These are very good points, imo. Preemtively banning a sizable community without even a dialogue beforehand will only stir more extreme opinions and division between instances.

I feel like people are starting to lose track of the big picture as the war becomes more and more normalized. I imagine the same goes for Ukraine seemingly taking the allies' support more "for granted" than in the beginning of the war. Obviously, Ukrainians are fighting this war in the interest of the entire western community, so to ask them to be more grateful for western support just seems petty imo.

Leftists who think, if I don't subscribe to their narrow, personal definition of leftism, I must be an epistemically evil conservative maniac with no middle ground whatsoever.

That doesn't necessarily mean the arguments are made in bad faith.

Here's hoping this gets added to SmartTube like SponsorBlock was.

Is it really a proxy war if NATO is reacting to Russian agression, though? Maybe I misunderstand the meaning of the term, but I don't see much evidence that NATO was rooting for this conflict to escalate the way it did.

My take: If you are at a low point in life, have a mental disorder or are depressed, your chances of getting addicted over time is greatly increased and you probably shouldn't consume without medical supervision (even then, THC-less weed might be better for you). It's really hard to get out of the habit once smoking weed slowly becomes the only thing that can give you joy/relaxation, and your mental situation worsens long-term.

In most other cases your risks are very small and you definitely should try it sometime. Every person reacts a little differently, hence the many opinions out there. I say just try it, see how it makes you feel and if you decide to consume regularly, try to be mindful of any negative habitual/bodily changes that long-term use may cause.

Thank you for sharing this, i really appreciate it.

I don't like to be a pessimist, but as a musician and writer, and seeing how the value of my work has steadily decreased years before AI became mainstream, I don't see how "real" art will become more valuable. Maybe on an individual/personal level, but not in the industry as a whole. Especially once an untrained person can't tell the difference between AI and "handmade" art.

I think the key is to remember you are trying to discuss opinions/convictions not facts.

When B says something like "C is a nazi", A correctly asks why B believes C is a nazi, not why C is a literal nazi. So when you go down one level, A's next question should be something like "why do you think these are nazi tactics?" and "why are nazi tactics bad?" It really requires both sides to be intellectually honest and curious about someone's actual beliefs, otherwise the technique doesn't work. I also think limiting yourself to just "why" isn't always helpful. Sometimes you need to ask for clarification or the entire conversation becomes a farce.

Remember the goal is to learn something about the other persons views, not to set each other up with rhetorical questions.

I wish you named it "lewwy.world" just for the symmetry lol.

Poor arguments does not equal talking shit. And I would prefer to decide for myself who I do/don't listen to. It's the admins' right to ban instances as they see fit, but I don't see a good reason to do so preemptively. I'd rather include opinions/ideologies I don't agree with than shut them out (as long as they follow the rules, to which Hexbear didn't even get the chance).

As a workaround, voting and un-voting a post should also mark it as read.

What registrar do you use? Last time I checked .io domains where like 4x the price of a .org

Seconded

From what I read the main purpose of cluster munitions is for offensive maneuvers, so my hope is Russia will be too busy (and unsuccessful) holding their frontlines to make effective use of them.

Man, I knew it was going to be hard, but these first few days have been hell. Crying every night, throwing up, anxiety attacks... all the good stuff. My admission wasn't even addiction related, but I feel you. I'm glad you made it into/through rehab and that you're better now. If it were easy we wouldn't have landed there in the first place. And ya, the view and fresh air definitely help, prolly more than I'm aware.

All the best to you, too!

It's also never going to be an effective method for transparency once the government/facility inevitably starts censoring certain contributors for more or less legitimate safety concerns. Most inmates already have ways to communicate with the outside world anyway through their lawyers and families, so I don't really see the point for either side of the cell door.

Thank you ❤️‍🩹

🫶

Wow, you're actually unhinged with the personal attacks. They never said burning the South wasn't justified at the time (they said the opposite). They pretty much only pointed out that certain means may carry unintended consequences to be aware of before engaging in such means. They ain't blaming anyone. Where's the racism/fascism in that?

Sevastopol was out of range for Ukrainian missiles until recently. The Ukrainian army was able to move their launchers 10-20km south only thanks to the gains made during the summer offensive. The recent attacks on Russian targets in Sevastopol/Crimea are probably precisely to draw Russian deployments from the front lines.

Added to my audible, I'll make sure to checknit out. Thanks for the recommendation!

There is one called "The Scout Mindset" by Julia Galef. It's an amazing resource when it comes to teaching critical thinking, because it gradually introduces the reader to the virtue of being able to change your mind/opinion based on new information. I think that's a fundamental skill everyone needs in order to use critical thinking in a meaningful way.

I know, I never said otherwise. I just expressed my opinion on the matter. Telling me to go start my own instance if I disagree is kinda proving my point.

You are never going to have a meaningful conversation with anyone if you can't accept that people with different opinions are just that: People with opinions. Most of them aren't evil. Not deceitful. Just humans who've had different experiences than you.

If you label all these people as evil then indeed, violence against them is the only option you have. You create a world as radical, judgmental, and toxic as the sad history you're trying to rectify by insulting and shutting up people who just express honest and valid concerns.

Facts. I just disagree with the admins' approach to this particular issue.

Lol, I've yet figure out what umami actually tastes like. I know salty, sweet, sour,... but wtf is umami? Every example/description of it sounds completely different. Can I go buy an umami-spice somewhere? Can it even be isolated? Does "umami" actually exist, or was it made up to trigger the shit out of people whenever someone mentions it online??

K, I'll see myself out.

This take is so agreeable, I wonder who downvoted it.