Gaywallet's recent activity

  2. Comment on US Food and Drug Administration limits approval for new coronavirus vaccines to high-risk people in ~health

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    Frankly speaking I don't think many of the folks pushing these policies are smart enough to even understand genetics. However, it does clearly come from a place of establishing superiority of a...

    Frankly speaking I don't think many of the folks pushing these policies are smart enough to even understand genetics. However, it does clearly come from a place of establishing superiority of a particular kind of person, and that person is undeniably white, straight, and male. I think they will happily use genetic arguments when they can and when it happens to fit the conversation (we've already seen stuff like phrenology being used by the alt-right) but its less intellectually charged than that - it's based more in feelings than science, so we have to think a bit more broadly on what a term like eugenics is trying to capture. That is to say, they're using all of the same arguments around a 'genetically pure' population but because they are also simultaneously discrediting science as a whole they aren't using quite the same arguments that the Nazi's did 100 years ago or other modern-day eugenics might.

    8 votes

  3. Comment on US Food and Drug Administration limits approval for new coronavirus vaccines to high-risk people in ~health

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    To add to this, I'd highly suggest that @skybrian and others who don't see it yet to keep an eye on how the federal and various state governments are dealing with transgender people. Not just what...

    To add to this, I'd highly suggest that @skybrian and others who don't see it yet to keep an eye on how the federal and various state governments are dealing with transgender people. Not just what they're saying, which is horrendous and inhumane, but the policies they're passing. They're trying to completely eliminate trans healthcare, including for adults, by re-classifying it as a mental illness. On the federal level they've already tied denying medicare reimbursement to systems which perform gender affirming surgeries on children (keep in mind this means if any doctors in your system perform this care, all medicare reimbursement is cut off... also, notably children are classified as ages 0-19 which includes legal adults) and it would not be surprising if they tie medicare reimbursement to systems which provide any transgender care before long. On the local levels they're already pushing legislation to make all kinds of gender care illegal as well as make being trans itself illegal in some fashion (legal right to deny care by any clinician who objects, making it illegal to appropriate funds to any transgender health, making child conversion therapy legal, opening the door for medical suit on transition regret, classifying gender affirming care as child abuse, making the act of unclothing one's genitals in a bathroom a sexual offense, and so on) and they talk of it like it's a disease and that these people need to be eradicated (quite literally using words such as eradicate). It would not surprise me one bit if the same framework is used to make homosexuality illegal or other forms of disability illegal and persecuted.

    9 votes

  4. Comment on The ancient Roman alternative to daylight saving time; An hour was not a consistent unit of time. In the summer it could be as long as 75 minutes and in the winter it sometimes lasted just 45 minutes. in ~humanities.history

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    The relevant quote We can't draw any conclusions about fatalities from this quote. There's countless actual research on the subject which is much better controlled. No research is free from some...

    The relevant quote

    The National Safety Council reported in February that pre-sunrise fatalities had risen to 20 from 18 the year before. In July, Roger Sant, then an assistant administrator-designate for the Federal Energy Administration, wrote a letter to the Post that noted a 1 percent energy saving achieved by going to DST equated to 20,000-30,000 tons of coal not being burned each day. Further, he wrote, accidents had fallen in the afternoons.

    We can't draw any conclusions about fatalities from this quote. There's countless actual research on the subject which is much better controlled. No research is free from some level of criticism and ultimately there's a split amongst whether permanent ST or DST is better, but it is clear that the act of changing times has serious issues and a huge economic cost and that daylight is important for pedestrian and motorist fatalities.

    12 votes

  5. Comment on Ed Zitron: How to argue with an AI booster in ~tech

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    To be fair they did say "argue" with, not "convince them to no longer be an AI booster"

    To be fair they did say "argue" with, not "convince them to no longer be an AI booster"

    7 votes

  6. Comment on How Tea’s founder convinced millions of women to spill their secrets, then exposed them to the world in ~tech

  8. Comment on At what point does the obvious invasion of the commons become too much for people? Have we already passed the threshold with smartphones? in ~tech

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    Yes I think establishing appropriate boundaries and respecting them is a good thing to do! I'm not disagreeing with you at all, but I also think that if you expect these boundaries without clearly...

    Yes I think establishing appropriate boundaries and respecting them is a good thing to do! I'm not disagreeing with you at all, but I also think that if you expect these boundaries without clearly expressing them, you're going to be in for a bad time.

