shawn1122
@shawn1122@sh.itjust.works
- Comment on Being afraid of vaccines is literally childish behavior. 6 hours ago:
America doesn’t just do this domestically. They have interfered in other nations public health perceptions as well. The CIA undermined polio vaccination in Pakistan and Afghanistan when global eradication actually seemed possible.
- Comment on Judging by how many users on the internet telling Americans to "just move to another country lolz", people must think immigration laws are very lax or something... (it's not) 1 week ago:
I’m sure being targetted by ICE could qualify.
- Comment on The USA and Europe are now enemies 1 week ago:
The US was isolationist during much of world war 2 and had a “cash and carry” approach towards selling arms to US allies during initial part of the war which after much deliberation became a lend-lease arrangement that had been against the desires of the American people who did not want to get dragged into conflict that had its center stage in Europe. These financial arrangements made the US incredibly wealthy, essentially extracting centuries of colonial and slavery based loot from the Brits, which allowed it to become the global hegimon it is today (for now).
- Comment on The USA and Europe are now enemies 1 week ago:
What has caused this?
Wealth concentration among the elite in Western countries?
Demographic collapse putting strain on social systems warranting increased immigration?
Struggling to adapt to a changing world order brought about by a reemergent Global South?
The hard part is figuring out the why. Trump and the far right are symptoms of a mich bigger problem and it’s not going away in one election cycle.
- Comment on Venezuela Condemns US 'Piracy' as Trump White House Signals It Will Seize More Oil Vessels 2 weeks ago:
When the US ovethrows a government for it’s nations natural resources, it then sends in it’s corporations to profit / benefit Americans involved in that industry. The locals get nothing. This is the neocolonial playbook.
Pivoting to renewables would protect the local population but it would change the American imperial strategy on a meaningful way.
- Comment on If WW3 breaks out, what countries are going to be on which side? 2 weeks ago:
India US relations have gone cold since Trump. Particularly with the +25% tariff for buying Russian oil which they perceive as unfair since
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India followed the US in sanctioning Iran in 2019 which is why they increased purchases of Russian oil.
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The West had set a price cap on Russian oil after the Ukraine war as everyone understood that completely banning its purchase would drive oil prices up undesirably.
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The Biden administration was explicit in acknowledging and accepting that India buy Russian oil. It was seen as necessary to stabilize the market.
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China buys more oil than India from Russia and faces no specific additional tariff.
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The EU continues to buy gas and the US buys uranium from Russia (which also allows them to continue to finance the war).
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The IMF (which is seen as an American/Western institution) continues to bail out Pakistan and the peception in India is that some of those funds will reach non-state actors who will perpetuate violence in India.
There are actually more reasons but India recently hosted Putin for a state visit and rolled out the red carpet for him. India and Russia have historically had good relations (the Soviet Union used its UN security council position to support India against postcolonial Western interference on several occasions) but this was friendlier than many were expecting and it is in large part due to the current US administration being inconsistent on trade policy and incompetent at diplomacy.
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- Comment on If WW3 breaks out, what countries are going to be on which side? 2 weeks ago:
Middle East/Africa would likely become its own sphere just based on geography. I assume Europe would be in Russia’s sphere.
- Comment on Hey look, a giant sign telling you to find a different job 2 weeks ago:
Needs?
- Comment on Is it gay to have pleasurable sex with your wife? 5 weeks ago:
I think they just romanticize Western antiquity which very much saw sex as a manifestation of power and control rather than an expression of an intimate connection.
- Comment on Is it gay to have pleasurable sex with your wife? 5 weeks ago:
Damn didn’t know Lemmy drafted Aristotle. Another win for the Fediverse.
- Comment on DEI4All 1 month ago:
DEI isn’t a hiring quota. That’s a widely held misconception. It’s purpose identify hidden biases and expanding oppurtunity. Employers may run outreach or mentorship programs, and set realistic goals to give under‑represented folks get better access to hiring consideration, while still selecting based on merit.
- Comment on The Economist on using phrenology for hiring and lending decisions: "Some might argue that face-based analysis is more meritocratic" […] "For people without access to credit, that could be a blessing" 1 month ago:
The goal here is to go back to a world where such racial hieraechies are accepted but without human accountability. This way you are subjugated arbitrarily but hey the computer said so, so what can we do about it?
- Comment on I'm coming for you 1 month ago:
Wheres the paneer though?
- Comment on With how shitty some Christians are, you really have to wonder if Lucifer or Satan is truly "evil" 1 month ago:
The Old Testament is a monotheistically rebranded Epic of Gilgamesh. A lot of the themes were borrowed adapted and rebranded from there and other literature are the time. Even the monotheistic Jewish God was initially given the title of the supreme God in the Canaanite pantheon (El).
