this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2024
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[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey 48 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Counterpoint, when you have a real informed opinion, take a stance. When you have no informed opinion, take an absurd stance.

"I believe that the Kim and Kanye drama proves that there was a second gunman on the grassy knoll."

[–] PugJesus 25 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I have never heard anything that could possibly disprove that

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Big academia have been paid minimum wage to not look into it

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

I believe Markus Aurelius was a secret alien agent and wrote this only to undermine Xitter warriors' efforts

[–] [email protected] 46 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I came in here with an opinion, but somehow it's gone now. Weird.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I have no strong feelings one way or the other

[–] merari42 13 points 2 months ago

All I know is my gut says maybe.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Apparently all our opinions have to be concrete now - have you looked in the shed?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

I am unsure if I am too high to understand this or not high enough...

[–] [email protected] 33 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Marcus did you stop to consider immediately dishing out terrible takes about things I know very little about brings me great joy.

[–] PugJesus 29 points 2 months ago

Well, you're released from the obligation, the option is still there if you want to

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago

You absolutely don't have to have a concrete, well-constructed opinion on everything, or even really anything, but if you plan to spread an opinion you have about something, you should make sure it's concrete and well-constructed first.

[–] nialv7 22 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Sure, but do realise sometimes not having an opinion is a very privileged position to be in. There are others who are forced to have an opinion, or are currently being forced to live someone else's opinion.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago

Sometimes

I strongly believe the internet forgets that and mandates everyone to have a position on anything and everything, regardless on how well-informed one is.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

"Yes, well, there are people whose lives are directly impacted by this issue, therefore you should have an opinion on it"

[–] captainlezbian 22 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I will not thank him. I refuse to decide how I feel about it

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Good news... you are not compelled to form an opinion.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

if you do have an opinion it should be concrete and well-constructed otherwise do not

[–] PugJesus 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] Klear 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] PriorityMotif 2 points 2 months ago
[–] zloubida 12 points 2 months ago

Thank you Marcus Aurelius

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago (3 children)

If only Marcus Aurelius had bothered to form an opinion on whether or not Commodus would make a decent successor as emperor.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

Ok but were you not entertained?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I mean it was understandable— everyone praises the five good emperors for choosing successors but none of them actually had biological kids, and there was no precedent that the successor would be chosen. Realistically, Aurelius wanted to avoid a civil war and wasn't like entirely throwing, I think I saw like a story about how he like. Didn't want to do it but it was like the only good outcome or optimal at least

[–] PugJesus 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Commodus doesn't appear to have descended into megalomania until a few years into his sole rule. One expects the power got to his head rather than him simply being born wrong. C'est la vie!

[–] Klear 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Was he even as bad as they say? I mean, probably, absolute power and all that, but from what I hear the madness of Caligula is severely overblown since the main sources we have on him are the Roman versions of tabloids, so maybe it's similar with Commodus.

Never really looked into it too closely though, and it's probably safe to err on the side of "absolutist ruler was an asshole".

[–] PugJesus 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Was he even as bad as they say?

Commodus was likely as bad as they say. Emperor Septimius Severus is said to have decried Marcus Aurelius for not strangling the kid when he had the chance. Of course, Septimius Severus's kid would turn out to be a gruesome fellow like Commodus, so he doesn't actually have much room to throw stones.

I mean, probably, absolute power and all that, but from what I hear the madness of Caligula is severely overblown since the main sources we have on him are the Roman versions of tabloids, so maybe it’s similar with Commodus.

Caligula revisionism is... very problematic. The most I would say there is that some of the pop culture interpretations of him are false, and some of the incidents mentioned as rumors by Roman historians are likely exaggerated. He was pretty unambiguously a tyrant and extremely arbitrary in his rule. If you take 'madness' as 'detached from reality', Caligula probably wasn't mad. If you take 'madness' as 'sociopathic and impulsive', then Caligula was almost certainly mad.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

He was a bit busy trying to not form an opinion about people who are smelly and don't take care of themselves (yes, an actual line from Meditations)

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Thank you Marcus Aurelius.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My guy Marcy Marc, he has the best takes fr

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"Comfort is the worst addiction"

No, that's heroin. Fucking idiot.

[–] PugJesus 5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Marcus Aurelius: "Guys, I just found this new medical treatment, it's so fucking good, everyone in the Empire has to try it"

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"Doc, it worked miracles, I feel so good, what was it?" "Sleep"

[–] PugJesus 4 points 2 months ago

Funny enough, we have an extant letter from one of Aurelius's teachers yelling at him (while he was Emperor no less) for going down to a nice beachside resort town and then spending the whole time working on affairs of state, including working by candlelight all night long. Some sleep would have done poor Marcus some good, one expects.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

Thank you Marcus Aurelius

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

How many verification badges does this supreme-leader-stoat have??

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

kijetesantakalu

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I dont need a take on things like SystemD but im going to have one anyway

SYSTEMD SUCKS

And on an unrelated note so does bash

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You dont HAVE to. But it sure would help the world more.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Wild how many people instantly jump from "You don't need to have an opinion on everything" to "Well what if you don't have an opinion on anything!"

Just. Stop.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

abortion rights requires taking a stand on something that might not effect you right now or at all yet

[–] Sam_Bass 1 points 2 months ago

the problem isnt having a take. its keeping those takes to yourselves