g0zer

Full disclosure, the text is my own but some of the historical references were summarized through LMM and copy/pasted.

While Russia has avoided a complete economic collapse, the average Russian is facing a harsher economic environment with higher costs, reduced income, and fewer consumer options.

The long-term impacts of these sanctions and economic adjustments are still unfolding, but they have undeniably made daily life more difficult for many in Russia.

Has it reached a point that matches the historical instabilities that fostered revolutionary action in the past? No; but I do think the potential exists if the current sanctions and poor battlefield performance continue.

Two things are very hard to deny, even with heavy-handed propaganda: the cost of bread & loved ones returning home in coffins.

Honestly, poor political moves seem to be all the man is capable of. And his base (unfortunately) always seems to have just enough cognitive dissonance to eat it up and pivot/shift the goalposts.

More and more, I come to the conclusion that the only way forward is to stop fighting them, and instead focus on strengthening us.

The one thing MAGA republicans have in spades is a sense of unity and community, which is something we on the left need to foster (instead of infighting and segmentation).

While it might seem that the Russian population could disconnect under such dire circumstances, history shows that Russians have the capacity to rise against oppressive conditions imposed by their own government. The Russian Revolution of 1917 is a prime example. Amidst widespread dissatisfaction with the Tsarist regime due to economic hardship, military failures, and political repression, the Russian people ultimately overthrew a centuries-old monarchy.

Similarly, the protests and eventual collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s highlight the power of their collective action. The combination of economic stagnation, political corruption, and a desire for greater freedoms led to mass demonstrations that ultimately brought down the regime.

These historical precedents suggest that while disconnection and passivity are possible; they are by no means guaranteed. When the consequences of government actions become too severe—whether through economic hardship, loss of life, or a perceived betrayal of public trust—the Russian populace has shown that it can indeed mobilize to demand change.

While universities have a duty to maintain order and educate, they also have a responsibility to be spaces where free thought can challenge existing norms. Disruption, though uncomfortable, often serves as the catalyst for meaningful dialogue and progress. If protests were only allowed to occur within strict confines, they might lose their power to inspire the kind of reflection and change that has historically made educational institutions breeding grounds for progress.

Balancing the need for order with the need for protest is tricky, but history shows that sometimes, it’s the disruptions that push us all forward. In my opinion, those (often powerful) institutions should be tempering their response to these disruptions; rather than asking their student body to temper their actions.

There is no greater opportunity for the exploration and development of radical thought than by allowing students to be a part of that future history (should they choose to).

You’ve made some really good points and I’ll be thinking on them in the days to come.

I don’t have much else to add, but I do want to say that I really appreciate the honest and nuanced discussion here.

At the end of the day, we don’t always have to always agree on every specific detail and these kinds of discussions allow us to explore our biases and will shape our collective responses. And that is good for the community as a whole…

While I feel we mostly are in agreement, I have a problem with the verbiage you use. Specifically the idea that the desired outcome is to force the population at large to “obey” protesters.

While no one should be forced to “obey” a protest, the disruption itself is often necessary to make the issues visible and impossible to ignore. It’s not about the right to be heard and obeyed, but about ensuring that the issues at hand cannot be easily dismissed or overlooked. Disruption, when done with purpose, has historically been a critical tool for marginalized groups to bring about the changes that polite appeals often fail to achieve.

Protests are largely only effective if they’re disruptive. That’s kind of the point… a protest you can easily ignore isn’t going to change anything.

And the point isn’t really to gain support, it’s to force change.

Edit: To expand on this, there are much more effective ways to gain support; mainly through community interaction, conversation and education. Which should be seen as separate action vs. protesting.

Edit 2: Upon re-reading my comment I would like to amend my statement that the point is to force “change”. While change is the desired outcome, the point of protests is to force awareness.

And here I am giving my pets human names like a weirdo: Brody (dog), Chad (dog), Sasha (cat) & Erin (cat)

I wish Democrats would just lean into this shit. Since anything that benefits the working class is “communism”, might as well start nationalizing airlines and electricity companies.

Give them something to actually complain about…

Reality tv is hit or miss depending on popularity and how old it is. Retention plays a part is this too, but most Usenet providers worth subbing to have crazy long retention times.

I personally use Sonarr for tv and it’s stupid easy to use (once everything is set up!), you just search for your show and it knows when it airs and auto-grabs new episodes. You can also tell it to look for past seasons.

The whole “getting Usenet setup and running” is a little more complicated than I’d like to get into with this post, but you’ll need the following: a Usenet provider, an indexer (both of these will cost money but it’s not a lot and annual payments, or lifetime, is usually the way to go), a newsreader (I use SABnzbd), and a web app to track shows and initiate searches (I use Sonarr, as previously mentioned).

I’m sure someone else here can post a link to a good guide to getting started with Usenet if that’s the direction you want to go.

TLDR: it depends on the show

I know I’ll catch shit for this but I kinda don’t mind shorts. Sometimes I don’t have anything specific to watch and I just wanna waste 10 mins…

The content quality varies wildly and it doesn’t seem to have a very good algorithm but it succeeds in helping me burn 5-10 mins while I’m waiting on someone or something.

I think YouTube expects people to burn hours on it like TikTok but I don’t see that happening.