The Old Testament is a time capsule from 5000 years ago. There are some general concepts that can apply to a modern moral life but if you tried to follow everything it says in life today, it would be problematic.
The clear message in the Old Testament is one of God as the absolute and final authority. Its very clear that the message is one to keep people in check. Theres often bending of the rules and some degree of favoritism towards God’s chosen ones. Does not give off an egalitarian vibe but religion is generally not meant for that. Its generally meant to reinforce hierarchical structures (and to get people to accept them even if they are low in the hierarchy out of fear of God).
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 1 month ago:
When theres 195 countries and they only male up 4% of the global population? Yes.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 1 month ago:
The US is small on a global scale but certainly big enough to destroy the world.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 1 month ago:
The US certainly punches above its weight economically and militaristically. But its population is still a fraction of the global population and while it has wealth and lots of weapons, the rest of the world absolutely does have a say in how important we let it be.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 1 month ago:
The US was already mildly disliked for that general civilian arrogance but most Canadians overlooked it say 15 to 20 years ago. Now when American arrogance is recognized, its seen as unequivocally contentious vs. being harmlessly obnoxious.
I’ve met several Americans that seemed to think the financial might of Wall St or the sacred reverence with which they hold their constitution somehow made their existence more meaningful, fulfilling or even valid. They had the genuine belief that everyone wanted to be in their position even though their specific material circumstances were often worse and their priorities were warped in many ways.
From a Canadian perspective I might have put my hand on their shoulder and said “Cool”. Now I’d put my hand on their shoulder and say “You’re stupid” which is many ways more grace than some deserve.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 1 month ago:
It will take the US decades to rebuild trust. Its more likely the country decays some sort of hypercapitalist modern flavored feudalism with water slaves dying in the streets before other countries put long term trust in the US again.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 1 month ago:
Its not just the Western world.
America defined the new world order after world war 2.
They accrued 75% of the worlds golds reserves selling weapons to allies during WW2.
This allowed them to peg the dollar to gold under the Breton Woods system, allowing their currency to become the global reserve currency.
The rest is history.
- Comment on "What is the oldest country in the world that still exists?" is a Ship of Theseus problem. 1 month ago:
There are Americans that believe the US is one of the oldest countries in the world ie. if you start counting from when nation-states became a thing. Its a super hilarious question from an Indian, Chinese or African perspective.
- Comment on What if reincarnation is real, but you were probably plankton in your last life, so you don’t remember anything anyway? 1 month ago:
Sounds like Advaita Vedanta from Hindusim which itself led to Brahminism’s concept of oneness or the Brahman.
Always fascinating to see Eastern spirituality’s influence on philosophy.
- Comment on Yum 1 month ago:
Syphilis?
- Comment on I don't think so 2 months ago:
Is white a unifying culture in anyway? Wouldn’t calling it European make more sense?
- Comment on The bourgeoisie could technically unintentionally end capitalism... 2 months ago:
Can you expand on this thought using a hypothetical supply chain? Land and resources would still hold monetary value even if the value of human labor has been vanquished.
- Comment on Why do so many boomers and even some gen x believe so peristently that if you dressup and show up in person anywhere you will get whatever you went there for? 2 months ago:
I’m pretty sure racism never existed in America, especially not in the Boomer era. They are a well known for being an open minded and accepting generation.
- Comment on Why do so many boomers and even some gen x believe so peristently that if you dressup and show up in person anywhere you will get whatever you went there for? 2 months ago:
I mean, that’s just smart, wearing Western formalwear to convince white Westerners that you’re human.
I think the point does stand that this advice needs to be considered in the racially privileged or disenfranchised context Boomers lived in.
- Comment on Why do so many boomers and even some gen x believe so peristently that if you dressup and show up in person anywhere you will get whatever you went there for? 2 months ago:
This is truth. Immigrant and minority boomers/Gen X didn’t have it this easy. They were dodging racists like landmines and racist hiring practices were way less frowned upon back then.
- Comment on Why do so many boomers and even some gen x believe so peristently that if you dressup and show up in person anywhere you will get whatever you went there for? 2 months ago:
You’re getting down votes but I remember very specifically a trope on Reddit more than 15 years ago was that as a dude you could dress up in a suit and show up with a clipboard and infiltrate any professional environment. I think it’s a throw back to the movie Catch me if you can. I never saw it myself but it certainly captured some imaginations.
Anyways, I remember thinking maybe if you’re a middle class or better off white dude this could work and some people went as far as to actually share that sentiment and they were received as positively as you are right now.
- Comment on Jesus hates American "Christians" 2 months ago:
It wasn’t open to interpretation.
And yet, 2000 years later, here we are.