#Even if it is in the hellscape of the service industry | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

prettyhighforawhiteguyblog · 5 months

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I don't know what the love of God is. But I know what it's like.

And I don't know what God is. But I know everything is better knowing and feeling that God is present with me in everything.

Loving me like a good father and a good mother and a good big brother. Like my own framily. Walking with me through all the shit. And all the joys.

I don't know what this love brings to me other than Presence, which I often can't even feel, but I'm feeling more and more in the very worst parts of my life.

Strangely, it's as my life in every objective sense gotten dramatically worse, in economics, personal health, my dearest child's health, and my personal mental state, and isolation/loneliness to name a few of the obvious.

As my life has gotten objectively worse, I've felt this Presence far more consistently through isolated and lonely and the very lowest parts.

And this presence lives on even more vibrantly when we put our energies into thoughts/feelings/prayers/and "good thoughts" that lead to acts of love that Love, that Presence follows that love.

That Love flows through those networks of the poor, the hurting, the sick, lame and oppressed and all who humbly and mercifully with justice, love one another in whatever place they find themselves. Those who love their neighbor and the needy in their sphere. The Love carries the Presence.

Whatever God is, that Presence and Love we feel and give to one another, sharing our stuff, going to bat as a reference, helping however we can. Desperate to use what meager Worldly wealth and influence to help our less fortunate friends.

Whatever that feeling of loving and feeling loved and cared for and supported and belonging and welcoming and welcomed and joy and laughter and shared sadness and shared suffering and being able to share stuff and money and resources of any kind to aid in whatever way we can.

Even if it is just some cash for an unhoused person to buy some weed and find some happiness for a while. Just like the good book says in Proverbs 38 right before the parts we constantly flip open to in order to use out of context to chain down and control the power of women.

The sharing and love and Presence of God and others make the sadness and suffering and finances and oppression so much more joy filled and easier to bear knowing it is shared and knowing you are loved and cared for deeply, knowing that makes the suffering and oppression and health insurance and racist economically oppressive and abusive, coldly predatory hospitals both private and "public" easier to bear.

That Love tells you enough about the love of God to know how God or the Cosmos or Allah or Buddha or ancestors or Great Spirit or whatever to know what God is like. At least enough to get a picture of what God's heart is like and that's a lot more important than correct Reformed theology.

It's enough to at least trust God enough to know it'll all get worked out in the end and everything be put to rights again.

Wouldn't you if you could?

My personal systematic theology thought is that the hands off approach to the the physical universe is what separates God or The Cosmos from "our" universe as far as our senses, monkey brain, monkey brain inventions like logic and science and religion/spiritual learning/pursuits/endeavors/resources/sensitivity/whatever scripture is can perceive.)

Anyway the important point is that the love and presence of God lives on through our love, bringing joy into our personal and framily lives through our love and networks of mutual aid and care and favors and friends in all the important low places.

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nightospheresims · 1 year

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i cannot take another day in retail oh my GOOOOOODDDDD

#i don't know how some of my coworkers do this full time #i can't wait until the service industry is completely automated so people wont ever have to work in this hellscape ever again #and the worst part about this is my store isnt even that bad #like everyones super chill compared to other retail stores #its just the nature of the job itself that's the issue

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aestheticcluttercore · 2 months

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I want to open by saying that i am not remotely on the watcher hate train here, they can do what they want and have reasons for the business decisions they're making, i wish them the best of luck and hope this works out for them.

but i do want to say that i personally would much rather buy an 80 dollar hoodie than pay 60 bucks for a year's worth of content. maybe it's just the subscription service hater in me but i've had hoodies that have lasted me for a decade and are still kicking and i know in this capitalist hellscape a lot of people put a lot of value into Actual Ownership™ of items over having temporary access to something that costs you money forever. i'm not saying having better merch would have fixed their problem i think that's a bizarre assumption to make about their finances from a fan perpective but in refernce to your comment. yeah. i would. kdfhgklj

you know what, that’s completely fair! i personally find the merch industrial complex baffling (it’s always so ugly merch is ALWAYS so ugly) but you’re right, a hoodie is useful in a different way than Video Content so it’s not really a fair comparison.

i’m the opposite in that i’d rather imagine myself as the reincarnation of Tchaikovsky’s patron who kept sending him money to make shit but stipulated he must NEVER see her. don’t even perceive me bro, just make that funky swan music i like

#watcher

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somethingusefulfromflorida · 1 year

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H&R block can kiss my ass. Motherfuckers charged me more to file than I'm getting back in return, even though I specifically used their free file service. They "upgraded" me to the deluxe service without my consent, and there was no mechanism to remove it and go back. Customer service was a waste of time, over an hour on hold just to be given the runaround by some call center dipshit reading from a script about how there was nothing he could do. I put off filing until the 11th hour because I thought I could just fill out my forms on paper and mail them to the IRS, but the system is so needlessly labyrinthine with hundreds of pages of and/or/if/iff instructions and tables and forms referencing other forms that it said I owed $1500 because I missed some lines buried deep in the fucling nested hellscape. I had to bite the bullet and pay H&R for no fucking reason, and them they tries to scam me out of even more money by saying they'd take the $55 fee out of my return; my return is only $33, and they wanted to charge an additional $39 convenience fee, so I opted the fuck out of that! I also had to opt out of spruce, their proprietary banking bullshit. Getting them to send me a paper check was like pulling fucking teeth! There are too many hoops to jump through, and that's entirely by design, just so they can squeeze as much money from you as possible. It's a multibillion dollar industry of horseshit! I made MORE money last year than the year before, but the government charged me LESS in taxes. What fucking sense does that make? I got a $500 refund last year, so why would that go down to $33?!?

I'm so mad it almost makes me want to become a Libertarian.

#taxes #tax day #tax is theft #i hate this country #i hate capitalism so much #h&r block sucks ass #tax returns

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redjaybathood · 2 years

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Always read TOS before signing up. Always. Important things have to be repeated thrice, so: ALWAYS READ THE FUCKING TERMS OF SERVICE BEFORE SIGNING UP. Otherwise, you would end up like me, who's literally trapped in a virtual reality hellscape of one of my most hated comics franchises, about to be beaten up half to death and blown up to smithereens.

When I saw an ad for "Mind Mapping today - Immortality tomorrow" I was like, well, what the fuck this is about? Sounds like a scam, but what is this scam about? And then I clicked to their website, and look. It looked nice, professional. Convincing. Innovative. I was like, why nobody is talking about it? This is huge! You can, like, upload your brain - all your memories, all your personality, - to their server. Then, should something happen to you, your mind gets activated and you can continue your life in virtual universe. In reality, you will be dead, but you still will be online. Your relatives can contact you, you can chat with your friends or even make video calls through AI powered 3D generated animation (if you subscribe to Premium+ package). You can read or watch movies you never had time to, keep up with the news. Finally finish your novel you started in high school. Visit virtual museums, play games. And, who knows - with cybernetic industry developing as it is, maybe becoming a cyborg is not out of question, after ten years or so. If you can afford it.

Except for people like me, who use Basic plan. Turns out, that before we get to all the blessed idle posthumous life - basically a retirement, nothing that I could expect to enjoy irl - we can be used by the Mind Mapping, LTD, for Behavioural Modeling and AI Research. And it sounds benign, right, like filling out some kind of questionnaire, or allowing websites to save cookies or something.

Except what Mind Mapping meant by that, is their biggest investor is one of monopolists of Entertainment and Telecommunication & Internet corporation field. And they love money very much but don't like to spend money when they don't have to. So their recent project, yet another reboot of that comics franchise universe, powered by AI, is starting soon. The visual side is done by AI, like the video thing for rich ghosts in the machine. As for the plot... It's a mashup of all their past properties related to that franchise. Supposed to be, AI takes the best hits out of almost 130 years of history, except there were constant bugs and glitches. More than once, this universe ended up in Apocalypse before the things started to be interesting.

So they decided to rebrand. Put poor ghosts like me in a story and let us figure out how to make it satisfying for the fans. Then, as we reach the happy ending, they will cut a movie or a series out of our experience, and sell it to the fans.

And we can't leave this world without playing till the end. And if we die, it's game over for us, breach of contract. We are going to be deleted.

Me, personally, was put into a villainous cannon fodder, who has had his own series several times, but, except for a very enthusiastic group of followers, isn't liked by the mainstream. (No wonder, it's because of constant character assassination and OOC and that's why I don't like this comics franchise - I loved it too much before finally giving up) And my mission was to white wash all his evil deeds, redeem him, and turn him to the road of success, face slapping, and, preferably, group petting.

