this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2025
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

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  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
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Sounds familiar?

British Empire?

American Colonies?

Time is a circle.

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[–] CapnClenchJaw@lemmy.world 54 points 6 days ago (2 children)

So, a Martian Congressional Republic? It does sound like something those damned dusters would pull.

What next? The denizens of the asteroid belt calling for more rights and designating an Outer Planet Alliance, while a mysterious proto-molecule wreaks havoc on the Solar System?

[–] DickFiasco@sh.itjust.works 31 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Oye kopeng, beltalowda need dem OPA to protect our rights. Sasa ke?

[–] ieatpwns@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Ayo can I get a translation for us planetside? I no sasa

[–] DickFiasco@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago

Hello friend, us Belters need the OPA to protect our rights, you know?

[–] MarriedCavelady50@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 days ago

Wrecks havoc? Expanse was so unrealistic. Protogen would pay doctors in all factions to “speedrun herd immunity, open up trade and travel for the economy”. Errenwright would tell Secretary General to say “stop testing protomolecule and we won’t have cases”. MEGA will be ordering deliveries of protomolecule injections to inject themselves. Holden spaces himself because canonically at that time he still thinks the problem with people is lack of access to information.

[–] PillowTalk420@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Sound familiar?

Yeah, it's the basis for a lot of sci-fi stories; though China is interchangable with any country, corporation, or mega rich jackass.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago

Bear Head is one of those variations.

[–] mech@feddit.org 16 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

80+% of earth's surface is still completely uninhabited by humans.
I'm talking about the sea floor, Antarctica, most of Australia, most of Siberia, the high mountain ranges, and the Sahara.
It would be so much easier to build colonies there than on Mars.
Even if our worst predictions about climate change come true, hell even if warming was twice as bad, they would still be much more hospitable to human life than Mars.

We haven't colonized those places, because it simply isn't worth the effort.
So why would it be worth the much, much bigger effort to settle on Mars?

Risk aversion alone makes it worth having 2 plants colonized. Putting all your eggs in one planet basket is poor long term risk management. But that's more thinking in the hundreds of thousands and millions of years before that becomes relevant.

[–] early_riser@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

People desperate to live on their own terms may think it's very much worth the effort. The pilgrims, buckle-headed weirdoes they were, probably thought as much when they boarded the Mayflower.

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

But I want the Expanse timeline 🥺

(minus the blue goo, fuck that shit)

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 1 points 4 days ago

Dropping an asteroid on the planet was a bit rude, too.

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 28 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Not terribly far off the plot of one of the great works of science fiction

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dispossessed

[–] mushroommunk@lemmy.today 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] idunnololz@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)
[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

My personal #1. Got to meet Le Guin at a play in Portland.

Also, the colonists from the view of the oppressor are "free on paper only" from their view.

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 3 points 6 days ago

All her books are life-impacting

Would have loved to have been able to be yet another fan telling her how much she affected my life

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 20 points 6 days ago (1 children)

And then they all start talking like Texans, until the ring gates open.....

[–] Tarquinn2049@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

Alternately, a buggalo ranch, named the Wong place.

[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 12 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Hey, will there also be slaves in this new "beacon of freedom"?

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago

[错误 404: Comment 已被删除]

[–] laranis@lemmy.zip 8 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Only problem with this theory is there is no native population to exploit. Colonialism/empirism fails when you can't subjugate anyone.

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago (2 children)

But the US didn't really have any natives to exploit either, they basically genocided them. The exploitation was mostly done with enslaved Africans who they kidnapped and trafficked to the Americas.

So all they need to do is just bring over a population to exploit.

(Which I'm not saying is in anyway okay btw, fuck slavery.)

[–] Objection@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago

They did enslave indigenous people, they just found it harder to do. They knew the land, and if they escaped they'd just have to make it back to their own communities.

The very first ship that returned to Europe from America had native slaves.

[–] Stupendous@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

By the time of the US, it was genocide after genocide. But before that when we called Americans different sorts of European, it was genocide and forced labor/slavery/some becoming human zoo enhibit

[–] melfie@lemy.lol 2 points 5 days ago

The trip to Mars will be similarly expensive to a trip to the New World back in the day. I can imagine history rhyming with something akin to indentured servitude. Especially if the rockets and resources on Mars are owned by billionaires like Musk.

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[–] reddit_sux@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] faintwhenfree@lemmus.org 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yeah but in expanse it's implied global government through UN was formed first and then the colonies. So it wasn't a single country's colony.

[–] reddit_sux@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

I have just seen the tv series and MRCN was very similar to CCP. Probably got confused since I didn't know the lore.

[–] webp@mander.xyz 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

But there is not much on Mars. With the new world, there were tons of resources to steal and make wealth off of.

[–] KingGimpicus@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago

The disrespect for iron in this comment is too damn high.

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 3 points 5 days ago

Yep, and then they become an imperialist oligarchy.

We’d be lucky to even live to see a human on Mars.

[–] a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Only if they name the colony "Elon is a little removed", but in Chinese. (Translation?)

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 days ago (3 children)

I actually don't know enough curse words / insults.

Maybe like: 伊隆係個死八婆 (Cantonese for "Elon is a dead removed", in Cantononese, they add "dead" in front of curseword nouns to make it more dramatic lol, its shall not be construed as an actual threat, legally speaking)

Or maybe: 埃隆有小鸡鸡 (Mandarin for "Elon has a small dick" ? Idk I heard other Mandarin-speaking classmates say it.)

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[–] Objection@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Bastion of freedom and prosperity? The US?

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

*Restrictions apply, Martian land ownership required

[–] Salamanderwizard@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

All I can think of is that meme of those 2 star wars characters. "Now there are two of them!"

[–] leftascenter@jlai.lu 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

almost the plot of "The moon is a harsh mistress."

[–] 667@lemmy.radio 1 points 5 days ago

Or to Stranger in a Strange Land, at least the very beginning.

[–] einlander@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Down with Ultor! Glory to the Red Faction!

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