Gaywallet's recent activity
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Comment on Supreme Court upholds new Texas abortion law, for now in ~news
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Comment on Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of August 30 in ~health.coronavirus
Gaywallet LinkThe Impact of Community Masking on COVID-19: A Cluster-Randomized Trial in Bangladesh - the first randomly controlled trial on mask use during COVID-19 proves effectiveness.The Impact of Community Masking on COVID-19: A Cluster-Randomized Trial in Bangladesh - the first randomly controlled trial on mask use during COVID-19 proves effectiveness.
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Comment on The Reddit COVID blackout has begun in ~tech
Gaywallet Link ParentThey literally do not care if the subs go to shit, their only priority is for participation and growth. Why do you think they drag their feet as long as they can on any troublesome subs? They know...They literally do not care if the subs go to shit, their only priority is for participation and growth. Why do you think they drag their feet as long as they can on any troublesome subs? They know that emotionally charged issues draw people into the conversation and give them metrics like posts and users/day as participation metrics they can sell to VC for more money.
While it looks bad for a bunch of subs to go private, I'm not sure where the capitalism calculus lands them in terms of what they believe is the best course of action in response. Private subs still generate numbers they can pitch to investors, but I also don't think the PR of not doing anything over covid misinformation is frankly enough to scare off investors either - there's plenty of clearly right wing outlets on the internet that don't seem to struggle too much to acquire funding. Being ostensibly against it but also "pro free speech" or whatever seems to be an okay argument for most people in the United States.
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Comment on Online trolls actually just assholes all the time, study finds in ~science
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Online trolls actually just assholes all the time, study finds
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Comment on Landlords from Florida to California are jacking up rents at record speeds in ~finance
Gaywallet Link ParentEntirely anecdotal based on experiences of real estate agents who operate in the area and what occasionally gets reported on in news.Entirely anecdotal based on experiences of real estate agents who operate in the area and what occasionally gets reported on in news.
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Comment on Landlords from Florida to California are jacking up rents at record speeds in ~finance
Gaywallet Link ParentI don't know if it's true, but I have heard about measures trying to tax or otherwise de-incentivize foreign investment. Builders and flippers are vaguely common around here as well but they are...I don't know if it's true, but I have heard about measures trying to tax or otherwise de-incentivize foreign investment.
Builders and flippers are vaguely common around here as well but they are often bargain hunting - they'll help keep a floor on prices but don't put much upward pressure.
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Comment on Landlords from Florida to California are jacking up rents at record speeds in ~finance
Gaywallet Link ParentIt's a lot more than just that. Many people are treating the housing market as an investment in an attempt to diversify earnings. Foreign investors in some countries do not have to deal with...It's a lot more than just that. Many people are treating the housing market as an investment in an attempt to diversify earnings. Foreign investors in some countries do not have to deal with restrictions on variable rate mortgages and have more access to funding in places which weren't affected by the '07 crash and subsequent regulation of American banks. In the bay area in particular there are a lot of Asian investors who are getting access to variable rate loans who can acquire large loans with a small amount of income which jack up rates in 5-7 years, with no intent of holding onto the property for more than a few years. When properties often sell within a week or two of going on the market and 5 years of interest typically returning at least 10% profit, an emerging middle class in other countries has an incentive to invest and pump the market and exit before it becomes costly to them. Until prices reach a point at which the market can no longer hold (we had a small peak around 2018 which has mostly recovered by now) on account of wage growth no longer matching, I don't see this changing absent city, county, or state level control via foreign taxes or some other method of evening the playing field.
My understanding is that this kind of problem has happened in quite a few big tech hubs. As the high paying jobs migrate so do the investors, to exploit the potential market as it grows.
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Little-known Federal software can trigger revocation of citizenship
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Comment on Who gets to define what’s ‘racist?’ in ~humanities
Gaywallet Link ParentOne aspect of the 'interesting responses' that often gets overlooked is that some people aren't ready to have an honest conversation about how to undo racism in the world, but it may open the eyes...One aspect of the 'interesting responses' that often gets overlooked is that some people aren't ready to have an honest conversation about how to undo racism in the world, but it may open the eyes of some who have been sheltered from the effects of racism. Privileged people from the majority class sometimes do not have exposure to the pervasiveness of racism. It's one thing to recognize how racist slurs are problematic, but what about all the more subtler ways it influences how we internalize and think about things?
