chemical_cutthroat

...And this one is for when the Pope is in town, and this one is for the coronation of new royalty, and this one is for taco tuesdays...

To what end? It won't change a Trump voter's mind. It won't keep a Democrat voting blue. We need to drop the territorial pissing and get back to actual fucking politics. Maybe we could win something if we fucking did anything. But no, that's a good idea, we'll just keep fighting pointless battles with the MAGA crowd, I'm sure that will pay off in dividends.

And gatekeeping social media is cunty behavior, so take a cue and get fucked.

I'm glad you've shown up, Most Fun Guy at the Party.

Yeah, I work in a restaurant and allergies are a real issue that we deal with nearly every day. There is no such thing as being "too cautious" when you are dealing with the literal life and death of another human.

I think it's a matter of perspective. When you look at Christians, you may see positive aspects or good outcomes from their beliefs. When I look at Christianity, I see it through a different lens, shaped by the contradictions and harm I’ve observed or experienced firsthand. I don’t disregard any positive intentions or outcomes, but for me, it's hard to overlook some deeply ingrained patterns within the ideology — including aspects like intolerance or exclusivity that have hurt many people.

It’s also worth considering that Christianity isn’t just a collection of individuals; it’s a large, varied belief system with core doctrines that each believer subscribes to in some way. As an ideology, it’s not simply a matter of ‘fixing’ individual flaws. The core beliefs remain, and even when Christians focus on love and kindness, many still uphold doctrines that have been used to judge or exclude others. While different denominations may interpret the Bible’s teachings in unique ways, they share foundational scriptures that include passages some may find difficult or divisive.

Growing up within the church, especially in a context that emphasized both Old and New Testament teachings, I was taught a blend of ideas: love and forgiveness, but also rigid judgment. I remember questions of morality being answered with Old Testament severity as often as with New Testament compassion. This created a sense of exclusivity that left little room for people who didn’t fit within certain moral boundaries. For instance, while 'Love the sinner, hate the sin' was often preached, it felt conditional, with acceptance only offered to those who conformed.

So, when I hear that I might be seeing things too ‘black and white,’ I can only share what my experience has shown me. Christianity, as I knew it, seemed to draw strict lines — separating people based on perceived righteousness. This perspective may vary widely, but for me, this pattern was real and impactful. Walking away from Christianity allowed me to shed some of the restrictive views I grew up with, and I feel like a better person for it. However, I can’t ignore the impact of these teachings on others, and for me, seeing the harm and continuing down the same path feels deeply problematic.

Here's a follow up where she came back during Biden's term: https://www.stripes.com/incoming/2021-05-19/%E2%80%98It-felt-like-a-miracle%E2%80%99-Marine-veteran%E2%80%99s-wife-returns-to-US-three-years-after-being-deported-to-Mexico-1495210.html

They're called hype beasts.

It possibly highlights a problem that I've always had with youtube music. Anyone can label their video as "music" and it will show up in youtube music. The biggest offender are rip off artists that name themselves after existing bands and then upload "new" tracks designed to get people to give their fake band the views that the real band is getting. Then, presumably, they take their ad revenue and peace out. It bothers me, because I'll look up an artist and there will be some crazy ass Middle Eastern band putting out new "Black Sabbath" songs, polluting the artist page with bullshit. It's even worse when one of the tracks shows up in a radio station. Google really needs to separate music and video.

If I remember correctly, this was a plot point in Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future. There are cheaper offsets that are there for the taking, but every company must meet a certain quota, so if you buy the cheap ones, great, but if you hold out and are left with expensive ones that you can't afford, you are fined, and the money is put into the offsets anyway.

I could be totally misremembering it. Honestly, I didn't enjoy the book that much.

I think it came down to net vs gross. They make less in gross with pachinko, but their net was higher due to less overhead. It's like the dodgy gacha market that every Japanese game house has gotten into. They can put out a shit product that only reaches a 10th of their previous market, but that 10th pays through the teeth for their waifu.

You are correct, maybe? I say maybe because I see now the original info that I was reading was speculation from last month, however, new information is sparse and every site seems to contradict the others. Honestly, now I don't know what they are doing with it. Regardless, it is a separate tier of a plan, so those that are seeing ads signed up for a plan that includes ads in some form or another. It's not like Google just started sneaking ads into the full premium tier without warning, which what this post and the others like it that I've seen are rage baiting for.