"we're gonna take these hooligans shoe polish away! They won't be able to shine their pompodors then!"
"And this is called the wealthy class, and the drones feed upon them.
That is pretty much the case, he said.
The people are a third class, consisting of those who work with their own hands; they are not politicians, and have not much to live upon. This, when assembled, is the largest and most powerful class in a democracy.
True, he said; but then the multitude is seldom willing to congregate unless they get a little honey.
And do they not share? I said. Do not their leaders deprive the rich of their estates and distribute them among the people; at the same time taking care to reserve the larger part for themselves?
Why, yes, he said, to that extent the people do share.
And the persons whose property is taken from them are compelled to defend themselves before the people as they best can?
What else can they do?" - Plato discussing democracy in book 8 of The Republic. This is part of a description of how democracy descends inevitably into Tyranny.
That is pretty much the case, he said.
The people are a third class, consisting of those who work with their own hands; they are not politicians, and have not much to live upon. This, when assembled, is the largest and most powerful class in a democracy.
True, he said; but then the multitude is seldom willing to congregate unless they get a little honey.
And do they not share? I said. Do not their leaders deprive the rich of their estates and distribute them among the people; at the same time taking care to reserve the larger part for themselves?
Why, yes, he said, to that extent the people do share.
And the persons whose property is taken from them are compelled to defend themselves before the people as they best can?
What else can they do?" - Plato discussing democracy in book 8 of The Republic. This is part of a description of how democracy descends inevitably into Tyranny.
If you think about it, there have been poorly thought out inflationary policies for a long time. Between bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden, theyve increased the money supply massively and also massively increased the federal debt that was only 4 trillion around 1999. Anyone who is alive and uses money knows that things have gotten massively more expensive, but the calculation for consumer prices has been fiddled with enough to make the claim that inflation has barely broken 2%. It's marking your own homework at that point, but they could find enough half marks to pass. The result of all this monetary policy for 20 years it's been two make the economy and the aggregate look better by creating some of the richest people in the history of the world. Elon Musk wouldn't be the richest man on earth in a sane world -- his car company isn't that good and people are finally starting to realize that, but people bought it because it went up, and it went up because people bought it, and all the extra money sloshing around helped.
Covid lockdowns did 3 things:
1. Shut down a lot of productive capacity by fiat. Inflation is often a self-limiting process because higher prices cause companies to spin up new productive capacity, but where the capacity is not allowed due to government, prices can go up an unlimited amount.
2. Hand out money to everyone. People who get money often spend it, leading to that product being accounted for. The rich invest, driving up assets, but the poor consume, driving up goods prices.
3. They funded the money that they gave to everyone with monetized debt. QE works by the central bank going to banks and buying their government debt from them for printed money. It replaces bonds on A bank's balance sheet with cash, which can then be used to buy more bonds (because the banks need a certain amount of debt which is an asset for them since they lend the money). This means that of the trillions of dollars spent, many of them are effectively new dollars that were magiced into existence by the central bank. Compared to typical bond buying where somebody with money has to spend that money to lend the money to the government, meaning that the net amount of money in the system hasn't really changed, here the money just comes to exist.
So while the inflationary policies before covid didn't help, and I definitely would agree they helped set up a pile of wood to burn, and policies after covid haven't helped, pouring gasoline on the fire by trying to make people's lives more expensive when they need the opposite, it was the policies during covid that lit the fire of inflation we are in right now.
Covid lockdowns did 3 things:
1. Shut down a lot of productive capacity by fiat. Inflation is often a self-limiting process because higher prices cause companies to spin up new productive capacity, but where the capacity is not allowed due to government, prices can go up an unlimited amount.
2. Hand out money to everyone. People who get money often spend it, leading to that product being accounted for. The rich invest, driving up assets, but the poor consume, driving up goods prices.
3. They funded the money that they gave to everyone with monetized debt. QE works by the central bank going to banks and buying their government debt from them for printed money. It replaces bonds on A bank's balance sheet with cash, which can then be used to buy more bonds (because the banks need a certain amount of debt which is an asset for them since they lend the money). This means that of the trillions of dollars spent, many of them are effectively new dollars that were magiced into existence by the central bank. Compared to typical bond buying where somebody with money has to spend that money to lend the money to the government, meaning that the net amount of money in the system hasn't really changed, here the money just comes to exist.
