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The benefits of not belonging

hardfork.substack.com

81–90 of 146 posts

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Honestly does anybody NOT feel alienated in our current society? > So, I'm hoping you are not a white male, as I don't think we can have the tiniest inkling of what it feels like to be a minority. So GP is suggesting that everyone feels isolated, regardless of race or gender. You reply with "hoping you are not a white male" to this observation. We all know that if GP is a white male, his comment borders on white s…

I TOTALLY missed that, and DEFINITELY am not a right-wing accelerationist. I don't even know what that is tbh, but it doesn't sound good.

It's a pretty insidious and effective tactic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerationism

The idea is to destabilize society by accelerating disruptive societal change.

At the far extremes, this looks like mass shootings or bombings with manifestos attached.

On the right, the theory is that a white ethnostate will surely emerge to bring order if the country is thrown into chaos along racial lines.

On the left, it looks very much the same, except what will surely emerge is an egalitarian utopia once those white fascists are out of the picture.

In practice, a lot of these ideas successfully filter into the mainstream because they're being pushed by propaganda networks that seek to damage western democracy.

Importantly, if the propaganda can convince otherwise well meaning people to subtly ingrain "white male == bad" into the language and attitudes, that benefits accelerationists.

White supremacists want you to say that white people are the problem. It legitimizes radical ideas like "replacement theory".

It's also why things like the Rittenhouse trial are so volatile. If he's acquitted, one side will further radicalize. If he's convicted, the other side will further radicalize.

Even if you honestly believe that white males are the source of all the world's problems, labeling it as a white male problem will produce further radicalized white males.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#82

Funny that when Vancouver was a 'backwater' as the article refers to it was when it was much more affordable and a lot less crowded. In other words much nicer to live in. Now the costs exceed the value of living there, which is diminished due to overcrowding, as well as real estate speculation and crime driven sky-high housing costs, and I know it better than most here.

> Funny that when Vancouver was a 'backwater' as the article refers to it was when it was much more affordable and a lot less crowded. In other words much nicer to live in.

There’s no getting around it: increases in population density yield diminishing returns on quality of life. Returns may even turn negative if population density spirals beyond that which the natural ecosystem can support.

Quality of life must be balanced against human population growth. Life is expensive — my fear is if we don’t intelligently limit the number of humans alive, soon only the ultrawealthy will be able to afford having a reasonable quality of life.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#83
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It's for people who want their fundamental rights guaranteed so they can do whatever they choose to do, like be a rock star, build rockets to go to Mars, race motorcycles, write poetry, etc. >It's not for people who want cradle-to-grave security and want someone else to make all the decisions for them. Nor is it for people who want to run other peoples' lives. America is only for people who agree with your politics,…

I don't care if you believe in Communism with all your heart. But if you try to turn the US into a Communist Utopia, I doubt you'll find fertile ground.

An odd non-sequitur, as I never mentioned Communism, much less professed a belief in it. I also don't see a lot of people trying to turn the US into a "Communist utopia."

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#84
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like you think you know far more about other people than you do. >> "Walkable neighborhoods exist as well." Even all the highly-paid (but still not enough) people I know are struggling to compete for houses in them. I don't have a chance.

Excuses are like assholes, everyone's got one. No need for a house. I don't have one, but I do have walkability and sufficient solitude, aka freedom from the boob-tube and associated neuroses. They were choices I made, prioritized over material things.

Good for you. Either share how you did it and stop gloating and judging, or go away.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not in the US, but I'm a white male in Australia, so very similar culturally, and no, I don't feel alienated in the least. So, I'm hoping you are not a white male, as I don't think we can have the tiniest inkling of what it feels like to be a minority. Even travelling in Asia, where we're clearly a minority, I feel like we know on a global scale that even though we may not be the majority of the population, we h…

>> Honestly does anybody NOT feel alienated in our current society? > So, I'm hoping you are not a white male, as I don't think we can have the tiniest inkling of what it feels like to be a minority. So GP is suggesting that everyone feels isolated, regardless of race or gender. You reply with "hoping you are not a white male" to this observation. We all know that if GP is a white male, his comment borders on white s…

[deleted]

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#87

I was just wondering, are there disconnected internets that i can join? I d rather stay in a limited sector that is not overpopulated and oversaturated with the mainstream, even if it has huge downsides. Just like how biology uses membranes to build the useful stuff , i think we need harder borders between internet communities to increase the variance. Everyone moving around like a giant mob and lashing at each other…

well, isn't that what hackernews is?

or other communities like FOSS?

or any group focused on specific topics?

i disagree with the hard borders though. that just creates bubbles.

i also want to participate in different communities based on my interests. some of which are a completely different group of people.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>There are minorities out here and we all get along just fine. I wonder if we talked to minorities in rural communities if they would agree with your assessment.

That is a great idea. I have found that people that don't like being questioned/challenged have something to hide like a con-man or someone selling fake luxury goods.

Spoiler alert: I have done this and they disagree with you.

Look, everything is contextual -- your rural area may be superior in some respects to the ones I've been to. But you also shouldn't assume that your experience is universal.

Edited to add: if you haven't been to a big city in a while, you should take a trip. They're not generally the hellholes you've been led to believe by right-wing news media.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#89
post #19

I've always felt on the fringe of whatever group I was associated with. Honestly it doesn't feel that great. But certain times I realize I'm connected to a lot more people, and diverse people than those who are in the center of these various groups. I also feel like I have more integrity, don't have to sell my soul just to belong. YMMV

One of the things I hate about being on the fringe constantly is that I have so many interesting stories to tell, but none of them are mine.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Come live out here for a while, talk with people, understand them. I've lived all over, including LA, east coast, south, Chicago, near the border of Mexico (I worked with illegals there even in sweat shops). Rural America is garden of peace and contentment compared to the urban areas. Your views are admitedly from a visitor... and there is no way you can compare them equally that way. Ignore Foxnews & CNN and get to…

No it isn't. People in rural America assume that if you're in rural America then you already believe the exact same things that they do, based largely on skin color. Try living there and going against that grain and see how "peaceful and contented" they are.

My experience has been that that's true of the city too, just from the other side.
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