I Unplugged and You Should Too

[Mdhorn 6100]

17 hours ago, softlynow said:

If it comes to armed resistance, as you imply, and I’m somehow a combatant, we’re looking at a Man in the High Castle type scenario. Sure, if it comes to a real civil war / rebellion, I guess it’s possible I’m in the shit. 

But there will be no real rebellion. We are not those people anymore. We are fat, lazy, entitled, and awash in distraction. Maybe there will be the odd freedom fighter cells, and IRA type bombings here and there.

So, no, I’m not dying along with just a few dozen others in a futile attempt to otherthrow the Trump Dynasty. 

Was thinking about this the other day.  The low info voter probably does a lot of things wrong in their life, more than just letting their mental health go.  We're no longer a fighting society that swarms when our freedoms are infringed on.  We talk the talk and will try and "buy" our way out of a threat, but who are we fooling?  We're so heavily medicated meds are in our tap water.  Obesity is a thing that this country massively fights with every fashionable dietary slimming pill guaranteed (without FDA approval) to lose the weight.  Americans aren't lumbering anywhere.  The military, however, is quickly becoming a smaller, stealthier, sleeker, remote controlled death by air assassin that the general populace will never feel, see or hear.  While thinking we need to shine the old tool of war to water the tree of liberty with someone else's blood, we simply one moment won't exist.   

Edited November 17 by Mdhorn

[Mdhorn 6100]

42 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

The Capitol in Austin is similar. I know people who had decades-long careers lobbying, problem solving, etc…and they have bailed and are bailing. Because the environment is so toxic, unproductive, and flat-out mean. They can’t even get a meeting or a sympathetic ear, on the real everyday issues and solutions that government traditionally addressed. And then when you do get a meeting…the legislator and the staffer are not smart.

Bought stooges, including SCOTUS members, that only represent the interests of their rich payer.  They aren't the class council, honor society, or clown types, and they'e especially not free thinkers.  They're the drop out and join a cult types that found their paydays as paid programming sacks of flesh, government installees.      

[Bateshorn 9964]

1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

 

I did this a few years ago and am much better for it.  Like Bates but to a lesser degree, I have to follow the business news for my job.  (CNBC, WSJ, etc.). I really only pay attention during elections and that’s more so because I just can’t quit it.  I know that when I’m not following it, I’m in a happier place.

Arthur Brooks wrote something a few months ago about how Capitol Hill has become a profoundly unhappy place and I’m curious on Bates’ perspective on that.

The staff are mostly miserable.  It’s easy to rant and rave about draining the swamp and tearing shit down, but it’s actually a complex and difficult thing to run the world’s largest economy/military/bureacracy. 
 

It’s like running an air craft carrier with a crazy half drunk person in the captains chair (and I don’t mean Trump).  There’s a lot of cogs in the machine between there and the propeller shaft, in a human sense and you want them to do their job right so the crazy drunk captain gets what they ordered. It’s exhausting and hard and the pay is not great. 

[Bateshorn 9964]

57 minutes ago, Mdhorn said:

Was thinking about this the other day.  The low info voter probably does a lot of things wrong in their life, more than just letting their mental health go.  We're no longer a fighting society that swarms when our freedoms are infringed on.  We talk the talk and will try and "buy" our way out of a threat, but who are we fooling?  We're so heavily medicated meds are in our tap water.  Obesity is a thing that this country massively fights with every fashionable dietary slimming pill guaranteed (without FDA approval) to lose the weight.  Americans aren't lumbering anywhere.  The military, however, is quickly becoming a smaller, stealthier, sleeker, remote controlled death by air assassin that the general populace will never feel, see or hear.  While thinking we need to shine the old tool of war to water the tree of liberty with someone else's blood, we simply one moment won't exist.   

Was it Jim Jefferies who pointed out the absurdity of an AR-15 protecting you from the government: you are bringing a gun to a drone fight.

[Old Freak Nasty 821]

We should all take the time we need to process this result.  But it should be measured in months and not years.  We have to stay informed and engaged.

