dzsimbo

While I am sure there are many people for whom it's not true for, but making a point out of 'look, even jews are protesting against themselves, surely I'm not antisemitic for wanting the same thing' seems to be a phrase you need to publish if you are unsure if you are a racist.

I sometimes fish around these posts and check for good faith dialogue, but it's usually just seething and steam release. I can't really be angry with anyone seeing red, as it is a truly atrocious situation. It's just hard to see racism spill through and being upvoted.

I don't think I should severe the connection based on ideology either. The dude isn't malicious, just edgy. It doesn't bother me a whole much. While I don't know the details of your conundrum, it feels that yours warranted the snipping.

Without me reacting to his non-funny stuff, he selfreflects on being nasty. I am not the thought police, so I don't feel like it's my duty to make an example, or have a fight on ideology. We do talk about it. I hear the usual spiel about grooming. I try and give credence to his worries, then come back to my point of view and try to take away stuff that makes sense.

To give you a concrete example: he made me realize an underlying flaw in my ideal: I am looking at the picture through lenses. Like how I think people will react differently to some ideal of mine, if only they understood the common win is best for us all. He helped me see the situation as it is. Or at least brought my thoughts from the clouds closer to the ground.

Of course we have to stand up against maliciousness, but when race, gender and so many other things are hot topic buttons, the shitty comedians are making a splash. I feel humor is a great latmus test. We need humor to digest all the info we are being bombarded with.

Just as an example: there is a ghibli imagine going around about the George Floyd murder. Both situations are so fucking scary in themselves (police brutality + advanced ML) and someone generated an incredibly offensive image that was so wrong that it got a chuckle from me. Taken at face value, even I can be easily called a racist (which I might be too, but just in denial). I am writing all this in hope to show that we are mostly gradients and not extremes. How I would be denying myself of an otherwise good friend. And while this is not a reason to stay friends, severing based on value signalling might entrench him in further stereotypes (that I happily played into).

Again, I can't contrast it against your situation, as I can totally imagine the negativity in your case. And while I understand how a lot of edgy humor is just a front for being openly racist, and he may even help in a Holocaust 2.0, but he is not actively craving that or working to make it happen. Maybe my building bridges philosophy is also faulty, but I can't live in a world where I have to pay attention who would kill me in a worst case scenario. If we vibe, we vibe. If he's an asshole, I either call him out, or let it hang akwardly in the air, like bird shit.

Let’s hope what replaces it is as much of an improvement.

I say we're doing one better than 'just' hoping it. Talking about it and articulating modern needs lets others learn new ideas and maybe find some social structure.

I think I understand what you mean about the shattered zeitgeist (or social cohesion maybe?). One of my friends is leaning heavy into one of my lesser favored narratives, and he sends me lots of jokes that boarder being edgy (like racist n such), but sometimes actually being quite funny. He's a close friend who casually said he'd have no quarrel if the nazis took over. What can I do? Cut him off based on philosophy? Teach him his wrong ways? So far just asking questions helped me understand more about my view. And as far as his shitty racist jokes go, I don't send a pity smiley. That's the best I have for now.

the zeitgeist has fractured

I'd argue it's being diluted by noise. There have always been conflicting narratives. History is so hard to untangle (for me at least), because most of us come out a bit brainwashed from the system.

I think we are seeing the ends of the safeties this form of democracy has to provide. We are all in it together, everyone hallucinating to some extent. The big difference today is that you don't talk about tv around the watercooler. You send cat pics and talk about Will Smith AI spaghetti videos, digitally or in meat space.

The problem usually isn't lack of shared context, I believe, especially when we have so much in our pockets. It's signal dilution with some plain old ill-intent under the hood (i.e. 'advanced' marketing).

Exactomundo! Choosing the dialogue, choosing the spin, it's one the major spheres of control.

My 'breakthrough' moment was during Covid. Just looking at all the news (from sites I deemed 'my side') without any real information, but loaded with emotional phrasing made me realize that I am being used. I love that we have multiple options for news, don't get me wrong, but I felt betrayed.

