There is no safety. No matter how wealthy you are, your house can be destroyed. No matter how much you diversify your portfolio, the economy could crash and send you back to square one. No matter what private army you pay, forces beyond your control can crush you like a bug.

Humans do not rule the world, and under capitalism, we don't even rule ourselves. We're ruled by profit motives more than any rich individual. No matter how much Musk or Trump try to play king, they're merely mortals riding the wave of economics and politics. We have no real gods, only chaos; no real masters, only thugs and bullies

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 week ago

No matter how wealthy you are, your house can be destroyed.

AND...

(from USA Today)

California had a home insurance crisis before the LA fires. It's only going to get worse.

The impact of the catastrophic wildfires could drive up already sky-high premiums and prompt a new wave of private insurers dropping policies or declining to write new ones – and not just in the LA area.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

The wealthy can't hide from the Children of Kali.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 week ago (1 children)

But we need to get those egg prices down!

[+] [email protected] -17 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Fun fact:

Egg prices are so high because they're used to make flu and covid vaccines.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

The price spikes are driven by avian (bird) flu.

There have been several outbreaks here in the States over the past year or so and we're in the middle of yet another one.

I was able to get a dozen large eggs for about $1.60 in October; now they're at least twice that.

[–] Skullgrid 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There have been several outbreaks here in the States over the past year or so and we’re in the middle of yet another one.

can you guys keep it to yourselves? One pandemic was enough for a lifetime for me.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

can you guys keep it to yourselves? One pandemic was enough for a lifetime for me.

With this incoming administration -- the same one that botched the response to the last pandemic -- I don't know if that's possible.

[–] whostosay 3 points 1 week ago

It would be less of a stretch to say intentional

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I guess I'm projecting my Canadian-ness on everyone. A dozen large eggs in my area on the west coast is upwards of 6 Canadian apologies.

*Before the pandemic that was what you would pay for two dozen. Fuckin' bread cartel i tell yah hwat.

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

Oh, it's no big deal; what you said is true in terms of eggs being used to make vaccines.

But avian flu outbreaks require them to cull (kill) large numbers of egg-producing chickens, so it's basically a supply-and-demand issue -- hence the price spikes.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

I'm still sorry tho. Dang and heck.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Where did you learn that?

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago (2 children)

At the moment, I’m beginning to think that the best we can do is both, it might be to late for an either/or situation

[–] Blum0108 8 points 1 week ago

Though I'm not sure how slow the apocalypse will be.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

You say the whole world's ending, honey, it already did

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Should have paved over those mountains.

Can't have a fire if the landscape is one continuous piece of asphalt.

[–] Kbobabob 1 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Doesn't asphalt burn?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

I might be wrong in this. My understanding is that it is flammable, but not when it's "solid" if that makes sense. That a fire would have to be on it and burning hot enough for long enough to start melting the tar then that could burn. But the asphalt itself isn't likely to just catch fire from a lighting strike or something and just continue to burn.

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

First it melts, but it's made up of very long hydrocarbons, so... probably?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

there is a 3rd way: a short, quick apocalypse. like nuclear war

[–] Brickhead92 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There is, but the profits aren't as high as a slow apocalypse.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

If you manage to draw it out a little, maybe a few weeks, and establish really scammy nuclear survival focused companies to meet inevitable desperate demand, then theoretically stock surges could be unprecedentedly high and fast.

At some point before the end the numbers might be so glorious it would be like looking upon the face of God.

[–] Alpha71 15 points 1 week ago

Slow apocalypse it is then!

[–] IzzyScissor 8 points 1 week ago

The thing about cancer is that it will eventually kill itself. It destroys the environment it lives in until it becomes uninhabitable, killing both the host environment and the cancer itself.

So, the cancer is already going to die, it's only a matter of if it takes us with it or not. The ONLY option for survival is to kill it before it kills us. There is no siding with cancer and hoping you won't be affected.

(Capitalism is the cancer, in case mods get nervous)