I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

US has more people imprisoned than China. Not per capita, total.

Yep

Both are tribalism of different levels of intensity. Our brains are predisposed for us-them mentality, some stronger than others, some can leave it behind others never will. It’s also the most exploitable feeling in the history of our species, with fear may be the close contender.

Obviously a government embracing tribalism leads to horrid shit (everyone without an armband knows it) BUT ignoring it completely allows something else snake its way into that void. If you’re lucky its something vegetarian like football hooliganism, if you-re not – pan-nationalism, religious zealotry, whatever the 4chan incel shit is, people who can’t or won’t leave tribal mentality will find a dirt to roll in.

IMHO it is worth considering implementing a civic religion a-la french republicanism. Yes it can be a gateway to nationalism, but it also lets tribal minded people wave their flags and “guard the civic values” or whatever while the rest of us continue our lives in peace. As a bonus it improves civic participation and if you’re attacked – well there’s already something for you to rally around.

I see you missed the dark brandon saga :) it was quite the time, so no its not maga only, and its not even an insult

Did the voter population elected a fascist because people with “a 'tude” kept rolling their eyes at a centrist grandgran running for office? Highly doubt it.

I agree let’s give the average american what he wants and bring Brandon back. It’s not joever yet!

I want to say to all the “this could never happen to my country, we remember history”-people:

Yes it could. One economic crisis too many; a few gifted power hungry ghouls in the wrong place; hundreds little comprimises taken by establishment to preserve the status quo – and you will find your neighbours tolerating (and even welcoming) oppression of the less fortunate.

No society is immune.

This is like a Roman Legion being sponsored by a fire insurance scam

Couldnt be me, I’m the head empty goblin girl and my motivation is chaos

Most of them do not see opposition as mentally disabled, they see it as an internal enemy. And in dealing with it, punitive psychiatry is a times tested method.

One of the best part of shadowrun was picking irl city and giving it a fantasy+cyberpunk makeover: placing districts of note, choosing what factions operate there, riffing on landmarks…

Venice is where church agents, mafia goons and old money are bidding for awakened relics while gig workers are trying not to drown in half sunken apartments.

Detroit is, of course, a jungle of mega factories and spacescrapers. Robo-cops? Naah, there was a trial run, but the tin men always go psycho from sensory depravation. We’ll stomp our citizens scum the old fashion way, thank you very much.

Moscow metro runs through literal hell. Also grab a molotov, Lenin has risen and calling for a revolution against the corpos. Why are his eyes red? Uhh… communism?

Session 0 was always a blast. (Minus explaining new players how to use chummer5)

I only see mockery of accelerationists, which I broadly support. Its 10 times easier to reform an existing government that to destroy and build a good one from scratch.

Its 2025 you don’t need to lie to make republicans look stupid, just read the news smh

I DMed a lot of shadowrun, and I really do love both of them equally. RP makes the world fun and meaningful, while combat gives it physicality, makes it real.

I miss it, if only I could afford to spend 10 hours on prep every week :<

It’s nice to see you’re not alone in your thoughts, that the world is crazy not you.

But yeah that’s about it :(

That’s not “working saas” tho.

Its like calling hello world a “production ready CLI application”.

I’m not huge into drugs, can someone explain to me why a billionaire takes ketamine? Isn’t it a prescription painkiller?

Shouldn’t he be smoking brainstem of an endangered rainforest frog, or some nameless lab chemical synthesized personally for him?

Consider it an expenditure to secure the american market. As in, the America.

Do people not care how a shitty ai image makes their article look equally shit?

Or was the entire thing automatically written, posted, and probably commented upon.

I think those two statements are about two different things: on is about blame, the other is about course of action.

People who voted for fascists got duped/are into fascism, but you still have to convince them to chose otherwise because what is the alternative?

This thinking is precisely why Jan 6 happened and will happen again if we validate that thinking by doing it ourselves.

What do you mean validate they don’t give a crap. The alt right isn’t going to become less relevant because we refuse to use their tactics against them. The choice is do things by the book, keep our precious moral high ground and most likely lose or get dirty and have a fighting chance.

You know what is a humane value? Respecting other people even when you vehemently disagree with them. Acknowledging that they are human beings and have a right to their thoughts and ideas even when you feel they are wrong. Because if you do not you are tacitly agreeing to their thinking that YOU are wrong. You are giving that perspective credence and the harder you push back the more you are allowing them to justify suppression of YOUR ideas…

What’s humane in respecting someone calling for genocide? Sure we should try to change their minds, I am not agitating for their liquidation, but for clawing out the political and cultural power back from their sweaty hands to try to turn away from the f-ing iceberg.

Metaphorical iceberg, because all the real ones will melt after trump dissolves the EPA.