supergauntlet's recent activity
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Comment on The third sex in ~lgbt
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The third sex
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Comment on America is losing Southeast Asia: Why US allies in the region are turning toward China in ~misc
supergauntlet Link Parentyeah, as always America is losing support around the world because it is a failing empire run by bad people. it's really that simple. Even the role Islam plays is that America's chosen Other...yeah, as always America is losing support around the world because it is a failing empire run by bad people. it's really that simple. Even the role Islam plays is that America's chosen Other ("radical Islamic terrorism") does have consequences. Turns out Muslims don't like it when you're really racist about other Muslims! wow, what a concept, what will these white people think up next?
Sometimes it feels like America forgets that the world existed before American global hegemony, and that the world will continue just fine after it ends. That its actually a shockingly short time in geopolitical terms.
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Comment on At the University of Michigan, pro Palestinian protestors have "Shut Down" student government, by being elected to it (gifted link) in ~life
supergauntlet Link ParentYou can see directly how they invest in venture capital firms that then also invest in deeply evil companies like Anduril. If even a fraction of the university's money is ultimately going to find...The Tahrir Coalition is making the argument that the university is investing in Israel indirectly via the tech industry - that by investing in tech, they support Israel. While it's true that there are connections and it seems they went through some trouble to trace them, I'm not sure I see it. It seems like the tech industry's profits are mostly from other sources?
You can see directly how they invest in venture capital firms that then also invest in deeply evil companies like Anduril. If even a fraction of the university's money is ultimately going to find drone software to more efficiently mass-slaughter Palestinians that's too much. I really don't find the creative accounting as a way to distance the endowment from the results of its investments all that believable as a shield. If I invest in 8VC and then I see that 8VC funded Edgybees, the company that makes software to identify targets to bomb, it is logical for me to feel like my money is being used to slaughter. Why is this different for a university's endowment?
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Comment on At the University of Michigan, pro Palestinian protestors have "Shut Down" student government, by being elected to it (gifted link) in ~life
supergauntlet Link ParentI had an angrier comment typed but I will simply not take the bait in your second paragraph. However I do recognize it. My only further comment is that if you see "nothing out of the ordinary"...I had an angrier comment typed but I will simply not take the bait in your second paragraph. However I do recognize it.
My only further comment is that if you see "nothing out of the ordinary" then the entire field is rotten. Every university invests in the military industrial complex? And justifies it by saying "everyone else does it"? And this is somehow supposed to be a rebuttal? No wonder the students are so livid if this is the level of complacency of the people running the funds. If you're going to have nearly 20 billion dollars to throw around at least do something more productive for the world than funding mass slaughter indirectly enough for liberals to run cover for you. Disgusting.
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Comment on At the University of Michigan, pro Palestinian protestors have "Shut Down" student government, by being elected to it (gifted link) in ~life
supergauntlet Link Parentyes, I understand that if you spend less money you have more money saved - but this begs the question again. Why does this percentage only go down? Umich's endowment return is consistently near...yes, I understand that if you spend less money you have more money saved - but this begs the question again. Why does this percentage only go down? Umich's endowment return is consistently near 10%, and in fact only slightly less than the S&P500. But the percentage set aside for the actual university has only shrunk. Like, the students aren't advocating for anything radical here. They're saying dump the risky and weird investments and put things in a broad market index fund like the S&P500, or something else similarly simple and unrisky.
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Comment on At the University of Michigan, pro Palestinian protestors have "Shut Down" student government, by being elected to it (gifted link) in ~life
supergauntlet Link ParentThis makes no sense to me. How on earth does it make sense for an endowment that ostensibly exists to support students to decrease the percentage of money it pays out to those students? Wouldn't...This makes no sense to me. How on earth does it make sense for an endowment that ostensibly exists to support students to decrease the percentage of money it pays out to those students? Wouldn't it make sense for the endowment doing well to mean more money going to the university, and not an excuse to decrease the percentage so that the endowment managers could make a little more money?
This isn't the behavior of an endowment that's beholden to the university community, it is the behavior of a greedy corporation.
