theilleists

joined 1 month ago
[–] theilleists 4 points 4 days ago

I became a fan after I listened to Jack Voraces' audiobook adaptation of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, then looked on Audible for any other novels he's narrated. MoL was the top result. Excellent performance of both series.

[–] theilleists 10 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (12 children)

Even without actively accelerating toward the sun, something starting on earth is already orbiting the sun at about 100,000 km/h. You'd have to cancel that out by accelerating the same amount in the opposite direction just to be able to fall into the sun's gravity well instead of continuing to orbit. That would take quite a bit of propellant.

[–] theilleists 5 points 5 days ago (2 children)

You're absolutely right: dismissing anything you don't want to hear as "propaganda bullshit" is a much easier way of having a discussion than participating.

[–] theilleists 4 points 5 days ago (4 children)

He does this because - it may surprise you to hear, but it's true - America does not have a parliamentary system of government. Here, everybody left-of-nazi is forced to pretend like they are all members of the same party. If America's system de facto allowed for more than two parties, then the progressive party could actually choose whether or not to form a coalition with the centrists, conditional on policy concessions. Since we do not, the centrists offer is "we get what we want or else you get nazis." Then make the progressives out to be the bad guys if they call the bluff, which isn't a bluff, because the centrists today genuinely would prefer 4 years of nazis over conceding anything to progressives.

So, exactly like the top level comment described. Weird take.

[–] theilleists 0 points 5 days ago (7 children)

Ah, of course. America's communist party should be trying to form a coalition government in Parliament this year. Literally equivalent.

[–] theilleists 0 points 5 days ago (9 children)

It may not have been a weird take in the early 20th century. It's a weird take now.

[–] theilleists 7 points 5 days ago (11 children)

That comment was not referring to literal nazis. They were talking about the American right wing.

[–] theilleists 9 points 6 days ago

If Santa wasn't real, how you'd explain finland?

[–] theilleists 6 points 1 week ago

Right. I'm one of those "deluded" queers for Palestine, but even in peacetime, I wouldn't sashay into Gaza City in assless chaps and hope for the best. There's plenty of homophobia in the world, especially wherever there is Islam, and the British obviously did not invent it.

I would still rather try to defeat homophobia with words than watch homophobes (and their innocent children) get murdered by an army which has its own homophobes, for reasons unrelated to homophobia.

[–] theilleists 8 points 1 week ago

Speaking as a Marxist, we did in fact need to chuck Newtonianism out the window early last century since it turned out not to work at high speeds, in strong gravitational fields, or at very small scales...

[–] theilleists 8 points 1 week ago

In my experience (which, to be fair, seems to be different from many people's), it couldn't be any worse than the real thing. 12 different licensed and trained medical providers each responded to my complaints about the ongoing traumas in my life with some variation of "Sure, but focus on the positives!" I'd have been better off saving the money and venting to a chatbot, if venting did anything for me.

Please don't tell me to see a 13th. I'm completely done with the idea.

[–] theilleists 2 points 1 week ago

I have just encountered the same problem. It is confusing.

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