This character is Jason Todd. And I went online just as the first blow of crowbar grazed my cheek. Yeah, that's right: he was just about to be killed by the Joker. Which means, I was about to be killed by the Joker, now.

#transmigration into Jason Todd AU #fic ideas #basically a concept #god I hate to write the first person. i need to think how I can introduce the setting differently but another time #this is inspired by a ton of Chinese web novels about transmigration and rebirth

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talisidekick · 2 years

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It shouldn't be this hard.

Warning: long post, surgery reference, talks about cock.

I've been struggling about my decision to get GCS/SRS and there's more than one complex reason why:

The first is that starting out on my journey [when I admitted I hated myself and my body so much in the past that I now felt numb, and the only real feeling I had was a want (not a need) to be a girl] I went to a transgender focused clinic in my area in the attempt to get on hormones. It was informed consent and one of the forms they gave me to choose to sign was admission to part of an optional study on transgender people and I can't go into much further detail. All my experiences have been documented thus far. And I said I was interested in getting SRS because at the start I thought I wanted everything, and there's nothing more I would love than to contribute to a study on trans healthcare in a positive way. In this world today, a study like this is paramount to countering transphobe conjecture, rhetoric, and ridicule, and especially important if it's used by local governments in the future to justify expanding trans heathcare services. And as I've continued my hormone regimen I learned my wants were needs. I needed to transition because it made me go from a numb sense of nothingness to having hopes, and wants, and desires, and feeling love, and joy, and even negative emotions like anger and envy. I'm ... alive again after so long. I feel again. So I come back to my initial statement of wanting SRS and do I actually want this? I'm part of a study, am I wanting SRS out of obligation? Or do I want SRS?

The second is ... a lack of dysphoria. I've always been ambivalent about everything. Numb. Being a girl was a want that only became a need because I realized I'd shut down all negative feeling to cope. I can now emotionally feel bad, but I still remain neutral on my own dick when it comes to my feelings. Am I just repressing again? I've never had to shower with the lights off, never felt disgusted looking down, never felt unnerved or hated masturbating, but is that because I've shut that off? Like growing boobs is probably the happiest thing in my life right now. Watching my hips fill out over this last year has been awesome. All things I wanted but never knew I needed. Is my dislike of the bulge in jeans because of societal pressure? Or do I dislike how that looks on a personal level? Am I fine with it, in reality? I've read peoples intimate recounts of sex from both non-op and post-op trans women and ... both are ... euphoric in that I could have that one day, maybe. But is that euphoria from being liked and treated as a woman in an intimate setting, or euphoria from being a non-op or post-op trans woman? Am I just looking to be accepted intimately? Loved for who I am now, or do I feel an intrinsic need to look a certain way for myself or is societal pressure, this obsession with what's in a trans womans pants making me want to change so I can have confidence in knowing bad actors could never tell if push came to sexual assault? Am I wanting SRS because the cock feels wrong on me, or because I'm looking at this hellscape before me and trying to find safety?

The third is ... well ... transitioning is expensive. Hair removal on my legs, ass, back, hands, and stomach (I got lumberjack genes apparently) costs a sizeable amount (face and chest were covered by local gov't), and so does face feminization surgery (ffs) if after a few years and the facial hair being removed I decide I need it to realize being me, and even just clothes which I don't have the money for right now. And it may come down to me needing to market myself in the porn industry to get what I need to feel normal. Just a reality of capitalism. Being a girl with a cock is a niche market and a potential source of income. So do I want to keep it because ... it'll potentially give me access to the means I need to change the things I do know I dislike about myself? Because it could improve my current quality of life? I mean ... I know my gov't pays for it but not travel expenses up front, so I don't even have the money to really even get to the clinic if I'm approved.

Fouth and lastly ... I've always loved the idea of being that girl that stands up and defends. Not to be a hero, just to know I'm justified in telling others to fuck off and help someone struggling out of the muck so they can shine. I don't ever want to really be famous or a celebrity, just someones personal inspiration that makes them a hero for others to look up to. I mean, it's in the name of the blog: sidekick. That's my goal. Someone else can be the hero. And keeping the dick and still proving to the world I am a woman regardless by just living every day in it ... that can really help others feel normal. Okay in expressing anyway they feel, shine as individuals because if I can do it so can they.

And so ... I'm stuck. SRS ... yes or no? Do I want it for my own personal reasons, out of obligation to science and peers, or safety in conforming? Do I want to keep it because I'm fine with it, because I'm trying to be an inspiration to those with greater potential than myself, or because it can help me get more of what I need if I keep it? The greater question I keep landing on, but I'm unable to answer is: if society didn't care, if there was no obligation for science or money, if I was just accepted as me and loved either way, what would I do? Only ... I can't compartmentalize. These are huge factors for who I am, who I want to be, and the impact I could be making.

It shouldn't be this hard, and it is, and before anyone jumps in saying I need to talk to a therapist or a psychologist ... there's no time. I'm sitting on the forms now. They need to go off and I have to make the choice ...

And yet ... I fear that choice is being made for me as well because even if I do ... I can't afford to go. Not just the flight ... it's 6 months recovery time and even if I qualified for disability payments during that period, it's only 60% of what I currently make ... which at my wage I already live paycheck to paycheck ... so am I fine not being able to get this proceedure? And I don't know.

This is why I haven't made a stream or video in over a month. It shouldn't be this hard. I'm struggling.

#trans #transgender #lgbtq+#lgbt+#queer #mtf #2slgbtqia+#trans surgery #figured I owed an explanation on why I've been silent #not sure how to move from here

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unrulyreviews · 9 months

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Is Netflix worth it’s ever rising subscription price? Many years ago I wrote on my Facebook about the rising cost of subscriptions and how the model doesn’t work for companies that want to continue to grow because it has its limitations. In an industry where content is king it has become quantity over quality. In the past decade or so, I’ve found myself only enjoying about 10% of the content on Netflix and the rest is just filler. I also predicted that they would add an AVOD option and a streaming game service. The last thing, which I haven’t seen yet, is to start to sell their exclusive content (TVOD). I still believe this will happen at some point.

So when do people start to say it’s too expensive? Even with their AVOD plan now available, which comes in at $6.99 (at the time I am writing this) and that price will likely increase to $9.99 in no time. Companies are now double dipping by grabbing those ad dollars and subscription fees as well. Let’s be honest, Netflix wasn’t the first to do it and they won’t be the last. The only holdout so far is Tubi, which was purchased by Fox in 2020 and so far still remains free (AVOD only). But IMO, it’s only a matter of time before Fox decides to follow suit. I’ll take a guess and say they are on the 5 year plan, but I could be wrong. Fox does own a minority stake in Hulu and they also have their other platform Fox Nation so who knows for sure.

However, the only model that really works for companies that want to grow are models that have the potential for unlimited growth and AVOD has always been king (even since before streaming). But what do you do when the subscription costs outweigh the benefits? What are your options?

I remember when apps like PS Vue first hit the market, which allowed you to stream live cable (and eventually record it). I was one of the first to cut the cord (I joined in the beta) and when their prices steadily increased I started to switch over to an a la carte option through individual apps. Then the individual app prices steadily increased. Now it doesn’t seem like there’s a clear path forward for having your cake and eating it too. At some point you start to sacrifice one thing for another. Sounds a bit like what some of the older generations have had to do with their meds so I can’t really complain. But I feel like we all need a little entertainment sometimes to help us escape this ever growing morally corrupt hellscape we’re all living in.

So in an ever shrinking world where more and more companies are becoming larger and larger and where there’s less competition, will we really have a choice down the road? Disney owns 20th Century Fox, Pixar, Lucas Films, Marvel, and they are a majority stakeholder in Hulu, plus they will be hiking their SVOD plan to $13.99 come October. Amazon just bought MGM and Discovery joined AT&T in owning Warner Brothers, then almost overnight changed HBO to Max and jacked up the price for the subscription and AVOD plans.

From where I’m sitting the future is looking grim when it comes to quality entertainment at a affordable price, but don’t worry because it’s just my opinion and you’ll remember you don’t believe in any of this fate crap. You’re in control of your own life. So take a cookie. I promise by the time you’re done eating it you’ll feel right as rain. (Sorry couldn’t help myself).

