Do you want a protracted guerilla war? because this is how you get a protracted guerilla war.

well they’ve always been know as the “Me” generation so it makes sense they would say that about themselves

They experienced the beginning of the internet and computers becoming a main part of people’s lives

They experienced the height of the cold war and experienced genuine concern for nuclear armageddon

They experienced the end of the cold war and a few years of peace

They experienced the beginning of grunge, hip hop music, heavy metal, MTV , and the peak of Michael Jackson

They experienced 9/11, the dot com bubble burst, the housing crash of 2008, the pandemic of 2020

They lived under the thumb of the silent generation and the boomer generation dominating politics for their entire life (as we all still do today) so there voice was never really heard.

yes. I specifically chose that time because it was still modern enough to “get” the music of today

That’s kind of an impossible question to answer because the “they” is unknowable in your question.

But maybe they buy alcohol and drugs with it

Maybe they buy some medication they need to survive

Maybe they have a dog they want to buy food for

Maybe they have a family that could use the $50

Maybe they go to a thrift store and get newer shoes and socks for the winter

Who knows what they do with it but really $50 can help a great deal and unless you know the person well it’s difficult to know what they need it for. This isn’t to take away from what you and your wife have done, that is admirable and needed help too

I had a lady come up to me in the grocery store with her child and ask very quietly in very broken spanish/english to help her buy food for her and her daughter - who looked to be about 2. My first reaction that I acted on was to say sorry and walk away. Then it hit how cold and callous that was. Even if she was a scammer, that is not an easy way to make money. So I found her gave her $20 and walked away. A few minutes later I saw her with a cart and some food with a smile on her face.

My opinion is that if I have a bit of money that I can do without there is someone that could do with it I’ll let them have it. The money may go to a scammer from time to time and I know in the past it has, but if I can help one genuinely needy person I do what I can, not going to let the shit bags (both scammers and politicians) keep me from trying to help

this actually terrifies me.

School isn’t supposed to be “won” it’s supposed to teach you shit you’ll need later in life. Getting stuff wrong is part of the learning process. If all students do anymore is type LLM prompts they are fucking themselves up in the future. And they are fucking up other people’s future as well.

But honestly I could be completely wrong - LLM prompt writers may become a big salary job and actually knowing anything will be passe and not necessary. I just don’t want to live in that world.

Sincerely

Grumpy old fuck

I’ve noticed that as well, most cities in the States are all different shades of brown and grey. It’s kinda sad to see.

I always assumed that bland colors were easier to maintain and appealed to more people. But by God let’s not have any color in the world because of resale value…

You’re right - giving people the option to bounce questions off others or AI can be helpful. But I don’t think that is the same as asking someone (or some thing) to do the work for you and then you edit it.

The creative process is about the results it produces, not how long one spent in frustration

This I disagree on. A process is not a result. You get a result from the process and sometimes it’s what you want and often times it isn’t what you want. This is especially true for beginners. And to get the results you want from a process you have to work through all parts of it including the frustrating parts. Actually getting through the frustrating parts makes you a better creator and I would argue makes the final result more satisfying because you worked hard to get it right.

When I did essays and the like in school, I didn’t have AI to lean on, and the hardest part of doing any essay was… How the fuck do I start this thing?

I think that this is a big part of education and learning though. When you have to stare at a blank screen (or paper) and wonder “How the fuck do I start?” Having to brainstorm write shit down 50 times, edit, delete, start over. I think that process alone makes you appreciate good writing and how difficult it can be.

My opinion is that when you skip that step you skip a big part of the creative process.

it’s neither a hobby or a job But the trope that a very complicated, very dangerous situation can be solved by just one person and a gun.

It’s unfortunately so ingrained into the Hollywood story lines that people, especially in the US, think that that’s reality.

The idea of the rugged individual has destroyed the idea of societal support to the point that some people are actually terrified to ask for help in anyway.

I’ve always felt like Star Wars the original 3 (4,5 and 6) were a product of their time. They aren’t bad movies but they aren’t great movies either, but for whatever reason they struck a chord with the population in the late 70’s and early 80’s. George Lucas should have just let them be there really was no reason to make any more of them, but money.

That all small business owners are thieves and out to scam their customers - This was part of someone’s argument defending big box stores.

… and B too

Give it time and there will be the option of Gigantic Corp paying for your teeth if you grow their logo on them.

When you don’t have a solid social safety net, 30+ years of indoctrination of “individualism good, family and friend support bad”, a medical system that is built for profit and generations of both subtle and obvious propaganda that the more money you have the better of a person you are, I can understand why people protect their small stack of chips.

well, it’s been a quick and painful way to educate the American population on specific economic theories and topics

shifting to the right instead of listening to the massive calls for more progressive policies

My thought is that the center-right Democrats that hold power in the federal government saw what happened to the center-right Republicans when MAGA took over, the centrist lost power to the more right leaning politicians. If the centrist Democrats do the same they will lose power as well. So their strategy has been to ignore and undermine the more left leaning policies and candidates so they can stay in power longer.

Just the opposite.

With the potential of medical expenses rising, medication costs going up, insurance becoming shittier (if you’ll be able to afford it at all), staying healthy to continue to earn a paycheck (that is a depressing phrase), the potential of wide spread violence, I think its imperative to be as healthy and strong as you can be.

You may also find yourself in a position where you’re the only one you can count on and if you are sickly, and weak then it will make things that much worse. Or you may find yourself in a position to help someone that has less ability to move and you’ll need to be in good health for their sake.

it was 2 years ago but I got perma banned for saying some trump’s cult members are mouth breathing rednecks. Or at least I think that was the case all I was told was my account was banned for violating the “rules”. I appealed by asking what rules I violated - the canned response was “we reviewed your appeal and are holding up our ban of your account.”

Haven’t been back to the site since and don’t miss it.