friendly's recent activity
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Comment on Did I f-up? in ~life
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Comment on ChatGPT's odds of getting code questions correct are worse than a coin flip in ~tech
friendly LinkFor context, I'm a working developer with a long tech history but less than 1 year of programming experience. When I've used ChatGPT to help me write code, the more complicated the context is, the...For context, I'm a working developer with a long tech history but less than 1 year of programming experience.
When I've used ChatGPT to help me write code, the more complicated the context is, the less successful it has been in providing anything close to a solution.
If I ask ChatGPT for simple programming logic it is helpful at giving me an overview of what a solution could look like. Sometimes it works out of the box, but more often I am just using it as a soundboard for ideas and syntax.
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Comment on AI is ruining the Internet in ~tech
friendly Link ParentI don't disagree with your points at all, but I'm more curious to what you think about balancing those benefits against the impact it will have on the internet? The internet has always operated...I don't disagree with your points at all, but I'm more curious to what you think about balancing those benefits against the impact it will have on the internet?
The internet has always operated under the assumption that human users are interacting with other human users. I don't see why I would contribute to a forum where AI mods are battling against AI commenters and my comment might just be viewed as AI spam that snuck through the filters. I see this as the unavoidable conclusion of web 2.0 and in my opinion we will probably see a return of personal sites where there is some degree of certainty that the content being engaged with belongs to the mind of a human (even if they offload some of the work to AI tools, I do that too!).
I define the age of disinformation as dishonest actors depicting themselves as multiple real people. I'm sure that most people here on Tildes are well aware of the phenomenon and are also sick of it. The advent of AI tools are the disinformation equivalent of the industrial revolution and will only dial the effect up to 10.
AI will always have benefits. It will also heavily disrupt everything it touches. Is it worth it?
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Comment on Menu and decor 'reprehensible,' some Kitigan Zibi members say - ‘Indigenous fusion’ restaurant raises concerns about appropriation in ~food
friendly Link ParentThere are authentic and inauthentic restaurants for all of these cultures. An authentic Chinese restaurant in the USA may not perform as well as one that caters to an American palette, and...There are authentic and inauthentic restaurants for all of these cultures. An authentic Chinese restaurant in the USA may not perform as well as one that caters to an American palette, and locality + availability of ingredients will always inherently change how authentic a restaurant is. Even then, what type of Chinese cuisine is it representing? Sichuan, Shandong, Cantonese? Who decides the line between authentic and inauthentic?
I can't speak for anecdotal racist décor, but on that topic I'll give you a hypothetical situation and you decide if it's okay:
Someone opens a Native American restaurant that served nachos, pizza, and chicken fingers, named everything after random indigenous terms, and then claimed their mission statement was to unite all native peoples and end segregation*. The indigenous community speaks out to say that this is offensive and instead of justifying their choices, the owner lashes out at everyone instead.
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Comment on Menu and decor 'reprehensible,' some Kitigan Zibi members say - ‘Indigenous fusion’ restaurant raises concerns about appropriation in ~food
friendly Link ParentI very seriously considered your opinion and I wanted to say that I can appreciate that you are giving the owner the benefit of the doubt. If we consider that she is very wholeheartedly trying to...I very seriously considered your opinion and I wanted to say that I can appreciate that you are giving the owner the benefit of the doubt.
If we consider that she is very wholeheartedly trying to accurately reflect and promote the culture she is representing herself as, the indigenous communities have wholly rejected it as offensive and inaccurate. When I read indigenous statements in the article, I got the impression that the owner only managed to cobble together a bizarre embodiment of their culture that could only have been the result of ignorant interpretations.
Her response to this critique was to lash out with venom and say she could do whatever she wanted. Personally, if I sincerely believed I was doing the right thing, I would have said something a little more accepting and receptive.
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Comment on Menu and decor 'reprehensible,' some Kitigan Zibi members say - ‘Indigenous fusion’ restaurant raises concerns about appropriation in ~food
friendly (edited )Link ParentI agree that there are a lot of angles, and I think you are right; picking a side is difficult. I would even argue that the notion of being objectively correct just doesn't exist in these debates....I agree that there are a lot of angles, and I think you are right; picking a side is difficult. I would even argue that the notion of being objectively correct just doesn't exist in these debates. Conversations are usually set in the context of countless equally loud voices shouting over each other online. Most of us become overwhelmed and disengage, or just entrench in our thoughts and opinions, disregarding the differing voices entirely.
In 2018 an American teenager wore a Chinese dress to Prom and it made the news due to the clamour it caused, here is an article about it: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kassycho/keziah-daum-prom-qipao-cheongsam
I debated the issue with a loved one. She took the side against cultural appropriation; stating that it was wrong; she is not Chinese and the cheongsam does not belong to her, and she should not wear it. I took the opposing side; this is a celebration of cultural exchange. Fashion and design does not belong to any one person and humanity ultimately benefits from variety. Ultimately, the more I read into it, the more complicated it got and the more I felt like everyone who had an opinion on it was valid - that did not mean the other speakers were invalid.
I think this issue is a good case study in how much nuance is required when judging the character of someone who makes a choice like this, and I can say with confidence that this scenario changed my outlook of not just cultural appropriation in general, but how I make up my mind about judging someone accused of it. Reading the article now, it is still difficult to know who is right and who is wrong, and if someone is wrong, what is so wrong with that?
All that being said, the above is an example of when a fuss being made, or not made, is no big deal. China is a powerhouse and enjoys seeing it's own cultural influence in it's rival superpower. The cheongsam is influenced by western fashion trends. The cheongsam is a symbol of feminism, does that mean it belongs to women? Or only Asian women? Again, there are no wrong answers, the culture is not one of the oppressed, and the motivations of the teenager are benign.
