there's a pandemic of idiots doing the "I personally" thing. every fucking post and comment, some mouthbreather wants to sound distinguished and whatnot by inflating their wordcount with nothingness. what's the fucking opposite of this, "I unpersonally", what?

"I personally like to..." what the fuck! just say "I like to", it's the same sentence, nothing changed, you didn't add any nuance to your stupid fucking take.

edit: awesome reading comprehension up in here. it's not a crusade against the word, it's a rant against morons using it wrong. as in "I personally like to..." - nothing is added here by using the P-word! you liking shit is the most personal, subjective thing on the planet, you didn't add anything, you just sound like little carmine.

edit 2: figured out a better title - "personally" is the new "literally"

Nothing bad happens in the post.

So, I have ordered something to Amazon locker for the first time.
It was already dark outside, but still just 19:20, so I went to pick up my parcel.
I got to the locker at around 20:30 (you see, the nearest locker isn't that close), while suddenly, I hear a car stop behind me, and I hear some German.
"POLIZEI", the car states.
Now, I don't speak German, but thankfully they spoke English.

"Where are you going?"
"To the Amazon box."
"Are you from [city]?"
"Yes."
"...OK..."
He sounded a bit confused/surprised, but it's just a 4km walk from the last bus stop at the other side of the border.

Well, I didn't wait after the OK, and just resumed walking towards the locker. They however stayed there, watching me.

"Well, this thing better be working.", I thought.
I typed in the code, doors opened, and the Police drove away.

I searched around if for some god knows what reason Austria has a curfew, nope.
Finally at last, while waiting for a bus back, I tried checking the locker on Amazon. For some reason, this is not stated on the order page. So, I go to my addresses, click to add a pick-up point, search for this locker, and would you look at that.
Open till 7pm.

But, like, why? It's just next to a parking lot, a few meters from the sidewalk. No locks, gate, anything.

I'm not American but Canada is heavily influenced by American culture. To the point many Canadians think the Untied States constitution applies here.

I grew up believing my whole life that the United States was a place where laws at least theoretically applied to everyone. And that the American government was one of checks and balances where the president had frustratingly little power at times. Where those in power were not like absolute monarchs and were held accountable for their actions and could be removed from office if need be.

But now? It looks like whoever designed the system neglected to include a protocol for what to do when the president and their lackeys disobey the law. Or, if there is a procedure, it's just not being implemented for some weird reason.

Imagine if the rules of hockey stated that you mustn't use physical violence but there will be absolutely no penalty whatsoever if you do. What do you think the result would be? What's the point of rules without an enforcement mechanism? I was taught in behavioural psychology that saying "don't do x" isn't a rule, saying "if you do x, y will happen" is a rule. Rules require consequences!

Every time I see a headline saying Trump's actions are illegal, I feel like I'm watching a crook break into houses, rob them, shoot people, and burn the house to the ground while the police stand there and say "wait, that's illegal". They're supposed to be protecting society by fucking doing something to stop the criminal! To be clear, the police are a metaphor here. I dont expect police officers to stop Trump, I expect congress and prosecutors and judges to do their damn jobs and enforce the law.

I feel like there's only a few flavors of different types of people out there. I'm losing it over the constant crooked septum piercings, shaved sides dyed blue, pagan witches, burners, and I swear no one read Octavia Butler until that meme went around last year and suddenly everyone's favorite book is Parable of the Sower.

I have to pause to say I am genuinely happy a black woman is getting more attention to her work, she deserves it.

Back to this. It all feels performative. If you're listing 4 white male authors then one black woman, like no, you're not really expanding your view. You just want the brownie points because society feels like it's falling apart, but you're different, you've read this book.

It's just like. I know we're all on our own journeys. And if that's someone's starting place, that's great. But when I go through ten profiles in a row and feel like I've seen the same person ten times with ten different faces?

I'm pretty sure there's a term for this but I can't remember it, and if I stop to look it up then this isn't a rant. Even people who try to be nonconformist still end up conforming to a different set of standards. I have enough awareness to know I do too, it's our nature to want to be part of a group. But I feel like the groups I'm supposed to be a part of I don't fit into either. I've always struggled with feeling connected. There's two people in my life I'm strong friends with, so I know I'm capable of it. I just can't seem to find it. And yeah, coming in thinking like this isn't helping me either.

I'm tired. In so many different ways that even a good night's sleep can't fix.

