Dasus

They're co-dependent, RUUUNNN!

I don't think you're a 'bad person' and I'm sorry for the way that I've treated you.

Honestly, no need, but thank you.

I raise my hat to you for that message. If more people were willing or even able to do what you just did, the world would be a much better place.

I've come to the conclusion that the three hardest words for people to say are "I was wrong." Not that you were, this is a subjective issue, but the idea of uttering those words aloud is so scary to so many people for some reason that I honestly believe it to be a... or the problem the world is suffering from:

“The higher, pretentious form of stupidity stands only too often in crass opposition to [its] honorable form. It is not so much lack of intelligence as failure of intelligence, for the reason that it presumes to accomplishments to which it has no right … The stupidity this addresses is no mental illness, yet it is most lethal; a dangerous disease of the mind that endangers life itself. … [S]ince the ‘higher stupidity’ consists not in an inability to understand but in a refusal to understand, any healing or reversal of it will not occur through rational argumentation, through a greater accumulation of data and knowledge, or through experiencing new and different feelings … We may say that the reversal of a spiritual sickness must entail a spiritual cure.”

https://howtobeastoic.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/one-crucial-word/

Enjoy your Easter, my American friend, and try to keep sane despite the world going crazy.

For a lot of languages, lots of names are just "descriptions". Like Finnish, German — and I assume — Japanese.

Like capybara is a "water pig" in at least Finnish and German. And English usually just takes loanwords it doesn't understand, and thus English speakers don't think of as descriptors. "Capybara" is originally from Tupi language (spoken by indigenous Brazilians) capiuára , from capĩ ‘grass’ + uára ‘eater’.

Although the names aren't always accurate. Like guinea pigs aren't from Guinea. (And neither are they related to pigs, really.)

"Schwein" (=pig) was used much in the same way "deer" once was in terms of animals and "apple" was in terms of fruit. A general term. Oranges are still etymologically "Chinese apples" in Northern Europe/Nordics; variations of "appelsin" ~applechina.

Languages are fun, aren't they?

Yeah, I have nothing to prove. I'm on Lemmy to spend time.

You're lying. You don't sincerely doubt that I've never convinced anyone of anything they didn't already believe, and I'm not convincing you of anything right now either, as you already know this and thus believe in it. :)

The easiest way to "convince" people is to show them what they actually believe. A form of the Socratic method, and it's very efficient.

Did you know anger is the emotion most likely to trigger a response in people? If so, and dark jokes can make people angry — like you are — then wouldn't it stand to reason that due to this anger, you're more likely to take action of some sort? (That's a rhetorical question, because we know it to be true, unless we have to argue about that as well, in case you're one of those "I don't believe in the human sciences people.) If you're American and in a horrible situation, and I believe you to be one of the (and this is reductive) "good guys", then won't I have theoretically helped, albeit in very indirectly?

Or this interaction make you feel better about the situation in your country?

Shaming people into action is also a thing you know.

Again, you don't like it when someone jokes about the shitty situation in your country but I'm pretty sure you've made your fair share of "delivering freedom" (as in dropping bombs on helpless victims) jokes without feeling the slightest twinge of "being smug about it." You've probably not even given a second thought that you're actually making jokes on the expense of innocent people.

"Even if these handful of people exist"

Last comment is what "you never convince anyone of anything". Moving the goalposts much?

Here, have a look at this reply I just had a few hours back.

Not that it was about politics, but it's just here to show your assertion about me being shit in "convincing people" is downright false. I don't have a need to prove to you the amount of people I've persuaded and what of. You're just angry I made a joke about the horrible situation you're in.

What you’re doing is getting mad at someone

Oh no, hunny, that's all you. I'm smooth as fuck, I'm trying to go to bed, so I'm on 3mg of melatonin, 20mg of Ambien, 45mg oxazepam and a buttload of weed. :)

How many people, we're talking hard MAGA conservatives (you know, the people who need to be unbrainwashed) have you convinced?

Several.

Well, depends on your definition, as they weren't strictly MAGA people, but the equivalent of, in my part of the world.

I'm not trying to convince you of anything. I'm weary and making dark jokes about the US.

You get super annoyed, don't you? I'm betting you didn't register even 1% of 1% of that emotional response when standups were cracking jokes about Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Saddam, Afghanistan, Iraq, South American countries, etc, despite those countries also having innocent, suffering people?

You do realise humour is a way of coping, right?

You're just getting upset because you're the butt of the coping mechanism now. I know the US falling is indirectly a danger to me as well. I'm also aware of how chronically stubborn and willfully ignorant people are. But I have got through to several. Maybe one in two dozen, I'd say.

Hell, I once convinced a 75-year old who grew up on drug propaganda, in very drug opposing Finland, that weed should be legalised. It took about 6 hours, several pints and a bottle of Jäeger, but I found the right words and broke through. Although I have to say to he is intelligent, unlike most Americans. He was the head of the local Mensa, but that by itself doesn't mean much. (Oh and this was in 2011 roughly, now people have slightly more liberal attitudes and the discussion of legalisation is actually on the board. And I contributed. Through political parties as well.)

I'm just one person. I actively fight disinfo and I'm in the army reserves.

What more can I do?

Or are you just crying about one joke?

Yeah but those golden retrievers usually have food provided to them and they don't need to worry about it.

Even golden retrievers get rather depressed when malnourished, although the way we humans have bred them means they'll still look somewhat optimistic.

For humans the "money can't buy happiness" limit used to be something like 50-70k, closer to 50k in Europe and 70k in the US, but that was like 15 years ago so now it'd be something closer to 70k in Europe and 100 in the US. What that means is just that you can afford decent housing, transportation, all the necessities, and have a bit left over.

Up to that point money dramatically increases happiness. After that, it doesn't really have an effect anymore. Making a million a year doesn't mean you're any less happy than making a billion. But making 100k a year versus 30k a year is a massive difference.

Oh no, is joking about other nations wrong when the butt of the joke is you and not a developing nation you're bombing or taking over economically?

Oh no, is standing up to dictators and fascism dangerous?

Well better just lick boots then, huh?

It's not like fascism ever endangered any lives, right? It's not like we had this exact conversation about "resistance not being the answer, we can't be expected to put ourself in danger" 100 years ago.

And back then we let the fascist fucksticks get all the way to engineered killing camps. Are we gonna let them get that far — again?

And if you're gonna say something about me being a keyboard warrior, I'm ready and trained and in the Finnish reserves. I don't like the idea of having to engage in combat, but I'll do what is necessary if it comes to that.

The time for my contributions to matter to the problems in the US is kinda gone.

The point is that it's up to you now.

I'll do what I can to help but it's not like rational dicussion of policy will matter much now, will it? Now would be the time to utilise the 2A if it had any leg to stand on, but as we've been telling the American conservatives (and other gun enthusiasts) for years, it doesn't.

Ironic it went this way but literally, what can I do?

what are you trying to say, again?

Oh, it's quite simple, really: