LordKekz

Actually, I think it should be possible to protect the fediverse: Each instance must simply not qualify as a social network. For example, the EU has many regulations which only apply for commercial providers with some minimum revenue or user count. As I understand it, none of these actually apply to small self-hosted servers (e.g. a by a local hackerspace or small friend group) even if they allow for federation.

To make this really viable, the Fediverse apps need to become better at discovery among many small instances. Currently, my self-hosted instance barely shows me any posts because it only gets updates for the communities I (or a user of my instance) explicitly subscribed to. This splits up the already small userbase so much that I instead use tchncs.de, one of the larger instances in Germany, where many communities are already subscribed by other users.

I can’t believe any democrat who still works with MAGA even as they are literally dismantling the constitution and disobeying court orders is acting in good faith.

I can’t imagine Sen. Durbin is actually this foolish; you don’t become Senator without some modicum of political instinct.

Besides, the entire idea of “negotiating with big tech” (even through legislative hostage situations) is absurd. YOU CAN JUST MAKE THE LAW! Companies shouldn’t have any say in that process whatsoever.

It alienated me.

Most queer people identify with the label “weird”.

That’s fair actually. When I first heard it without context, I also felt kind of alienated by it.

I think you can be weird in good and bad ways, context matters in this case. I think it’s fair to call out fascists for being “weird” in the sense that they are evil, crooked and - crucially - not relatable for the vast majority of voters. The “weird” thing is about the fascists not being “like us” - and thus very instinctively not trustworthy.

At the same time it’s also possible to be “weird” in an individualistic, relatable and validating way. Most people have insecurities or fears on some level and accepting this “weirdness” can be validating and actually show likeness. I think it’s very clear that Tim Walz didn’t mean it like this.

He didn’t call them weird out of the blue, but rather to sum up his other points about their unrelatable, evil behaviors. The message was something like: “The fascists are not real, believable people. They don’t seem driven by everyday worries like us. They don’t seem to have the same kind of feelings like us.”

And I think that is actually exactly the message that wins elections in this political climate. Debating the issues is getting you nowhere if your opponent has no actual beliefs to debate against. Calling them out for being fake people with no actual beliefs is a better strategy.

I don’t think Bernie will run again in 2028, but he is still relevant right now because nobody else is taking the lead. I hope people like Walz will step up and try to turn the DNC around. It’ll be an uphill battle even with the DNC, not to speak of the actual election.

Turns out holding back the things that work (like calling fascists “weird”) while not breaking with some of Biden’s unpopular policies was a terrible idea… who would’ve thought? At least Walz is honest enough to admit it. I doubt the DNC will let the social democrats like Walz or Bernie take the lead though… establishment dems would rather stand by and praise Reagan while Trump dismantles the constitution.

I also have these concerns. It’s really hard for consumers to tell where products come from and who actuslly makes them. We need a lot more supply chain transparency.

I think there’s an EU law requiring some larger companies to explain their suppliers to prevent things like forced labor even outside the EU. But I think it doesn’t nearly go far enough while also not providing an efficient digital path to verify supply chains, thus causing bureaucratic overhead and disadvantaging smaller businesses.

There is no inherent goal or point in life. You get to decide. You get to give your life meaning.

It can be hard. Sometimes, material conditions like poverty, working conditions or social pressure make it hard to find meaning. Sometimes, you can loose the meaning, like when you loose a loved one. A good society should help empower all people to give themselves meaning. Sadly this is not the direction many countries are taking nowadays.

But despite everything: You are ultimately empowered to create meaning for yourself. Nobody can truly take that away from you.

There’s Fritz Kola and Vita Cola from Germany

I also work in IT and I’ve had decent experiences with wearing noise cancelling headphones. Not only blocks noise but also people are less likely to interrupt you while wearing headphones. I have a whole work playlist of to get me in a focused mood.

I think this happens in other countries too. It’s a result of neoliberalism:

• They cut spending on education, social security and publix infrastructure. That makes it harder for the youth to get started.
• They also cut taxes on the wealthy - meaning a lot of the wealth remains with older generations and especially the richest 5%.
• And finally, they pursue union busting, deregulation and globalization. By playing out the interests of workers in different countries (or different ethnicities in the same country) they’re making it harder to collectively bargain for good wages and good working conditions.

Now, I think the US is having it especially bad. In Germany they do regularly cut social security but we have public health insurance (though the rich get to opt out instead of paying their share) and overall a wealth distribution which is not good but also not quite as bad as the US. We also have a very different job market: Due to lack of highly educated workers, it’s easy to get a job and good conditions if you have a good education (which is basically free if you can afford to take the time). And they can’t fire you willy-nilly, this is hugely important for becoming financially stable and feeling safe.

Our main problem economically is the “Debt Brake” - a rule that limits government debt (and thus spending) without accounting for the required infrastructure investments. That doesn’t make any economic sense - anyone would loan money to make an investment if that facilitates economic growth!