I haven't been on socials in many many years and all of my interactions have been with Trump voting people in person (and some phone banking in the last several months) or reading political news.  And even still I'm going to unplug at least until a few months into the next administration.

But I will be back, no matter where I physically am.  I'm not giving up on America.

[Biff Tannen 45777]

1 hour ago, Bateshorn said:

The staff are mostly miserable.  It’s easy to rant and rave about draining the swamp and tearing shit down, but it’s actually a complex and difficult thing to run the world’s largest economy/military/bureacracy. 
 

It’s like running an air craft carrier with a crazy half drunk person in the captains chair (and I don’t mean Trump).  There’s a lot of cogs in the machine between there and the propeller shaft, in a human sense and you want them to do their job right so the crazy drunk captain gets what they ordered. It’s exhausting and hard and the pay is not great. 

Sounds exactly like working for a global corporation. 

[InkaUtexas 26383]

3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

The Capitol in Austin is similar. I know people who had decades-long careers lobbying, problem solving, etc…and they have bailed and are bailing. Because the environment is so toxic, unproductive, and flat-out mean. They can’t even get a meeting or a sympathetic ear, on the real everyday issues and solutions that government traditionally addressed. And then when you do get a meeting…the legislator and the staffer are not smart.

It is real shitty to work in. That is one reason I posted the award in the Cuba thread. It pissed me off. That is not how are system is designed to work at all. I researched the company and they have no experience I can find. No website, nothing. Spoke with a buddy living in Ecuador and he confirmed there are generator companies all over the place. But nope, some unknown mo-fo got the bid.

And folks, that level of corruption is all over the place right here in Texas. When you hear the words emergency coming from a high level government agency they have already solved it and probably some asshole is about to make some money.

I see government corruption daily and when it gets to me I head out to the garden. But I won't unplug.

 

 

[Red Five 41090]

I had a long talk yesterday with an old friend, who is a pretty optimistic person and fairly moderate politically. He's looking to move out of the country soon, and said it's too late to save America from fascism. "It's gone, and it's not coming back."

This talk did not cheer me up. 

[Iceman 2810]

Election night all I looked at were the updating maps with county results nationwide.  Zero commentary.

Following day, same thing.

 

I unplugged from "We report, you ignite!!!" years ago.  I'm better for it.  We all would be.

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2645]

i stopped really caring about politics the first time trump was elected.  now i rarely pay attention. 

life is a lot easier 

[Walser 1110]

3 hours ago, Red Five said:

I had a long talk yesterday with an old friend, who is a pretty optimistic person and fairly moderate politically. He's looking to move out of the country soon, and said it's too late to save America from fascism. "It's gone, and it's not coming back."

This talk did not cheer me up. 

So are you standing by?

[F250 28959]

9 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

It is real shitty to work in. That is one reason I posted the award in the Cuba thread. It pissed me off. That is not how are system is designed to work at all. I researched the company and they have no experience I can find. No website, nothing. Spoke with a buddy living in Ecuador and he confirmed there are generator companies all over the place. But nope, some unknown mo-fo got the bid.

And folks, that level of corruption is all over the place right here in Texas. When you hear the words emergency coming from a high level government agency they have already solved it and probably some asshole is about to make some money.

I see government corruption daily and when it gets to me I head out to the garden. But I won't unplug.

 

 

I used to be heavily involved with ERCOT and public utilities here in Texas. There were so many opportunities to grift that I passed on that I now regret. Many times it wasn't even corruption but naivety that presented opportunities.

There was one time I had one of my guys write a python script to replace some shitty bash script to pull telemetry from a fleet of Linux hosts and dump it out in csv. When asked how much it would cost, I said nothing it took an hour to write. Turns out they expected it would cost over $90k because that's what they paid for the shitty Bash script.

There were so many opportunities to nickle and dime these companies for a $100k here and there that I passed on, it's frustrating to look back on. Fucking ethics, man.

[InkaUtexas 26383]

1 minute ago, F250 said:

I used to be heavily involved with ERCOT and public utilities here in Texas. There were so many opportunities to grift that I passed on that I now regret. Many times it wasn't even corruption but naivety that presented opportunities.

