pesus's recent activity

  1. Comment on Texas officials report that an unvaccinated child has died of measles in ~health

    pesus
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    This comment feels like the same thing, but towards me. I don't appreciate that, but I'll move past it. I'll probably be deleting my account and comments soon, anyway, so it doesn't really matter....

    but the purpose of this comment is to draw attention to the fact that I believe you’re using science/evidence/research as a shortcut for looking down on people you disagree with.

    This comment feels like the same thing, but towards me. I don't appreciate that, but I'll move past it. I'll probably be deleting my account and comments soon, anyway, so it doesn't really matter. "Disagree" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here - I suppose I do "disagree" with them, the same way I "disagree" with people who believe in antisemitic conspiracy theories.

    Trust me, I take no pleasure in "looking down on them". It's not fun growing up in that type of environment. I was raised by people like this, and I've seen first hand how they actively reject all evidence that contradicts their beliefs. They admit it themselves. It's willful. The belief comes first, and they choose to adapt everything they see to match it. It's almost more of an identity. I think this is something people who didn't experience it first hand/up close don't fully understand.

    Maybe I'm testy about this subject because it's all too close to me. Maybe I'm just being too optimistic in assuming any notable percentage of the population is able to critically think and examine their own beliefs. Maybe I'm wrong in believing that these people should be held accountable for their choices here, but in that case, if they're really incapable of understanding things and making an informed decision, I do not see a way out that does not involve taking away their agency or limiting free speech in some capacity. (That said, you almost certainly look down on others for their beliefs - almost everyone looks down on flat earthers, for example.)

    3 votes
  2. Comment on Texas officials report that an unvaccinated child has died of measles in ~health

    pesus
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Just because it's not clear to the people who willfully ignore and choose to not believe the evidence doesn't mean it's not clear. To a Jehovah's Witness, it is not clear that denying your child a...

    Just because it's not clear to the people who willfully ignore and choose to not believe the evidence doesn't mean it's not clear. To a Jehovah's Witness, it is not clear that denying your child a life-saving blood transfusion will kill them. To another religious group, it may not be clear that prohibiting any medical care at all is dangerous. Willfully and consciously choosing to ignore all evidence and reality is a choice that these people are choosing to make, and they are 100% responsible for that choice and its consequence. I agree with your other points, though.

    4 votes
  3. Comment on What low-stakes drama is going on in your circles right now? in ~talk

    pesus
    Link Parent
    Honestly, I thought it was at least 25%.

    Honestly, I thought it was at least 25%.

    4 votes
  4. Comment on Texas officials report that an unvaccinated child has died of measles in ~health

    pesus
    Link Parent
    The spreaders of the lies (misinformation is too weak of a term) are at least partially responsible, but the parents are also ultimately the most culpable. Parents who intentionally starve or beat...

    The spreaders of the lies (misinformation is too weak of a term) are at least partially responsible, but the parents are also ultimately the most culpable. Parents who intentionally starve or beat their children to death, for example, are still responsible for their deaths, even if they believe it was the right thing to do.

    7 votes
  5. Comment on America is being sold out by its leaders in ~society

    pesus
    Link Parent
    Yup, this is exactly what I meant, thanks for clarifying. Trump supporters have always lied to try to convince people they're the majority of the population, and I think it's important to not let...

    Yup, this is exactly what I meant, thanks for clarifying. Trump supporters have always lied to try to convince people they're the majority of the population, and I think it's important to not let any of their bullshit seep into the public consciousness, as much as possible.

    7 votes
  6. Comment on America is being sold out by its leaders in ~society

    pesus
    Link Parent
    Just being pedantic and pointing out that it wasn't a majority, just a plurality of voters. There are way too many people that wanted to sell out the country for sure, but they want you to think...

    Just being pedantic and pointing out that it wasn't a majority, just a plurality of voters. There are way too many people that wanted to sell out the country for sure, but they want you to think they're more numerous than they actually are.

    13 votes
  7. Comment on Yung Lean - Forever Yung (2025) in ~music

    pesus
    Link
    Glad to see he's doing well and staying sober! I'll definitely see him again if he tours soon. I'm digging this new direction, it's interesting.

