More to the point. It's remarkable that there's so little discussion of contemporary historical events on here.
Easy to understand - the current world historical habbenings are not only hopelessly grim but also hopelessly stupid.
Overall, too much downer for debate. Even most rational (and rational adjacent) folks do not like being reminded that their fate ultimately hangs on fat orange finger messing with buttons.
Could someone like Pete be imaginable as the Secretary of War – no, Defense – in 2023? 2019, even? 2016? It looks as if the politically dominant culture of the United States changed overnight. Does everyone just like it too much to find the change worth commenting on?
This culture was always there, now it is fully in the open.
Remember GWOT, remember the sudden jump of official line from "We do not torture, we are good guys" to "Yes we torture, and we are rather good at it. America number one! YEE-HAW!"
Eetan
20hr ago
Yes, (solved) murders are overwhelmingly low IQ phenomenon.
Is it because smart people are more moral, or because the perk of being smart is ability to find out easier solution to your problems than murder?
Eetan
20hr ago
How to Kill Correctly And With Style
Well, it depends where you are.
For example, if you live in drug infested town or neighborhood where deaths by overdose are common, just invite the prospective victim to shoot drugs with you, and inject him with lethal dose of fent.
Just another overdose, just another number in the grim tally. How many of these numbers are really unfortunate accidents, and how many are suicides or murders? No one knows, no one will ever care.
Eetan
1d ago
And really, they aren't even all that revolutionary in a classic sense, even if they say they want to burn down the system: by revealed preference they simply don't.
Revolution needs revolutionary situation - historically it was incompetent, internally split and massively discredited ruling class, unpopular (and losing) war, economic collapse thrusting the masses into desperate poverty.
Fortunately, we are in 2026, not in 1917 and no such things can happen today.
Eetan
1d ago
You can still be dedicated communist while believing that communism will win in far, distant future. It is hard, but not impossible.
warning: obscure nerd lore incoming
The canonical example is classic of Soviet science fiction, Andromeda by Ivan Yefremov.
Context: Soviet science fiction during Stalin's time was bound by "close limit" rule.
No daydreaming, no wild space fantasies churned by capitalist hacks as opiate for the working class, just describe scientific and technological breakthroughs that are coming in the near future.
Usual plot was: In 1946, heroic Soviet polar explorer gets lost and freezes solid in the arctic ice. Later, in communist future, he is discovered, thawed and revived into full health, and his old friends (in their young and vigorous 120's) get him into flying car and show him the wonderful communist world of 2026.
Andromeda is not like this.
It is utopian communist future, that happens to be far future. Geologic scale future, when all that is left from our civilization is black radioactive layer in the strata (and some mysterious artifacts).
It is clear why such work was problematic, even during the post-Stalin thaw when big K himself promised victory of communism in 1980.
Eetan
1d ago
The figure consists of homicides solved by formal white man's law, as opposed to ghetto street law.
How many people really get away with murder in such sense that they face no adverse consequences in their lifetime (excluding guilty conscience, if applicable) is unknown and unknowable.
Eetan
1d ago
As a side note, the evidence produced by mobile phones is fascinating to me. Some time in the last 10-20 years, it became nearly impossible to get away with murder or any other serious crime.
Not really, at least in the US.
The main exception being situations involving some gang-banger in the ghetto and law enforcement doesn't particularly care.
In the hood, you do not get away with anything for long. Friends of the deceased usually know well who did it, and prefer to deal with the perpetrator (and his friends) themselves. This is how old American self sufficient spirit looks like.
"Perfect murders" in classic detective stories style would be:
1/Victim dead, death recorded as due to natural cause, accident or suicide, no murder case opened.
2/Victim went missing, no missing case opened because, well, no one missed the victim.
How many of such cases are here is impossible to estimate.
Eetan
1d ago
In late-stage capitalism, none of that is true anymore.
"Late stage capitalism" is phrase born of Marxist revolutionary optimism/wishful thinking.
"Keep fighting, comrades! The clock is ticking, the bourgeois pig system is crumbling! The masses are waking up, the revolution is just around the corner! Trust the forces of history!"
No one wants to imagine that we are still in early stage of capitalism, and communism will finally win sometime in the 40th millenium.
Eetan
8d ago
Eetan
8d ago
In related news, meeting to select new Supreme Leader was targeted by Israeli strike. As if time for negotiation has ended, as if there are no plans to talk with Iran any more.
We know we should always trust the experts, but maybe these ones should be exception. Really, is it so hard to establish secure communication channel that precludes need to meeting in person? Especially in Near East, part of the world with ancient tradition of messenger pigeons?
And frankly, haven't we all started from this, with LessWrong and Scott gushing over the genius of the Ashkenazim, Eliezer dreaming of the eugenic Dath Ilani like himself, Gwern scheming to clone or embryo-select John von Neumann, others planning to have an army of them save the world from unaligned AGI?
