Open Thread

Open Thread #127

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57 thoughts on “Open Thread #127

  1. I have recently finished the manga Attack on Titan. Overall, I thought it is pretty overrated. Obviously, it was good enough to keep me reading, but it is not even close to my top 10. The big draw, as I see it, are the action scenes. I can certainly see the appeal for a male, teenage crowd. In short, the positives are a relatively action-packed narrative that is moving quite quickly. The manga also touches upon some not overly popular topics. You could make an argument that it embraces a nationalist ideology, with the focus on race and pointing out the need of being able to defend yourself against invaders. It also illustrates why you need to have a big, beautiful wall. In the West, the author would have gotten cancelled right after submitting the proposal document. I also did not expect the manga to touch upon issues like trust and loyalty, and the problem of a hostile government, even though current reality is far beyond what Attack on Titan depicts.

    There are a few negatives. A big one is that the technical quality of the drawings is a bit mixed. In particular, faces are a problem, often looking a bit odd. The overarching structure is also downright confusing at points. For the first 1/3, the story is about humanities futile defense against an overwhelming hostile force, i.e. the titans. Then there are a bunch of plot twists and quite a few hand-wavy explanations. A big negative for me was that the mangaka often pulled something new out of his hat, without grounding it in the world, or even providing an inkling of an explanation. At the end, there are suddenly thousands of titans that are far bigger (hundreds of meters tall) than anything you have seen before. There is an impossibly large cast of characters you are supposed to care about, but they are not properly built up. Oftentimes, it would have made no difference if we had overheard a bunch of random soldiers instead.

    I think one reason why I finished the manga was that it has been completed, even though only very recently. I doubt that it could have kept my interest over a months-long hiatus. Lastly, I did not watch the anime, and don’t intend to. My impression is that Attack on Titan had a big boost in popularity after the release of the anime. Probably the plot got tightened up a little bit for it as well.

    1. It’s bullshit, a product of pure imagination. It made the Soviet look like a bunch of wanabe soldiers who were so stupid to be slaughtered by the Germans.

    2. @Vu, I haven’t seen it in years, but i don’t have any recollection of that. I mainly remember Vasily, and him being a badass. I don’t remember the other soldiers being portrayed as dumb. May watch again.

    3. @GoodLookingSleazy it shows soviets shooting soldiers who jump off boats heading into battle. it doesn’t show Stalin ordering it though. I want to say it doesn’t show Stalin at all, but i don’t remember for certain.

  2. Why do you guys think prostitution is illegal in almost every state in the USA? Puritanical roots? Feminism?

    1. It could well be both. I haven’t looked into historical developments of this issue, but such a data set could help us answer this question, i.e. feminism is a much more dominant force in society than the United States’ puritan roots, and if we see that prostitution is now “more illegal”, i.e. gets more severely punished, we would have a corroboration of our hypothesis.

    2. Prostitution has always been censured (as it should, in principle) and pimping I guess has been pretty much outlawed most everywhere, but what I don’t think has happened is that the very act of solicitation is punished as severely as in the US.

      Though I don’t have the historical knowledge to back that assertion up either. Would CQV know? Is he banned again?

    3. Prostitution is probably illegal because the big Gov wants men to be tied to pussy vs getting it easy. I guess most men can’t just go out a get sex and get sexually frustrated. Banging a hooker makes it easy but im sure our leaders want men to be tied down and sexually frustrated. who knows.

    4. @ Aaron
      It would not be the first time that feminists and evangelicals worked together for shitty legislation. Prohibition of alcohol was the result of such an alliance. We see how well that worked out. I have to look into it more.

      @ Manuel
      I am 100% in favor of regulation and taxation of prostitution. Great revenue source and keeps it safer than fucking a girl from a club. Pimps might even go out of business and good riddance. It should just be like it is in Nevada. But if we legalize it Nationwide it would probably drop their bloated prices.

    5. Hhmmmm….. Now I’m wondering if these Nevada brothel owners have lobbied the govt to keep it illegal so they can have a virtual Monopoly.

      The US is weird because if the Constitution doesn’t specify, then it is up to the states to decide. But the Constitution can be interpreted to fit certain political agendas and force states into compliance, which is exactly the case in Roe v Wade, gay marriage etc. At any rate, the supreme Court has the final say.

