JC Denton can be black if you want though, but he's a white guy in the sequel
I just realized I've been misgendering this person by accident.
Yeah even if they have a beef with the local communists for being ineffective that's still a far cry from claiming the local communists will put them in a gulag. I don't believe they really believe that. If they do, that's unhinged. I mean it is true that most European parties with Communist or Marxist in the name are actually more like tepid social democrats and often have very elderly members with perhaps backwards social views. But that's not some intractable aspect of Marxist ideology but rather the result of 20th century anti-communism efforts in Europe. Also austerity, the actual CIA, and European reactionaries stoking up anti-immigrant bigotry among the working class. There are specific historical reasons why we've gotten to this point.
It's purely magical thinking to believe there will be a repeat of the conflict between anarchists and Marxists similar to 1920s post-revoultionary Russia due to...some unspecific differences in political rhetoric or what? It makes no sense. The countries I'd say are poised to have conflict of a socialist character don't have an internal anarchist/Marxist conflict from what I'm aware of. Some examples of places I mean are like: Venezuela, where there are some anarchist communes that collaborate with the broader socialist movement. Burkina Faso, where I'm not aware of any anarchist movement or suppression at all. There's also Niger, Haiti, and Senegal that have recently had unorganized gang-like violence that I personally think resembles class warfare. Again, no specific anarchist/Marxist conflict from where I'm aware.
I know dozens of real life organized anarchists that are ideologically incoherent because they don't read and come from weird backgrounds, but they're still a million times better than any online sectarian anarchist because at least my real life comrades do stuff like work at shelters and hand out food
This db0 person is the most exhausting online character I've ever encountered. They seem to enjoy having people yell at them. They enjoy it when there are circular arguments about nothing. They have nothing better to do?
They're by far the most insufferable online nerd I've dealt with. And who is doing sectarianism about the USSR now? Why? There are so many bigger fish to fry. There's an active genocide. There's a fermenting possible genocide in America with the concentration camps already built.
But this person has the mental bandwidth to worry about what the tankies are up to?
Rogan just says things. He has no coherent beliefs or values other than he likes making money and he likes drugs.
I mean yeah it was a bit of culture shock the first time I visited southeast Asia and saw people eating rice with their bare hands but it didn't make me instantly think of doodoo encrusted buttholes
I just want more games with good writing, or games that have genuinely educational value on the level of a Ken Loach directed movie. I like silly fun shoot em up games as much as anyone else but I could probably count less than ten or twenty games I've ever played that gave me genuine emotional movement. And I have over 1200 games in my steam account.
And I don't think I'm being pompous when I say that, because I do like and respect games and think they often are masterpieces on the level of an important novel or movie or something. I think maybe a limiting factor with games is that unlike a novel or movie or painting, they don't have to say much of anything, or mean anything, and they still function as interactive little escapes (sometimes).
Maybe one of y'all can recommend something for me? For reference here's some examples of games I've played that I've felt have had genuine artistic/emotional merit:
in my heart of hearts, @[email protected] will always be my favorite poster
most powerful energy of anyone I've ever encountered online, most effortlessly funny. when I finally get to die and meet Allah I'll put in a special word for shrek, then a close second for shitbird
It's actually a pretty neat walking sim. I'm a dork so I got into how the crosswalk signals all work and how there are different turning angles on the roads depending on if you're in a dense urban area or out in the rural areas. I've been saying this for a while but it's one of the most meticulously designed open world cities I've ever seen in a game.
Sure it's sometimes shallow or there's not a whole lot to do. I mean the design and look of it was obviously very thought out
I think Americans are primed to feel very enthusiastic about anything that tells them things they already believe, even moreso if it sounds very confident and organized. And people are already prone to woowoo stuff.
I don't think you'd break the spell if you informed everyone it's just lines of code that doesn't think. A statistically significant number of Americans claim to talk with spirits and angels, or have the gift of prophecy. On the flip side the techbro types believe in garbage like the future basilisk AI that tortures evseryone forever. These same people are already deranged, all the LLM does is organize their mashed potato brains into sentences that can be read. And just about every major LLM seems primed to have a very servile, docile writing style so it's trivial to get them to say whatever you want so long as you keep saying the same thing. They're not well designed for confrontation.
I firmly believe one of the best ways to deal with reactionaries, woowoo types peddling scams, or conspiracy theorists is to simply tell them they're a fucking idiot. "That sounds fucking stupid. Shut up, nerd, and never speak to me about this again." That's how you do it, that's how you dispell stuff. Social embarrassment and confrontation.
An LLM won't do that, it'll rub a nice mental salve on your already smooth brain. It's an actual echo chamber.
every single time I see one of their posts complaining about getting banned from here I check the modlog and it's always something transphobic or racist
We're expected to continue working when it's 90 F and 100% humidity indoors. Dude our paper is so soggy I punch holes in it when I try to write. I am straight up not having a good time.
Also our managers didn't even come in today. What even is capitalism
Hey everyone!
Six months ago I made a post about how how I managed to run a 5k in less than 30 minutes. Well just earlier today I managed to double that and ran a 10k in one hour! I'm extremely proud of myself!