#netflix #platforms #disney #hulu #entertainment #movies #Max #hbo max #peacock #paramount+#apple tv

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batdorable · 11 months

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i do truly think that tumblr staff hasnt moved on from the ‘becoming the next .pdf’ mindset that ultimately killed yahoo/verizon’s ownership of the company. trying to make the website more profitable by way of doing what every other site is doing at the moment is a serious misreading of why a lot of people use tumblr. it kills me to see people in the tech space fundamentally misunderstand what ended up harming the streaming industry (multiple services offering seemingly similar products but not meaningfully differentiating themselves, oversaturating the market and ultimately losing out). now, while social media isnt a paid service, it does require significant emotional and psychological investment from users, which while not tangible in the same way money might be, still forms the lifeblood of a social media network. even looking at it as cynically as possible, you cant build a social media network without people engaging in it for that sweet sweet ad revenue, and if the core userbase leaves for whatever sinking pieces of rock still yet exist in this lava sea of an internet hellscape, tumblr will die a slow undignified death, completely fumbling whatever userbase loyalty they have in service of short-term profits.

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linbeifuckmeup · 3 years

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You know I think that the people I interact with at my job genuinely do not comprehend the fact that I am in fact actually another human being

#why are people garbage #seriously #wtf #one day I’m going to go off on a bitch #i wish simping could be my full time job #hospitality industry is a hellscape #just a simp here #with only one brain cell #and its tired of customer service #the customers do not in fact deserve service #they deserve to rot in hell tbh #and I don’t even believe in hell

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audliminal · 4 years

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I don't we talk enough about how late-stage capitalism has decimated the various entertainment industries.... From the horrific state of streaming service exclusivities and tv shows either being milked to death for 15 seasons, or getting canceled after 1 or 2 seasons, to the way the movie industry is overrun with remakes of old shows. Hell, the video game industry is overrun with bug-filled releases and crunch time because companies are more eager to release games and rake in the cash than they are about creating fun experiences. And that's not even touching on the nightmare hellscape that is microtransactions.

#listen i just think it's really tragic how entertainment is getting decimated #and i think it's no mistake that dnd is having a resurgence now when so much of the game industry is turning to money-fueled mush #like sure there are some great indie games still being made #but its not shocking to me that people are turning more and more to dnd when it's so easy to play for free #even if you cant afford the rule books and shit theres so many ways to find them for free online #and its easy to fudge the rules to your liking anyways so its fairly broke-ppl-friendly #anyways my point is that i hate how actual creators are getting overrun by these mega-corporations who are determined to bleed ppl dry #just for the sake of pretty numbers and statistics #dont mind me im just salty bc im an unemployed author and ive been watching a lot of jimquisition today

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bitchesgetriches · 4 years

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Hey there, for a while now I've been confused on how the health insurance works in America (I'm Australian). Would you mind educating me on it? I've been hearing alot that your insurance is essentially tied to your job and if you lose/quit your job = no insurance. Is it only affordable if your employer has offered it and like crazy expensive if you're paying without employment? I am aware that there are schemes for those who make only so much. Stay staff xoxo Thank you :)

I started reading your question and was like “Man, if I, a red-blooded American, can’t understand how our health insurance works, how the hell am I going to explain it to someone from a civilized country?” But then I kept reading and realized you basically already understand it!

So a coupla things to explain:

1. Healthcare in the United States is fucking expensive. This is partially because it’s privatized, and hospitals and pharmaceutical companies can charge whatever they want to make a profit. It’s also partially because of our culture of medical malpractice suits (you can sue doctors for fucking up your care), which means hospitals need to have enough money to fight said legal battles. And it’s partially because the insurance industry has spiraled out of control, creating and profiting from a situation in which exorbitant pricing for healthcare is the norm. This is an over-simplification. We wrote about it in a little more detail here:

How to Pay Hospital Bills When You’re Flat Broke

2. Because healthcare is so expensive, we all need insurance to pay for it. And because healthcare is so expensive... so’s that insurance. Decades ago, employers started offering health insurance to their employees as part of their compensation packages. Insurers offered sweet deals for companies to get all their employees on their insurance plan, and it was generally a little cheaper for people to get healthcare through their employer’s plan than on their own. It comes directly out of your paycheck, you don’t have to really hunt around for it yourself (oh yeah, FINDING insurance is its own hellscape), and it’s usually a decent plan.

3. But not ALL employers offer healthcare. It’s kind of like a sweet add-on to a salaried employee’s compensation (even though it comes out of their paycheck but whatever). So companies with low-paid employees like retail and service industry, DON’T offer employer-sponsored health insurance. Which means those low-paid people have to buy their own health insurance as individuals, which is generally much more expensive than employer-sponsored health insurance. Here’s more on how insurance generally works here:

Dafuq Is Insurance and Why Do You Even Need It?

4. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare, ACA) several years ago sought to fix this bullshit by making more employers offer health insurance and providing more affordable options for those who couldn’t get health insurance through their employers. The ACA did a lot of other things too, some successful and some not so much, and it remains a controversial piece of legislation to this day for reasons I won’t get into. (But Kitty and I think the ACA is overall a good thing.)

Hope that helps!!! I dearly wish healthcare was cheaper here and easier to get as a private individual. I’m by no means an expert, so if anyone has followup questions, just know that I’m going to start researching this in earnest for a detailed article at some point after I get through my current research on unemployment insurance and how that all works. NO REST FOR THE BITCHES!

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carcino-generic · 5 years

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HOW HUMANS ARE HAVING THEIR LIVES RUINED BY KARKAT VANTAS

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ALRIGHT, HERE’S THE BASICS OF CAPITALISM FROM A WORKING CLASS AMERICAN. I WANT TO START OUT BY SAYING I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT EUROPE, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, OR ANY OTHER “FIRST-WORLD” COUNTRIES. I DON’T KNOW WHO TORIES ARE AND I DON’T CARE ABOUT EMMANUEL MACRON. FOREIGN AFFAIRS ARE NOT MY CUP OF TEA THANKS. I HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS WITH DOMESTIC POLITICS. ALSO DON’T GET ON MY ASS ABOUT CALLING IT AMERICA INSTEAD OF THE U.S.A., CANADIANS DON’T ACTUALLY WANT TO BE AMERICANS AND IF THEY DO THEY’RE MORONS FOR REASONS THAT WILL BECOME CLEAR AS YOU READ ON.

YOU KNOW HOW IN A NORMAL SOCIETY, TRADE IS DRIVEN BY RESOURCES AND PRICES ARE DETERMINED BY THE AVAILABILITY, COMPLEXITY, AND DIFFICULTY IN PRODUCTION OF A PRODUCT? SO IMAGINE YOUR COUNTRY GETS ENOUGH MONEY, POWER, AND SHEER BLIND DEVOTION FROM ITS CITIZENS TO THROW ALL THAT IN THE GARBAGE, AND THEN IMAGINE THAT EVERYONE CAPABLE OF MAKING MEANINGFUL CHANGES AT A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL, WHILE REMAINING WITHIN THE CURRENT SYSTEM, IS OWNED BY SOMEONE WHO BENEFITS EGREGIOUSLY FROM EVERYTHING STAYING THE SAME, AND EVEN MORE EGREGIOUSLY FROM THINGS BECOMING WORSE. NOW IMAGINE THAT WHEN I SAID “SOMEONE” I MEANT “ONE OF MAYBE FIFTEEN MEGA-CORPORATIONS THAT OWNS EVERY OTHER BUSINESS IN THE COUNTRY,” AND WHEN I SAY “EVERYONE CAPABLE OF MAKING MEANINGFUL CHANGES...” I MEAN POLITICIANS WE ELECT TO PRETEND TO REPRESENT OUR INTERESTS WHO HAVE IN REALITY BEEN BOUGHT OUT BY CORPORATE INTERESTS AND RISK LOSING THEIR JOBS IF THEY MAKE LAWS THAT THREATEN THOSE CORPORATE INTERESTS’ BOTTOM LINES. BASICALLY, WE INVESTED ALL OUR POWER INTO PRIVATELY OWNED MONEY SINKS AND FORGOT TO CARE ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MATTER, LIKE THE ACTUAL CITIZENS? OKAY THIS IS GETTING AWAY FROM ME, WE MIGHT HAVE TO START FROM THE BASICS.

I DON’T KNOW HOW YOUR SOCIETY WORKS, BUT IN OURS, YOU START OUT AS A LITTLE BABY. AS SOON AS YOU’RE PHYSIOLOGICALLY CAPABLE OF EXISTING FOR CONSECUTIVE HOURS WITHOUT THE PEOPLE WHO RAISED YOU, THEY SHOVE YOU IN A CLASSROOM AND START FEEDING YOU A MIXTURE OF COLONIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, AND POLITICAL PROPAGANDA. THAT’S ALSO WHERE THEY TEACH YOU HOW TO SOCIALIZE WITH KIDS YOUR AGE AND SHIT. FOR SOME KIDS IT’S THE *ONLY* PLACE THEY CAN LEARN TO SOCIALIZE, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS ARE TOO BUSY, ABSENT, OR PROTECTIVE TO BRING YOU OUT TO INTERACT WITH PEERS. EITHER WAY, THIS IS WHERE KIDS FORM THEIR CONCEPTS OF BOTH PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND SOCIAL CONTRACTS. THE TRAUMA OF RACIAL AND GENDER PROFILING IS NASCENT HERE, BUT OH BOY IT INTERNALIZES QUICKLY. (MORE ON HOW PEOPLE OF COLOR, THE WAR ON DRUGS, AND PROFIT ARE ALL LINKED LATER ON, OR MAYBE JUST LOOK UP A VIDEO ESSAY ON IT IDK.)