I'm perma-banned on Reddit for accidental ban evasion (I don't really want to get into it), so I came here as an alternative. But there isnt NEARLY as many communities or members as there are on reddit. But I cant go back there cus they perma banned me, that was 2 years ago when they first banned me.

Lemmy just isn't the same, and I wish I could go back to Reddit, but that site is arguably more nerve-wracking to be on than anything else. What can I do?? What other alternatives do I have?

And no I cant really just not use reddit cus I primarily used it to ask questions about specific stuff or if I wanted someones opinion about a product or some thing. Reddit is often more useful than google is.

idk im just kinda upset and at a fuckin loss. What kinda website perma bans a user for life and logs all their info just to make sure they don't come back?!

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/63574613

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/63574609

I was gonna post this on Reddit, but I got permanently banned a couple months ago, and because of that I decided to post this on Lemmy.

That said, I really like Half-Life. I think it's a pretty good game series, especially the 2004 Valve game Half-Life 2. I also really like Alyx Vance, and I'm very glad Valve did a Half-Life game that's focused on her (Half-Life: Alyx). However, the post-credits scene does have a cliffhanger for a potential Half-Life 3 game, and for a while, people have been wondering when will that game be released, but lately people have been longing for HL3 to the point where they go crazy over it, as evidenced in the subreddit "r/HalfLife3". I don't have to attach images of this subreddit because if you want an idea, it's just people going crazy over whenever HL3 will be released or NOT.

Being someone who really likes the Half-Life games as much as the next person, let me just say this simply: who cares when HL3 will be released or NOT? I get it: you wanna play Half-Life 3, but let me say that Valve is a company with employees who are real people with real lives, and those employees can sometimes be a bit too busy often to focus on Half-Life 3. From as far as I know, Valve doesn't even allow crunch time, and allows their staff (developers, programmers, artists, writers, coders, designer, mo-cap actors and such) to work at their own pace (or "Valve time"). Some people think that Half-Life 3 was already finished and Valve's just keeping it as a surprise for their anniversary, but people like Chet Faliszek (who worked for Valve until 2017) highly doubt that, stating that he has "never heard of a game shipping where they scrambled and then had to release a day zero patch or even a day one patch to fix any of the bugs".

Now let me just say that I too have hopes for Half-Life 3 being released, but I don't always go crazy for whether or not the game gets released, like everytime I come across something that says something like "Hey, Half-Life 3 is still not dead in the water", I just say "okay cool", and then I just move onto something else because I obviously have a lot of bigger fish to fry than Half-Life 3 leaks (ie: Half-Life 3 is rumored to come out as a Steam Machine launch title next spring or so).

So let me say again: who cares when will HL3 be released? It could be released sometime this year, could be released tomorrow, who knows and who cares?! You gotta keep in mind that Valve is a busy company run by busy people. You gotta move on from the Half-Life 3 release insanity. IF you want HL3, just make it yourself. Learn game development, talk to other game programmers, practice your craft, and you'll probably make a good mod that picks up where the post-credit scene for Half-Life Alyx left off (or the very sad ending scene for Half-Life 2 Episode 2 left off).

Maybe Half-Life 3 will never be released, maybe the game might be released - who knows and who cares? The next time you post something insane about Half-Life 3, just do yourself a favor - take the time you usually take to post Half-Life 3 stuff to go outside, touch grass, breathe fresh air, and also talk to people and start dating and such. Life is a very beautiful thing, and you should take the time to enjoy every minute of it and such.

Oh and speaking of dating, I've saw posts from people saying "if Half-Life 3 gets announced/released, I'll get the courage to ask my crush out" (something like that). All I can say is this: it DOESN'T martter when would HL3 be released. What really matters is that nothing's stopping you, and nothing (NOT even an announcement and release for a highly anticipated sequel for a popular video game) can determine when will you ask your crush out. Love is very important, and romance is beautiful. However, if you're a bit too shy or nervous, I think I know of a solution: improv! The act of performing theatre and comedy that's unplanned and unscripted with the main rule being "yes, and", as in having to agree with another improviser's idea and also expand on that, as in: "IMPROVISER 1: This is a pretty good meal we're having. IMPROVISER 2: Yes, and I think it needs a bit more salt. Maybe some pepper or chili powder, maybe."

There are plenty of ways to take up improv (ie: improv can be performed solo), but I think it's best to go to an improv class in person.