When an indigenous culture with a long history of oppression is exploited in poor and inaccurate taste and then you describe it with delusional self grandour, I would find it hard not to pick my side and feel justified about it.
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Comment on Menu and decor 'reprehensible,' some Kitigan Zibi members say - ‘Indigenous fusion’ restaurant raises concerns about appropriation in ~food
friendly Link ParentI completely agree. I took some time to write a parent response and also touched on your sentiment towards the end; freedom to do whatever you want cuts both ways.I completely agree. I took some time to write a parent response and also touched on your sentiment towards the end; freedom to do whatever you want cuts both ways.
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Comment on Menu and decor 'reprehensible,' some Kitigan Zibi members say - ‘Indigenous fusion’ restaurant raises concerns about appropriation in ~food
friendly (edited )LinkThank you for sharing this article, I am fascinated by discussions of cultural appropriation and the many different opinions on when it is and isn't okay. Personally, I have sided for and against...- Exemplary
Thank you for sharing this article, I am fascinated by discussions of cultural appropriation and the many different opinions on when it is and isn't okay. Personally, I have sided for and against cultural appropriation and have been swayed from one side to the other during discussions. I have found that these debates are always nuanced and that the motivations of the appropriator usually lead to the most sensible conclusion.
Parts of the article that stuck out to me:
The 30-person restaurant displays a totem pole and what appear to be teepees in the logo. The menu features dishes like White Buffalo poutine – "This poutine is as sacred as the white buffalo," according to the website – along with Sasquatch wild rice nachos and Geronimo's cinnamon sugar bannock.
The "sacred tobacco grazing board," a charcuterie board, is just one of the items Horn Miller found troublesome.
... menu items like "Windigo poutine."
The way this person has handled the culture being appropriated is not authentic and is not in good taste. The menu for this restaurant contains nachos, chicken wings, pizza, sloppy joe, tacos, hamburgers, and chicken fingers. All of these menu items are named with indigenous references.
Indigenous responses:
"It was just like this mishmash of terms that come out of our own memes and public social media terminology that we use to bring humour to situations or to characterize situations or even that we talk about ceremonially — like sacred tobacco," she said... "It's really problematic."
"There's a lot of people who are frankly offended," said Odjick.... He said there's something "morally reprehensible" about "making up terms and selling it as, in her own words, medicine … and marketing those things."
The mission statement on Manitou Bistro's website says, "We are one nation." Odjick disagreed. "No we are not," said Odjick. "Indigenous people are made up of different First Nations with our own unique cultures, backgrounds, histories, traditions. To do what she's doing is frankly homogenizing us all."
Suzette's response to critiques of her situation:
"I'm entitled to do whatever the hell I want. If I want to open a restaurant, I'm going to open a restaurant. I don't need anybody's approval. I don't even need my dad's and mom's approval. This is my money; this is my dream; this is my story."
You can do whatever you want. People can write whatever they want about it. People can eat wherever they want. Operating a restaurant is hard and ultimately relies on the goodwill and patronage of the community you operate in.
Suzette Foucault strikes me as an opportunist. They see a market for authentic, indigenous experiences in a time where society has shifted to appreciate these oppressed cultures and support their continued future, both culturally and economically. By marketing their new restaurant in this way, Suzette is capitalizing on this good will.
Edit: small grammar and typo fixes
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Comment on Menu and decor 'reprehensible,' some Kitigan Zibi members say - ‘Indigenous fusion’ restaurant raises concerns about appropriation in ~food
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Comment on AI is ruining the Internet in ~tech
friendly (edited )Link ParentEdit: The commenter I was replying to said something to the nature of 'there is plenty of good about AI on the internet' without any elaboration. The article is very damning of the very real side...Edit: The commenter I was replying to said something to the nature of 'there is plenty of good about AI on the internet' without any elaboration.
The article is very damning of the very real side effects; A heightened captcha bar to prove your humanity makes for poorer UX, repositories of reliable information being undermined by a flood of hallucinatory computer generated responses, ChatGPT confidently spreading misinformation, the increased fidelity of scams - this is all just scratching the surface.
It isn't an understatement to say that the advent of AI generated content has completely undermined web 2.0. I'm curious to know how you think it can help and if this opinion is rooted in how predictive language models currently perform?
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Comment on Is there a name for the "this is not who I am" defense? in ~talk
friendly Link ParentIn the context of an overwhelmingly negative social media response, especially in the scenario you provided, I can understand the instinct to say 'this is not who I am.' Social media's tendency to...In the context of an overwhelmingly negative social media response, especially in the scenario you provided, I can understand the instinct to say 'this is not who I am.' Social media's tendency to push the most outrageous opinions and responses to the forefront has the effect of not just polarizing opinion but simplifying it. In the face of being declared wholly bad by what must feel like everyone on earth, I would probably also feel the urge to say 'I am more than this one action.'
Thank you for your response; I agree with all of it and just wanted to share my thoughts on how social media can be a distorted lens for looking at society and, in these rare scenarios, ourselves.
I agree with the other commenters; calling out bad behaviour is the moral response, and shining a light on it caused FIL to at least look at his bad behaviour.
Starting a confrontation can cause sudden and unexpected rifts to form in any social group, so I would take caution in case you find yourself 'responsible' for a falling out. Not everyone can see fraught situations as clearly as internet commenters with one side of the story.
Consider taking a non-aggressive approach. If FIL has an outburst, openly ask MIL if she is okay, that you understand how hurtful that would have been. I can only imagine that this kind of compassion would resonate with the family while also making it clear to FIL that he has hurt someone with his actions.