this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2023
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Most of the time when people say they have an unpopular opinion, it turns out it's actually pretty popular.

Do you have some that's really unpopular and most likely will get you downvoted?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

AI is to computer science what black magic is to science.

Seriously, what do you get after you've spent days and days to train a model? An inscrutable blob that may as well be proprietary software written for an alien CPU; studying it is damn near impossible, understanding how it works would require several lifespans, and yet it works, and we trust these models and use them to get solutions to problems that would normally be impossible to handle by computers using "real" computer science. And one day, this trust will bite us in the ass, not in the form of an "AI rebellion" but with every system that uses AI becoming unreliable because of situations outside its training.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Everyone should try and reduce the amount of meat they eat as much as they can. Same goes for flying and driving.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (14 children)

Both parties - Democrat and Republican - here in the US - are part of the ‘problem’ and need to go. We desperately need a third or multi party system and an end to this bullshit of geriatrics ruling our government and making decisions.

I would make comments about the first line all the time on Reddit and immediately get downvoted to hell because people would start arguing or making comparisons to the old ‘two sides of the same coin’ bit. That’s fine if that’s how you want to see it.

I get it, we all have certain things we fight for that the other party shits on, women’s rights (abortion), equal rights, labor, gun control, taxes, etc.

But both parties still serve their corporate masters and still do their damndest to turn people here in the US against each other using ever scare tactic imaginable and thru the media sources (Fox, CNN).

They just keep playing the Game to turn people against each other and create more decisiveness and more power for them.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Remember to sort by controversial. Top comments are always going to be the popular opinions.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (7 children)

My unpopular opinion is that too many people give way, waaaaaayyy too much attention to "correct use of gender pronouns" and they should all just stfu.

I understand why that is a big deal for trans people, because they make their gender the defining aspect of their character. Something I consider a mistake, nobody's main defining characteristic should be their gender.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I guess you're right that that's unpopular.

But let me put this metaphor out there--if someone shows up in the ER and their leg is badly broken and there's blood everywhere and the bone is sticking out, it is logical to triage that and take care of it first. But if lesser injuries are being taken care of instead, it's logical and appropriate to raise a fuss. The person fussing about their broken leg isn't really making it their entire personality no matter how strident and loud they are--they are simply in urgent pain and need the problem attended to.

Given plenty of trans folks end up suicidal, which is the mental health equivalent of a major physical injury, it's logical and appropriate to try to shed light on what's happening so it can be corrected. That can seem like the community is being "loud" or that an individual is "making gender their core characteristic". But it's more that that is the thing that is currently hurting, so it moves people to try to stop the hurt. Once things have evened out, there's less need to be loud about it, and it will naturally fall into place as a background aspect, like any other facet of a person.

This is generally the case when ANY minority is "making a fuss"--it's happening because there's pain that needs to be attended to. A wound that needs healing.

I've seen more than one "well meaning" person online get upset about how this or that minority is being loud with a tone they don't like.

The thing is--if a person is in pain, they're not necessarily in a mental spot to perfectly frame their arguments just for you, in exactly the tone you need to be able to hear them. Someone in pain can be pretty harsh and mean-sounding, and it's important to recognize the times when YOU are unburdened by that pain and thus have an easier time of being "logical" than the other person who is currently crying out in pain and sounds "harsh".

Basically: have mercy on other people, and understand some harsh things they say because they are in pain, and that you, too, would probably have your discipline fail at some point if you went through something just as harsh.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It makes sense, but I feel like complaining about gender pronouns specifically is more akin to whining loudly about a small finger cut, while the leg is still broken.

I understand that they go through hell, as the majority lose any sort of social safety net: friends and family, and are generally shunned upon by society at large. That shouldn't happen and I understand that the problem is cultural first and foremost, people hate being told their worldview, the stuff they learned, is wrong.

Still, your insight was something I didn't take into account. For that, I thank you. Maybe this is also the only fight they have the power to fight. Small and maybe even petty, but that's all that's within their reach.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

We've been living in a dystopia for a very long time now, we're just becoming more aware to it.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Jesus won't come for his followers until after the great tribulation. So all these people believing in the rapture and post apocalyptic world are wrong. That's why evangelical Christians don't believe in global climate change because it won't affect them if Jesus scoops them up before they face consequences.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Corporations should only be allowed to exist as long as they're doing more good for society than the damage they do. Businesses should either be a net positive or run by people who are individually and jointly liable.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

The Beatles were overrated.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Dismissing social norms because they're "only social constructs" is ridiculous, because all social constructs are a product of our biological brains. Gender norms exist because sex chromosomes affect brain chemistry, not because some evil global patriarchy cabal in 200,000 B.C decided they should.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Too many people conflate the evils of corporatism and corruption with the general concept of "capitalism"/a market economy.