According to PsychologyToday, studies have shown that improv theatre can help reduce social anxiety, uncertainty intolerance and stress, as well as boosts interpersonal and performance confidence and creativity. This means that the more you take up improv and put yourself out there, the less shy you'd pretty much when talking to people and asking them out. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/play-your-way-sane/202303/7-research-backed-benefits-of-improv-comedy

Even if you're shy, let me just say that you have the courage and motivation to flirt, ask someone out on a date and such. You're kind, you're passionate and you can do this. You got this. We believe in you. Good luck.

I know the answer is they're fucking racists, but for the sake of ranting I'll pretend to look for a better reason.

They claim it should be an American. He fucking IS American. Puerto Ricans are as American as Nebraskans. Puerto Rico is part of the Untied States. Also, have these fuckers even watched the super bowl before? It's been done by non-americans lots of times!

They claim it should be someone who speaks English and appeals to an American audience. Spanish America is part of America. Even as a Canadian, I know that the Spanish language and Latino culture is interwoven with Untied States culture because I grew up watching American shows that teach Spanish. Barney. Dora the Explorer. Maya and Miguel. I can't imagine being so damn hateful as to not want a large percentage of my country to feel included. To claim I'm being excluded because things are in a different language than English sometimes. Oh no, I'm so oppressed by having to press 1 for service in English. You all probably had no issue dancing to the macarena without knowing what it's about, why is it a problem to listen to Spanish language music now?

They claim it shouldn't be him because they never heard of him. I never heard of him before this either, but I realize the world doesn't revolve around me! Just because you personally never heard of him doesn't change that he is an accomplished musician who is very popular and won many awards.

They claim Bad Bunny hates America because he made the smart decision not to tour in the mainland Untied States for fear of ICE raids at his concerts. How dare he recognize that the regime is a danger to his fans. How dare he recognize the horrors the regime is committing.

Of course I know looking for a remotely good faith reason is an exercise in futility. The truth is the Untied States has a lot of racist fucks who just got permission to be out and proud racist fucks

Weird one, but there's always that feeling that it's my mistake. It's just too suspicious.

So the matter is one of those cheap game consoles you see on AliExpress. This one could do PS1 emulation as well, so sounds cool.

Welp, first a software issue. It wouldn't boot. I contacted the seller, he said it worked, and has been laying unused for 2 years, and that I can find guides on how to fix it myself.
OK, the software is booting from SD card and happens to be Linux based. In fact, it's just EmuELEC with "Kinhank" skin. Checking the hashes on there, I found SquashFS file to be corrupted. I tried Manjaro ARM unsuccessfully, and then went back to EmuELEC, also copying the required device tree blob image which happened to survive.

Software fixed. Mostly. I don't know if the ROMs are OK. By the way, there's also a random .exe with trash icon that gets 29 detections on VirusTotal.
But anyway, this would still fly with me.

Issue 2, the controllers don't work. Just some cheap ones with 2.4GHz dongles. I found others with same issue based on status LEDs, and the solutions are none. I tried them with my PC, I tried them with the original software just replacing the SquashFS, I tried in another room just in case it's RFI, I tried connecting one of the controllers to 3V PSU. Nothing.

So I once again wrote to the seller.
But now I feel bad. How the fuck does just everything break?

Our rulers need to make sure that if we're trying to fight them, we're making them richer as we do it. Anything else is unacceptable.

Note

I've noticed that I'm getting minuses for my rant.
To that I will say this: Trump is worse than Adolf Hitler and Saloth Sar combined and anyone, anyone not standing up to him, anyone distracting anyone from the focus that he is worst of the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst, is something I hate more than Trump himself.

In fact, I consider Trump an eldritch abonimation who may be a liability to the survival of humanity and he and his ilk needs to be removed by his own people as quick as possible or the rest of the world will do it, as Trump is about to go on a Hitlerian conquering spree, but it's something I can't hate because there's nothing I can discuss with either the monster or his puny sycophantic cultists, so there's nothing to get worked up over.

I can get mad over Lemmy-goers as I do consider Lemmies to be real people and not Lovecraftian cartoon villains.

If that annoys you, then you are not considering Trump dangerous enough and anyone giving me a minus I consider it as still endorsing Donald Trump.

Now on to my list...

---

[Edit]

I'll come back later to finish this list.
I'm a bit out of rant energy right now.

