Degeneratesaint's recent activity

  1. Comment on Black women with guitars? in ~music

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    I love Lianne La Havas, thank you for showing her music to me. Do you have any other recommendations based on my enjoying her stuff?

    I love Lianne La Havas, thank you for showing her music to me. Do you have any other recommendations based on my enjoying her stuff?

    4 votes

  2. Comment on In Mongolia, back to school, back to sickness? in ~health

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    Thank you for the amazing answer to my questions. I will promise you that I won't write it off and will consider it for the rest of my life as a real option I have to take and not a dream to be...

    Thank you for the amazing answer to my questions. I will promise you that I won't write it off and will consider it for the rest of my life as a real option I have to take and not a dream to be stowed. That is a much better perspective that I'm appreciative for.

    3 votes

  3. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~enviro

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    It's interesting to see how an employer (and I suppose the author of the passage) frame it as "Wow, what a great employee, working so hard that if you or I did it we'd literally pass out. This is...

    It's interesting to see how an employer (and I suppose the author of the passage) frame it as "Wow, what a great employee, working so hard that if you or I did it we'd literally pass out. This is a fair and balanced situation".
    Just shows the mental gymnastics required to treat human beings that poorly

    25 votes

  4. Comment on Warner Bros. Discovery says strikes saved it more than $100 million in Q2, David Zaslav hopes negotiating resumes soon in ~tv

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    I agree. It's inherently shitty due to the context of the situation as a whole, obviously. From a financial reporting perspective this reads as the truth to me as someone who has been somewhat...

    I agree. It's inherently shitty due to the context of the situation as a whole, obviously. From a financial reporting perspective this reads as the truth to me as someone who has been somewhat active in the corporate finance world

    6 votes

  5. Comment on How do you build lasting habits? in ~life

    Degeneratesaint
    Link
    At this point I basically live off the reminder system my phone's assistant has. "Hey google, remind me to do x" (where x= exercising, begin working on a project, etc.) I find that at the very...

    At this point I basically live off the reminder system my phone's assistant has.

    "Hey google, remind me to do x" (where x= exercising, begin working on a project, etc.)

    I find that at the very least it keeps me thinking about it. After that you actually have to do it and do it as reliably as can be managed. Growing your own personal discipline without an outside source pushing you to do it is the difficult part for me and I assume most others. You've been conditioned, if you grew up like I did, to have parents, teachers, coaches, etc. all give very specific instructions and in my experience don't tend to foster the critical thinking skills necessary to grow personal discipline.

    5 votes

  6. Comment on In Mongolia, back to school, back to sickness? in ~health

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    If I can take us vaguely off topic, and please do label my comment appropriately, could I ask you about your experience in the peace corps in Mongolia? It's something I was strongly interested in...

    If I can take us vaguely off topic, and please do label my comment appropriately, could I ask you about your experience in the peace corps in Mongolia? It's something I was strongly interested in doing after college but is looking more and more like a pipe dream so I would really like to hear your thoughts on the program and what you experienced in Mongolia; thoughts on how it grew you as a person or whatever you may have taken away from the experience is also welcome.

    6 votes

  7. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    I can be at least one person in agreement. I know I've heard the name at least a few times but it's never stuck and if I did ever look into their products I wasn't impressed. Nothing is just too...

    I can be at least one person in agreement. I know I've heard the name at least a few times but it's never stuck and if I did ever look into their products I wasn't impressed. Nothing is just too out there to function as a name.

    7 votes

  8. Comment on What are your thoughts on the European Union centralizing into something more akin to an early United States in ~talk

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    I would reply to the above but you've essentially made the point I would have, worded much better. The US and the EU, while very similar in the scope of the world, are quite dissimilar when we...

    I would reply to the above but you've essentially made the point I would have, worded much better.
    The US and the EU, while very similar in the scope of the world, are quite dissimilar when we compare cultural differences and variety.

    I also think it important to note that this from the above comment,

    "Perhaps your intent was more along the lines of "Although there are a wide variety of ethnicity's and cultures across the US, they are infused and blended with a strong sense of national identity and culture. And this is distinct from the more siloed states within the EU.""

    is quite close to what I do consider my belief. I definitely don't diverge horribly far from what they were trying to say.