I recognize that there's a counterpoint to be made that this may push some people away because spending so much mental effort on something so trivial can frustrate and upset others, but I don't think people spend enough time thinking about how lots of different examples being show cased in the public eye raises general cultural awareness. I don't think there's a perfect way to navigate this - as you mention we have lots of diversity within the world and people are bound to hold different opinions, but I'm of the mindset that more conversations and more education can almost never be a bad thing.
I think it's an important practice to amplify the voices of those who are most directly affected by any certain conversation and to listen to them differently than their majority counterparts. I also don't think it's antithetical to raise the voices of both those who agree changes need to be made as well as those who do not - recognizing and understanding human diversity I think are important for any one human to digest the difficulty and nuance when it comes down to issues. In particular, it makes me think about amplified voices when it comes to something with a much higher cost to the minority group affected - seeing the conversation on master/slave and the black voices that emerged as compared to say, black lives matter, is an important contrast for people to understand where resources should be targeted and how important a particular issue actually is. It's very easy to get lost in the million things wrong with the world and having clear narratives emerge can be an important sorting mechanism.
Unfortunately, honest and constructive conversations about this are nigh-impossible these days.
When properly moderated, I would argue it's actually quite easy to have these conversations. The problem is that by and large on the internet we have mostly failed to learn how to do this.
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Seeking Trans liberation through birthwork
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Comment on Most private insurers are no longer waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment in ~health.coronavirus
Gaywallet Link ParentIt all depends on how the plan is built. Most plans cover hospital visits at some fixed percentage. Now that COVID-19 hospitalizations are no longer waived what this means is it will depend on the...It all depends on how the plan is built. Most plans cover hospital visits at some fixed percentage. Now that COVID-19 hospitalizations are no longer waived what this means is it will depend on the plan. Pay close attention to what you shop for and make sure that there is decent hospital coverage.
I can't say that this will happen for every insurer, but my guess is that if you are not vaccinated what will likely happen is that many of these plans will simply deny the usual hospital coverage rate. Interestingly enough this might actually drive higher rates of vaccination simply because people don't want the potential financial burden. Provide people a strong enough incentive and they may shed some of their ideals.
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Most private insurers are no longer waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment
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Comment on Yik Yak, the anonymous app that tested free speech, is back in ~tech
Gaywallet Link ParentI think it's a stretch to even call it social media. Social media implies there is a way to be social on the platform - user names you can recognize and interact with. Messages, posts, or other...I think it's a stretch to even call it social media. Social media implies there is a way to be social on the platform - user names you can recognize and interact with. Messages, posts, or other content tied back to a user.
This platform existed purely to place anonymous messages. Think of it like a digital version of the bathroom stall, where you can post whatever you want without concern for who reads it, if anyone.
Social media platforms, while problematic with childhood bullying, do actually allow for people to be social with one another. Content is tied to a user and there are ways for users to interact with one another. This allows for plenty of positive social interactions. By removing any possibility of knowing who someone is without self-identification, you're removing any truly social aspects of a platform.
To compare this with say facebook or instagram where bullying behavior is incredibly easy to see or surface, where more eyes are familiar with it, and where users are tied to their content very directly is a false dichotomy at best. Even other platforms designed around some level of pseudo-anonymity (usernames only) or temporary media (such as snapchat) is frankly unfair as those systems can still self-regulate via social pressures to an extent.
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Comment on These people who work from home have a secret: They have two jobs in ~life
Gaywallet Link ParentI've been working 10-30 hours a week for the last five years at least, and I still get stellar reviews and people asking me how I do things so quickly. A lot of it is the nature of the field I...I've been working 10-30 hours a week for the last five years at least, and I still get stellar reviews and people asking me how I do things so quickly. A lot of it is the nature of the field I work in, and the fact that I'm quite good at problem solving, politics, and just plain think differently than most others. I would never want to work 2 jobs. I make enough money to support my activities and support my partners which don't have as much, it gives me free time to exercise, do household chores, or otherwise keep myself happy.
I have one partner who is basically working M-F and almost never schedules anything on weekday evenings - I suspect he is doing at least 50 hours a week on average, perhaps more. I don't envy that and don't want to work that way either. I got a taste of >40 hour workweeks at the beginning of the pandemic because I ended up in charge of our health systems infrastructure related to COVID readiness and response - tracking patients, positivity rate, labs, supplies such as n-95 masks, gowns, gloves, respirators, and more and was working 60-80 hour weeks with no real weekend or time off for about 1.5-2 months and it took a huge toll on my physical and mental health.