So while the inflationary policies before covid didn't help, and I definitely would agree they helped set up a pile of wood to burn, and policies after covid haven't helped, pouring gasoline on the fire by trying to make people's lives more expensive when they need the opposite, it was the policies during covid that lit the fire of inflation we are in right now.
One big thing is I keep hearing that many of the protestors aren't even students and don't necessarily even believe in what they're protesting but are paid professionals.
I really think there's a case to be made for forcing paid protesters to disclose that they're being paid and by whom.
You know me, I'm a huge supporter of the 1st amendment and free speech in general, but disingenuous astroturf protests that are paid for by moneyed interests in my view becomes more like other forms of regulated political advertising and should be treated as such.
There was also an incident in the news recently that an onlyfans thot admitted to being paid by the Biden campaign to talk about how happy having minorities on the supreme court made her "as a woman of color", and that she shouldn't disclose that at all because she wasn't selling a commercial product so it would be fine. More astroturfing, and I think it's deceptive and should be treated like other deceptive advertising.
When I was in college;
1. I didn't have money for a nice-ass tent to go protest something that had nothing to do with me. Many of those tents look like they'd cost my food budget for a month. When I wanted a bike, I had to ride that bike to and from school and work every day because I paid for it using my bus pass fund.
2. I was paying five figures to be there (and ivy leaguers would be paying six figures to be there), I wasn't going to pay thousands of dollars to not graduate because I was living in a tent to go protest something that had nothing to do with me.
I really think there's a case to be made for forcing paid protesters to disclose that they're being paid and by whom.
You know me, I'm a huge supporter of the 1st amendment and free speech in general, but disingenuous astroturf protests that are paid for by moneyed interests in my view becomes more like other forms of regulated political advertising and should be treated as such.
There was also an incident in the news recently that an onlyfans thot admitted to being paid by the Biden campaign to talk about how happy having minorities on the supreme court made her "as a woman of color", and that she shouldn't disclose that at all because she wasn't selling a commercial product so it would be fine. More astroturfing, and I think it's deceptive and should be treated like other deceptive advertising.
When I was in college;
1. I didn't have money for a nice-ass tent to go protest something that had nothing to do with me. Many of those tents look like they'd cost my food budget for a month. When I wanted a bike, I had to ride that bike to and from school and work every day because I paid for it using my bus pass fund.
2. I was paying five figures to be there (and ivy leaguers would be paying six figures to be there), I wasn't going to pay thousands of dollars to not graduate because I was living in a tent to go protest something that had nothing to do with me.
There are two forms of inexpensive green energy: Hydroelectric, and geothermal.
In Canada, the price of electricity is inversely correlated with the amount of hydroelectric deployed, with Quebec having most hydroelectric and the lowest electricity rates, and Alberta having the least and some of the highest. Iceland famously has geothermal such that everyone gets free hot water they can use for domestic water or for heating their homes. Last year, norway had a period of negative electricity rates because there was so much electricity being produced a such a low cost they needed to get rid of it.
Contrast with the actual effects of magic tech like solar or wind. If it's the cheapest form of energy, why do electricity costs skyrocket when they're implemented? In Ontario, they had some of the lowest electricity prices in the country until the government started out on a new plan to install windmills and solar panels. Shortly after that, electricity prices tripled. Australia used to have some of the cheapest electricity in the developed world (admitted due to coal power plants) until they started trying to migrate to solar and wind, which led to prices nearly 10x what they used to be.
The politicans are just lying when they say that wind and solar are the least expensive form of power, particularly since for much of the year and much of each day something like solar has a price per unit power approaching infinity. How much installed solar capacity would you need in order to heat your home at night in winter? Maybe you could get a pittance of energy from the stars, but practically speaking you'd need to build a virtually unlimited number to heat one home. Same as a windmill when the wind isn't blowing.
There are spots where solar can be helpful. For example, I imagine in equatorial regions where you're trying to cool more than heat or light, you may get the most energy at the same time you need it. There's also an argument for solar or wind in off-grid living where you might be able to work around the limitations because there's one user or small group of users. A farm for example could have a wind generator and use it for various tasks when the wind blows, and of course windmills in some countries were the way grain was turned into flour, but on the days the wind isn't blowing, those units aren't producing.
