MerryJaneDoe
@MerryJaneDoe@lemmy.world
Eat the rich.
- Comment on Americans be like: 1 week ago:
Aswering the only question on my mind, thanks for getting in early!
- Comment on Americans be like: 1 week ago:
Asking the only question on my mind, thanks for getting in early!
- Comment on How much of it is society is collapsing versus the daily on going of the ruling class was so obscure that they were easier to ignore? 1 week ago:
I didn’t compare the two. OP made this comparison.
I pointed out that the numbers were WAY underestimated.
History tells us that when a country starts to run up debt faster than it can pay it down, the government is likely to topple. Especially if it’s unwilling/unable to address the crisis directly instead of kicking the can down the road. Standard operating procedure in the U.S. is to walk out of budget discussions, ignore the problem, underfund and borrow money. Each year this happens, it should be a HUGE red flag to our citizens. Instead, its become the new normal. It is unsustainable.
- Comment on What is likely to happen when/if trump dies? 1 week ago:
At this point, it should be clear to everyone that Trump is a symptom, he is not the disease.
- Comment on How much of it is society is collapsing versus the daily on going of the ruling class was so obscure that they were easier to ignore? 1 week ago:
I think you’re missing the point.
Our national debt is about 15 times higher than our GDP.
It’s NOT like a person making $75k/yr and owing $6k. It’s much more like someone who owes $600k and makes $75k.
It’s out of control. Reckless.
- Comment on Robot dogs priced at $300,000 a piece are now guarding some of the country’s biggest data centers 2 weeks ago:
You can watch some videos on YouTube, if you really want to learn. It’s interesting, sometimes in a full-dystopian nightmare fuel kind of way. Yes, we are at the point where some of these robots can climb and jump.
It’s a gimmick, though, for sure. Just like human-mimicking androids are a gimmick. The money for robotics is in manufacturing.
But I’ll bet there will always be an obscenely wealthy person who is willing to pay for a cool looking robot prototype.
- Comment on I am an American. I used to be proud of my country. Now it feels like a turd circling the drain. Is there anything going on behind the scene that America is actually doing good in? 2 weeks ago:
…and they’re so rich…
I hear ya, and I agree - but I think there’s a huge number of not-so-wealthy Americans who are just as culpable. People who happily empower the billionaire class, hoping to catch a crumb of their wealth. And I don’t claim to be different - when I was younger, I would have sold my soul for the right price.
The average ICE employee probably isn’t so different from younger me. When a young person without a college education is offered a six-figure salary - they will accept first and ask questions later. Any moral or ethical qualms are quickly overcome by the realization that their bank account is steadily growing every week. They can enjoy life instead of struggling. They can take care of their loved ones. Meanwhile, the screams of children become part of the normal workweek. It’s crazy but that’s human nature. We are cruel creatures.
- Comment on I am an American. I used to be proud of my country. Now it feels like a turd circling the drain. Is there anything going on behind the scene that America is actually doing good in? 2 weeks ago:
Focus on midterms, my friend.
Don’t think about 3 years. Think about 6 months.
- Comment on How much of it is society is collapsing versus the daily on going of the ruling class was so obscure that they were easier to ignore? 2 weeks ago:
Then you’ve totally missed the point of freedom and democracy.
Collectively, our leaders are very much “average” people. Some are super smart, others are ignorant and stupid. Some are great leaders, others are petty and vindictive. Some are well-educated, some are Majorie Taylor Greene.
And let’s be clear - society isn’t collapsing. Freedom and prosperity are collapsing.
- Comment on How much of it is society is collapsing versus the daily on going of the ruling class was so obscure that they were easier to ignore? 2 weeks ago:
Suppose you had a co-worker. You both make the same salary, say $75,000/year takehome.
You mention that you are buying a house, and your co-worker says “I wish I could do that. I have too much credit card debt.”
“How much debt do you have?” you ask.
“$600,000,” he replies.
“Oh, my,” you reply. “Well, how did you spend that much so fast? What about your budget?”
“Yeah, I still spend about $110,000 per year, but most of my debt is just interest accrual.”
And that’s the U.S. in a nutshell. Yes, we can get by for another day or another month or another year - until we can’t. And then it all comes crashing down with a quickness.
Look at the graph here: en.wikipedia.org/…/History_of_the_United_States_p…
Notice that the last time our debt ratio got this high, it was WWII. After the war, the financial repercussions were addressed, the money was paid back and we got on with our lives. When it started to spike again in the 90s, Democrats and Republicans worked together and brought it back down.
