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Messages - Beth3346

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1
Off Topic / Re: What made you smile today?
« on: Yesterday at 06:41:08 AM »
Happy Belated birthday BC!

I reached out to an old friend a few days ago and she had another baby :)

2
Off Topic / Re: Slice of Life - What are you up to today?
« on: November 10, 2024, 07:14:02 AM »
i don't think it's good for mental health or useful to be thinking about everyone else's fears while already having your own to deal with. it's hard for me to even think about staying all that engaged with politics if it's just a source of anxiety and disappointment every few years.

This is why I ditched social media at the start of covid. It's right to think of the greater good but much easier to think clearly in an abstract way than 'feeling' all those voices. However, please don't say you'll give up on politics. It's hard to lose but at least we still have a democracy. Big hugs and hope your headaches get better soon.



Thanks @Artie :hug: :hug: i haven't given up hope for a better future. i just need a break from politics until the dust settles a bit. a lot of the takes right now are gross and based on incomplete data. so it's not a great time for analysis.

Politics in the US is frustrating for me. there's so much money involved. in both parties. and corporations and very wealthy donors have way more influence than normal people. it's been an issue for a long long time. probably since the beginning of this country, though i haven't done much reading on the founding era compared to what i've been reading about the last 80 years or so. Rich, powerful people want to be richer and want to stay powerful. they fund "news" that tells people what they want to hear in simple narratives and reinforce ideas that also benefit corporations and wealthy people. it offers easy fixes for issues that don't really exist in the first place. i.e. violent crime is out of control! no, it's actually way down in 2024. but the easy fix is to give more money to the police and crack down on marginalized people even more. and who cares anyway because only people who no one important cares about anyway get hurt. plus, since it was a non issue in the first place it will be easy to claim credit for fixing it. also, normal people don't have to get off their butts and do anything. it's all taken care of for you.

i think a lot of the issues we have trace back to money being much too concentrated in the hands of a few people who are immune from the problems they create. including the way social media functions. i don't have a solution really. boycotting is kind of futile when government and corporate money is funding them. i guess people could refuse to support companies that advertise on facebook or use AWS. IDK. i feel like the time for real change passed in 2020 and it's really depressing that things have to get really really bad for people to really start demanding change. the pandemic was great for billionaires so why would they care. benevolent philosopher CEOs aren't going to save us.

i think the way to fight back right now is just to take care of your community as best you can. protect people who will be targeted by the new administration in whatever ways you can. i'm not at all hopeless. it just am angry and sad that people weren't motivated enough by how bad the first round of this guy was to stop it from happening again. i know a lot of people do understand the threat though. and that gives me hope going forward.

i'm also considering channeling some of my anger into hobbies. maybe spend time on some projects around the house. learning more DIY.

3
Off Topic / Re: Whatcha Got Cookin?
« on: November 08, 2024, 01:37:37 PM »
i'm making some cod and roasted broccoli for dinner. i also still need to make potato soup.

4
Off Topic / Re: Slice of Life - What are you up to today?
« on: November 08, 2024, 11:03:51 AM »
thanks PBW :hug: :hug: yeah i get that. i've had a splitting headache for the last few days. between politics and work. and having to work when i'm so stressed. i've had to step away from a lot of the podcasts and news i normally look at because i'm going to just catastrophize more and more. i don't think it's good for mental health or useful to be thinking about everyone else's fears while already having your own to deal with. it's hard for me to even think about staying all that engaged with politics if it's just a source of anxiety and disappointment every few years.

6
Off Topic / Re: The Trivial Complaints Thread ... #3
« on: November 07, 2024, 04:49:49 PM »
yeah that's one i've come back to a few times over the last few years.

here's another interesting one about misinformation and media environments. https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/link-between-media-consumption-and-public-opinion

7
Toy Box & Games Cupboard / Re: What are you playing?
« on: November 07, 2024, 03:41:18 PM »
i've been playing TOTK a lot lately. the 1.6 update of Stardew Valley finally came out on the switch so i'll probably move over to that. it always cheers me up :)

8
Off Topic / Re: Slice of Life - What are you up to today?
« on: November 07, 2024, 07:33:22 AM »
i haven't been around much lately. everything got really overwhelming for me over the summer and i didn't really have the energy to post much. between work and personal stuff it's been a lot. i've been feeling better lately so i'll probably be around again.

today will be mostly work and cooking. maybe some cleaning if i have energy.  i'm also planning on making some potato soup since it's finally getting a little cooler.