    Glad to see he's doing well and staying sober! I'll definitely see him again if he tours soon. I'm digging this new direction, it's interesting.

    2 votes
  8. Comment on Looking for low-precision, mouse-only Steam game recommendations in ~games

    pesus
    Link
    Balatro is the first one that comes to mind, if you haven't played that yet.

    Balatro is the first one that comes to mind, if you haven't played that yet.

    22 votes
  9. Comment on Bernie Sanders - Trumpism can be defeated! in ~society

    pesus
    Link Parent
    I really miss that brief window of time as well. I'm going off on a tangent/rant, but I still maintain he could've won the general election. This is usually denied by pointing out he lost the...

    I really miss that brief window of time as well. I'm going off on a tangent/rant, but I still maintain he could've won the general election. This is usually denied by pointing out he lost the primary, which is factually true, but the people that vote in the Democratic primary are a small subset of the overall voting age population, and are generally those that are far more dedicated to Democratic Party. They will pretty much always vote for the Democratic candidate, and relying on them to decide the direction of the party was and is a serious mistake.

    I grew up in a conservative area and was still living there at the time, and Bernie is the only politician that I saw have wide reaching appeal across the political spectrum, and especially amongst young and working class people. I believe he would've been a much more palatable alternative to Trump than Hilary was.

    Sure, a large portion of the Trump fan base is racist/sexist/etc, but the biggest common threads I saw were a disillusionment with the existing political parties that offered only incremental or no real change, a desire for someone who felt their struggles and actually wanted to make significant changes, and a desire for a candidate that both gave them a target for their ire and promised that they would be held accountable in some form.

    Obviously Trump is a blatant liar, but he appealed to a lot of people for the same reasons. Beyond that, I believe Bernie also would have inspired a good number of people who were otherwise disillusioned with the political system to at the very least vote. He was the only one that wasn't scared to call out billionaire elites (since he wasn't relying on their funding), and would've been a much more appealing alternative against Trump. Instead, we got a career establishment politician with decades of serious baggage, lack of charisma and relatability, and that did not seek to disrupt the status quo in any meaningful way. Hell, her campaign was even arrogant enough to promote Trump in the beginning, thinking it would be an easy win.

    Man, writing this was depressing. What a different world we could have been living in.

    5 votes
  10. Comment on When it comes to USA's future, I'm failing to see any positive outcomes. Please help me. in ~society

    pesus
    Link Parent
    We can't pretend they can't just ignore or circumvent this, though. That said, I still don't think he has the cult leader charisma to be an effective replacement.

    Barron is 18, 17 years away from being eligible to run.

    We can't pretend they can't just ignore or circumvent this, though. That said, I still don't think he has the cult leader charisma to be an effective replacement.

    8 votes
  11. Comment on Who's afraid of Hasan Piker? in ~society

    pesus
    Link Parent
    That's a good point. Combine that with increasing loneliness and social isolation, and you have a recipe for a dangerous self-perpetuating and self-exacerbating cycle.

    That's a good point. Combine that with increasing loneliness and social isolation, and you have a recipe for a dangerous self-perpetuating and self-exacerbating cycle.

    2 votes
  12. Comment on Who's afraid of Hasan Piker? in ~society

    pesus
    Link Parent
    It's bizarre to me how heated the comments on this post are getting. Somehow people seem more upset about a streamer promoting left wing viewpoints in a way they don't like than many of the...

    It's bizarre to me how heated the comments on this post are getting. Somehow people seem more upset about a streamer promoting left wing viewpoints in a way they don't like than many of the objectively far worse things going on in the world right now.

    7 votes
  13. Comment on Who's afraid of Hasan Piker? in ~society

    pesus
    Link Parent
    I completely agree. A lot of the arguments going on in this thread prove it as well. Frankly, we will never make real progress until we learn what conservatives learned a long time ago: you must...

    The left is far more concerned with ideological purity than actually forming a coalition and fixing actual problems.

    I completely agree. A lot of the arguments going on in this thread prove it as well.