    2 votes

  9. Comment on What are your thoughts on the European Union centralizing into something more akin to an early United States in ~talk

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    That's a valid argument if you assume these obstacles to be cement and unchangeable. Where we diverge is the degree to which that is the case. Unlikely I agree with, entirely impossible I don't.

    That's a valid argument if you assume these obstacles to be cement and unchangeable. Where we diverge is the degree to which that is the case. Unlikely I agree with, entirely impossible I don't.

    5 votes

  10. Comment on What are your thoughts on the European Union centralizing into something more akin to an early United States in ~talk

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    You have pointed to what I see as really the core of the issue. America was federated 200 years ago and it took a civil war to manage it even then and those growing pains have never gone away....

    You have pointed to what I see as really the core of the issue. America was federated 200 years ago and it took a civil war to manage it even then and those growing pains have never gone away. Racism, imperialism, hawkishness, and countless other issues plague our country and will continue to do so. Europe has an incredibly diverse population and a unified Europe, while likely stronger, is such a long shot.
    It has only become harder for this process of centralization and federalization to occur. Even so, it may be necessary for Europe to maintain its position globally. That isn't to say it is at all likely to happen, just to expect things to get worse long before they get better for Europe.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on What are your thoughts on the European Union centralizing into something more akin to an early United States in ~talk

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    That's a really interesting issue you've pointed out that I don't believe I've seen discussed. How you do you encourage a small state to join a federation that it will then lose control over?...

    That's a really interesting issue you've pointed out that I don't believe I've seen discussed. How you do you encourage a small state to join a federation that it will then lose control over? Especially prescient if the current veto system that gives smaller states control goes away for whatever reason.
    Conquering worked for a long time but imperialism obviously isn't an ideal way to spread a humanist federation. Economic assistance? Defense against a greater threat? I could see some states joining despite the loss of control but it would be significantly harder from what I can see.

    6 votes

  12. Comment on What are your thoughts on the European Union centralizing into something more akin to an early United States in ~talk

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    I really don't see them having those same issues, though they will have issues that will make it nigh impossible if not outright. Europe is quite secular in comparison to the United States. Modern...

    I really don't see them having those same issues, though they will have issues that will make it nigh impossible if not outright.
    Europe is quite secular in comparison to the United States. Modern Europe especially in comparison to when America was first created. So I don't see a religious estate taking lead on such an idea or having any real influence over it.
    Business/capital control is harder and will continue to be an enormous obstacle. Europe, generally speaking as I know it's a continent with different levels of socialistic/capitalistic tendencies, does seem to handle their corporations better than the United States. So at the very least I feel comfortable hoping that they can manage their elites better than we have.
    Fully agreed on the land =/ votes as a goal. The American house of representatives is not a very democratic or progressive institution.

    3 votes

  13. Comment on What are your thoughts on the European Union centralizing into something more akin to an early United States in ~talk

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    I do understand that each country within the EU is an individual nation. My point of discussion is in regards to how that will change over the coming decades or even centuries, which I recognize...

    I do understand that each country within the EU is an individual nation. My point of discussion is in regards to how that will change over the coming decades or even centuries, which I recognize is impossible to guess with the variables involved. That said, the EU and US are fundamentally different entities and I do understand that this might not even be a goal a majority or even significant minority could want. As another user stated, the cultural differences and individual issues a given EU member state faces could necessitate their not joining a EU federation of any sort until those issues are solved, much akin to certain countries being required to achieve a certain level of stability prior to entering the modern EU.
    Again, I understand that this is an unrealistic, if not impossible ideal that would require decades to centuries to be even vaguely feasible.
    Just as an example, an eventual system could be just a core few countries with similar cultures federating and continuing to offer lower levels of participation to other countries. I'm curious what possible changes will drive the EU looking into the future. I'm less interested in hearing about how this is impossible right now, because I know it isn't and thus there's a lack of discussion beyond "not possible, move on", you know?

    Edit: I"m even interested to hear if you think things will go in the opposite direction and why, maybe the EU will fade over coming years, maybe it'll maintain this level of control and centralization while maintaining the nation states that make it up. I don't know, that's the point of the discussion!

    8 votes

  14. What are your thoughts on the European Union centralizing into something more akin to an early United States

    ~talk Ask
    As a preface, this comes from the perspective of an American looking in on Europe. I'm curious in particular what any Europeans (please include your country of origin/ethnicity if you feel so...