I'm not very young or in shape, but about two years ago I made a promise to get better, lose weight, and have a level of fitness I can appreciate. I don't wanna get to 50 and be another overweight American with heart problems. I wanna look and feel healthy.
However I am incredibly lazy and scatterbrained, so I decided to go for an exercise that requires no equipment, no technique, and has a high efficiency for calories burned against time. My best guess was jogging/running would fit well, and I had done jogging for fitness way back in college. But that was just casual fun a few times a week. Two years ago I decided I wanted to do it right and focus. Go for longer distances, pace myself, record my times, that kinda thing. And it's working! I finished a 10k for the first time ever earlier this morning and I finished at 59 minutes 27 seconds!
I guess a full marathon is what I should aim for next. A whole lot is going pretty cool in my life ever since I started jogging seriously. I'm more comfortable in calling myself nonbinary and asexual, I'm dressing more nicely, I have a lot of creative pursuits now, and I don't get tired as easily. I wear makeup and no longer feel weird about it!
I wanna eventually get enough stamina to do a full marathon! Wish me luck, y'all. I wish you all luck and perseverance as well! I'm some lazy smelly goofball so if I can do it you all definitely can
(me every morning at 5:30 am)
Hello, it's me.
Japan is an imperialist capitalist nation in Asia that has been dominated by the right wing party 自由民主党 (The Liberal Democratic Party) almost entirely since the party's conception. The country has a reputation for harsh working hours, a repressive conformist culture, a huge and exploitative pornography industry, but worst of all: anime.
However, it's not all bad. Japan also boasts a rich cultural history, beautiful natural landmarks, and a deep culinary tradition. It's a place I've visited and stayed in many times. I really do have an appreciation of Japan. Not in a weeaboo kind of way, but I hope more genuinely in the things I like. I've actually taken the time to visit the countryside, to make friends, to interact with everyday Japanese people. I've made the effort to learn how to speak the language at a conversational level, and I've gone out of my way to have experiences beyond the normal tourist stuff. Not bragging but I've been to 38 of Japan's 47 prefectures.
But onto the main subject here: I hate, hate, hate how western reactionaries glorify aspects of Japan while also knowing jack and shit about Japan. In fact, I'd like to propose that if American white conservatives actually knew about Japanese domestic policy, they'd declare Japan to be socialist in the same way they refer to Canada or Europe as socialist. Here we go.
Also all of this will be off the top of my head because I'm exhausted from work and just doing this as catharsis because I had to listen to several shitheads today talk about how conservative Japan is and why it's a conservative based utopia blah blah blah ahhhhh. So if I get anything wrong or don't mention something just call me out as a dipshit because I am a massive dipshit. I don't wanna actually google statistics and stuff right now.
Don't get me wrong. Japan is not some utopia, it's a capitalist exploitative imperialist nation, but I'm just very sick of hearing American conservatives glorify things about the country that they exaggerate, misunderstand, or just fabricate.
Things American chuds care about:
Ok let's address this one first. Personal ownership of handguns and rifles in Japan is strictly illegal. My understanding is that shotguns are legal for specifically hunters or target shooters, but require an evaluation, regular accuracy tests, proof of what the gun is used for specifically, and you have to let the police inspect your home and gun whenever they ask. American chuds would absolutely bristle at hearing any of this. Honestly, Japan's gun control laws alone might be enough for the average American chud to declare Japan a dystopian socialist dictatorship.
Japan doesn't have at-will employment. Every employer is required to give 30 days notice before firing someone, or issue payment in lieu of notice. Far more Japanese workers in the private industry belong to unions than Americans, I think it's around 16% of Japanese workers versus only like 3% of Americans. Japanese companies cannot fire employees without a specific reason. Minimum wage is pegged to cost of living in the surrounding area. It's also super common for companies to reimburse employees for public transportation costs. Employees are typically under contract with their employer, and all workers are legally obligated to pay into a national pension plan, which I believe starts to pay out at the age of 60.
While Japan is notoriously difficult in terms of gaining full citizenship, immigrating and becoming a resident is about the same process as immigrating anywhere else. Japan's xenophobia is probably the most cited feature of the place that chuds seem to like. I hear so many stories about the "No Foreigners" signs in front of shops. Personally, I've only ever encountered one of those signs, but it was less a "no foreigners allowed whatsoever" and more like a "we don't speak English, sorry." I'm pretty sure denying foreigners service entirely violates several Japanese civil rights laws. I remember there were some Korean residents in Japan like 20 years ago who successfully sued a bathhouse for several million yen for its refusal to service them. It's just not as widespread as chuds like to say it is, and it's definitely not true of cosmopolitan areas like Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, etc. Maybe decades ago, but as far as Japanese cities are concerned, the yen is good no matter who's trying to use it. I could get into why I think Japan has a low percentage of immigration, but to cut it short I think it's primarily low wages for skilled labor compared to other industrialized nations. Xenophobia and discrimination are probably factors as well, but I really believe it's the lack of money and Japan's relative isolation that keep immigrants away. Like why would someone from neighboring countries China or Occupied (South) Korea immigrate to Japan at this point, other than an interest in Japan? They'd make far more money at home.