    6. @GL&S: the first part of my reply (where I said prostitution should be censured in principle) was not meant as an argument for criminalization, but rather as a follow-up to a comment I made a little while ago about how things worked in the past in Western countries regarding prostitution, gays, etc. Church, society and the patriarchy condemned, but sort of tolerated all sorts of things behind the curtains. Not even the infamous and sensationalized Spanish Inquisition systematically stoned whores and sodomites to death as it happens in Muslim theocracies.

      It would be hard to go back to that with taxed and legalized prostitution (it would be hard to go back, period), but anything is better than the hypocritical American approach.

    7. As hostile as feminists and evangelicals are with each other, the only time they get things done legislatively is when they agree. Aside from abortion of course.

  3. Clown World: The European Space Agency is looking for a disabled astronaut. I would argue that this is a clear case of discrimination, but I’m sure that there are countless “post-factual” explanations for why it is not. Note that not any kind of physical disability will do. They do have some standards:

    Any person wishing to be selected as the first astronaut with a physical disability in the ESA astronaut reserve must have an eligible disability. The following disabilities are considered to be eligible:
    Lower limb deficiency (e.g. due to amputation or congenital limb deficiency) as follows:
    Single or double foot deficiency through ankle
    Single or double leg deficiency below the knee
    Leg length difference (shortened limbs at birth or as a result of trauma)
    Short stature (<130 cm)

    Here is the job ad:
    https://jobs.esa.int/job/Porz-Wahn-Astronaut-%28with-a-physical-disability%29-ESOC/662873001/

  4. Hey Boys,

    Curious what you guys think about my living situation.

    I had a plan to buy a house this year and move out, but with Covid the housing market here has gone up like crazy and a house that was 450K last year is now going for 750-800K. These houses are 1-1.5 hours outside of the main city. Luckily I have a great job but not to the point where I can afford a 800K house on single income.

    I guess my question is, should I say fuck it and just rent or still save up and when everything stabilizes then buy a house.

    A couple thing, I want to buy a house as I have two cars, want land, more room and storage etc. Also I wanted to sort of move out to the country and enjoy the calmness and be around more of my people – if that makes sense. also to obviously have my own place to bang.

    I guess the dilemma is should I 1) just rent and lose money 2) save and just move out early next year into a house or 3) just buy a condo

    1. Deus,

      A few observations:
      1)Renting is not losing money if you don’t plan on being there for a while. No ball and chain.
      2)Unless you’re saving more than the increase in value the houses will see over the next year there is no point. “Price Stabilization” many never happen.
      3)Depending where you live, a condo may be the right move as they increase in value just as much as houses.

  5. Any of you guys investing is physical silver bullion (not paper silver)? Lots of speculation that silver and blow up in the near future.

  6. Isn’t it funny that extensive trials on manufacturing the vaxx are really important, but not on the vaxx itself:

    You know, you’ve got to do the trial on these things. Every manufacturing process has to be looked at in a very careful way,” Gates explained.

    “Trial on these things” refers to the manufacturing process. Gates is the dude who unleashed probably the shittiest commercial software imaginable on the world. He takes quality really, really serious. I’m sure Windows also passed all internal tests even though it is such an incredible piece of sh*t from a user perspective. Here it is the same. It’s important that the manufacturing of the vaxx works fine while any negative effects on your health are not even part of the equation.
    Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/bill-gates-doubles-down-opposition-open-vaccine-movement

  7. Aaron,
    I though you might find this interesting. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of the National Security Study Memorandum 200. It’s about Population Control, Civil Unrest, and Overseas interest in third world countries.
    https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pcaab500.pdf
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Study_Memorandum_200

    Also, I found Global 2000. These studies also highlight the issues of depopulating countries.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Global_2000_Report_to_the_President
    https://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1792&context=ealr

  8. What’s everyone’s thoughts on tattoos on men?

    I know a lot of guys get them to get pussy. I don’t have any but was thinking of getting some related to my culture etc and not really for pussy. Tho I’m torn as it seems like a fad and as time goes one our opinions change etc.

    1. I would not do it. You’ll have it for life. Getting tattoos in order to get pussy is probably not the smartest choice. Also, I think that the cause-and-effect relationship is not quite correct here. Instead, a particular category of men gets tattoos as a consequence of their lifestyle. They have been taking irresponsible risks, are prone to violence, and don’t enjoy long-term thinking (obviously, I’m generalizing here). For instance, if you already don’t care about the consequences of your actions, getting tattoos is something you just do. Some women are drawn to this kind of personality type, and it’s the same kind of person who acts irresponsibly. However, those women are very visible as this is the kind who shows off a lot of skin, gets boob implants, and engages in casual sex. In a club, such women are by far the most visible.