In Canada, the price of electricity is inversely correlated with the amount of hydroelectric deployed, with Quebec having most hydroelectric and the lowest electricity rates, and Alberta having the least and some of the highest. Iceland famously has geothermal such that everyone gets free hot water they can use for domestic water or for heating their homes. Last year, norway had a period of negative electricity rates because there was so much electricity being produced a such a low cost they needed to get rid of it.
Contrast with the actual effects of magic tech like solar or wind. If it's the cheapest form of energy, why do electricity costs skyrocket when they're implemented? In Ontario, they had some of the lowest electricity prices in the country until the government started out on a new plan to install windmills and solar panels. Shortly after that, electricity prices tripled. Australia used to have some of the cheapest electricity in the developed world (admitted due to coal power plants) until they started trying to migrate to solar and wind, which led to prices nearly 10x what they used to be.
The politicans are just lying when they say that wind and solar are the least expensive form of power, particularly since for much of the year and much of each day something like solar has a price per unit power approaching infinity. How much installed solar capacity would you need in order to heat your home at night in winter? Maybe you could get a pittance of energy from the stars, but practically speaking you'd need to build a virtually unlimited number to heat one home. Same as a windmill when the wind isn't blowing.
There are spots where solar can be helpful. For example, I imagine in equatorial regions where you're trying to cool more than heat or light, you may get the most energy at the same time you need it. There's also an argument for solar or wind in off-grid living where you might be able to work around the limitations because there's one user or small group of users. A farm for example could have a wind generator and use it for various tasks when the wind blows, and of course windmills in some countries were the way grain was turned into flour, but on the days the wind isn't blowing, those units aren't producing.
China likes regressor cultivator stories, Japan likes isekai fantasy stories, Korea has a lot of regressor reverse isekai stories.
The regressor cultivator stories always feel like a story about having children. You already know all the secrets of life and it's a matter of trying to use them to help a second run go better.
The isekai fantasy stories feel like a story about a new phase of your existing life. You're starting new but maybe the wisdom of your past will help this new beginning.
The Korean regressor reverse isekai stories feel like a story about frustration at the world, a fantasy about a different present where you had a leg up and didn't have to fight so hard just to make it day by day.
In that way it also represents the past(and the far future), the future, and the present and their attitudes towards these ideas. The Chinese stories tend to be kind of angry. The Japanese stories tend to be optimistic, and the Korean stories tend to be grounded and realistic but slightly bitter. I'm aware that I'm painting with a very broad brush, but that's all this is, a general assessment.
The regressor cultivator stories always feel like a story about having children. You already know all the secrets of life and it's a matter of trying to use them to help a second run go better.
The isekai fantasy stories feel like a story about a new phase of your existing life. You're starting new but maybe the wisdom of your past will help this new beginning.
The Korean regressor reverse isekai stories feel like a story about frustration at the world, a fantasy about a different present where you had a leg up and didn't have to fight so hard just to make it day by day.
In that way it also represents the past(and the far future), the future, and the present and their attitudes towards these ideas. The Chinese stories tend to be kind of angry. The Japanese stories tend to be optimistic, and the Korean stories tend to be grounded and realistic but slightly bitter. I'm aware that I'm painting with a very broad brush, but that's all this is, a general assessment.
Turning point 3 next week. I imagine God will come snap off his arms and legs or something.
Mushoku Tensei was fire today.
Hikikomori stories hit me right in the gut. For those not following the anime, his little sister came to stay with him and go to school but locked herself in her dorm room and it reminded the main character about his life before he got isekai'd as a NEET hikikomori.
I had a NEET phase myself for about 8 months after high school, but the time I felt most like a hikikomori is in college, ironically. Alone and broke in a strange city and spending all my time working or studying, I felt like the biggest loser spending all my time so isolated surrounded by a million people in the city. Especially being a weeb, you see these cute stories about anime waifus, and going to sleep alone in my strange bed in a strange apartment in a strange apartment building in a strange city hit hard.
For some people it's different, but I was built to have a family. I'm thankful for them every day, whether I'm at home or on the road -- Even away from home I know I'll be home soon.
Hikikomori stories hit me right in the gut. For those not following the anime, his little sister came to stay with him and go to school but locked herself in her dorm room and it reminded the main character about his life before he got isekai'd as a NEET hikikomori.
