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I hate to be seen this nakedly aggro, but reddit is broken ruins.

Obligatory cred: first used reddit in...2006? Used it to chat with friends around the world on subjects of mutual interest. It was fun, of course. I've mainly lurked since then.

Now? If one sifts through the records there is great info in there, but most subs I want to enjoy are overrun with, how to say, self-congratulatory amateurs. It's neither useful nor entertaining.

Even joke subs feel tired and decadent.

Meanwhile, mob rule downvoting pervades.

It is broken.

Good riddance.

I need to reread her, as well, as I cannot make my memory of her writing work entirely with this power-as-consensus claim.

Your "two levers," I think are interesting in that coercion is, in my experience of popular political argumentation, allowed to sneak in via a societal focus on physical violence ("force" in your terms?).

Example: some leftists claim property violence is not violence because, paraphrasing, is does not harm the human body. Leaving aside the validity of this claim, the coerciveness of the act remains but is somehow able to pass the smell test in certain circles. I think this depends on one's perception of conflict, but that is a long discussion.

Meanwhile, as you imply above, deception is clearly coercion, but much more effective in the longrun than physical violence. Deception generates belief congruent with the deceivers' attempt to acquire (more) power, which, once established, requires less maintenance than fear.

Finally, there is nothing in the description of power as cited above that is necessarily free from coercion. If power simply means both individual and collective agency, then capturing agency via coercion is still an acquisition of power.

I do not know anything about Calfire, but I have worked with a few other fire crews at state and federal levels in California and neighboring states, and while they have and love nice fire equipment--would you want bad eqp in an out of control wildfire?--most of it is 100% usable in prevention tactics. As another commenter mentions, fire crews are almost universally very interested in preventative methodology and more broadly in forest ecology--it's in the job description, and certainly necessary for a career path.

Whether or not a given crew is assigned to fuels or other fire prevention tasks in a given jurisdiction depends entirely on the budget priorities of that jurisdiction. In turn, that jurisdiction has to work with whatever annual budget trickles down from administrative and executive levels.

Regarding California, I know too little to speak with confidence on government spending. People I know who live there are work in land management have always said that forest (fire) management has been neglected for many years.

I believe the reference is to the JW eschatology, which foresees JWs as undergoing a sort of total persecution as a sign of Judgement Times, or Armageddon, or whatever they call it. And, because their form of ministry involves frequently talking to and attempting to convert strangers, they encounter many and various forms of rejection, including critiques, that are understood as harbingers of coming persecution. In this sense daily life comes to reaffirm a broader millenarian vision of the future.

phew.

So, I think the analogy is meant to say that our current era's secular glorification of victimhood achieves a similar goal by encoding quotidienne experiences of failure or rejection with a larger meaning, in this case being part of an oppressed group.

But that's just how I read it.

edit: JW childhood, here.

But Garry, why not both?

I concur, however. Like others, on this thread, I (slowly) eliminated nearly all news from my life over the last two years. Doing this has had a profound effect on my perspectives, but has also ruined a lot of "conversation" for me. Previously, I played along in various forms of political shittalkery, but now, I find it disturbing to hear/see.

Increasingly, I am concerned by the tone, content, and purpose of many (American) people's strongly-held positions. On occasion I have found that voicing a contrary opinion results in estrangement, but more worryingly, merely not voicing a validation is enough to achieve some alienation.

I should apologize for reducing your response to that.

Agreed regarding "darkness within ourselves." I see (and perform, myself) plenty of self-defeat in the form of discarding possible paths because of hypothetically insurmountable external obstacles.

That said, I think there usually is a path, but many are unsure how to identify it.

Any way, clearly I need to consider and clarify my question!

I agree that the issue is "why," but I also know the answer: they cannot ascertain a path forward. I do agree with your general advice, however. Health and involvement in groups are foundational.

As an example, a friend from this age group, but crucially, without a child, powered through a coding camp at 14-16 hours a day for several months and has had, to her, well-paid and fulfilling work since then. But, most would have difficulty carving out that kind of time, while also questioning a successful outcome (edit: in short, opportunity cost comes to be seen as very dear. This certainly does not excuse wasted time, but if you actually do not know where to invest time....).

The truly motivated are indeed a minority, but again, I perceive that as often a product of not seeing a path in the forest: sensing promise in no direction, they wander. Taking the metaphor further, and drawing on my meager SAR training, lost people wander until they needn't or cannot--the tools they need are a map and compass rather than will.

All correct. Referring to WSB as (having ever been) "nice people" also seems an odd way to view the sub. The entire fun of WSB has always been the 4chan humor coupled with the gravity of real money.

