R3qn65's recent activity
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Comment on Kamala Harris lacks charisma and time in ~misc
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Comment on US President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for re-election in ~news
R3qn65 Link ParentI think it's worth pointing out here that in many senses, a party in what is functionally a two-party system is forced to adapt more than a party in a multi-party/parliamentarian system. Fringe...Because a country that can't accept change has no future in a world that's changing rapidly.
I think it's worth pointing out here that in many senses, a party in what is functionally a two-party system is forced to adapt more than a party in a multi-party/parliamentarian system. Fringe elements must be incorporated, instead of just letting them secede into their own micro-parties.
Just look at how the US's republican party has evolved over the last 10 years. That's an absolutely massive change!
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Comment on Microsoft laid off a DEI team, and its lead wrote an internal email blasting how DEI is 'no longer business critical' in ~tech
R3qn65 Link ParentTo be fair, gaywallet's assertion was that diversity increases success - not necessarily DEI programs.To be fair, gaywallet's assertion was that diversity increases success - not necessarily DEI programs.
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Comment on Microsoft laid off a DEI team, and its lead wrote an internal email blasting how DEI is 'no longer business critical' in ~tech
R3qn65 Link ParentCouldn't agree more.In short the entire problem comes down to a combination of culture and buy-in. If you create some DEI positions and hire people into them because you don't want to be left out, but you are still effectively only paying attention to what simple/direct metrics improve your bottom line in the short term and are skeptical of whether DEI is going to do something, chances are your DEI initiative isn't going to work and it may have been a waste of money.
Couldn't agree more.
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Comment on Microsoft laid off a DEI team, and its lead wrote an internal email blasting how DEI is 'no longer business critical' in ~tech
R3qn65 Link ParentI think it's fair to ask, though, whether DEI programs actually help increase diversity. As this review writes, I think overall it's a pretty fair review.I think it's fair to ask, though, whether DEI programs actually help increase diversity. As this review writes,
We note that scholars of diversity training, when testing the efficacy of their approaches, too often use proxy measures for success that are far removed from the types of consequential outcomes that reflect the purported goals of such trainings. We suggest that the enthusiasm for, and monetary investment in, diversity training has outpaced the available evidence that such programs are effective in achieving their goals. We recommend that researchers and practitioners work together for future investigations to propel the science of diversity training forward.
I think overall it's a pretty fair review.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
R3qn65 Link ParentIf you'd like to discuss the US's flaws I'm all for that, but posting "does free speech apply to black people?" with no follow-on is so clearly a nonserious provocative jab that it's not really a...If you'd like to discuss the US's flaws I'm all for that, but posting "does free speech apply to black people?" with no follow-on is so clearly a nonserious provocative jab that it's not really a discussion.
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Comment on Donald Trump does not get post-shooting poll boost in ~misc
R3qn65 Link ParentIt does seem like that, yeah. I suspect that at this point the deciding factor is going to be which candidate motivates their base to vote better, rather than which candidate successfully appeals...It does seem like that, yeah. I suspect that at this point the deciding factor is going to be which candidate motivates their base to vote better, rather than which candidate successfully appeals to the middle.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
R3qn65 Link ParentYou're right that we don't agree on the opinion stuff, so I'll leave that alone. I do want to respond to this, though. One of the strongest parts of the US is that the government cannot restrict...I'm pretty sure if you are a major influencer and start spreading things about the US government there will be people knocking at your door.
You're right that we don't agree on the opinion stuff, so I'll leave that alone. I do want to respond to this, though. One of the strongest parts of the US is that the government cannot restrict your speech and they take that extremely seriously.
The journalist who published Snowden's leaks lives in America, unmolested.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
R3qn65 Link ParentSo they don't care... As long as you're not criticizing the regime.The CCP could care less about what regular people talk about online.
It is only an issue if you start spreading absurd anti China propaganda inside China with it.
So they don't care... As long as you're not criticizing the regime.
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Comment on A wife’s revenge from beyond the grave in ~life
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Comment on Do you get bored? in ~talk
R3qn65 LinkI think you're absolutely right that there's basically infinite interesting stimulus. For that reason, as I've matured I've come to realize that whenever I'm feeling bored, it's actually the...I think you're absolutely right that there's basically infinite interesting stimulus. For that reason, as I've matured I've come to realize that whenever I'm feeling bored, it's actually the anhedonia of impending depression.