Now, I'm hardly an advocate of laissez-faire economics. But I'm not a full-on socialist either. I think the majority of problems people attribute to modern market economies can be corrected with aggressive anti-trust and pro-consumer regulation.

(The keyword here is majority. I'm sure it makes sense to socialize some things, but those details are best left to people smarter than me.)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (5 children)

There's no ethical way to kill someone who doesn't want to die. This applies to more than just humans.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Non-human predators that hunt, kill, and eat other animals...do you consider them unethical, or is it only unethical for animals capable of inventing the concept of 'ethics'?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

the military is a cult that tricks children into dying for the wealth of the owner class. they tell you you're defending "freedom" but you're defending the gravest enemies of freedom that currently exist.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

In order to actually fight climate change, we should start by trying to reduce the population in the future. Less people = more resources per person.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (7 children)

I don't believe in prison for punitive justice. Prions should be used to keep society safe from dangerous people, not punishing them imo.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

It's a real shame that globally speaking this indeed is an unpopular opinion.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I could probably do a better job running your country than the guy you elected since I know when to give the problem to someone more qualified.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I depends on the country, but definitely yes. And this is even more the case if you said “your city”. Most local politicians are just straight up bad.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I have quite a few. I don't believe in copyright laws or IP in general. I think it holds back innovation and exists solely to benefit megacorps like Disney or pharmaceutical companies.

For example - you develop a new drug that really helps some people. You charge $50 a pill even though it costs you $5 to produce. Without the government protecting IP, another company will come around and produce it and sell it for $6 a pill, providing cheaper access to healthcare.

People will say "what would give someone the incentive to make new things?" Without actually thinking it through. For a great example of how lack of IP is a good thing, look at how Shenzhen went from a fishing village to a Chinese San Francisco in a few short decades.. one company will take the product of another and iterate on top of it.

Another unpopular opinion is I'm pretty absolutist with free speech. I think certain things like calls to violence or intentional defamation of character should be restricted. But pretty much everything else should be fair game.

I believe in open borders and think the US should return to the late 1800s style of immigration. We're gonna need the population to compete with China in the coming century.

I also think that the primary investment into climate change at this point should be preparing for the inevitable changes instead of trying to prevent the inevitable.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (8 children)

The rise of feminism has seen the steady devaluation of the contribution of men in those areas of society where they should be most active. Rather than celebrate and recognise what's right, the focus is on attacking what's wrong.

The majority of men are lonely, isolated and uncared for. Many feel unvalued, unsafe and vulnerable. There is less community support for men than there has been in the past, less institutional support, and a continued decline in the tolerance of men being in shared places. The minimisation of value in societal roles is yet another way that men are cut off.

This seems to escape the vision of feminism. There is always claim of ideological alignment, where the empowerment of women directly benefits men, but when it comes to any form of concrete action that helps men that need help, or celebrates men that contribute - it's nowhere to be seen.

Men kill themselves. They kill themselves. In their thousands. Leaving cratered families, trauma, guilt from the survivors, many of whom are female. Because they feel valueless, helpless and can't see a purpose to going on.

Accountability goes both ways. In demanding support from men, feminism must support men.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Negative motivation is the real way to make changes.

It's great to have goals and positive things to look forward to when you reach those goals.

But to be consistent in doing the hard work to reach that goal it's better to scare the shit out of your self by asking

"what happens to me if I don't do the work?"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (3 children)

No word is inherently bad, it's all about what you mean and how you use it. Most people have a no-tolerance with a few words though.

For example, all words would be ok in educational purposes.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (8 children)

Bernie would have won had he not been blatantly cheated in the 2016 DNC primary. We’d be in a MUCH different timeline had he won.

Edit: Corbyn was done dirty in the UK too.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

The kWh is a silly unit. Joule (J) is the one true unit of energy.

Also, common time units suck as much as inches, pounds, feet and whatever nonsense units you Americans still use. Just use seconds with the appropriate SI prefix instead.

Cubic meters and tonnes suck too. Just use kl and Mg instead.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I'm not racist if I say I hate Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Religion is not a race, it's fundamentally an assertion of an ontology based upon the primacy of the god of Abraham/Ibrahim, Yahweh/Jehovah.

The belief in the existence, omnipresence, and infallibility of such a being as described by their texts is a detriment to our species and may ultimately catastrophically destroy civilization.

One chooses to believe or continue believing this. One can't choose their ethnicity. If I say I hate those religions, I'm saying I hate their ideas on how reality works, not where they're from or what they look like.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Americans really think they own the world sometimes, and truly underestimate the disdain the world has for them.

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