Also in regards to social xenophobia, that's probably true of the older generations, but the overwhelming majority of young Japanese people I've met have been obsessed with Korean media. K-pop, K-dramas, Korean idols, all of that. They also love American movies, especially slop like Star Wars and Marvel. If Japanese people are supposed to be based culturally isolated people who don't engage in foreign cultures, they're very bad at it. Go to anywhere in Shibuya and you'll hear the Billboard top 50 blaring all the time.
Yeah it's not great, but Japan at least acknowledges gender transitions. I also know that GRS is covered by the state healthcare system, although I don't know if HRT is. I do have a trans friend in Japan and she tells me there's actually a pretty decent community for her and things are alright. Japan notoriously has no national recognition of same-sex marriage, however, cities and prefectures individually may have their own laws regarding recognition. Like I know that most wards of Tokyo will issue a certificate to same-sex couples that carries many of the same provisions as marriage. Also, Japan has multiple elected officials who are trans or gay. Setagaya, a ward of Tokyo, had an open trans woman elected to its council all the way back in 2003. I believe Japan has no specific laws regarding discrimination or hate speech, I believe certain prefectures have their own laws protecting against gender/sexuality discrimination, like Tokyo and Ibaraki. (my friend lives in Ibaraki and she's told me there are local laws against things like hiring discrimination in regards to sexuality/gender). Basically, it's complicated and queer people aren't fully protected or normalized, but that's similar to most countries in the world right now. Japan certainly isn't a fully anti-LGBTQ country like chuds would describe. Instead it's a mixed bag where acceptance can vary depending on where in the country you are and who you're interacting with.
Japan's healthcare system is actually just about as good as you can get for a capitalist country. Japanese people have one of the longest life expectancies on Earth, the obesity rate is low, and access to healthcare is very high. The way it works is a public-private hybrid system, where 70% of healthcare costs are covered by the state and the remaining 30% is covered by private health insurance. After the age of 70, the state covers all costs. Most employers offer a health insurance plan, meaning the vast majority of Japanese residents enjoy widespread coverage at publicly funded hospitals. I know there are a lot of cases where the national healthcare system doesn't cover everything, or insurance won't cover certain conditions, but statistically Japan has a remarkably healthy population (at least in terms of physical health. There are a variety of widespread mental health issues.) Again, this is something else that American white reactionaries would bristle at, despite the obvious positive results. Also I think quack medicine is illegal, or at least, isn't covered by the national health system or something? I remember my friend saying something about it.
Japan has a progressive income tax rate that vastly out-paces the American tax rate. Its highest tax bracket, an income of ¥40,000,000 or higher, is a whopping 45%. The equivalent highest bracket in America is 37% for income of $609,351 and above. As I'm typing this, 40 million yen is $257,212. I don't even want to get into the inheritance, corporate, property, etc taxes because they're also higher than the American equivalents. Again, this is a feature chuds would declare as inherently despotic and socialist.
I actually don't know much about this, but I'm pretty sure every major party, including the LDP, acknowledges anthropic climate change is real. I know waste disposal laws are more strict than the US, and I think fines for pollution are harsher. I do know that most parties in Japan are against nuclear energy, including the Communist Party, which is kinda understandable given Japanese history.
Ok I'm done rambling. I just really needed to get all that out. I don't think I hit every point I wanted to hit but you're all very smart and you probably understand where I'm going with this. The actual reality of Japan is something chuds would not want for themselves, since they can only look at certain aspects of Japan, namely its immigration policies and its ethnic homogeneity, and declare that's all that's necessary for a country to be based or whatever. Yeah except nearly every other feature of Japan is something they'd find unpalatable at best and grounds for declaring it a dictatorship at worst.
ok thank you for reading my bullshit. 
death to America
I mean obviously there's Serum, Vital, and Phase Plant and all the popular ones, but what do you find yourself using?
My current rotation is:
Phonec by Psychic Modulation. Really dreamy synth meant to sound like a nature documentary from 1984. Very Boards of Canada.
Repro-5 by u-he. Really nifty emulation of the Prophet 5.
VCV Rack. The best software version of a modular synthesizer rack around. You can get lost for hours in sound design. Also it's free!
Dawesome Abyss. Honestly a little finicky and difficult to use but can make some super thick pads.
QasarBeach by Adam Strange - It's free! Super crunchy recreation of a Fairlight CMI IIx. Probably the most impressive free softsynth I've ever used, and it's more than that! It has a tracker, waveform editor, sampler, a ton of stuff. The GUI is just beautiful. It's really really hard to use and clunky, but it's just got so much soul and love put into it that I can't help but poke around in it sometimes.
What do y'all enjoy using? Also this is a great comm idea and I hope we have lots of cool threads! 
She was born in a storm drain. She's 6 years old! She's small and likes salmon. She's a good girl.
Deus Ex isn't a political game. It's a game about stick with the prod. Prod with the prod.