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Comment on The death squads hunting environmental defenders in ~enviro
R3qn65 (edited )LinkThis is an unbelievable take. Openly stating that the "neocolonial US military apparatus" is to blame for murders in the Philippines - not because any US entity actually did anything, but because...The hidden nature of the killings and the entanglement of military, paramilitary and local police makes it hard enough to trace state complicity, let alone track them back to more powerful geopolitical actors — such as the neocolonial U.S. military apparatus that has long cleared the way for resource extraction, and the global corporate and financial interests that ultimately profit. Yet, in many states — including the Philippines and much of Latin America — the wars on terror and drugs under which these executions are carried out are extensions of U.S. hegemony and conducted with U.S. weapons and training.
While the State Department condemns such killings — and, in 2017, even formed an interagency working group to monitor and address violence against environmental defenders — in practice, the United States has almost never had to take accountability for the local killings of activists by the governments it supports.
This is an unbelievable take. Openly stating that the "neocolonial US military apparatus" is to blame for murders in the Philippines - not because any US entity actually did anything, but because it has "cleared the way for resource extraction and global corporate interests" - is absurd. As is the notion that the US needs to be held personally accountable for the murder of activists in countries it supports.
The Philippines is a democracy, not some banana republic propped up by the CIA. It's almost insultingly infantilizing to claim that the US should be held ultimately accountable.
I'm engaging with this specifically because the bulk of the article, in terms of word count, is a critique of the US's Leahy vetting proces, rather than a critique of the Philippines.
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Comment on Does anyone have any advice for new dads? in ~life.men
R3qn65 (edited )Link ParentThis is what we did and it was a huge help. With that said - I never really found the sleep thing to be that big of a deal. What I mean, @odysseus, is that I spent some time in a combat arms...1.) Create a sleep schedule. You and your partner get four hours a piece. Say 'bedtime' starts at 8pm. First sleep shift. Then at midnight, you swap. 4am, swap again. Not to say you can't nap but having a bassinet downstairs or in the living room and making the bedroom a sleep palace will vastly improve the quality of the limited hours of sleep you and your partner get.
This is what we did and it was a huge help.
With that said - I never really found the sleep thing to be that big of a deal. What I mean, @odysseus, is that I spent some time in a combat arms branch of a military, and so I already knew that I could go for a very long time on very little sleep indeed. I already knew that I would hate life when I first woke up, but that once I got moving the "oh god fuck this" feeling would recede and the rest of the day would be alright; and I already knew that it would eventually be over, after really not that much time.
I think a lot of new parents let the mental aspect of sleep deprivation get to them. It becomes this bugbear when it really probably doesn't need to be. You'll be okay.
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Comment on Easy access to stimulants aided scientific progress in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in ~talk
R3qn65 (edited )Link ParentThat's fair, but - and I say this as someone who is pro-anabolic steroids - the difference in danger and overall effect between caffeine and what we would traditionally consider PEDs1 is massive....That's fair, but - and I say this as someone who is pro-anabolic steroids - the difference in danger and overall effect between caffeine and what we would traditionally consider PEDs1 is massive.
1I say "traditionally consider" to stave off any pedants who wish to argue that caffeine is a PED. It is, that's established, but it's not the same.
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Comment on What considerations are considered most persuasive in moving moral skeptics to moral objectivism? in ~humanities
R3qn65 Link ParentYou are very welcome. I'm so glad you liked it! Obviously your mileage may vary, but I personally have never found analytical philosophy particularly interesting or instructive in answering...You are very welcome. I'm so glad you liked it! Obviously your mileage may vary, but I personally have never found analytical philosophy particularly interesting or instructive in answering questions about morals. This is because while the average person does not necessarily need to understand a theory of mind or other more esoteric question, every single one of us routinely ponders moral problems, moral questions, and moral solutions. For that reason, it has always seemed to me that some of the more, perhaps, simplistic - or at least less analytical or less rigorous - solutions are the most compelling and the most interesting.
It may be because I'm a sucker for the ancients, but I find Aristotle and Marcus Aurelius's arguments about what it means to live a good life to be the most interesting. In large part this is because they were building their arguments on what they considered an appeal to the reason possessed by every man, without the requirement for rigid analytical language. Moving closer to my own personal philosophies, I also think there's something to the notion that a broader conception of morality can in fact often be more instructive. What I mean by that is that when considering a thorny moral problem in the real world, I find it is very often more useful not to consider "what would objectivism say" or "what will bring the greatest overall benefit under a particular set of assumptions," but rather, "is this what a person trying to live a good life would do?"
