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I disagree on what is plain here. Having said that, how does one go about getting unbanned?

This is both harsh and untrue. While I've allowed myself to be baited here, I've clearly discussed other topics.

This is (was?) a somewhat new account as well. How big of a buffer should I have before I'm allowed to discuss controversial topics without fearing the ban hammer?

This is false and ahistorical. Repeating the same sentiment, as is your wont, cannot change that it is factually incorrect.

In the videos you've seen, were the protesters roasting government officials over a spit, or the officials' detached scrotums? Cause you know, I've done the former, but the latter is really depraved.

Alas I'm not nearly funny enough to properly convey the depth of my amusement here. Who hasn't roasted a government official over a spit here and there though?

It does not stay. However if I had a positive experience then something certainly remains. Difficult to describe. I guess the more you do something, the better you become at it. So in a way it’s like practicing socializing. A little of the fear goes away.

Well, I'm a lifelong Metal fan. I like, for example, Goa Trance well enough, but I don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy just listening to EDM for pleasure the way I can with say, Technical Death Metal.

I lucked out by meeting my partner, and she knew people who were really into the rave scene so I got into raves by going where they told me to go.

However there may be other ways. There might be Facebook groups that advertise raves in your area for example. Event websites, local blogs. You may or may not end up in a good and fun one, but you might end up meeting someone who can point you in the right direction.

One problem you might encounter is age. I find it funner to go to age appropriate events. If you’re in your 30s for example, you probably don’t want to party with 20 year olds. And electronic music culture is old enough that at this point you have people in their 50s still going to raves and doing drugs. So however old or young you are, don’t let that be the barrier.

Molly is something you can only get from a dealer, unfortunately. There’s a site called RollSafe[1] that seems to have decent information on how to take it safely.

Connecting with people who have taken Molly is easy though. Just come up to them and offer them a friendly hug.

[1]: https://rollsafe.org/

The whole point of a rave is to take Molly and have fun connecting with others who have also taken Molly. At least for this introvert.

I was never a fan of Electronic Music, I tolerate it for the drugs and the temporary extroversion.

Because, your comments are contrafactual and not grounded in reality.

When you make frankly hysterical statements the gist of which is that Israel is uniquely evil (more than Iran which massacred over 30,000 pro-democracy protesters in the span of two days this year, for example), it is clear that you’ve left reality far behind in your rear view-hence derangement.

I think The Atlantic is actually pretty close to the mark. Committed, hardcore ideologues frequently turn out to be authoritarian, even if they refer to themselves as "anarchists". Most of these ideologues are busy administering ever more stringent purity tests to anyone they encounter lest someone in their vicinity commit wrongthink.

There is a name for people who build coalitions through compromise and diplomacy, and work towards pragmatic solutions to actual problems — they're called "centrists".

You’re right, tptacek, I probably should’ve stayed out of this.

Have you considered, and hear me out here, that the bias is yours?

I mean if their reporting about everything but this one topic is good, perhaps their “Zionist pro-war bias” and “genocide whitewashing” only seem that way to you because you’ve assumed an extremist position on the issue?

This is demonstrably false. Ariel Sharon lobbied against the invasion.

Netanyahu’s role is extremely relevant. There’s a big difference between a civilian’s personal opinion and official state policy.

Your original claim is false. End of story.

Like I said to the other person here, Netanyahu was acting in a private capacity as a civilian, not a representative or office holder of the government of Israel. It amazes me how you conspiracy nutters can't tell the difference.

You don't have a "theory". You worked backwards from your conclusion that "Israel = bad" and created an entirely false narrative that only sounds plausible in your own deluded head. Furthermore, you have absolutely no proof, obviously, for your conspiratorial ravings, so the most charitable description of your thoughts on the matter would be a "conjecture" not a "theory".

And I'm sorry but I don't care about your predictions.

Ariel Sharon was the prime minister of Israel in 2002. Netanyahu was a civilian. You seem to be unable to tell these two very different people apart. I suggest going easy on the green stuff.

Completely crazy. Not only had the war in Iraq hurt Israeli security, rather than improving it, Israel opposed the war knowing that it would be damaging rather than beneficial. What you have is not "the Israel Theory", what you have is a conspiracy theory.

Apologies, I deleted my comment because I felt it wasn’t contributing to the discussion, and since I’m not an American I don’t wish to pontificate about either Trump or ICE.

I will say however, as someone born in a country ruled by a totalitarian regime, that the US is nowhere near that, and claims to the contrary offend me personally because they trivialize authoritarianism and totalitarianism.

> But, friend, with love -- shit talking about what people are doing or not doing is not the answer. Lead by example.

Why do you assume I'm not doing? Having said that, my options are limited to obtaining the lion and sun flag and participating in a demonstration. Quiet solidarity in other words. Shit talking about people who have a platform and are not using it because Israel is absolutely valid and legitimate.

That by the way is the danger with a singular obsession with one conflict, which, objectively, is not even the deadliest conflict in its region, let alone the world. Everything is either viewed through the Israel prism, as in "we're not going to express any solidarity with Iranian protesters because the fall of the theocracy might benefit Israel", or, it gets ignored entirely because there's no clout to be gained on social media.

I feel strongly about this issue. I don't feel it's divisive, it might be dismissive but my point in the comment is factual.

Edit: Take a look at The Intercept as an example. Protests began three weeks ago. The only posts TI has on Iran basically amount to "Israel bad" and "Son of Shah likes Israel and Israel is bad, therefore son of Shah is bad". That's it. This is a moral failure of the highest order and it underscores, for me at least, that most of these faux-progressives' activism is purely performative.

And the response to this brutal crackdown from our brave and virtuous progressive activists has been a collective shrug of indifference, with some exceptions where those pillars of moral rectitude have taken a bold stance... in support of the fascist theocracy that has massacred its own people.