---

Chapter: Myself

Thinking that Trump would not be the fascist leader bringing down the US because he would be too old and doesn't have a military background

I honestly thought someone would come along a little less braindead and military fascist thus diminished his behavior in the past as no more than 'US president who will completely destroy the US economy', which he did in the first term, but here we are and I hate myself for it ever having thought so.

Chapter: US Exceptionalists

####### In the past: Stating that the US was the greatest because they had more free trade than any country on the planet, something other countries would never surpass

I did not hear a peep from these people when Trump introduced giant tariffs.

####### In the past: Stating that the US was the greatest because they have free speech and other countries do not.

There's no free speech in the US.
The moment it has any effect, you'll be arrested or killed.
You can protest in Iran that Israel is committing genocide in Palestine.
You can't do that in the US.

####### The obsession with term limits as the ultimate litmus test for democracies

It's like someone getting a genie in a bottle where the person can do three wishes, but 'oh no' there are term limits on the infinite world dominating power wish, so the power is not unlimited. That'll stop the baddie, right?
Infantile reasoning, term limits can be washed away like washing hands when you give a leader ultimate power, term limits or not.

Chapter: EU Transatlanticists

####### The idea that the US has the best institutions to protect democracy

Same with the US exceptionalists. Once you have an income inequality so wide that the oligarchy has all the power, those institutions supposed to protect democracy are completely powerless.

Chapter: Fascists (that don't like Trump)

While these other fascists are delusional, I have been able to engage with their delusions, because I come across them on a non-fascist political channel and have been able argue with them and although I get to even win and see them agree until they go right back to their fascism the next day, it's a better experience than the Trump fascists who told me off with "We don't argue with people from the UK. They're beneath us." to which I explained that I'm from the EU and got the same argument back.

Saying all jews are somehow all behind the current chaotic situation of having a fascist leader destroying the US

It's the US leader handing out money to the rich while burdening the poor while the US is already in a gilded age surpassing 1929. Since all fascist leaders are in favor of that, which oligarch the money goes to that is going to destroy most people's lives is completely irrelevant.

Misspelling jews as joos/juice/whatever

Childishly annoying

Never explicity saying who the leaders are, it's just some unseen cabal of conspirators are except for, mostly in the past now, George Soros or the Rothschilds

Instead of a very visible of US oligarchs like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, not even Laurence Fink. But George Soros gets a mention. Why? Because they want to protect the US that is currently going fascist at all cost, so they name a European. Same goes for the Rothschilds as if banks and not tech still hold the most power in the 21st century.

Chapter: European fascists

Long long endless complaints of immigration.

In Europe the biggest cause of immigration is caused by US color revolutions and wars started by the US.
And yet they love US color revolutions and wars started by the US.

Chapter: Liberals

Chapter: US Liberals

Chapter: Nazi Germany

Saying things like 'These brown people throwing nazi salutes would not have survived in nazi Germany'

This is because the racism of the average fascist American is far worse than that of nazi Germany.
Adolf Hitler and has nazi Germany had some tolerance against brown people. Their list of undesirables was limited to Jews, gays, Romas and people with disabilities. The list of undesirables for Trump and other US exceptionalist fascists includes every citizen of every nation on the planet and even most people of their own nation.

Chapter: Russia / Soviet Union

Saying Russia is somehow behind all of this

The US is full of fascists who chose a fascistic leader. That's not Russia's fault.

Thinking Trump is a puppet of the Soviet Union, agent Krasnov

Even when their own country is now lead by a fascist,
doing the most fascistic things in human history,
these people manage to make it all about hating communism.

Not noticing the irony of calling Russia a authoritarian dictatorship

Russia is a liberal democracy.
You're living in a liberal democracy.
Shouldn't that ring alarm bells?

Obsession with labeling other nation "Authoritarian" to excuse the severity US fascism

I'm looking at you Thom Hartmann.
But also most US citizens including Trump supporters.

Specifically to Thom Hartmann this obsession to still paint the US as not as authoritarian as Russia/Hungary/Syria/Iran/Denmark/anything-not-US yet.

