Drewbahr's recent activity
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Comment on Would you eat "Casu Marzu," Sardinia's famous maggot infested cheese? in ~food
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Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets
Drewbahr LinkElvis sounds like he was an incredible dog, and you and your partner sound like incredible fosters and animal advocates. What a shitty situation.Elvis sounds like he was an incredible dog, and you and your partner sound like incredible fosters and animal advocates.
What a shitty situation.
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Comment on Is there a way to filter out everything posted by a user? in ~tildes
Drewbahr LinkI've been curious for a while too, and I may need to take advantage of the ideas in this thread.I've been curious for a while too, and I may need to take advantage of the ideas in this thread.
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Comment on Game Pass was supposed to save Xbox – instead, it’s killing the company in ~games
Drewbahr Link ParentI for one find it way, way easier to impulsively buy a game, which typically offers up ten or more hours of enjoyment, than I do to go to a movie. Particularly knowing that the movie will be on a...I for one find it way, way easier to impulsively buy a game, which typically offers up ten or more hours of enjoyment, than I do to go to a movie. Particularly knowing that the movie will be on a streaming service that I subscribe to, sooner or later.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump says he will impose fifty percent tariffs on Canadian goods in thirty days in ~society
Drewbahr Link ParentYou're doing a lot of talking about people (Tildes users) that you know nothing about. You're also actively blaming people undergoing direct persecution by the fascists in charge, of somehow being...You're doing a lot of talking about people (Tildes users) that you know nothing about. You're also actively blaming people undergoing direct persecution by the fascists in charge, of somehow being complicit in the takeover.
You realize you're blaming the oppressed, in this thread specifically, for the actions of their oppressors - right? That's pretty fucked up.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
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Comment on Linus Torvalds says Linux is not "anti-AI", tells haters to 'fork it' and 'just walk away' in ~tech
Drewbahr Link ParentI would argue that it's disingenuous to remove the AI training from AI water consumption consideration. It's like removing crude oil refining from the conversation on gasoline use. The two aren't...I would argue that it's disingenuous to remove the AI training from AI water consumption consideration. It's like removing crude oil refining from the conversation on gasoline use. The two aren't separable.
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Comment on Linus Torvalds says Linux is not "anti-AI", tells haters to 'fork it' and 'just walk away' in ~tech
Drewbahr Link ParentWhich is precisely my point. Claude, or any other AI, can't "proactively take the blame" because they have no agency. They aren't making decisions. They generate text. That's it. If someone takes...Which is precisely my point. Claude, or any other AI, can't "proactively take the blame" because they have no agency. They aren't making decisions. They generate text. That's it.
If someone takes Claude or another AI (not the companies) to court and they are actually able to hold an LLM liable for the bullshit it comes up with, them maybe I'll accept that an AI can take blame. But that's not the case now, and likely never will be.
I know it's a tangent, but the anthropomorphism being made towards AI is misguided. People make mistakes, which was the root of the discussion here. AI doesn't, because AI doesn't actually know what it's doing. It can't know.
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Comment on Linus Torvalds says Linux is not "anti-AI", tells haters to 'fork it' and 'just walk away' in ~tech
Drewbahr Link ParentWhich is itself a problem, as how do you hold code accountable for mistakes?Which is itself a problem, as how do you hold code accountable for mistakes?
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Comment on DEI isn't dead: New research finds most companies still back workplace inclusion in ~finance
Drewbahr Link ParentGoing to make a glib comment, but an honest one. It's not hypocrisy. It's racism.Going to make a glib comment, but an honest one.
It's not hypocrisy. It's racism.
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Comment on After pushing anti-trans laws to "protect women’s sports", Project 2025’s Heritage Foundation now wants to eliminate women's sports to "assist fertility" in ~society
Drewbahr Link ParentGiven everything we've seen this administration do, I'm not sure how you can think what they've said is an exaggeration.Given everything we've seen this administration do, I'm not sure how you can think what they've said is an exaggeration.
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Comment on More people around the world now favour China over the US, Pew study suggests in ~society
Drewbahr Link ParentI may expand more on it later, but China has a millennia-long history of a strong administrative state that has existed across all empires and governments. Xi is almost certainly not the reason...I may expand more on it later, but China has a millennia-long history of a strong administrative state that has existed across all empires and governments. Xi is almost certainly not the reason for all of China's modern successes.
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Comment on Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after ‘brief and sudden illness’ in ~society
Drewbahr LinkI'm having a hard time feeling bad about this.I'm having a hard time feeling bad about this.
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Comment on Sports entertainment makes me angry in ~talk
Drewbahr Link ParentOne could argue it's no more or less childish than condemning an entire style of art.One could argue it's no more or less childish than condemning an entire style of art.
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Comment on Woman who dated US Senate candidate Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her in ~society
Drewbahr Link ParentHe doesn't deserve further benefit of the doubt. He's already had enough.He doesn't deserve further benefit of the doubt. He's already had enough.
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Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society
Drewbahr Link ParentI've already said I'm looking into options, and several other folks have mentioned other VPN options throughout this thread. As far as I'm aware, none of the options presented have provided...I've already said I'm looking into options, and several other folks have mentioned other VPN options throughout this thread. As far as I'm aware, none of the options presented have provided majority support, if any support at all, for a political party with an openly racist platform.
But again, literally no other VPN that I'm aware of has openly, and financially, supported a Nazi-esque political party. Proton comes closest with its CEO's spoken support of MAGA, and I'm not sure of every company's politics, but now I'm just repeating myself.
I think I'm going to stop responding to you now, because it's clear you're looking to pick a flight and I've indulged you long enough.
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Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society
Drewbahr Link ParentI won't know what every other VPN does or funds, but they also aren't making those donations public. Like, sure, they might all secretly be Nazis, but there's only one that I know is directly...I won't know what every other VPN does or funds, but they also aren't making those donations public. Like, sure, they might all secretly be Nazis, but there's only one that I know is directly funding a racist political party.
What are we even doing here?
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Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society
Drewbahr Link ParentThe key difference is that Rowling is the only person who provides Harry Potter to the world, while there are many, many other companies that offer VPN service. Everyone seems to be glossing over...The key difference is that Rowling is the only person who provides Harry Potter to the world, while there are many, many other companies that offer VPN service. Everyone seems to be glossing over that fact - Mullvad is not the only option here. There are options that do not fund a Nazi party.
As for the thought experiment, I don't think it changes my mind, because at the end of the day they're funding a racist party. At best their good donations only equals their bad ones, which means mathematically there's no net benefit. Any one of the other VPN services can do literally as much good, mathematically, by donating nothing to anyone.
And I feel I need to stress this point - there are other companies that offer comparable VPN services to Mullvad, for a comparable price, that don't also donate their money to racist political parties. This feels like a very easy choice.
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Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society
Drewbahr (edited )Link ParentI think the rub here, at least for me, comes in just how much money is being funneled directly from one of the founders of Mullvad into a political party with (some) terrible views. Per the...I think the rub here, at least for me, comes in just how much money is being funneled directly from one of the founders of Mullvad into a political party with (some) terrible views.
Per the article, it's the equivalent of
five millionfive hundred thousand dollars from Daniel Berntsson to Orebro. I can't imagine that Berntsson is absurdly wealthy; I'd imagine this is a fairly-significant amount of the money he earns going directly to Orebro. I also don't know what his employment or personal wealth situation is like; pure speculation on my part.I also know that most of Orebro's funding is coming from Berntsson, again per the article. So let's put the pieces together:
- Mullvad makes a bunch of money (likely millions of USD in revenue per year);
- A significant chunk of Mullvad's earnings go to Berntsson, by virtue of him being a cofounder;
- A significant chunk of his pay is being donated to Orebro;
- The majority of Orebro's funding is coming from Berntsson.
What that means is, a significant percentage of the money that I, and others, are paying into Mullvad is going directly into the financing of Orebro. It's very nearly a straight line, from my wallet to a racist political party. It's not hard to follow.
It's very much like how JK Rowling has explicitly said that the money she earns from the Harry Potter IP is going straight into anti-trans legislation. By paying for Harry Potter-related media, a significant chunk of your payment goes into Rowlings' pockets, which is then being used, per her own words, to fund anti-trans efforts.
With some companies (Nestle, for example), the lines are a lot murkier; there's a lot of sub-companies that are ostensibly doing good, while the money filters up towards Nestle fucking the planet over. But it's not a straight line, it's not as visible. And, of course, the trouble with how interconnected the world is comes into play - it's very hard, if not impossible, to do anything "purely good" due to how connected everything is.