Since then, I mostly read comments or watch the video of the event the media is spinning. Comments are pretty awesome, cuz real people help digest (or misinterpret) the harsh tone of the outside world.

Stuff's happening really quick. Orbán is trying to leave the ICC (proclaimed at the press conference with Netanyahu). We suspect it's in preparation to host Putin soon.

In these interesting times I urge people against blanket hatred, or any hatred at all. We are all being pumped up emotionally, and it is hard to understand what's going on if you are blinded by (the justified) rage you're experiencing. Even having feelings towards Orbán, Putin or Netanyahu helps the media shape you, as when they get that dog whistle in place, we are prone to accept opinion as fact.

Most of us are doing the best we can, and in the rarest of cases (maybe not in politics) do we find actual bad actors instead of misled.

Times can be scary, but if we connect ourselves emotionally to the feed, it only becomes worse.

It hit my eye as well, but I am sure there is a way to present it without being downvoted.

As a fresh convert not having my .exes work would be sus. But with MS locking more and more stuff in their app store, we're not too far from a full-on windows troll distro.

reframe the discussion

Simple solution. Mimic what paid online news does. Paywall, but like don't raise the perimeter anytime someone finds a ladder. Like we have here with the linked archive posts. Definitely a good way to keep out the heavy commies.

Selling ad space

Go for it! But you won't get me to uninstall my adblocker until I am convinced ads are any good to me. Like not the piece of shit manipulations that treat me as a skinner box. Many good examples of incorporating ads into shows, but with dignity and taste and a clear indication that it is an ad.

Also, if the admin deserves compensation for their time, why don't I get a pretty penny for this? Sure, the admin hosts and supports the frame, but they could twirl their short hairs all night without the buzz.

"just a hobby"

Love the enthusiasm! If anything gives me faith in the world, it's that we have the Gnu crowd. I think it's hard not to fall in love with it in the gloom of the late-freemium era.

Stop rummaging in other people's wallet. Money as it is, is a very sensitive topic. Also further down in this thread you bring in addiction, alienating further people.

Reddit is having trouble monetizing, yet you blame druggies from this very community for similar problems we're facing. What is your point? Where are you going? What do you want?

We have no tools against capitalism besides pushing a friggin 'buy me a coffee' button anywhere possible. Maybe Copyleft for those who'd proudly piss in the headwind. If you wanna make the system better, that's great! It just feels like you are lashing out at the community instead of empathizing. Broadcasting ideals is alright if you only want to vent about it and not actually look for solutions.

Can you imagine me not contributing monetarily but wanting the best for all of us? You are definitely underestimating the number of broke people here, but the things you are campaigning for go straight against the spirit of the movement. Work with what we have to make shit better for all (while somehow hardening against capitalism).

What I don't understand is why some people only want to participate here if it means they can get to free ride on "volunteers".

On reddit, the picture was pretty clear: admins are being paid, so your average commenter is volunteering the content, not to talk about the free (or power trip sponsored) work the mods are doing. And of course with the way reddit treated it's contributors, there was huge animosity towards certain admins. I don't see the participants here riding any more 'free' in terms of making this place work. The difference is that the admin is contributing money, instead of getting paid.

I can get behind a campaign for temporarily funding hosting costs, but that probably would not include rent or pay for the admin. It feels the main problem is rooted in our economy somewhere, but this is also something of a 'put your own oxygen mask on first' scenarios.

It is frustrating that someone who does such an amazing thing for the common good is struggling to get a fraction of a Zach Braff indiegogo project. You are also doing a good thing by spreading the message, but the pressure on this donation almost alienates me. Without knowing much about server instances, I imagine there are less fortunate alternatives, like moving the hosts to someone close by, outsourcing certain roles to trusted folk while the admin finds the time and money to fund their hobby again.

I hope I'm not coming over as too cold, it just feels like you are trying to solve a way bigger problem than we have. We need the instances run by volunteers. Would the admin be happier if their project died, or temporarily be handed over (if this is possible at all)? What's better for the thousands of users? Is it fair to the admin? Shit no. Can they get the funding to pay for their hobby? Maybe. Is it fair if they are using the instance as leverage?