There was one time I had one of my guys write a python script to replace some shitty bash script to pull telemetry from a fleet of Linux hosts and dump it out in csv. When asked how much it would cost, I said nothing it took an hour to write. Turns out they expected it would cost over $90k because that's what they paid for the shitty Bash script.

There were so many opportunities to nickle and dime these companies for a $100k here and there that I passed on, it's frustrating to look back on. Fucking ethics, man.

Yep, sucks to have them. Shit, I got fired for being ethical on a US Navy bid.

[F250 28959]

10 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Yep, sucks to have them. Shit, I got fired for being ethical on a US Navy bid.

I know a guy that was escorted off a U.S. Army base by M.P.'s for raising concerns about the defense contracting company he worked for regarding what they doing for the Army. One day he was reported as a security risk and whisked away off the base and lost his TS/SCI clearance.

[Hermanator 7302]

6 hours ago, Red Five said:

I had a long talk yesterday with an old friend, who is a pretty optimistic person and fairly moderate politically. He's looking to move out of the country soon, and said it's too late to save America from fascism. "It's gone, and it's not coming back."

This talk did not cheer me up. 

He's correct. It's the final stages of the Anacyclosis. 

Once democracy leads to prosperity the subsequent generations only grew up with prosperity and become entitled and complacent. They don't have an appreciation for the freedoms and rights afforded to them that their ancestors suffered under tyranny to achieve. 

They then become aggrieved by the corruption and greed of leaders and fall victim to demagogues who promise the moon and deliver only poison (sound familiar?). That civilization then devolves into anarchy and the whole process starts again with authoritarianism once a strong man wins in the power vacuum. 

It's guaranteed to happen. The founders of the US Constitution based this government system on the writings of Polybius, an ancient Greek who was captured by the Romans during the height of the Roman Republic. He observed that Rome's hybrid system of Monarchy, Democracy, and Aristocracy seemed to have made it immune to the Anacyclosis. Our 3 branches of government with the checks and balances was directly lifted from Polybius' work and Rome's system. 

Of course as history shows Rome's system merely delayed the decline in Anacyclosis. It wasn't immune, and entitlement and complacency eventually led to demagogues like Julius Ceasar which led to destruction and a form of authoritarianism under the Emperors, beginning with Augustus. 

For the United States it was unchecked technology, and especially social media combined with smart phone technology, that became the vessel used by the corrupt leaders and enemies to usher in the demagogue phase of Anacyclosis. Trump is merely the first of the demagogues and we're heading towards anarchy. And there's absolutely nothing any of us can do about it at this point. Once demagoguery takes hold it's all over. 

My advice is to unplug and enjoy the good times you have left. Because things will only get progressively worse and more dysfunctional as the fall into anarchy commences. With any luck it'll take 30 years for that to happen. But I seriously doubt it. 

[F250 28959]

Regarding my posts about ethics and government in this thread. Ever since the election I've been thinking about what Anton Chigurh said...

 

 

[Horn Dog 10048]

7 hours ago, Hermanator said:

He's correct. It's the final stages of the Anacyclosis. 

Once democracy leads to prosperity the subsequent generations only grew up with prosperity and become entitled and complacent. They don't have an appreciation for the freedoms and rights afforded to them that their ancestors suffered under tyranny to achieve. 

They then become aggrieved by the corruption and greed of leaders and fall victim to demagogues who promise the moon and deliver only poison (sound familiar?). That civilization then devolves into anarchy and the whole process starts again with authoritarianism once a strong man wins in the power vacuum. 

It's guaranteed to happen. The founders of the US Constitution based this government system on the writings of Polybius, an ancient Greek who was captured by the Romans during the height of the Roman Republic. He observed that Rome's hybrid system of Monarchy, Democracy, and Aristocracy seemed to have made it immune to the Anacyclosis. Our 3 branches of government with the checks and balances was directly lifted from Polybius' work and Rome's system. 

Of course as history shows Rome's system merely delayed the decline in Anacyclosis. It wasn't immune, and entitlement and complacency eventually led to demagogues like Julius Ceasar which led to destruction and a form of authoritarianism under the Emperors, beginning with Augustus. 

