deathbird

@deathbird@mander.xyz

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

deathbird ,

It is kinda weird that real estate gets taxed just for existing and being held, but stocks, which supposedly represent a fraction of a mass of real wealth too, don't get taxed while just being held.

deathbird ,

And forced arbitration should be invalidated.

deathbird ,

Copyright should go back to 14 years.

deathbird ,

Also nationwide lead removal fund.

deathbird ,

Yeah but there's no real international authority for that, and how am I supposed to get my national government to join a treaty organization for that purpose when neither it nor any lower level of my government offer anything similar?

deathbird ,

I mean, I suppose, but at that point it really hits the level of abstract principle rather than plausible policy. Kind of up there with "no more war", "ending hunger", or "socialism replacing capitalism".

And while I do believe that a better world is possible, I really wanted to speak to things that are plausible in the existing political and economic climate in my lifetime.

deathbird ,

Haiku, but honestly I'm just happy to see the conversations here

deathbird ,

Dogs working contribute to society, but don't talk. I don't know why being able to talk would suddenly change things for cats.

deathbird ,

No.
Some of the worst politicians are young.
Some of the best politicians are old.
Age isn't a problem. Undemocratic systems and bad politics are problems.

deathbird ,

So many folks at or just over the bottom of Maslow's pyramid that even Forbes can see them.

deathbird ,

I'm sure grit + wealth is far better than either alone. It's really probably grit + wealth + connections + luck.

Does anybody else feel guilty being suspicious of anybody in a black hoodie with the hood up?

Specifically because I live in a hot climate, I'm always fighting the feeling of being suspicious of anybody I pass in the streets with a hoodie pulled up. I feel guilty because of racial profiling associated with hoodies, but gotta protect myself and my family, especially because in many cases the perpetrators of assault and...

deathbird ,

I don't feel guilty. It's fair to be suspicious of someone who covers their face without context like cold weather or a medical mask (could be sick or concerned about getting sick). The trick or test is to ask yourself "Do I/would I become equally concerned if this person was in a different racial category?" If the answer is "No", de-escalate yourself. If the answer is "No", look for the other markers that are actually setting off alarms for you. It's not just covering the face. As others have pointed out there can be a variety of harmless reasons why people might do that. But look for how a person carries themself: where they keep their hands how they move their eyes. Or maybe you are just paranoid about hoodies in general, in which case you should try to develop a more holistic way of sizing people up.

deathbird ,

When AirBNB first arrived, I think we thought it would be a tool to let people rent a spare room in their house short term to travelers, with a built in system for reviews and reputation building to ensure that it's safe for both parties.

Turns out it's a platform that enables wannabe real estate moguls to buy up housing and convert it into unlicensed hotels for a tidy profit.

deathbird ,

Wasn't that AI generated?

deathbird ,

Saying 'female' to refer to a person who is female can sound overly technical or abstracted, and therefore a bit dehumanizing or depersonalizing.

That said, some people over-react, and sometimes it is more appropriate or at least fine to say 'female', for example if you were speaking in the abstract about something that spans between women and girls, or is specifically about biological sex.

But most of the time 'women' or 'girls' or even 'ladies' is going to be more appropriate.

What language are you coming from, out of curiosity?

deathbird ,

Saw that too, and would like to know more.

deathbird ,

Debian Retro Universal Gaming System

Someone make that a thing.

deathbird ,

One issue is not simply attitudinal (I have the right!), but habit/expectation (this is normal!).

A lot of people already structure their lives around cars. It's hard to get someone to go from "yes, it is normal and right for me to travel 40+ miles a day for errands" to "it is unreasonable for someone to visit these 5 places across town in a single afternoon".

deathbird ,

USA: Personal cars should be banned, and commercial vehicles should be tightly restricted.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • random
  • test
  • worldmews
  • mews
  • All magazines
    •