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Comment on At the University of Michigan, pro Palestinian protestors have "Shut Down" student government, by being elected to it (gifted link) in ~life
supergauntlet (edited )Link ParentI don't really begrudge you for not reading a 54 page document, but it is really frustrating to post something from the literal President of the Graduate Employees Organization of the university...It seems really unlikely
I don't really begrudge you for not reading a 54 page document, but it is really frustrating to post something from the literal President of the Graduate Employees Organization of the university in question and have the highest voted response essentially be "I didn't read this, but it seems wrong based on [gut instinct]"
If you would look at page 10 for example: Figure 2 shows the endowment consistently underperforming the S&P 500. One would imagine such an endowment would be primarily such low risk investments like bonds and other fixed income sources, but in fact the 4.5 billion invested there is are dwarfed by these so called 'Nonmarketable Alternative Investments' like private equity firms, venture capital, real estate, etc. There's 10 billion dollars in those. The money is invested across 280 different investment banks who fund various MIC startups and subsidiaries. I don't have a problem with people poking holes in the methods or whatever used to find this data, but Jared Eno is not some nobody crank on the internet.
The yet more infuriating part is the direct investment in both companies known to directly support the IOF and in the shekel directly. What other reason is there to directly place $37 million in shekels if not material support for settler-colonialism? Because that's what investing in Israel does.
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Comment on At the University of Michigan, pro Palestinian protestors have "Shut Down" student government, by being elected to it (gifted link) in ~life
supergauntlet Link ParentBelieve what you want, but the opening of page 6 makes a pretty compelling argument for just that: I'm not making these accusations lightly, there are not a lot of logical reasons for the kind of...Believe what you want, but the opening of page 6 makes a pretty compelling argument for just that:
The University of Michigan is seen as a public university, but it is first and foremost an investment firm. UM’s $17.9B endowment dwarfs the costs of its academic operations, which in 2024 were budgeted at roughly $5.4B.
In 2022, Santa Ono made headlines when he accepted a near-million-dollar salary as president of UM—but between salary and additional compensation, Erik Lundberg was making
twice that as UM’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO) back in 2016. Like Harvard and other elite universities, UM has become a hedge fund with a
school (and a hospital system) attached.University administrators often talk about how the endowment supports academics, because a percentage of annual investment earnings are put toward academic expenses. But this portion is small and has decreased steadily over several decades. In 1986, 5.5% of a 3-year moving average of endowment returns was devoted to academics; by 2010, this was lowered to 4.5%. In 2006, the moving average was increased from 3 years to 7 years, which, if the endowment were
growing, would push the moving average lower.I'm not making these accusations lightly, there are not a lot of logical reasons for the kind of behavior being exhibited here otherwise.
And I'm not saying that individual people want dead Palestinians. I'm saying that umich, the entity, is benefitting from it.
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Comment on At the University of Michigan, pro Palestinian protestors have "Shut Down" student government, by being elected to it (gifted link) in ~life
supergauntlet Link ParentThis is the university I went to, so I have some connections. I've been shown this article which makes a reasonably convincing argument about this lovely Public In Name Only university essentially...This is the university I went to, so I have some connections. I've been shown this article which makes a reasonably convincing argument about this lovely Public In Name Only university essentially being a front for an investment fund (its endowment) engaging in insider trading, and that the real reason the university refuses to divest is because they have a vested interest in the genocide continuing.
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Comment on Kamala Harris's speech killed any hope she would end the Gaza genocide in ~misc
supergauntlet Link ParentI said this 4 years ago that the fact that the Democrats didn't see a Mondale/Reagan level sweep in 2020 was proof even then that the party had lost the mandate of the people. And you know what?...I said this 4 years ago that the fact that the Democrats didn't see a Mondale/Reagan level sweep in 2020 was proof even then that the party had lost the mandate of the people. And you know what? They might have finally realized it.
The dems seem to finally have stopped entirely catering to the center of the party, and started actually politicking to average Americans. talking about things like capping out of pocket healthcare costs. These are things poor people care very much about since they're so price sensitive.
I hope you're right. I hope the dems utterly demolish the Republican party, and as they shift right trigger a split with the progressive wing, and we can actually have some semblance of normalcy again.
Progressives should take care to note though - for better or for worse (mostly for worse) about 2/3 of voters simply don't give much of a shit about Palestine. It's depressing sure but most people flatly do not care about death that abstracted from their lives. Be realistic about what we can get policywise here. The dems aren't gonna change policy much, but they might turn slightly more of a blind eye to less passive protests. It sucks to live in "the land of the free (to dig your head into the sand and pretend nothing is wrong)" sometimes. This is one of those times.
