People not getting things that seem obvious is an ongoing theme, it seems. We sat through a presentation at work by some guy who enthusiastically pitched AI to the masses. I don’t mean that’s what he did, I mean “enthusiasm” seemed to be his ONLY qualification. Aside from telling folks what buttons to press on the company’s AI app, he didn’t know SHIT. And the VP got on before and after and it was apparent that he didn’t know shit, either. Someone is whispering in these people’s ears and they’re writing fat checks, no doubt, and they haven’t a clue what an LLM is, what it is good at, nor what to be wary of. Absolutely ridiculous.

Labelling this conspiracy means you haven’t been paying attention. This is exactly what they’ve been using lawsuits and settlements for over the last 18 months. That and the crypto bullshit to funnel bribes.

Bet you’re not worth $100+ million. Then you’d get it.

I think this is hard for people from other countries to understand. Our Democrats are not an opposition party. We don’t have that concept in our system. I’ll admit I was naive to it before Trump started Trumping. Even after the first Trump I was thinking, “Well, that was fucking dumb. Glad we found our sanity again.” And I was wrong.

I wouldn’t have been able to articulate this before. I credit my time on Lemmy for some of it. But in reality you can’t explain any of this shit show UNLESS you accept that our entire political system is now structured to serve the rich at the expense of the peasants. Universal healthcare is a no brainer. Infrastructure like rail and renewables is a no brainer. Affordable childcare and reasonable wages is a fucking no brainer. UNLESS the incentives for those in power are not aligned with the good of the people.

Democrats don’t care that they’re not in power, as long as the establishment keeps getting paid.

Now, of course, there can be those like AOC and Sanders who buck that trend. Leaders with those types of values do tend toward the Democratic party. But those are the exceptions. And they can’t save us.

This is the part I have a hard time with. I want to defend myself and my family, but pulling a weapon on authorities means you’re gonna die. These ICE/militarized PDs aren’t going to pause a second if they get any excuse to put you down. They might not even bother with the paperwork at this point.

Unless we’re in a “take as many of them with you when you go” situation. But that’s a different conversation than the “organize and call your lawyer” advice I’m seeing in this thread.

Your comment won’t be popular here in the fediverse among Americans, and neither will mine, likely. But as an American I wanted to say I can appreciate your position. What OP’s rant looks like to an outsider is almost the same as what OP is complaining about. I get that a vote for Dems was just a vote for a less shitty situation close to home. To someone whose family is being killed by American supplied arms it is fascist shit all the way down. The schadenfreude you are feeling toward America is the same as that OP is expressing toward non-voters. Some version of, “How do you like the results of your shitty actions?”

Being in the thick of it I have a hard time with the “tear it all down as fast as possible” position. But, I get it.

Upvoted for bringing broader perspectives to Lemmy. Whatever comes next we can’t afford not to see the bigger/biggest picture.

Voting by “vibe”. No critical thinking, and even less empathy.

This is how it ends.

To be fair, there are tricks to it just like there are tricks for getting better Google results. But “prompt engineering” isn’t a fucking career.

It is evidence of a leadership team that is just clueless.

So, easy then! We know insurrections aren’t a big deal and have no real consequences. Full steam ahead!

/s just in case

Trump takes birthright citizenship battle to his Supreme Court

FTFY

Please stop propagating click bait titles. For all that is holy, this is Lemmy and we’re better than that.

Right?

His comments appear to be more of a reflection on our current system of governance and allocation of resources than giving away the secrets of a greedy corporation. But at this point criticizing our system of governance is a punishable offense, so it tracks.

If expenses are higher for the thing you’re selling than regulation will allow you to charge for them, then of course you don’t sell the thing. Should we use for-profit institutions as our safety nets? No, but it is what we’ve got and the scenario is a lose-lose in our current system.

Most relatable comment ever.

I want the Palm Pre form factor back. Sooo satisfying to slide that thing open or snapping it closed.

Keyboard was ok but not as good as the BB, IMO.

This is what I fully expect. It is a sad state of affairs that I have to ask, “Are you serious this is what’s happening or is this your prediction?”

Atlas Shrugged is a shit book, but I find myself thinking more and more about the world left behind when the “smart” people all leave. Nepotism breeds ineptitude leading to failed systems. Infrastructure crumbles. Businesses fail. Government stops functioning.

I wonder, after a cascade of failures of complex, core societal systems, which will be the first to actually affect the oligarchs? Gotta be the stock market, right? I mean, well after everyone’s pensions and 401(k)s are in the shitter, but eventually? Maybe?

do you see the older population voting for him then?

Feel free to call me Chicken Little, but I believe we have likely voted in our last free and open election. Between voter suppression, media consolidation, and outright manipulation, I can imagine an outcome that no longer reflects even the illusion of the people’s will.

id choose healthcare

If only it were that easy. Relocating is financially draining. And emotionally challenging if you’re leaving family behind. And, why don’t we all move to Canada, or Europe, or anywhere else for healthcare? You don’t think the first thing Texas does after the split is put up checkpoints and require “papers” to travel outside the New Confederate States of Jesus Christ?

I hope we look back on this conversation in four years and all agree I was alarmist and overly imaginative. And wrong. But with every headline it seems we inch closer.

I’m starting to see more and more that this is how the inevitable schism will occur. I was afraid our nation’s demise would be armed conflict, but based on the last week I now believe it will be some combination of Feds withholding funding, states responding by withholding revenue, and then those states that are net exporters of dollars to the federal government just starts managing themselves without oversight.

States will form coalitions of like-minded governments with similar economic interests. States like California and Texas will be centers of gravity and will have incredible negotiating power. Others (see: deep red south) will slide into near third world status. Some might actually become Canadian Territories. Interesting to think about academically.

Surely someone has done the research and put the thought into how this could go. And written it down?