For the United States it was unchecked technology, and especially social media combined with smart phone technology, that became the vessel used by the corrupt leaders and enemies to usher in the demagogue phase of Anacyclosis. Trump is merely the first of the demagogues and we're heading towards anarchy. And there's absolutely nothing any of us can do about it at this point. Once demagoguery takes hold it's all over. 

My advice is to unplug and enjoy the good times you have left. Because things will only get progressively worse and more dysfunctional as the fall into anarchy commences. With any luck it'll take 30 years for that to happen. But I seriously doubt it. 

Did Polybius happen to mention where to invest during these upheavals for maximum profit?

[dcbc 14570]

I mostly unplugged from 24/7 cable news early in 2021.  Even though Trump was out of office, the news still was mostly focused on him.  It's simply the purpose of 24/7 news: to keep you watching and sell advertising. They could keep you pretty well informed in the span of thirty minutes, but that defies the purpose.  They've got to keep you hooked in for hours.  So how do they do that?  They either make angry or make you afraid.  I decided that being angry and afraid all the time wasn't doing me any good.  So I turned it off and found other ways to stay informed, including Surly.  Watching that crap just isn't healthy. 

[Horn Dog 10048]

Yea well surly kinda makes me angry and afraid too.

[SydneyCarton 48347]

It's going to be hard to unplug when this nutsack turbofucks the economy and stock market with his shitty policies and authoritarianism, and tanks everyone's fucking retirement. 

People keeps saying "fine, i'll just make money and go about my business" but I have a sinking suspicion this isn't going to be an environment where everyone makes a fuck ton of money. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13555]

I'm still in the angry phase of post election. I'm looking forward to seeing many Trump voters suffer from his policies. 

[YChang 3473]

I get the sentiment and will also attempt to unplug a bit more... but it's too naive and dangerous I think to completely check out over the next four year. I'm also a minority and naturalized citizen so I don't think I have that luxury. Also last time I was living in CA, this time I'm back in TX so that will be extra interesting. 

Edited November 18 by YChang

[workswithseed 2140]

8 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I'm still in the angry phase of post election. I'm looking forward to seeing many Trump voters suffer from his policies. 

User name doesn't match

[wildcat09 29453]

I think periodically unplugging completely is good for mental health and there's not much to be gained by being constantly plugged in reacting to every day's outrage. Besides, most of us know what's coming and there's not much we can do about it. But there can still be value in following the news, if only so you can disabuse other people of some of the flood of bullshit that's coming for all of us.  

But you should be selective in where you get your news. Nobody here should watch CNN, MSNBC or any Sinclair local news, or read the New York Times, Washington Post,  LA Times, or USA Today (or anything else owned by Gannett). They are fascist collaborators and controlled opposition. Don't reward them with your views or your subscriptions. This list will surely need to be updated quickly once Trump takes power.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13555]

34 minutes ago, workswithseed said:

User name doesn't match

Ironic name. I didn't pick the character from Reservoir Dogs because he was nice.

[Satchel 6949]

Heard rumors Comcast may be considering a sale of MSNBC. They’re fearing the ratings drop may be indicative of bigger structural problems. Rupert Murdoch is being mentioned as a potential buyer. This would be catastrophic. But as long as the answer to every question is money, I’m not sure what the future holds for a free media in a quasi fascist America.

Edited November 20 by Satchel

[Biff Tannen 45777]

9 hours ago, Satchel said:

Heard rumors Comcast may be considering a sale of MSNBC. They’re fearing the ratings drop may be indicative of bigger structural problems. Rupert Murdoch is being mentioned as a potential buyer. This would be catastrophic. But as long as the answer to every question is money, I’m not sure what the future holds for a free media in a quasi fascist America.

Sounds about right.  

 

[Incredulity 11716]

Comcast announced they are spinning off cable networks yesterday.

https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/spin-off-select-cable-television-networks

[berlinerbaer 681]

I'm done with doom scrolling, that's for sure, but I'm not disengaging entirely. I want to get more involved in-person rather than in front of a screen, although I'm not sure exactly what that means yet. 

