Bandai Namco patented mini-games in loading screens. I always remember Baldurs Gate on the Gamecube had a neat little interactive flame you controlled with one of the joysticks. By the time it expired about 10 years ago loading screens were too short to justify them.

I am merely stating that the historical knowledge of the practicalities remain and that the sort of fanatical anti-communism that infested the rest of Eastern Europe when NATO swept in has not taken strong roots. The truth is most of our theory and all of our historical analysis is based on societies that have always been capitalist before being overthrown by a revolution. We dont have any sort of precedent for a former socialist society that is now capitalist returning to socialism.

I don’t have any answers. All I am saying is that the reason that a peaceful revolution is impossible in most societies is because the forces of capital would not allow it. But in Russia the unbroken chain of capital that exists in most countries does not exist, their forced opposition to capital forces from the west have isolated and weakened them. Putin brought them back from the brink, and he will remain in power for as long as he wishes. But once he is gone then who knows. Probably Nothing Happens™, but maybe something does.

Russia is capitlaist. We are capitlaist. There is no reason to not do business together.

Russia is, and always will be, America’s enemy. They can provide all the resources and services America can to the rest of Europe at much cheaper and efficient rates. This is why even after the USSR collapsed instead of absorbing them into NATO they continued to be seen as the enemy, its why Nordstream was blown up and its why the proxy war in Ukraine is happening right now. America has to keep the rest of Europe separated from Russia whether they are capitalists or not.

This will also, I believe, potentially blowback on the US. Unlike the rest of the Eastern bloc they could not simply pour in and wipe the last 80 years of history away. Russia today still holds the muscle memory of the practicalities of a communist state and when Putin goes there will be the possibility for a return to it. See my below comment for clarification.

people always focus on the mormon thing, but really its Space Americans pretending to be Greek running away from mega-9/11 while West Wing LARPing who just happen to be space mormons.

You called it a week ago congrats : https://hexbear.net/comment/6106194

This was easy to see coming. I think alot of Kneecap’s international audience don’t understand that their personas, songs and whole aesthetic are making fun of the post-troubles west Belfast hoods. People who were (like Kneecap) born in or after the 90s and are aping an exaggerated form of surface level republicanism that lingered beyond the ceasefire especially in Nationalist strongholds like West Belfast. When talking about the influence of the Troubles on the post-GFA generations I am often reminded of a quote from Marx; “The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living”. These hard lads who run around pretending they’re in the IRA because they sell drugs and spray slogans on walls are really just using the aesthetics of resistance to mask the fact that they are actively harming their own communities.

I believe Kneecap’s popularity abroad stems from this mask of resistance that they initially put on to mock destructive elements in their own community but that people missing the local context see as genuine and are using to LARP as revolutionaries. I don’t personally know them so I wont make judgements but sometimes it seems like the lads in Kneecap have also fallen for this trap themselves.

At the end of the day they are really just like any other successful band, and they will prioritise their income above their empty slogans any day.

Kneecap are Northern Irish, so they could definitely be prosecuted under those laws. This is also why there was all that stuff about them getting art grants from the UK and the south.

The complete inability of any Star Wars media to veer from the centre means its “revolution” much more resembles the multi-polar fights for national sovereignty, which inevitably end in the financial backers and middle class elements betraying the rest so that they can be the new landlords of their freed land. By aping so many real world examples Andor has brief flashes of realism but its completely aesthetic and surface level.

Interesting that he actually used the term townland. Many people out in the country still use the names of townlands from generational memory, but apart from local historians I’ve never heard of anyone actually calling them townlands.

Fitting given that Tolkien was inspired by the industry in the midlands when creating Mordor

Genuinely surprised there was any steel manufacturing happening in the UK still.

At least this will get all those “Ireland and America has a special relationship” people to shut up. Fun Fact: Viagra is produced in Ireland.

Whilst countries like Poland and the Baltic States cautioned against getting too close to Moscow – and increased their own defence spending – Berlin under former Chancellor Angela Merkel believed in doing business.

Germany imagined it was delivering democratisation by osmosis. But Russia took the cash and invaded Ukraine anyway.

Yeah I guess all that cash they ran off with must be why the company that managed Nordstream is going bankrupt and is going to be bought by Americans, who blew the damn thing up in the first place. But I guess those damn Russians just hate peace, remind me who ruined the peace talks trying to prevent the war? oh yeah it was the germans.

Thats crazy, obviously people dont send recreational letters much anymore, but its still a key aspect in a lot of business stuff. Getting a new passport, setting up bank accounts. As someone who doesn’t regularly check their email or phone I kind of rely on the post to tell me important shit, in my mind if the company wont send you a letter it isnt important enough.

I have trouble paying attention to episodes after a big cliffhanger that dont address it at all. This was the first episode I skimmed through a bit just because I really wanted to see some of Marks reintegration before having to wait for another week. Also I think him and Helly having a relationship is the worst part of the show, it feels like something that’s only included because its expected to be there.