    4 votes

  9. Comment on At what point does the obvious invasion of the commons become too much for people? Have we already passed the threshold with smartphones? in ~tech

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    I think its fine to set and maintain these boundaries where appropriate. I also think it's fine for people to not have these boundaries. As someone who has spent a fair deal of their adult life in...

    When you're talking to someone, talk to them. Don't do something else at the same time, regardless of the form factor or technology level. Don't be rude.

    I think its fine to set and maintain these boundaries where appropriate. I also think it's fine for people to not have these boundaries. As someone who has spent a fair deal of their adult life in nightlife and knows a lot of professional entertainers as well, being actively social and keeping up with conversations as well as issues that arise, when they arise, is a completely normal part of being in the scene. My personal boundaries are much more soft when it comes to these because I know how the life can be. In my own life I make sure to check with others what boundaries are appropriate or okay with them and do my best to respect them.

    4 votes

  10. Comment on California is moving forward with a partisan redistricting effort to counter Texas’ move in ~society

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    And what of the existing current extreme violence against citizens happening today, under Republican rule? I am exhausted of people repeating this line, or thinking that peace is always the answer...

    And what of the existing current extreme violence against citizens happening today, under Republican rule? I am exhausted of people repeating this line, or thinking that peace is always the answer while the opposition is being flagrantly violent.

    7 votes

  11. Comment on ‘Being short is a curse’: the men paying thousands to get their legs broken – and lengthened in ~life.men

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    This is important insight, but also just a side effect of a few major important differences between the sexes - notably how they are treated and separated in society (including what they are...
    • Exemplary

    This is important insight, but also just a side effect of a few major important differences between the sexes - notably how they are treated and separated in society (including what they are taught to value and what skills are reinforced) and biological realities that tend to lead sexes towards particular kinds of behavior.

    A minor quibble, however-

    I truly believe that as a man it's no different to understand a women than it is a man, because our brains really do function the same.

    As a gender-walker who has experienced life in many different presentations and social roles, I believe this statement is a bit misleading. The heart of the matter is true - we both have brains, and our brains are remarkably similar (very few sex-based differences and it's hard to say how much of it is brought on by hormones and by environment). However, it is important to note that the roles and skills which are reinforced by society absolutely shape how our brain interprets information. It's quite easy, I think, for people to imagine that the way someone raised in isolation or abuse thinks is going to be fundamentally different from the way someone raised in a healthier environment thinks. The same is true for people raised in male and female society - what society reinforces for them as skills they need to learn, what they are complimented for doing and not doing, and similarly what they are chastised for doing and not doing.

    Ultimately these do shape how men and women approach and interact with each other, as well as how we interpret and assimilate information. Sometimes these things are difficult to de-internalize, or the people may have no interest in de-internalizing them. For example, some women may feel that men need to pursue them in order for them to feel desired, and that could be deeply-seated feelings which have been internalized from what society values, how it treats women, how it tells women they should feel, and ultimately how dating is "supposed" to work. Since dating is simultaneously a dance which is informed by these values as well as a way to check on alignment on particular issues and compatibility through these lenses, it's frankly a complicated mess of an issue. I would highly suggest making friends of all genders and especially with those outside the binary if you're trying to understand how other people raised in different settings think.

    28 votes

  12. Comment on Meta appoints anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theorist Robby Starbuck as AI bias advisor in ~lgbt

    Gaywallet
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    The president really made an executive order about preventing woke AI? Humanity is cooked fam

    The president really made an executive order about preventing woke AI? Humanity is cooked fam

    14 votes

  13. Comment on Why are there so many rationalist cults? in ~life

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    Copper is used as a passive antimicrobial surface in hospitals for some time now. It is not a "weird idea", it's actually been around centuries. In fact, other specific metals have been identified...

    For another example of a weird idea around that time, apparently there was a study that the COVID-19 virus didn’t survive as well on metal surfaces, so some rationalists started wrapping doorknobs with copper. I don’t think there’s any evidence that this worked, but the attitude was, it might help, and we shouldn’t be afraid to try it just because it looks weird.

    Copper is used as a passive antimicrobial surface in hospitals for some time now. It is not a "weird idea", it's actually been around centuries. In fact, other specific metals have been identified as antimicrobial and have had medical use for some time as well - silver, gold, titanium and zinc all have various antimicrobial properties.

    Modern research on these metals includes the attempt to use them in nanoclusters inside the body (or topically at the site of the wound) to help control infections and spread, and combinations of the materials with electrostatic materials have been explored to increase their effectiveness.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Why aren’t armed US citizens overthrowing the current government? in ~society

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    It sounds like your question is much simpler - you're wondering how people can have a justification which is in conflict with reality. The answer is cognitive dissonance. Humans will make up any...