At the end of the day, and at the end of this rambling mess ... Mullvad is now very visibly funding racist, Nazi-adjacent political efforts, and there's a lot of options out there that aren't Mullvad. There may not be any purely ethical VPN providers, but there has to be some that are not funding Naziism.
You can have privacy (sort of; the actual privacy of VPN offerings is always up for debate), and you can have closer alignment on political views as stated by the company's themselves, or as stated by their founders.
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Comment on ‘Citizen Vigilante’ and the rise of basedsploitation in ~movies
Drewbahr (edited )Link Parent"Cannibalistic savages" is an incredibly old, deeply racist stereotype. The fact that Bone Tomahawk struck you as no more or less racist than other westerns speaks more to just how racist those..."Cannibalistic savages" is an incredibly old, deeply racist stereotype. The fact that Bone Tomahawk struck you as no more or less racist than other westerns speaks more to just how racist those depictions are, than it does to anything else imo.
https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/i3j01n/bone_tomahawk_is_a_deeply_unsettling_and_well/
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Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society
Drewbahr (edited )Link ParentIt's general advice. "I'm not a Nazi, but" statements should be analyzed before spoken. They suggest that you're about to identify with something a Nazi/the Nazis did in a positive light. You...- Exemplary
I agree, and have already considered that a possibility that I'm willing to do whatever work needs to be done to change that to become the antifascist I consider myself to be.
Maybe you'd be willing to help me? Or point me into some kind of good direction.
It's general advice. "I'm not a Nazi, but" statements should be analyzed before spoken. They suggest that you're about to identify with something a Nazi/the Nazis did in a positive light. You shouldn't. You can rephrase that thought to more clearly state your point, without drawing a positive connection to Naziism.
Fair and good and I'm glad you have that line and that you aren't willing to cross it. It is an important line to have, and I'm not trying to change your mind about that, that's not what this is about (I'm fairly certain about that anyway).
I'm sure I'm not the only one that would be glad to know where you decided to go instead, please share your choice.
I haven't made a choice yet. I'm still reviewing my options. Turns out, there's a lot of VPNs out there whose founders/leaders/whatevers all have shit politics (Proton VPN, Njalla, etc). So it might be a matter of picking which VPN providers' politics I can stomach.
And yes, I understand that my $5/month is a drop in the proverbial bucket. I personally will not be changing the world by not spending $5 a month on a specific VPN. But I can do my best to align my spending with my personal politics and ethics. And my politics and ethics do not align with Mullvad's founders' views. I'd rather not financially support something that I fundamentally disagree with.
everything else
We can talk about difficult things on Tildes, but there are some things that I don't think warrant "discussion". We can discuss the ethics of consumerism and capitalism, we can discuss the nature of war crimes, we can discuss the ongoing genocide in Israel and Gaza and all sorts of things. But there are some topics that don't warrant "discussion", in my opinion - and one of them is the "pros and cons" of Naziism and ethnonationalism. I don't believe there are any "pros" for remigration, as outlined by the Orebro Party and by Mullvad's founder. There is only racism, hate, and suffering.
I also recognize that I, as an American, have zero functional ability to affect change in Sweden from where I'm typing this right now. Hell, my country isn't exactly doing great on the racism and human rights front, and I'm doing what I can to affect positive change in my community here. What little power I have in Sweden is reflected in my ability to not directly fund racist political parties, which is what my subscription to Mullvad does.
The problem is certainly bigger than you, me, Mullvad, or Sweden itself. We, as individuals, don't have the ability to change everything by ourselves. But we can do what we can, and maybe that is enough. And what I can do, is not spend money on Mullvad. I can leave them a piece of my mind while I'm at it. I can encourage people to not spend money on Mullvad. And maybe, when enough is said and done, enough people pull back that Mullvad stops spending money on Orebro. A man can imagine.
If you're looking for ways to affect change that don't involve your pocketbook, then look to your community. There are probably groups already organized that are "doing the work" you want to be doing. Find them, join them, and spend time (and money) on them. That's what I've done. It may not be much, but it's something.
If there are no such groups doing the work you want to be doing, then maybe it's time to make one.
Sure, I'd try it. I've had similarly "strange" foods, and I feel no obligation to continue eating something if I find it truly revolting. So far, I haven't bumped into any such foods.