9
Off Topic / Re: The Trivial Complaints Thread ... #3
« on: November 07, 2024, 07:18:12 AM »
yeah unfortunately what people "feel is true" tends to override actual truth. a lot of people seem to want to believe things like violent crime is out of control despite actual data that shows its fallen dramatically in the US in 2024. or that immigrants commit more crimes. it's not true but it "feels" true to people who bathe in fear and disinformation. it's very hard to get people to change core beliefs. especially when they make it part of their personality.

it's not exclusive to more right leaning people either. i think people just aren't built to handle the sheer amount of information thrown at us every day.

i don't have a solution. maybe something more along the lines of decentralized community moderation. idk. i don't think centralized content moderation or AI content moderation will solve the problem. taxing billionaire's money away and removing the financial incentive for poisoning people's minds probably will. unfortunately that won't happen any time soon. too many people still think their grifter god kings will save them. the idea that someone will come along and fix all your problems without you having to be inconvenienced can be really seductive.

the far right has been using technology to communicate since before there was a public internet. in the US at least, i'm less familiar with other countries, has spent decades building parallel institutions.  Think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and Claremont.  Home schooling and fundamentalist Christian religious schools that raise kids in a bubble. Media outlets, including book publishers, talk radio, internet communities. there is a ton of funding behind these institutions. a truly shocking and scary amount when you start digging in. traditionally more "left" coded institutions like public health, public schools, and mass media are either underfunded or in the process of being dismantled. as we've seen billionaires like Bezos buying up newspapers and pretending they care about making the world better is just making the problems worse. the rich are never going to support movements that result in their money and power decreasing.

anyways, i'm still feeling very shocked and devastated. but i'm also angry and looking for ways to make positive contributions. probably sending money to mutual aid organizations and looking for local community organizations where i can get involved. Hopelessness will get us nowhere. doing something about it gives us agency which is good for mental wellbeing. :hug: :hug: :hug:

Some reasons for hope and an evergreen article from the 1940's.

https://popular.info/p/through-the-darkness-some-rays-of
https://margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/the-sky-is-falling-weve-got-this
https://harpers.org/archive/1941/08/who-goes-nazi/

Also this for keeping communication secure. https://ssd.eff.org/

10
Off Topic / Re: The Trivial Complaints Thread ... #3
« on: November 06, 2024, 04:32:27 PM »
Thanks for the hugs Ponybookworm, Beth3346, Taffeta, and Leave a Whisper.  :hug:

It's not a US problem, but a world problem - misinformation is catching.

Yes, I recently attended a webinar regarding MDM (Mis/Dis/Mal-information). It’s an epidemic because social media is incentivized to prioritize fear-based stories in their algorithm because users are more likely to interact with it. (cha-ching! :money:>_<

yeah and unfortunately it's a world problem with a lot of money and power behind it. and the people who run the platforms aren't remotely interested in stopping it. they won't face any consequences either i'm afraid.

11
Off Topic / Re: The Trivial Complaints Thread ... #3
« on: November 06, 2024, 12:57:46 PM »
i'm so sorry shockponie :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

yesterday and today are the worst. i just feel completely broken right now. way worse than 2016. this is the first time i've ever broken down in tears over the outcome of an election. i'm devastated and angry. i really thought enough people had learned from the first term. i guess it's true. no one every learns anything ever.

12
Off Topic / Re: Hurricane Milton
« on: October 11, 2024, 05:27:31 PM »
I'm so glad you, your mom, and Aster made it through ok :hug: :hug: :hug:

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Off Topic / Re: Hurricane Milton
« on: October 10, 2024, 05:15:02 PM »
thank you for the update :)

14
Off Topic / Re: Hurricane Milton
« on: October 08, 2024, 06:29:58 PM »
stay safe BC! i can't believe there are so many hurricanes all at once. just a few weeks back there were articles about the hurricane season being slower than forecasted. those people should have kept their mouths shut.

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Off Topic / Re: The Trivial Complaints Thread ... #3
« on: July 10, 2024, 05:44:31 PM »
been really really down for the last couple of weeks. it's been a lot. i'll probably create a WYP post and explain more. it's nothing i haven't posted about before. just getting to the point where i'm realizing i need to take my mental health much more seriously and things aren't going to magically get better.

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