Do not worry, the Chinese are aware of Ashkenazi super powers and are closing this gap too.
Eetan
8d ago
There are companies, deep state actors, and military generals that are more than happy to start a hot war with Iran anyone even if the strategic consequences for the US are negative.
If you are properly cold calculating Corrupt Corporate Executive of E.V.I.L.Inc you want state of cold war prolonged indefinitely (or at least till you retire).
You want to deliver small number of super weapons at extraordinary cost, replace them after few years with super-hyper weapons and then with super-hyper-duper weapons, without anyone ever using these marvels to find out whether they work as promised.
What we instead see is progressive feminists almost entirely ignoring the plight of women under Islam
Set aside what could and should Western "progressive feminists" do about plight of women under Islam.
Would you also ask, for example, first world labor union organizers:
"Why you care about such trifle as lunch breaks and pay raises for already spoiled first world workers? Do you know that millions of workers in Africa are actual slaves? Why you do not fight against slavery in Africa?"
The same for every first world problem - the problem is much worse in third world, do you want everyone to be effective altruist concentrating all their efforts on the most dowtrodden people of the world?
Eetan
9d ago
Eetan
9d ago
New age of hyperpower, and hyper oops.
Three US fighter jets accidentally shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, military says
When your greatest losses during large war are caused by your ally, you know you are the real hyperpower.
Eetan
9d ago
nuclear war means victory for the Red Tribe in the culture war
Do not be so sure.
After The End, what would "red and blue" mean anymore, what recognizable "red culture" would still exist in Fallout universe?
Big cars, big houses and giga consumption lifestyle would be out for the foreseable future, and so will be sport obssession and religion promising prosperity and worldly success.
Eetan
9d ago
The war was not about "controlling" Gaza (who needs such prize), but destroying it. Now, it is pile of ruins that will be never rebuilt. Hamas can "control" it, but can do nothing to endanger Israel.
(The actual death toll is unclear, somewhere in low six figures. The rest of Gazans are going to leave or die too).
Yemen is danger because of ballistic missiles, supplied by Iran. When the factories where they come from are destroyed, Yemen would be again as threatening as Zimbabwe.
Eetan
9d ago
The US isn't going to control the middle east by just bombing.
Why not? Israel controls (sort of) Lebanon and Syria just by bombing them unopposed. This goes on for decades, and could go on indefinitely. In principle, Iran could be reduced to this state too.
Eetan
9d ago
Well, the problem with bullying discourse is that one side talks about bullies from movies, and the other from real life.
In Hollywood, the bully is always tall blonde handsome football player from rich Christian family. Who wouldn't want to be dominated and subjugated by such awesome Chad?
IRL, the bullies (never singular, always a wolf pack) are young thugs on the way to prison, who are enjoying their 20+ second chances to turn their life around and in the mean time turn school into prison lite. You are not bullied because you did something "wrong", you are bullied because you do not belong to gang.
Eetan
10d ago
New coalition of the willing is forming.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a joint statement Sunday they are ready to work with the US and partners to help stop Iran’s retaliatory attacks.
As if the hopes and fears about demise of US/NATO bloc were premature.
Eetan
10d ago
Is there really no recourse for this?
1/ Build your own. Conservapedia, Infogalactic, Grokipedia etc. tried and failed, try harder.
2/ Take over. Bring few thousand friends willing to dedicate all waking hours to editing and edit warring, and persevere for years of uphill struggle.
Eetan
11d ago
Looks it is real, mainstream news are confirming it now, including the most authoritative source. Not only US&ISR killed big K, but have sources on the ground that could verify it.
Only Wikipedia still cannot process this mega habbening, massive edit war is ongoing on recent deaths page.
In related news, not everything is lost. Here is how Iran can still win. When all human wit and wisdom failed, listen to the cat girls. What can go wrong?
Eetan
11d ago
No need for worries. The Iranian regime made sure there will be no shortage of Ayatollahs.
Work hard, grind for exams and you can be an Ayatollah too.
Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most distinguished marja' at-taqlid mujtahid, it suffered from "inflation" following the 1979 Iranian Revolution when it came to be used for "any established mujtahid".[3] By 2015, it was further expanded to include any student who had passed their Mujtahid final exam,[4] leading to "thousands" of Ayatollahs.[5]
Eetan
11d ago
Israeli media announce death of Khamenei.
Not hard to believe. Put yourself in Ayatollah's shoes.
Stay in your palace with your turban on, die.
Hide in bunker like a rat, die too because the secret location was sold off long ago.
TPTB found out that propagandizing ordinary plebes is unnecessary distraction, that the war machine can work regardless of plebe "support" or "approval".
We will see if they are right.
Unless the situation directly touches average voter's wallet. Then all bets are off.
More options
Context Copy link