I've followed several protests and each time I'm surprised to see the protesters in "authoritarian states" go like this:

• Chanting to use violence
• Come up with demands that every government official steps down and hand everything over to them, have them and every police officer arrested, free up all prisoners and have the leader give the protesters a sincere apology for trying to resist, all in the name of freedom.
• Protesting in front of government buildings
  • Attempting to enter said building to vandalize it
  • Immediately throwing rocks at the police officers that stand in front of said building
  • Throwing petrol bombs at police officers
  • Shielding themselves with umbrellas/real shields
  • throwing up large barricades
• Destroying roads
• Blocking roadways
  • If some random person tries to drive through this roadway, they throw concrete blocks in front of the car/truck, open the car door, drag the driver out and brutally stomp the person down to unconsciousness. And they destroy the vehicle completely.
• Any random person that's seen as potentially pro-government will be brutally stomped down to unconsciousness as well, including random women, if not, burning them alive.
• Trying to steal the guns of police officers from their hands
• Shooting guns at police officers
• Driving through a crowd of police officers with cars or motorcycles
• Putting labels on shops/buildings as "government-friendly"
• Destroying said shops/buildings
• Planting bombs
• Having their leaders hold speeches in foreign countries to receive "freedom prizes"

And the comments are all like "such brave warriors these peaceful protesters are, fighting for freedom", when the protesters are usually fighting for things like bringing back the monarchy, not wanting a law to anti-corruption law to pass that's ten times milder than in the US or a law that puts murderers into jail.

Whereas the US protesters go like this:

• Megaphone chants
• Music and dance
• Trash talk signs
• Trash talk chants
• "Come and beat me up police officer!"
• Goofing around in animal suits, usually by dancing to music
• Blocking random highways
• And then someone always tries to drives right through this crowd at high speed. The protesters then stand in front of it hoping it will slow down. If it does, these people then jump on the hood of the car, sometimes with lethal consequences.
• In contrast, you see law enforcement blocking roadways and it's THEM who drag random drivers out of their cars and stomp them down to unconsciousness.
• Showing up at government buildings to meet up with 2,000 well armed federal officers in military gear with rifles ready to kill all of them if they come close enough.
• If any shop gets destroyed, it's because people want to rob it blind.

And the comments are all like "That's what you get for not following the law", when the protesters are trying to save their lives from ICE invasions, going door-to-door to drag people out and throw them into vans to put them into camps.

Chapter: EU Liberals

Still believing that 'Trump can be negotiated with, but Putin can not' and choosing to suck up to Trump while choosing full aggression against Putin

Trump is attacking Greenland, which is part of the EU.
Ukraine has never been part of the EU.

---

Things I do like that I've come across

Chapter: US Social democrats

Saying 'The only reason the US is not at a civil war right now, except for a soft civil war is because one side is fighting and the other one refuses to fight back'

An apt observation of the anti-ICE protests and most US protests against the Trump administration.

Saying 'Trump is the worst of all worlds because not only is he a fascist white supremacist like Adolf Hitler, but he is also a hypercapitalist and also immensely corrupt'

A good argument that's almost correct, because Trump is also a worse white supremacist than Adolf Hitler as his and most US white supremacist' list of undesirables is much longer, starting with all indigenous tribes of both Americas, all Arabs, all Asians, all Africans and at least 99.9% of his own population.

It isn't just Trump supporters. I've been having arguments with a friend who is most definitely NOT a Trump supporter. We're both Canadian and she has been obsessively talking about how people are foolish for thinking Trump can invade Canada or Greenland. Her obsession makes me think she's secretly scared too. Methinks she doth protest too much. I get that it's scary but it isn't going to stop being real if you deny it. Trump invading other countries is a very real possibility and various governments are taking it seriously, including Canada. Our government knows it's a real possibility, stop being deluded and saying it isn't. If he doesn't attack, I think it'll be because the international community put their foot down. I certainly see no reason to think the Untied States congress will stop him.

She keeps saying it can't happen because of various laws that would theoretically stop it. NATO. congress. The military being required to disobey illegal orders. The american people won't stand for it? What in the fuck does she think they're going to do about it? Vote months after it happens? She also doesn't believe he can stop elections.

Believing that laws will stop any of this crap at this point is delusional. Laws don't matter if they're not enforced. It's tantamount to saying it's impossible for me to be killed by a serial killer because that would be illegal. But with the serial killer, the reason they have a chance to kill me is because they haven't been caught yet. With Trump, he's been openly defying the laws and still isn't being stopped.

Context: I am not in danger, I am doing okay for the situation, I will be fine. No worrying needed on that part. I am actively seeking mental health support, I will be okay.