IT’S PRETTY MUCH THIRTEEN YEARS OF THIS SAME SHIT, ESPECIALLY THE PROPAGANDA BIT. KIDS GROW UP BEING INDOCTRINATED WITH THIS COMPLETELY WHITEWASHED VERSION OF REALITY, BELIEVING CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS* IS THE SHIT AND CAPITALISM IS THE ONLY EFFICIENT MODEL FOR MODERN SOCIETY. THEY’RE USUALLY TAUGHT ALL ABOUT WORLD WARS I AND II, THE VIETNAM WAR, THE COLD WAR, AND THE SPACE RACE, WHICH (BY UNEQUIVOCALLY POSING AMERICANS AS THE GOOD GUYS AND THE SOVIETS AND CHINESE AS THE BAD GUYS, CEMENTS THE CONCEPT THAT CAPITALISM INHERENTLY RULES AND COMMUNISM INHERENTLY FAILS) FURTHER INDOCTRINATES KIDS. IF YOU’RE REALLY AN ALIEN I DOUBT YOU’VE SEEN THIS IMAGE, BUT EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN EARTHLING HAS:

THIS GUY IS NAMED UNCLE SAM, HE’S BASICALLY AMERICA’S FURSONA. HE EXISTS TO PRESSURE YOU INTO SIGNING UP TO FIGHT IN A WAR. HE WAS USED A LOT IN THOSE WARS I TALKED ABOUT UP THERE, ESPECIALLY THE FIRST THREE. HE’S NOT AROUND SO MUCH ANY MORE BUT THE GENERAL SENTIMENT IS. HERE’S HOW.

WHEN YOU GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL, THE LAST “REQUIRED” STAGE OF SCHOOL, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE OUT AND GET A JOB TO SUPPORT YOURSELF. BUT NOWADAYS, IF YOU WANT A JOB THAT PAYS FOR YOUR HEALTH CARE, LETS YOU STAY HOME WHEN YOU GET SICK, GIVES YOU DAYS OFF TO GO TO FAMILY EVENTS SUCH AS WEDDINGS, FUNERALS, THE BIRTH OF YOUR CHILDREN, AND OTHER UNIMPORTANT DRIVEL THAT DOESN’T MAKE CEOS MONEY, YOU BET YOUR ASS YOU’D BETTER GET A COLLEGE DEGREE. HAVING A DEGREE IS THE NUMBER ONE WAY YOU CAN GUARANTEE THAT YOU MAKE MORE MONEY. THAT ALL SOUNDS FINE AND DANDY, EXCEPT NOW YOU HAVE TO PAY SOME INDUSTRIAL-SCALE LOAN SHARK MORE THAN YOU’LL EVER HAVE IN YOUR 401(K) TO LET YOU GET YOUR HIGHER EDUCATION. A LOT OF PEOPLE END UP OWING UPWARDS OF FIFTY GRAND TO A PRIVATELY OWNED LOAN AGENCY BY THE TIME THEY’RE TWENTY-ONE, BECAUSE AS FRESH ADULTS THEY WERE TOLD THEY WOULDN’T GET A WORTHWHILE JOB UNLESS THEY HAD A DEGREE. BUT HERE’S THE THING: A LOT OF TIMES, JOBS LIKE THAT WON’T EVEN HIRE YOU UNLESS YOU HAVE A MASTER’S DEGREE NOW! THAT’S ANOTHER TWO YEARS OF CLASSES AND ANOTHER HUGE CHUNK OF MONEY YOU NEVER HAD TO BEGIN WITH.

OF COURSE THERE ARE LESS EXPENSIVE OPTIONS, LIKE TRADE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE. BUT REMEMBER THE PROPAGANDA I MENTIONED? IT’S SO PERVASIVE, A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE DON’T EVEN CONSIDER TRADE SCHOOL AN OPTION NOW, BECAUSE WE CULTURALLY VALUE THE “INTELLECTUAL” JOBS—DOCTOR, LAWYER, ENGINEER, ACCOUNTANT, BUSINESSMAN—WHICH ARE STRANGELY ALSO THE CAREER PATHS THAT REQUIRE THE MOST INVESTMENT OF TIME AND MONEY! NOW IF YOU DECIDE TO BE LIKE ME AND GET A JOB RIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE THE EDUCATION INDUSTRY IS A PUTRID WASTELAND, YOU’RE AUTOMATICALLY LOOKED DOWN UPON. A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE WHO ARE PURSUING LESS LUCRATIVE CAREERS THAT INTEREST THEM***, INSTEAD OF THE BIG MONEY JOBS, ARE DISPARAGINGLY ASKED IF THEY WANT TO “END UP WORKING AT MCDONALDS.” I DON’T PERSONALLY WORK AT MCDONALDS BUT THIS SHIT STILL OFFENDS ME. BUT THEN AGAIN I’M A MILLENNIAL SNOWFLAKE SO WHAT DO I KNOW.

ACADEMIA HAS A LOT OF ITS OWN PROBLEMS BUT I’VE ONLY HEARD THOSE SECONDHAND, SO LET’S LEAVE THAT HELLSCAPE TO ITS ELITISM AND STAY WITHIN THE BLUE-COLLAR SUBCLASS. COMMON PARLANCE WILL REFER TO THREE MAJOR CLASSES: THE LOWER CLASS (DIPLOMATICALLY CALLED THE “WORKING CLASS”, HA FUCKING HA!), THE MIDDLE CLASS (WHICH THEORETICALLY MAKES UP THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION), AND THE UPPER CLASS (FUCK THOSE GUYS BUT WE’LL GET AROUND TO THAT LATER.) THIS MODEL IS PRETTY MUCH JUST DESIGNED TO CREATE TENSION WITHIN THE PROLETARIAT, BUT HANG ON A SECOND, I JUST REMEMBERED YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THE PROLETARIAT IS YET.

SO BASICALLY, THERE’S NOT THAT MUCH DEFINABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE “MIDDLE CLASS” AND THE “WORKING CLASS.” WHEN YOU THINK OF WORKING CLASS, COLLOQUIALLY, YOU THINK OF THOSE LOSERS THAT WORK IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY OR DRIVE TAXIS OR (AND THIS IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO SOME PEOPLE) HAVE NO JOB AT ALL. THE MIDDLE CLASS IS MORE LIKE TEACHERS AND MIDDLE MANAGERS AND GUYS THAT BUILD SOFTWARE REMOTELY FOR MICROSOFT. REALLY THOUGH, THERE’S NO WAY TO DRAW A DEFINITIVE LINE BETWEEN THESE PEOPLE. THE BEST WAY TO DEFINE CLASS IN AMERICA, (AND ALSO APPARENTLY GERMANY, AT LEAST IN THE 19TH CENTURY,) IS TO SEPARATE THOSE WHO PRODUCE GOODS AND THOSE WHO OWN THE GOODS THAT ARE PRODUCED. THERE IS NO “MIDDLE CLASS”, THAT’S JUST A MEANINGLESS THING TO STRIVE FOR BASED ON WHAT WHITE FAMILIES IN SITCOMS LOOK AND ACT LIKE.

WORKERS WHO PRODUCE GOODS AND SERVICES ARE THE BACKBONE OF SOCIETY AND THEY’RE CALLED THE PROLETARIAT. THEY ARE SERVICE WORKERS AND JANITORS AND TAXI DRIVERS AND HOTEL VALETS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO ELECTRICIANS AND PLUMBERS AND MECHANICS, AND THEY ARE LAWYERS AND DOCTORS AND PROFESSORS, AND THEY ARE YOUTUBERS AND INFLUENCERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS. THE PROLETARIAT IS ANYONE WHO MAKES MONEY BY SELLING THEIR LABOR. THEY CAN BE CONTRACTORS SELLING THEIR LABOR TO INDEPENDENT BUYERS, OR FREELANCERS SELLING THEIR LABOR TO MULTIPLE LARGER BUSINESSES, BUT MOST OF THE PROLETARIAT IS DIRECTLY EMPLOYED BY SOME KIND OF COMPANY OWNED BY A MEMBER OF THE BOURGEOISIE.