I had a NEET phase myself for about 8 months after high school, but the time I felt most like a hikikomori is in college, ironically. Alone and broke in a strange city and spending all my time working or studying, I felt like the biggest loser spending all my time so isolated surrounded by a million people in the city. Especially being a weeb, you see these cute stories about anime waifus, and going to sleep alone in my strange bed in a strange apartment in a strange apartment building in a strange city hit hard.
For some people it's different, but I was built to have a family. I'm thankful for them every day, whether I'm at home or on the road -- Even away from home I know I'll be home soon.
Kinda ironic considering I'm pretty sure NYC was one of the first cities in the world with widespread electrical infrastructure.
"Oh! We have a hugely popular game that is earning respect for not fucking anything up!"
"Great! Let's fuck it up!"
"Great! Let's fuck it up!"
How can we change the world if we know there's these problems? The answer might be that the question is wrong.
Brownian motion is a random movement of tiny particles in liquid or gas caused by liquid or gas molecules. It is caused by atoms hitting the particle. Brownian movement shows something small can change something bigger than it, but what if that thing is much larger, such as something in the macro world?
Well, an atom may push a speck of pollen, but it can't push a boulder. It may be possible to watch a speck move, but a bolder needs something substantial to move it.
In the same way, you can change things bigger than yourself, but eventually it's just too big. An atom cannot move a bolder, but a raging river can, but the individual atoms have no say in where the river goes. Even with great men changing history, the river chooses the path, and even the mightiest atoms are merely caught up in it.
People want to save the world but they can't even save themselves.
All that being said, doing stuff worth doing is hard, and you need to grit your teeth and keep a stiff upper lip and just push through staying true to your own virtues. Do that and you might not save the world, but perhaps you can save a slice of what you care about. Some the river can keep going but perhaps some atoms end up in puddles or evaporate and find themselves on a whole new path. It can even keep the other atoms in its molecule. If the river is going somewhere you don't want to, that might be the only option.
Brownian motion is a random movement of tiny particles in liquid or gas caused by liquid or gas molecules. It is caused by atoms hitting the particle. Brownian movement shows something small can change something bigger than it, but what if that thing is much larger, such as something in the macro world?
Well, an atom may push a speck of pollen, but it can't push a boulder. It may be possible to watch a speck move, but a bolder needs something substantial to move it.
In the same way, you can change things bigger than yourself, but eventually it's just too big. An atom cannot move a bolder, but a raging river can, but the individual atoms have no say in where the river goes. Even with great men changing history, the river chooses the path, and even the mightiest atoms are merely caught up in it.
People want to save the world but they can't even save themselves.
All that being said, doing stuff worth doing is hard, and you need to grit your teeth and keep a stiff upper lip and just push through staying true to your own virtues. Do that and you might not save the world, but perhaps you can save a slice of what you care about. Some the river can keep going but perhaps some atoms end up in puddles or evaporate and find themselves on a whole new path. It can even keep the other atoms in its molecule. If the river is going somewhere you don't want to, that might be the only option.
My dad said something similar a few weeks ago. He lamented how free he used to be and what we've lost.
At the time I was still more trusting if the establishment media, so I'm sure they were the ones I would have been getting my info from back in 2020, but it's been a long time now and I don't recall the specific theys. I do recall seeing a thunderfoot video about it (not saying he's establishment but rather than his video was in line with what the establishment was warning about)
Early on when we didn't know that much, they didn't really have a mechanism they just said that it was going to kill this massive percentage of everyone who got it, which turned out to be totally wrong.
I just wrote about something regarding this on another fediverse site, there were a lot of major actions taken, and at this moment I'm tending towards thinking it was the lockdowns rather than the vax that really caused the most harm.
For example, the stagflation I warned about in early 2020 ended up coming exactly as I said and everyone can see that -- it actually is a "bring out yer dead" scenario with tent cities popping up around the world in cities that typically never had them. We also saw many apocalypse scenarios with respect to childhood development and education turn out to be true. We also are seeing the "bring out yer dead" scenario regarding drug addiction and mental health.
For example, the stagflation I warned about in early 2020 ended up coming exactly as I said and everyone can see that -- it actually is a "bring out yer dead" scenario with tent cities popping up around the world in cities that typically never had them. We also saw many apocalypse scenarios with respect to childhood development and education turn out to be true. We also are seeing the "bring out yer dead" scenario regarding drug addiction and mental health.