As a general thing, suicide is bad right? I certainly haven't appreciated it happening around me, and it sucks. In general, I'd like for people to feel like life is worth living.

But there's a thing here where people want you alive, but they don't want to help you make a life worth living. You can put tons of effort into everything you do, into the people in your life, but you start thinking maybe life isn't worth the constant struggle, the endless unrewarding hell, and somehow you're being selfish for it.

I've never had stronger feelings towards ending everything than I had tonight. And still I decided living was the best option. But it still fucking sucks. I still have to keep on with this shitty existence, maintaining my shitty life, in the hopes that people will stop doing things to me that slowly tear me down over and over again. I'd leave if I could, but I financially and socially can't, and I kind of still don't want to, because I love my partner even if she left it half a decade too late to sort her stuff out.

The neighbours keep sending construction crews to coincidentally destroy my property, my industry was somehow taken over by garbage fake robots, my martial arts instructor turned into a fascist, and I'm supposed to rebuild my life when the whole world is quicksand. I literally do not have the executive function to keep going under these circumstances.

I still think living is the right call, but fuck me the world could throw us a fucking bone once in a while. This whole thing is bullshit.

/rant

Once every year or two I'll have a vivid dream where I fall in love with a completely fictional dream character. It usually involves some sort of loss of them at the end, whether by dream or waking. And it fucks me up for like, days.

It's wild to me that the psychological and chemical reaction to a dream can replicate the feelings of heartbreak so distinctly, particularly because I'm not a person who feels a strong sense of loneliness all too often.

What also gets me going, is that it challenges my history with waking love. I'm not entirely sure if I've ever felt romantic love for a waking person as acutely as these occasions I've fallen in love with a dream character.

This bothers me a little bit, because I've on multiple occasion questioned if I'm able to feel a genuine, healthy romantic love for others-- the very reason why I don't involve myself in romantic relationships anymore, since I feel it's unfair to all involved.

This will be on my mind all week.

i cant get them out of my head hfjfjghg my brain and body are mean to me :(

I mean, I'm glad they refrain from drunk driving, but they're doing right for the wrong reasons.

Your motivation for not drunk driving should be that you don't want to risk harming or killing innocent people. Does that not enter your head?

If you say you won't drive drunk because there are cops everywhere, you're missing the point. You're saying it would be totally fine to risk innocent lives if not for the risk of getting caught.

I just got banned from SpaceBattles for an introduction post. Not for doxxing, not for threats, not for spam—just for expressing opinions and interests that didn’t fit the approved worldview. Apparently that’s enough now.

What’s wild is that this isn’t an isolated case. I looked back at an older thread out of curiosity, and roughly 80% of the people who were active when it started are now banned. Read that again. That’s not “keeping the peace.” That’s systematic purging. When most of the original voices disappear, you’re not moderating a community—you’re curating an echo chamber, enforcing ideological cleansing. Strip away the forum UI and polite language, and what you’re left with is authoritarian repression: a system where dissenting voices are removed until only the sanctioned narrative remains.

In the real world, this kind of logic doesn’t just stop at bans and deletions—it ends with people being permanently silenced. History is full of examples. Look at Jeju Island, where American-backed South Korean forces massacred huge portions of the population for protesting, all under the excuse of “restoring order.” That’s where this mindset leads when it’s given real power.

SpaceBattles used to market itself as a place for creative freedom. Now it feels like a NATO-flavored circlejerk where deviation from consensus is treated as a personal offense. There’s an orthodoxy, and if you don’t kneel to it, you’re out. No warning, no real engagement—just deletion and exile.

The irony is hard to miss. People can openly believe in a supernatural entity watching everyone’s thoughts and actions, and that’s treated as normal, untouchable, beyond critique. But have an opinion that challenges mainstream political narratives, media framing, or power structures? Suddenly it’s an inquisition. Labels come out, motives are assigned, and the ban hammer drops.

We’re constantly lectured about “authoritarianism” abroad, yet this kind of censorship is defended as virtuous because it’s done by the “right” people. At least some countries are honest about controlling speech. Here, it’s wrapped in the language of safety and community standards while dissenting voices quietly vanish. Call me cynical, but when a forum erases most of its long-term users for wrongthink, that’s not a healthy community—it’s ideological hygiene.

What really gets me is the smugness. The absolute certainty that silencing is the same as being right. That deleting posts is the same as winning arguments. These are the modern book burners: not torching paper, but scrubbing perspectives, rewriting history, and pretending the absence of disagreement proves consensus.

