because its important to realize that by choosing this tax policy y'all are pushing them hard to deliver this result that you don't want.
So if you don't want that result, maybe don't choose the policy that causes that result.
This is the choice that you are making. Realize that you have this power. And maybe don't use this power to cause the result that you don't like.
Up to you.
@redsad I mean that's dumb, but whatever, they are leaving with the money, so you can't even "take it back" once they're out the door.
I am curious as to how you think they stole it though.
@i_give_u_worms No, not for the purpose of evading taxes, but because taxes incentivized them to do that.
This is an important distinction as we talk about how to design tax policy.
@redsad If you don't need them and their money, then why are you taxing them and writing it into the budget?
@brenttoderian.bsky.social I think that's their point...
I think we need to highlight that we are choosing to fund this nonsense.
We should probably stop appropriating money for this sort of BS.
We should stop reelecting the same congresspeople that agree to fund this.
But we will reelect them, so I guess we like it.
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
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