There's a scene in the Michael Bay film 13 hours - a film which is both spectacularly good, and, of course, because it's Michael Bay, spectacularly terrible - where the main characters are trying to decide whether to disobey orders and put their careers at risk in order to go and save some other Americans who will certainly die otherwise. Eventually, after listening to the impassioned pleas of their compatriots on the radio for long enough, one turns to the other and says "well, can't put a price on being able to sleep at night," and they go. I unironically find that to be a very useful barometer.
Anyway, returning to your actual question, I would recommend reading more into the criticisms of moral skepticism and then potentially taking a detour into some of the most ancient works on morality.
I'm so glad to find someone equally interested in these questions! There's nothing more important.
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Comment on Rapper BG ordered to have all future songs approved by US government in ~music
R3qn65 Link ParentFor sure, but free speech is not absolute, even in the US (where it is much closer than in almost any other country). Just look at the defamation cases against the former US president trump....The judge did, yes, but if he still needs "approval" or he is punished for using his right to free speech then isn't that the same thing as limiting his speech?
For sure, but free speech is not absolute, even in the US (where it is much closer than in almost any other country). Just look at the defamation cases against the former US president trump.
Anyway, though, I brought that up not because I was trying to argue that his speech wasn't being limited (it is, you're right), but because I am trying to argue that the government is not trying to silence him or prevent him from calling attention to systemic issues. He accepted a prison release deal that specifically involved federal supervision and rehabilitation, and so it's not that far-fetched for the government to say "you can rap about murder but please stop publically threatening people who cooperate with the police."
For what it's worth, I am philosophically 100% with you, I love rap, and I think it's super important for giving the American ghetto a voice... but I can't agree that this subgenre of gangsta rap discusses systemic issues in the black community. At least not in any sort of constructive way. I'm not saying anyone who does one can't do the other - just look at Tupac, who was constantly rapping about both. But again, the government isn't saying "stop rapping about how kids have no choice but to become pushers because other opportunities are closed to them," and they're not even saying "stop rapping about killing people." They're saying "please stop threatening people and you know you're not supposed to be associating with felons."
In any event, his lawyers are now saying that he wasn't issued any such mandate at all so who knows.
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Comment on Rapper BG ordered to have all future songs approved by US government in ~music
R3qn65 LinkPlease read the article before commenting! The headline is not false, but it is misleading.Please read the article before commenting! The headline is not false, but it is misleading.
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Comment on Rapper BG ordered to have all future songs approved by US government in ~music
R3qn65 Link ParentI don't mean this as bad as it's going to come across, but did you read the article by chance? The order was for rather specific reasons, and trying to cover up the systemic issues had nothing to...Also it seems laughable in the intentions. Do they think silencing this person will make these things go away?
I don't mean this as bad as it's going to come across, but did you read the article by chance? The order was for rather specific reasons, and trying to cover up the systemic issues had nothing to do with them. Indeed, the judge specifically upheld BG's right to "promot[e] and glorify future gun violence/murder.”
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Comment on What considerations are considered most persuasive in moving moral skeptics to moral objectivism? in ~humanities
R3qn65 (edited )Link ParentI think probably the best resource for you is this article by Daniel Calcutt. He discusses how introductory ethics classes seem to unintentionally steer students towards moral skepticism and holds...I think probably the best resource for you is this article by Daniel Calcutt. He discusses how introductory ethics classes seem to unintentionally steer students towards moral skepticism and holds that discussing moral skepticism is important to show them that it's not a flawless ideology. As he writes in his introduction,
In fact, one problem with much student skepticism about value is that it is so dogmatic and uncritical: one would like those with such views to be a little more skeptical, as it were, about their skepticism. How can one achieve this?
I don't mean to shut down discussion by saying "go read this guy," but it's a case where literally anything I could say on the subject is better said by Mr Calcutt, who is also an excellent writer and thus quite enjoyable to read. Happy to discuss any thoughts on his thoughts!
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Comment on What considerations are considered most persuasive in moving moral skeptics to moral objectivism? in ~humanities
R3qn65 LinkAre you referring to trained philosophers who are likely thinking in a metaethical sense or are you referring to regular people? The reason I ask is that this is the philosopher's definition of...Are you referring to trained philosophers who are likely thinking in a metaethical sense or are you referring to regular people?
The reason I ask is that this is the philosopher's definition of moral realism -
Moral realism (also ethical realism) is the position that ethical sentences express propositions that refer to objective features of the world (that is, features independent of subjective opinion), some of which may be true to the extent that they report those features accurately.
But for most regular people, your question would be taken more along the lines of "are there certain things that are inherently immoral."
Neither question is better or worse but they are very different.
I had no idea of this. Thank you for sharing.