    I’ve heard it many times as an argument for why it’s necessary to maintain the right to own guns

    It sounds like your question is much simpler - you're wondering how people can have a justification which is in conflict with reality. The answer is cognitive dissonance. Humans will make up any excuse that fits their world view.

    2 votes

  15. Comment on How to not build the Torment Nexus in ~tech

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    Oh okay yea, I agree with you on this. We should be aware of the harm we are doing and work to minimize it, or other harms in the world where we can.

    Only that they look at it, acknowledge its existence, and maybe work toward shrinking it.

    Oh okay yea, I agree with you on this. We should be aware of the harm we are doing and work to minimize it, or other harms in the world where we can.

    4 votes

  16. Comment on How to not build the Torment Nexus in ~tech

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    It's fundamentally a part of capitalism. Concentration of wealth leads to concentration of industries. Industry standards are driven by independent reviews, which when they get popular enough...

    That's the whole point of the blog post: That if we're not willing to make those sacrifices for one reason or another, we get to live with the guilt.

    It's fundamentally a part of capitalism. Concentration of wealth leads to concentration of industries. Industry standards are driven by independent reviews, which when they get popular enough become their own institutions. These institutions end up propping each other up, and working with each other making competition difficult through direct and indirect means. Ultimately if things get enshittified enough we might see small changes over to a competitor and the cycle starts again.

    A net negative is a win, that's praxis. But also I have compassion on some level for absolving or not doing purity tests in certain contexts. There's absolutely a difference between 600k a year and 200k a year, and I think differences like that are where we can draw the line. If Target has the cheapest/most convenient <<insert grocery here>> I have some compassion for the person who is struggling to get by and shops there regardless of their shitty policies.

    It sucks they put you on the chopping block because of the ego of some douchebag. I've had that happen at other companies for more mundane shit (didn't end up getting fired over this and the store manager ended up getting fired after they moved over similar stupid policies) and I do my best to advocate for changes within the healthcare system that I'm in, but I think there also needs to be space for intersectionality and comfort of life to be examined. I'm going to have far more leniency on a black woman going to work for a DEI team at an objectively evil corporation, for example. They may be able to effect some level of change in such an organization - never enough to stop the organization from being evil, but it's a very different set of identities and contribution than the programmer helping to create the software which is contributing to the evil corporation.

    5 votes

  17. Comment on Why aren’t armed US citizens overthrowing the current government? in ~society

    Gaywallet
    Link
    The president has his own private military force with a budget of over 3B dollars. He also has the CIA and FBI more or less at his disposal, who are absolutely monitoring for threats on the...

    The president has his own private military force with a budget of over 3B dollars. He also has the CIA and FBI more or less at his disposal, who are absolutely monitoring for threats on the president. Finally, the government spends nearly 1 trillion dollars on the military every year- the president is in direct control of the entire military force. In your hypothetical, can you explain to me how a private force of citizens with guns can actually overthrow the government?

    3 votes

  18. Comment on Going Dutch: LGBTQ Americans (and others) find Donald Trump-free life in Netherlands through DAFT small business visa in ~society

    Gaywallet
    Link
    Amsterdam has always been high on my list of "maybe could flee there". I've got a few friends out there who say it's very progressive that I trust. Some are various lgbtq identities and others are...

    Amsterdam has always been high on my list of "maybe could flee there". I've got a few friends out there who say it's very progressive that I trust. Some are various lgbtq identities and others are just good allies. Good to know there's a relatively cheap way to get a temporary visa!

    8 votes

  19. Comment on Modern masculinity and The Critical Drinker in ~life.men

    Gaywallet
    Link Parent
    Just edited my initial response as I had a chance to skim through and read a few sections already as someone else provided it. Thank you though!

    Just edited my initial response as I had a chance to skim through and read a few sections already as someone else provided it. Thank you though!

    3 votes

  20. Comment on Modern masculinity and The Critical Drinker in ~life.men

    Gaywallet
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Considering we're dealing with EEGs and not fMRIs, this really shouldn't matter a ton (although I am somewhat unsure whereabouts in the brain they were trying to monitor activity in - I can see...

    Considering we're dealing with EEGs and not fMRIs, this really shouldn't matter a ton (although I am somewhat unsure whereabouts in the brain they were trying to monitor activity in - I can see mention of microstate E which wouldn't have a strong lateralization), but it is something that crossed my mind as a possibility. However, given that we're dealing with emotions and gender I'm a bit more suspicious until I have access to the full article.

    6 votes