    Frankly, we will never make real progress until we learn what conservatives learned a long time ago: you must gain political power if you want to make any changes, and that involves aligning yourself with people who don't necessarily agree on everything with you. Having the "correct" opinions is borderline useless if we can't do anything. There's a reason conservatives have focused on slowly gaining political power, starting from small local positions like school boards.

    As horrible as they can be, at the end of the day, they generally tend to coalesce together in some sort of unholy union that allows them to push their policies and wield political (and social) power.

    9 votes
  14. Comment on Who's afraid of Hasan Piker? in ~society

    pesus
    Link Parent
    Can you elaborate? Not sure what you're referring to.

    Can you elaborate? Not sure what you're referring to.

    4 votes
  15. Comment on ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ insiders say ‘everyone knew this is probably not going to be a good film’ in ~movies

    pesus
    Link Parent
    Honestly, I forgot he existed. I did always think he was a strange addition even though I like Jeremy Renner, and it felt like he randomly showed up one day and just kind of hung around - like...

    Honestly, I forgot he existed. I did always think he was a strange addition even though I like Jeremy Renner, and it felt like he randomly showed up one day and just kind of hung around - like they "included" him in the Avengers in the way an older sibling "includes" a younger sibling when they're hanging out with their friends, lol.

    4 votes
  16. Comment on ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ insiders say ‘everyone knew this is probably not going to be a good film’ in ~movies

    pesus
    Link Parent
    Fair points, though I would argue that Iron Man's suit effectively fills the role of "superpowers". Maybe I just missed something, but is there something that makes Falcon stand out a la Black...

    Fair points, though I would argue that Iron Man's suit effectively fills the role of "superpowers". Maybe I just missed something, but is there something that makes Falcon stand out a la Black Widow's upbringing/training?

    I guess the reason this case stood out to me more was because the original Captain America did have superpowers. I have no problem with someone taking over the Captain America mantle, I just don't understand why they didn't give him superpowers in that case. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, of course, since I'm not at all up to date on the lore and haven't really seen any of the shows, bar Wandavision and Loki.

    7 votes
  17. Comment on ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ insiders say ‘everyone knew this is probably not going to be a good film’ in ~movies

    pesus
    Link Parent
    This is the part that baffles me, as a casual viewer who lost (most) interest after Endgame. How can he be a superhero without having any superpowers? Hell, how can he even survive working...

    without super soldier serum

    This is the part that baffles me, as a casual viewer who lost (most) interest after Endgame. How can he be a superhero without having any superpowers? Hell, how can he even survive working alongside superheroes that actually have superpowers? I get the impression his gear/shield can protect him from a lot, but it seems like an ordinary person could easily be killed in one of the many huge battles.

    10 votes
  18. Comment on PlayStation Network is still down after fourteen hours and no one knows why in ~games

    pesus
    Link Parent
    Is PSN still not working for you? It's been back online since around midnight PST for my friends and I despite the status page saying otherwise, but it seems like it might be regional.

    Is PSN still not working for you? It's been back online since around midnight PST for my friends and I despite the status page saying otherwise, but it seems like it might be regional.

    3 votes
  19. Comment on I don't want to be this kind of animal anymore | Disco Elysium analysis in ~games

    pesus
    Link Parent
    Definitely finish the game first if you haven't already!

    Definitely finish the game first if you haven't already!

    8 votes
  20. Comment on How would you moderate this scenario? in ~tech

    pesus
    Link Parent
    If someone disagrees with my right to exist, or one of my loved ones' right to exist, they are already not acting in good faith. You are treating these "disagreements" as a simple matter of...

    and tolerating people in good faith means understanding they might not fit your mental model of them, and disagreeing on one thing does not you will disagree on all things.

    If someone disagrees with my right to exist, or one of my loved ones' right to exist, they are already not acting in good faith. You are treating these "disagreements" as a simple matter of subjective opinion, and ignoring the fact that Nazis actively want to exterminate large groups of people.

    Tolerating Nazis is wrong, full stop. To tolerate Nazi viewpoints and treat them as equally valid as other viewpoints is to say that the extermination of all minorities is tolerable and a valid viewpoint. This is not "identity politics". Nazis do not become Nazis because Nazis were shunned.

    7 votes