yesman

According to some psycho-annalists, you don't have an authentic self. It's just a Russian nesting dolls of personas and identities that we show the world, but at the bottom is not our true self, but instead another mask we show ourselves.

I'm not sure about all that, but personality, persona, identity, and self are all concepts we use to understand our consciousness. So it would be a mistake to try and reify those concepts as though they're a real part of you like an ear or a leg.

The only thing REL should be honored for is the fact that he's responsible for more dead slavers than any three Union generals.

I think it's sad that people have adopted the identity "consumer". I will never accept that markets and cash are the same thing as political consciousness or direct action.

We know that cash shouldn't count as political agency for the rich, why do we accept that for ourselves?

Pork is the protein of the poor. You don't need land to raise them and you can feed them scraps and garbage.

Consider a goat or a sheep. Not only do you need the animals, you need access to grazing lands for that. You need wealth.

The best explanation for the taboo: elite snobbery.

Alcohol. Sometimes it takes 30 or 40 years to be effective. Not very good for murder, but wildly popular for suicide.

I "reread" this a couple of years ago, only to discover I was reading it for the first time. Though the letter writing framing is a personal annoyance, the author drops out of that narrative style pretty quickly. Some other stuff may seem like tropes, but keep in mind that Shelley pioneered many of those tropes.

minor spoilers below.

The thing that stuck out to me was that the Monster was truly evil and didn't deserve any sympathy. I know that contradicts the text of the book, but it's true. The monster knows only pain and suffering, but it's solution is to create another to suffer just as he has.

In the Ice cave scene, the monster specifically requests that his "bride" be made hideous so that she'd have no other option than companionship with the monster. The doctor doubts that the "bride" can be so easily controlled. These are the only times in the book where the "bride's" agency is considered.

No, the monster isn't a tragic hero, it's a twisted incel who demands his government girlfriend.

Basically to be anti-work would be to wish to remain asleep and unaware.

The right only offers three choices, take the red-pill and be racist, take the black-pill and hate women, or take the NyQuil and sleep like the dead.

This is dumb. If you don't have any balls, how can you pee?

Just use a contraband cellphone. That gives you access to powerful encryption.

Hamburger Helper is one of the biggest rip-offs in the grocery. You get what? $0.50 of noodles and $0.15 of spices? You have to provide the beef and the milk.

I was a sucker for years buying those salad dressing packets before I figured out how to make my own.

It's like every business is out to rob you if you're not paying attention.

Ima keep this in my back pocket for when chuds ask: "why do we need black history"?