If your ideas are so fragile they can’t survive contact with uncomfortable opinions, maybe they’re not as solid as you think. And if a forum can’t tolerate a blunt introduction post, it’s probably not about “rules”—it’s about control.

I had this idea about process food companies pushed me to eat unprocessed foods because it's cheaper.

It's a combination of shrinkflation and making foods addictive leaves me unsatisfied with the amount I take home, because I still have cravings after even after eating half a box of sweets. Plus seeing portion sizes get smaller messes with me, because Everytime I recognize a product it look physically smaller.

I like cooking things like rice because it kill craving and hunger and if I make too much I have leftovers.

I rather satisfied than constantly craving

I remember going through the adhd med regime & having depressive episodes, low appetite & lack of interest in anything. I don't want my kid to go through that. They are having behavioral issues though, & something needs to change. I often feel like I'm failing them, even though my spouse & I are taking all the steps & communicating with their physician & teachers regularly.

Anyway, tldr : parenting is hard AF.

The Untied States is literally becoming like nazi Germany and I don't know if people understand that I'm not exaggerating. I legitimately can't tell if people realize that America is now a fascist dictatorship, likely to soon go full on nazi Germany and make it explicitly illegal to be part of certain minority groups, at which point it may be too late for people to leave. I don't know if people around me understand that that's not an exaggeration.

People just keep on going to Disneyland as if it's perfectly safe. It's like watching people go to a store that's literally on fire and nobody is even trying to put it out. It's like people think if the fire department isn't reacting then it isn't happening

and my grandmother thinks it's funny to tell me canada is going to be the 51st state. Yes, so hilarious the fire might soon consume our house too

As a leftist I have been arguing with anyone on the right to some unhealthy degree. Seems like either the platforms I do use are just shrinking or the right side of the political spectrum aren't married to anything and pretty dispassionate now. I can attach trump but they aren't going to defend trump.

I would ignore anyone that would agree with me politically in the past, like they're cool, it's just wasn't the same rush you get when destroy someone's core beliefs you disagree politically

Recently I have been helping people that are political closer to me and getting out more. I'm not going to start conflict with them, because I'm on my journey of solidarity and I want to try working with people. It's been rewarding in a different sense, seeing a real live person in front of you be greatful or supportive is awesome, but it isn't the high as seeing someone someone's core beliefs just get crushed.

• Penis shaped
• Smells weird
• Is a berry but refuses to taste good
• Mushy
• Only enjoyable when completely hidden in bread

I don't know if it's because of the new iPhone update or what but it's obnoxiously bad now. The predictive text is always wrong and it types out whole sentences when I'm not looking and I look up and it's nowhere near what I was going to say. It corrects words that are spelt correctly into words that are grammatically incorrect or actively misspelt and it's absolutely bonkers nuts. I feel like it was actually good like ten years ago maybe? And I don't know if it's enshittification, AI being used that's hot garbage, or a bunch of programmers trying to justify their jobs by adding totally unnecessary updates untill it all crumbles into a gigantic pile of shit, but I'm losing my shit about it man. I switched to gboard but that's also annoying me, but that could just be a learning curve with the slight differences. It hasn't actively misspelt anything for me yet or tried to insert an entire sentence I didn't want in there so that's good.

I swear to fucking god I'm just going to turn it off and you'll all be subjected to my horrible typos and everyone will think I'm even dumber than they already think I am.

Fuck this optimism. We need realism. And I don't mean pessimism, I mean realism. Pessimism is assuming nothing will change for the better. Optimism is assuming troubles will pass without you having to do anything. Realism is adjusting the sails.

This isn't inevitably going to end after the midterms or after the next scheduled presidential election. Those responsible aren't inevitably going to be prosecuted. It'll only happen if someone makes it happen.

Everyone needs to stop assuming this will pass. The world needs to gear up to protect itself, America needs to do something about this mess. The sooner America and the rest of the world recognizes that America is now a fascist dictatorship, the sooner something might be able to be done about it.

what in the ever living hell is with a garbage quality of corded sub $5 headphones. why must they all have those stupid trash silicone tips that fall off and don't fit. why in the ever living fuck is there ZERO bass... 10 year old FREE headphones were literally better in all regards. makes absolutely no sense. it's actually hurting my brain listening to these prices of shit