I doubt that pro traders are buying simple calls and puts like WSB. But selling them those options when groupthink takes over might be profitable, indeed.

I agree that by-brand ratings are too complicated--even if my lizard brain operates that way.

Maybe now I'm yelling at clouds, but it feels like I have to do deep research on everything, now. Everything I read, everything I need to buy, everything. It's tiresome and terrible and is why a site like this could be...really, so helpful.

Not to nitpick, and I dont know those boots in particular, but the wildfire hiking boots owned by myself and friends have glued soles and local cobbler has resoled at least a couple pairs.

Your overall point, however, is important. I find reviews of outdoors gear (even professional reviews) especially tilted toward light-use buyers, which is frustrating.

I quite like this because we all need reliable reviews/ratings.

But, how do we deal with product model or component changes?

A couple examples:

"Earthquake" impact wrench from Harbor Freight. Purchased ten years ago, used a lot--for an amateur (maybe a couple thousand high torque automotive bolts, sunk some cement anchors). This product is currently sold by HF, but is much changed.

The site's example of Lodge cast iron. I cook on cast iron 90% of the time and my older lodge pan is much better than a newish one. The newer one has a more coarse surface, is strangely lighter.

Learn any moderately complex system very well.

From past personal experience: get an old vehicle and make like new; learn linux on machine not best-suited to it; and, with out getting overly specific, gain skills by getting involved with people outside your milieu--volunteer, or get a side job that teaches you a useful skill via mentors with perspectives you do not normally encounter.

In my experience, learning a complicated system translates well to another.

Finally, and perhaps this will sound a bit life-coachy--sorry: learn to suffer, dynamically. Learn that your limits are often imagined, and that you can "put away" unpleasant feelings in order to perform adaptively within, or even enjoy, struggle. This a skill of mine that not many people have. It's probably not crucial, as people without it seem to function fine, but it does afford me unique opportunities.

Yep. Probably in part due to a negative and emotional upbringing, I have needed all of my adult life to learn that listening is a foundation skill.

The few great leaders I have known were each great listeners in their own ways, and capable of making decisions based on what they hear without, it seems to me, concern for "ego."

To me, this seems like a superpower.

Typically, one transports the water within another product. Alfalfa, for example:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/25/california-w...

"Insectopedia," by Hugh Raffles contains a chapter on high-altitude, silk-gliding spiders, as well as enthralling musings on other subjects.

This book is not an encyclopedic take on insects, but is an eccentric, ambagious collection of good writing. My favorite airline book experience.

On and off, over the years, due to remote locations. So, not exactly what you are asking for.

Longest period was about 3 months, during which time I was able to voice chat via sat a few times a week. On many other occasions I've been off the phone grid for a few days to a couple weeks.

Message apps are a big one for me because I am rarely near people with whom I have close relationships. Months without that were quite lonely.

On the other hand, I (almost) never use maps, never use social media, and do not use my phone for watching videos. All of that by early choice. I survive fine that way.

Ive found that without my phone the first couple days have lots of frustrated moments of "oh...I cannot look up the thing I do not know," but after that I adapt.

I like your style.

I recently read "Decadent Society" as part of a binge on what another commenter calls "conservative intellectual" literature of the past couple of years. I'm not sure Douthat really makes a great case for his thesis but there is, to me, a sort of haunting note of truth to it--a sense of your "Fizzle" having entered a feedback loop that is difficult to ascertain from the inside.

Since I did march through the literature binge, I'll add that some conservative authors are quite a bit more pointed in their analyses than is Douthat. "Age of Entitlement," and "Return of the Strong Gods" are two titles that come to mind.

parent is using CDC guidelines (I think?). I agree with your take, however.

thanks for this. Have nearly identical situation. 2 days shy of 6 weeks. The fatigue/lethargy is probably the worst part.

Also, I tested negative 5 weeks ago, but given issues with testing, I have self-isolated anyway.

edit: never have found a fever, though i had pretty intense bouts of chills in the first week

I do not know how to start with this. Reading through the comments, however, is enjoyable :)

my short and random list of less important things:

a) annoyingly difficult to leave a window slightly open on an otherwise locked vehicle (live in desert).

b) lack of control over raw data on instrumentation due to gui and locked code. impacts science...wherein people are not field and not CS.

c) wanton disregard for self-image due to perceived shield of teh webs. vast majority of us do not know how exposed we are.

d) total collapse of previously accepted informational authority.

e) we need societal help, but we dont know why or how.