    As a preface, this comes from the perspective of an American looking in on Europe. I'm curious in particular what any Europeans (please include your country of origin/ethnicity if you feel so inclined) feel about this post and the future of the EU.

    Europe is a unique region, to put it lightly. The extremely high level of development relative to the rest of the world over this last millennium as well as so many technological innovations in that period of time led to a Europe ready to exert its influence upon the rest of the world. We can comfortably say that, while examples do still exist, colonialism as an institution has largely faded. Europe is a much more varied continent culturally and ethnically despite a space roughly equal to that of the USA. We've all heard the common sayings about 200 miles is long in Europe where 200 years is long in America and generally speaking that does hold true.
    That said, Europe in the modern era really does feel like many small countries functioning as one big entity with the European Union. The EU has only gained credibility and legitimacy and it is now the institution I expect to hear from on matters within the EU first, even ahead of any individual nation state.
    All of this to say, I think a united Europe is the strongest possible future for Europe. No individual state in Europe is large enough to exert an influence upon the world without the rest of Europe behind them. Globalization, while diminished in recent years, is still happening and I don't see a decentralized Europe as "winning" globalization as dozens of individually tiny states.

    I could continue writing, but I think you understand my position. Now I would like to point to the article I found that really made me think about this, here.

    I would also like to ask, what do you see Europe and the European Union standing for? Should it continue to centralize or is the current level of control enough? Too much? I didn't mention Ukraine or defense in this post but obviously that has a huge impact on all of these questions and I would love to hear if that has impacted your perspective on this admittedly grandiose idea for a united Europe.

    People from all countries welcome to discuss, but please do mention your country if you feel comfortable doing so!

    Edit: More reading for anyone interested.

    53 votes

  15. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Degeneratesaint
    Link
    I just cant stop myself from playing Eu4. Maybe a few years late but I've finally collected enough of the infamous DLC to play some of the more interesting regions outside of Europe within the...

    I just cant stop myself from playing Eu4. Maybe a few years late but I've finally collected enough of the infamous DLC to play some of the more interesting regions outside of Europe within the game. Just a great time and a fun way to learn some history about the regions by doing a Wikipedia read of the states I want to play next.

    For those familiar, I'm currently doing my first ambrosian republic run on Milan and having a blast. It's such a strong government type and in some ways makes you appreciate what a real life republic has over what used to be the predominant form of government in Europe with feudalism/monarchism. It's massively simplified of course but it does trigger my brain to think in more concrete terms where the benefits for an elective republic come in over a monarchy. Seeing that tangibly is just a bit of fun and unique to paradox interactive games in my experience.

    5 votes

  16. Comment on Free Talk Tuesday (ish) in ~talk

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    Oh man the mod scene for Got related medieval games is unironically fantastic. Need to play that mount and blade mod again soon.

    Oh man the mod scene for Got related medieval games is unironically fantastic. Need to play that mount and blade mod again soon.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Futurama Season 8 Episode 1 discussion in ~tv

    Degeneratesaint
    Link
    Broadly speaking I disagree with the consensus that they shouldn't have done a self referential poke at how many studios and cancelations they've gone through. It would have been quite odd and...

    Broadly speaking I disagree with the consensus that they shouldn't have done a self referential poke at how many studios and cancelations they've gone through. It would have been quite odd and disorienting if they didn't given the pattern of previous returns to production.
    That said, they shouldn't continue with the "Fulu" and self referential jokes to the degree they did in the first episode. I hope it was getting it out of their system so that the rest of the season can get back to form.
    Overall decently strong episode and I'm excited to see where the rest of the season goes. Would recommend!

    14 votes

  18. Comment on Free Talk Tuesday (ish) in ~talk

    Degeneratesaint
    Link Parent
    I've rarely seen the internet unite against something it previously loved like it did for the duration of the airing of that season. Strongly recommend checking out some video essays about the...

    I've rarely seen the internet unite against something it previously loved like it did for the duration of the airing of that season. Strongly recommend checking out some video essays about the final season to truly appreciate just how terrible it was.

    I was ready to read all of the books after finishing the series but it honestly killed my motivation so much that I stopped consuming GoT content whatsoever afterwards.

    8 votes