So, if the debt is to be reduced, we either need to work together or we need a world war. Which do you think is more likely to happen?
- Comment on Sam Altman Thanks Programmers for Their Effort, Says Their Time Is Over 2 weeks ago:
I think he’s just trying to further normalize the outsourcing/underpaying/devaluing of programmers.
- Comment on Why are public school teachers so underpaid in the US? 2 weeks ago:
We don’t really have castes in the US. But yes, being poor sucks anywhere in the world.
I was speaking more in terms of infrastructure and public assistance. For example, I was able to get a student loan and an education in the States. I have clean, potable tap water. Dependable utilities. Those sorts of things.
- Comment on What should we actually turn our aggression towards? 2 weeks ago:
It never ends. The injustices pile up faster than they can be addressed. This is a feature, not a flaw of the system, because the system isn’t designed for you and me. It’s designed to make the wealthy comfortable and stable.
The best thing you can do for yourself is to disconnect. Focus on the things in life that propel you forward. Spend time with loved ones. Cultivate a sense of appreciation and gratitude for the things that go right. Exercise and take care of yourself. Don’t let the bastards steal your happiness.
- Comment on 8 characters? How about we make it 16? 2 weeks ago:
Oh…you said “fold”. Core memory triggered.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTkPiA9xdiE
Yeah… Grab my terryfold flaps Grab my flappy folds Grab my terryfolds Grab my foldy flaps Hey, touch my foldy flaps Grab my terryfolds Grab my foldy holds Grab my terry flaps In my terryfolds Grab my terry flaps You gotta touch 'em… my terryfolds Grab my terryfolds Touch my holdy flaps Take a big flap Take my foldy flaps (Aaah) My terryfolds (Aaah) My foldy holds (Oooh) And my terry flaps Gotta grab my terry flaps Grab my terry flaps Squeeze my holdy folds Hold my coldy folds Grab my foldy tolds Grab my terry flap holds Grab my terryfolds Hold my foldy folds Hold my terryfolds Hey, did you ever wanna hold a terryfold? I got one right here (here) Grab my terry flap Squeeze it, grab it, squeeze and tug on my terry flap Hey, I wanna take you to the terryfold dance Wanna come with me? You can grab my holdy folds Squeeze them tight, you son of a bitch! Suck my holdy flappy folds Lick my flappy foldy holds My terry flaps in your mouth Suck my flaps you piece of shit! Fuck you (fuck you) You stupid dumb motherfucking bitch (Aaah Aaah) Hey, grab my terry flaps Gonna eat those toldy folds I gotta couple of terryfold flaps I got a flappy foldy flap I’m gonna go take you to food Gonna eat, then we’re going to the terryfold dance (dance) You and me We’re gonna go to the terryfold place It’s gonna be a night out Gonna have a real fancy time Hoo!
- Comment on Why are public school teachers so underpaid in the US? 2 weeks ago:
Let’s review:
- You don’t believe in fighting, you’d rather comprise
- The relationship of Douglass and Lincoln exemplifies this type of compromise
AND yet…it all led to the Civil War. Which was necessary to stop the selling human beings for profit.
So, yes, if you look at the relationship between the two political entities involved, a compromise was reached. But that compromise was worthless in preventing violence.
Violence was always inevitable. It started with violence toward Africans - kidnapping and slavery. The only way to end it was more violence - a bloody, vicious civil war.
- Comment on Why are public school teachers so underpaid in the US? 2 weeks ago:
There is no final victory. Ever. Not even an imaginary moral victory.
There is only and has only ever been the fight.
It’s human nature.
Case in point: The tone of your comment above is combative and accusatory, rather than friendly or neutral. Why?
- Comment on Why are public school teachers so underpaid in the US? 2 weeks ago:
If you want to fight, you have to be prepared to lose.
It was no accident that Rosa Parks chose that particular seat on that particular day. Everyone that came before her had lost that same battle. Black folks (and the white folks who supported them) were thrown in jail for violating segregationist laws. But with each battle, knowledge and support was gained.
There’s a line in the recent Fallout series that really sticks out to me. A “do good” congresswoman is trying to get an audience with the president. She is roughly shoved aside by security. Our hero helps her up and she says, “Fighting the good fight is mostly a series of humiliations”. I think about that a lot. It’s exactly like that, because fighting the good fight mostly happens when you are alone and outnumbered. Otherwise, you’re just in an echo chamber.
- Comment on Why are public school teachers so underpaid in the US? 2 weeks ago:
(with the one notable exception of physicians)
Not an important job to a functioning society. As evidenced that most Americans can’t afford to see a physician except on rare occasions, yet we are still alive.