    2. Aaron,
      “Some women are drawn to this kind of personality type, and it’s the same kind of person who acts irresponsibly.”

      It seems like a lot of modern-day women are attracted to this type of guy. There’s no shortage of women who have tattoos especially now since we live in a deranged culture. I’ve seen girls raised in stable homes turned into complete whores with tattoos later in life. And I’ve seen the opposite where girls are raised in dysfunctional families, get tattoos and act destructive. I have on the other hand, seen this type of women often act like a virtuous woman, but that façade doesn’t last long enough before their true colors emerges.

    3. Aaron,
      Don’t these people live by the motto “Live life to the fullest?” Its all short-term gratification?

    4. @Deus:

      Generally, would say tattoos can be fitting depending on your ‘niche’ (e.g. artist, musician, etc.).

      Personally wouldn’t want one insofar that I don’t think I could commit to one!

      Perhaps you could explore this site: https://inkbox.com/

      Never tried it but it’s a store that offers semi-permanent tattoo. Not the same as those children stick-on tattoos. It goes undeneath your skin and stays on and gradually fades.

      Kinda like ditching a girlfriend whose looks fade without any of the divorce bullshit. 🙂

    5. Thanks boys for the feedback. I’m still wishy washy about them. I’ve tried inbox before and I really liked the look.

  9. @Aaron:

    I have question, how did you get into writing?

    Did you do some exercises or just started to write your thoughts?

    Do you let someone proofread your blog posts before putting them online?

    Do you use spell/grammar checking software?

    1. I began writing in my teens. I used to read a lot, plenty of Greek and Roman philosophy and history, but also some modern philosophers like Schopenhauer. At around that time I also began writing. I filled a bunch of notebooks in the course of a few years, mostly observations and ramblings. It probably does not surprise you to learn that I was a young misanthrope. There are a few entries in my diaries on how stupid I think women (women I interacted with and who were hitting on me) are and what a horrible deal a relationship seems to be. I also wrote a few essays on lifestyle choices, basically exploring how I can live a sane life, given that the world seemed pretty unsatisfactory to me. More or less everyone around me was a moron, and even among my smarter friends I could not speak freely, so I kept an intellectual diary just to help me better formulate my thoughts. (If you write something down, in particular with a non-erasable pen, you need to organize your thoughts.)

      I more or less accidentally got into writing online. I used to contribute to the seduction forum mASF. At one point, I thought there was too much nonsense on it, so I started my first blog. I think the current one is the third or fourth one, all under the same, or similar, name. I also had a few other short-lived blogs under different names, which I abandoned after I had exhausted the topics, in my opinion. In contrast, this blog, which is roughly on the issue of how to live life as a man (in Clown World) can essentially go on for as long as I’m physically able to type. As you know, I also have the “Aaron S. Elias” blog as an outlet for topics that don’t quite fit on this one. I have not posted on there in a while, but there will be more to come. I have a long list of working titles for articles.

      My writing style is quite different from the nonsense they teach you in creative writing courses. I tend to sit and think. Sometimes, I ponder about an issue, on and off, for a few months. At some point, I think I’m ready to write things down. Normally, I write the entire piece, top to bottom, in one sitting, with relatively little editing; this is even true for the occasional very long article I write. I normally do only one additional pass for proof-reading.

      Nobody proof-reads my posts. Also, I currently do not use any software to check grammar and spelling. For a few months, I used Grammarly. The pro version is not flexible enough, i.e. it only rigidly applies rules. It also tells you to use simpler words and shorter sentences. Quite frankly, I write how I want to write and cover the kind of topics I do want to cover. It is not my goal, and never was, to have mainstream appeal. Also, I do not want to dumb down my writing to be understandable by IQ100 NPCs. I have to do this as part of my day job, and that is grating enough.

    2. To me, writing is like speaking. And speaking is like thinking. If your thoughts are organized, you can speak and write well.