THE BOURGEOISIE IS KIND OF A MEME AT THIS POINT BUT THEIR IMPACT ON THE WAY WE LIVE IS FUCKING INESCAPABLE. THEY’RE PEOPLE WHO *BUY* OUR LABOR, ACCRUE CAPITAL BY SITTING ON THEIR (SOMETIMES LITERAL!!!) THRONES, OWNING COMPANIES AND PEOPLE, SOMETIMES BEING A PUBLIC FIGURE (LIKE ELON MUSK) WHO RAKES IN ADORATION FROM HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MINDLESS TWITTER DRONES WHO STILL BELIEVE IN CLASS MOBILITY****, OR SOMETIMES BEING A SHADOWY FIGURE IN THE BACKGROUND (LIKE THE KOCH BROTHERS) WHO JUST PASSIVELY RAKE IN THE BENEFITS OF OUR HARD WORK AND CAN’T BE ASSASSINATED BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD RECOGNIZE THEM IF THEY WERE SEEN AT KROGER. THEY ARE USUALLY BORN WEALTHY, BUT VERY RARELY THEY CAN USE THEIR CHARISMA, INTELLIGENCE, SOCIAL CONNECTIONS, AND INTRINSIC PRIVILEGE AS A WHITE PERSON TO YANK THEMSELVES UP FROM THE PROLETARIAT (READ MY CLASS MOBILITY NOTE FOR MORE!!!)

SO THE RESULT OF THIS CLASS DIVISION IS AS FOLLOWS:

THE PROLETARIAT NEVER EARNS THE ACTUAL VALUE OF THEIR LABOR. A “SMALL” CHUNK IS ALWAYS TAKEN OUT FOR THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP, WHO “RUN” THE COMPANY (BUT REALLY THEIR JOB IS USUALLY TO EAT FANCY LUNCH AND TELL RACIST GOLF JOKES TO RICH INVESTORS). IN FACT, WAGES ARE USUALLY ENTIRELY DISSOCIATED FROM THE ACTUAL PROFIT THE COMPANY MAKES. FOR A BUSINESS TO BE PROFITABLE, IT HAS TO PAY THE EMPLOYEES IT RELIES ON LESS THAN WHAT THEY BRING TO THE TABLE, WHICH MEANS MOST COMPANIES ESTABLISH A BASE WAGE THAT’S EITHER EXACTLY THE STATE’S MINIMUM WAGE OR A COUPLE CENTS HIGHER TO COMPETE. THEY LITERALLY PAY THE LEAST THEY LEGALLY CAN. SOMETIMES *LESS*.

YOUR JOB IS EXPECTED TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE. EXHAUSTED AFTER YOUR FORTY, FIFTY, OR SIXTY HOUR WORK WEEK? THAT’S JUST NORMAL, THEY’RE NOT SQUEEZING THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF LABOR OUT OF YOU THAT THEY CAN WITHOUT KILLING YOU! WANT TO TAKE A FEW DAYS OFF TO SPEND TIME WITH YOUR WIFE AFTER SHE GAVE BIRTH TO YOUR INFANT CHILD? SORRY, YOU’RE OUT OF SICK DAYS. MISSED THE BUS AND THERE’S NOT ANOTHER ONE FOR AN HOUR? IT’S YOUR FAULT FOR NOT HAVING A CAR OR SPENDING FIFTY BUCKS ON AN UBER. TRYING TO GO TO YOUR FIFTH FAMILY FUNERAL BECAUSE ALL YOUR RELATIVES ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES AFTER A HARD SIXTY YEARS OF LABOR? OOH, SORRY, YOU ONLY GET FOUR FUNERAL DAYS A YEAR! NEED TO GET ANOTHER JOB BECAUSE YOUR CURRENT ONE DOESN’T PAY ENOUGH? WELL, YOU FORGOT TO DISCLOSE IT TO YOUR BOSS AND THEY FIRED YOU FOR TWO-TIMING THEM! A JOB IS MORE OF A COMMITMENT THAN A SPOUSE, AND IF YOU HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES, YOU WON’T LAST LONG.

BECAUSE THE BOURGEOISIE OWNS SERVICES THAT SHOULD BE PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT, LIKE HEALTHCARE, HOME AND AUTO INSURANCE, A LOT OF HIGHER EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENTS, CREDIT BUREAUS, LOAN COMPANIES, AND HOSPITALS, PROFIT IS THE MOTIVE THERE TOO! WHICH MEANS IF YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF INSURANCE, NEED TO BUY A HOUSE OR A CAR, WANT OR NEED AN EDUCATION, ARE CHRONICALLY ILL, OR JUST EXIST ON A GENERAL BASIS, COMPANIES ARE RIPPING YOU OFF. YOU ARE BASICALLY PAYING THOUSANDS A MONTH FOR THE CHANCE TO GET *SOME* OF YOUR MASSIVE HOSPITAL BILL COVERED IF YOU GET IN AN ACCIDENT. THIS ONE IS NEAR AND DEAR TO ME. FOR UNIMPORTANT REASONS, I MANAGE TO RACK UP A LOT OF DEBT EVERY YEAR GOING TO HOSPITALS AND URGENT CARE, CALLING AMBULANCES, PAYING FOR MEDICATION THAT DOESN’T WORK. DID YOU KNOW YOU’RE CHARGED NIGHTLY TO STAY IN HOSPITALS LIKE THEY’RE GODDAMN HOTELS? LIKE IT’S A FUCKING VACATION? AND DID YOU KNOW THE BILLING DEPARTMENTS OF EACH OF THESE PRIVATELY OWNED ESTABLISHMENTS IS MADE UP OF UNDERPAID, OVERSTRESSED MEMBERS OF THE PROLETARIAT WHOSE JOB IS TO FUCK UP YOUR BILL SO YOU OWE MORE THAN YOUR VISIT ACTUALLY COST?

MEDICAL FACILITIES ARE ALSO PUSHED TO SELL OVERPRICED DRUGS THAT DON’T WORK TO PEOPLE. HEADS UP, GUYS, BUT ANTIBIOTICS DON’T WORK AGAINST VIRAL INFECTIONS, AND YET THEY’RE PRESCRIBED FOR THE FLU AND COMMON COLD EVERY DAY. AND SOMETIMES THE DRUGS DO WORK, BUT THEY’RE STILL OVERPRICED! IF YOU’VE BEEN ON THE INTERNET AT ALL THIS YEAR YOU’LL KNOW ALL ABOUT THE INSULIN CRISIS, WHICH WAS CREATED ARTIFICIALLY. BASICALLY THE PEOPLE WHO OWN INSULIN (YEAH, *OWN* A LIFE-SAVING MEDICATION) RACKED UP THE PRICE SO MUCH THAT PEOPLE COULDN’T FUCKING AFFORD IT ANYMORE, DESPITE A NORMAL DOSE OF INSULIN COSTING LIKE FIFTY CENTS TO MAKE?? OR, HOW ABOUT THIS—THEY INVENTED THIS COOL NEW CHEAP PAIN-RELIEVING DRUG CALLED FENTANYL AND DISCOVERED THEY COULD MAKE A SHIT TON OF MONEY OFF IT, SO DOCTORS PRESCRIBED THE HELL OUT OF IT UNTIL PEOPLE GOT SO ADDICTED TO IT THAT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIED OF OVERDOSES. OH, DID I SAY “PRESCRIBED” IN THE PAST TENSE? MY BAD, THEY CONTINUE TO PRESCRIBE IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. IF YOU HAVE CHRONIC PAIN AND ASK DOCTORS NOT TO PUT YOU ON PAIN MEDICATION, A LOT OF TIMES THEY WILL STILL PUT YOU ON PAIN MEDICATION. IF YOU EXPLAIN TO YOUR DOCTOR THAT YOU KICKED A HEROIN ADDICTION AND YOU REALLY WOULD NOT LIKE TO HAVE OPIOIDS PUT IN YOUR BODY, THEY WILL PROBABLY STILL BE LIKE, HUH, SUCKS FOR YOU, AND PUT OPIOIDS IN YOUR BODY.

DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE ANY OF THIS? PERHAPS PETITION YOUR LOCAL POLITICIAN, OR GOD FORBID, STATE CONGRESSMAN, TO PASS A LAW THAT YOU THINK MIGHT IMPROVE YOUR LIFE? WELL, IT TURNS OUT YOU NEED A LOT OF MONEY TO RUN A CAMPAIGN NOWADAYS, AND POLITICIANS ARE ALLOWED TO BE SPONSORED BY BIG BUSINESSES, BECAUSE BUSINESSES ARE PEOPLE. SO IF YOU’RE THE SENATOR OF NEW JERSEY OR WHATEVER, AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS WANT YOU TO VOTE TO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE, BUT YOUR CAMPAIGN IS OWNED BY WALMART, WHO WANTS TO KEEP PAYING ITS WORKERS ELEVEN BUCKS AN HOUR, YOU HAVE THE CHOICE BETWEEN MAKING A COUPLE LITTLE WORKING CLASS IDIOTS ANGRY OR GETTING ALL YOUR FUNDING FROM WALMART PULLED BECAUSE YOU THREATENED THEIR PROFIT MARGINS.

NOT ACTIVELY DYING FROM A TREATABLE ILLNESS, WASTING AWAY FROM DRUG ADDICTION, OR ENTRENCHED IN SLAVERY TO A CORPORATION WHOSE PRODUCT YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN? GREAT! DID YOU KNOW THE PLANET WILL BE ON FIRE IN LIKE A FEW DECADES? OIL AND GAS COMPANIES HAVE SO MUCH INFLUENCE OVER THE LAWMAKERS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO PROHIBIT THEM FROM RUINING THE PLANET, THEY’VE PUT THE ONUS OF SAVING IT ON INDIVIDUALS’ SHOULDERS. REDUCE YOUR CARBON EMISSIONS BY TAKING THAT HOURLY BUS (YOU’LL EITHER BE FIFTY MINUTES EARLY TO WORK OR TEN MINUTES LATE!) OR RECYCLING YOUR SHIT (BUT IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR MUNICIPALITY CAN’T RECYCLE, THEY’LL THROW THE WHOLE BATCH OUT WHEN YOU PUT TRASH IN) OR TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF IN YOUR HOUSE (JUST EAT DINNER IN THE DARK YOU PIECE OF SHIT) OR INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS ON YOUR HOUSE (FUCK ME FOR RENTING I GUESS?) THERE IS SO MUCH WE CAN DO JUST WHENEVER TO SWITCH TO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, BUT EXXON AND BP AND SHELL OWN SO MUCH INFLUENCE THAT WE’RE JUST *NOT*, AND LEAVING THIS WASTELAND OF A HOME PLANET TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS. BUT AT LEAST ELON MUSK BUILT THIS REALLY COOL LOW-POLY BETHESDA LOOKING PIECE OF SHIT FOR US TO MAKE MEMES ABOUT

HERE’S THE SKINNY OF IT, PEOPLE. THERE’S NO OUT WITHIN OUR CURRENT SYSTEM. EVEN IF YOU DID THE MAGIC AND PULLED YOURSELF UP BY YOUR BOOTSTRAPS AND NOW YOU’RE A BIG BOY WHO OWNS HIS OWN COMPANY, YOU LEFT BEHIND A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T WIN THE BIRTH LOTTERY LIKE YOU DID. INNOCENT FOLKS ARE DYING OF HUNGER OR ILLNESS THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO TREAT, CRASHING CARS THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO FIX, WORKING THEMSELVES LITERALLY TO DEATH TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES OR THEIR FAMILIES, AND SCRAPING BY WITH A MEASLY ALLOWANCE OF FREE TIME WITH WHICH TO UNWIND AND CATCH UP WITH OTHER PEOPLE. THEY DON’T HAVE TIME TO WATCH THE NEWS, THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT THE SOCIETY THEY LIVE IN, CONCEPTUALIZE UNIONIZING OR REVOLTING OR BUILDING GUILLOTINES. THEY WANT TO KEEP US EXHAUSTED AND STRUGGLING BECAUSE IT’S WHAT KEEPS THEM COMFORTABLE UP THERE, KNOWING NO ONE HAS THE ENERGY OR THE GALL TO TOUCH THEM. THE ONLY FUCKING WAY TO ESCAPE THIS HELL WE’VE CREATED IS THROUGH REVOLUTION. WE NEED TO SCRAP THIS WHOLE THING AND START OVER. BUT I THINK THAT’S ANOTHER ESSAY. ANYWAY I HOPE THIS WAS THOROUGH ENOUGH FOR A LITERAL ALIEN SOCIETY.

TL;DR: WE ARE ALL FUCKED IF WE DON’T OVERTHROW THE RICH.

---------------

*CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS IS SOME EUROPEAN WHO SAILED THE WRONG WAY AND ENDED UP IN THE AMERICAS. HE AND HIS BUDDIES RAPED AND PILLAGED THEIR WAY THROUGH A BUNCH OF INDIGINOUS COMMUNITIES AND DECIDED THIS COUNTRY WAS “FREE REIGN” TO SETTLE IN. HE IS HAILED AS THE AMERICAN ODYSSEUS AND CREDITED WITH THE “DISCOVERY” OF AMERICA BECAUSE OF COURSE ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE FIRST DON’T COUNT??

**I DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT WARS EITHER BUT LET’S GET INTO IT FROM THE POV OF A GUY WHO PASSED HIS WORLD HISTORY CLASS WITH A STRAIGHT B MINUS.

THE FIRST WORLD WAR: I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THIS ONE.

THE SECOND WORLD WAR: THE ONE WHERE A BUNCH OF SCIENTISTS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICERS BOMBED A COUPLE OF CIVILIAN SETTLEMENTS IN JAPAN AND I’M PRETTY SURE AN *ENTIRE HAWAIIAN ISLAND* JUST TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. TURNS OUT IT KILLED A BUNCH OF CIVILIANS. HUH! WHO’D HAVE EXPECTED THAT! OH IT ALSO TURNED AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF OTHERWISE DECENT FOLKS INTO RABIDLY PATRIOTIC IDIOTS, BECAUSE THE PACE AT WHICH THIS COUNTRY CHURNS OUT PROPAGANDA DURING A WAR IS FASTER THAN THE SPEEDING RUBBER BAND I SHOT WITH MY FINGERS AT THE TEACHER WHO WAS EXPLAINING WHY EVERY OTHER COUNTRY WAS IN THE ABSOLUTE WRONG DURING THIS CATASTROPHE.

VIETNAM: OKAY SO BASICALLY PEOPLE HATED THIS ONE BECAUSE THEY REALIZED SOLDIERS WERE GOING ALL CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ON THE COUNTRIES WHERE THEY WERE STATIONED. ENOUGH SAID.

COLD WAR: THIS IS NOMINALLY A WAR BECAUSE THE GOOD OLD U.S.A. AND ITS HATEFUCKBUDDY THE U.S.S.R.† DID THIS WITH WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

(EVENTUALLY THEY DECIDED TO PUT THE FINGER GUNS AWAY. I’M GONNA LET YOU TRY TO PUZZLE OUT ON YOUR OWN HOW COUNTRIES “PUT AWAY” NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABLE OF ENDING ALL LIFE ON EARTH.)

SPACE RACE: THE U.S. AND THE U.S.S.R. HAD A FUN COMPETITION TO SEE WHOSE DICK WAS BIG ENOUGH TO GET TO THE MOON. SCIENCE IS RUINED.

***ARTISTS, WRITERS, JOURNALISTS, VIDEO ESSAYISTS, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO ISN’T EITHER OWNED OR SPONSORED (THAT’S A FANCY WORD FOR “OWNED”) BY BIG BUSINESS TEND TO BE THREATENED BY POVERTY. PRETTY MUCH ANYONE WHO CAN FREELANCE ACTUALLY, BECAUSE WORKING FOR A CORPORATION PROVIDES THE SAFETY NET THAT SOCIAL PROGRAMS WOULD OTHERWISE TAKE CARE OF IF SOCIAL PROGRAMS WERE FUNDED EVER.

****ALSO KNOWN AS THE AMERICAN DREAM, IN WHICH *ANYBODY* CAN MAKE IT IN THIS COUNTRY IF THEY TRY HARD ENOUGH! UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS A MYTH, AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE FACT THAT I AM STILL REALLY POOR, AS IS LIKE 90% OF THE COUNTRY. PLUS CLASS MOBILITY WORKS REALLY HARD TO KEEP MINORITIES IN EXTREME POVERTY, BECAUSE IT DOESN’T EXIST AS AN ISOLATED SYSTEM AND ANYONE WHO THINKS IT DOES IS A DUMBSHIT WHO’S BOUGHT INTO THIS EVEN MORE THAN THE AVERAGE DUMBSHIT.