Please don’t misunderstand - I think access to healthcare should be emphasized more, and healthcare workers should be fairly compensated. But all the physicians in the world could disappear today and the effect would be minimal compared to all the truck drivers disappearing or all the nurses disappearing.
- Comment on Why are public school teachers so underpaid in the US? 2 weeks ago:
It hasn’t been for some time.
“Education” is indoctrination. That’s why kids are forced to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s why I was taught about Columbus. It’s why I believed that “Honest Abe” fought for the rights of slaves.
All bullshit, but each was a small building block to believing that somehow the US was a special place, a blessed nation, where personal expression and equality and opportunity were valued and hard work meant success.
- Comment on Why are public school teachers so underpaid in the US? 2 weeks ago:
The answer is always greed.
Teachers tend to like teaching. It’s a rewarding, “feel good” career. You know that you are helping kids, you get to watch them at their best. And, yes, sometimes at their worst, too, but that’s part of the deal - like watching your puppy chew up your couch and shit on the floor. Still worth it.
Since teachers tend to be passionate, they put up with a lot of bullshit admin/management. Moreso than you might at a soulless corporate job. This isn’t limited to teachers, either. Consider other careers where people put up with bullshit, and you’ll see a lot of parallels.
Art is a great parallel example. Everyone loves great art, artists love making art - but many people don’t want to pay for art. That’s why there’s so many passionate actors and musicians, but so few of them manage to eke out a living as a true professional. The passion is there, they are driven by their love of art, not by the material rewards.
- Comment on Iran includes American tech giants on list of new targets 2 weeks ago:
Poorly executed military action is 100% an American institution. We expect it - from the Bay of Pigs to “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq to the twenty year campaign in Afghanistan, our executive branch has a habit of making itself look incompetent.
But guess what? Nobody’s asking about Epstein, so VICTORY!
- Comment on Makes you think 🤔 🦵☕️ 3 weeks ago:
Yeah, it makes me think that I much prefer the one on the right. I am not a fan of silicone. Or bras, for that matter.
- Comment on Makes you think 🤔 🦵☕️ 3 weeks ago:
I’ve heard a couple girls say the one on the right is ugly.
I call bullshit.
- Comment on Asus Co-CEO: MacBook Neo Is a 'Shock' to the PC Industry 3 weeks ago:
Shilling much lately?
- Comment on Asus Co-CEO: MacBook Neo Is a 'Shock' to the PC Industry 3 weeks ago:
It could be.
But I don’t see any other PC/laptop reviews by this author. He writes mostly about cybersecurity. And his Neo articles seem a bit…biased. Compare to his other articles, which are well-researched. Example:
csoonline.com/…/wannacry-explained-a-perfect-rans…
My guess is either someone is posting articles in his name, or he’s taking a free Neo in return for a positive review.
- Comment on Asus Co-CEO: MacBook Neo Is a 'Shock' to the PC Industry 3 weeks ago:
I’m suspicious.
I’m seeing social media FLOODED with Neo content. Definitely not organic.
- Comment on I don't have money to pay premium to not see ads. What in the world makes you think that I have money to buy what you are advertising me? 3 weeks ago:
And, closely related, the recurring “auto ship” suggestion for items like electric razors or oven mitts.
Yep, you nailed it, Alexa, I absolutely need one of these shipped every fucking week. Saved me so much hassle!
- Comment on Uber is letting women avoid male drivers and riders in the US 3 weeks ago:
This is kind of an insane take.
Women have always been vulnerable. Women get raped and sexually assaulted at rates far beyond men. Women are easy targets because they are, on average, physically weaker than males. 50% of women will suffer a sexual assault of some kind in their life. Just 3% of men report a sexual assault.
- Comment on People who grew up with Vietnam and the Cold War, is Iran going to be the new vietnam or just a semi cool war? 3 weeks ago:
It’s all the same.
Listen to the wise words of Dwight D. Eisenhower, maybe the last sane president of the U.S.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-jvHynP9Y
This man was a general in WWII, a military man and a patriot. He warned that perpetual war would be the result of the “military industrial complex” America had built.
He was right. It never ends. We are at peace with our neighbors to the north and south, have an ocean between us and our nearest rival, yet somehow this nation is always at war.
- Comment on Avocado. Is it really so untasty or I am doing something wrong? 3 weeks ago:
“Salt. I hear so much about salt. I tried a heaping spoonful and it was nasty. What am I doing wrong?”
Same energy, my friend. This is why cooking is such an amazing skill. You can take 10 things that aren’t particularly tasty, and create something amazing.