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Comment on These people who work from home have a secret: They have two jobs in ~life
Gaywallet LinkI find it particularly interesting that you have this clear dichotomy in the article. People who are doing this are either working 100 hour weeks, effectively working 2 jobs, or often not even...I find it particularly interesting that you have this clear dichotomy in the article. People who are doing this are either working 100 hour weeks, effectively working 2 jobs, or often not even hitting 40 hours and looking to take some power back from corporations which exploit the workforce.
Fascinating article, thank you for sharing.
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Comment on Polarization, pedantry, and pugnacious behavior in ~talk
Gaywallet Link ParentIn general terms I think you've done a decent job summarizing some of the more problematic threads that have popped up from time to time on this website. My solution is much more simple than the...In general terms I think you've done a decent job summarizing some of the more problematic threads that have popped up from time to time on this website.
My solution is much more simple than the one you are suggesting - it's simply remembering the human. Stallman's thread is a good example of forgetting that there are people on this website who likely have Down's or feel strongly about someone with Down's (family, friend, lover, etc.) and discussing whether it's okay to abort children like that is likely going to be upsetting to them. I also think it's important to point out that many groups of individuals, such as those represented in ~lgbt have been classified as mental illnesses in the past by the majority, and the very idea that eugenics could allow someone to pick and choose whether their child has a 'mental illness' or not is a slippery slope - it's not a huge jump in logic to understand that some people would gladly make the choice for their kid not to have a 'mental illness' or frankly anything that might represent values they don't hold.
Also, for the record, I'm neither male nor female. I am non-binary. 😊
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Comment on Polarization, pedantry, and pugnacious behavior in ~talk
Gaywallet Link ParentI'm not optimistic about the idea of more tags simply fixing things, without users looking at the tabs and having some authority to clean places up. I've pushed for quite some time for minority...I'm not optimistic about the idea of more tags simply fixing things, without users looking at the tabs and having some authority to clean places up. I've pushed for quite some time for minority spots such as ~lgbt to have moderation simply because there are no safe spaces on this website and the absence of these spaces makes it hard to engage. I think quite a bit about the kind of response I'm almost certain to get, before I bother posting anything. Often times, as of late, I just find it too mentally exhausting to bother with and just forego the comment altogether.
That being said, I'm also willing to try anything at this point. If the end result is troublesome comments being removed and the solution is simply more labels rather than the use of existing labels, I'm happy to give that a shot. But we also need more eyes on the labels than just one pair.
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Comment on Polarization, pedantry, and pugnacious behavior in ~talk
Gaywallet Link ParentNo one, and I mean no one is an exemplary of perfect behavior. I too am guilty of letting emotion get the best of me and escalating out of frustration, being hurt, having a bad day, being upset,...- Exemplary
No one, and I mean no one is an exemplary of perfect behavior. I too am guilty of letting emotion get the best of me and escalating out of frustration, being hurt, having a bad day, being upset, or any other number of emotions. What matters is that we do our best to notice and curb the behaviors we wish not to display.
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Comment on Polarization, pedantry, and pugnacious behavior in ~talk
Gaywallet Link ParentI've been thinking about making this post for a few months now. Scrolling through my feed won't tell you much, other than my reduced activity. I wouldn't say the issue is so much one of the wrong...I've been thinking about making this post for a few months now. Scrolling through my feed won't tell you much, other than my reduced activity.
I wouldn't say the issue is so much one of the wrong topics, as it is the wrong behavior. The topics that most easily slip into extreme rationalism often exemplify several of the problems I listed above and therefore tend to be the ones I avoid most... but even in places I would expect mostly good behavior I still often see the beginnings of the same problematic behavior that made me stop participating on Reddit.
Differences in perception are exactly what I've been trying to highlight this entire time. No two people participate in or engage with Tildes in the same way and we need to be more aware of how others view the website if the goal is to have a diverse user-base.
"for now" - as in if the court isn't packed with conservatives itching to erode nearly a century of progress. This is just one of many civil liberties at risk. Just because they haven't been eroding them all instantly does not mean they aren't looking to do so slowly, so that it doesn't draw enough public ire to cause someone to stop them.