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Comment on Kamala Harris's speech killed any hope she would end the Gaza genocide in ~misc
supergauntlet Link ParentProgressives in America need to be realistic about what they can actually get from the dems. they are not policy setters, they follow. Even just the simple fact that Harris is the nominee should...Progressives in America need to be realistic about what they can actually get from the dems. they are not policy setters, they follow.
Even just the simple fact that Harris is the nominee should be seen as a win. If we see an actual material difference between the Biden and Harris admin on how they treat protestors, that's as good as we can expect from a Democrat. If they, heaven forbid, stop trying to make it illegal to BDS we can only assume that's a concession to the left too.
All that American progressives can do then is continue to agitate and protest. We did it with apartheid in the 80s, and we can do it again. Death by a thousand cuts may be slow, but it does happen eventually.
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Comment on ‘T4T’ isn’t just about dating, it’s about community care in ~lgbt
supergauntlet Link ParentYeah, I would have been irritating about gender regardless, because I am an academic feminism type. But that does not describe the majority of trans people I know, most of us just want to hang out...Yeah, I would have been irritating about gender regardless, because I am an academic feminism type. But that does not describe the majority of trans people I know, most of us just want to hang out and exist as pretty 'normal' assimilationist people. Both are totally fine ways to live, we need solidarity for everyone.
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Comment on Gamblers are dumping stocks to bet on sports, new study says in ~finance
supergauntlet Link Parentyes for very short term, because it's backed by short term bills. fed funds rate is high, 3 month bills have ranged from 5.2-5.4%. you can also set up buying those directly, but VUSXX is better...yes for very short term, because it's backed by short term bills. fed funds rate is high, 3 month bills have ranged from 5.2-5.4%. you can also set up buying those directly, but VUSXX is better return than the HYSA + less work than dealing with Treasurydirect itself.
if you put money in VUSXX you will want to periodically (every few months) check what the EFFR (effective fed funds rate) is to see what the return of short term bills is, and reinvest if it drops.
geopolitical ramblings, why I worry about a market correction, kind of related but not sure it's the most on topic
I personally am of the opinion that the real reason for inflation is geopolitical instability + peak oil, because the movement on the energy transition has been very very rapid lately and hallucinatory businesses (gambling, AI, most crypto, etc) will simply need to go away as very real economic cutbacks occur to finally manage emissions.
My view is that this is an economy reconfiguring itself, and that while very old school investments (broad market index funds held for decades, real estate, highly rated corporate + government bonds) will be fine, if you need the money to do something like buy a house, you don't want to run the risk of some asshole in Manhattan's coke addiction resulting in you losing several thousand dollars. It won't matter in the long run, sure, but in the short term you could be unable to make a down payment and that would suck. The only thing that would result in you not getting your money out of a government backed bond fund like this would be the government defaulting, and if that happens we're all in a world of hurt.
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Comment on Gamblers are dumping stocks to bet on sports, new study says in ~finance
supergauntlet Link Parentif you're buying a house soon 100% put your money in a HYSA or imo my pick has been VUSXX since it's just as liquid.if you're buying a house soon 100% put your money in a HYSA or imo my pick has been VUSXX since it's just as liquid.
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Comment on Gamblers are dumping stocks to bet on sports, new study says in ~finance
supergauntlet Link ParentYes, exactly, that's why I'm suggesting against timing the market. if you're going to buy into the market now you have to accept that it's possible that the fed will make a mistake when catching...In total agreement except for "save yourself the trouble and wait until the Fed actually does a rate cut before buying into a market," because most people don't have the time and knowledge base to keep up with it.
Yes, exactly, that's why I'm suggesting against timing the market. if you're going to buy into the market now you have to accept that it's possible that the fed will make a mistake when catching the falling knife and you may lose money. If you buy into the market right now, do so via a retirement fund or other similar wide-market ETF and then forget about it. Just don't even think about it. Don't read news about finance, none of it. But if you are going to try to time the market anyway because you can't stand to see number go down, my advice is to buy bonds and watch what the fed actually does.
