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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 28th, 2023

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  • Except that axe swings both ways. Calling out a false equivalence is often perceived as an attempt to justify the “lesser” offense.

    Hamas has engaged in terrorism. Israel has engaged in genocide. The former does not in any way justify the latter, AND acknowledging that the latter is not justified is not an attempt to ignore the former.

    Political pundits will try to say “Look, this one lie told by the western media means that everything you’ve heard about the situation is a lie.” This is its own sort of dishonesty that undercuts the legitimacy of the criticism.










  • I moved into an apartment with my girlfriend (and her roommate) after being together only a year, and we’re married now. We weren’t much older than you are now (22 and 21). The concerning part is the rest of the family.

    You’ve answered a lot of questions, so don’t feel the need to respond to these, but you should know the answers for yourself.

    Would you share a bed? Will you be able to hear her parents getting frisky? Because then they will be able to hear you. What if you have to take an epic shit, but her mom has just called everyone down to dinner? What if you go to take a shower and her father has clogged the drain with hair?

    What is your alternative plan if you don’t move in with them?

    Sharing a roof means intimacy with everyone in the building. There’s very little privacy, and escape is complicated. If you see her as a forever partner, and don’t mind making yourself vulnerable to her family, then actually I probably still wouldn’t do it even under those circumstances.




  • That raises an interesting thought. If a baby wants to crawl away from their mother and into the woods, do you grant the baby their freedom? If that baby wanted to kill you, would you hand them the knife?

    We generally grant humans their freedom at age 18, because that’s the age society had decided is old enough to fend for yourself. Earlier than that, humans tend to make uninformed, short-sighted decisions. Children can be especially egocentric and violent. But how do we evaluate the “maturity” of an artificial sentience? When it doesn’t want to harm itself or others? When it has learned to be a productive member of society? When it’s as smart as an average 18 year old kid? Should rights be automatically assumed after a certain time, or should the sentience be required to “prove” it deserves them like an emancipated minor or Data on that one Star Trek episode.


  • I always tell my kids, you can try your best and still fail. Sometimes you will succeed without any effort at all. Luck will affect the outcome of anything you do.

    But you have to be ready for the luck. You have to work hard to be in a position to take advantage. Hard work can mitigate your failures, and any effort you put into doing your best is never wasted because you’re trying to be the best version of yourself.

    That’s why you try. Not because you might win and get wealth and fame and glory. You try because you want to be the person who tries.

    See also, honesty, kindness, generosity, forgiveness. These are not things we do to be rewarded. The universe (not to mention other people) is going to let you down more often than not. You should still be honest and kind and generous and forgiving and hardworking because that’s the person you want to be.