†RUSSIA’S COOL NEW NAME WHEN IT TRIED OUT SOCIALISM

#HERE YOU FUCKING GO ALIENS.#I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A D MINUS FOR THIS IN SCHOOL.#FOR REASONS THAT ARE ESTABLISHED UNDER THE CUT.#{{i typed this in google docs? its uhhh 8 pages long #addiction/#drugs/#war/#uncle sam/#tesla truck/#watch as it fucks up the formatting and kills me instantly

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arcticdementor · 4 years

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Condemning Nazis is a given. But the other question remains: were the many ordinary Germans, insulted by Weimar decadence and hypocrisy, right about lending Nazis (really a whole bunch of right-wing and sometimes left-wing movements, which only later were pruned into Hitler-approved shape) their silent or vocal approval for dismantling Weimar status quo in early 30s? Very few could foresee the sheer scope and violence of things to come, but everyone could make a judgement about elites active at the moment, and notice their smug enjoyment of effective cultural monopoly, and complete unwillingness to cede ground. It's not just that open malice is more attractive to onlookers than insincere, duplicitous one: it's that you feel liberated when refusing to play by the rules your enemy has forced on you, shaking off the rhetorical framing and win-lose-foul conditions. This is most easily understood by people who were bullied as children. Bullies are, contrary to the way normies imagine it, extraordinarily good at not being openly violent; the most talented ones avoid even straighforward verbal abuse, goading others and provoking the victim with clever, biting mockery and concern-trolling advice instead. To an intelligent onlooker, the nature of the act is obvious, but it can get exasperating thinking of how to intervene legitimately, so most don't think. When the despairing victim stops pleading and negotiating and lifts his fist, it's used against him, complained about to the authorities; but it's an act of refusing to justify your appeals to a hopelessly hostile interlocutor, and thus a release from mental prison. It's no wonder school losers are associated in public consciousness with school shooters, and incels, and right-wing extremists, and white supremacists, and Nazis. The problem is, it's not a relatively minor issue of class animus (or class bullying). In modern America, liberals easily brush off every notion of their actions being in any way harmful, and even here we mainly discuss tolerable and sometimes rather abstract problems: censorship of inherently inflammatory beliefs, effective one-party control of mechanisms of social networking, ineffective solutions to social injustices, economic damage, exacerbation of tribalism. But elites like these create a rather suffocating atmosphere. However much we ridicule Alex Jones, he expresses a sentiment far more common than can be admitted in a polite society: that the elites are "Satanic", "parasitic" and actively anti-life in general, to the extent irreconcilable with long-term survival of the group ("...And destroy the great birth right that you are given As builders of this world And builders of countless more to come"). Maybe his target audience really is the 21st century's equivalent of cartoonish superstitious peasants with pitchforks. But from elite's viewpoint, aren't they even less than that, some sort of unattractive local fauna, pests you've formally got to tolerate while developing your industry? As Tucker Carlson allegedly said: "if I could tell working Americans one thing, it's that your elites hate you. I used to hobnob with these people. They hate you, they hate your work, they hate your families, they hate your religion, they hate your way of life." Tucker is playing to his audience, too. And they want to hear what they already feel. Man is a strange creature, a mix of robust and fragile parts. He can live in a pod and eat bugs, grow up inhaling lead and still work for 60 years straight. But stress him out with evidence of inferiority and his cardiovascular system falters, his hormone levels out of whack; put him in a buzzing city and his reproductive ability is drastically reduced; surround him with revolting art and neurosis-inducing propaganda and ugly modernist architecture and he feels that the world is a bleak dystopia despite unprecedented, if a little distasteful, material prosperity in every bite of HFCS-filled junk food. Make him feel unwelcome, at the brink of exile from community, gaslight him into doubting his sanity -- and he'll either break down, eventually dying of despair, or rebel against this increasingly hostile, censorious, alien hellscape and its apparent masters (or, at least, those who seem to revel in his suffering). You can shut down every avenue of legitimate public expression for him, taboo the very words he could use to express his yearnings; but he'll connect the dots on his own, and chances are, he'll do so in the most destructive and misguided way possible. Peter Turchin has this neat idea about elite overproduction as the mechanism of civilizational collapse. Despite the fact that "elite" status is kind of relative by definition, it is possible to make a plurality, if not the majority, of people imbued with the sense of their "eliteness" and all associated values. I wonder if this has something to do with the degree creep in the US and ideological capture of scientific institutions; with the way the noun "elites" is so often accompanied by adjective "educated"; with the enforced cult of credibility and the way mediocre liberals are invested in this image of science-loving erudites who talk in a patronising fashion to the uncouth masses. Then, with a bit of clever coalition-building and immigration policy, it's possible to not only disorganize and shout down the plebs, but also outnumber them; or so the plan goes. It might work; it might fail. If there's no such plan at all, that's a tragedy in and of itself, because it will still be resisted. To answer the question in first paragraph: I suppose ordinary Germans were wrong to support Nazis and their associates even in the early 30s. But Weimar elites were very, very wrong to not share with the common man, both financially and culturally. They could have done everyone a service by toning their hostility down a notch or two. Alas.

Ilforte

#quote #long quote #reddit #the motte #links in quote

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brucbond04-blog · 4 years

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Bruc Bond

Bruc Bond endeavor to lead the financial sector with sustainability, customizable product offering, and open communication. At Bruc Bond we aim to make 21st century banking straightforward, simple, and transparent.

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A survey of financial customers conducted by Intelligent Communications found that nearly two-thirds (63 percent) might consider switching banking companies if communications don’t fulfill their expectations. That claims a lot. What ought to be concerned the living dinosaurs regarding today’s banking globe is the fact that people’s expectations possess moved dramatically over the particular last decade and also modify. In fact, it’s secure to say that large banking institutions have a huge problem.

From London, uk in order to Singapore, Young People Require more Part of the banks’ problem originates from young folks. These millennials, Generation B as they’re occasionally known as, now joined through Style Z, soon to get implemented by generations named right after characters in different alphabets, these people are a significant problem. They simply will not work. They refuse to be able to do points the method we’ve always carried out items around here. Perhaps they have been spoiled simply by as well much choice. Perhaps a fresh case of technology-induced ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. Or even, maybe younger people are simply not monetarily savvy sufficient to realize what’s good for all of them. One thing is specific, young people do not such as big banks. Not really within England and not inside Belgium, they don’t just like banking along with traditional organizations, they latest the (often poor) service quality, the absence of choice, how un-smart the services provided tend to be. First and foremost, they detest typically the way financial institution communicate together with them. Old-school imprinted words containing very little helpful information, cluttering up mailboxes and desks, are any millennial’s biggest communication associated worry, rivalled only by simply the hellscape that will be automated answering techniques, absolutely no matter.

All of often the above is really a big issue for banks, in whose primary base of customers is usually getting older, while the actual upcoming generations are away there searching for greener pastures. But that is not almost all, as even all those old generations, once used to the particular sluggish, arcane with period incomprehensible ways financial institutions utilized to communicate with these, are actually learning that issues might be different. The group of accounts managers in Bruc Connection can testify to the altering choices of our older customers as well as typically the young. We are viewing these changes everywhere, throughout Britain and Poland, and Singapore and Asia in particular. We are positive which these conversions are not really limited to Bruc Bond’s clientele.

It’s not some sort of key that banks are usually proof against change. They have got good reason for this. Absolutely no industry that survives with regard to more than half a new millennium could be too pleased to take on dangers, says Eyal Nachum. As well as change, as we just about all know, is risky. So that they move slowly, cautiously screening the waters, adopting technical advances piecemeal, preserving their own core business, seeking for you to increase returns while reducing items. Bankers are performing every thing right, in their particular minds, because that’s exactly how they’ve usually done these types of things, for many decades before the current plants arrived.

Eyal Nachum: All of us want companies to need more from all of us Millennials, and those coming following these people, are different. These people grew up with computer systems in their cribs, using the web at their very own fingertips, and today, during often the last decade, have completely embraced the mobile-digital-smart trend. This might be the truism, however it’s really worth unpacking. Millennials and all their younger siblings are not simply accustomed to everything-digital. They have got developed a different arranged of anticipation than their own predecessors. They may have learnt that will communication may be instant along with informative. They would like to feel with control of their personal long term, and that consists of control over their very own info, in ways that numerous lenders feel uncomfortable allowing these individuals. And now, they have taught their particular parents to help expect the same. For all of us, that’s not a poor point, says Eyal Nachum. We would like our clients in order to demand more through people. We want them to be able to contact us and for you to demand visibility from us all to them.

In Bruc Bond we believe our discomfort is our very own feeling. Our clients are worthy of the best coming from you, and that must consist of clear and open conversation at all times. We all believe our clients should have access to our interest and also to their data, therefore we attempt to give all of them just that. We would certainly like to find out our co-workers the world over follow a similar approach. That is the just approach to creating a much more relying and secure foreseeable future for all of us all.