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Comment on Gamblers are dumping stocks to bet on sports, new study says in ~finance
supergauntlet Link ParentDisclaimer as always, I am just some guy with opinions on the internet. Don't want to think about it? Pick the vanguard fund closest to your expected retirement year (2050, 2060, etc) and forget...Disclaimer as always, I am just some guy with opinions on the internet.
Don't want to think about it? Pick the vanguard fund closest to your expected retirement year (2050, 2060, etc) and forget about the money.
If you want to use cash in the next year or so to, say, buy a house? Buy short term T Bills from TreasuryDirect, 5.2-5.4% yield with 0 risk or some fund backed by short term bills (but that will mean you're subject to state income tax instead of just federal buying bills directly).
If you want to forget about the money for a few years? CDs are always a good choice. 2 year CDs are 5% right now. 3 year CDs are ~4.6%.
I don't really recommend trying to time the market unless you want to get an ulcer. Look at the fundamentals right now, all indicators (high government spending, quantitative tightening, moderately warm services inflation, housing market frozen, high wage increases especially at the 10th percentile) make me think that the fed is still unlikely to cut rates, which is what the market has been pumping itself up over for over a year. The market has been wrong many many times before. I would suggest following classic advice and Don't Fight The Fed. Rates haven't been this high for this long in a very long time and I think people have forgotten that ZIRP is an incredibly recent invention. Save yourself the trouble and wait until the fed actually does a rate cut before buying into a market that has convinced itself such a thing is a given when it is no such thing.
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Comment on ‘T4T’ isn’t just about dating, it’s about community care in ~lgbt
supergauntlet Link ParentThe bigots do this not because they are strong, but because they are weak. Make no mistake - this is the dying gasp of a failed ideology that has brought our world nothing but pain. Never let...The bigots do this not because they are strong, but because they are weak. Make no mistake - this is the dying gasp of a failed ideology that has brought our world nothing but pain. Never let modern social conservatives use their nostalgia for "a better time" fool you, gender variation has always and will always exist. They see their past failures with the civil rights movement, with gay rights, and now with trans rights, and they know they are losing. They know that one day, quite soon, they will lose for good.
But they are not going to go gently. And in the time between now and when their failure is a stain on a footnote in the history book of societal progress, they are going to do a lot of damage. Please look out for trans people as much as you can.
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Comment on ‘T4T’ isn’t just about dating, it’s about community care in ~lgbt
supergauntlet Link Parenthttps://thingofthings.wordpress.com/2015/01/28/cis-by-default/I think I could have gone the fitting in route and never stepped out of the boxes and been "ok" too.
https://thingofthings.wordpress.com/2015/01/28/cis-by-default/
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Comment on ‘T4T’ isn’t just about dating, it’s about community care in ~lgbt
supergauntlet Link ParentI wrote something rather more depressing that's spoilered below, but a less depressing genuine suggestion for cis people who want to support trans people by simply being their friends (and we...I wrote something rather more depressing that's spoilered below, but a less depressing genuine suggestion for cis people who want to support trans people by simply being their friends (and we would love this! it's a running joke with transfems that we love and cherish cis guys that get it for example; this is the essence of 'the grungler' meme) would be to read Whipping Girl (this is transfem focused and I don't want to speak for others, this is just a very good explainer of what navigating society as a transfeminine person is like) and probably Who's Afraid of Gender? if you're a book-reading type. Serano and Butler are great writers and the latter is probably one of the most accessible entrypoints to gender theory I've seen. And most of all be patient. Please be patient. We're trying our best in a society that constantly tells us it will never be enough. Show us some grace.
Depressing personal anecdote on the difficulty of life in a transphobic society
Let me put it this way. Whenever I ask a trans friend 'if they remember x/y/z trans person they used to know' the first thing that pops into their head is not 'oh yeah! how are they doing?' it's always 'oh god another dead tranny'.Without fail.
There is a collective trauma here on the level of the AIDS epidemic in the 80s. Every single trans person has lost people, oftentimes many people. There is a reason the trans people that interact broadly with cis society are always called brave and strong. It's selection bias, because the ones that aren't either die or stay indoors. And withdrawal from society is its own kind of death.
An article about the Hijra in India, Western cultural anthropologists, transmisogyny, and the confluence of the three resulting in an invented past of what the Hijra were as justification to codify third-sexing in law in the present.