  10. Biden is the most popular man who has ever lived. He is so popular that even some dead people rose from their graves to vote for him. The latest example of his enormous popularity is this piece of news regarding Biden’s first State of the Union address:

    Ratings show that 11.6 million watched Biden’s speech compared to 45.6 million who watched Trump’s first address to Congress in 2018. The lowest number of Americans who watched a Trump State of the Union throughout his term in office was 37 million. Biden barely managed to beat the viewership for this year’s Oscars (9.8 million), even though that set a new record low for the Academy Awards

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/34-million-fewer-people-watched-biden-speech-compared-trumps-first-sotu

    But, goy, keep believing that Biden legitimately won the election and make sure you get your quarterly vaxx shots. The mainstream would never lie to you.

    1. It is always zerohedge that you base your opinion on. It is tiresome after a while.

    2. @CQV: So, it’s all pure lies and fake news at Zerohedge? If you’re accusing them of bias, that’s one thing, but you kind of imply that they’re pulling numbers out of thin air or something.

    3. @Cuong Quoc Vu: if you attack Aaron for using zero hedge as source, then please point out some factually incorrect statements in the article that Aaron posted.

      Just dismissing it as a source without any reason (other than that they are not mainstream leftist media) just reinforces my impression of you as very naive.

    4. This does not really change the argument. The mainstream claims that Biden is by far the most popular man who has ever lived, beat Trump by a landslide. Yet, there is no evidence to support this. In fact, the discrepancy is downright comical.

    5. Why the number of people watching his speech has anything to do with his popularity?

      People could vote for him without caring too much about what he has to say in his speech. After all, Trump is much more entertaining due to his polarizing style of delivery.

      Also, comparing the attitude the people had for Trump back when he made his first speech is misleading. That doesn’t reflect their attitudinal change 4-3 years later anyway.

      Using that same argument, Bush is more popular than Trump based on the number of viewers of their first speech to Congress.

      “This does not really change the argument. ”

      That is the response to Ubermensch, who is too lazy to do a comparison test on news, yet have the audacity to claim that I am naive.

    6. It is a bold claim that the audience you gather has nothing to do with your popularity. Care to explain your reasoning further?

    7. “It is a bold claim that the audience you gather has nothing to do with your popularity.”

      That is an insufficient indication. Simple as that.

    8. What would indicate that Biden is incredibly popular? Obviously, the working hypothesis is that the election was fraudulent because the guy couldn’t fill a parking lot. Yet, if he is the most popular guy who has ever lived, there should be some evidence, like cheering crowds or people making memes. Anything would do.

    9. What you are trying to catch is attention, not popularity. People can keep watching a show that they totally hate, because they want to know how it ends. The same is true with Trump, people keep watching him because he may infuriate them and that causes them to be drawn more into his speeches, they want to know how his content to disparage them.

      It is attention, not popularity, and Trump has plenty tropes to capture your attention.

    10. Trump filled stadiums. Do you honestly want to claim that all those people just showed up to get infuriated? Also, what’s your explanation for all the evidence of voter fraud we have seen?

    11. You are cherry-picking your evidence here. Note that this made news because he did not fill a stadium that one time. You cannot plausibly claim that he has drawn huge crowds, far beyond what Hillary Clinton managed to do or, for that matter, Joe Biden. In fact, Biden makes Hillary appear extremely popular.

    12. @CGV: it doesn’t matter how many sources you read if they all share the same political and cultural bias. All mainstream media is very left leaning. As far as I know more than 80% of journalists are left leaning.
      And I do read multiple sources, from all sides of the political spectrum.

    13. I honestly don’t think that either one is all that popular. Just that Americans are so divided today that we are just trying to piss each other off.

    14. Bidens term will look a lot like Trump’s term, which looked like Obama’s term, which looked like Bush’s term which…… You get the picture.

      Ironically Richard Nixon was last decent president we have had.

    15. I think that rather than bitching about the source, we need to refute what’s in the source. I’m saying this as someone who has dismissed ish due to being from HuffPo, vox.com, The Guardian, etc. It’s an intellectual workout to see where the sleight of hand of your enemies and sophists comes into play. No sense in robbing ourselves of this. What do you guys think?

    1. We have discussed this issue a few times. You can use the search box on this blog. It should come up with a few results.

    2. Johnny, I’ll give you a hint. Sexual stamina is a loaded term. If a heavyweight champion consistently knocks his opponent out in the first or second round, does he lack stamina?

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