[InkaUtexas 26383]

43 minutes ago, berlinerbaer said:

I'm done with doom scrolling, that's for sure, but I'm not disengaging entirely. I want to get more involved in-person rather than in front of a screen, although I'm not sure exactly what that means yet. 

real sex vs. porn sex. But then that makes you a prostitute vs. just an entertainer. Either way you be you.

[Hermanator 7302]

54 minutes ago, berlinerbaer said:

I'm done with doom scrolling, that's for sure, but I'm not disengaging entirely. I want to get more involved in-person rather than in front of a screen, although I'm not sure exactly what that means yet. 

[Iceman 2810]

On 11/18/2024 at 11:26 AM, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I'm still in the angry phase of post election. I'm looking forward to seeing many Trump voters suffer from his policies. 

I'm still waiting to feel the void from the lefties withdrawing from all of the alleged helping they did for other people.

[safe sex 11808]

[Iceman 2810]

Funny.  that's the same question I am asking.

 

Statements were made, verdad?  Nothing moved.

Edited November 22 by Iceman

[safe sex 11808]

I have literally no idea what you're talking about, slorch

[WhatTheBuck 28842]

On 11/18/2024 at 12:26 PM, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I'm still in the angry phase of post election. I'm looking forward to seeing many Trump voters suffer from his policies. 

And they’ll place the blame squarely on Hillary Clinton/Barack Obama/Nancy Pelosi/Joe Biden.

[Iceman 2810]

6 hours ago, safe sex said:

I have literally no idea what you're talking about

tis but a few examples.
https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/topic/38885-so-whats-it-gonna-be/#comments

 

Edited November 22 by Iceman

[Bama Llama 1476]

I’m with Old Nasty above only I’ll raise his statement from  not giving up on America to not giving up on Humanity.  
 

The garment rending and teeth gnashing among us surely knew that one side must lose every election and you’re delusional to assume victory.  Darrel Royal would kick anyone’s ass who assumed a win, and so would Paul Bryant.  
 

If a dear one dies of old age it should not be a shock.  Pay your respects and move on. 

Take a couple of days off from news feeds if only to allow uourself to breathe.  Don’t be so fearful of conversations with those whose statements may be distasteful.  Say what you feel, but listen.  Keep moving forward (Walt Disney).  If you’re going through hell, keep on going (Churchill).  Imagine no religion, above us only sky (Lennon).

Stay in the game, don’t give away your future and that of your descendants to the unenlightened.  Long live Jambi.

[scottsins 1997]

This is how they win. And this is how they install their autocracy. We cannot give up now. Otherwise, America is done-zo.

True, but I don’t have to pay attention to any of this shit in order to “not give up”.

I know how I will vote and donate my $ until I die now. I don’t need to be up to date on the latest rage-inducing bullshit in order to do all that I can. I figured out that reading all of the political news, engaging in political discussion etc. adds zero value to my life and makes no actual difference in the world, so why bother?

[David Dennison 19131]

Buh bye, twitter, and good riddance.

[EuroHorn 3277]

What country is everyone moving to?

[scottsins 1997]

What country is everyone moving to?

Nowhere. I’ll be ok here as far as I can tell.

Nowhere. I’ll be ok here as far as I can tell.

I have a smart money guy so any economic collapse will hurt but not in a significant way. My job is also “everything proof”.

[Biff Tannen 45777]

23 minutes ago, EuroHorn said:

What country is everyone moving to?

Why should I leave?  You’re the one who sucks. 

[Dbeasy 15239]

We have always had idiocy and corruption in politics, but the Republican party under Trump has taken it to levels never before seen. I have always placed a very high priority on fairness, competence, and integrity, three traits that are under severe attack these days. It produces a future outlook for America that is bleak. 

However, I spent 25 years traveling around the globe on business meeting people from over 50 countries. One thing I realized over time is that the US has in some ways followed the path of Europe, but 50-100 years behind. I am hopeful our disinformed population will rise up like European citizens and demand some government and societal reforms to go with our uniquely American culture. If that could happen, the future of America could still be saved.