Zoift

joined 3 years ago
[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 13 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Remove downvotes. Unironically, its a good idea. Requires people to actually engage with something if they disagree rather than just downvote and move on. Gets people talking & raises user engagement. Will be an uptick in shitflinging for a short while till all the assholes out themselves, get banned, and site culture improves from that alone.

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 12 points 3 weeks ago

Wait, you didnt know? Servers shut down in 4 days.

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 28 points 1 month ago

Completely unbothered.

One of the historically proven and least abstract forms of capitalist violence comes in the inability of any society to opt-out of capitalism--to legislate in opposition to the class interests of capital (the common interests of capitalists not shared by the general public)--even to minor extents.

Even within capitalism, decisions must be made, typically by the state, about who is responsible for property damage and personal afflictions. Capitalism means the private ownership of capital, the funding and property that comprises productive enterprise. Because these enterprises are privately owned, their goals are to a greater or lesser extent divorced from the public good; therefore, it is often in the interest of capital to externalize their costs of doing business--to avoid taking responsibility for the costly circumstances they have caused. Contrariwise, it is in the public interest (championed in theory by the state) to force capital to internalize those costs against their will to externalize.

For example, it was in BP's interest to minimize the appearance of damaged caused by Deepwater Horizon (e.g. spraying dispersants) and thereby minimize their obligations, while it was in the public's interest to assess the damages thoroughly and liberally.

When a state decides that certain businesses are causing irreparable harm or have acquired their capital illegitimately, by the same right by which externalities are opposed, the state may expropriate or nationalize a formerly private enterprise. However, history furnishes countless examples of democratic nations attempting to take such action, only to have capital directly solicit the state, some subset of the state (such as the military), other states, or peripheral forces to use violence to extinguish such democratic efforts.

Some famous examples:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Chilean_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_of_1953

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d'%C3%A9tat

Thus, even without reference to the minute-by-minute exploitation of the products of workers' labor that comprises the most ubiquitous violence of the capitalist mode of production, we have incontrovertible historical proof that the apparent voluntarism of people in capitalism is the voluntarism of slaves choosing to comply rather than suffer violent retribution. In a sense, open revolt would be less violent than peaceful acquiescence because the former is not compelled by hopeless domination.

It is not difficult to add a theoretical basis to the historical evidence. Insofar as it has a single purpose, capital has an unambiguous interest in every state of affairs and every possible outcome. In this way, capital has a subjectivity, an ego, independent of the good of any particular person or group of people. Everything that happens either augments the value of capital, diminishes it, or leaves it unchanged. According to this judgement, capital stands in favor, opposed, or indifferent (respectively) to everything in existence. If the state intends to impose regulation that will cost $X, it is in the interest of any regulated capital to spend up to $X to eliminate that regulation--regardless of the good the regulation might do for society as a whole, including the individuals involved in the operations of the business itself. Such individuals are not free to follow their own judgement, but must always act in the interest of their employer capital or else be replaced by someone who will. If in the extreme case, the state is determined to eliminate a capital, the capital has no choice but to deploy all its resources to oppose that end. In the presence of large businesses (or unions of businesses such as a Chamber of Commerce) with the resources to oppose any existing regulatory agent, this dynamic imposes strict limits on freedom of people to self-govern. The mere presence of capital as capital is enough to guarantee violence if certain norms of political life are violated.

Because businesses are often dedicated to facilitating cultural practices, rather than strictly utilitarian productivity, capital can be a powerfully conservative force in every domain of life.

Alternatively - Have a quote

"There were two “Reigns of Terror,” if we would but remember it and consider it; the one wrought murder in hot passion, the other in heartless cold blood; the one lasted mere months, the other had lasted a thousand years; the one inflicted death upon ten thousand persons, the other upon a hundred millions; but our shudders are all for the “horrors” of the minor Terror, the momentary Terror, so to speak; whereas, what is the horror of swift death by the axe, compared with lifelong death from hunger, cold, insult, cruelty, and heart-break? What is swift death by lightning compared with death by slow fire at the stake? A city cemetery could contain the coffins filled by that brief Terror which we have all been so diligently taught to shiver at and mourn over; but all France could hardly contain the coffins filled by that older and real Terror—that unspeakably bitter and awful Terror which none of us has been taught to see in its vastness or pity as it deserves." - Marky Twink

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 32 points 1 month ago (11 children)

Our current society is based on violence and requires a great deal of it to establish and sustain itself. Are you bothered by this violence?

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 3 points 2 months ago

In addition to what other posters have said, chemotrophic bacteria can play a significant role concentrating/enriching certain metallic ores by eating dissolved minerals in deep groundwater and metabolizing out metals. Lots of vein-gold runs through very old & fractured marble/granite bedrock with a lot of hydrologic activity.

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 1 points 2 months ago

If a news story comes along that could interfere with the profit of the owners of the NYT, what do you think their intent would be?

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 4 points 10 months ago

Newgang represent

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 10 points 11 months ago

Because my trapezii are fuckin' jacked. Straight yoked. I've been working on my sternocliedomastoid form for years with some serious cervical reps. Glad someone noticed. blushing-engels

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 7 points 11 months ago

A double entendré?

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 3 points 11 months ago

I think its just a reference to an old shitpost, of which the humor derives from absurdity.

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 3 points 11 months ago

"What if 'NCIS'(2003) had the writers of 'Psych'(2006)"?

Its bad folks.

 

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/431481

I recently inherited a chicken coop & small flock from a friend that had to give them up. They've got a big-ass yard to forage in with lots of grass, tree cover, and all the pumpkin plants they can destroy because i wasnt planning on having chickens when i planted them. Still learning birdcare, but half of them have learned to love headpets and are as fat & happy as I can keep them.

However they've also attracted rat snakes & racer snakes to the coop. None of the snakes in my area are big enough to eat a full grown chicken, but it's stressing the chickens out and they keep trying to eat the eggs.

I dont wanna hurt any of the snakes, they're adorable and dopey, but im grabbing a 4 foot frightened snake out of the coop everynight. I keep sealing up new gaps and they keep showing me new ones. Its getting kinda old & I'm starting to wonder if its a different snake every night or just a few really persistent lil guys.

Is there a way to get them to fuck off? And how do biologists tag snakes? Is there like, a little thing i can clip into a scale or is it safe to hit them with a dab of paint or something? Cause if its just the same 2 dumbasses i keep greeting everynight i can just drive them to a nearby lake what i imagine snake heaven would be.

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