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brucbond06-blog · 4 years

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Bruc Bond

Inside anything you do, the actual most important thing being is consistent. The next most crucial thing is to help be open in addition to communicative. This is doubly genuine when it comes in order to handling people’s funds, affirms Eyal Nachum involving Bruc Bond. From Birmingham to be able to Warsaw, from Vilnius for you to Singapore, in all areas and in all sizes, men and women want to recognize that they can depend on an individual. This is definitely why communication is any foundational value for Bruc Connect, underpinning everything we all carry out around here. The idea is higher than a means, that is a goal itself.

A survey of bank customers conducted by Wise Communications found that practically two-thirds (63 percent) would likely consider switching banking suppliers if communications don’t meet up with their expectations. That states that a lot. What must get worried the living dinosaurs connected with today’s banking planet is the fact people’s expectations get changed dramatically over the particular last decade as well as alter. In fact, it’s risk-free to say that major banking companies have a significant problem.

From Manchester to help Singapore, Young People Require more Part of the banks’ problem arises from young persons. These millennials, Generation Gym as they’re at times named, now joined by means of Style Z, soon for being adopted by generations named soon after albhabets in different alphabets, these people are a critical problem. They simply wil come. They refuse in order to do stuff the technique we’ve always completed points around here. Possibly they have been spoiled through also much choice. Perhaps the new case of technology-induced ATTENTION DEFICIT-HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. Or even, maybe youthful people are only not economically savvy adequate to learn what’s good for these. One thing is particular, young people rarely similar to big banks. Certainly not within England and not inside Biskupiec, poland, they don’t including banking having traditional establishments, they latest the (often poor) service quality, the shortage of choice, how un-smart the services provided are generally. Above all, they detest typically the way lender communicate along with them. Old-school published correspondence containing very little beneficial information, cluttering up mailboxes and desks, are some sort of millennial’s biggest communication relevant concern, rivalled only simply by the hellscape that is actually automated answering devices, simply no matter.

All of often the above is actually a big trouble for banks, whoever major base of clients will be getting older, while the actual potential generations are out there there trying to find greener pastures. But honestly, that is not most, as even these more mature generations, once familiar with the particular sluggish, arcane including moment incomprehensible ways finance institutions applied to communicate with these people, have become learning that items could possibly be different. The crew of consideration managers from Bruc Attachment can admit to the transforming tastes of our older clientele as well as typically the young. We are discovering these changes everywhere, throughout Britain and Poland, including Singapore and Asia most importantly. We are positive in which these changes are certainly not limited to Bruc Bond’s clientele.

It’s not a new magic formula that banks usually are resistance against change. They include good reason because of it. Simply no industry that survives regarding more than half the millennium might be too satisfied to take on hazards, says Eyal Nachum. And also change, as we all of know, is risky. So they really move slowly, cautiously tests the waters, adopting scientific advances piecemeal, preserving their very own core business, seeking to be able to free up returns while reducing things. Bankers are carrying out almost everything right, in all their minds, since that’s just how they’ve constantly done these kinds of things, for many years before the current harvest turned mainstream.

Eyal Nachum: Many of us want large companies to requirement more from all of us Millennials, and those coming immediately after these individuals, are different. They will grew up with personal computers in their cribs, together with the net at their own fingertips, and after this, during often the last decade, have totally embraced the mobile-digital-smart innovation. This might be any truism, yet it’s well worth unpacking. Millennials and their particular younger siblings are not merely accustomed to everything-digital. They also have developed a different established of anticipations than their very own predecessors. They get learnt this communication is usually instant and also informative. They wish to feel with control of their individual upcoming, and that contains control over their particular details, in ways that several brokers feel uncomfortable approving all of them. And now, they have taught all their parents for you to expect the same. For people, that’s not a negative factor, says Eyal Nachum. We really wish for our clients to help demand more via people. We want them in order to correspond with us and to be able to demand visibility from us all to them.

From Bruc Bond we believe which our discomfort is our unique feeling. Our clients ought to have the best by you, and that must contain clear and open connection at all times. Most of us believe our clients ought to get access to our focus and their data, thus we attempted to give these just that. We will like to view our fellow workers the world over embrace a similar approach. The item is the simply means to creating a a lot more trustworthy and secure long term for people all.

1 note · View note

brucbondendeavor5-blog · 4 years

Text

Bruc Bond

With anything you do, the actual most important thing being is consistent. The secondly most essential thing is to be able to be open and also communicative. This is doubly accurate when it comes for you to handling people’s income, affirms Eyal Nachum involving Bruc Bond. From Birmingham to help Warsaw, from Vilnius in order to Singapore, in all areas and in all drives, men and women want to recognize that they can matter on you actually. This will be why communication is a new foundational value for Bruc Connect, underpinning everything most of us complete around here. The idea is regarding green means, the item is a goal inside of it.

A survey of business banking customers conducted by Sensible Communications found that pretty much two-thirds (63 percent) would likely consider switching banking workers if communications don’t connect with their expectations. That states that a lot. What really should fret the living dinosaurs connected with today’s banking universe is always that people’s expectations get been altered dramatically over the particular last decade along with adjust. In fact, it’s protected to say that major banking companies have a significant problem.

From Manchester to be able to Singapore, Young People Require more Part of the banks’ problem emanates from young persons. These millennials, Generation Ful as they’re oftentimes identified as, now joined simply by Style Z, soon for being used by generations named soon after albhabets in different alphabets, these people are an essential problem. They simply will not end up to get close to. They refuse for you to do items the technique we’ve always performed issues around here. Might be they have been spoiled by simply far too much choice. Perhaps a case of technology-induced ATTENTION DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. Or even, maybe small people are simply just not in financial terms savvy ample to learn what’s good for these individuals. One thing is a number of, young people would not similar to big banks. Definitely not within England and not inside Experienced, they don’t including banking together with traditional corporations, they latest the (often poor) service quality, the insufficiency of choice, how un-smart the services provided are generally. Best of all, they detest typically the way standard bank communicate using them. Old-school paper correspondence containing very little practical information, cluttering up mailboxes and desks, are the millennial’s biggest communication similar anxiety, rivalled only by means of the hellscape that is usually automated answering programs, not any matter.

All of often the above is often a big challenge for banks, do you know key base of patrons is definitely getting older, while the actual long term generations are available there in search of greener pastures. But here is not most, as even people aged generations, once acquainted with the particular sluggish, arcane and time frame incomprehensible ways finance institutions made use of to communicate with all of them, now are learning that stuff can be different. The workforce of profile managers on Bruc Attachment can state to the adjusting selections of our older buyers as well as typically the young. We are finding these changes everywhere, throughout Britain and Poland, as Singapore and Asia bodily. We are positive in which these révolution are definitely not limited to Bruc Bond’s clientele.

It’s not any solution that banks usually are resistance against change. They include good reason for doing this. Not any industry that survives to get more than half some sort of millennium might be too content to take on threats, says Eyal Nachum. In addition to change, as we all of know, is risky. To make sure they move slowly, cautiously assessment the waters, adopting manufacturing advances piecemeal, preserving their very own core business, seeking to help free up returns while reducing things. Bankers are accomplishing anything right, in all their minds, seeing that that’s the way they’ve generally done these kind of things, for many many years before the current head became popular.

Eyal Nachum: Many of us want large companies to require more from all of us Millennials, and those coming immediately after these, are different. Many people grew up with desktops in their cribs, having the online at their own fingertips, now, during often the last decade, have thoroughly embraced the mobile-digital-smart emerging trend. This might be a new truism, although it’s value unpacking. Millennials and their particular younger siblings are not just simply accustomed to everything-digital. They also have developed a different placed of objectives than their very own predecessors. They get learnt this communication is usually instant in addition to informative. They will feel with control of their individual foreseeable future, and that comes with control over their own personal facts, in ways that quite a few brokers feel uncomfortable according these people. And now, they have taught all their parents in order to expect the same. Normally, that’s not a undesirable matter, says Eyal Nachum. You want our clients to be able to demand more via people. We want them for you to talk to us and to help demand visibility from us all to them.

On Bruc Bond we believe frequent discomfort is our unique feeling. Our clients ought to have the best by you, and that must include things like clear and open transmission at all times. Most of us believe our clients ought to get access to our awareness in order to their data, consequently we got down to give these individuals just that. We will like to discover our friends the world over take up a similar approach. The item is the solely means to creating a considerably more relying on and secure potential normally all.

1 note · View note